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

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. 

Marine Park--Southwest 7/8: Black Skimmers

Pretty steamy in the marsh today. Low tide, the air pungent with the scent of dead things and burnt, wet wood. It seemed wherever I walked on my 2 mile trek to the beach I came across burnt patches of grass or phragmites. In addition to being the dumping ground of choice for discriminating car thieves of  Brooklyn, it has also become the borough's pyromaniacal playground.

The only notable birds today were the Black Skimmers, those gloriously goofy birds that zip along the surface of the water with their larger lower mandible, skimming up nutrition from just below. I saw 3 and they, unlike many birds, are not shy. When they're skimming they're on a mission and if you happen to be standing along their route, that's fine, see you later.

33 species today plus 1 crow that didn't call as it was being chased by blackbirds.
Mallard  1
Double-crested Cormorant  3
Great Blue Heron  1
Great Egret  7
Snowy Egret  5
Osprey  4
American Oystercatcher  6
Laughing Gull  10
Herring Gull  15
Great Black-backed Gull  1
Least Tern  4
Common Tern  1
Forster's Tern  3
Black Skimmer  3
Rock Pigeon  1
Mourning Dove  15
Willow Flycatcher  1
crow sp.  1
Tree Swallow  5
Barn Swallow  10
American Robin  25
Gray Catbird  12
Northern Mockingbird  4
Brown Thrasher  1
European Starling  50
Cedar Waxwing  4
Yellow Warbler  3
Common Yellowthroat  4
Eastern Towhee  3
Song Sparrow  3
Northern Cardinal  3
Red-winged Blackbird  25
Common Grackle  1
House Sparrow  3

SMART CAR WRECK WEEK 5

Still there; the grass is getting higher but not high enough to hide it

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. 

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.

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.