Marine Park--Southwest 6/4

It was high tide on Gerritsen Creek this morning, so the only shore birds I saw were Killdeer and good old reliable oystercatchers. The scofflaws were out in force though. While the Army Corps of Engineers is spending millions restoring 45 acres of the salt marsh, including stabilizing the shoreline,  nothing & no one prevents water skiers (below) or Jet-Skis from creating wakes that will undo the work by creating wakes almost as fast as it done. When all the work is done, I'm sure there will be an elaborate ceremony--just don't have it at high tide because nothing will be heard over the roar of outboard motors.

Joke
Q: What's the difference between a vacuum cleaner and a Jet Ski?
A: The dirt bag attaches in different places.

Meanwhile, I continue to find abandoned, stolen, burnt up cars. The is one is fresh; it wasn't there last Sunday. The woods still smelled of the fire, which was intense enough to burn all the paint off the car. Looks like a Smart Car. It is right off the main trail, just across from the model airplane field. This one is at least accessible--let's see how long it just sits there. We can watch as it rusts.

I was surprised to find that the Killdeer were the first ones I've seen Brooklyn, ever. I also saw my Brooklyn FOY Cedar Waxwing--a singleton, which I found odd since they are gregarious birds.

37 species for the day.
Canada Goose    20
Mallard    2
Double-crested Cormorant    1
Great Blue Heron    1
Great Egret    7
Snowy Egret    5
Osprey    1
Northern Harrier    1
Killdeer    2
American Oystercatcher    3
Laughing Gull    20
Ring-billed Gull    10
Herring Gull    30
Least Tern    6
Common Tern    2
Rock Pigeon    10
Mourning Dove    3
Willow Flycatcher    3
Empidonax sp.    1
American Crow    3
Fish Crow    1
Barn Swallow    5
American Robin    30
Gray Catbird    10
Northern Mockingbird    2
Brown Thrasher    2
European Starling    100
Cedar Waxwing    1
Yellow Warbler    4
Common Yellowthroat    6
Eastern Towhee    1
Chipping Sparrow    1
Song Sparrow    4
Northern Cardinal    7
Red-winged Blackbird    50
Common Grackle    6
Boat-tailed Grackle    5
House Sparrow    10

Great Egret with starlings & pigeons

As we did last week, let's end with a more pleasant image.