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