The big surprise this morning wasn't the numbers, still indicative of a slow below par spring, but three rarities sighted ,two initially by Ed Crowne, and one by Peter Dorosh; two were spotted on trusty Lookout Hill, the reliable notable migrant trap in Prospect's southwestern region, and the third in the Ravine.
Two text message reports, first Ed Crowne's followed by another report by Shane Blodgett, placed the KENTUCKY WARBLER along the southeastern edge of Butterfly Meadow's slope where Peter heard the bird, before heading off to lead this morning's Brooklyn Bird Club walk. Eventual reports relocated the furtive warbler at the base of Lookout , adjacent to the Maryland Monument and east slope, where Shane heard it singing.Subsequently, Peter ,along with Elyse Shiller-Taylor's help, found the loud calling warbler in the weedy, poison ivy/honeysuckle infested slope to the right of the monument if you are going up slope. The warbler was briefly spotted just 15 feet in the dense underbrush and again inside the multi flora rosebush. It apparently was spooked by frisbee players looking for a lost frisbeee in those woods during the wait.
In the ensuing period after Peter's very brief looks at the Kentucky, another good warbler surfaced, on the other side of the hill, the flat open area inside the carriage road ( starts at Center Drive), nearer Center Drive. While both birders were walking up the short step middle path, a female HOODED WARBLER perched on a fallen Cherry Tree, then flitted around the decomposing dead large trees at the bottom.
Last, Ed Crowne kept his hot streak going with a sighting of rare ACADIAN FLYCATCHER inside the Ravine, an usual southern overshoot though it appears this species is slowly moving its breeding range more northward,( particularly in New Jersey).It is the most green of the 5 northeastern Empidonax flycatchers, distinguished by its explosive loud call spit-a-KEET, sometimes by peek , pweest or a sharp pyew, or psee.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Acadian_Flycatcher/lifehistory
Also of note was TENNESSEE WARBLER, only the second sighted this spring, by Rafael in the Vale of Cashmere.
(Note: Rafael Campos is leading the last Brooklyn Bird Club spring walk on a morning weekend in spring 2009 tomorrow on sunday the 24th .Check www.brooklynbirdclub.org/trips .The next two last Prospect walks take place on the 100th year official birth date of the Brooklyn Bird Club, Friday June 5th, and an evening walk June 14th)
List
From BBC walk, led by Peter Dorosh
Location: Prospect Park
Observation date: 5/23/09
Number of species: 29
Canada Goose X
Mallard X
Ring-necked Duck 1 drake upper pool
Double-crested Cormorant 9 f/o Vale
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Rock Pigeon X
Mourning Dove X
Chimney Swift X
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 Vale
Hairy Woodpecker 1 Quaker Ridge
Empidonax sp. X Esdale Bridge
Red-eyed Vireo 3 2 Battle Pass hill east
Blue Jay 1
Barn Swallow X Long Meadow
House Wren 4
Swainson's Thrush 2 Lookout hill; Sullivan Hill
Gray Catbird X
Cedar Waxwing 65 ; 20 f/o Vale; 15 feeding in Sullivan Hill; more flyovers
Magnolia Warbler 1 Vale
Blackpoll Warbler 3 Vale; 2 Pools
American Redstart 1 Vale
Kentucky Warbler 1 Maryland Monument , east slope
Hooded Warbler 1 female Lookout north section , inside carriage path
Northern Cardinal X
Indigo Bunting 2 males; Vale; Nellies Lawn east edge
Common Grackle 1
Orchard Oriole 1 Lower Pool back path
House Sparrow X
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/)
********************
Ed Crowne sightings
Acadian Flycatcher Ravine,
Kentucky Warbler Lookout Hill south slope, later Maryland Monument
********************
From Rafael:
Location: Prospect Park
Observer: Rafael Campos
Date: 23 May 2009
Nice day, but as yesterday quite slow. Missed today 2 early ones: Kentucky Warbler and Acadian Flycatcher. Both reported by Ed Crowne before 7 am.
My best bird was 1 Tennessee Warbler seen briefly at the Vale. Also there were Blackburnian, Blackpoll, Parula, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Waterthrush (singing), Magnolia.
At the upper pool, the Ring-necked Duck is still there. Another Northern Waterthrush was seen around the lower pool.
The birds:
Canada Goose
Mallard
Ring-necked Duck
Red-tailed Hawk
Spotted Sandpiper (1, Peninsula shore)
Laughing Gull (1 flyover Lookout Hill)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee (1 calling by the pools; 1 seen by the Nethermead Arches)
Least Flycatcher (1 calling in the Vale)
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Barn Swallow (flyovers Lake & Nethermead)
White-breasted Nuthatch (1, Vale)
House Wren
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing (large flock flyover towards Lookout Hill, seen from Peninsula meadow)
Tennessee Warbler (1, Vale)
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler (1 female)
Blackburnian Warbler (Vale & Lookout Hill)
Blackpoll Warbler (perhaps the most vocal & numerous of the Parulidae)
American Redstart (3)
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat (1 female, Vale)
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow (1, Vale)
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting (male, singing, edge of Nellie's lawn)
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
***************************************
Brooklyn is good birding!!!
