Marine Park--Southwest 6/17: YCNH, GLIB

High tide at the salt marsh this morning was 9:34; I got there on the B3 bus at 9:35. Arriving exactly at high tide, coupled with the aftermath of  last night's thunderstorms, didn't leave very much solid ground to walk on. By keeping to the approximately 2" wide strip of beach left exposed and taking a very circuitous route, I was able to make my way to the path in the woods without getting my boots wet too much above the toes. Happily, I wear waterproof boots when I go there.

I added 2 birds to my Brooklyn life list. The first one was a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron I flushed from some high grass while stepping carefully in the muck. I always feel bad when I flush a bird; they have enough stress in their lives without me adding to it. (Of course, the logical solution to this would be not to go birding, but I don't feel that bad.) The 2nd bird added was a Glossy Ibis flying over. Neither of these birds is likely to be found at Prospect Park where I do most of my Brooklyn birding.

Since the tide was so high, I didn't expect to see many waders today so I was happy with those 2 birds plus the Great Egret I also saw (& heard grunting) flying low on the water. As I was walking on the main trail I came to a wooded spot where I often see woodpeckers, warblers, thrushes. There was a Baltimore Oriole there, but I was surprised to see right in front of me this Black-crowned Night-Heron perched on a branch and even more surprised I could get a decent photo of it.

My favorite non-avian animals at the salt marsh are the thousands of Fiddler Crabs scurrying around in the sand, diving into their little holes as your shadow approaches. When I was first at the marsh I couldn't see any of course, but on the way back the water had receded enough for them to be out in force. Hard to get pictures of them as they blend so well with the sand and they move so quickly. I swear that once one of them actually waved to me with its big claw as it was descending into its burrow.

Nature has played a cruel joke on these crustaceans.

38 species from Avenue U to the beach and back:
Canada Goose  4
Double-crested Cormorant  3
Great Egret  4
Snowy Egret  1
Black-crowned Night-Heron  2
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron  1
Glossy Ibis  1
American Oystercatcher  7
Willet  1
Laughing Gull  32
Ring-billed Gull  5
Herring Gull  20
Great Black-backed Gull  3
Least Tern  2
Common Tern  2
Forster's Tern  1
Rock Pigeon  5
Mourning Dove  4
Monk Parakeet  2
Willow Flycatcher  3
Warbling Vireo  1
American Crow  1
Barn Swallow  4
Marsh Wren  2
American Robin  13
Gray Catbird  22
Northern Mockingbird  1
Brown Thrasher  1
European Starling  25
Cedar Waxwing  2
Yellow Warbler  6
Common Yellowthroat  4
Eastern Towhee  2
Song Sparrow  4
Northern Cardinal  3
Red-winged Blackbird  25
Baltimore Oriole  2
House Sparrow  10
And now...

 The Continuing Saga of the Smart Car Wreck

I intended to take another photo of the Smart Car that was dumped on the side of the trail about 3 weeks ago to document 

1) Its slow deterioration and

2) The fact that it was still there on the side of the trail despite being the most accessible wreck I'd found, one the city or Parks Dept could easily remove

but when I got to the spot                                                        

it wasn't there!  Only the burned patch was left. I was under no illusions that my rants have had any effect, but was happy that finally it had been removed. Great. Only about 10 more to go. However, on my way back from the shore, going up a different path, not 100 yards from where the wreck was I found

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? Dump it a little deeper in the grass so it's harder to see? Now, who did this? Did the original dumpers come back with a truck and a winch and move the car? Did a prankster do it? Or did the city slash parks slash sanitation department come along and move it "out of the way?" You be the judge.
Looking at the road, I could clearly see where the wreck had been dragged along, leaving charred bits of wood and metal along the way. And guess what? If the intention was to hide the car, they didn't do a very good job because it can easily be seen from the trail. I just happened to be looking to my right at some bird activity when I passed it the first time.

There's a theme in 19th century American Literature I remember studying in college relating to the "Machine in the Garden." Here, in the 21st, is ours. 

Pier One 6/15--Cedar Waxwings

I saw four Cedar Waxwings on Pier One this afternoon. Oddly, for these berry loving birds, they weren't in trees that had any fruit on them. The bushes in the marsh with what I presume were raspberries* were full of House Sparrows eating the berries. As waxwings are just about my favorite passerines, I was quite pleased to find them in the park. There were probably more than four, as I could hear their "zzzt zzzt" call but couldn't find them in the thick foliage. This the 59th species recorded on the Pier in its brief history as a park.

The hybrid family of American Black Duck (drake) and Mallard with 3 ducklings were in the water picking whatnot from a gray skein of scum and garbage.

In other family news Pier Two had 2 Canada Geese with 2 goslings and perched on a wire on Pier Three was a young Barn Swallow begging for food. After a while an adult landed on the wire but ignored the beggar.  I think the message there was like the Met Life commercial I constantly hear on the Mets broadcasts: "Times are hard. If you want it you have to work for it." Then they both flew off, lesson, presumably learned.

List:
11 species (+1 other taxa)
American Black Duck  1
American Black Duck x Mallard (hybrid)  3
Mallard  1
Double-crested Cormorant  3
Ring-billed Gull  5
Rock Pigeon  2
Barn Swallow  5
American Robin  3
Northern Mockingbird  2
European Starling  15
Cedar Waxwing  4
House Sparrow  20


*It turns out they are serviceberries. (6/16)

Good Advice At Any Time

Slippery When Wet
Twist Off Or Use Opener
La Via Del Tren Subterraneo Es Peligrosa
Keep Away From Children
Be Prepared To Stop

Mount Loretto 6/11--Play Misty For Me

At times today I felt very much like a vegetable at Stop & Shop--a constant mist was sprayed on me, my glasses, and my binoculars. It was alternately foggy and windy; throw in a leaden sky and you have perfect birding conditions so long as you don't mind birding in shades of gray.

However, I did find a few cool birds, like the family of Wood Ducks I saw on one of the ponds: momma and her 6 little ducklings.

I was also surprised to find a Wood Thrush on the main asphalt trail. I saw a bird pulling at a overhanging twig and at first thought it might be a thrasher but closer looks revealed its thrushiness--too small to be a thrasher and too brown & spotted to be any other thrush.

Mammalia found were Muskrat, bunny, and a very startled deer.

28 species on a day that reminded me of one those lousy, rainy days when you're on vacation at the shore.
Wood Duck    9
Mallard    8
Double-crested Cormorant    3    Raritan Bay
Great Egret    3    All flyovers
Snowy Egret    1    Edge of bay
Herring Gull    10
Great Black-backed Gull    1
Mourning Dove    2
Northern Flicker    2
Eastern Wood-Pewee    1
Willow Flycatcher    1
Eastern Kingbird    1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow    1
Tree Swallow    1
Barn Swallow    6
Wood Thrush    1
American Robin    20
Gray Catbird    7
European Starling    10
Cedar Waxwing    1
Yellow Warbler    6
Common Yellowthroat    4
Song Sparrow    1
Red-winged Blackbird    50
Common Grackle    2
Boat-tailed Grackle    1
Brown-headed Cowbird    2
American Goldfinch    4

Marine Park--Southwest 6/10: Willet

I mostly found the expected birds today in Marine Park's marsh. Walking back along the shore I scared up a Willet. And I do mean scared--it flushed from the high grass and began circling me, calling incessantly (and, interestingly, not the "pee-willet" call it is known for). I felt bad that it was so distressed. I thought maybe it had a nest nearby and was trying to distract me, the way Killdeer will, but it flew in ever widening circles around me as I walked along. It would land in the grass for a moment, then take off again chattering in flight. Finally it flew off behind me. If the Willet is reading this, sorry to disturb you.

It was low tide, hot and clammy, so by noon I was through. 31 species I could identify. A couple that I had to let go by due to bad light or distance.
Mallard    4
Double-crested Cormorant    3
Great Egret    7
Snowy Egret    3
Black-crowned Night-Heron    1
Osprey    2
American Oystercatcher    6
Willet    1
Herring Gull    20
Least Tern    2
Sterna sp.    1
Rock Pigeon    4
Mourning Dove    5
Chimney Swift    1
Willow Flycatcher    2
Empidonax sp.    1
American Crow    2
Barn Swallow    8
Marsh Wren    1
American Robin    10
Gray Catbird    3
Brown Thrasher    1
European Starling    40
Yellow Warbler    3
Common Yellowthroat    6
Eastern Towhee    2
Song Sparrow    4
Northern Cardinal    2
Red-winged Blackbird    25
Common Grackle    3
Boat-tailed Grackle    5
Baltimore Oriole    1
House Sparrow    4 

Smart Car wreck Week 2

Still there.

Wreck with kayakers and Great Egret in background

In a thousand years this car will have returned to the Earth.

New junk that wasn't there last week.

Psychics Can Look into Your Future But Not, Apparently, the Dictionary

West 27th & 7th Av
Photo: Michel Theard

Clinton St & Atlantic Av

JBWR 6/5

I finally saw my first American Redstart of the year, on the trail between the south and north gardens. It was getting embarrassing how long it took to find one. And I probably wouldn't have seen this one had Shari not picked it out.

24 American Oystercatchers made Shari happy. Late scaup, ruddies and Brants were hanging around.

We went counter-clockwise around the West Pond today, so our last stop was Bench One where we showed a guy with 2 little kids their first Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron and Great Egret. Dad was excited, the two little kids semi-interested, but we did our bit to recruit a couple of new birders. Someday one of those kids will be saying, "Gee, I remember the first Yellow-crowned Night Heron I ever saw, my dad picked me up and put my eye to the scope this nice couple had set up." Or maybe dad will get hooked; he was writing down the sightings in his new Sibley's.

48 species among the 3 ponds. No shorebirds but the oystercatchers. I guess we have to wait for mid-summer when they start heading south.

West Pond
Brant    3
Canada Goose    100
Mute Swan    1
Gadwall    5
American Black Duck    3
Mallard    10
Greater Scaup    2
Ruddy Duck    32
Double-crested Cormorant    1
Great Blue Heron    1
Great Egret    8
Snowy Egret    5
Little Blue Heron    1
Black-crowned Night-Heron    5
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron    4
Glossy Ibis    20
Osprey    4
Clapper Rail    1
American Oystercatcher    24
Laughing Gull    50
Ring-billed Gull    1
Herring Gull    1
Great Black-backed Gull    1
Forster's Tern    20
Mourning Dove    2
Willow Flycatcher    3
American Crow    3
Tree Swallow    50
Black-capped Chickadee    2
Carolina Wren    1
House Wren    1
Marsh Wren    2
American Robin    2
Gray Catbird    10
Northern Mockingbird    2
European Starling    5
Cedar Waxwing    4
Yellow Warbler    12
American Redstart    1
Common Yellowthroat    4
Eastern Towhee    6
Song Sparrow    4
Northern Cardinal    5
Red-winged Blackbird    50
Boat-tailed Grackle    2
Big John's Pond
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron    3
American Crow    1
Yellow Warbler    2
Red-winged Blackbird    1
East Pond
Canada Goose    100
Mute Swan    95
Gadwall    4
Mallard    10
Double-crested Cormorant    5
Laughing Gull    150
Herring Gull    25
Great Black-backed Gull    20
Common Tern    1
Willow Flycatcher    1
American Crow    1
Tree Swallow    20
Barn Swallow    5
American Robin    3
Gray Catbird    10
Brown Thrasher    1
Yellow Warbler    10
Eastern Towhee    1
Red-winged Blackbird    10