Sunday, June 17, 2012

Sunday, June 17th, Far Rockaway breeding birds

date = 2012/06/17


sites = Far Rockaway: Arverne Beach site, Bayswater Pt State Park, Edgemere/Rockaway Community Park; Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

observers = BBC led by Peter Dorosh

47 species

Double-crested Cormorant

Snowy Egret

Little Blue Heron

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Great Egret

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

American Black Duck

Canada Goose

Ruddy Duck

Mallard

Osprey nesting ,perched and flying; Edgemere, JBWR

Piping Plover

American Oystercatcher

Willet

Gull-billed Tern

Laughing Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Forster's Tern

Common Tern

Black Skimmer

Herring Gull

Least Tern

Rock Pigeon

Mourning Dove

Chimney Swift

American Crow

Tree Swallow

Barn Swallow

House Wren

American Robin

Gray Catbird

Brown Thrasher

Northern Mockingbird

European Starling

Cedar Waxwing

Yellow Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Savannah Sparrow Edgemere

Song Sparrow

Boat-tailed Grackle

Red-winged Blackbird

Common Grackle

Brown-headed Cowbird

House Sparrow

Fish Crow
Common Yellowthroat
Ring billed Gull


Photo below taken by Dennis Hreshowsik, at JBWR , near Bench 11
Eastern Towhee consuming Autumn Olive fruit.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Saturday, June 9th, Jersey grasslands and other "Garden" gems

Leader : Bob Machover

Hi Peter et al,


For your curiosity and/or pleasure, here's my report on yesterday's trip. Due to various commitments (mine and other folks'), we only did four hours (8AM to noon). Besides me, participants were Emily Goldstein, Isabel Conte, James and Amy Cooke, Edith Goren and Julia Weinberger. Most of our time was spent at Negri-Nepote Grassland Preserve plus 45 minutes at the nearby Griggstown Grassland Preserve.

(G) Stands for Griggstown only.

1. Canada Goose - Several fly-overs.

2. Great Blue Heron - 2-3

3. Green Heron - 1 fly-over

4. Black Vulture - 2 (G)

5. Turkey Vulture - 4-5

6. Red-tailed Hawk - 1 perched on distant tower

7. Mourning Dove - several

8. Chimney Swift - 1

9. Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2-3 heard

10. Northern Flicker - 3

11. Willow Flycatcher - 3 heard, 1 seen

12. Eastern Kingbird - 4 (two pairs)

13. Blue Jay - several

14. American Crow - several

15. Fish Crow - 1-2

16. Tree Swallow - abundant

17. Barn Swallow - a few

18. Tufted Titmouse - 3-4 heard, 1 seen

19. Carolina Wren - 1 heard

20. House Wren - many heard, 4-5 seen

21. Eastern Bluebird - 4-5

22. American Robin - abundant

23. Gray Catbird - common

24. Northern Mockingbird - 1-2

25. European Starling - 1 (probably more?)

26. Cedar Waxwing - several small flocks

27. Yellow Warbler - fairly common

28. Prairie Warbler - 2-3 heard

29. Common Yellowthroat - common

30. Eastern Towhee - 1-2

31. Chipping Sparrow - common

32. Field Sparrow - fairly common

33. Savannah Sparrow - 1 (sitting on wire for at least 10 minutes)

34. Grasshopper Sparrow - over 12, maybe as many as 18 (I've never seen/heard so many in one place before)

35. Song Sparrow - several

36. Northern Cardinal - several

37. Blue Grosbeak - 1 adult male (great looks)

38. Indigo Bunting - common

39. Red-winged Blackbird - common

40. Common Grackle - several

41. Brown-headed Cowbird - a few

42. Orchard Oriole - pair - male and female, probable nest (G)

43. Baltimore Oriole - several

44. House Finch - a few

45. American Goldfinch - fairly common

46. House Sparrow - 1 female in meadow (unusual habitat) (G)

A good day....especially with the surprising Blue Grosbeak and the hordes of Grasshopper Sparrows.

Enjoy...

Bob

Sunday, June 3, 2012

June 2nd, Breeding birds of Long Island

Leading : Rusty Harold

Among about 50 species counted by Saturday's Brooklyn Bird Club field


trip top Nassau County, two are worthy of particular note. We found

*two* Gull-billed Terns at Nickerson Beach, mostly standing apart from

the Common Terns. The first was spotted in the eastern most fenced off

area on the beach, and then flew off. A little while later we

relocated it standing near a second individual in the westernmost

fenced off area. We didn't see any evidence of these two nesting, but

it's worth checking out.



Later at the Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area, we found all six


expected heron species (Green, Great Blue, Black-crowned Night-heron,


Yellow-crowned Night-heron, Great Egret, and Snowy Egret) plus a


completely unexpected Little Blue Heron near the Golf Course.


Elliotte Rusty Harold