Registrar: Debbie Mullins
Participants: 8
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 47–61 degrees F, westerly winds at 15–20 miles per hour
Bird Species: 38
We enjoyed a beautiful fall day at Floyd Bennett Field under the excellent leadership of Rob Jett. Fewer species were seen than is usual for this location and date, probably due to the brisk winds that dogged us all morning. We birded the overgrown fields near Aviator Sports in search of sparrows and other grassland species before heading to the North Forty, followed by the boat launch area and the community gardens. We ended the day on the shore of Jamaica Bay near Archery Road. We could not help but notice the enormous tents the city was erecting on several runways to house refugees.
The highlights of the trip were an American Pipit, an Eastern Meadowlark, and two Northern Harriers. Seventy Brant were seen on Jamaica Bay, a “first of season” bird for many participants.
Species List
Birds
Brant
Wood Duck
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Black-bellied Plover
Dunlin
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Osprey
Northern Harrier
Downy Woodpecker
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Eastern Phoebe
American Crow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
American Pipit
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Brown-headed Cowbird
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal