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| Eastern Whip-poor-will |
Leader Ryan Goldberg
|  Fri, May 6, 4:59 PM (3 days ago) | | ||
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Hi Peter,
Another adventure-filled BBC trip by ferry -- my second of the season. Our group of 23 birders didn't let a bleak forecast deter them from taking the first ferry of the day at 7am to Governors Island. The rain was not as bad as feared, and we practically had the whole island to ourselves.
Our timing couldn't have been better, with overnight southerly winds followed by early morning rain ostensibly pushing birds down. We only had to take shelter once, on the porches of the old officers' houses in Nolan Park. The habitat on the island is diverse; the southern half, with its new native plantings and landscaped hills, made for great birding, as did Nolan Park with its handful of mature trees. The brushy, overgrown or fenced-off areas of the island attracted plenty of sparrows, nine species in all.
The group made some excellent finds: a roosting nightjar in Nolan Park we initially thought was a common nighthawk but later realized was an Eastern whip-poor-will; two singing adult white-crowned sparrows near the dog run; a very vocal and cooperative seaside sparrow in the Hammock Grove; and 15 warbler species, including a Wilson's right off the ferry, two bright Cape Mays near the southern end of the Hills, and a Canada to cap off the day.
In all, we saw or heard 71 species, which for such a small island seems like a real bonanza.
Here is the list: https://ebird.org/
Attached are photos from Charles Tang and one from Brad Miles (of the herring gull with fish).
Regards,
Ryan
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| Seaside Sparrow |
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| White-crowned Sparrow |
