**
Peter,
Thirteen birders braved temperatures in the teens this morning to meet at the main gate of Greenwood Cemetery for a Tour of the Winter Pines. After a slow start to the chilly morning birders were rewarded with a grand display of winter finches on the sweetgum trees at Southwood and Grove avenues. Species included two male white wing crossbills, a lone female common redpoll, half a dozen pine siskin, several American and one european goldfinch. While we were taking in this spectacle we heard a low croaking sound and a few minutes later saw a Common Raven in flight chasing a redtailed hawk just above the hilltops to the north. The bird perched and sat and nothing more for a few minutes above redtail in the same tree giving us a good sense of its immense size. We then went for coffee after which we headed to prospect park to survey the lake and check feeders. Our seven hour walk through the winter wonderlands of Brooklyn yielded 47 species. thanks to everyone for a great day!
see you in the field,
dennis
Sightings:
Canada Goose Mute Swan Mallard Northern Shoveler Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck Sharp-shinned Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Turkey Vulture American Coot Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Monk Parakeet Blue Jay Common Raven Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse Red-breasted Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Carolina Wren Hermit Thrush American Robin Northern Mockingbird European Starling Eastern Towhee American Tree Sparrow Fox Sparrow Song Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Northern Cardinal Red-winged Blackbird House Finch White-winged Crossbill Common Redpoll Pine Siskin American Goldfinch European Goldfinch House Sparrow**************************************************************************************** Photo below of White-winged Cross bill in GWC late morning Taken by Orrin Tilevitz
