February Target Birds

I only got 9 new species since I started this list. But I still have time, since not much will change in February, other than American Woodcocks that might be seen. So most of the species from January that were missed are still up for grabs. I hope to get 5-10, and then crank things up in March.

Year List To Date: 2014:46   <   2015: 51

Top birds of the month: Common Redpoll, Pine Siskin, American Tree Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, Red-Breasted Merganser
Probable
Carolina Wren (a few winter in the Ramble)*

Possible
Common Merganser (a few each year)
Red-Breasted Merganser (annual)
Common Loon (annual)
Pied-Billed Grebe (sometimes on the Reservoir)*
Double-Crested Cormorant (small numbers of wintering birds in the city)*
Great Blue Heron (occasional winterer.)
Sharp-Shinned Hawk (some winter)*
American Kestrel (many resident)*
American Woodcock (a few start to migrate early)
Any kind of owl (annual)
Winter Wren (scarce winterer)*
Kinglets (scarce winterers. Ruby-Crowned more likely)*
Gray Catbird (scarce winterer)*
Northern Mockingbird (some winter)*
Brown Thrasher (scarce winterer)*
Cedar Waxwing (a flock can wander into the area)*
Eastern Towhee (scarce winterer)*
American Tree Sparrow (annual)
Swamp Sparrow (some winter)*
Red-Winged Blackbird (some winter)*
Brown Headed Cowbird (scarce winterer)*
Rusty Blackbird (one may wander from Queens)

Longshots
Northern Pintail (annual)
Bald Eagle (a few reports)*
Red-Shouldered Hawk (a few winter around the city)
Merlin (some wander into the park)
Iceland Gull (wintered at the park for the past few years. Will it show again?)
Red-Headed Woodpecker (Can appear in winter)
Eastern Phoebe (occasional winterer, or maybe an early mirgant)*
Common Raven (flyovers have been reported)
Pine Warbler (early migrant? We had one in late february last year, which I saw in early march)
Yellow-Rumped Warbler (one might wander)*
White-Crowned Sparrow (sometimes seen in winter)*
Purple Finch (one may have lingered)*

Top 10 birds of 2014! Throwback Thursday #6

Today I will be doing a throwback of 2014. These are the top 10 birds of the year for me in Manhattan. Some are rarities, and some were regular birds that I wanted to include. Lifers are in bold.


10. Baltimore Oriole

While it is common, last winter we had 2 wintering birds in Central park. I liked watching them at the feeders, often together. We saw them from December through at least April, because that's when orioles  normally come through.

9. Long-Eared Owl

Last winter there were 2 pairs of birds in the park at different times. We found whitewash and once a pellet, but we never really got good views of them. Both pairs were in different stands of hemlock not far from the Boathouse

8. Rusty Blackbird

One day on a March birdwalk I was following a male Rusty Blackbird through the park, and accidentialy flushed it onto a small frozen pond, where it stayed for quite a while. It was close enough to get pictures and video from my iPhone and it even sang when calls were played.

7. Yellow-Crowned Night Heron

In the middle of May on a birdwalk in the park, we stumbled upon a bunch of people looking at the bird. It was perched high up in a tree and not very mobile, providing great views.

6. Red-Necked Grebe

I searched for this bird on the reservoir in March, and I ran into a guy who found it. The bird was sleeping and far away, which is why it is not higher up on the list.

5. Summer Tanager

This bird was reported on the birdwalk I got the night heron on. We were not far from the bird, which was right near Belvedere castle. The sub-adult bird provided great views feeding.

4. Indigo Bunting

You may wonder what a regular migrant is doing so high up on the list. Well in early May, I saw a young male feeding in a field in the park with about 30 people huddled around it in a semi circle. Later, I saw another bird, an adult male feeding in another field. So many people were focused on that bird, that I was the one to spot the Field Sparrow right next to it!

3. Tennessee Warbler

Possibly one of the hardest warblers to get, not because of rarity, but because it looks very similar to several other warbler species. I saw one and possibly 2 birds in Strawberry Fields in early October and it took about an hour to confirm the identity.

2. Yellow-Billed and Black-Billed Cuckoo

These birds seemed best put together as a set. On that same day as the tanager and night heron, we found a reported YB cuckoo feeding very low on a caterpillar nest. While trying to call it in, we attracted a second YB cuckoo! What are the odds of that? And to top it all off, we tried to bring in a reported BB cuckoo at Azalea Pond and it worked, though the views weren't that great. This means the top spot goes to...

1. Couch's Kingbird

What other bird to put here besides this? After two failed attempts, I finally managed to track down this first state record in the West Village on the last day of the year. It gave me and all the other birders great views as it flycatched on fire escapes. The bird flew all over the village, and I managed to keep up with it for two hours, until I needed to catch myself a meal too. There is simply nothing like seeing something that has never been seen here before.


Runners up:

Eastern Bluebird ( once in April and once in May)
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird (female who made the first Central Park nest ever, but lost its eggs to an oriole)
Ring-Necked Duck (3 in December on the Reservoir)
Pine Siskin (October)
Possibly a few others on here

Cassin's Kingbird was not in Manhattan, so it is not on the list. It would have been #2 though.

Year Birding Schedule

Here is my thought out schedule. With this, I hope to get around 90 more species or higher, beating my total of 135 with about 140-160 species. There will certainly be unexpected birds along the way (Common Redpoll) and ones seen much earlier than anticipated (Pine Siskin, Red-Breasted Nuthatch). There may also be alterations to the schedule. For example, my total for April may be less than 15 new birds, then I get 40 new ones in May. Getting better every year, I think I will hit at least one of the April vagrant warblers (Yellow Throated, Cerulean, Prothonotary) as well as some of the missed-by-a-few-minutes birds (Lincolns Sparrow,Worm-Eating Warbler, etc.). I can't wait to see what suprises will happen along the way. I can bird pretty casually for the next month and a half, but once the flowers start to bloom, I'll have to spring into action!

February: 5-10
March: 10-15
April: 20-25
May: 20-25
June: up to 5
July: ?
August: up to 5
September: 5-10
October: up to 10
November: up to 5
December: up to 5

Nearly all of the birding will be done in Central Park. I might get a few species down at Battery Park, where I take classes and sometimes work, a few more if I go to Randall's Island, and an unknown number for those hard to find birds and vagrants that sometimes appear around Manhattan.

Rare Bird of the Week #3! BOTW #15

This week's Bird of the Week is Common Redpoll!

Common Redpolls are the size of goldfinches, with streaked sides, brown backs and red caps. Males have pink chests unlike the females which don't. They have buzzy calls, similar to other finches. They feed on seeds and often gather in flocks. They can be found in semi coniferous forests

Common Redpolls breed over the northern half of Canada and Alaska. They winter over southern Canada and the northern U.S. They are an irruptive species, so they will sometimes winter as far south as Virginia. In New York City, these birds are usually only seen during irruption years. When these happen, flocks can be found in Staten Island, as well as scattered birds over the rest of the city. In Central Park, there is one currently visiting the bird feeders in the Ramble. It likes to hang out with the goldfinches.

Three Rare Winter Birds

The Central Park bird walk I was on started with a trip to the feeders to check for a Common Redpoll that has been sighted there yesterday and today. It only took us a few minutes to call it in. It was very beautiful among the goldfinches with its red cap and pink chest. As we wandered around slowly heading north, we saw many birds, including Brown Creeper, Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, and Hairy Woodpecker. Then we went to Shakespeare Garden to look for sapsuckers, when someone in the group asked the guide to try to call in a Red-Breasted Nuthatch, a species they haven't seen for over a month. Shockingly, it worked! A Red-Breasted Nuthatch was feeding on pine cones  directly in front of us! After that, we went back to the feeders to get more looks at the redpoll (we did) and see if the Chipping Sparrow was there. It took about 20 minutes until the Chipping Sparrow appeared, but it was worth it. With 3 new year birds in hand, this day was a real success!

#44. COMMON REDPOLL
#45. Brown Creeper
#46. RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH

Throwback Thursday #5: Storm Blown Birds

On Halloween, 2012, I went to Cal Shaurtz Park to look for storm blown birds. Hurricane Sandy had struck the east coast two days earlier, sending migrating warblers back up the coast a month after they started. On a hill, I spotted something in a small tree. A Black-Throated Blue Warbler! I also saw a waterthrush. Almost anything can get to New York City via storm, and those were just a few of the birds to do it.

Bird of the Week #14

Sorry for the long absence of these posts. Its just that winter is long and birds are scarce. Some weeks may just not have a bird. I'll try to post them weekly. Anyway, this week's bird of the week is American Coot!

The American Coot is a about the size of a Hooded Merganser. It is completely black with a white bill and green legs with partially webbed feet. Only coots have feet like this. It allows them to swim like ducks while most other rails (their family) don't. They mainly eat aquatic plants, insects, and crustaceans.

 The American Coot breeds in Canada and the Northern U.S and winters on the east coast. It is also resident over much of the country, Mexico, and the Caribbean. In New York City, this bird is only found from October through April and can be found in bodies of freshwater. The best place to look for this bird is the Central Park Reservoir, where lone or paired coots can usually be found on the south side swimming near the shore.

Throwback Thursday #4: Blogger Name

Sorry for the delay. Anyway, here is how I got my blogger name. I was at a soccer practice on Roosevelt Island 2 1/2 years ago in late September when I saw a small bird fly over me. It was blue on top, white on the bottom, and had black streaks. I knew it must be a Cerulean Warbler. I wasn't able to look for it, but did here it call. Since that day I have never seen another one. I always am longing for the day I see one again, and when I do, I'll be overjoyed.

Siskins and Sparrows

Today on the birdwalk I went on in the Ramble, we started at the birdfeeders looking for an out of season Chipping Sparrow that had been reported there. There was a Fox Sparrow there, but no sign of the Chipping. As we wandered throughout the park, we saw a couple of young Red-Tailed Hawks flying around. Maybe they just left their parents? We also saw a few more Fox and Song Sparrows throughout the day. Anyway, on the east shore of the Lake near Warbler Rock, we saw a male Hairy Woodpecker, which was also here last week. We think this bird might be here all winter. We then went into Mugger's Woods to try to see if there might be a few Pine Siskins there. We played the tape, and immediately 4 Pine Siskins flew into the holly tree above us. They then flew into a sweetgum tree with some goldfinches. It's good to put them on the year list so early and not in October or November. We then went to The Reservoir, where there were 2 Gadwalls, 2 Hooded Mergansers, a coot, a female Wood Duck and just 1 of the 3 Ring-Necked Ducks. Somehow, one person on our walk spotted a Peregrine Falcon on a building about a half mile away there too. on the way back to the boathouse, we saw one of the young Red-Tailed trying unsuccessfully to eat a frozen squirrel  When we took one last look at the feeders, we were surprised to find the Chipping Sparrow feeding in a milk carton feeder. This was a great day of winter birding. With 6 new year birds, my species total for the year is at 43.

Species List: 38
Canada Goose
Wood Duck (#42)
Gadwall
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
RING-NECKED DUCK (1 at The Reservoir)
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Red-Tailed Hawk (3)
American Coot
Ring-Billed Gull
Herring Gull (#40)
Great Black-Backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Peregrine Falcon (#41)
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-Capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-Breasted Nuthatch
American Robin
European Starling
CHIPPING SPARROW (1 at the birdfeeders, #43)
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White Throated Sparrow
Dark-Eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
House Finch (#38)
PINE SISKIN (4 at Muggers Woods, #39)
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

I am not sure if I will see Pine Siskins or Ring-Necked Ducks again this year

Target list for January

Here is a list of birds that I may see this month. I will make a list like this at the beginning of every month. I am aiming to get 10-15 of these. I will edit the list by highlighting the birds I have seen and will show a list of what I have seen and where at the end of the month.

Years to date (Jan 31): 2014: 44        2015:46

* = probably will see them later

Probable
Wood Duck (They are around)*
Herring Gull (may have been seen already)*
Brown Creeper (normal winterer)*
Carolina Wren (a few winter in the Ramble)*
House Finch (almost always at the feeders)*

Possible
Common Merganser (a few each year)
Red-Breasted Merganser (annual)
Common Loon (annual)
Pied-Billed Grebe (sometimes on the Reservoir)*
Double-Crested Cormorant (small numbers of wintering birds in the city)*
Great Blue Heron (occasional winterer. Got it last year in this month)
Sharp-Shinned Hawk (some winter)*
American Kestrel (many resident)*
Peregrine Falcon (some resident)*
Any kind of owl (annual)
Red-Breasted Nuthatch (a few reports)
Winter Wren (scarce winterer)*
Kinglets (scarce winterers. Ruby-Crowned more likely)*
Gray Catbird (scarce winterer)*
Northern Mockingbird (some winter)*
Brown Thrasher (scarce winterer)*
Cedar Waxwing (a flock can wander into the area)*
Eastern Towhee (scarce winterer)*
American Tree Sparrow (annual)
Chipping Sparrow (One lingering at the feeders)*
Swamp Sparrow (some winter)*
Red-Winged Blackbird (some winter)*
Brown Headed Cowbird (scarce winterer)*
Rusty Blackbird (one may wander from Queens)
Pine Siskin (a few wintering)
UPDATE: Common Redpoll (bird seen at the feeders 1-24)

Longshots
Northern Pintail (annual)
Bald Eagle (a few reports)*
Red-Shouldered Hawk (a few winter around the city)
Merlin (some wander into the park)
Iceland Gull (wintered at the park for the past few years. Will it show again?)
Eurasian Collared Dove (Chelsea Waterside Park)
Red-Headed Woodpecker (Can appear in winter)
Eastern Phoebe (occasional winterer)*
Couch's Kingbird (West Village)
Common Raven (flyovers have been reported)
Yellow-Rumped Warbler (one might wander)*
Yellow Breasted Chat (a few winter records)
White-Crowned Sparrow (sometimes seen in winter)*
Baltimore Oriole (seen in some years, including last year)*
Purple Finch (one may have lingered)*

Throwback Thursday #3: Israel

In June, 2012 I went on a trip to Israel to see my cousins there. There were also lots of birds there, many which were hard to identify. Vultures and hawks were frequently seen. I also marveled at the Palestinian Sunbirds. They are basically the Old Word equivalent of hummingbirds. Other birds I saw included Laughing Dove (they really sound like they're laughing), White Stork, White-Throated Kingfisher, Eurasian Kestrel, Common Swift and Spur Winged Lapwing just to name a few. Familiar birds from the United States were also around. such as Barn Swallow and Black-Crowned Night Heron. I also got to see wild(!) Rock Pigeons for the first time. One of the weirdest experiences was looking at a cage filled with Monk Parakeets at a zoo, and then looking above me to see a whole colony of this invasive species! Speaking of invasive species, I also saw a Neutria (beaver-rat) in Israel too.  Birding was fun there!

Other Birds:
Willow Warbler (heard)
Great Tit
Hooded Crow
Tern sp.
Gull sp.
White-Throated Kingfisher
Eurasian Jay
Eurasian Golden Oriole
Great Egret

American Crow! Day #8 of 2015

I was walking down E 86 st today when I saw an American Crow flying over, raising my year list to 35. I also saw a Red-Tailed Hawk right after that. I'm sure there will be several occasions where I add birds just walking down the street.

Ebird and Me

In case you are not familiar with it, Ebird is a site used to compile bird sightings. Each time you go out birding, you submit a checklist which can be accessed at any time. You can also find rare bird alerts, hotspots, species reports maps, number of species seen in an area, and much more. The main reason why I am posting it is because I almost always use Ebird when I go birding. On days when I don't post a bird list, you can always check it out on Ebird.

Link: ebird.org
Link to latest checklist:http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S21187805

First Birdwalk of 2015

Before we get to today's post, I would like to announce that all of my posts will now be up to date withi a few days. If I go birding multiple times in a day (Ex: morning birdwalk in Central Park and chasing a Virginia Rail in Bryant Park that afternoon), I will put each post on a seperate day, starting with the more prominent one (Couch's Kingbird > Ring-Necked Duck).

Anyway, here's the post about the birdwalk. When I went to Central Park on Sunday, we saw all the species I got on January 2nd, plus many more, totaling 34. Top birds were the 3 continuing Ring-Necked Ducks at the Reservoir, which weren't sleeping, as well as 2 wintering Hermit Thrushes, 2 Song Sparrows (one not seen by me), a Fox Sparrow, and a titmouse that at out of my hand. I'm not posting a list due to the year list containing every bird I saw yesterday.

Last Birdwalk of 2014

On the Central Park birdwalk I went on December 28, I saw just about every species (excluding Pine Siskin) that you could find in the park. Highlights were the 3 Ring-Necked Ducks at the Reservoir, a Fox Sparrow at Evodia Field, a Song Sparrow and a Hairy Woodpecker at the Point, and a Hermit Thrush at the Oven.

Species Count: 36

Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Black Duck
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
RING-NECKED DUCK (3)
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Cooper's Hawk
American Coot
Ring-Billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-Backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-Bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-Capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-Throated Sparrow
Dark-Eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch
House Finch
House Sparrow

Second Rare Bird of the Week! BOTW 12!

This week's Bird of the Week is Couch's Kingbird!

The Couch's Kingbird is one of several yellow bellied kingbirds that live in the western half of the United States. It has a bit more yellow on its chest than most other kingbirds. It also has a gray head, white throat, olive back and a black tail and wings. They are nearly identical to the Tropical Kingbird, and are usually impossible to tell apart unless you hear it call. The Couch's Kingbird makes a high pitched "brreeer" call. Like many other flycatchers, this one finds exposed perches in semi-open areas and catches flying insects from them.

Couch's Kingbirds can be found in southern Texas, mostly in the summer, and in Mexico and parts of Central America year-round. The first New York state record was identified in the West Village, Manhattan on Christmas, having been there for a few weeks before that. It was first seen many foranging from trees, but over the past few days it usually flycatches from fire escapes and plucks insects off of buildings. The bird is often seen now at Bank and Hudson Street, along with several other spots and has likely been seen by at least a few hundred people so far (including myself). The bird is still here (as of 1/3/15)

First Birdwatch of 2015

Today I went birdwatching in Cal Schurz Park for about an hour to try to get some new species for the year. A surprise was an overwintering Hermit Thrush. Here is my list of new species, which brings my tally up to 11. I will certainly see all of them within the next few months

On the way there
Rock Pigeon
White-Throated Sparrow

When I was there
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Great Black-Backed Gull
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Mourning Dove
HERMIT THRUSH
Canada Goose (Seen just within the county borders near Roosevelt Island)

2014 Recap

This year in birding has been really interesting. There have been many rarities, misses, and surprises. My species total for New York County alone is 135. Here is an overview of what I did in birding this year.

Winter 2014
Best birds were 4 different Long-Eared Owls, and the Baltimore Oriole pair at the feeders. This winter was a struggle for many birds there.

March
The month started off with an early Pine Warbler at the feeders and a Red-Breasted Merganser on the Reservoir. Not long after, I saw my first Woodcocks and a singing Rusty Blackbird. I also saw a Red-Necked Grebe on the 22nd.

April
Many migrants finally started to trickle in, such as kinglets, Winter Wren, and Palm Warbler. On a weekend in mid-April, I saw Red-Shouldered Hawk, Glossy Ibis, and Eastern Bluebird. I then went to the Bahamas for a week before coming back at the end of the month. That's when I saw a Broad-Winged Hawk, as well as my first White-Eyed Vireo and Prairie Warblers of the year.

May
The birds were really starting to diversify. I saw all the normal birds that should be arriving the first time I was there. A week later, birds were everywhere. That's when I saw Summer Tanager. both species of cuckoo. White-Crowned Sparrow and Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron, along with 16 species of warbler. As the month drew to a close, I got Mourning Warbler and Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher.

June
The month was really bland...except for the 21st. That day the birding group I was in ran into a Red-Headed Woodpecker! We we all so surprised. We also spent lots of time observing nesting Peregrine Falcons on 62nd Street. On the 26th, I went to camp in Pennsylvania.

July & August
 I saw about 40 species when I returned from camp in mid -July, including Green Heron, Great Crested Flycatcher, and Pileated Woodpecker. The park was pretty empty of migrants. In late-August I made a quick stop by Jamaica Bay and saw some shorebirds, the highlight being a Little Blue Heron.

September
The month didn't have much migrants at first, but had a decent amount at the end. I saw some raptors, including Osprey and Bald Eagle, but nothing much other than that.

October
In early-October, I saw a Tennesee Warbler in Strawberry Fields, as well as some other stuff. I also saw Purple Finches and Pine Siskins. Sparrows were abundant as usual.

November
Not much seen other than the Purple Finches and a Hairy Woodpecker. At the end of the month, I successfully chased the Cassin's Kingbird at Floyd Bennet Field.

December
The Christmas Bird Count was a really fun day. Other than that, all I really saw apart from the norm were a few Ruby-Crowned Kinglets and the Ring-Necked Ducks. After two failed attempts on the 28th and 29th, I finally saw the first state record of Couch's Kingbird in the West Village on the last day of 2014.

Highlights
Long-Eared Owl (2 pairs at seperate times. Central Park near boathouse)
Eastern Bluebird (2 occasions, first at Tupelo Field, then at the Great Lawn)
Summer Tanager (Near Belvedere Castle)
Both cuckoos in a single day (2 YB, 1 BB)
Yellow-Crowned Night Heron (Azalea Pond)
Red-Necked Grebe (Reservoir)
Cassin's Kingbird (2nd State Record! Floyd Bennet Field)
Ring Necked Duck (3 at the Reservoir)
Couch's Kingbird (1st State Record! West Village)

Misses
Worm-Eating Warbler (Missed twice in a day, both a just a few minutes)
Hooded Warbler (Should've seen at some point but missed)
Lincoln's Sparrow (One missed by a few minutes)
Red-Breasted Nuthatch (3 attempts in an invasion year)