Alley Pond Park & JBWR

This is a brief report from today's visit to Alley Pond Park and Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. It seemed like a lot of folks (some from as far away as Rochester) were booked on the cancelled pelagic trip out of Brooklyn. Many converged on some of the local birding spots. Spotting seabirds would have been a nice change but there were still some good highlights from around the city to report.

Several of us started early at Alley Pond Park in search of the reported Connecticut Warbler. It took about 90 minutes of searching but he finally made an appearance near the stand of conifers he has been frequenting. There was a fairly decent showing of other warblers in the park with a noticeable increase in parulas. Also, a Worm-eating Warbler was seen at “Eric’s Mugwort Meadow”.

Small Mayfly (Baetidae)

(Photo credit - Rob J)

At Jamaica Bay we ran into Jean, Dominic and Gary from Rochester and birded the South Garden with them for a couple of hours. Swarms of Small Mayflies have emerged and the warblers and flycatchers were feasting on the fleeting windfall. Two nice sightings here were Bay-breasted and Cape May Warblers. I also tallied my first Ruby-crowned Kinglet of the fall season.

A shrinking East Pond

(Photo credit - Rob J)

At the ever-shrinking East Pond the wide expanse of shoreline has attracted about six American Golden-Plover. A Caspian Tern was roosting among a flock of, mostly, Ring-billed and Laughing Gulls. Also, Tom Burke pointed out a Wilson's Phalarope. The phalarope entertained us with his unique style of crouched, neck-extended feeding. When feeding in the deeper water he would practically submerge his entire body as he speared insects off the surface of the pond.

Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia)



(Photo credit - Rob J)

A Baird’s Sandpiper, seen earlier by Isaac, Seth A. and Seth W., was relocated on the east shore of the pond. Finally, a seemingly ever present Buff-breasted Sandpiper strolled along the shoreline of the pond, indifferent to our presence.

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Alley Pond Park & JBWR, 9/10/2005
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Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron (JBWR, East Pond.)
Glossy Ibis
Gadwall (JBWR, East Pond.)
American Wigeon (JBWR, East Pond.)
Northern Shoveler (JBWR, East Pond.)
Green-winged Teal (JBWR, East Pond.)
Osprey (Both.)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (JBWR, over East Pond.)
Cooper's Hawk (JBWR, over East Pond.)
Peregrine Falcon (JBWR, East Pond.)
Black-bellied Plover (JBWR, East Pond.)
American Golden-Plover (JBWR. approx. 4-6, East Pond.
Semipalmated Plover (JBWR, East Pond.)
Killdeer (JBWR, East Pond.)
American Oystercatcher (JBWR, East Pond.)
Greater Yellowlegs (JBWR, East Pond.)
Lesser Yellowlegs (JBWR, East Pond.)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (JBWR, East Pond.)
Western Sandpiper (JBWR, East Pond.)
Least Sandpiper (JBWR, East Pond.)
White-rumped Sandpiper (JBWR, East Pond.)
Baird's Sandpiper (JBWR, East Pond.)
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Buff-breasted Sandpiper (JBWR, East Pond.)
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher (Calling while flying over East Pond.)
Wilson's Phalarope (JBWR, East Pond.)
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Caspian Tern (JBWR, East Pond.)
Common Tern
Forster's Tern
Black Skimmer
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Alley Pond Park.)
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Alley Pond Park.)
Great Crested Flycatcher (Alley Pond Park.)
empidonax sp. (Several.)
White-eyed Vireo (JBWR, South Garden.)
Warbling Vireo (Alley Pond Park.)
Red-eyed Vireo (Both.)
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Alley Pond & JBWR.)
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (JBWR, South Garden.)
Veery
Hermit Thrush
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher (JBWR, South Garden.)
Cedar Waxwing
Northern Parula (Alley Pond Park.)
Yellow Warbler (JBWR, South Garden.)
Magnolia Warbler (Both.)
Cape May Warbler (JBWR, South Garden.)
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler (JBWR, South Garden.)
Black-throated Green Warbler (JBWR, South Garden.)
Prairie Warbler (JBWR, near main entrance.)
Bay-breasted Warbler (JBWR, South Garden.)
Blackpoll Warbler (JBWR, South Garden.)
Black-and-white Warbler (Alley Pond Park.)
American Redstart (Both.)
Worm-eating Warbler (Alley Pond Park, “Eric’s Mugwort Meadow”.)
Ovenbird (Both.)
Northern Waterthrush (JBWR, South Garden.)
Connecticut Warbler (Alley Pond Park.)
Common Yellowthroat (Both.)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (JBWR, South Garden.)
Eastern Towhee
Red-winged Blackbird
Baltimore Oriole (JBWR, South Garden.)

Other common species seen (or heard):
Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Mallard, Herring Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, American Robin, European Starling, Northern Cardinal, Song Sparrow, House Sparrow