Category: Field Trip Reports

Registrar: Debbie Mullins
Participants: 7
Weather: 72 F, partly cloudy, NW winds at 11 mph
Bird Species: 25
Insect Species: 20

It was a surprisingly cool but windy day when we traveled to Staten Island in search of birds and insects. Many thanks to Seth Wollney, excellent all-around naturalist, for sharing his knowledge about the many species that inhabit Brookfield Park, a remediated landfill that borders Richmond Creek on the north. It has hills covered with low-growing vegetation, as well as marshes along the creek. Many native plants grow here, but unfortunately, phragmites are also starting to invade the habitat.

Despite the wind, we saw a good variety of beautiful insects and birds, including a pair of Bald Eagles and many Great and Snowy Egrets. A flock of nearly 100 confiding Semipalmated Sandpipers seemed to be following us as we walked through the fields.

Species Lists

Insects
American Sand Wasp
Ant sp.
Black Swallowtail
Blue Dasher
Broad-winged Skipper
Cabbage White
Carolina Grasshopper
Carolina Saddlebags
Black Saddlebags
Common Green Darner
Dog-day Cicada (aka Swamp Cicada)
Horace’s Duskywing
Eastern Tailed-blue
Monarch
Orange Sulphur
Pearl Crescent
Red Milkweed Beetle
Seven-spotted Ladybug
Spot-winged Glider
Spotted Lanternfly
Twelve-spotted Skimmer
Viceroy
Wasp sp.

Birds
Canada Goose
Gadwall
Mallard
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Clapper Rail
Virginia Rail
Semipalmated Plover
Lesser Yellowlegs
Least Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Double-crested Cormorant
Black-crowned Night Heron
Snowy Egret
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Northern Mockingbird
American Goldfinch
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird

Registrar: Mary Beth Kooper
Report Narrative by: Anne Lazarus
Participants: 16
Weather: 71 – 79°F, Gentle N – SW winds
Bird Species: 50 + 4 other taxa

Neither rain nor any weather possibility or high East Pond levels could stop us. We thank our amazing leader, Keith, for finding so many exciting birds for us. We appreciate it all. The skippers skipped away very quickly, and only one Pearl Crescent was cooperative. We also saw Green Darners and one Black Saddlebags.

Species Lists

Birds
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Blue-winged Teal
Gadwall
Mallard
American Black Duck
Green-winged Teal
Ruddy Duck
duck sp.
Mourning Dove
Killdeer
Semipalmated Plover
Short-billed Dowitcher
Spotted Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Stilt Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
peep sp.
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Black Skimmer
Least Tern
Forster’s Tern
Double-crested Cormorant
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Little Blue Heron
Snowy Egret
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Glossy Ibis
Osprey
Peregrine Falcon
Empidonax sp.
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
swallow sp.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
House Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Boat-tailed Grackle
Yellow Warbler
Northern Cardinal

Insects
Black Saddlebags
Cabbage White
Green Darner
Monarch Butterfly
Pearl Crescent
Spotted Lanternfly

Registrar: Debbie Mullins
Participants: 12
Weather: Partly cloudy, southerly winds at 5-10 mph, mid 70`s F
Bird Species: 34

Twelve birders spent a delightful morning at Cupsogue Beach County Park with Eileen Schwinn, an expert Suffolk County birder who has logged many hours at this location. We started the day with a scan of the saltmarsh from the parking lot. Both Saltmarsh and Seaside Sparrows were seen, as well as a Willow Flycatcher taking advantage of a large hatch-out. We then did a brief sea watch from the platform leading out to the beach; it yielded a few shearwaters, likely Greater or Corey’s, but they were too distant to identify with certainty. On the roadway out to the bay, a Merlin was observed, along with several passerines.

We arrived at the bay about two hours before dead low tide and found an abundance of terns, gulls, and shorebirds on the sandbars and mud flats. Hundreds of Common Terns and about a dozen Royal Terns were present, in addition to a good variety of shorebirds. We were delighted to see a Marbled Godwit foraging on the edge of Spoil Island, and a Pectoral Sandpiper was spotted near the area favored by the Royal Terns. Aware of an approaching storm, we wrapped up around noon and enjoyed lunch together at the snack bar before departing.

Species Lists

Birds
Mute Swan
American Oystercatcher
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Piping Plover
Marbled Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Willet
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Least Tern
Common Tern
Royal Tern
Common Loon
shearwater sp.
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Glossy Ibis
Merlin
Willow Flycatcher
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Northern Mockingbird
Seaside Sparrow
Saltmarsh Sparrow
Song Sparrow

Registrar: Richard Davis
Participants: 19
Weather: 78–82 F. Mostly sunny, N winds 5 mph.
Bird Species: 16

Nineteen Linnaeans and botany enthusiasts gathered on a warm sunny morning to wander in available tree shade and light breezes around the Pool and briefly into the Ravine of northern Central Park. Many participants commented on the broad knowledge and enthusiasm of walk leader Regina Alvarez, whose experience in Central Park and in teaching is an excellent combination for transmitting information about the plant life of the Park and the way it has been managed over the years.

She started by lending magnifying loupes to participants, explaining that a jeweler’s loupe at 10x would be best for field study. She demonstrated how to use them by bringing the loupe quite close to the face and resting it against the cheek to hold it near the eye. The object to study must be very near the bottom of the glass.

Our first stop was at a hawthorne tree with quite a bit of cedar-apple rust, which exhibited as small, ball-shaped, reddish clumps with short hairs or tentacles, but is actually a fungus.

She pointed out which plants are native, which non-native, and which invasive. For example, we quickly encountered pokeweed, which is native and produces berries that birds love but are highly toxic to humans. (You can make ink with them.) In contrast, porcelain berry, a non-native invasive from temperate Asia in the grape family, should always be quickly removed from gardens and other habitats, as it will overwhelm and destroy native plant life.

The pokeweed and deadly nightshade sparked a discussion about foraging and the risks to an inexperienced forager. In general, foraging is not advisable in an ecosystem like that of Central Park, which would suffer greatly if thousands of visitors took up the practice.

Virginia knotweed (native) also known as touch-me-not, offered an amusing opportunity to demonstrate seed dispersal, with the seeds popping off and flying to quite a distance. Birds are also fans.

A young black cherry tree’s bark (native) exhibited prominent horizontal lenticels, or striations, that allow for gas exchange—that is, for the plant to breathe. As the plant grows older, as seen lower on the trunk, it develops what looks like burnt potato chip skin. The berry of this tree is beloved by birds and used for the black cherry flavor of soft drinks.

We observed a tulip tree (native) that demonstrated an ability to self prune, with lower shaded branches falling off as the tree grows, leaving a faint mark on the trunk that eventually fades. It is one of our tallest trees, and its long, straight trunk is made of a soft wood that is great for telephone poles, beams, and dugout canoes.

A large oak tree (native) near the birdbath area of the Pool was a fine example of a keystone species—that is, one that many other species depend on thanks to the enormous number of insects they host.

Burdock (non-native) was an example of a biennial, an individual plant with a lifespan of just two years.

The spice bush is a native wetland shrub that offers a fruit high in lipids to birds; it is a form of metabolic energy for migrating birds that is preferable to fruits loaded with sugar. The leaves produce a compound, the spice scent or flavor, that is a predator defense mechanism.

We came upon mugwort, also not native, which was probably brought over by colonists as a medicinal plant. Mugwort, among other plants, produces compounds to deter insects; this can create a detectable odor, which wanes by late summer, after plant reproduction has occurred. Mugwort is an invasive species, taking over open sunny areas.

In the Ravine we spotted some native hydrangea being visited by a native bee. Regina explained that native wild bees are critical for “buzz pollination,” a form of pollination that domesticated bees (honeybees) cannot perform, in which the bee vibrates to dislodge pollen. Plants in the tomato (nightshade) family require this type of pollination to reproduce.

We encountered poison ivy (native), reaching onto the path on a wooden bridge in the Ravine. Regina explained that the Park has a policy of managing rather than eradicating this plant, which produces berries popular with 60 species of birds, as well as the urushiol oil that stimulates an allergic reaction in approximately half the people who come in contact with it. 

Species Lists

Birds
Mallard
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Northern Flicker
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
European Starling
Gray Catbird
American Robin
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Common Grackle
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Northern Cardinal

Plants

Trees—Native
Black Locust
Honey Locust
Hackberry
American Sycamore
Black Cherry
Tulip Tree
Tupelo Tree (Black Gum)
American Sweetgum Tree
Bald Cypress
Sassafras
Oak Tree
Red Oak
Black Walnut
Red Maple
Red Buckeye
Pin Oak
Hornbeam
Sweetbay Magnolia
Hickory (species)
Serviceberry or Shad Bush
Eastern Redbud

Trees—Hybrid
London Plane

Trees—Non-Native
Weeping Willow
White Mulberry
Ginkgo

Shrubs, Vines and Flowers—Native
Sweet Pepperbush
Purple Flowering Raspberry
Pokeweed
Hackberry
Blackberry
Jewelweed
Poison Ivy
Woodland Sunflower
Wolffia (Watermeal)
Duckweed
Virginia Knotweed
American Plantain
White Baneberry (Doll’s Eyes)
Spicebush
Wild Bergamot (Beebalm)
Native rose
Arrowwood viburnum
White Wood Aster
White Snakeroot
Green-headed Coneflower
Purple Coneflower
Staghorn Sumac
Cardinal Flower
Blue Lobelia
Joe-Pye Weed
Black Raspberry
Witch Hazel
Elderberry
Lizard’s Tail

Shrubs, Vines and Flowers—Non-native
European Plantain
Mugwort
Wineberry
Porcelain Berry
Japanese Knotweed
Bittersweet Nightshade
Devil’s Walkingstick
Burdock Weed

Ferns – Native
Ostrich Fern
Marginal Wood Fern
Christmas fern

Grass—Native
Bottlebrush Grass

Grass—Non-native
Phragmites

Mammals
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Eastern Chipmunk
Brown Rat

Herps
Red-eared Slider

Registrar: Mary Beth Kooper
Participants: 17
Weather: 78 – 82°F, gentle breeze, wind SE – NE
Bird Species: 51

We had a wonderful day of birding on Staten Island. Our leader, life-long Staten Islander Howie Fisher, started our day off at Conference House Park, where the highlight was a White-eyed Vireo. From there we went to nearby Joline Avenue Beach, where we had the days most spectacular birds; Caspian and Royal Terns and seven Brown Pelicans!  Our next stop was to see the annually nesting Purple Martins which are always a treat to see. Our last stop as a full group was to Wolfe’s Pond Park, where we were hoping to see the Neotropic Cormorant that had been around recently, but we had no luck with that bird. A few participants made one last stop, at Oakwood Beach, and we were treated to seeing a Little Blue Heron and a Marsh Wren.

Species List

Bird Species
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Mallard
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
American Oystercatcher
Killdeer
Laughing Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Black Skimmer
Caspian Tern
Common Tern
Royal Tern
Double-crested Cormorant
Brown Pelican
Black-crowned Night Heron
Little Blue Heron
Snowy Egret
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downey Woodpecker
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Fish Crow
Tree Swallow
Purple Martin
Barn Swallow
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Marsh Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
American Robin
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting

See eBird trip report.

Registrar: Anne Lazarus
Participants: 17
Weather: Sunny, mid-70s with winds to the north at 3.7 mph
Bird Species: 34

On this beautiful late spring morning in Van Cortlandt Park, over one thousand acres of nature and park space in the Bronx, the group saw a nice variety of birds, bugs, and several other animal species, including two types of snakes and an Eastern cottontail. The participants were excited to see the Silvery Checkerspot, one of twelve different butterflies and moths seen on the trip. Ken Chaya, naturalist and the day’s walk leader, also pointed out various interesting beetles, grasshoppers, and other bugs that could easily be overlooked. The bird highlights of the walk were a Scarlet Tanager, a Green Heron, and a perching Eastern Kingbird, which provided a nice photo op for the nature photographers in the group. It was also exciting for the group to see a nest of hungry baby barn swallows being fed, a nice reminder that as spring migration closes, the peak of nesting season for many local bird species is here. 

Species List
Birds
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swifts
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Blue Jay
Tree Swallow
Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow 
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Song Sparrow
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Yellow Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal

Lepidoptera – Butterflies and Moths
Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)
Cabbage White-multiple (Pieris rapae)
Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops)
Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calamus)
Summer Azure (Celastrina ladon)
Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis)
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor)
Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)
Dun Skipper (Euphyes vestris)
Orange-patched Smoky Moth (Phyromorpha dimidiata)
Four-dotted Agonopterix Moth (Agonopterix robiniella)

Odonata – Dragonflies and Damselflies
Eastern Forktail (Ischnura verticalis)
Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita)
Variable Dancer (Argia fumipennis)
Whitetail Skimmer (Plathemis lydia)
Click Beetle (Subtribe Dendrometrina)

Coleoptera – Beetles 
Rose Curculio (Merhynchites bicolor)
Horned Passalus aka Bess Beetle (Odontotaenius disjunctus)
Leaf Beetle (Paria sp.)
Lily Leaf Beetle (Lilioceris lilii)
Asian Ladybird Beetle Larva and Pupa Case (Harmonia axyridis)

Hymenoptera – Bees, Wasps, and Ants 
Bumble Bee Mimic Robber Fly (Laphria thoracica)
Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee (Agapostemon virescens)
Square-headed Wasp (Cerceris sp.)
Yellow Mud-dauber Wasp (Sceliphron caementarium)
Chestnut Carpenter Ant (Camponotus castaneus)

Diptera – Flies
Robber Fly (Atomosia puella)
Long-legged Fly (Condylostylus patibulatus)
Sepsis Fly (Nempoda nitidula)
Narrow-headed Marsh Fly (Heliophilus fasciatus)
Stilt-legged Fly (Rainieria antennaepes)

Hemiptera – True Bugs
Green Stink Bug (Chinavia hilaris)
Leafhopper (Pagaronia minor)
Four-lined Plant Bug (Poecilocapsus lineatus)
Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula)

Orthoptera – Grasshoppers, Kadydids, and Crickets
Short-horned Grasshopper (Acridoidea Family) 
Kadydid (Tettigoniidae Family)
North American Spur-throated Grasshopper (Melanoplus sp.)
Fork-tailed Bush Kadydid nymph (Scudderia furcata)

Neuroptera
Red-lipped Green Lacewing nymph (Chrysoperla rufilabris)

Other Invertebrates
Eastern Harvestman (Leiobunum vittatum)

Reptiles
Common Garter Snake
Red-eared Slider

Mammals
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Eastern Chipmunk
Eastern Cottontail

Registrar: Mary Beth Kooper
Participants: 17
Weather: Clear sky, smoke, haze, 56 – 69°F, Light N – S breeze
Bird Species: 37

Species Lists

Birds
Canada Goose
King Eider
Surf Scoter
Black Scoter
Mourning Dove
American Oystercatcher
Piping Plover
Killdeer
Sanderling
Willet
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Least Tern
Gull-billed Tern
Black Tern
White-winged Tern
Roseate Tern
Common Tern
Arctic Tern
Black Skimmer
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel
Northern Gannet
Double-crested Cormorant
Osprey
Barn Swallow
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
House Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Northern Cardinal

eBird report with notes from Shai Mitra.

Registrar: Debbie Mullins
Participants: 22
Weather: 56–68 degrees F, clear, winds ENE at 15 mph
Bird Species: 34

With spring migration winding down, the number of species we saw today was the lowest for any Tuesday walk of the season. They included only one warbler, but it was exciting to see nesting Wood Thrushes and Eastern Kingbirds as well as our resident Great Horned Owl, Geraldine. Many thanks to Kevin, who led all the spring migration walks this season and to all our other volunteer leaders.

Species List

Birds
Canada Goose
Gadwall
Mallard
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Red-tailed Hawk
Great Horned Owl   
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Blue Jay
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
House Finch
White-throated Sparrow
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Blackpoll Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal

Registrar: Janet Wooten
Participants: 5
Weather: Sunny and clear, 57–65F, moderately breezy
Bird Species: 28

The final walk of the season took place on a sunny and mild morning. Birds of several species, including a Baltimore Oriole, were quietly building nests, while Warbling Vireos laid claim to territories with their songs. Among the highlights were a surprise flyover by an Osprey, an Eastern Kingbird at Turtle Pond, and Wood Thrushes in the Ramble. At the Point, a Blackpoll sang out, perhaps the last warbler of the season to leave.

Species List

Birds
Canada Goose 
Gadwall 
Mallard
Rock Pigeon 
Mourning Dove 
Chimney Swift 
Herring Gull
Double-crested Cormorant 
Osprey 
Red-tailed Hawk 
Downy Woodpecker
Great Crested Flycatcher 
Eastern Kingbird 
Warbling Vireo 
Blue Jay 
American Crow
Carolina Wren 
European Starling 
Gray Catbird
Wood Thrush 
American Robin 
Cedar Waxwing 
House Sparrow 
Baltimore Oriole 
Red-winged Blackbird 
Common Grackle 
Blackpoll Warbler 
Northern Cardinal

Registrar: Mary Beth Kooper
Participants: 10
Weather: Clear sky, 50 – 71°F, light breeze from the North
Bird Species: 64

We were granted a beautiful day for our Linnaean Society of New York trip to the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge! And from the start, the birds showed up: Within the first few minutes in the parking lot and walking to the viewing platform, we heard and saw our chief grassland targets: singing Bobolinks, Eastern Meadowlarks, and Grasshopper Sparrows (singing both song types), along with a lone singing Savannah Sparrow, several pairs of American Bluebirds, and a nearby Killdeer. Grassland bonuses included a busy house of Purple Martins, nesting Tree Swallows, and several pairs of cooperative American Kestrels. As we wandered the grassland trails and then headed to the pond and forest habitat near the park’s entrance, we also got nice views of singing Orchard and Baltimore Oriole, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Willow Flycatcher, Eastern Wood-Pewee, House Wren, American Redstart, and Field Sparrow, and heard the sounds of more elusive Blue-winged Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, and Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher. Large raptors were also on hand, soaring above: Both Turkey and Black Vulture, along with Red-tailed Hawk.

After a quick ride through Blue Chip Farms did not yield any extraordinary findings, we were on to our third stop, Liberty Marsh, straddling the NY/NJ border. This vast wetland also provided our target birds… but we had to work a bit harder! An initial scanning of the marsh failed to localize our principal quarry–nesting Sandhill Cranes–but did yield a small family of Wood Ducks, and the eerie cackle of a (hidden) Common Gallinule. A forced march around the Liberty Loop trail yielded several new birds for the day, as we crossed the state line: Swamp Sparrow (giving us a tally of six sparrow species for the day), Indigo Bunting, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Yellow-throated Vireo, along with a much larger family of Wood Ducks. Our spirits rose and fell several times as we sought the elusive cranes and found only Great Blue Herons… until finally, we spotted several rusty blobs far in the distance. Thankfully, at least one rusty blob raised its head to reveal the telltale red forehead and long bill of the Sandhill Crane. As our tired and thirsty group ended back at the Liberty Loop parking lot, we enjoyed a final treat of a pair of Common Gallinules, cooperatively feeding in the low marsh.

Please see the eBird checklist for more details.

Species Lists

Birds
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Rock Pigeon
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Common Gallinule
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Great Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Willow Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
House Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Bluebird
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Grasshopper Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Bobolink
Eastern Meadowlark
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
Blue-winged Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Yellow Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting

Other species
Common ringlet Butterfly
Cottontail Rabbit
Red Admiral Butterfly
Snapping Turtle
White-tailed Deer