January 11th Finchy walk in Greenwood Cemetery

Leader Megan Thornton (debut)

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Megan Thornton 
Date: Mon, Jan 12, 2026 at 9:31 AM
Subject: Re: Gwc walk 
To: Peter Dorosh 

Hi Peter,

It was a great walk! Lots of engagement and excitement from everyone : - D ! We had amazing views as a juvenile RTH attempted to catch a squirrel, and then we watched him practice his technique on an unsuspecting stick before he flew low over us. I was glad to get such a grand show! I'd say we had about 25 people, with a mix of new and familiar faces. 

Here's the checklist:

Red-bellied Woodpecker (6, only 1 male)

Mourning Dove (15)

Monk Parakeets (18)

White-breasted Nuthatch (4)

Red-breasted Nuthatch (2)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (1)

American Crow (6)

Red-tailed Hawk (4, 2 of which were beautiful adults, perhaps a pair)

Cooper's Hawk (2 adults)

Sharp-shinned Hawk (1 adult)

Dark-eyed Junco (25)

Tufted Titmouse (2)

White-throated Sparrow (4, surprised there weren't more)

Eastern Towhee (1 female)

Fox Sparrow (6, woohoo!)

Northern Mockingbird (4)

American Robin (10)

Northern Cardinal (6)

Cedar Waxwing (8)

House Finch (10)

American goldfinch (6)

Carolina Wren (1)

Mallard (8)

Bufflehead (3 males)

Ruddy Duck (1 female)

American Black Duck (5)

and about 5 million Blue Jays! (I'm sure it was more like 30... hard to tell, they were EVERYWHERE as expected haha)

We didn't get deep enough in for the Orange-crowned warbler, but thankfully no one minded; everyone seemed eager to check out the feeders at Dell Water, so we hung to those familiar routes. :- )

Thank you again so much for having me lead this walk! I'll be in touch for leading another walk hopefully in late spring or early summer? 

Take care,

Megan

January 3rd Frosty beginnings Coney Island Winter Walk

Chris Laskowski leading

Hi Peter, 

16 people showed up today and toughed it through some chilly 🥶 conditions. It was a fun day nonetheless. We mostly birded the pier and creek (east end) . The highlights were several hundred scooters scattered about, they were mainly Black Scooters but there were also some Surf mixed in. We had 11 duck species in total so we had a nice variety. We saw a few purple sandpipers. A special Thank you to Adelia for helping me and to Sameer for doing the list.

https://ebird.org/checklist/S292150458

eBird Checklist - 1 Jan 2026 - Prospect Park - 29 species. BBC walk led by Stanley Greenberg

https://ebird.org/checklist/S291608713

“ We had 30 species, plus Radka’s brant and merlin, which she had on the way over. Highlights were three ring necked ducks, common merganser, two hairy woodpeckers, yb sapsucker and brown creeper. When I got there 8 people showed up and then a few more added on, so total of 15.

Cold and windy day 

Something to think about for the New year:

What is success?
To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate the beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch Or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!

Ralph Waldo Emerson