Registrar: Dom Ricci
Participants: 19 (including leaders and registrar)
Weather: Around 60 F, clear, light breeze
Bird Species: 17
An unseasonably warm and sunny fall morning availed itself to the Linnaean birders who gathered on the Coney Island beach over Veterans’ Day weekend to take part in Bobbi and Dennis’s masterclass in gull identification. Traversing the beach, the birders encountered flocks which contained the five gull species frequently found in the area: American Herring, Ring-billed, Laughing, Great Black-backed, and Lesser Black-backed. Birders learned how to analyze the features of each individual bird—its size, plumage and other coloration, and behavior—to determine its species and age. Interspersed with the gulls, a flock of almost two hundred Black Skimmers staged in migratory anticipation while a single Royal Tern made a guest appearance. When the walk ended around lunchtime, everyone had all gained a foundation of knowledge to carry forward to future gull-watching experiences.
Species List
Brant
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
American Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Black Skimmer
Forster’s Tern
Royal Tern
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Osprey
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Fish Crow
European Starling
House Sparrow
