May Wrap-up: Bi-coastal Birding

The height of migration and a trip to California produced the most species for a month this year. 21 life birds out in California and 1 here in Prospect Park. 

While we were in California we missed the absolute height of migration in Brooklyn. I was following the finds in Prospect Park on Twitter while we were in Point Reyes and it was a little frustrating when the termites "hatched out" and the warblers came to gobble them up. Being in California accounts for some of the lacunae on the list--no redstarts, no black-throated greens, no magnolias. Yet. They still can be found, it just won't be as easy as it was this month for those on the right coast. And I still haven't seen any Least Sandpipers (that I know of), though I'm sure during the summer there will be plenty. As often happens, despite 194 species for the month, it isn't the birds I've seen so much as the birds I haven't that sticks in my mind.
Counties birded:
California: Marin, Sacramento, San Franciso, San Joaquin
New Jersey: Atlantic, Ocean
New York: Kings, Queens

Species	First Sighting
Brant	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier Four
Canada Goose	Prospect Park
Mute Swan	Prospect Park
Wood Duck	Heritage Oak
Gadwall	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
American Wigeon	Tomales Bay trail
American Black Duck	JBWR--West Pond
Mallard	Prospect Park
Cinnamon Teal	Shollenberger Pk & Ellis Crk
Northern Shoveler	Shollenberger Pk & Ellis Crk
Greater Scaup	Bodega Bay
Lesser Scaup	Bolinas Lagoon
Surf Scoter	Bodega Head
Common Merganser	Tomales Bay
Red-breasted Merganser	Elephant Seal Overlook
Ruddy Duck	Prospect Park
CALIFORNIA QUAIL	Limantour Rd & Beach
Wild Turkey	Outside of Marshall
PACIFIC LOON	Bodega Bay
Common Loon	Bodega Bay
Pied-billed Grebe	Bodega Bay
Horned Grebe	Bodega Bay
Western Grebe	Bodega Bay
CLARK'S GREBE	Bodega Bay
BRANDT'S CORMORANT	Bodega Head
Double-crested Cormorant	Prospect Park
PELAGIC CORMORANT	Bodega Head
American White Pelican	Oyster Farm
Brown Pelican	Bodega Head
Great Blue Heron	Prospect Park
Great Egret	Prospect Park
Snowy Egret	Tomales Bay trail
Green Heron	Prospect Park
Black-crowned Night-Heron	Prospect Park
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron	JBWR--West Pond
Glossy Ibis	JBWR--West Pond
Turkey Vulture	Point Reyes seashore lodge
Osprey	Limantour Rd & Beach
Northern Harrier	Shollenberger Pk & Ellis Crk
Cooper's Hawk	Corona Heights Park
Red-shouldered Hawk	Point Reyes seashore lodge
Red-tailed Hawk	Prospect Park
Peregrine Falcon	Brigantine
Clapper Rail	Brigantine
Virginia Rail	Bear Valley Rd
American Coot	Prospect Park
Black-bellied Plover	JBWR--West Pond
Semipalmated Plover	JBWR--West Pond
Killdeer	Heritage Oak
American Oystercatcher	JBWR--West Pond
BLACK OYSTERCATCHER	Bodega Head
Black-necked Stilt	Shollenberger Pk & Ellis Crk
American Avocet	Shollenberger Pk & Ellis Crk
Spotted Sandpiper	Prospect Park
Greater Yellowlegs	Bodega Bay
Willet	Shollenberger Pk & Ellis Crk
Lesser Yellowlegs	Bodega Bay
Whimbrel	Limantour Rd & Beach
Ruddy Turnstone	JBWR--West Pond
Sanderling	Pt. Reyes--Abbotts Lagoon
Semipalmated Sandpiper	JBWR--West Pond
Western Sandpiper	Pt. Reyes--Abbotts Lagoon
Dunlin	Pt. Reyes--Abbotts Lagoon
Short-billed Dowitcher	Brigantine
Long-billed Dowitcher	Shollenberger Pk & Ellis Crk
Laughing Gull	Prospect Park
Ring-billed Gull	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier Four
WESTERN GULL	Tomales Bay
CALIFORNIA GULL	Bodega Head
Herring Gull	Prospect Park
Great Black-backed Gull	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier Four
Least Tern	Marine Park--Southwest
Gull-billed Tern	Brigantine
Caspian Tern	Bodega Bay
Common Tern	JBWR--West Pond
Forster's Tern	JBWR--West Pond
Black Skimmer	Brigantine
Common Murre	Sea Lion Overlook-
PIGEON GUILLEMOT	Bodega Head
Rock Pigeon	Prospect Park
Band-tailed Pigeon	Point Reyes seashore lodge
Eurasian Collared-Dove	Point Reyes seashore lodge
Mourning Dove	Prospect Park
Monk Parakeet	Marine Park--Southwest
RED-MASKED PARAKEET	Corona Heights Park
Great Horned Owl	Heritage Oak
Chimney Swift	Prospect Park
VAUX'S SWIFT	Point Reyes seashore lodge
Black-chinned Hummingbird	Heritage Oak
Anna's Hummingbird	Earthquake trail
Rufous Hummingbird	Heritage Oak
ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRD	Kule Loklo
Acorn Woodpecker	Earthquake trail
Red-bellied Woodpecker	Prospect Park
NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER	Heritage Oak
Downy Woodpecker	Prospect Park
Northern Flicker	Olema Pasture
OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER	Bolinas Lagoon
Western Wood-Pewee	Heritage Oak
Eastern Wood-Pewee	Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Willow Flycatcher	JBWR--West Pond
Pacific-slope Flycatcher	Earthquake trail
BLACK PHOEBE	Point Reyes seashore lodge
Ash-throated Flycatcher	Heritage Oak
Western Kingbird	Heritage Oak
Eastern Kingbird	Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Blue-headed Vireo	Prospect Park
Warbling Vireo	Prospect Park
Red-eyed Vireo	Prospect Park
Steller's Jay	Point Reyes seashore lodge
Blue Jay	Prospect Park
WESTERN SCRUB-JAY	Point Reyes seashore lodge
American Crow	Prospect Park
Fish Crow	Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Common Raven	Point Reyes seashore lodge
Northern Rough-winged Swallow	Prospect Park
Purple Martin	Brigantine
Tree Swallow	Prospect Park
Violet-green Swallow	Earthquake trail
Bank Swallow	Limantour Rd & Beach
Barn Swallow	Prospect Park
Cliff Swallow	Point Reyes admin bldg
Carolina Chickadee	Brigantine
Black-capped Chickadee	Prospect Park
CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE	Earthquake trail
OAK TITMOUSE	Olema Pasture
Tufted Titmouse	Prospect Park
Bushtit	Campbell Cove
Red-breasted Nuthatch	Prospect Park
White-breasted Nuthatch	Prospect Park
Brown Creeper	Prospect Park
Rock Wren	Pt. Reyes--Abbotts Lagoon
Carolina Wren	Prospect Park
Bewick's Wren	Campbell Cove
House Wren	Prospect Park
Marsh Wren	Shollenberger Pk & Ellis Crk
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	Prospect Park
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Prospect Park
WRENTIT	Tomales Bay
Western Bluebird	Tomales Bay trail
Swainson's Thrush	Earthquake trail
Wood Thrush	Prospect Park
American Robin	Prospect Park
Gray Catbird	Prospect Park
Northern Mockingbird	Corona Heights Park
Brown Thrasher	JBWR--West Pond
CALIFORNIA THRASHER	Bear Valley Rd
European Starling	Prospect Park
Cedar Waxwing	Forked River Rest Stop
Nashville Warbler	Prospect Park
Northern Parula	Prospect Park
Yellow Warbler	Prospect Park
Chestnut-sided Warbler	Prospect Park
Yellow-rumped Warbler	Prospect Park
Townsend's Warbler	Heritage Oak
Hermit Warbler	Heritage Oak
Blackburnian Warbler	Prospect Park
Pine Warbler	Prospect Park
Prairie Warbler	Prospect Park
Palm Warbler	Prospect Park
Blackpoll Warbler	Prospect Park
Black-and-white Warbler	Prospect Park
Northern Waterthrush	Prospect Park
MOURNING WARBLER	Prospect Park
Common Yellowthroat	Prospect Park
Hooded Warbler	Prospect Park
Wilson's Warbler	Point Reyes seashore lodge
Spotted Towhee	Earthquake trail
Eastern Towhee	Prospect Park
CALIFORNIA TOWHEE	Earthquake trail
Chipping Sparrow	Prospect Park
Savannah Sparrow	Prospect Park
Seaside Sparrow	Brigantine
Song Sparrow	Prospect Park
White-throated Sparrow	Prospect Park
White-crowned Sparrow	Bodega Bay
Dark-eyed Junco	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Scarlet Tanager	Prospect Park
Northern Cardinal	Prospect Park
Black-headed Grosbeak	Point Reyes admin bldg
Red-winged Blackbird	Prospect Park
Brewer's Blackbird	Point Reyes seashore lodge
Common Grackle	Prospect Park
Boat-tailed Grackle	JBWR--West Pond
Great-tailed Grackle	Point Reyes seashore lodge
Brown-headed Cowbird	Prospect Park
Orchard Oriole	Marine Park--Southwest
Hooded Oriole	Heritage Oak
Bullock's Oriole	Heritage Oak
Baltimore Oriole	Prospect Park
House Finch	Campbell Cove
Lesser Goldfinch	Heritage Oak
American Goldfinch	Prospect Park
House Sparrow	Prospect Park

Marine Park--Southwest 5/29

Marine Park--Southwest. This is the 3rd name in a year for the same spot--this one the most geographically accurate. It is a lovely spot on a warm summery morning. Beach roses in bloom. In fact, it is so nice that someone has decided to move in.

Be it ever so humble...

The more I bird this huge, neglected city park, taking trails that lead off trails, the more crap I find.

Car Hood

This car hood was on a little trail off a little trail I took to avoid a guy on a dirt bike illegally running up down the   sandy roads. No one stops them, so why would they not do what they want? I stood there for a few moments trying to figure out just how it got back there--I'm always amazed at how much effort goes in to distributing garbage in this park. But then I was distracted by an empid I couldn't identify since it didn't sing (it was probably a Willow Flycatcher) and a mimid I could (Brown Thrasher).

I wasn't exactly sure where this path led--back to the beach or onto the main trail. Just as I saw that the path would go back to the beach I saw a body lying on the ground. Quicker than I can type this or you can read it I thought, "Great, I've found everything else in this park, why not a corpse?" Fortunately the body wasn't dead--it was an old guy (Old Guy, def: someone older than me) who had spread out his Sunday paper and was just dozing. We both scared the hell out of each other, though he claimed that "It's Memorial Day Weekend--nothing scares me."

Highlights today on the 2 mile walk from Avenue U to the Gerritsen Beach were 2 Monk Parakeets exploding from a bush just as I was realizing that the squawking I was hearing was worth investigating; My FOY Least Terns hovering above the creek; and a pair of Orchard Orioles that appeared atop some trees on the beach. My first reaction upon seeing the male was wow--that robin is really dark. When I saw the yellow female, the penny dropped.

The most interesting sight of the day came as I was exiting the park. All that is left of Gerritsen's Grist Mill from the 18th Century are lines of pilings that cormorants, gulls, terns like to sit on. Today, a Great Egret decided to roust a Common Tern from its place on one piling, despite there being other empty ones. The tern did not take kindly to this bullying and proceeded to dive bomb the egret. The egret snaked its neck to avoid the tern, grunting each time the tern approached. The tern couldn't dislodge the egret and, seemingly out of frustration, started to harass a Herring Gull one piling over. Anthropomorphically, the gull's reaction was "Huh, what'd I do?"

41 species for the day.
Brant    1
Canada Goose    19
Double-crested Cormorant    3
Great Egret    4
Snowy Egret    2
Osprey    1
American Oystercatcher    2
Laughing Gull    2
Herring Gull    25
Great Black-backed Gull    1
Least Tern    2
Common Tern    1
Forster's Tern    3
Rock Pigeon    4
Mourning Dove    9
Monk Parakeet    2
Chimney Swift    5
Northern Flicker    1
Willow Flycatcher    3
Empidonax sp.    1    Probably Willow
American Crow    2
Fish Crow    1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow    2
Tree Swallow    2
Barn Swallow    20
Marsh Wren    3
American Robin    7
Gray Catbird    8
Northern Mockingbird    1
Brown Thrasher    2
European Starling    25
Yellow Warbler    5
Common Yellowthroat    10
Eastern Towhee    2
Song Sparrow    3
Northern Cardinal    5
Red-winged Blackbird    75
Common Grackle    2
Boat-tailed Grackle    3
Orchard Oriole    2    At Gerritsen Beach
Baltimore Oriole    1    At Gerritsen Beach
House Sparrow    10

Mussel Machine

Let's end with a pleasant image