I did a "warm-up" to my early February Brooklyn Bird Club walking tour of the North Brooklyn Shore today AFTER accomplishing seeing my 201st Kings County species --a REDHEAD Duck drake at Coney Island Creek early this morning. I wanted to end the year with a flourish :)>
From the very first time I entered Brooklyn Bridge Park all the way to Ikea, with heavy boots on to fight the slush and snow, I must've walked 7 miles ( I forgot my pedometer ). Not alot of birds to report but there were some very interesting Raptor moments within a span of 20 minutes .
1st sighting: a PEREGRINE FALCON perched on the rooftop of the long abandoned concrete grain processing center ( used to store grains for local distilleries back then) in Gowanus Industrial park ( viewed easily from Ikea at Columbia Ave)
see the link http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SCENES/redhook/redhook.html
Look for Concrete Silo on the link ( the 1922 building has these black rooftop partitions cube)
2nd sighting: 10 minutes later, I saw a COOPERS HAWK fly over the IKEA parking lot and perched on one of the old tall shipping gray cranes, right on the the actual crane ( above the cab).
After the Coopers, I walked up Columbia Ave and entered Red Hook Park sport fields , thru deep snow , saw a bird shape on a rooftop water tank for my 3rd raptor sighting. In the ensuing hurry to open the tripod b4 the raptor flew away, I broke the cold handle ( snapped off) but nevertheless got the tripod extended. The raptor was a Red-Tailed Hawk perched on the water tank that had an advertisement saying "TREASURE ISLAND STORAGE" Hmmm, wondering what HE was guarding??? Th water tank building was located at Lorraine St and Clinton Street.
Weird kind of day with raptors acting strange in a short span of time....I hope they weren't celebrating too early for New Years....
Also of note were 5 PURPLE SANDPIPERS on an archipelago type jetty at Fairways walkway at the end of Conover Street.
Red Hook is a cool , artistic yet eccentric type of place but here and there you will find the occasional good birding moments.. great views of NY Harbor the statue of liberty, Governors Island....plus Steve's Lime Pie is always a treat.....
list:
Location: Brooklyn Bridge Park--Pier One
Observation date: 12/31/10
Number of species: 10
Brant X
Gadwall X
American Black Duck X
Mallard X
Red-breasted Merganser X
Double-crested Cormorant X
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull (American) X
Rock Pigeon X
**
Location: Red Hook coastal ,Brooklyn
Observation date: 12/31/10
Number of species: 21
Brant 140 on Ikea lawn
Canada Goose X
Gadwall X
American Wigeon 2
American Black Duck X
Mallard X
Bufflehead X
Red-breasted Merganser X
Common Loon 1
loon sp. X
Double-crested Cormorant X
Cooper's Hawk 1 on Ikea crane artifact
Red-tailed Hawk 1 on water tank
Peregrine Falcon 1 on grain silo building
Purple Sandpiper 5 Fairway walkway Conover Street end.
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull (American) X
Great Black-backed Gull X
Rock Pigeon X
Northern Mockingbird 1
Dark-eyed Junco 1
House Sparrow X
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
From Rob Bate:
Peter - 3 Siskins on the feeders at one time, otherwise all the usual suspects.
Happy New Year
Number of species: 34
Canada Goose X
Mute Swan X
Mallard X
Northern Shoveler X
Sharp-shinned Hawk X
American Coot X
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull X
Rock Pigeon X
Mourning Dove X
Red-bellied Woodpecker X
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker X
Downy Woodpecker X
Hairy Woodpecker X
Blue Jay X
Black-capped Chickadee X
Tufted Titmouse X
Red-breasted Nuthatch X
White-breasted Nuthatch X
Carolina Wren X
American Robin X
European Starling X
Chipping Sparrow X
Fox Sparrow X
Song Sparrow X
White-throated Sparrow X
Dark-eyed Junco X
Northern Cardinal X
Red-winged Blackbird X
House Finch X
Pine Siskin X
American Goldfinch X
House Sparrow X
