Leader :Tom Stephenson
( note: Jamaica Bay was changed to Jones beach based on better bird reports)
Hi Peter,
I wanted to report in on our trip yesterday. It was a very good and fairly diverse group of over 20 including a family with a sharp and enthusiastic young birder. Thanks very much to Mike for coordinating all of the logistics.
We decided not to go to Jamaica Bay as we had a couple of reports that it was very slow there. Instead we went to Jones Beach and Gilgo to try and find the Gyrfalcon which didn't show for us and apparently wasn't seen at all Sunday; but we did get several very good species including some lifers for various people in the group. We also spent some time with part of the group talking about gull aging and ID tips.
Below is the list. Highlights include:
3 grebe species including Red-necked Grebe; very good views of Great Cormorant in breeding plumage; fantastic long looks at hunting American Bittern; very close fly by of an immature and very crisp Goshawk; Horned Larks, and several Boat-tailed Grackles.
Best regards,
Tom
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Cormorant
American Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose
Brant
Mute Swan
Wood Duck
American Wigeon
American Black Duck
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Northern Harrier
Northern Goshawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Peregrine Falcon
Ring-necked Pheasant
Clapper Rail (spotted by keen young birder and his parents; not seen by rest of group but description was precise)
Black-bellied Plover
Killdeer
American Oystercatcher
Greater Yellowlegs
Sanderling
Dunlin
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Horned Lark
Black-capped Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
American Tree Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
House Sparrow
