August Wrap-up

A bifurcated month.  The first 2 weeks I birded my usual NY places (save for Prospect Park, first month I didn’t get there).  The 2^nd half of the month has been almost exclusively our backyard and the WMA behind the house except for a trip to Brig.

One lifer for the month, the EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL, and 2 year birds, all from our backyard. Moving (well, really ½ moving) and Hurricane Irene cut into some birding time.  We didn’t get to do as much shore birding as I would have liked (thanks Irene) and we didn’t get out to see any of the rarities that she blew in (the Garden State Parkway was closed).Still for a summer month, 83 species is okay. 

Counties birded:
New Jersey: Atlantic, Ocean
New York, Kings, Queens, Richmond

Species	First Sighted
Canada Goose	JBWR--West Pond
Mute Swan	Marine Park--Southwest
Wood Duck	Mount Loretto Unique Area
Gadwall	JBWR--West Pond
American Black Duck	JBWR--West Pond
Mallard	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier Four
Greater Scaup	Great Kills Park
Double-crested Cormorant	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier Four
Great Blue Heron	Marine Park--Southwest
Great Egret	Marine Park--Southwest
Snowy Egret	JBWR--West Pond
Little Blue Heron	Great Kills Park
Green Heron	Mount Loretto Unique Area
Black-crowned Night-Heron	JBWR--East Pond
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron	JBWR--West Pond
Glossy Ibis	JBWR--West Pond
Turkey Vulture	Whiting WMA
Osprey	JBWR--West Pond
Black-bellied Plover	Brigantine
Semipalmated Plover	Marine Park--Southwest
Killdeer	Marine Park--Southwest
American Oystercatcher	Marine Park--Southwest
Spotted Sandpiper	Mount Loretto Unique Area
Greater Yellowlegs	JBWR--East Pond
Willet	Brigantine
Lesser Yellowlegs	JBWR--West Pond
Ruddy Turnstone	Great Kills Park
Semipalmated Sandpiper	Marine Park--Southwest
Least Sandpiper	Marine Park--Southwest
Short-billed Dowitcher	JBWR--West Pond
Laughing Gull	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Ring-billed Gull	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier Two
Herring Gull	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier Four
Great Black-backed Gull	JBWR--West Pond
Least Tern	Marine Park--Southwest
Caspian Tern	Brigantine
Common Tern	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier Four
Forster's Tern	Marine Park--Southwest
Black Skimmer	Marine Park--Southwest
Rock Pigeon	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier Two
Mourning Dove	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Common Nighthawk	35 Sunset Rd
EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL	35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift	35 Sunset Rd
Ruby-throated Hummingbird	35 Sunset Rd
Downy Woodpecker	Whiting WMA
Northern Flicker	Whiting WMA
Eastern Wood-Pewee	Whiting WMA
Willow Flycatcher	Brigantine
Eastern Kingbird	Mount Loretto Unique Area
Warbling Vireo	Mount Loretto Unique Area
Blue Jay	Whiting WMA
American Crow	Whiting WMA
Northern Rough-winged Swallow	Marine Park--Southwest
Tree Swallow	JBWR--West Pond
Bank Swallow	Great Kills Park
Barn Swallow	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier Four
Carolina Chickadee	Whiting WMA
Tufted Titmouse	Whiting WMA
White-breasted Nuthatch	35 Sunset Rd
Carolina Wren	Whiting WMA
House Wren	Whiting WMA
Eastern Bluebird	Whiting WMA
American Robin	Whiting WMA
Gray Catbird	Marine Park--Southwest
Northern Mockingbird	Marine Park--Southwest
Brown Thrasher	Marine Park--Southwest
European Starling	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier Four
Ovenbird	35 Sunset Rd
Black-and-white Warbler	Whiting WMA
Common Yellowthroat	Whiting WMA
American Redstart	35 Sunset Rd
Yellow Warbler	Marine Park--Southwest
Pine Warbler	Whiting WMA
Eastern Towhee	JBWR--East Pond
Chipping Sparrow	Whiting WMA
Song Sparrow	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Northern Cardinal	Marine Park--Southwest
Red-winged Blackbird	Mount Loretto Unique Area
Boat-tailed Grackle	Marine Park--Southwest
House Finch	35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch	JBWR--West Pond
House Sparrow	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One

Marine Park--Southwest 8/6: Another Wreck Added to the Collection

It was like birding a dumbbell today at the salt marsh: A lot of action when I first arrived at the Avenue U end, then  virtually nothing but robins along the stretch of trail that leads to the Gerritsen Beach end, where there was also a lot of satisfying activity. Repeat on the return trip except that by the time I arrived back at Avenue U there were no birds other than a huge flock of starlings.

The channel was being heavily used today by speedboats (illegally, natch) and I'd like to blame them for scaring away a lot of birds--though it seems that some birds like oystercatchers, gulls and the lone Great Egret I saw perched on a piling, are impervious to the disturbance of the motor craft and water skiers. Still, there weren't a lot of birds in the water waiting to get smashed.
30 species today--happy to see skimmers, oystercatchers, and plovers.

Mute Swan  2
Mallard  16
Double-crested Cormorant  1
Great Blue Heron  1
Great Egret  1
Semipalmated Plover  6
Killdeer  2
American Oystercatcher  5
Greater/Lesser Yellowlegs  1    
Semipalmated Sandpiper  2
Least Sandpiper  1
Laughing Gull  10
Ring-billed Gull  1
Herring Gull  25
Least Tern  1
Forster's Tern  2
Black Skimmer  3
Mourning Dove  10
American Crow  5
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  1
Barn Swallow  11
American Robin  30
Gray Catbird  4
Northern Mockingbird  7
Brown Thrasher  2
European Starling  110
Yellow Warbler  1
Song Sparrow  2
Northern Cardinal  3
Boat-tailed Grackle  1
House Sparrow  5
On the beach a new wreck has been added to the collection, hard up against the wreck that has been there for years and that now looks like its metal is crumbling into the ground--wouldn't want the spot to go unoccupied. Remember: This is a city park!  Hey Bloomberg, how about throwing the Parks Department a few bucks so they can tow this crap out of there--you know they're always whining about lack of funds. Pretend for a minute that it's Central Park. 

Glyphs from the indigenous people of the marsh

And just so that it is not forgotten:
SMART CAR WRECK
WEEK #9

July Wrap-up

The month ended on a successful note, finally adding one life bird (the GRAY-HOODED GULL, below, was the 250th bird of the year & #575 on the life list). This month's heat was a hindrance for birding (last weekend was lost). We got up to Massachusetts early in the month and were able to bird  some places we'd never been and see a few interesting birds while adding Veery and bluebird to the year list. Brigantine was fairly active when we were there, but not as active as it apparently is now. I birded Mount Loretto three times (once in the 100+ degree heat) and finding the Bobolink made the brain-boiling heat worth it. Today's excursion to the East Pond didn't work out as well as I would have liked--I was hoping to add some cool birds stopping over on their way south, but the water level is still too high out there.

This month I started 2 lists--one for the backyard our of new house and one for the WMA that is right behind it. I'm  looking forward to being able to do daily birding of the one small and one large area.

For the month 96 species which is just okay, not great, but not embarrassing either.

Counties birded:
Massachusetts: Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire
New Jersey: Atlantic, Ocean
New York: Kings, Queens, Richmond

Species	First Sighting
Brant	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Canada Goose	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Mute Swan	JBWR--West Pond
Wood Duck	Mount Loretto Unique Area
Gadwall	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
American Black Duck	JBWR--West Pond
Mallard	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Greater Scaup	JBWR--West Pond
Ruddy Duck	Brigantine
Wild Turkey	Bromley Rd, Chester
Double-crested Cormorant	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Great Blue Heron	Quabbin Reservoir
Great Egret	Marine Park--Southwest
Snowy Egret	Marine Park--Southwest
Little Blue Heron	Mount Loretto Unique Area
Green Heron	Prospect Park
Black-crowned Night-Heron	JBWR--West Pond
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron	JBWR--West Pond
Glossy Ibis	JBWR--West Pond
Turkey Vulture	Upper Valley Road RR Tracks
Osprey	Marine Park--Southwest
Bald Eagle	Quabbin Reservoir
Peregrine Falcon	Brigantine
Killdeer	Mount Loretto Unique Area
American Oystercatcher	Marine Park--Southwest
Spotted Sandpiper	JBWR--West Pond
Greater Yellowlegs	Brigantine
Willet	Brigantine
Lesser Yellowlegs	Brigantine
Whimbrel	Brigantine
Semipalmated Sandpiper	Brigantine
Least Sandpiper	Mount Loretto Unique Area
Short-billed Dowitcher	JBWR--West Pond
Long-billed Dowitcher	Brigantine
GRAY-HOODED GULL	Coney Island Beach
Laughing Gull	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Ring-billed Gull	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Herring Gull	Marine Park--Southwest
Great Black-backed Gull	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Least Tern	Marine Park--Southwest
Common Tern	Marine Park--Southwest
Forster's Tern	Marine Park--Southwest
Black Skimmer	Marine Park--Southwest
Rock Pigeon	Marine Park--Southwest
Mourning Dove	Norwottuck Rail Trail
Chimney Swift	Mount Loretto Unique Area
Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Brigantine
Belted Kingfisher	Upper Valley Road RR Tracks
Hairy Woodpecker	Norwottuck Rail Trail
Northern Flicker	Upper Valley Road RR Tracks
Eastern Wood-Pewee	Cross Place Road
Willow Flycatcher	Marine Park--Southwest
Eastern Phoebe	Quabbin Reservoir
Eastern Kingbird	Cross Place Road
Warbling Vireo	Upper Valley Road RR Tracks
Blue Jay	Coles Brook Farm
American Crow	Quabbin Reservoir
Fish Crow	Brigantine
Northern Rough-winged Swallow	Cross Place Road
Purple Martin	Brigantine
Tree Swallow	Marine Park--Southwest
Barn Swallow	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Carolina Chickadee	35 Sunset Rd
Black-capped Chickadee	Cross Place Road
Tufted Titmouse	Brigantine
White-breasted Nuthatch	Whiting WMA
Carolina Wren	Brigantine
Marsh Wren	JBWR--West Pond
Eastern Bluebird	Norwottuck Rail Trail
Veery	Norwottuck Rail Trail
Wood Thrush	Coles Brook Farm
American Robin	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Gray Catbird	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Northern Mockingbird	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Brown Thrasher	Marine Park--Southwest
European Starling	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Cedar Waxwing	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Yellow Warbler	Cross Place Road
Yellow-rumped Warbler	Cross Place Road
Northern Waterthrush	Cross Place Road
Common Yellowthroat	Cross Place Road
Eastern Towhee	Marine Park--Southwest
Chipping Sparrow	Quabbin Reservoir
Song Sparrow	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Swamp Sparrow	Marine Park--Southwest
Dark-eyed Junco	Coles Brook Farm
Northern Cardinal	Norwottuck Rail Trail
Indigo Bunting	Mount Loretto Unique Area
Bobolink	Mount Loretto Unique Area
Red-winged Blackbird	Cross Place Road
Common Grackle	Marine Park--Southwest
Boat-tailed Grackle	JBWR--West Pond
Brown-headed Cowbird	Quabbin Reservoir
Orchard Oriole	Mount Loretto Unique Area
American Goldfinch	Cross Place Road
House Sparrow	Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One

Marine Park--Southwest 7/17: The One That Got Away

Sparse summer birding at the marsh this morning--I was there from 8 to 11 as the tide was coming in--I figured the cool of the morning would be the best time to see any birds and that the incoming tide would keep the ATVs at bay.

On my way out I thought I heard a guy laughing on the other side of a small stand of trees. Looking up I saw a brown heron, legs trailing, flying up and out of my sight line. A few yards later I flushed it again, same odd laughing alarum, but this time it flew too far away to follow.

Now, I know that a couple of weeks ago another birder reported an American Bittern at the marsh, but since a bittern would be unusual there, eBird hasn't accepted the record. There aren't that many egrets or herons that are brown--I know it wasn't a Green Heron--too big, and I know it wasn't a juvenile BCNH--too brown, so I want to call it an American Bittern, but with its rarity and with the lousy fleeting glimpses I got, I can't, in goo conscience, call it. So I have to let it go as the one that got away, ending the day's birding on a frustrating note.

By the way, plenty of seating today along the trails.

Only 30 species for the morning; I'm starting to look forward to fall migration, which will probably start in another couple of weeks.
Double-crested Cormorant  1
Great Egret  3
Snowy Egret  1
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron  1
Laughing Gull  10
Herring Gull  2
Forster's Tern  3
Black Skimmer  1
Rock Pigeon  1
Mourning Dove  15
Chimney Swift  2
Northern Flicker  1
Willow Flycatcher  5
American Crow  1
Fish Crow  1
Barn Swallow  20
American Robin  15
Gray Catbird  3
Northern Mockingbird  2
European Starling  5
Yellow Warbler  1
Common Yellowthroat  2
Eastern Towhee  1
Song Sparrow  3
Swamp Sparrow  2
Northern Cardinal  1
Red-winged Blackbird  2
Boat-tailed Grackle  1
American Goldfinch  1
House Sparrow  10

Week 7, Smart Car Wreck.