Monday, May 30, 2011

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


Sunday, May 29, 2011

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