Eastport Ponds and Shinnecock Bay with Eileen Schwinn, 1/14/2025

Registrar: Debbie Mullins
Participants: 4
Weather: 20° F with westerly winds at 15 mph
Bird Species: 21

Weather is not always our friend on January birding trips, and this year it certainly was not. The trip was rescheduled for one week later than originally planned to avoid the bad weather that was forecast for January 7, but although conditionshad improved slightly by January 14, it was still a cold and blustery day.

We started at Shinnecock Inlet, hoping to see the King Eider that had been there most of the winter. Unfortunately, the eider rafts were far out in the bay, making it difficult to distinguish a single King Eider from among the hundreds of Common Eiders there.

After battling the wind for an hour, we moved on to Swan Lake, where we saw a nice collection of ducks. Patchogue Lake, however, was almost completely frozen over, and only a few species were visible.

We ended the day at the Atlantic Point Apartments, where Iceland and Glaucous Gulls had been reported recently. We were fortunate to spot a juvenile Iceland Gull on one of the small ponds in the apartment complex, but the Glaucous Gull was not present for our visit.

Species List

Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Gadwall
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Common Eider
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Ring-billed Gull
American Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Iceland Gull
Common Raven
Carolina Wren

Jones Beach and Point Lookout with Joseph DiCostanzo, 12/8/2024

Registrar: Miriam Rakowski
Participants: 20
Weather: 40 degrees F, going to 50, with winds WSW 14 to 25 mph.
Bird Species: 32

The day began with some clouds, but soon turned sunny. As we were always close to the water, it was quite windy. Joe, our leader, asked if we were interested in chasing a rarity—the Sage Thrasher. As it would be a life bird for many, we said yes. There was some concern. as the bird hadn’t been reported for a few days. However, no sooner were we on our way than someone reported spotting it. We waited at the site for a few minutes and the bird soon appeared, giving all of us very good looks for an extended time.

We then went to the Coast Guard Station, where the tide seemed to be receding. There we some many loons and ducks, and one lonely Black Plover. We celebrated our morning sightings, which included lifers for many, by eating lunch.

Our next stop was Point Lookout, where we were hoping to see the Harlequin Ducks and a few other specialties. As  it was windy, the water was very choppy. Happily, we saw at least five Harlequins and many Common Eiders. As we were leaving, having already given up on seeing Purple Sandpipers, we nevertheless took one last look, and there at the jetty, they appeared. A wonderful gift to end a fun day with good birds, and good camaraderie.

Species List

Brant
Canada Goose
Surf Scoter
Black Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Common Eider
Harlequin Duck
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Killdeer
Black-bellied Plover
Sanderling
Dunlin
Purple Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull
American Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Common Loon
Red-throated Loon
Double-crested Cormorant
Sage Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Peregrine Falcon
House Sparrow
Snow Bunting
Song Sparrow
Yellow-rumped Warbler

Rye Playlands and Environs with Tom Burke and Gail Benson, 12/7/2024

Registrar: MaryJane Boland
Participants: 11
Weather: Clear, cold with intermittent wind.
Bird Species: 63

We were a collegial group of 11, happy to be in Westchester after struggling to find enough drivers. We visited three separate areas—Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary, Bowman Avenue Pond, and Marshlands Conservancy—and saw good numbers of many species. The Greater White-fronted Goose was at Bowman Avenue, just as he/she was last year, sleeping but giving good views. Skeins of Canada Geese were constantly going by overhead. This is definitely a trip to do every year.

Species List

Snow Goose
Greater White-fronted Goose
Brant
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Mallard
American Black Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Greater/Lesser Scaup
Surf/Black Scoter
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Wild Turkey
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Killdeer
Purple Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull
American Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Pied-billed Grebe
Common Loon
Great Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Black-crowned Night Heron
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Cooper’s Hawk
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
House Sparrow
House Finch
Purple Finch
American Goldfinch
Fox Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Northern Cardinal

Shirley Chisholm State Park and Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge with Peter Dorosh, 11/16/2024

Registrar: Matthew Fischer
Participants : 16
Weather: Few clouds; temperatures 50–57°F;  moderate NW breeze; humidity 41-52%
Bird Species: 64

Always very popular, this year’s trip, led by Peter Dorosh, was at capacity and included several younger birders as well as a South African birder in town on business. At Shirley Chisholm, we walked along Hendrix Creek and enjoyed the waterfowl, including Green-winged Teal, American Wigeons, a Pied-billed Grebe, and a Bufflehead, along with Northern Harriers, an American Kestrel and two Belted Kingfishers. We also saw a Fox Sparrow and multiple Purple Finches, including a very cooperative female. At Penn Dock we saw in the distance a huge chaotic commotion caused by hundreds of Larus-type gulls.
Our next stop was the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. We had lunch by the Visitor Center and then tackled the West Pond. At the breach we had an incredible variety of waterfowl, including majestic Northern Pintails, Hooded Mergansers, and Ruddy Ducks. We also had shorebirds, including Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, as well as Dunlin. We were also treated to a Sharp-shinned Hawk and excellent views of a Bald Eagle—a lifer for many on the trip. Closing out our time at the West Pond, we saw a pair of American Barn Owls, Lesser Scaup, a large flock of American Pipits, and a Eurasian Wigeon with its bold rouge head. Across the street at the East Pond, we had distant views of the long continuing American White Pelican.
While the official agenda was complete at that point, half of the group continued on to the after-party at Floyd Bennett Field, where a Greater White-fronted Goose was spotted. Along with a late Royal Tern, this was the perfect ending for a great day of birding with the legendary Peter Dorosh.

Species List

Greater White-fronted Goose
Brant
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Wood Duck
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
Mallard
American Black Duck
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Rock Pigeon
American Coot
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Dunlin
Ring-billed Gull
American Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Royal Tern
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Snowy Egret
Great Blue Heron
American White Pelican
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
American Barn Owl <SENSITIVE>
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Northern Mockingbird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
American Pipit
House Finch
Purple Finch
American Goldfinch
Fox Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Boat-tailed Grackle
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal

Hawk Watch at Belvedere Castle with Gabriel Willow, 11/8/2024

Registrar: Debbie Mullins
Participants: 38
Weather: 68° F, clear, westerly winds at 7 mph
Bird Species: 23

A large group gathered on the steps of Belvedere Castle in Central Park overlooking the Great Lawn to look for late migrating raptors. The ongoing drought has increased the risk of forest fires; one burning in the New Jersey Palisades generated smoke that may have caused migrants to alter their flight paths. While five raptor species were seen, no eagles, our target species, were spotted during the watch. At least five Red-tailed Hawks and three Peregrine Falcons were seen, but we could not rule out the possibility that these were local birds that nested in Manhattan this year. The most exciting sighting of the day was a Merlin repeatedly attacking a Cooper’s Hawk over Turtle Pond.

Species List

Birds
Wood Duck
Northern Shoveler
Mallard
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
American Herring Gull
Great Blue Heron
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Blue Jay
Golden-crowned Kinglet
European Starling
Brown Thrasher
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
American Goldfinch
Dark-eyed Junco
Eastern Towhee
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle

Odonata
Autumn Meadow Hawk

Central Park with Richard Davis, Kevin Sisco, and Alan Drogin, 10/29/2024

Registrar: Sarah Dahl
Participants: 27
Weather: 46 to 73 F and  partly cloudy
Bird Species: 61

It was a beautiful fall day to close the series of fall migration walks in Central Park for 2024. Various migrating warblers, a Purple Finch, and a surprise Saw-whet Owl were the highlights of a lovely walk.

Species List

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Mallard
American Black Duck
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
American Woodcock
Ring-billed Gull
American Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Northern Saw-whet Owl 
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Winter Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thursh
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
House Finch
Purple Finch
American Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Common Grackle
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal

Central Park Walk with Richard Davis, Alan Drogin and Alice Deutsch, 10/22/2024 

Registrar: Steve Holleran
Participants: 41
Weather: A blissful fall day with temperatures in the 60s
Bird Species: 49

On a splendid autumn morning we set out in three groups to explore the Ramble and nearby areas of the Park. Our combined observations added up to 49 species of birds, with seven New World sparrows, a Purple Finch, and late–lingering warblers, including distant but convincing views of an Orange-crowned Warbler. We were also gladdened by signs that the Tufted Titmice and Black-capped Chickadees are returning.

Species List

Canada Goose
Northern Shoveler
Mallard
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Ring-billed Gull
American Herring Gull
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Winter Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
House Sparrow
Purple Finch
Chipping Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Common Grackle
Ovenbird
Orange-crowned Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Parula
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal