Month End Summary

A confluence of very cold weather, an almost record amount of snowfall, and a week spent in New Jersey tending to a family emergency limited our birding this month, leaving me with a disappointing 63 species for the month. We didn't make it to Jamaica Bay this month--the ponds were probably frozen and they don't plow the trail very far, and the day I would normally bird Staten Island was much too cold to be wandering around Mount Loretto.

However, there were some highlights, most notably the 2 lifers I got at Seven Presidents Park in Long Branch--RED CROSSBILL and BLACK KITTIWAKE. And finding the Red-headed Woodpecker in Central Park without hours of agonized searching was a happy event.

While we out in NJ Shari bought a bird feeder for my parents' yard. After a slow start it began to attract birds, mostly juncos, but the last day we were there a Tufted Titmouse was sitting on the feeder's lip. I'd never seen a titmouse out there. Since it looks like we're going to have to go out there more than usual I began a backyard list, one more database to maintain. While standing outside last week I heard a familiar croak of a Fish Crow (it sounds like an American Crow with laryngitis) and looked up to find 5 of them flying over the house.

Geese fly over the house almost every day and once last year we saw a Red-tailed Hawk circling. Sadly, the fields and woods that were across the street when I was surly teenager with no interest in birds are gone, condos occupying the land where my father used to go and broadcast flower seeds. I'll bet back then there were lots of birds in those field and I missed them all.

January List:

Brant	Jones Beach SP
Canada Goose	Jones Beach SP
Mute Swan	Prospect Park
Gadwall	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
American Wigeon	Shark River
American Black Duck	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Mallard	Jones Beach SP
Northern Shoveler	Prospect Park
Greater Scaup	Cold Spring Harbor
Lesser Scaup	Cold Spring Harbor
Long-tailed Duck	Jones Beach SP
Bufflehead	BBP--between Piers 3 & 4
Hooded Merganser	Prospect Park
Red-breasted Merganser	Cold Spring Harbor
Ruddy Duck	Seven Presidents Park
Red-throated Loon	Seven Presidents Park
Common Loon	Jones Beach SP
Double-crested Cormorant	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Turkey Vulture	Shark River
Northern Harrier	Jones Beach SP
Cooper's Hawk	Jones Beach SP
Red-tailed Hawk	Prospect Park
Merlin	Jones Beach SP
Peregrine Falcon	Jones Beach SP
American Coot	Prospect Park
Killdeer	Cold Spring Harbor
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE	Seven Presidents Park
Ring-billed Gull	Jones Beach SP
Herring Gull	Jones Beach SP
Great Black-backed Gull	Jones Beach SP
Rock Pigeon	Jones Beach SP
Mourning Dove	Prospect Park
Monk Parakeet	9th St
Belted Kingfisher	Cold Spring Harbor
Red-headed Woodpecker	Central Park
Red-bellied Woodpecker	Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Central Park
Downy Woodpecker	Prospect Park--Feeders
Northern Flicker	Utterby Avenue
Blue Jay	Clinton Street
American Crow	Jones Beach SP
Fish Crow	Aberdeen Avenue
Horned Lark	Jones Beach SP
Black-capped Chickadee	Clinton Street
Tufted Titmouse	Prospect Park--Feeders
Red-breasted Nuthatch	Brooklyn Botanic Garden
White-breasted Nuthatch	Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Brown Creeper	Central Park
American Robin	Sandy Hook
Northern Mockingbird	Jones Beach SP
European Starling	Jones Beach SP
Eastern Towhee	Central Park
American Tree Sparrow	Sandy Hook
Fox Sparrow	Prospect Park--Feeders
Song Sparrow	Brooklyn Botanic Garden
White-throated Sparrow	Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Dark-eyed Junco	Prospect Park--Feeders
Northern Cardinal	Clinton Street
House Finch	Jones Beach SP
RED CROSSBILL	Seven Presidents Park
Pine Siskin	Prospect Park--Feeders
American Goldfinch	Prospect Park
House Sparrow	Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Central Park 1/17--Red-headed Woodpecker

We hadn't seen a Red-Headed Woodpecker since we saw some quite a few years ago at The Great Swamp in NJ, so today we gave it a try and were almost immediately successful, find the first winter bird with its brown, not red, head and distinctive white markings, on a tree along the edge of the Sheep Meadow. We got "field guide" looks at it for a few minutes and Shari was able to take some good pictures of it before a Red-tailed Hawk swooped in and the woodpecker took off for points southwest.

Photo: Shari Zirlin

Having accomplished our target bird with so much ease we decided to take a stab at seeing the Varied Thrush again, and walked up to the maintenance buildings in the The Ramble. We stopped twice, once before going to the feeders and then on the way back. Both times the bird had "just left a few minutes ago." Consolation prizes were another Red-tail posing very cooperatively in a low branch and 2 male Eastern Towhees, both of them photo hogs.

Photo: Shari Zirlin

At the feeders we saw a Brown Creeper, my favorite winter bird. Besides its usual behavior of climbing a tree then flying to the next, this one also perched on one of the coconuts smeared with peanut butter and I don't know what else and partook of that protein mixture. I've never seen that before.

In all we had 4 woodpecker species today: Red-headed, Red-bellied, Yellow-bellied, and Downy.

Today's satisfying list:

Number of species:    20
Canada Goose    X    Heard 
Red-tailed Hawk    2
Rock Pigeon    25
Red-headed Woodpecker    1    First winter plumage, trees southern edge of Sheep Meadow
Red-bellied Woodpecker    3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker    2
Downy Woodpecker    1
Blue Jay    7
Black-capped Chickadee    10
Tufted Titmouse    7
Red-breasted Nuthatch    1    Feeders
White-breasted Nuthatch    1    Feeders
Brown Creeper    1    Feeders
Eastern Towhee    2    East of maintenance buildings
Fox Sparrow    3
White-throated Sparrow    75
Dark-eyed Junco    10    Feeders
Northern Cardinal    5
American Goldfinch    3    Feeders
House Sparrow    100

Prospect Park / BBG 1/16

A snowy walk through Prospect Park this morning. Very pleasant but nothing exciting. I did get my first Kings County Ruddy Duck on the lake today. Only one among the shovelers and Mallards in a very small area of open water. About 90% of the water in the park is frozen, keeping the waterfowl numbers down.

We decided to have lunch at the Botanic Gardens then walk through to the 2 train. We found very few birds--there's no fruit in the trees and the grass is blanketed in snow. On a culinary side note, the garden's cafe makes a very good beef chili.
Our lists:
Prospect Park
Number of species:    20

Canada Goose    39

Mute Swan    6

Mallard    205

Northern Shoveler    68

Ruddy Duck    1

Red-tailed Hawk    2

American Coot    13

Ring-billed Gull    500

Great Black-backed Gull    1

Mourning Dove    4

Red-bellied Woodpecker    1

Downy Woodpecker    2

Blue Jay    1

Black-capped Chickadee    15

Northern Mockingbird    1

Fox Sparrow    1    Lamppost 249

White-throated Sparrow    5

Northern Cardinal    7

American Goldfinch    2

House Sparrow    20

Feeders:

Number of species:    7
Downy Woodpecker    1
Black-capped Chickadee    5
White-breasted Nuthatch    1
Dark-eyed Junco    5
Northern Cardinal    1
House Finch    4
American Goldfinch    7

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Number of species:    7 
Red-tailed Hawk    1
Red-bellied Woodpecker    2
Blue Jay    1
Black-capped Chickadee    2
Northern Mockingbird    1
White-throated Sparrow    4
House Sparrow    3

NJ North Shore--1/15

Photo by Shari Zirlin

We headed down to the Jersey north shore today. Our target bird was RED CROSSBILL, which would be a lifer for us. Our first stop was Seven Presidents Park in Long Branch, where White-winged Crossbills had been reported. I thought we'd have to go a little farther south to Deal to find the Red Crossbills, but happily there were 2 birds flying back & forth in the Japanese Black Pines, nibbling on the cones. We got great "field guide" views. Thanks to the birder who initially pointed them out to us. A slight disappointment was that there were no White-wings, but we'd already spent a winter chasing them a couple of years ago, finally finding them down in Mercer County.

(On an historical note, I expected to see a plaque somewhere listing the seven presidents for whom the park is named but maybe it was covered in snow or ice since I didn't find it. So I googled the park. I was guessing presidents like Chester A. Arthur and Rutherford B. Hayes and I was right on those two along with Grant, Garfield, Harrison, McKinley, & Wilson, all having spent summer vacations in Long Branch)

We decided to scan the ocean to see what else we could turn up and the great surprise was a BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE flying along with some Ring-billed Gulls. A life bird for me, not for Shari, who has seen them on pelagic trips that I won't go on. This is a bird I never really expected to see since they aren't that common so close to shore and I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to pick it out if it weren't for the kindness of another birder who who got it in his scope for me.

So with 2 lifers anything we saw today was gravy. We drove down to the Shark River inlet where we saw only a couple of Common Loons. Although I suppose if we had looked harder in the stiff breeze coming off the ocean, one of the loons might have been the Pacific Loon that was reported there today. Didn't see the Purple Sandpipers on the jetty that were also reported there earlier in the morning.

However, we drove to the other side of Belmar and parked at a marina on the Shark River and found lots of ducks, geese, and swans. We also found a Turkey Vulture tearing apart a gull in the parking lot. It was very intent on its meal and didn't seem to mind us until we were practically on top of it. Oh, nature red in tooth and claw.

Photo by Shari Zirlin

Finally, we turned back north and went to Sandy Hook, but there was really nothing on the water to see. Sparrows were the highlight, a Fox Sparrow and a 3 American Tree Sparrows. Also hundreds of robins roosting in the bare branches of trees as twilight descended.

Our lists:
Seven Presidents Park
Number of species:    11
Canada Goose    30
Long-tailed Duck    2
Ruddy Duck    1
Red-throated Loon    1
Common Loon    4
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE    1
Ring-billed Gull    50
Great Black-backed Gull    2
Red-breasted Nuthatch    1
Song Sparrow    3
RED CROSSBILL  2    One Adult male & 1 first year male? 
Shark River
Number of species:    15
Brant    500
Canada Goose    50
Mute Swan    150
American Wigeon    6
American Black Duck    200
Bufflehead    100
Hooded Merganser    30
Red-breasted Merganser    2
Ruddy Duck    20
Double-crested Cormorant    2
Turkey Vulture    1
Ring-billed Gull    150
Herring Gull    10
Great Black-backed Gull    5
American Crow    4
Sandy Hook
Number of species:    12
Canada Goose    25   
American Black Duck    1
Ring-billed Gull    100
Herring Gull    3
Great Black-backed Gull    5
American Robin    300
European Starling    25
American Tree Sparrow    3
Fox Sparrow    1
Song Sparrow    3
White-throated Sparrow    5
Northern Cardinal    2

The BirdMobile after 3 snowstorms
Photo by Shari Zirlin

Duck No Luck

This morning we drove out to Cold Spring Harbor, hoping to find the Tufted Duck that was first reported there on Tuesday and was last reported yesterday. No luck. We tried both sides of the harbor, east in Suffolk County, and west in Nassau, and while we saw lots of other ducks, the TUDU was not seen by us, or apparently anyone else, as there were quite a few hopeful birders shivering along with us.

Not every quest can be successful and I don't mind, really, striking out on a bird if we haven't put too much effort into seeing it (this was a relatively quick drive); what sours me is that because I'm looking for a specific bird, I don't really enjoy the other birds I see.

If we had just gone there to check out the harbor, I would have been happy to see the Long-tailed Ducks, glad to add to both scaups to the year list, as well as the Killdeers and Belted Kingfisher. Today, I just didn't get that frisson, maybe because I was freezing.

Our list for the aptly named
Cold Spring Harbor
Number of species: 20
Canada Goose 40
Gadwall 10
American Black Duck 1
Mallard 20
Greater Scaup 25
Lesser Scaup 5
Long-tailed Duck 5
Bufflehead 10
Red-breasted Merganser 3
Killdeer 2
Ring-billed Gull 10
Herring Gull 5
Great Black-backed Gull 3
Rock Pigeon 5
Belted Kingfisher 1
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 4
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 5 

Northern Cardinal 1

Another Graphics Blunder

Back in the days when I when I was a production manager in the printing business, I worked on a series of high-end jewelry catalogs. The project went on for months, partly because it was a big project with many subsets of catalogs but also because it seemed like virtually every dot in every photograph was vetted and proofed by numerous people both in NY and somewhere in Italy.

I remember agonizing on press with the company’s representative on  a certain sheen each diamond had to have, the precise shade of gold required. We performed all kinds of printing magic, changing plate curves, line screens, screen angles, doctoring inks, making “touch” plates. What I’m saying is: a lot of attention was paid.

I don’t have very good memories of those days—the pressure was unrelenting and it seemed like I was living in the pressroom. When the last catalog was printed, bound, and delivered, my relief was almost palpable.

Today I picked up this Bulgari catalog that Shari has had around the house for the last few days (I hope she’s not hinting), and the first thing I noticed on the cover was that the model (Julianne Moore, she informs me) had little teeth showing in her open mouth. “Well that can’t be right,” I thought, so I looked closer. 

Nope, not press imperfections. The little white spots are in the photo—they are tiny rays from a spotlight which is mostly, but not totally blocked by her head. Just enough of the light diffuses to give her that ever so stylish vampire look.

And schadenfreude surged through me. How could this get overlooked?! I can imagine what I would feel if I saw this on press—panic, despair, visions of thousands of dollars burning up or flushing down a toilet. Because no matter how much it cost (new separations, new plates, press downtime), I would have had it fixed (it would probably take 30 seconds in Photoshop).

Happy, happy is the man who doesn’t have to worry about this crap anymore. 

Prospect Park 1/4

After a few days of melting and re-freezing, the snow in the park has turned to ice pockmarked with footprints and rutted with sled trails making for some treacherous going. I watched my feet more than I watched birds. 

Someone said on one of the birding lists that she loves January because every day brings a new Year Bird; I had a few today.

Hooded Merganser

This handsome drake was on the lake. 

On the way to the subway, walking on 9th Street between the park & 8th Avenue, 4 Monk Parakeets flew screeching overhead. Parakeets and snow--counterintuitive. 

Lists (Feeders and everywhere else)

Prospect Park

Number of species:    17
Canada Goose    26
Mute Swan    6
Mallard    230
Northern Shoveler    150
Hooded Merganser    1    Lake
Red-tailed Hawk    2    F/O Lake
American Coot    9
Ring-billed Gull    1000
Great Black-backed Gull    1
Rock Pigeon    25
Mourning Dove    2
Blue Jay    1
American Crow    1
Black-capped Chickadee    1
European Starling    3
White-throated Sparrow   5

House Sparrow    1

Feeders

Number of species:    11
Downy Woodpecker    2
Black-capped Chickadee    6
Tufted Titmouse    1
White-breasted Nuthatch    1
Fox Sparrow    1
White-throated Sparrow    20
Dark-eyed Junco    6
Northern Cardinal    3
House Finch    6
Pine Siskin    1
American Goldfinch    15

Model for Ice Sculpture

First Brooklyn Birds 1/2/11

Since the anti-auto Bloomberg administration that encourages us to use mass transit cut the Union Street bus, in order to get to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens we have to walk to downtown Brooklyn to catch the 2 or the 3--which today worked out fine for us because on the way we found 3 Black-capped Chickadees and 5 House Finches in a tree at the corner of Kane & Clinton. I have heard chickadees occasionally on Clinton Street but hadn't seen any until today. Good FOY Brooklyn birds; certainly more interesting than pigeons or sparrows. A couple of blocks later we also got our first cardinals and Blue Jay of the year.

With the temperature in the 40's the melting snow was creating a fog at the gardens. We walked almost the length of the gardens before we saw any birds.  We did find a Cooper's Hawk in a tree by the Japanese Garden.

After lunch there (they have great chili at the cafe), the sun came out and so did the birds. Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, White Throated Sparrows, Song Sparrows, chickadees, cardinals--suddenly it became interesting.

We crossed Flatbush and went into the park, heading for the feeders. 13 species of birds there in about  a half hour including Pine Siskin, easily the highlight of the day.

Pine Siskins with Goldfinches
Photo by Shari Zirlin

We trudged through snow along the Lullwater, past the Boathouse, along the Nethermead, picking up some birds here and there. I showed Shari the cavity in the tree about 20 feet up where I had seen a raccoon on Friday; sure enough there were 2 sleeping in the hole. I'd rather there was an owl up there.

3 lists for the day:
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Number of species:    11
Cooper's Hawk    1    Tree in Japanese Garden
Red-bellied Woodpecker    1
Blue Jay    2
Black-capped Chickadee    6
Red-breasted Nuthatch    1
White-breasted Nuthatch    1
Northern Mockingbird    1
Song Sparrow    3
White-throated Sparrow    17
Northern Cardinal    4
House Sparrow    10
Prospect Park
Number of species:    12
Mallard    47    Boathouse Pond
Red-tailed Hawk    1    Long Meadow
Mourning Dove    7
Blue Jay    2
Black-capped Chickadee    20
White-breasted Nuthatch    1    Lullwater Path
Northern Mockingbird    1    Boathouse
European Starling    5
White-throated Sparrow    6
Northern Cardinal    6
American Goldfinch    2
House Sparrow    10
Feeders
Number of species:    13
Mourning Dove    2
Downy Woodpecker    2
Blue Jay    1
Black-capped Chickadee    6
Tufted Titmouse    1
Red-breasted Nuthatch    1
White-breasted Nuthatch    1
Fox Sparrow    1
White-throated Sparrow    3
Northern Cardinal    1
House Finch    4
Pine Siskin    2
American Goldfinch    11