Starting an East Coast BGBY Year
Now that I’ve moved back to Brooklyn that pretty much closes out my BGBY effort for Orange County at 161, well short of the 200 species I was shooting for. 200 was a stretch but if I had had the extra 4 months, I could easily have added another 10-20 species. At least I managed to improve last year’s total by 2.
The silver lining is that now I get to start a new list for Brooklyn. (I suppose if I had bicycled across the country I could combine the two lists, but, as much fun as that sounds, I don’t have that sort of time or strength.) I’ve made a few excursions to Prospect Park (including 2 back in March) and I’m now starting the year with a very respectable 75 species:
| Location | Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Coot | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 2 | American Goldfinch | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 3 | American Robin | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 4 | Black-capped Chickadee | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 5 | Blue Jay | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 6 | Brown-headed Cowbird | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 7 | Canada Goose | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 8 | Common Grackle | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 9 | Double-crested Cormorant | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 10 | Downy Woodpecker | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 11 | Eastern Phoebe | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 12 | European Starling | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 13 | Herring Gull | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 14 | House Finch | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 15 | House Sparrow | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 16 | Mallard | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 17 | Mourning Dove | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 18 | Northern Shoveler | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 19 | Red-breasted Nuthatch | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 20 | Red-bellied Woodpecker | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 21 | Red-tailed Hawk | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 22 | Red-winged Blackbird | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 23 | Ring-billed Gull | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 24 | Rock Pigeon | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 25 | Ruddy Duck | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 26 | Song Sparrow | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 27 | White-breasted Nuthatch | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 28 | White-throated Sparrow | Prospect Park | 28 Mar 2009 |
| 29 | Great Egret | Prospect Park | 29 Mar 2009 |
| 30 | Brown Creeper | Prospect Park | 29 Mar 2009 |
| 31 | Fox Sparrow | Prospect Park | 29 Mar 2009 |
| 32 | Tufted Titmouse | Prospect Park | 29 Mar 2009 |
| 33 | Eastern Towhee | Prospect Park | 29 Mar 2009 |
| 34 | Northern Flicker | Prospect Park | 29 Mar 2009 |
| 35 | Ring-necked Duck | Prospect Park | 29 Mar 2009 |
| 36 | Swamp Sparrow | Prospect Park | 29 Mar 2009 |
| 37 | Northern Cardinal | Prospect Park | 29 Mar 2009 |
| 38 | Wood Duck | Prospect Park | 29 Mar 2009 |
| 39 | Hermit Thrush | Prospect Park | 29 Mar 2009 |
| 40 | Great Crested Flycatcher | Prospect Park | 30 Aug 2009 |
| 41 | Eastern Wood-Pewee | Prospect Park | 30 Aug 2009 |
| 42 | Common Yellowthroat | Prospect Park | 30 Aug 2009 |
| 43 | Chestnut-sided Warbler | Prospect Park | 30 Aug 2009 |
| 44 | Cedar Waxwing | Prospect Park | 30 Aug 2009 |
| 45 | Canada Warbler | Prospect Park | 30 Aug 2009 |
| 46 | Blue-winged Warbler | Prospect Park | 30 Aug 2009 |
| 47 | Black-throated Blue Warbler | Prospect Park | 30 Aug 2009 |
| 48 | Blackburnian Warbler | Prospect Park | 30 Aug 2009 |
| 49 | Black-and-white Warbler | Prospect Park | 30 Aug 2009 |
| 50 | American Redstart | Prospect Park | 30 Aug 2009 |
| 51 | Baltimore Oriole | Prospect Park | 30 Aug 2009 |
| 52 | Yellow-billed Cuckoo | Prospect Park | 30 Aug 2009 |
| 53 | Worm-eating Warbler | Prospect Park | 30 Aug 2009 |
| 54 | Ovenbird | Prospect Park | 30 Aug 2009 |
| 55 | Northern Waterthrush | Prospect Park | 30 Aug 2009 |
| 56 | Magnolia Warbler | Prospect Park | 30 Aug 2009 |
| 57 | Least Flycatcher | Prospect Park | 30 Aug 2009 |
| 58 | Hairy Woodpecker | Prospect Park | 30 Aug 2009 |
| 59 | Gray Catbird | Prospect Park | 30 Aug 2009 |
| 60 | Carolina Wren | Prospect Park | 05 Sep 2009 |
| 61 | Green Heron | Prospect Park | 05 Sep 2009 |
| 62 | Warbling Vireo | Prospect Park | 05 Sep 2009 |
| 63 | Yellow Warbler | Prospect Park | 05 Sep 2009 |
| 64 | Red-eyed Vireo | Prospect Park | 05 Sep 2009 |
| 65 | Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | Prospect Park | 05 Sep 2009 |
| 66 | Ruby-throated Hummingbird | Prospect Park | 05 Sep 2009 |
| 67 | Chimney Swift | Prospect Park | 05 Sep 2009 |
| 68 | Nashville Warbler | Prospect Park | 05 Sep 2009 |
| 69 | Mute Swan | Prospect Park | 05 Sep 2009 |
| 70 | Veery | Prospect Park | 05 Sep 2009 |
| 71 | Blackpoll Warbler | Prospect Park | 05 Sep 2009 |
| 72 | Cooper’s Hawk | Prospect Park | 05 Sep 2009 |
| 73 | Swainson’s Thrush | Prospect Park | 05 Sep 2009 |
| 74 | Black-throated Green Warbler | Prospect Park | 05 Sep 2009 |
| 75 | Northern Parula | Prospect Park | 05 Sep 2009 |
Orange County’s better for bicycling and walking, but New York isn’t bad; and it’s probably one of the best places in the country to do a public transit BGBY. Central Park and Jamaica Bay each see over 200 species in a year; and Breezy Point, Riis, and Tilden add a few more to those; as well as rarities that show up at places like Drier Offerman (which has 2 Whimbrels all this week, until the Parks Dept. mowed today.)
