Saturday, October 13, 2018

A solitary morning walk

A dreary overcast sky with a
chippy wind didn't deter me from enjoying Prospect birds. After a week leaf peeping in the Catskills and much driving, a walk does me good.

First boid to greet me was a Hermit thrush. The thrush responded to my phishing,perching on a fence at the Hammerhead base of the lake's south shore.

Better yet,the lake has ducks. Our annual arrival of Northern Shoveler has begun.
 Winter residency favors this species; a starting count of 27 shovelers formed a tight flock in the lake middle. I also found threes each of American Wigeon and American Black with a single Ruddy Duck off to the west.

Further on after seeing just Catbird on Lefrak greenroof, Dennis tweets out a report of Lincoln and White crowned sparrow at the Audubon center upper slope. I arrived,running into Dennis and his last walk group. But I didn't see those birds; instead I did observed 3 Chipping, Song and White throated mingling among the House Sparrows and Robins. A Yellow rumped warbler put in an appearance. There were other birds but it's tough for me to see them in the thick foliage.

Lastly I stopped by lamppost 249. A phish and I was rewarded with a Palm Warbler and Winter Wren just behind the fence. My circuit completed, my trek was a post vacation success.

In other news:

Reading mostly tweets, there were some notable sightings: Solitary sandpiper on a Duck Island snag; both cuckoo species at Greenwood cemetery crescent water; Yellow billed cuckoo at the Vale Cashmere; 15 late Broadwinged hawks flying over Greenwood; 10 species Warblers reported by Dennis in the vicinity of rink south lawn perimeter including Nashville and Tennessee; White crowned and Field sparrow with 7 species Warblers in Fort Greene park, nice to know my old neighborhood park is getting raves.

Sunday promises to be a productive chipper day, definitely worth birding in the crisp air.