Just a note here that what is posted for Prospect may be tempting for birders to enter the park, which officially is "closed". People have been entering the park at their risk , because from what I have seen today parkwide when i went back to work, poses hazards and risks to your safety with all the cracked ,fallen, and severely damaged trees. There are scattered old great tree falls, quite a number of them big giants. So, fair warning.
Before I post Prospect 's birds, there is sobering news regarding Fort Tilden and Jamaica Bay Refuge , both victims of Sandy's wrath. Fort Tilden's beach dunes are completely gone. It's now flat between the ocean and the concrete drive. ( I don't even know about Riis Beach. Breezy Point as you know with the unbelievable tragic fire that wiped out 100 homes, is devastating, likely for many many years to come a changed landscape)
In Jamaica Bay, the West Pond trail along the south side is damaged, most dramatically , there is now a breach of the West Pond, no longer brackish (freshwater?) . Salt has entered in; the trail washed out , from Andrew Baksh's blog pics, it looks like at least 200 feet breach. see the link
http://birdingdude.blogspot.com/2012/10/hurricane-sandy-devastes-west-pond.html
Tilden link -->
http://www.twicsy.com/i/5r9ZEc
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ON a very busy day chipping damaged tree debris, the first birds I saw were overflying BRANTS, 23 birds over the Garage area where the distorted flying flock headed south over hurricane impacted Prospect. It wasnt until after work that I was able to bird the park.
A first stop at the Upper Pool Wildflower Meadow revealed a female BLUE GROSBEAK, along with a WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW in the tall grasses. A phish, sometimes the rare bird came out; later a second female BLUE GROSBEAK hid in the mugwort field at the eastern point of the Breeze Hill meadow, near the colorful orange Bald Cypress tree. Along with the latter specimen, a FIELD and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW accompanies it with a host of SONGS and WHITE-THROATED . Most surprising was a juvenile male INDIGO BUNTING along the middle mound; I also saw INDIGO BUNTING in the meadow of "fallem timber" at the west end of Nethermead bridge ( top).
John Asher reports some waterfowl of note on the Lake. His lake highlight is GREEN-WINGED TEAL seen from the Peninsula's "pink beach, on the Peninsula north side; also note, AMERICAN WIGEON, GADWALL, & 5 PIED-BILLED GREBE
However, on land, count PINE SISKIN his best sighting, 27 birds on Lookout, with TENNESSEE WARBLER and PURPLE FINCH in tow. See his list
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From John Ascher (2 reports)
Hi Peter
From the pink beach 1 Green-winged Teal female, 1 male and six female Gadwall, 1 American Wigeon female, 5 Pied-billed Grebe
Hi Peter,
I just returned from the park where they are now serious about the closure and telling everyone to leave.
Highlights were ducks on the Lake as seen best from the Pink Beach:
Gadwall (Anas strepera) 9 1 male six female from Pink Beach, 1 male 1 female off Peninsula
American Wigeon (Anas americana) 1 female seen from Pink Beach
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 1 seen from Pink Beach
And at the base of Lookout Hill steps:
Tennessee Warbler (Oreothlypis peregrina) 1 in same locality as Blackpoll Warbler (both well seen). Photo available.
Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata) 1 Strong back streaks, strong supercilium
Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) 27 counted in single flock perched in tree at base of Lookout HIll
Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus) 2
other birders saw Fox Sparrow there.
Full checklist below.
John
John S. Ascher, PhD
Research Scientist
Division of Invertebrate Zoology
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park W @ 79th St.
New York, NY 10024-5192
212-496-3447 work
917-407-0378 cell
________________________________________
From: do-not-reply@ebird.org [do-not-reply@ebird.org]
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 12:44 PM
To: John Ascher
Subject: eBird Report - Prospect Park, Oct 31, 2012
Prospect Park, Kings, US-NY
Oct 31, 2012 11:00 AM - 12:20 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
42 species
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 4
Gadwall (Anas strepera) 9 1 male six female from Pink Beach, 1 male 1 female off Peninsula
American Wigeon (Anas americana) 1 female seen from Pink Beach
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes) 4
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) X
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) X
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 1 seen from Pink Beach
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) 1 Lullwater
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) X
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 5
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) 2
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 1
American Coot (Fulica americana) 9
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 20
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 25
Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) X
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 2
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) 1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 4
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) 1 BBG tower
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 4
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 2
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) 5
Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) 6
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) X
Tennessee Warbler (Oreothlypis peregrina) 1 base of Lookout Steps in same locality as Blackpoll Warbler (both well seen). Photo available.
Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata) 1 base of Lookout Steps. Strong back streaks, strong supercilium
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) 3
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) 1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 5
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) 2
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) 8
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) 2
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 5
Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus) 2 base of Lookout Hill steps
Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) 27 27 counted in single flock perched in tree at base of Lookout HIll
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 6
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) X
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S11907237
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
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Peter's list:
Prospect Park, Kings, US-NY
Oct 31, 2012 3:35 PM - 5:05 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
34 species (+1 other taxa)
Brant 23
Canada Goose 65
Mute Swan 2
American Black Duck 1
Mallard X
American Black Duck x Mallard (hybrid) X
Northern Shoveler 25
Ruddy Duck 45
Pied-billed Grebe 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
American Coot 12
Ring-billed Gull 2
Herring Gull 3
Rock Pigeon X
Downy Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
Tufted Titmouse 2
Winter Wren 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin X
Palm Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 3
Chipping Sparrow 1
Field Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 5
Swamp Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 15
White-crowned Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 1
Blue Grosbeak 2 Upper Pool Wildflower meadow; Breeze Hill east
Indigo Bunting 2--Breeze Hill; Nethermead br meadow
American Goldfinch 2
House Sparrow X
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S11910144
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3
====================================== From Donna Evans, Oct 30th list Peter:
Here is what I saw from inside yesterday Tue 30th Oct :
Mute Swan
Canada Goose
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Ring-necked Duck
Bufflehead
Ruddy Duck
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret (2 resting on Duck Island for hours)
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Merlin
American Coot
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Winter Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow (mulch pile near metal containers on Wellhouse Dr.)
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Purple Finch
House Sparrow
Here's what I saw as I observed respectfully from the perimeter sidewalk today, Wed 31 Oct:
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush (abundant!)
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Palm Warbler
Eastern Towhee
White-throated Sparrow
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
=
