A holiday is not a holiday for me if pursuing good birds in Prospect Park becomes a "labor of love".
This morning despite being a bit of a sleepyhead, i get a text from Keir on a really good bird, a MOURNING WARBLER (MOWA) skulking around in the Brooklyn Bird Club's centennial garden. I haven't see one this year except the backside of one inside dense swamp woods in famous warbler hot spot Magee Marsh in northeast Ohio, during spring.[ that rear view MOWA didn't count for me]. So off I went for a long walk to the Vale of Cashmere where it was reported despite my aching legs from excessive walking over the weekend.
I get to the Vale and there isn't much luck finding MOWA.After a little time conversing with Keir , Gayle and Xandra, I said to Keir lets just do a walk thru the Vale and see what other birds we may find. Just as we approach the water fountain,a bright yellowish bird flew away from us, right over the water fountain, to low branches of pyracantha shrubs. Its the MOURNING. Terrific looks there , and seconds later, the bird flew towards us to a low branch to our left just 10 feet away. Incredible looks, before it flew down into the north end of the fenced off area to our right.
Later, en route to Lookout Hill where Mike Yuan reported very good activity ( see his report below), Keir and I watched a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO above Ricks Place horse trail puddle , moving around and perching still for great looks high within the Osage Orange tree canopy.
Lookout Hill , our last spot, where we met Rob Bate , petered out with birds when we got there but some nice birds to report anyway. After a long time watching a bird hidden well in Butterfly Meadow grasses, and then disappearing, it re-appeared eventually (Patience is a virtue!) and what I suspected, a gorgeous NASHVILLE WARBLER. Above it ,a couple of MAGNOLIA WARBLERS showboating on Lambquarters and Mugwort weeds. Behind us, two BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLERs in the Pines just about made it interesting. Mike Yuan in his report to me, reported this morning YELLOW-THROATED VIREO on the hill, perhaps my suspicions correct that i might have seen one on the south slope yesterday..
here is a photo link to MOWA , a similar bird to this morn's--photo taken in Central Park by Dave Speiser ---> http://lilibirds.com/gallery2/d/834-3/mourning_warbler+_new_.jpg
It was a good day out there, on what we are supposed to do on Labor Day :RELAX !...... :)>
--Kingsboider
Note : at least 14 species warbler inc Blue-winged repted by Keir in the Vale.
List
Observers Peter, Keir Randall
Location: Prospect Park
Observation date: 9/6/10
Number of species: 32
Canada Goose 33 lake
Gadwall 1 drake boathouse pond
Mallard X
Green Heron 1 under terrace br
Rock Pigeon X
Mourning Dove X
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1 above ricks pl horse trail puddle, high in large Osage orange tree
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1 butterfly meadow
Empidonax sp. 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 2--one lullwater cove, one ricks place
Red-eyed Vireo 2 ricks place
Veery 2
American Robin X
Gray Catbird 2
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling X
Nashville Warbler 1 butterfly meadow (also obs Rob Bate )
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1 boathouse pond edge
Magnolia Warbler 3 butterfly meadow (also obs Rob Bate )
Black-throated Green Warbler 2 butterfly meadow (also obs Rob Bate )
Black-and-white Warbler 2
American Redstart 3
Ovenbird 2
Northern Waterthrush 2--one sulllivan hill,
Mourning Warbler 1 Vale cashmere near water fountain, originally in BBC "centennial garden"
Common Yellowthroat 1 butterfly meadow
Northern Cardinal 1
Common Grackle 2
Baltimore Oriole 1
American Goldfinch 2
House Sparrow X
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Keir's report pending
_____________________________________________
From Mike Yuan:
Peter-
Slow start to the day, but there was a lot of warbler activity at the butterfly meadow from 10-11am.-Mike
Canada Goose 18
Mute Swan 2
Mallard 25
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Ring-billed Gull 2
Rock Pigeon 3
Mourning Dove 8
Common Nighthawk 1
Chimney Swift 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 4
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1
Least Flycatcher 1
Empidonax sp. 2
Eastern Phoebe 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 2
Eastern Kingbird 1
Yellow-throated Vireo 1
Warbling Vireo 2
Red-eyed Vireo 4
Blue Jay 2
Black-capped Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Veery 2
Swainson's Thrush 2
American Robin 70
Gray Catbird 11
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 35
Cedar Waxwing 1
Tennessee Warbler 1
Nashville Warbler 1
Northern Parula 1
Magnolia Warbler 5
Black-throated Blue Warbler 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Pine Warbler 1
Black-and-white Warbler 7
American Redstart 8
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 6
American Goldfinch 5
House Sparrow 18
*******************************************
From Keir Randall:
Location: Prospect Park
Observation date: 9/6/10, 9am-5p
Number of species: 51
Canada Goose X
Mute Swan X
Wood Duck 2
Gadwall 2 (Boathouse)
Mallard X
Northern Shoveler X
Green Heron 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Rock Pigeon X
Mourning Dove X
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1 (Rick's Place)
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 3
Empidonax sp. 2
Great Crested Flycatcher 2
Warbling Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo X
Blue Jay X
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1 (Lookout, late pm)
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 1
Veery 3
Swainson's Thrush 1 (S. lake shore, pm)
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
Northern Mockingbird X
European Starling X
Blue-winged Warbler 1 (Vale)
Nashville Warbler 1 (Lookout)
Northern Parula 2
Yellow Warbler 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1
Magnolia Warbler X
Black-throated Blue Warbler 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 3 (Vale/Lookout)
Pine Warbler 1 (Lookout, West slope, pm)
Black-and-white Warbler X
American Redstart X
Ovenbird 3
Northern Waterthrush 4
Mourning Warbler 1 (Nellie's Lawn/Vale)
Common Yellowthroat X
Chipping Sparrow 1 (imm. Nellie's Lawn)
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle X
American Goldfinch X
House Sparrow X
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
