Hilights: Orange-crowned Warbler @ Peninsula sumacs;Nashville Warbler,Solitary Sandpiper, Rusty Blackbird, Lake duck diversity.
From Rob Jett:
Date: November 1, 2009 5:20:31 PM EST
> Subject: eBird Report - Prospect Park , 11/1/09
> Location: Prospect Park
> Observation date: 11/1/09
> Number of species: 48
>
> Canada Goose 35
> Mute Swan 8
> Wood Duck 3
> American Black Duck 2
> American Black Duck x Mallard (hybrid) 1
> Mallard X
> Northern Shoveler 275
> Ring-necked Duck 1
> Bufflehead 4
> Ruddy Duck 20
> Great Blue Heron 1
> Black-crowned Night-Heron 2
> Red-tailed Hawk 3
> American Coot 8
> Laughing Gull 1
> Ring-billed Gull X
> Herring Gull (American) X
> Rock Pigeon X
> Mourning Dove 14
> Belted Kingfisher 1
> Red-bellied Woodpecker 4
> Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
> Downy Woodpecker 1
> Hairy Woodpecker 1
> Northern Flicker 4
> Blue Jay 4
> American Crow 3
> White-breasted Nuthatch 3
> Brown Creeper 1
> Winter Wren 2
> Golden-crowned Kinglet 5
> Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
> Hermit Thrush 4
> American Robin X
> Gray Catbird 1
> European Starling X
> Cedar Waxwing 14
> Nashville Warbler 1 behind Lily Pool
> Yellow-rumped Warbler 6
> Chipping Sparrow X
> Field Sparrow 1 south Lakeside
> Song Sparrow 20
> Swamp Sparrow 2
> White-throated Sparrow 75
> Dark-eyed Junco 75
> Northern Cardinal X
> Rusty Blackbird 1 west shore Prospect Lake
> American Goldfinch 15
> House Sparrow X
>
> This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/)
******************
The crisp cool day beckoned me to try birding for a few hours in Prospect; Rob's texting about lake diversity added more motivation as I set out in mid afternoon.
Sure enough, there were seven duck species within the lake boundary. Out in the middle,there were 2 drake WOOD DUCKS (later a hen), 4 BUFFLEHEADS (1 drake,3 hen), a juvenile drake RING-NECKED DUCK hung over from yesterday, AMERICAN BLACK DUCK on Three Sisters, along with the numerous Ruddies and Northern Shoveler, their number recorded by Rob this time around ( fortunately for me ).Oh I should throw in the late LAUGHING GULL spotted initially by Rob. Rob by the way was a lucky witness to a RUSTY BLACKBIRD,last observed landing by phragmites near the West Island shelter.
But surprisingly ,warblers of November captivated the day. Besides Rob's Yellow-rumped Warbler and our fortune seeing a bright NASHVILLE WARBLER behind the chain link fence along the horse trail behind Lily Pool, my own sighting in late afternoon of an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER made the birding day much more enjoyable. I spotted movement at the edge of mugwort in the Peninsula sumacs left side, and waited patiently as the rare warbler popped in view and stayed exposed for quite awhile,picking away at mugwort seed stalks. It was quite colorful even though its considered a drab bird which I disagree totally..It's how closely one sees it from light angles and minutely.
The fall colors and setting sun enhanced the landscape. It's even better when I saw SOLITARY SANDPIPER resting on the black plastic on the shores of south Lullwater, viewed from the Peninsula's "Pink Beach". And even more prettier watching a GREAT BLUE HERON next to it , walking in front of the young cattail patch growing out of dead phragmite stalks.
Its November now.With sparrows past peak, it's time to look for western vagrants? I'm game.
Peter
List
adding to Rob's list
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER-peninsula sumacs,mugwort
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 4 sumacs
SOLITARY SANDPIPER---resting on black plastic south lullwater
Gray Catbird--sumacs
Pied-billed grebe-1 south lullwater;2 lake
Song Sparrow- 7 sumacs
Wood Duck - 3 lake
