Wednesday, December 16, 2009

December 15th Prospect

I birded on a very limited time frame with some looks during my work duties.

Most intriguing was an adult RED-TAILED HAWK perched on a limb right above the East Drive (Midwood) bike/pedestrian walkway. It was only 20 feet up. A quite unflinching bird, I say.

Another interesting bird quite rare in winter Prospect was an EASTERN TOWHEE male that I flushed along the narrow pathway from the boathouse towards East Drive. It'll be a good species if we get it seen on the count.

And on the lake, 3 PIED-BILLED GREBE with 2 in the south lullwater makes a great number, in some years' xmas counts,a "save" bird ,cause Prospect was the only spot that had the species;in addition, 84 NORTHERN SHOVELER on the lake, the highest I have seen of late since the early fall high of 400+ that mysteriously disappeared to lows of 20 in early December .We might get lucky and see 100 + this Saturday.

I swung by the feeders very late,so it isn't valid to say what was there. Wednesday I hope to put up a thistle feeder...

Peter

Location: Prospect Park
Observation date: 12/15/09
Number of species: 17

Canada Goose X
Mute Swan 7 west island
American Black Duck 1 west island
Mallard X
Northern Shoveler 84 west lake shore
Ruddy Duck X lake
Pied-billed Grebe 5- 3 lake, 2 south lullwater
Red-tailed Hawk 1 east midwood
American Coot 4 south lullwater
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Rock Pigeon X
Tufted Titmouse 1 midwood
Eastern Towhee 1 male at Boathouse
Song Sparrow 1 breeze hill
White-throated Sparrow X well drive
Northern Cardinal 2 feeders

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)