Valentine's day in Brooklyn, JFK, Feb 2012

It was Valentine’s Day and I had a date. Please don’t tell the memsahib! I didn’t bring flowers or chocolates to my rendezvous, but I don’t think my date minded, after all we were headed out to the dunes by the cape. We had met up at Doug’s home in Brooklyn and although he did look very attractive this morning there was only one object for my affections today: We were going to Breezy Point to have another go at finding my life Snowy Owl.

Doug was obviously very confident that he would be able to find the owl and stopped along the way to have a look in at Floyd Bennett Field. The disused airfield overlooks the west side of Jamaica Bay and the water was as smooth as glass. In the foreground Brant Geese, Ring-billed Gulls and Herring Gulls roosted on the shore. A flock of Canada Geese flew straight at us across the inlet.

The flat water was perfect for scoping and Doug soon picked out a couple of Red-necked Grebes from the Horned Grebes and separated a Barrow’s Goldeneye from a small flock of Common Goldeneye. There were many Red-throated Loons and more Red-breasted Mergansers than I ever recall seeing in one place before.

Floyd Bennett Field Birds seen;

Brant 600, Canada Goose 165, American Wigeon 2, American Black Duck 6, Mallard 4, Greater Scaup 2, Bufflehead 85, Common Goldeneye 25, Barrow’s Goldeneye 1, Red-breasted Merganser 150, Red-throated Loon 8, Horned Grebe 70, Red-necked Grebe 3, Great Cormorant 3, American Kestrel 1, Ring-billed Gull 100, Herring Gull 5, Mockingbird 1.

Even more loons and mergansers were seen at Fort Tilden as Doug teased me by delaying the climax that would surely come once we reached Breezy Point. Even then he prolonged the exquisite pleasure of anticipation by taking me the long way round.

Fort Tilden Birds seen;

Red-throated Diver 35, Great Northern Diver 6, Long-tailed Duck 60, Bufflehead 35, Red-breasted Merganser 70.

From the parking lot at Google Earth ref; 40 33 22N 73 55 54W we walked to the beach that runs around the north and west of Breezy Point. The water was still very smooth and Doug scoped some Razorbills and even more loons and mergansers.

A Snow Bunting settled on a railway sleeper that had been washed up and at last I managed to get a recognisable picture of this bird. Greater Black-backed Gulls waited near the waterline and Doug pointed out a Glaucous Gull behind the heaped sand of the shore. Sanderling hardly bothered to run back and forth as the tiniest ripples from the glassy bay lapped the beach. Inshore the dunes rose gently, covered sparsely with coarse grasses and an occasional short, scrubby bush. Doug finally cut up from the beach to the dunes and about 100meters in was a large white bird, unmistakeable even from that distance as a Snowy Owl.

This beautiful bird was entirely white which brought about some discussion about the occurrence of this plumage type. I was of the impression that the pure white individuals were adult males and that most of the irruptive birds were juveniles with dark barring on their plumage.

Doug had heard of research suggesting that chicks become progressively lighter, the later they occur in a clutch. Since the lemmings had been so plentiful this year on the owls’ breeding grounds of the far north, many of the later, whiter chicks survived and this individual may be one of those.

It was at this point that I began regretting my lack of expertise at digiscoping. The owl was well placed for a picture, just a little bit far away. Our best attempts didn’t come up to over-hopeful expectation, but then Doug led me around the point to get a look from another direction. The owl was closer from this angle and it was even possible to get the Empire State Building in the distance behind. Even so, I was cursing myself for not getting a better grip of distance photography before finding such a perfect subject.

A steady stream of birds passed the jetty at the extreme south-western tip of Breezy Point. Doug continued doing all the spade work, counting as many as 625 Long-tailed Ducks while I mucked about with the owl and a flock of Sanderling roosting close to the water’s edge. The wavelets seeping onto the sand were minute and most of the flock managed to ignore them. Some however were unable to resist the primal urge to run ahead of the ripples, disturbing their resting flockmates as they went.

Breezy Point Birds seen;

Red-throated Diver 30, Great Northern Diver 12, Great Cormorant 4, Pale-bellied Brent Goose 35, Long-tailed Duck 300, Surf Scoter 4, Bufflehead 35, Red-breasted Merganser 50, Sanderling 600, Ring-billed Gull 20, Great Black-backed Gull 8, Glaucous Gull 1, American Herring Gull 140, Razorbill 2, Snowy Owl 1, Common Starling 25, Myrtle Warbler 5.

Doug suggested that I might like to see the Brooklyn Scaup flock. I must confess out of Doug’s hearing that I didn’t think a flock of Greater Scaup warranted a special stop, but that was until I saw the thousands of ducks tightly packed together by the marina at Dead Horse Bay.

By its own standards, the flock was comparatively small today. Our estimates were wildly different and I am choosing to go with Doug’s count as he is far more familiar with flocks of this size than I am. His estimate of 12,000 birds was way short of the flock’s potential at 30,000 plus.

Dead Horse Bay Marina, Birds seen;

Horned Grebe 1, Pale-bellied Brent Goose 75, Mallard 3, American Black Duck 18, Greater Scaup 12,000, Bufflehead 20, Red-breasted Merganser 4, American Kestrel 1.

We had elected to miss out on Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge today in favour of a chance to find Purple Sandpiper overlooking Gravesend Bay. Seldom does a life bird come so easily as peering over the edge of a railing and finding one at your feet.

Up to a dozen Purple Sandpipers were working the rocks along a 100meter stretch of seawall looking out across the bay to Staten Island with the Verrazano Bridge to our right. They were accommodating too, posing for pictures and allowing us a close and personal view as they fed from the wet rocks.

Gravesend Bay Birds seen;

Greater Scaup 30, Bufflehead 20, Common Goldeneye 4, Purple Sandpiper 12, Ring-billed Gull 150

 Doug, you were great company and a wonderful guide. You found three lifers for me today and the Snowy Owl will always remain a treasured memory. Thank you so much and happy Valentine’s Day!

Different day, different boys.

If you participate in a hobby or pastime, it is only natural that you should aspire to reach a level of competence that will enable you to mix and confer with other adherents to your chosen pursuit. Until, that is, you meet ‘Doug’. In every hobby where single, middle-aged men gather together in the spirit of gentle competition to follow a mutual interest, there is a ‘Doug’; someone who raises the bar and makes the most basic concept of competence seem a distant prospect. Doug is an “absurdly good birder” who appears to eat, breathe and talk…and talk and talk birds and birding.

It was a real experience to join him and Corey from 10000 Birds, for a day’s birding along the barrier islands of Long Island. I had sent Corey a wish-list of birds that would enhance my life list and he had enlisted the help of Doug to plan a military-style campaign to wring every potential bird from the day and so it was that I found myself trailing in their wake as we launched an assault on the birds of Sussex, Nassau and Queens Counties, New York. The day passed in a blur. We were in and out of the car, striding along beaches and boardwalks, criss-crossing car parks and county lines, visiting and revisiting sites with a commendable sense of urgency. Do we need the scope? What are we looking for here? Shall I bring the camera? Have I had my breakfast? All this just to find me a few birds; I felt very honoured until I found that this was the normal pace of a walk out with Corey whose outings have been likened to “route-marches”.  

I cannot give directions to any of the sites, as I had no input into where we went or how we got there, but I have identified a few on Google Earth and given the coordinates with each one. Cut and paste the co-ordinates and it's almost like being there yourself.

There was much discussion about where to start, but the decision was made to go to the nearer Jones Beach State Park and look out from the Coast Guard Station there (Google Earth ref; 40 35 23N 73 33 10W). A small sand bar, conveniently located close to a shady pagoda and viewing platform, held a few waders, such as American Oystercatcher, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover with a few Herring Gulls  and an American (Buff-bellied) Pipit flying over. On the water were plenty of Brant Geese, a couple of Horned Grebes and a Common Loon.

Retracing our steps back past the car and close to the Coast Guard’s gate was a patch of scrub that I heard referred to as the West End. Apparently good for migrants and sparrows, it was well stocked with Song and Savannah Sparrows today with approachable Golden-crowned Kinglets feeding in the verge and grass by the pavement.

Further along at the western-most end of Jones Beach Island, Doug pulled a few Black Scoter females from a flock of Surf Scoters. Looking back, I am ashamed to have questioned him, but he set up the scope and sure enough, the pale cheeks of the female Black Scoters and the more delicate bill were apparent. I suspect that he had finessed them with an experienced eye for size and habit and nevermore did I call his identifications.

To the east is an open air stadium sponsored by Nikon, accessed by an underpass beneath the freeway. A flock of Boat-tailed Grackles were seen here with a female sitting nicely and this may also have been the spot where we saw the Merlin chasing grackles. Nearby but, I think, on the ocean side of the barrier island, a Common Tern was seen at the water’s edge.

Next, on to Robert Moses State Park on Fire Island, characterised by the parkway and some huge parking lots. Doug became very excited by a ringed American Kestrel perched on a sign here.

There is a hawk watching platform (Google Earth Ref; 40 37 49.48N 73 13 29.51W), used to monitor migrating birds of prey and the low scrub and ocean give access to a whole lot of sky to watch, interrupted only by the Fire Island Lighthouse. We approached it along a very birdy boardwalk with more sparrows, House Finch and a Cooper’s Hawk seen from it. The hawk watchers had had very little success, but a Sharp-shinned Hawk passed low as we left.

Perhaps it was about now that we returned to the Coast Guard station to check the sand bar again. The tide had been coming in all morning and was nearing its highest point now, bringing lots of wading birds in with it. The bar was now covered with birds.

Dunlin, Red Knot, American Oystercatchers and Black-bellied Plovers were especially abundant with a single Marbled Godwit and a few Semi-palmated Sandpipers. Doug called a Western Sandpiper which accommodatingly went to roost beside the Semi-palmated and I am sure that the differences are obvious to the trained eye. Actually, I had to ask and found that the slightly bigger Western Sandpiper (on the left) roosts with a slightly more upright posture than the Semi-palmated Sandpiper.

These two images were digiscoped, a discipline that I have yet to master, but thanks to Corey for giving me a go. I tried and failed to get a shot of Doug’s Yellow-billed Cuckoo that came in off the water into the bush at the top of the sand bar.

We may have achieved a sub and a drink on the go before reaching a rather fetching salt marsh, the Marine Study Nature Area (Google Earth ref; 40 37 11N 73 37 16W), with a boardwalk running through it. We were hoping for some Ammodramus sparrows here, but had to content ourselves with some Brant Geese and a Great Egret. The theory as I understood it is that the sparrows would be driven to the dry ground in the margins as the tide flooded the salt marsh, but we may have missed the top of the tide and the sparrows could have retreated back into the long grasses.

And so onto Fort Tilden (Google Earth ref; 40 33 55N 73 53 05W) with an eye for a Vesper Sparrow. One had been seen recently in the community gardens, or allotments as they would be known in the UK, but it appeared to have moved on. Corey published a couple of pictures of the said chunky sparrow on 10000 Birds and I could recognise the stump and the car on which it had posed for him, but of the bird itself, there was not a feather to be seen.  An overgrown patch close by was popular with the Song and Savannah Sparrows again with a Northern Cardinal putting in a brief appearance too. Corey had found some White-footed Mice under some corrugated moulding and in so doing added Peromyscus leucopus to my mammals list.

In what proved to be my favourite part of the day we stopped at the southwest corner of Fort Tilden, looking out to sea. Close in were a few more Black Scoter and I was able to get a good look at the yellow-knobbed bill of the male. There were three species of scoter flying by further out and Doug happily called my attention to a slightly smaller bird here or a more defined line and pattern of flight there to indicate the differences between them. One day, one day.

The light was fading now and Corey made a last dash for Jamaica Bay’s West Pond where a good head of Ruddy Duck was seen. Other species mixed amongst them included a Shoveler, an American Wigeon, Greater Scaup, Pintail, some Bufflehead and some Red-breasted Mergansers. Laughing Gulls were seen in higher numbers here than at any time during the day and a huge flock of Boat-tailed Grackles came to roost in the reeds.

I am indebted to Corey for inviting me along, organising the day and driving us around and to Doug for his boundless expertise. Thanks for a great day out guys. The list below reflects only my misty memory of the numbers of birds seen and is certainly wildly inaccurate. Doug took copious notes during the day which I had hoped to cheat from, but forgot to ask at the end of a long day. To separate the sites with a list for each would be impossible at this stage with no notes, so the whole day has been melted into one big list.

Species seen; 73

Red-throated Diver 1, Great Northern Diver 4, Horned Grebe 2, Northern Gannet 80, Double-crested Cormorant 80, Great Egret 1, Black-crowned Night Heron 1, Mute Swan 4, Canada Goose 50, Brent Goose 2000, American Wigeon 1, Gadwall 4, Green-winged Teal 2, Mallard 25, American Black Duck 60, Northern Pintail 3, Northern Shoveler 1, Greater Scaup 600, Common Eider 1, Black Scoter 8, Surf Scoter 150, White-winged Scoter 6,Bufflehead 10, Red-breasted Merganser 30, Ruddy Duck 3400, Sharp-shinned Hawk 1, Cooper’s Hawk 2, American Kestrel 1, Merlin 2, Peregrine Falcon 1, American Coot 20, American Oystercatcher 370, Grey Plover 60, Marbled Godwit 1, Willet 2, Red Knot 330, Sanderling 50, Semi-palmated Sandpiper 2, Western Sandpiper 1, Dunlin 500, Ring-billed Gull 15, Great Black-backed Gull 15, Herring Gull 60, Laughing Gull 35, Common Tern 1, Mourning Dove 2, Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1, Downy Woodpecker 2, Northern Flicker 1, Eastern Phoebe 3, Tree Swallow 150, Buff-bellied Pipit 1, Northern Mockingbird 6, Eastern Bluebird 1, American Robin 12, Hermit Thrush2, Golden-crowned Kinglet 15, American Crow 20, Common Starling 150, House Sparrow 8, House Finch 2, Yellow-rumped Warbler 12, Palm Warbler 2, Chipping Sparrow 4, Savannah Sparrow 8, Song Sparrow 25, White-throated Sparrow 15, Dark-eyed Junco 26, Snow Bunting 1, Northern Cardinal 1, Red-winged Blackbird 15, Boat-tailed Grackle 450, Common Grackle 15.

Actually, I have just found how to access Doug’s notes from e-bird www.ebird.org but if I compare what I recall with what he recorded I begin to wonder if we were looking in the same direction, so I have selected a few pertinent counts and relied on my own inadequate memory for the rest.

To find more posts from New York, New York; follow the links below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2009/03/hooded-merganzer-lophodytes-cucullatus.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2009/10/central-park-new-york.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/03/approach-to-broad-channel-train-station.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/04/central-park-new-york-new-york.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/01/out-of-towners-central-park-new-york.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/06/central-park-new-york-xena-and.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/08/new-york-new-york-so-good-they-sent-me.html

Visit the dedicated USA and Canada page for more from the continent of North America

JFK, New York, Jones Beach State Park, Black Scoter

Central Park, New York. Xena and the dragonfly.

The story goes that many years ago, a gentleman living in an apartment overlooking Central Park in New York felt that any cultured chap should be able to witness the birds as mentioned by Shakespeare from his own window. To this end he took it upon himself to import House Sparrows (Hamlet) and Starlings (Henry IV) from England and released them into the park. Why these two should be selected instead of the Lark (Romeo and Juliet), or the Throstle and the Rosset (Midsummer Night’s Dream), we can only guess. This well intended, but misguided, patronising act resulted in a combined exotic population in the USA pushing 6 billion. I don’t know what name Stratford’s finest was working under when he wrote, ”Xena – Warrior Princess”, but it was she that caught my eye rather than the starlings and sparrows this morning.

The park was laying back and smoking a metaphorical cigarette in the afterglow of migration. Few birds were moving or singing in the warmth of the first day of June. But this is Central Park and there is always something to see.

Strawberry fields was very quiet until I came upon a Raccoon who was heading home for the day. It squeezed into the crack in the tree and was gone.

At the bridge that crosses into The Ramble from West Drive, a Snapping Turtle had dug a nest and was laying eggs into it. She used her back right leg to carefully position the freshly laid egg with the others. It was charming to witness an animal with a reputation for being so aggressive, behaving so gently. She laid perhaps 20 as I watched and from a brief glimpse into the nest, I would estimate that she had produced 30-40 eggs in total. The Green Wednesday volunteer group were taking a walk before beginning their shift as unpaid gardeners and deserve a mention for working so hard on a hot and humid day.

The Carp had started spawning in the warm conditions. In the margins and shallows of the lake, furious splashing indicated that the male was chasing the female and thrashing against her to stimulate her to release the eggs for fertilisation. An unfortunate trait of carp spawning is that the eggs are quickly eaten by the accompanying fish in the melee. Once the feeding starts, the successful breeders, being of a forgetful nature, join in and start to eat their own eggs. The advantage of the frenetic spawning activity is that the eggs are spread in the splashing and enough are missed to mature and hatch.

Although the migration was well past its peak, there were some birds that are either resident, or have chosen to stay and breed in the park. American Robins were busy feeding young and gorging themselves on early ripening fruit and florescences. This one is a real city bird with some window bokeh.

My camera took it upon itself to go monochrome just as I encountered a Northern Cardinal, one of the most strikingly coloured birds on the continent. Perhaps it was just as well, as this one is beginning to show the signs of strain from having to attend to a growing family. He seems to have lost his lustre.

In The Ramble, at the spring above Azalea Pond, a Blackpoll Warbler showed briefly, but did not approach closely. Here, I met my first birder of the day, Rikki (sic) who suggested that a few late warblers had been seen on the point.

The Point is a spit of land jutting out into the boating lake. Rikki pointed out the song of a Warbling Vireo, but I was not able to see it until I moved further along the spit where three more vireos were singing.
A locustella tree had finished flowering, but was still attracting a few stragglers. One of each Magnolia Warbler, Yellow Warbler and Canada Warbler were seen.

The female Red-tailed Hawk was sitting on the edge of her nest on the building overlooking the park at 75th Ave. I watched for a while from the model boat pond and listened to the updates from Arlene. The new female was variously called Lima or Ginger, depending on which group you adhere to. I had known her as Ginger since she came on the scene after Lola’s disappearance, but this link will take you to the Lima camp. Arlene told me that there were two chicks which had hatched 10 days before (so around 21st May). Pale Male was not to be seen today; perhaps he was resting in the park through the heat of the day.

A dragonfly larvae had crawled from the lake and looked as if it was about to burst from its case into its adult form. Using the word “burst” possibly implies an explosive escape from its outer skin and is thus a bad way to describe the protracted procedure. I knew that it would probably take a long time to happen, so I settled down and found a comfortable place to watch from. When I looked back, the case had split and the head and upper back were already showing. Thinking that the ode was in a rush to emerge, I took off my socks and shoes, rolled up my trousers and got into the water for a closer look.

I felt a little conspicuous and more than a little silly as I waited for something else to happen. This being New York, my behaviour barely registered with the many visitors to the park and I certainly didn’t think that I would distract anyone from the least known character of The Bard of Avon (writing as Arthur Balsam). I wonder if Xena – Warrior Princess would have been impressed to hear that I habitually carry a Canon?

Sadly this was as far as we got. After two hours, I brushed off the leeches wandered off to get an ice-cream. On my return, the dragonfly’s back had changed colour slightly as it hardened, but there was no further progress and eventually, I had to give it up and return to work.

Species seen; 28

Double-crested Cormorant 6, Great Egret 6, Black-crowned Night Heron 8, Canada Goose 8, Mallard 18, Red-tailed Hawk 1, Mourning Dove 2, Chimney Swift 4, Red-bellied Woodpecker 2, Downy Woodpecker 4, Northern Flicker 1, Barn Swallow 3, Cedar Waxwing 3, Grey Catbird 6, American Robin 60, Blue Jay 3, American Crow 2, Common Starling 120, House Sparrow 80, Warbling Vireo 2, House Finch 2, Magnolia Warbler 1, Yellow Warbler 1, Blackpoll Warbler 1, Canada Warbler 1, Northern Cardinal 7, Red-winged Blackbird 8, Common Grackle 25.

If you would like to go birding in Central Park, but do not wish to walk alone contact Pishing Bob at this link
For other posts about Central Park, please follow these links;
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2009/03/hooded-merganzer-lophodytes-cucullatus.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/03/approach-to-broad-channel-train-station.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/04/central-park-new-york-new-york.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2009/10/central-park-new-york.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/01/out-of-towners-central-park-new-york.html

Also from New York is a report from Jamaica Bay;
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/03/approach-to-broad-channel-train-station.html

Other reports from the USA and Canada can be found on the dedicated USA and Canada Page



Jamaica Bay, New York

The approach to Broad Channel train station crosses a bridge with views across the water on either side. On both sides, large numbers of Bufflehead could be seen with the white of the drakes standing out against the dark water. To the left, an inaccessible shore held my principal quarry for today, the Snow Goose, along with Brant and American Black Duck. To the right, East Pond was visible with a couple of Mute Swans, Mallard and more American Black Duck.
There is only one exit from Broad Channel station. Walk straight ahead and turn right at the junction with the main road. The Visitor Centre at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is just 10 minutes walk. There are facilities and interpretative displays there, but no food.
New York has been suffering heavy snowfall over the past few weeks and I must have been very lucky to find a patch of blue sky which grew into a sparkling morning. The Americans put us Brits to shame when they have to cope with snow. All the roads were open despite having had more than 3 feet of snow within the last 2 weeks and the sidewalks were clear despite no-one ever using them.
The tide was early this morning and was already ebbing strongly by the time I arrived at 08.30. A Brant Goose had hauled-up and was roosting on a bed of washed up reed stems. This one was very approachable unlike nearly all the other birds which seemed wary today. On the water, in the distance a Hooded Merganser flashed his white crest.
I entered the refuge through the Visitors Centre and consulted the sightings book outside. This was a roll-call of the usual suspects with nothing out of the ordinary to get the pulse racing. I continued around West Pond and travelled in a clock-wise direction today to keep the sun behind me to begin with.
Just inside a small group of sparrows proved to be the White-throated Sparrow. A Northern Cardinal kept up an incessant calling from nearby. Overhead a Cooper’s Hawk was flapping and gliding, heading south.
On the Jamaica Bay side of the path, the tide was receding leaving exposed mud and marsh. Hundreds of Brant and Canada Geese were feeding here with an occasional Herring Gull. There was no sign at all of any wading birds.
On the inside of the path is West Pond. Mallards and American Black Duck were joined by Northern Shoveler and a few Green-winged Teal. Needing closer inspection was a single female Common Goldeneye. On the far side a good sized flock of Ruddy Duck was interspersed with a few Greater Scaup.
Two Greater Black-backed Gulls were feeding from a carcass that I suspect may once have been a Northern Shoveler, while in the foreground a Great Blue Heron was having some success fishing.
It had turned into a glorious morning and I should have been getting some wonderful pictures, but I was not finding the birds at close enough range. Only when I had walked nearly three-quarters of the way round did I finally get a subject that I could fill the frame with. A Northern Mockingbird was skulking about in a small patch of bushes. I suspected that it might come out to feed on the fruiting stalks nearby and was rewarded for my patience with this picture.
Out on North Marsh numbers of Herring Gull and Brant were picking among the bivalves revealed by the ebbing tide. Beyond them on the open water of the bay, Red-breasted Mergansers were fishing.
The last part of the walk took me through a wooded area which was very quiet except for the whinnying call of a Downy Woodpecker.
I had been disappointed not to find any Snow Geese at the refuge and wanted to cross over to East Pond, but the weather looked as if it was about to close in again so I left it for next time.
My return flight was late in the evening on this occasion and the extra couple of hours gives a good opportunity to explore the area. I would not contemplate it if the return flight was earlier in the day. I usually leave about an hour and a half for the journey in each direction from Manhattan. The V train passes through the station at 53rd and Lexington. Take this downtown to 4th St. and change to the A train towards Far Rockaway. The station closest to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is Broad Channel, just beyond the connecting station for JFK airport.
The sky had turned leaden and heavy as I boarded the train back to the city. On the right as we pulled out of the station were the Snow Geese again, this time in their hundreds. At a rough guess, there were 2000 beautiful white geese on an inaccessible shoreline, but I had not seen a single one in the reserve just half a mile as the goose flies.

Bird species; 34

Horned Grebe 1, Double-crested Cormorant 4, Great Blue Heron 1, Mute Swan 4, Snow Goose 2000, Canada Goose 400, Brent Goose 1200, Green-winged Teal, Mallard 60, American Black Duck 120, Northern Shoveler 150, Greater Scaup 6, Bufflehead 600, Common Goldeneye 1, Hooded Merganser 4, Red-breasted Merganser 6, Ruddy Duck 500, Cooper’s Hawk 1, American Gull 30, Ring-billed Gull 6, Great Black-back Gull 3, Herring Gull 40, Downy Woodpecker 1, Northern Mockingbird 2, American Robin 3, American Crow 20, Common Starling 100, House Finch 2, Eastern Towhee 2, American Tree Sparrow 2, Song Sparrow 12, White-throated Sparrow 20, Northern Cardinal 5, Red-winged Blackbird 16,

Follow the links below for other posts from New York;
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2009/03/hooded-merganzer-lophodytes-cucullatus.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2009/10/central-park-new-york.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/04/central-park-new-york-new-york.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/01/out-of-towners-central-park-new-york.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/06/central-park-new-york-xena-and.html

Visit the dedicated page for USA and Canada for other posts from the region