Saturday, November 24, 2012

November 24th GWC & Prospect WWXbills

A post in Ebird Yahoo groups mentioned 12 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS in a large spruce near the Crescent water in Greenwood cemetery today. The observer was Gerard Savarese.

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From Noreen McAuliffe


My husband and I had the chance to observe the flock of White-Winged Crossbills feeding in the sweet gum tree over the Vale this afternoon.  We watched them for about twenty minutes before they took off as a flock (~15), calling, and headed north.  We didn't find them again, but we did see the Purple Finches and Siskins at the feeder, which was a frenzied scene of a dozen species feeding during the brief snow flurries. We also saw Juncos today in the park, which makes me feel like it really must be winter now.


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(Note WWCR = White-Winged Crossbills )

From Rafael :


24 November 2012

A late walk around Prospect Park today was quite cold, windy, but the WWCRs were quite active. First I noticed a flock of ~14 indvs.  A while later, a birder from Manhattan saw the WWCRs, feeding on a gum tree (lifer for him!!).  I counted 7 indvs.

A quick visit to the feeders of Breezy Hill was full of the same, minus the EVGR.  I saw there Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch, Purple & House Finches, Mourning Dove, Red-bellied & Downy Woodpeckers, Blue Jay, House Sparrow, White-breasted Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse, Black-capped Chickadee, White-throated Sparrow.  The most unusual sight was a single individual of the Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler, near the feeders.

The lake, was the same as 2 days ago: Northern Shoveler, Ruddy Duck, Mallard, Mute Swan, Ring-billed & (American) Herring Gulls.  Another unusual sight near the lake, was a single Belted Kingfisher.

At the pools, a lonely Great Blue Heron.

Back to the Vale, where a group of birders saw the WWCRs.  We relocated them, and I counted ~16 indvs, on a gum tree.

Brooklyn is great birding: Rafa Campos R