This year is the centennial of the Brooklyn Bird Club (NYC) .The dream started in late 1908 by our inspirational founder , Doctor Edward Vietor , and first President Edward Fleisher, along with a small circle of their birding friends started the official club charter in the spring of 1909; the club still remarkably continues to this day. Prospect Park is the birthplace of the club and it was appropriate to kick off the celebratory year in Prospect Park on a first (that I recalled) New Years Day bird trip by the club. In a valiant effort despite frigid temperatures, our own small band of brave birders trudged on and managed 56 species in Prospect with a coastal walk afterwards, thru the Coney Island region, ending at Dreier Offerman (Calvert Vaux) Park,using public transportation and walking totaling 8.5 miles.
Among our hilights include a rare Northern Harrier skimming the treetops of the Midwood in Prospect Park, which also yielded a small flock of 20 Pine Siskins also seen in the Midwood. Another noted hilight was seen at Brighton Beach's east end boardwalk, near Brighton 14th Street; offshore was a Red-Necked Grebe.
We hope to see some of you out there during our commemorative year's festivities involving our field trips (besides events and a party on June 18th), classified under themes of "Brooklyn Spotlights", "All Spring Brooklyn Locations" and "Prospect Springburst"; those will be detailed later on our website http://www.brooklynbirdclub.org/
Cheers,
Peter Dorosh
President
Brooklyn Bird Club
Today's list
site = Prospect Park, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach, Coney Island, Dreier-Offerman (Vaux ) Park
date = 1/1/09
observers = P.Dorosh (leading) , M.Eyster, D.Evans, J.Schumacher, J. Weinberger, S.Whittle
Brooklyn Bird Club Centennial New Years Day hike (8.5 miles)
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Horned Grebe (Manhattan Beach (6); scattered along coast)
Red-necked Grebe (Brighton Beach b/w Coney Island ave and Brighton 14th St)
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron (Dreier Offerman)
Black-crowned Night-Heron (Dreier Offerman)
Canada Goose
Brant (~700 Dreier Offerman)
Mute Swan
Gadwall (Dreier Offerman)
American Black Duck (Sheepshead Bay;Dreier Offerman)
Mallard
Northern Shoveler (common,Prospect Lake)
Northern Pintail (drake Dreier Offerman , Coney island creek)
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Northern Harrier (rare in Prospect Park)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Prospect Park)
Cooper's Hawk (Dreier Offerman;adult)
Red-tailed Hawk (4 Prospect Park)
Merlin (Prospect Park)
American Coot (Prospect Park)
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Prospect)
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper (Prospect Park)
Carolina Wren (2 Prospect Park)
Hermit Thrush (2 Prospect Park)
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
Pine Siskin (~20 North Midwood Prospect Park)American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
