Prospect Park 12/8--Rusty Blackbird

My last walk around the park today; tomorrow, we make the permanent move to Whiting, NJ. I have to say I felt just a wee bit emotional as I wandered around the park this afternoon. I got a late start because I had to wait for Time-Warner cable guy to come pick up our cable modem. I'm writing this while connected to an unprotected network somewhere on Clinton Street.

The park was pretty quiet today, but there were some highlights, notably the Rusty Blackbird I found on the peninsula near the rustic shelter. The lake had a lone drake Wood Duck, which I found a little surprising. I rarely see them in open water in the park; usually they're on the Lullwater or deep in the back of the Upper Pool.  Earlier, I visited the feeders, hoping for perhaps a Red-breasted Nuthatch or a siskin or a Fox Sparrow, but only a few of the most common birds were lunching there.

When I was on the south side of the lake I saw another birder across the way. We waved, but he was too far away for me to tell who it was. Later, as I walked back through the peninsula I caught up with him--it was Rob Jett and he was not having much more luck than I had had. We walked along together, chatting, not finding much. Now I will whisper: Rob is amazing when it comes to finding owls and it happened that he knew where 2 Great Horned Owls were roosting in the park. With great patience he took me to 5 vantage points until I was finally able to discern them deep in the branches of an evergreen. What a great way to end my birding year in Brooklyn! I'd never saw GHO's in Brooklyn until today. Obviously I can't say where they were; I probably shouldn't even be whispering this at all. 


With the owls and blackbird, my total number of species for New York tied the total for New Jersey--I feel perfectly poised between the two states. With luck I'll add a few more in NJ before the year is out.

So it's goodbye to Prospect Park. I'm sure I'll visit again, but it won't be the same; it won't be my park anymore. It will be always be a great birding spot, but I just know I'm going to feel a stranger there, much as I feel when I walk around Central Park.

27 species for the day:
PROSPECT PARK
Canada Goose  18
Mute Swan  9
Wood Duck  1
American Black Duck  2
Mallard  46
Northern Shoveler  1
Ruddy Duck  11
Pied-billed Grebe  1
Double-crested Cormorant  1
Great Blue Heron  1
American Coot  13
Ring-billed Gull  125
Herring Gull  3
Rock Pigeon  20
Mourning Dove  6
Great Horned Owl  2
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2
Blue Jay  5
Rusty Blackbird  1
House Sparrow  2


FEEDERS
Downy Woodpecker  3
Black-capped Chickadee  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  1
White-throated Sparrow  1
American Goldfinch  1
House Sparrow  1