2009 BGBY List (Brooklyn)

This is all walking from my home, no bike or public transit; and certainly not a car.

Prospect Park, March 28, 2009

My first trip to Brooklyn this year:

  1. American Coot
  2. American Goldfinch
  3. American Robin
  4. Black-capped Chickadee
  5. Blue Jay
  6. Brown-headed Cowbird
  7. Canada Goose
  8. Common Grackle
  9. Double-crested Cormorant
  10. Downy Woodpecker
  11. Eastern Phoebe
  12. European Starling
  13. Herring Gull
  14. House Finch
  15. House Sparrow
  16. Mallard
  17. Mourning Dove
  18. Northern Shoveler
  19. Red-breasted Nuthatch
  20. Red-bellied Woodpecker
  21. Red-tailed Hawk
  22. Red-winged Blackbird
  23. Ring-billed Gull
  24. Rock Pigeon
  25. Ruddy Duck
  26. Song Sparrow
  27. White-breasted Nuthatch
  28. White-throated Sparrow

Prospect Park, March 29, 2009

A Brooklyn Bird Club field trip in the rain led by Jerry Layton:

  1. Great Egret
  2. Brown Creeper
  3. Fox Sparrow
  4. Tufted Titmouse
  5. Eastern Towhee
  6. Northern Flicker
  7. Ring-necked Duck
  8. Swamp Sparrow
  9. Northern Cardinal
  10. Wood Duck
  11. Hermit Thrush

Prospect Park, August 30, 2009

I finally moved back and went on a Brooklyn Bird Club field trip led by Peter Dorosh:

  1. Great Crested Flycatcher
  2. Eastern Wood-Pewee
  3. Common Yellowthroat
  4. Chestnut-sided Warbler
  5. Cedar Waxwing
  6. Canada Warbler
  7. Blue-winged Warbler
  8. Black-throated Blue Warbler
  9. Blackburnian Warbler
  10. Black-and-white Warbler
  11. American Redstart
  12. Baltimore Oriole
  13. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
  14. Worm-eating Warbler
  15. Ovenbird
  16. Northern Waterthrush
  17. Magnolia Warbler
  18. Least Flycatcher
  19. Hairy Woodpecker
  20. Gray Catbird

Prospect Park, September 5, 2009

I finally moved back and went on a Linnean Society field trip led by Rob Jett:

  1. Carolina Wren
  2. Green Heron
  3. Warbling Vireo
  4. Yellow Warbler
  5. Red-eyed Vireo
  6. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
  7. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  8. Chimney Swift
  9. Nashville Warbler
  10. Mute Swan
  11. Veery
  12. Blackpoll Warbler
  13. Cooper’s Hawk
  14. Swainson’s Thrush
  15. Black-throated Green Warbler
  16. Northern Parula

Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, September 5, 2009

  1. Wilson’s Warbler

Prospect Park, September 6, 2009

A New York Audubon Center field trip led by Paul Keim:

  1. Black-crowned Night-heron
  2. Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Greenwood Cemetery, September 13, 2009

Walked all the way down to 5th Ave. and 25th street for a Linnaean Society field trip led by Paul Keim. I was looking for Snow Goose and Great Horned Owl, but instead we got:

  1. American Black Duck
  2. American Crow
  3. Barn Swallow
  4. Chipping Sparrow
  5. Palm Warbler
  6. Scarlet Tanager
  7. Monk Parakeet
  8. Northern Mockingbird

The Snow Goose may have finally left after several years in residence here. It hasn’t been seen for a week or so. It was always an ace in the hole for big days and the like.

Prospect Park, October 10, 2009

A New York Audubon Center field trip led by Tom Stephenson:

  1. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
  2. Tennessee Warbler
  3. Indigo Bunting
  4. Blue-headed Vireo
  5. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
  6. Golden-crowned Kinglet
  7. Yellow-rumped Warbler

Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, October 18, 2009

  1. Dark-eyed Junco
  2. Great Blue Heron

Prospect Park, November 1, 2009

A New York Audubon Center field trip led by Tom Stephenson:

  1. Bufflehead

Prospect Park, November 29, 2009

A Brooklyn Bird Club field trip led by Peter Dorosh:

  1. Orange-crowned Warbler
  2. Great Black-backed Gull
  3. Pied-billed Grebe
  4. American Tree Sparrow

Prospect Park, December 7, 2009

  1. Winter Wren

Prospect Park, December 19, 2009

Christmas Bird Count

  1. Rusty Blackbird

Public Transit

If you get on the subway, you can get to a lot of places see a lot more, including:

Central Park, September 19, 2009

  1. Least Flycatcher
  2. Willow Flycatcher
  3. Gadwall

But I missed the Philadelphia Vireo Starr spotted. :-(

Central Park, October 10, 2009

  1. Sedge Wren

The first life bird on this list.

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, October 11, 2009

My first trip out there this year:

  1. Brant
  2. Sharp-shinned Hawk
  3. Dowitcher sp.
  4. Solitary Sandpiper
  5. Greater Yellowlegs
  6. Green-winged Teal
  7. Snow Goose
  8. Northern Harrier
  9. Snowy Egret
  10. Laughing Gull
  11. Greater Scaup

Central Park, December 20, 2009

Christmas Bird Count

  1. Brown Thrasher

Obvious Misses

What should be on my list but isn’t (mostly birds seen in Prospect Park on days I was there):

  1. Black-billed Cuckoo
  2. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
  3. Common Nighthawk
  4. Whimbrel

Summing Up

Not bad for such a late start, and working fulltime 9-5, Monday-Friday.