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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

New York, New York Birds (1 Viewer)

Larry Lade

Larry Lade

Moderator
My wife, Brenda, and I are currently in Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York, USA, visiting our eldest son. Today, we all walked over to Prospect Park, which is here in Brooklyn just a few blocks from his apartment. We saw 30 or so species, the best being good looks at Wood Thrush and Black-crowned Night-Heron. More later!
 
Today my son, who lives in New York City, and I went over to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge which is near JFK Airport. I was able to get a life bird there, a FULVOUS WHISTLING-DUCK. There were three of them on the refuge. This species has only been reported once or twice at this site.

Other birds sighted:
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Glossy Ibis
Mute Swan
Brant
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Black Duck
Mallard
Gadwall
Red-breasted Merganser
Osprey
American Coot
American Oystercatcher
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Semipalmated Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Laughing Gull
Herring Gull
Greater Black-blacked Gull
Least Tern
Mourning Dove
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
American Crow
Fish Crow
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Yellow Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Song Sparrow
House Sparrow
 
Good work!

Good for you!

I have seen all but eleven of those species, but not all one day, either in Central Park or at Jamaica Bay, but the fulvous whistling duck is extraordinary. As it so happens, my birds of the day at Central Park were black crowned night herons and a wood thrush.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :scribe:
 
Katy, we have one more day in New York, then we are heading back home to Missouri. Next stop in a couple of weeks will be Minneapolis/St.Paul, Minnesota. Probably will not get too much birding in as we are going to a "non-birding" convention.

Arthur, the three Fulvous Whistling-Ducks have been seen for about a week now. If you get a chance you might try to get down to Jamaica Bay to see them!
 
Larry; Fulvous whistling ducks would be very welcome here in North Yorkshire send a few over. Sounds like you had a good trip - some very nice birds on your list.
Regards Jon
 
I saw the duck as well, on the main pond among a flock of mallards. A lifer for me as well, and even if I had seen them down south it would have been nice to have had them right here. Fulvous Whistling Ducks on Long Island!
Jamaica Bay is an excellent place to bird, I've picked up several lifers there myself, including three (duck not included) today.
 
TCondor, I probably walked right past your group as we were leaving the bay. Maybe we need to wear a BF hat whenever we go birding!

I was wondering what the three (3) life birds which you saw yesterday at Jamaica Bay? The Fulvous Whistling-Ducks were my only lifer, but it was only the second time that I had seen the American Oystercatchers!

Jon, I don't think we have any of the ducks to spare at the moment! ;)
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge was certainly are great place to bird. I only wish I could have spent a little more time there [like several days]! But, my wife and son expect me to do other things besides birding when we are "out and about". They are so unreasonable at times! ;)
 
Other three lifers; Willow Flycatcher, Wilson's Warbler, Carolina Wren (Weird that I've never seen a Carolina Wren, but bear in mind I have spent more time looking for condors and roadrunners out west than I have birding at home. Fortunately, that is changing). Larry, if you saw a kid in an Audubon group, or with his dad cause we left them at one point, that was me. I notice you didn't see the three birds I mentioned, sorry if they would've been lifers!


.....Do you really sell BF hats? I'll buy one.
 
Last edited:
TCondor, I have seen/heard quite a few Willow Flycatchers, Carolina Wrens and Wilson's Warblers so I did not miss any "life birds".

The group of birders which we passed as we were leaving the area must have been the New York Audubon Society people, so I guess I did not see you while we were there. The leader was explaining to them and showing them what happens when a racoon finds a turtle's nest of eggs in the sand.

I will check into the BF hats for sale and will let you know if we still sell them.
 
My! Between Larry and TC what memories! I've been birding with my dad in Jamaica Bay along time ago and that list sure looks familiar! (Minus the Whistling Fulvous Duck) When I work in any park in NYC it's worth bringing the binoculars, I usually see something good. Nice to see you both enjoying the birding out there. (And the turtles have started laying their eggs here so I'll be covering them to guard them from raccoons and skunks.)
 
TCondor, as I think back I do remember now that as I was watching the Fulvous Whistling-Duck a father and son were there beside me for a little while. They were using binoculars with zoom capability. I offered to let them both look through my Zeiss binoculars which they both did and commented on the good, clear view.

Could that have been you and your Dad?
 
No, that wasn't me. I'm surprised though, I have never met any otheryoung birders personally, especially not in my homestate.
 
Well, we are back in St.Joseph, Missouri, and as I was entering the Fulvous Whistling-Duck into my database on our computer I noticed that it was not a "life bird" for me after all. I found that I had seen this species over in Kenya, East Africa, on February 15, 2004. So it was a little bit of a "let down" but it was the first time that I have seen this species in the United States. I was still thrilled to see it in New York.
 
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