Tomorrow is a Brooklyn Bird Club walk:
Sunday, January 6th, Prospect Park
Meet 8 am at Grand Army Plaza park entrance (Stranahan Statue)
Trip Leader: Dennis Hrehowsik
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Good fortune continues to treat well birders seeing the rare same day triple merganser species spectacle of COMMON, RED-BREASTED and HOODED on Prospect Lake. COMMON MERGANSER hen was seen mostly at the east side of Three Sisters Islands, at one time diving right at the shoreline wall at the point opposite the Peninsula thumb. But it moves around abit, your best views from the south shore with the sun behind you. RED-BREASTED drake was seen mostly in the lake middle , in front of the 3 islands ( my nickname the "cookie-jar" for that spot). HOODED was seen almost anywhere but they tend to stick close to the Three Sisters.
The YELLOW BREASTED CHAT moves around alot between the Lookout Hill switchback trail and Breeze Hill , particularly today. Seen first by Ed Crowne on the Switchback trail at 10 am, it was found by Rusty Harold after noontime along the top edge of Breeze Hill opposite or across from the feeders. A further search by other birders proved futile for this elusive bird ( well,it is a CHAT)
But the best "new" sighting and potential very good bird was an unidentified warbler spotted very briefly in the woods at the bottom of the hill to the left of the switchback trail ( if you are looking up the trail)> Look for three very small pines by the lawn triangle and behind in the invasive honeysuckle growth about 50 feet from the pedestrian path , the mystery warbler, bright yellow in the brief look by Rob Bate, might be a expected Orange-crowned(possible western variety) but with strange sightings and late birds, anything is possible for a rare bird. Hopefully someone will find and text me promptly.Near this spot on the other side of the path , a WINTER WREN was observed , uncommon this time of year despite its current season name .
Other sightings include the usual WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS (8 seen by Chris Holden) working the Vale Cashmere pool area, centering around the exotic pine with the tight round cones; PINE SISKINS , around 7 at the very active feeders; PEREGRINE FALCON perched halfway down the BBgarden fire radio tower ( hiding behind the floodlight ? or antennae dish)
Gull flocks was moderately large given the ice they rest on in the Lake..Nothing unusual which I spent time scanning except for a Ring-billed with a orange round tag number 654 on its left wing; Its worth checking the flocks for this highly migratory gull period. ( You never know)
Lists later.
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--KB