Sunday, February 10, 2013

February 10th, Greenwood Cemetery : Tour of the Winter Pines

Leader (and reporting)  : Dennis Hrehowsik

Thirteen birders braved temperatures in the teens this morning to meet at the main gate ofGreenwood Cemetery for a Tour of the Winter Pines. After a slow start to the chilly morning birders were rewarded with a grand display of winter finches on the sweetgum trees at Southwood and Grove avenues. Species included two male white wing crossbills, a lone female common redpoll, half a dozen pine siskin, several American and one european goldfinch. While we were taking in this spectacle we heard a low croaking sound and a few minutes later saw a Common Raven in flight chasing a redtailed hawk just above the hilltops to the north. The bird perched and sat and nothing more for a few minutes above redtail in the same tree giving us a good sense of its immense size. We then went for coffee after which we headed to prospect park to survey the lake and check feeders. Our seven hour walk through the winter wonderlands of Brooklyn yielded 47 species. thanks to everyone for a great day!

see you in the field,


dennis



Sightings:


Canada Goose  

Mute Swan  

Mallard  

Northern Shoveler  

Hooded Merganser  

Red-breasted Merganser  

Ruddy Duck  

Sharp-shinned Hawk  

Red-tailed Hawk  

Turkey Vulture       

American Coot  

Ring-billed Gull  

Herring Gull  

Great Black-backed Gull 

Rock Pigeon  

Mourning Dove  

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  

Red-bellied Woodpecker  

Downy Woodpecker  

Monk Parakeet  

Blue Jay  

Common Raven

Black-capped Chickadee 

Tufted Titmouse  

Red-breasted Nuthatch  

White-breasted Nuthatch  

Brown Creeper 

Carolina Wren  

Hermit Thrush

American Robin  

Northern Mockingbird  

European Starling  

Eastern Towhee  

American Tree Sparrow 

Fox Sparrow  

Song Sparrow  

White-throated Sparrow  

Dark-eyed Junco 

Northern Cardinal  

Red-winged Blackbird  

House Finch  

White-winged Crossbill  

Common Redpoll 

Pine Siskin     

American Goldfinch  

European Goldfinch       

House Sparrow
Photo by Peter Colen of Common Raven scolding Red-tailed Hawk