Birding New York... Sorta

I decided to spend the day birding in New York.  While adding to my New York List was fun.  I was after a very special bird.  A Varied Thrush.  I missed Varied Thrush on my trip out west last summer to the Pacific NW and I was happy for the opportunity to pick up and see the bird.  Sadly my camera battery died before I could better pics but you can see several of the marks on the head in the picture below.

I got a real chance to see the birding culture of New York and I have to say that at least in Brooklyn, its very active and all the people I ran into were great!  They took time to show me around and made sure I didn't get lost.  I recommend saying hi to anyone with bins if you find yourself birding the park.  I hope to go back again soon and enjoy their walks!

2013 Year List: 101 (99 to go)

Notable Additions:

Northern Pintail (lifer)
Varied Thrush (lifer)

Eastern Phoebe

Fox Sparrow
Hermit Thrush

Life List 260 (40 to go!)

Winter Storm? No More

A quick update on the birding of the day.  I spent most of the day outside birding various sites and different environments and got a good variety of birds.

Site #1 - A Beach/Marsh - Here I saw my first Green-Winged Teal of the Year and heard many Grackles and RW Blackbirds too.  Marshes are pretty good environments for birds as they supply a lot of hiding space and food.  This marsh was behind a couple of warehouses and has seen some migrants and local rarities.  While we are always hoping to find something new.

Site #2 - A freshwater pond - This pond has been the site of various waterfowl lately and I was hoping to see some before all attention passes to the Warbler Migration.  The benefit of this pond was that it also had a 2nd growth forest meaning that lots of cardinals and chickadees were at play!

Site #3 - Another Beach/Saltmarsh/Sandspits - This site is home to a variety of species and is one of the places where I fell in love with birding.  Here I saw more GW Teals, American Wigeons, crows and one of my all-time favorite birds, A Carolina Wren.

As Spring approaches, I am getting more and more ready for migration season.  Studying, reading, training will help make it as productive as possible.  Of course, I would like to spend sometime with friends and family... but maybe they just need their own migration season.

 Red-Tailed Hawk (c) soaring a few feet above me

Carolina Wren (c) singing its heart out!

2013 Year List: 88
Notable Additions
Carolina Wren
American Coot

A long Walk but a short addition...

So I took a long walk and only got one bird for 2012. But the Journey there was great fun. In the middle of winter, to talk over 3 miles and see all sorts of birds fly around reminded me that the migration is almost here. And boy does it look like it will be great. But I am getting ahead of myself. Today. American Robins, House Sparrows, Mute Swans nesting, Common Grackles, Common Mergansers, Hooded Mergansers, Northern Cardinals and the only new bird for 2012, the American Coot. Coot's aren't normally described as elusive, but this coot was awkwardly elusive. He was darting in and out of some reeds in a shallow lake. But then again, a couple of Bald Eagles had been spotted around the lake, so the Coot, also known as one of the Bald Eagle's favorite meals, was wise to be hiding. Well, I'll be rooting for you!

Outing #18
American Coot

2012 Total: 91

A Coot in the Fall