Leader: Tom Preston
Today's trip to Jamaica Bay started off with the Big Chill. It was definitely bracing around the mostly frozen West Pond. 300+ Snow Geese, including at least 5 dark phase adults, surrounded the one open patch. We saw them quite closely before they took off, flying over our heads, and were rather spectacular. Two Fox Sparrows gave us good views on the way there. We saw 1 Common Goldeneye, but not the Barrow's which has been recorded this week.
Some of the team were getting very cold, despite being well wrapped up. We retreated to the Visitor Centre so that everyone could warm up. While there, two other birders showed us photos they'd just taken nearby of a Yellow-breasted Chat. We rushed over but could not relocate it, - though Suzanne and Rusty found a Catbird - and moved to the East Pond. It, too, was frozen, though there was some activity in the nearby vegetation.
On the way back, there were nice views of 3 Tree Sparrows, 2 Eastern Towhees and 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk. After lunch at the Cross Bay Diner, we checked out Spring Creek in both Queens and Brooklyn, and Hendrix Creek.
We had 3 Horned Grebes on the Queens side, and a Cooper's Hawk. We checked for Rough-legs and Harriers over the landfill; Eddie spotted a Harrier which we watched hunting for while - she didn't seem to having much success. Our only Red-breasted Mergansers were seen here - there were none at the wildlife refuge.
On the Brooklyn side, there were a female Hooded Merganser, 2 Pied-billed Grebes, and a Black-crowned Night Heron which Donna spotted while hunkered down in the corner. The local constabulary stopped by, keen to inform us that deceased persons are frequently found in the vicinity!
The last stop was nearby Hendrix Creek, which hosted 34 Ruddy Duck, and our only Gadwall of the day. We had 46 species:
Snow Goose
Brant
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Gadwall
American Black Duck
Mallard
Greater Scaup
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Carolina Wren
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Eastern Towhee
American Tree Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
House Sparrow
