Registrar: Lisa Kroop
Participants: 15
Weather: 67°F–86°F; sunny with blue skies, wispy clouds and haze; calm 3–6 mph wind
Bird Species: 49
We gathered at the Visitor Center of Conference House Park to begin a day of birding on Staten Island. It was still relatively cool, and much of our walk here would be in the shade. After Howie, our trip leader, gave introductory remarks about the bird species we might encounter in the park at this quiet, nesting time of year, we headed into the woods.
A target bird—the White-eyed Vireo, which we had heard and seen last year on this walk—remained elusive, and we did not succeed in finding one. But plenty of other birds were singing, and we were hearing the high-pitched calls of young chicks begging to be fed. Many of the birds were in juvenile plumage, especially robins that we encountered on the paths and in the trees. We briefly left the woods and walked out into the open to a sandy beach along Raritan Bay, where we observed a nesting colony of Double-crested Cormorants arranged on the framework of a channel marker.
Our second stop was Mount Loretto Unique Area, a nature preserve of approximately 200 acres of grasslands, woods, a pond, and coastal habitat. Walking through the meadows near the entrance to the park, we heard Indigo Buntings singing around us, as well as a Warbling Vireo. Gathered on the platform overlooking the pond, we observed the birds along the edges of the pond: a group of perched Northern Rough-winged Swallows; a solitary perched Barn Swallow; a Snowy Egret and a Great Egret; an Osprey that was settling itself into the leaves at the top of a tree; and, when we looked over the bridge at the far side of the pond, two large snapping turtles and a red-eared slider that began swimming towards us, seeming to expect to be fed. The day was getting hotter, but we were well rewarded with several views of Indigo Buntings shining bright blue in the sun and a few Orchard Orioles perched in trees.
For the past week, a Purple Gallinule had been reported at Sharrotts Pond and had been seen that morning as well. Not only is it a rare bird for the region, but it is the first Staten Island record of the species. We headed there next, hoping to find it. When we arrived, it was close to 1 pm, and the sun beat down on us as we stood on the observation platform overlooking the pond and scanned for the bird. A young boy with binoculars who had come to the park for the same purpose got very excited—he was sure he had found the bird. We trained our binoculars on a small island across the pond and saw a tiny red splotch. It looked very promising, even when seen through a scope, but we ultimately decided that it was most likely a red flower that looked uncannily like the red bill characteristic of a Purple Gallinule.
After about an hour of watching and waiting for the Purple Gallinule, we decided to head to our next stop, Lemon Creek Park, where we were guaranteed to see our target bird—the Purple Martin, the eponymous species of this trip.
At Lemon Creek Park we found the Purple Martin colony busy with activity, with parents flying to and from the apartments and squeezing into the portals to attend to their young. Close by were terns and gulls flying up and down Lemon Creek. And behind us, beyond the trees, was a view of New Jersey—far in the distance across Raritan Bay.
Our final destination was Great Kills Park to view the Bank Swallow colony that nests there every summer. When we arrived, we found many of the swallows swooping back and forth, up and down, over the beach and water below us, while a group remained perched on the branches of a bare tree. A short time later we noticed that that tree had been abandoned for yet another bare tree, and then that tree was abandoned; after that, all the birds remained aloft for the rest of our visit.
It was delightfully breezy and cool along the water as our trip concluded, and watching the Barn Swallows at the edge of the bay was a highlight for many. Many thanks to Howie for leading us and sharing his insights and love of Staten Island birding. We had a wonderful day!
Species Lists
Birds
Canada Goose
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Laughing Gull
American Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Forster’s Tern
Common Tern
Double-crested Cormorant
Snowy Egret
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Fish Crow
Bank Swallow
Tree Swallow
Purple Martin
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Northern House Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
American Robin
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Song Sparrow
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Butterflies
Cabbage White
Silver-spotted Skipper
Broad-winged Skipper
Odonates
Fragile Forktail
Common Whitetail
Common Green Darner
Slaty Skimmer
Blue Dasher
Herps
Common Snapping Turtle
Red-eared Slider
Mammals
White-tailed Deer
Eastern Gray Squirrel
