Saturday, November 9, 2013

Prospect quiet day with the "really " red and the gray

Post sparrow migration can be difficult for birders, with the need for us to adapt to the slower days leading into winter. The flurry action of late August  thru September into October now is replaced by fewer land birds. However, if the patient mind accepts the current tepid state, November can still be exciting. (there's always ducks, you know)

My walk through Prospect was uneventful. Other than the horde of NORTHERN SHOVELER and RUDDY DUCK on Prospect Lake, my best sighting involved a land bird, of the common type we see in the breeding season. Taking a look at the Breeze Hill feeder site to gauge what needs to be prepared for the upcoming feeder season  beginning the end of this month, a GRAY CATBIRD popped out in the vine bramble at the fence or "viewing spot". Unexpected. On the other side of Breeze Hill, my fave falcon showed up,  a MERLIN perched on a tree  invaded by several BLUE JAYS with harassment fervor, their presence finally ticked off the falcon and it chased the jays.. ( Nice!)

All is not lost for the birders going thru what I was experiencing today  "the November doldrums" ( no warblers, few sparrows today)  , as Keir Randall called  in early afternoon a juvenile RED-HEADED WOODPECKER to the digital groupies, this not at the Picnic house but at least a half mile away south, at the Lake south shore ( or Lakeside I call it ) between Three Sisters Island and West Island. But its a different bird as observed by Keir, the second one for the park this fall. I am happy to say  after 5 tries, Klemens finally got his bird when he heard about it. And a terrific photo by him showed specks of red on the bird! ( and not present in the Picnic House bird)

-KB

Red-headed Woodpecker Photos below by Klemens



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From Karen O'Hearn

Hey Peter,
 
I know you don't need more photos of the red-head, but I can't resist - I spent a week trying to find him/her!  Thanks to Keir's tweet today, I was finally successful!
 
best,
 
Karen


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Peter's list
date = 2013/11/10
site = Prospect Park
observers = Peter D
Pied-billed Grebe 2 Lake
Double-crested Cormorant 2 Lake
Great Blue Heron 2 Lake, one perched on west island
Northern Shoveler 77 Lake
Gadwall 5 Upper Pool
American Black Duck 3 West Isl
Canada Goose 55 lake
Wood Duck 6 Lower Pool
Ruddy Duck 85 Lake
Mute Swan 5 Lake
Mallard 
Red-tailed Hawk Wellhouse f/o
Merlin Breeze Hill perch
American Coot yesterday, 22 in Music Isl channel
Great Black-backed Gull 1 Lake
Herring Gull 30 Lake
Rock Pigeon 
Mourning Dove 
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Wellhouse
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Blue Jay 4 Breeze Hill, harrassed Merlin
Brown Creeper Nethermead
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 6
Golden-crowned Kinglet 3 Butterfly Meadow
American Robin 
Hermit Thrush 9, 7 Peninsula sumacs
Gray Catbird Breeze Hill feeder site
White-throated Sparrow 5
Song Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco 3
Northern Cardinal 4 wellhouse drive
Red-winged Blackbird 6 f/o Nethermead
House Sparrow

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