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| A jury of Ring-necked Ducks on Prospect Lake, photo by Bobbi Manian |
On my last day as President of the Brooklyn Bird Club, Nature decides to send me tokens of last hurrahs from Prospect Park.
During a meeting I was attending at the Picnic House, Greg Olsen sends me a mid morning text of a COMMON RAVEN flying over my office , the Tennis House.
Still at the meeting, Bobbi Manian sends me a text reporting twelve ( a jury of ? ) RING-NECKED DUCKS, one of my two favorite duck species ( the other being Redheads) seen in Prospect Lake.
Then just prior noontime, Andy Biederman texted me of a grebe species he wasn't sure of (though he has a picture of) , till I was able to go back to the Tennis House around 1230 lunch break to pick up an electric cart and get down to the Terrace Bridge to look for the grebe. It turns out to be a HORNED GREBE, seen wading into the Lullwater, a quite rare species for this park. ( I say for the Prospect records less than a jury number )
And last, pending a records search, RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS must have known I was "retiring". Bobbi reported on the Lake 5 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS! It must have been a party I missed at Three Sisters Islands.
For the exotics, Mary Eyster this afternoon reported a Red-faced Goldfinch on Breeze Hill dirt mounds , hanging out with American Goldfinches, a striking bird she says... ( from Google search http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/nature/img/species/birds/446x251/goldfinch_k_w_smith.jpg )
--KB
Addenum : An early evening text from Doug Gochfeld during his late afternoon walk gives me another hurrah : AMERICAN WOODCOCK calling from behind the Wellhouse before it flew off; HORNED GREBE continues in the Lullwater , next to the Lullwater (Boathouse ) Bridge, west side.
A note on the Red Breasted Mergansers : Bobbi's total fell short by 1, the record is 6 seen Feb 23, 1997 seen by Mike Andersen, whom I know by reputation an excellent birder. (source Cornell's Ebird)
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From Bobbi Manian:
Subject: eBird Report - Prospect Park, Feb 28, 2013
Prospect Park, Kings, US-NY
Feb 28, 2013 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
Comments: <br />Submitted from BirdLog NA for iOS, version 1.5.2
36 species
Canada Goose 150
Mute Swan 12
American Black Duck 2
Mallard X
Northern Shoveler 18
Ring-necked Duck 12
Bufflehead 2
Hooded Merganser 12
Red-breasted Merganser 5
Ruddy Duck 25
Horned Grebe 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
American Coot 12
Ring-billed Gull 100
Herring Gull 20
Great Black-backed Gull 2
Rock Pigeon 25
Mourning Dove 7
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Downy Woodpecker 5
Blue Jay 7
American Crow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 8
Tufted Titmouse 5
White-breasted Nuthatch 4
Carolina Wren 2
American Robin 23
Northern Mockingbird 1
Song Sparrow 7
White-throated Sparrow 12
Northern Cardinal 22
Red-winged Blackbird 22
House Finch 7
Pine Siskin 8
American Goldfinch 2
House Sparrow 15
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S13219143
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From Peter Colen :
Greenwood Cemetery
An interesting array of ducks at the cemetery. A female Wood Duck, 1 or 2 male Buffleheads, 1 male American Widgeon, 2 pair of Mallards, 1 pair Ruddy Ducks. 1 pair Black Ducks, 1 pair mallard Hybrids.
1 raven that was not interested in being photographed that was at first overlooking Dell Water and seemed to circle around behind me. I never saw it again.
Best Wishes, Peter