Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Lively along the Lullwater

It was really dead bird-wise when I got to Prospect Park this morning. I thought I was doing badly with just a chickadee, a woodpecker, & a mockingbird until about a quarter of the way around the lake I met another birder I know who had just seen his first passerine of the day--a Swamp Sparrow.

I missed the Swamp Sparrow, but when I got to the Lullwater, just after the rink there was an explosion of winter birds--titmouse, Brown Creeper, White-breasted Nuthatch, cardinals, White-throated Sparrow, woodpeckers (Downy & Hairy) plus a Pied-bill Grebe on the water. And, practically sitting on top of me when I was 1/2 way up the path, a Red-tailed Hawk perched on a low branch. Yellow eyes looking down on me--I don't want to anthropomorphize, but let's say it looked down with disinterest. I wasn't food, and I couldn't hurt it.

As soon as I saw the Brown Creeper, the day became a success.


Prospect Park
Observation date:     12/2/09
Number of species:     33

Canada Goose     50
Mute Swan     6
American Black Duck     4   3 on Lake, 1 on Upper Pool
American Black Duck x Mallard (hybrid)     1 
Mallard     100
Northern Shoveler     10
Ring-necked Duck     1     Upper Pool
Ruddy Duck     85     Mostly on Lake, some on Lullwater, a couple on Upper Pool
Pied-billed Grebe     1     Lullwater
Great Blue Heron     1     Flyover Breeze Hill
Black-crowned Night-Heron     1     Duck Island
Red-tailed Hawk     1     Lullwater, sitting low in a tree, practically on top of me!
American Coot     4     2 on Lake, 2 on Lullwater
Ring-billed Gull     50
Herring Gull     10
Rock Pigeon     30
Mourning Dove     1     Lullwater
Red-bellied Woodpecker     1
Downy Woodpecker     8
Hairy Woodpecker     1     Lullwater
Blue Jay     9
American Crow     10     8 on baseball fields, 2 flyovers
Black-capped Chickadee     2
Tufted Titmouse     2     Lullwater
White-breasted Nuthatch     2     Lullwater
Brown Creeper     1     Lullwater
American Robin     19
Northern Mockingbird     1
European Starling     40
White-throated Sparrow     10
Dark-eyed Junco     3     Lullwater
Northern Cardinal     12     Mostly around the Lullwater
House Finch     5     Behind Boathouse
House Sparrow     16

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