Today its a different route and different places.Although starting pretty late in the day, I hurried along to get much birding done before the 4 o'clock closures. First its a Greenwood Cemetery tour. From the Fort Hamilton Parkway entrance to the Fourth ave exit,I only saw two species.Just robins the first but the second more interesting for its number at this time of year that Ebird flagged for high number of CEDAR WAXWINGS. I found the flock of 44 birds in the large sweetgum overlooking the Crescent water. Their yellow bellys were outstanding, a species I think underappreciated for their sleek beauty of subtle hues of brown grays,yellow and black eye lines. It may be a high number of Cedar Waxwings perhaps in a migratory pattern or they are in a nomadic movement, likely the latter in food search during a hard winter. A wonderful species to enjoy.
Next I hurried to Bush Terminal Park with little time to spare.Arriving there 3:25,I moved quickly. The usual variety of wigeons,gadwalls ,buffleheads and lesser scaup were noted.But one duck flushed from the end of the path at West cove is a good one: COMMON GOLDENEYE. It was a breeding hen with a yellow tipped bill.
I was glad to see that duck.When I turned around next, I watched the by now resident COMMON RAVEN fly above the edge of the ballfields, another quality winter bird.
A warming trend in the coming week, much to the appreciation of many glad to see the polar vortex shoo away.
