Registrar: Steve Holleran Participants: 18 Weather: Intermittent rain with temperature in the 60s, light northerly winds Bird Species: 46
Despite the wet weather, eighteen hardy birders explored the Ramble area of Central Park and reported a total of 46 species, including nine warblers. A highlight was the sighting of a Merlin, perched high above. We guessed it may have been digesting a recent meal, as it was stationary through repeated viewings and appeared to have a full crop. For some of us there were some first-of-season sightings as well, including Wood Thrush and White-throated Sparrow.
Species Lists
Birds Canada Goose Mallard Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) Mourning Dove Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird Herring Gull Great Egret Cooper’s Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Belted Kingfisher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Merlin Eastern Wood-Pewee Blue Jay Ruby-crowned Kinglet House Wren Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Veery Swainson’s Thrush Wood Thrush American Robin Cedar Waxwing House Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Common Grackle Ovenbird Black-and-white Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Prairie Warbler Scarlet Tanager Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Registrar: Nick Dawson Attendees: 35 Weather: 74 F and sunny. West wind 11 mph. Species: 29
On a sunny fall day, the Linnaean Society called for a hawk watch at Belvedere Castle in Central Park. More than 30 people gathered to observe migrating hawks and listen to Phil and Anne Ribolow explain how to differentiate the various species flying high overhead.
Throughout the afternoon, we saw many Broad-winged Hawks, which migrate in groups as large as hundreds or thousands, referred to as kettles. Broad-winged Hawks are on the smaller side with chunky bodies and large heads. They are easy to identify because they soar rather than flap, the tail is short and square, and their wings come to a distinct point, which Phil refers to as the shape of a butter knife.
Knowing that many birders confuse Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks, we focused on identifying these two bird species. We learned that Sharp-shinned Hawks are the smallest hawks in Canada and the U.S., similar in size to a jay or a dove. They have distinctive proportions, including small heads and square-tipped tails. When in flight, they push their short, rounded wings forward, making it difficult to see their heads. The bird also has a distinctive flight style, described by Phil as a “flap, flap, flap, then glide,” similar to a flickering candle. The wing beats are also somewhat erratic and difficult to reliably count.
Conversely, Cooper’s Hawks are larger in size, like a crow. It’s quite easy to mistake a female Sharp-shinned Hawk for a male Cooper’s Hawk because female hawks are larger than males. However, there are distinct differences. The Cooper’s Hawk tail is rounded at the tip, with a prominent middle feather and a clear white tip. The head is quite large compared to its body and has a rounded or crested look. In flight, the large and angular head projects far beyond the wings, giving the bird a cross-like appearance and making it easy to identify. Its wing beats are slower and more regular than a Sharp-shined Hawk’s, making it easy to count as they fly overhead.
A final highlight of the day was a Bald Eagle, easily identified by its distinctive white head. Phil noted that the bird flies like a plank, its large size keeping it from being buffeted by the wind and gliding rather than flapping its wings.
The best time to observe hawk migration in the fall is the day after a cold front has passed when the winds are steady from the northwest or west. These conditions produce strong updrafts as the air currents blow over the north and south-oriented land ridges. Stay tuned for hawk watch announcements, and please join us next year!
Birds Canada Goose Northern Shoveler Mallard Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Chimney Swift Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Double-crested Cormorant Turkey Vulture Osprey Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Bald Eagle Broad-winged Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Northern Flicker American Kestrel Peregrine Falcon Blue Jay European Starling Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher American Robin House Sparrow American Redstart Northern Parula Bay-breasted Warbler Northern Cardinal
Registrar: Richard Davis Participants: 43 Weather: 59–74 F and sunny, with west wind 11 mph Bird Species: 67
The weather was crisp in the morning, but warmed pleasantly as the day progressed. There was a solid variety of warblers, though not in great numbers or frequency—rather, a few in every location that kept the groups on the move through the park. The first view of a Prairie Warbler in Strawberry Field was a high point, with all the groups gathered on the hill to the east to see it dazzle as it caught the morning light. Later in the day, many people in each group gathered for the noon hawk watch at Belvedere, and, in fact, most of the raptors listed here were seen at that location.
Species Lists
Birds Canada Goose Wood Duck Mallard Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) Mourning Dove Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Double-crested Cormorant Osprey Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper’s Hawk Bald Eagle Broad-winged Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Belted Kingfisher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker American Kestrel Peregrine Falcon Olive-sided Flycatcher Eastern Wood-Pewee Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Ruby-crowned Kinglet House Wren Winter Wren Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Veery Swainson’s Thrush Wood Thrush American Robin Cedar Waxwing House Sparrow House Finch American Goldfinch White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Lincoln’s Sparrow Common Grackle Ovenbird Black-and-white Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Cape May Warbler Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler Pine Warbler Prairie Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Wilson’s Warbler Scarlet Tanager Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Butterflies Cabbage White Butterfly Monarch Odonates Common Green Darner Black Saddlebags Carolina Saddlebags Moths Common Looper Moth Swamp Cicada Eastern Hornet Fly Honey Bee
We had a great group of 10 birders total for our trip to Prospect Park with Tom Stephenson. We birded for about 7 hours and saw 64 species, 19 warblers. The highlight was the Mourning warbler and the Wilson’s and we saw so many Bay Breasted, we got flagged on eBird.
Species Lists Birds Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Green Heron Turkey Vulture Canada Goose Mute Swan Wood Duck Mallard Osprey Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper’s Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Spotted Sandpiper Herring Gull Rock Dove Mourning Dove Yellow-billed Cuckoo Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Eastern Wood-Pewee Eastern Phoebe White-eyed Vireo Blue-headed Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay Carolina Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet Veery Swainson’s Thrush American Robin Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird European Starling Cedar Waxwing Nashville Warbler Northern Parula Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Cape May Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Prairie Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Mourning Warbler Common Yellowthroat Wilson’s Warbler Scarlet Tanager Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak Indigo Bunting Common Grackle American Goldfinch House Sparrow
Barrier islands can experience magical days during migration season, and it’s a gift to birders that even slower days on Fire Island in early fall are excellent. For this year’s Watch Hill walk, led by the American Museum of Natural History’s Paul Sweet, the winds weren’t quite right to deliver anything exceptional or hugely unexpected; nevertheless, an excellent day of birding was had by all.
On the Watch Hill walk, arguably the two headline birds are usually the two Ammospiza sparrows, Saltmarsh and Seaside, as both species breed in the marsh just a few minutes from the ferry dock. This year, neither the Saltmarsh nor the Seaside was active and showy; however, everyone got at least brief looks at them. Though we didn’t find an abundance of warblers in the more wooded areas of Watch Hill, some handsome Baltimore Orioles picked up the slack with the sheer entertainment value of their posturing. As is usually the case in mid-September, a healthy number of migrating monarch butterflies were on the island, and we saw a smattering of Royal and Forster’s Terns foraging offshore, plus a (small) raft of Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the beach. There was also some nice raptor diversity, with 10-plus Ospreys, a Bald Eagle and a handful of Merlins and Northern Harriers (including a gray ghost) passing through.
Species Lists
Birds Canada Goose Mute Swan Mallard American Black Duck Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Ruby-throated Hummingbird Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Forster’s Tern Royal Tern Double-crested Cormorant Snowy Egret Great Egret Great Blue Heron Osprey Northern Harrier Bald Eagle Belted Kingfisher Northern Flicker Merlin Eastern Wood-Pewee Least Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe American Crow Fish Crow Black-capped Chickadee European Starling Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Northern Mockingbird Cedar Waxwing House Sparrow American Goldfinch Seaside Sparrow Saltmarsh Sparrow Eastern Towhee Baltimore Oriole Red-winged Blackbird Brown-headed Cowbird Black-and-white Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Cape May Warbler Magnolia Warbler Yellow Warbler Palm Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler
Registrar: Gillian Henry Participants: 15 Weather: 63 F, clear and sunny with northwest winds Bird Species: 50
It was a beautiful September morning when at 8 am we met our leader, Rob Jett, to begin an eventful walk through Green-Wood Cemetery in search of fall migrants. The day was incredibly birdy, and we saw 15 warbler species, including a Connecticut and a very cooperative Hooded Warbler! There were also many great views of flying hawks and, of course, the famous Monk Parakeets were seen and heard tending their huge colonial stick nest above the main entrance to the cemetery. Altogether, we had 50 species and a delightful day of fall birding!
Species Lists
Birds Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) Mourning Dove Chimney Swift Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Double-crested Cormorant Little Blue Heron Osprey Broad-winged Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker American Kestrel Peregrine Falcon Monk Parakeet Eastern Wood-Pewee Eastern Phoebe Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Common Raven Blue-gray Gnatcatcher European Starling Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Northern Mockingbird Veery Swainson’s Thrush American Robin Cedar Waxwing House Finch American Goldfinch Ovenbird Black-and-white Warbler Connecticut Warbler Common Yellowthroat Hooded Warbler American Redstart Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler Prairie Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Rose-breasted Grosbeak Mammals Groundhog
Registrar: Mary Beth Kooper Participants: 9 Weather: 59 – 65°F, N moderate winds Bird Species: 53
Species List
Birds:
Canada Goose
American Black Duck
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Killdeer
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Black-crowned Night Heron
Great Blue Heron
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Least Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
House Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Song Sparrow
Baltimore Oriole
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Cape May Warbler
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Although the birding was slow and the sky started off gray, many intrepid birders stayed with the leaders until the afternoon. They ended up with a nice list and traveled all the way to the north end of Central Park. Species Lists
Birds Canada Goose Gadwall Mallard Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) Mourning Dove Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Double-crested Cormorant Black-crowned Night-Heron Cooper’s Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Northern Flicker American Kestrel Eastern Wood-Pewee Great Crested Flycatcher Epidonax sp. Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow House Wren Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Veery Swainson’s Thrush Wood Thrush American Robin House Sparrow Chipping Sparrow (h) White-throated Sparrow Baltimore Oriole Common Grackle Northern Waterthrush Black-and-white Warbler Tennessee Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Scarlet Tanager (h) Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak
