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| "Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." Albert Einstein |
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| Number
of species seen this year on HAS trips is: 178 |
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May - On a
cloudy, cool May 9 trip to Jamaica Bay we saw
Great and Snowy Egrets, Osprey, Black –crowned Night
Heron, ,NorthernHarrier, a Ring-necked Pheasant
(reported to be a first for Jamaica Bay in many
years), Semi-palmated Plovers, American
Oyster-catchers, Common tern, Great Crested
Flycatcher ,Swainson’s Thush, Veery, several Scarlet
tanagers, many Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Red-starts
and a Northern Water-thrush.
The Central Park walk, May 10, was enjoyable
as always but strong winds inhibited the birds,
yielding only 35 species for the day. Notable among
those seen were Eastern Phoebe, both Kinglets,
Blue-headed Vireo , House Wren and Scarlet Tanager.
The warblers included: Black and White, Northern
Parula, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Yellow-rumped,
, Black-throated Green, Chestnut-sided, Wilson’s and
beautiful views of both Canada Warbler and
Blackburnian. At that point our total species seen
for the year was 142.
Sat. May 16 the group started at Fuch’s Pond
then traveled to Jones Beach, Valley
Stream and Oceanside. Added to species
seen that day were Yellow-crowned Night Heron,
Clapper Rail, Piping Plover, Least Sandpiper,
Black-necked Stilt( at Oceanside) and Orchard
Oriole.
Sun. May 17 on the Birdathon we saw a Total
of 113 species. We saw all the birds mentioned above
as well as Wood Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, Ruddy
Turnstones, Black-bellied Plovers, Killdeer, Red
Knots, Short-billed Dowitchers, Gull-billed Tern,
Forster’s Tern, Least Tern, Chimney Swifts,
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Belted Kingfishers,
Eastern Kingbird, Horned Lark, Wood Thrush, Eastern
Bluebirds, and 14 species of Warblers. Other notable
birds seen that day were Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Blue
Grosbeak and Sharp-tailed Sparrow. Our Total rose to
175 species after the Birdathon.
On Sun. May 24 at Bashakill many of the
already mentioned birds were seen again and 3 new
ones were added, Pileated Woodpecker, Golden- winged
warbler and Alder Flycatcher. Also seen were Bald
Eagle, two adults and 3 chicks on the nest,
Blue-winged warblers, Eastern Towhee, Red-eyed
Vireo, Blackpoll Warbler and Ovenbird.
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April - On
April 19 we had 18 participants on the walk in
Greenwood Cemetery and Prospect Park. We saw 54
species that day. Early migrants had arrived and we
were treated to good views of many of them, plus a
laggard Snow Goose . We saw Green Heron, Great
Egret, Osprey, American Kestrel, Belted Kngfisher,
Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers, a Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker, Eastern Phoebe, Brown Creeper,
Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Veery,
many Hermit Thrushes, many Palm Warblers, Pine and
Black and White Warblers, Chipping Sparrows, a Swamp
Sparrow, and of course many Monk Parakeets that nest
at the entrance of Greenwood Cemetery. Official
total for the year grew to 96 species.
On April 26 we had 29 participants on a lovely
morning at Hempstead Lake State Park. At
Hempstead Lake we saw Common Merganser, Wood Duck,
Solitary Sandpiper, Warbling, Blue-headed and
Yellow-throated Vireos, many Yellow and Yellow-rumped
Warblers, Northern Parula, Blue-winged Warbler,
Black-throated Green Warbler, Prairie, Black and
White and Palm Warblers and a Northern Waterthrush.
Some of us continued to Sunken Meadow
searching for a Yellow-throated Warbler that had
been seen there by one of our young birders the day
before, but on the official trip day, it eluded us.
At Sunken Meadow, the following new species were
seen: Greater Yellowlegs and Orchard Oriole. Some
participants continued the trip to Fuchs Pond, where
a Belted Kingfisher was heard, but not see and then
Smithers Preserve where we saw Great Horned Owl. The
hearty finally wound the day down at Tiffany
Creek Preserve where fine views of Eastern
Bluebirds and Brown Thrashers were had.
Trip total 65.
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March - March 8
was a great day for birding at Massapequa
Preserve and Twin Lakes. We saw the Ross' Goose,
a rare bird for this area, at Camman’s Pond, Double-
Crested Cormorant, Fish Crow, Northern Pintail, Wood
Duck, both Greater and Lesser Scaup, Ring- necked
Duck, Ruddy Duck, Green- winged Teal, Pied- billed
Grebe, Black -Crowned Night Heron, Northern Shoveler,
Great Blue Heron, plus all the regulars.
The Woodcock Watch on March 14 and 15 was
successful. Twenty one participants the first night
and twenty four the second were treated to aerial
displays and much vocalizing. Unfortunately, the
crowds did keep the birds from landing within our
circle.
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February - On
February 22, at Point Lookout, the rain kept
participants and birds away. We were a group of 6
including an enthusiastic 9 year old boy.
Among others, we saw Sanderlings, Brant Geese,
Horned Grebes, Black Ducks, Red-breasted Mergansers
and our target bird, the beautiful Harlequin Ducks.
On the Montauk trip , February 28 we had 52
species including13species of ducks, Common Loon,
Red-throated Loon, Horned Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe,
Purple Sandpiper, Wild Turkey, Belted Kingfisher,
Cedar Waxwings, Red-winged Blackbird and many
Robins.
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January - The January
3 North Shore Ponds and Harbors trip started
out on a cold, windy morning, with many ponds
partially frozen. Yet at each stop we added a
species or two. After seeing a Northern Pintail at
the Spring St. Pond in Cold Spring Harbor we headed
to St. John’s Pond, always a good spot for ducks,
but not that day, due to minimal open water. While
watching Swans and Gadwalls there, Doug called out “
Hawk over there in flight” We switched our gaze to
see a very large raptor flying along the ridge over
Rte 108 then circling. “That doesn’t look like a Red
tail,” said one participant. Another viewer, a
visitor from upstate, said it looked like an
immature Bald Eagle to her. “I see them a lot around
Croton Point” she said. As one viewer trained
binos on the large bird calling out field marks, two
others checked them with 2 different field guides.
Aha! We were in fact watching an immature Bald
Eagle. Soon a Red tail flew near the Eagle. What a
size difference we noted. Maybe there weren’t many
ducks there, but the bird of the day put on a show
for us before flying out toward the harbor and out
of sight. Our total count for the trip was 27
species including American Widgeon, Canvasbacks,
several Redheads in Centerport, Ring-necked Ducks,
Lesser Scaup, Long tail Ducks, Buffleheads, many
Hooded Mergansers, Coots but hardly any land birds.
They must have been hiding sheltered from the wind.
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