A newsboard for reporting bird sightings, happenings & announcements,miscellany in north Brooklyn and the 3 main central north Brooklyn green regions : historic Prospect Park, Brooklyn Botanic Garden & north half of Kings County, & Greenwood Cemetery.A service for Brooklyn birders and visitors. Also note: Conservation issues & miscellany posts.
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Good sparrows
At Sunset Park ,reported at the park summit, A VESPER SPARROW was seen.
In a more appropriate holiday spot, Greenwood cemetery hostes a CLAY COLORED SPARROW ,fittingly at Janets Meadow by Valley Water.
Halloween wishes to you!πππΎπ»ππ
--
"No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings." -- William Blake, artist,author
Monday, October 30, 2023
around the nabe
At Greenwood cemetery Dellwater, an ORANGE CROWNED WARBLER was photographed nicely in the brush there.
Owls Head Park was full of sparrows including a VESPER SPARROW.
And yesterday, a belated report of a MARSH WREN working the fenceline in Sunset Park near the 41st st and 6th Ave entrance.
--
"No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings." -- William Blake, artist,author
Saturday, October 28, 2023
Fwd: Saturday's BBC Green-Wood Cemetery Walk
From: Valerie Masten <valerie.masten@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Oct 28, 2023, 6:05 PM
Subject: Saturday's BBC Green-Wood Cemetery Walk
To: Peter Dorosh <prosbird@gmail.com>
Cc: >
Friday, October 27, 2023
Prospects Henslow Sparrow records
1963-10-10 | 1 | NYC Bird Report Data | |
1962-10-25 | 1 | NYC Bird Report Data | |
1953-10-03 | 1 | NYC Bird Report Data | |
1953-10-02 | 1 | NYC Bird Report Data | |
1946-10-19 | 1 | NYC Bird Report Data | |
1945-05-12 | 1 | NYC Bird Report Data | |
1940-05-14 | 1 | NYC Bird Report |
Prospect scores sparrowy Big
Thursday, October 26, 2023
Fallkill Trail opens to public at Prospect Park after restoration - Gothamist
Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Local rarities continue plus a good Sparrow
Fwd: Brooklyn Bridge Park - Migration Morning report
From: Michael Yuan <mjyuan@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Oct 25, 2023, 4:42 PM
Subject: Brooklyn Bridge Park - Migration Morning report
To: Peter Dorosh <prosbird@gmail.com>
Cc: Dennis Hrehowsik <deepseagangster@gmail.com>
Hi Peter-
We had a pleasant final Wednesday Migration Morning of the fall season. Plenty of birds leftover from Tuesday's pulse of migration. 13 attendees and I saw a good variety of sparrows and a not-every day Peregrine Falcon as highlights.
The best nature highlight was a roosting Silver-haired Bat in the Pier 4 uplands area. It unfortunately might not be doing well as it has lingered in the area for a few days. A ranger came by shortly after and the patient is with a rehabber now.
Great to be out in the park this season and look forward to doing these outings again next spring.
Roosting bat pic by me, bat being taken in pic by BBP horticulture team member Pawel Pielusznski.
Mike
>
> Brooklyn Bridge Park, Kings, New York, US
> Oct 25, 2023 7:17 AM - 9:51 AM
> Protocol: Traveling
> 2.211 mile(s)
> Checklist Comments: Brooklyn Bird Club Wednesday Migration Morning
> 38 species
>
> Canada Goose 1
> Gadwall 4
> Mallard 1
> American Black Duck 7
> Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 8
> Mourning Dove 6
> Laughing Gull 3
> Ring-billed Gull 31
> Herring Gull 7
> Great Black-backed Gull 3
> Double-crested Cormorant 6
> Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
> Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 3
> Peregrine Falcon 1
> Eastern Phoebe 1
> American Crow 2
> Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
> Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
> Carolina Wren 1
> European Starling 8
> Gray Catbird 6
> Northern Mockingbird 3
> Hermit Thrush 4
> American Robin 13
> Cedar Waxwing 1
> House Sparrow 5
> Chipping Sparrow 2
> Field Sparrow 2
> Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 18
> White-throated Sparrow 34
> Savannah Sparrow 1
> Song Sparrow 14
> Swamp Sparrow 3
> Eastern Towhee 1
> Common Grackle 5
> Palm Warbler (Yellow) 1
> Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 40
> Northern Cardinal 4
>
> View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S153039661
>
> This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Tuesday, October 24, 2023
Fw: green-wood today. Woodcocks
"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."
- L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
Monday, October 23, 2023
BBC trip to Governor s Island
When I led my first BBC trip to Governors Island, in May 2022, our group found a number of exciting birds, among them a Seaside Sparrow and roosting Eastern Whip-poor-will. Several people from that trip returned for our fall excursion to the island yesterday, October 22. Riding the 7:30 AM ferry over, I joked to them that we'd find something rare again, like a Short-eared Owl.
Birding is funny. Getting to the island before the inevitable crowds (there was a pumpkin picking event that day), we quickly made our way to the meadow south of Fort Jay. Walking single-file on a mown path, trying to identify fast-moving sparrows, a Short-eared Owl flushed out of the grasses in front of me! My heart skipped a beat; I'm sure everyone else felt the same. We watched the owl land somewhere farther on in the meadow. About 15 minutes later, walking a lower path, it flushed again, this time into the lowest branch of an oak tree behind Nolan Park. From a safe remove we watched it flex its wings, look around with its yellow eyes, and hop along the branch. It was a life bird for a good many in the group -- one of whom was birding for the very first time.
Here is our eBird checklist from the day: https://ebird.org/checklist/S152872864. We had 19 participants: a great turnout.
The winds were strong out of the west, close to 20mph by mid-day, so that kept a lot of birds down. We saw 39 species in all, though of course the shortie was the major highlight. We also saw two pipits fly out of those grasses and witnessed a good variety of other raptors. Over the Hills at the south end of the island, we watched a Red-tailed Hawk at eye level kite into a 20mph headwind; the hawk would pull in its wings and then flex them out, and we watched it make these little adjustments to continue hovering mid-air in the same spot. It was a sight to behold.
There are photos in the checklist, and I'm attaching a few from Barbara Schelkle (of the shortie perched and the red-tail kiting) and Marisa Hernandez (of the shortie in flight).
Ryan
Sunday, October 22, 2023
Ashy in Greenwood Cemetery
Saturday, October 21, 2023
Noteworthy rarities
Thursday, October 19, 2023
Purple Gallinule hangs around
Fwd: Thursday Walk
From: Tom Stephenson <12toms@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Oct 19, 2023, 3:13 PM
Subject: Thursday Walk
To: Peter Dorosh <prosbird@gmail.com>
Cc: Marisa Hernandez <shishi47@gmail.com>, Dennis Hrehowsik <DeepSeaGangster@gmail.com>, Roberta Manian <roberta.manian@gmail.com>, Bob Curtis <bobolink@nyct.net>, Jeremy Nadel <jeremynadel@gmail.com>, Valerie Masten <valerie.masten@gmail.com>
Great Blue Heron |
Canada Goose |
Mute Swan |
Wood Duck |
Mallard |
Northern Shoveler |
Ruddy Duck |
Sharp-shinned Hawk |
Cooper's Hawk |
Broad-winged Hawk |
Red-tailed Hawk |
Herring Gull |
Rock Dove |
Mourning Dove |
Red-bellied Woodpecker |
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker |
Downy Woodpecker |
Hairy Woodpecker |
Northern Flicker |
Eastern Phoebe |
Blue-headed Vireo |
Blue Jay |
Common Raven |
Carolina Wren |
Winter Wren |
Golden-crowned Kinglet |
Ruby-crowned Kinglet |
Hermit Thrush |
American Robin |
Gray Catbird |
Northern Mockingbird |
European Starling |
Orange-crowned Warbler |
Nashville Warbler |
Northern Parula |
Black-throated Blue Warbler |
Yellow-rumped Warbler |
Palm Warbler |
Blackpoll Warbler |
American Redstart |
Common Yellowthroat |
Scarlet Tanager |
Eastern Towhee |
Swamp Sparrow |
White-throated Sparrow |
Northern Cardinal |
Rose-breasted Grosbeak |
Common Grackle |
House Finch |
House Sparrow |
Purple Gallinule |
Tweet from The Kingsboider (@BBCKingsbirds) purp Gallinue
Prospect juv Purple Gallinule out in open by Breeze Hill shore line hairpin turn before bollards
(https://twitter.com/BBCKingsbirds/status/1715070104512164091?t=BxfXkXGK6zqd3s6uLlAMvw&s=03)
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Prospect Purp Gallinue
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
A mega rarity plus two
Fwd: Brooklyn Bird Club Scavenger Hunt Results
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Michael Yuan <mjyuan@gmail.com>
Date: Monday, October 16, 2023
Subject: Brooklyn Bird Club Scavenger Hunt Results
To:
Thank you all for being part of the 1st ever Brooklyn Bird Club Bird Scavenger Hunt! What a terrific day! Hope you had as much doing it as I had planning it.
I appreciate everyone's flexibility for doing the hunt on Sunday instead of on a wet Saturday. Great to see some of you out there at Green-Wood, and great to hear teams scoured Prospect Park and Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge too.
I'm sure you want to know about the results, so I'll get to it.
Ten teams pursued 75 goals, which provided a potential 1900+ points per team.
Congratulations to Fuggedabirdit (Amanda Bielskas, Tara Craig, Heidi Ng, Michael Silber) for topping the table! They found 61, or 90% of the goals, for a total of 1,354 points. Considering all the orange and blue-colored birds really paid off! They win their choice of t-shirt from Bird Collective. Nice job!
2nd place goes to Count Gracula (Valerie Masten, Jeremy Nader, Radio Osickova, Crystal Thiele, Michele Truong), who completed 56 goals, totaling 1,088 points. Way to find the lifers and county birds! Enjoy your choice of Brooklyn Bird Club apparel!
Despite a valiant effort (Nice Connecticut Warbler find!) from I Know What You Did Last Summer Tanager (Erin Chapman, Emily Edmonds-Langham, Jim McNamee, Paul Sweet), they finished in 3rd, just 27 points short of Count Gracula, with 1,061 points from 54 goals completed. If only news about the Prospect Park Purple Gallinule came out in the morning!
Thanks to all for celebrating World Migratory Bird Day (just one day late) in style! Thank you to Tom S and Jer Thorp for your input and feedback on the goals, and thanks to Tina, Angie, and Janet for coordinating and donating prizes from Bird Collective and the Brooklyn Bird Club shop.
Hope to see you in the hunt next year!
-Mike
</mail/u/0/s/?view=att&th=18b3a8044e239aec&attid=0.1.1&disp=emb&zw&atsh=1>
Goals:
Goal #GoalPoints
1Watch a bird chasing after food from a perch7
2Watch a bird feeding on main trunk of tree4
3See a bird missing some of its tail18
4See a bird tapping on a tree7
5See a bird feeding on the ground 6
6Get pooped on (by a bird)100
7Observe a bird in or interacting with a puddle16
8Observe a bird preening itself18
9Observe a bird with mud on its legs or bill16
10Observe a bird standing on one leg20
11See a perched accipiter5
12See a soaring buteo11
13See a soaring falco13
14Watch a bird carrying something8
15Watch a bird taking a bath22
16Watch birds mob a predator36
17See 4 or more species in a single tree28
18A non-birder asks you about what you're seeing30
19A person asks you if you've "seen the eagles"55
20Show a non-birder a bird and tell them a fact about it32
21Observe birds from a parking lot15
22Encounter another birding group or scavenger hunt team12
23Find a bird nest (empty ok)8
24See a bird perched or standing on a man-made object7
25See a bird whose name is metioned in a song32
26See a bird through a window15
27See a bird name in writing (not in a book or on a device)14
28See a bird with orange on it (earn points per species)4
29See a bird with blue on it (earn points per species)3
30See a bird with green on it (earn points per species)2
31See a bird with yellow on it (earn points per species)1
32Encounter a flock of the same species, totaling 10 or more13
33Encounter a flock of the same species, totaling 200 or more59
34Encounter a mixed flock of 4 or more species30
35See over 40 species on the day15
36See over 80 species on the day35
37See 1 exotic, non-native species not yet considered established in New York27
38See or hear 4 duck species40
39See 1 rail species30
40See or hear 6 shorebird species45
41See or hear 5 gull species50
42See 3 tern species25
43See 3 heron/egret species20
44See/hear 3 corvid species18
45See both kinglet species15
46See/hear 3 mimid species22
47See 3 catharus thrushes25
48See 5 emberizidae species27
49See or hear 5 setophaga warbler species40
50See a non-setophaga warbler12
51Hear a flying bird calling and identify it to species3
52Find a feather6
53Identify a feather15
54Identify a bird by song/call4
55Identify the bird's song or call that a mockingbird is mimicking11
56See a banded bird and read the code35
57Hear a bird named for what it does (earn points per species)9
58See a bird named for what it sounds like (earn points per species)8
59See a female duck7
60See a nocturnal bird35
61Bird in a birding location/hotspot you've never birded before (for anyone in the group)20
62See a bird that is flagged as rare in eBird18
63See a number of birds on one eBird checklist that is flagged for count11
64Submit 5 or more eBird checklists for the day20
65See a County bird (a bird a team member has never seen in the county they're currently in). Max 68
66See a first of season (FOS) bird, for anyone in the group. Max 64
67See a life bird, a bird a team member has never seen before, for anyone in the group. Max 612
68See the ABA Bird of the Year or last five years15
69See a bird that typically spends its winter in South America13
70See a bird that typically spends its winter in Central America/Mexico/Caribbean12
71Find a vagrant or out of range bird that isn't typically seen in NYC in October90
72Based on reports or info from other birders, see a vagrant/out of range rare bird30
73See the eagles! See a Bald Eagle20
74See the New York state bird75
75Take a picture or video of your team. Share with the Brooklyn Bird Club 40
--
"No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings." -- William Blake, artist,author
Monday, October 16, 2023
Latest news Gallinule and rare sparrows
Fwd: Great news about making NYC safer for birds
From: Michael Yuan <mjyuan@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Oct 16, 2023, 1:35 PM
Subject: Great news about making NYC safer for birds
To:
Dear friends and bird lovers,As you may know, I serve on the board of directors of NYC Audubon, which works to protect birds and their habitat across the city and share the joy of birds with all New Yorkers. I hope you'll join Nicky and me at NYC Audubon's 2023 Fall Roost fundraiser, which will be held in Brooklyn for the 1st time at the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge.The event is a perfect opportunity to support our work and come see what we're all about. We'll be honoring 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge for their commitment to sustainability and reducing bird collisions, and my colleague Jeff Kimball, director of The Central Park Effect, for his dedication to conservation and leadership of NYC Audubon. It's sure to be a terrific party, with cocktails, food, live music, and all sorts of birdy fun.
Details are included in the attached, and you can also learn more and purchase a ticket online at https://nycaudubon.org/support-birds/support-birds-in-nyc/the-fall-roost-2023If attending the fundraiser is not for you, please consider donating to NYC Audubon, which will help advance its mission to foster engagement with birds and nature, protect the city's wildlife, and advocate for improving the quality of life for both birds and people.I hope to see you there!Thanks,Mike
Sunday, October 15, 2023
Potential Cackling goose on Prospect Lake today
Potential Purple Gallinule in Prospect Peninsula.
Greenwood cemetery hotspots
Saturday, October 14, 2023
PP Dickcissel
Thursday, October 12, 2023
Fwd: Thursday Walk
From: Tom Stephenson <12toms@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Oct 12, 2023 at 2:29 PM
Subject: Thursday Walk
To: Peter Dorosh <prosbird@gmail.com>
Cc: >
Double-crested Cormorant |
Great Blue Heron |
Canada Goose |
Mute Swan |
Wood Duck |
Northern Shoveler Mallard |
Green-winged Teal |
Ruddy Duck |
Osprey |
Cooper's Hawk |
Red-tailed Hawk |
American Kestrel |
Rock Dove |
Mourning Dove |
Chimney Swift |
Belted Kingfisher |
Red-bellied Woodpecker |
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker |
Downy Woodpecker |
Northern Flicker |
Eastern Phoebe |
Blue-headed Vireo |
Red-eyed Vireo |
Blue Jay |
American Crow |
Carolina Wren |
Winter Wren |
Golden-crowned Kinglet |
Ruby-crowned Kinglet |
Gray-cheeked Thrush |
Swainson's Thrush |
Hermit Thrush |
American Robin |
Gray Catbird |
Northern Mockingbird |
European Starling |
Cedar Waxwing |
Northern Parula |
Magnolia Warbler |
Black-throated Blue Warbler |
Black-throated Green Warbler |
Black-and-white Warbler |
American Redstart |
Common Yellowthroat |
Scarlet Tanager |
Eastern Towhee |
Song Sparrow |
White-throated Sparrow |
Dark-eyed Junco |
Northern Cardinal |
Common Grackle |
Baltimore Oriole |
House Sparrow |
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
The latest at GWC
Cooperatively, the Western Kingbird continues it's stay with the Lark Sparrow doing as well in Greenwood Cemetery.
The Kingbird stays loyal to the location it chose from the weekend.Look for it at Sycamore Ave by Bud Path area above the Chapel.
With a Lark Sparrow another pursuit, it decided as well sticking around. Look for this bird at Janet's Meadow along Magnolia Ave at Valley Water' s northwest shore.
Meanwhile over at Prospect Park, in an area recently names the Ghost forest, a Hooded Warbler was reported. It ventured along the path between the Flatbush Ave entrances just south of the Rose garden.
Thank You for Signing: McCormick Place: Keep the Lights Out | Audubon Community Petitions
Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Western King bird gwc
This is Sycamore Ave at Bud Path in that general area. The bird patches high in an oak tree.
--
"No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings." -- William Blake, artist,author
Monday, October 9, 2023
Western Kingbird at Greenwood
Sunday, October 8, 2023
Fwd: 10.7.23 BBC Prospect walk
From: Dennis Hrehowsik <deepseagangster@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Oct 8, 2023, 9:57 AM
Subject: 10.7.23
To: Peter Dorosh <prosbird@gmail.com>, Roberta <roberta.manian@gmail.com>, Tom Stephenson <12toms@gmail.com>
Hey Peter,
Ten birders met on yet another rainy Saturday where highlights were marsh wren 8 green wing teal and 10 warbler species with 48 sp total. Hoping for some dry fall weather next week.
Best,
D
48 species (+2 other taxa)
Canada Goose 25
Mute Swan 5
Wood Duck 8
Northern Shoveler 3
Mallard 15
American Black Duck 10
Green-winged Teal 8 A small raft of female type teal near three sisters
Ruddy Duck 3
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 8
Mourning Dove 7
American Coot 2
Laughing Gull 1
Ring-billed Gull 2
Herring Gull 5
Double-crested Cormorant 4
Great Blue Heron 1
Green Heron 1
Accipiter sp. 2
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Downy Woodpecker 3
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 3
Merlin 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 8
American Crow 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 6
Marsh Wren 1
Carolina Wren 1
wren sp. 1
European Starling 15
Gray Catbird 5
Northern Mockingbird 1
American Robin 75
House Sparrow 100
White-throated Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 3
Common Grackle 5
Northern Waterthrush 1
Black-and-white Warbler 3
Common Yellowthroat 3
American Redstart 5
Northern Parula 3
Yellow Warbler 1 On three sisters
Blackpoll Warbler 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Northern Cardinal 10
Dennis W Hrehowsik
President Brooklyn Bird Club
Friday, October 6, 2023
Out of greenwood
Thursday, October 5, 2023
Fwd: Thursday Walk
From: Tom Stephenson <12toms@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Oct 5, 2023 at 3:14 PM
Subject: Thursday Walk
To: Peter Dorosh <prosbird@gmail.com>
Cc: Dennis Hrehowsik <DeepSeaGangster@gmail.com>, Roberta Manian <roberta.manian@gmail.com>
Double-crested Cormorant |
Great Blue Heron |
Green Heron |
Canada Goose |
Mute Swan |
Wood Duck |
Gadwall |
American Black Duck |
Mallard |
Green-winged Teal |
Ruddy Duck |
Osprey |
Red-tailed Hawk |
Merlin |
Herring Gull |
Rock Dove |
Mourning Dove |
Yellow-billed Cuckoo |
Chimney Swift |
Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
Belted Kingfisher |
Red-bellied Woodpecker |
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker |
Downy Woodpecker |
Hairy Woodpecker |
Northern Flicker |
Eastern Wood-Pewee |
Blue Jay |
American Crow |
Carolina Wren |
Golden-crowned Kinglet |
Ruby-crowned Kinglet |
Swainson's Thrush |
American Robin |
Gray Catbird |
European Starling |
Cedar Waxwing |
Northern Parula |
Yellow Warbler |
Black-throated Blue Warbler |
Yellow-rumped Warbler |
Black-and-white Warbler |
American Redstart |
Common Yellowthroat |
Scarlet Tanager |
Song Sparrow |
White-throated Sparrow |
Northern Cardinal |
Rose-breasted Grosbeak |
Common Grackle |
House Finch |
American Goldfinch |
House Sparrow |