Hilights are: three Black Vultures over Lookout Hill and PPSW Ave at 12:20 spotted by Chaoyan per John Ascher (via a text message) ; Pine Warblers ,Yellow-Rumped Warbler ,Chipping Sparrow ( FOY);First of year Great Egrets at Duck Island /along lake edges ;likely AMERICAN WOODCOCK in the southwest woods near Park Circle or Vanderbilt Ave entrances ; Field Sparrow (FOY) in Vale Cashmere, Rusty Blackbird ,Lily Pool viewing platform
**************************************
Kingsboider note:
Chaoyan's sighting of 3 Black Vulture represents the new record for most seen in one sighting or for one date in Prospect. Yesterday 's observation is the 10th BV record for PP, all previously singles,2nd 2010 sighting, the 6th since 2008.
**************************************
From Rafael
Site: Prospect Park
Date: 21 March 2010
Observer: Rafael Campos R
What a difference!! Today was a more active day, with numbers of certain sps increased.
I saw my first warbler for PP, a single YellowRumped Warbler, by the Falkill falls. One Red Tailed Hawk was observed flying with a stick in its beak, perhaps one of the pair nesting around Nelly's Lawn. The vale was very active, specially around the water pools, where I saw goldfinches, 1 Hermit Thrush, 3 waxwings, among other sps.
The lake had the regular 3 sps of gulls, still good numbers of Northern Shovelers & Ruddy Ducks. And the drake Ring-necked Duck is still around the upper pool. A lonely Chipping Sparrow was seeing briefly around the Rose Garden surrounded by a good number of Dark-eyed Jumcos.
The birds recorded today:
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Wood Duck (2 pairs, lake)
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Ring-necked Duck (1 drake, upper pool)
Ruddy Duck
Great Blue Heron (1 flyover Grand Army Plaza)
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot (lake)
Ring-billed Gull
American Herring Gull
Grat Black-backed Gull
Rock (Common) Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (1 m, Vale)
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker (4)
Eastern Phoebe (3)
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse (1)
White-breasted Nuthatch (2, Peninsula)
Carolina Wren (1, carrying nesting material; Midwood)
Hermit Thrush (1, Vale)
American Robin
European (Common) Starling
Cedar Waxwing (Vale)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (1)
Chipping Sparrow (1)
Fox Sparrow (2, Quaker Hill)
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow (1, Vale)
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
**********************************
From Janet Zinn:
Site: Prospect Park
Date: 21 March 2010
Observer: Janet Zinn and Alan Baratz
add to Rafael's list, two Pine Warblers high in the top of a pine
(naturally) on the side of Lookout hill facing Center Drive.
Also, a few Golden-crowned Kinglets.
spring is coming slowly but surely!
Janet Zinn
Brooklyn, NY
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
From Stanley Greenberg:
One more addition to Rafael's list for today: Brown Creeper, west side of the Lullwater.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
From Larry Zirlin:
Greenwood Cemetery
Must be spring--3 phoebes @ Greenwood.
Larry
Location: Greenwood Cemetery
Observation date: 3/21/10
Number of species: 24
Double-crested Cormorant 1 flyover
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Rock Pigeon 15
Mourning Dove 1
Monk Parakeet 25
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 Battle Hill
Downy Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 3
American Crow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 4
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Brown Creeper 1 Sylvan Avenue
American Robin 75
Northern Mockingbird 4
European Starling 60
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Song Sparrow 3
White-throated Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco 4
Northern Cardinal 7
Red-winged Blackbird 1
Common Grackle 10
House Sparrow 10
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Great Egret at Duck Island per Rob Bate
From John Ascher:
Hi Peter,
We had 3 Great Egrets today in phragmites along the Lake and Lullwater.Also we saw the Peregrine at its usual perch above BBG.John
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Email received from Ronn:
Hello,
I was reading your entry in the prospect park blog and I thought I'd ask you about an interesting sighting I saw today. There is a very narrow wooded strip of land along Prospect Park Southwest. It was between West Drive and the Prospect Park Southwest edge of the park.My girlfriend and I saw what appeared to be an American Woodcock ...... I was wondering if you'd seen this bird as well and what you thought it was. We got a clear look at its head when it was in the leaves and we saw that large eye. Also, we could see the large bill when it took flight and we both saw a buffy flash when it was flying. It seemed to stay along that narrow strip.
Happy birding,Ronn
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
From Joe Canale:
Hey, Peter. I have some additional PP bird species seen yesterday (late afternoon) that others have not reported:
Field Sparrow, feeding on seeds and cracked corn in the Vale
Rusty Blackbird, Binnen Water , seen from the viewing platform off Center Drive