March Birds

During the month of March I added 12 more species to my NYC year list, bringing my total to 125. All but one was found in Brooklyn, the 12th was seen in Queens County.

March is rarely a time when birders get to add a lot of species to their year list, especially since the bulk of migrating birds are still two months away. Of the 12 species that I added this month, 8 are birds that I would have definitely seen later in the year. Ring-necked Ducks are strictly overwintering waterfowl that tend to depart by April. Common Ravens are rarely seen around New York City, however, I did see one last year at Pelham Bay Park, in the Bronx. Boat-tailed Grackles are common at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, but the one I just saw at Marine Park is new for me in the borough of Brooklyn (I only saw one in Queens last year). The biggest surprise of March was seeing Black Vultures. Not only was the trio I observed at Green-Wood Cemetery a first for me in Brooklyn, it was a first for New York City. After reading some of the opinions on the New York State birding list, I suppose we'll be seeing more of them in the future.

Note that nearly all my birding over the last three months has been done by bicycle or public transportation.

114) Ring-necked Duck (Prospect Park, 03/05/10)
115) Brown-headed Cowbird (Greenwood Cemetery, 03/07/10)
116) Ring-necked Pheasant (Marine Park Saltmarsh Nature Center, 03/17/10)
117) American Oystercatcher (Marine Park Saltmarsh Nature Center, 03/17/10)
118) Field Sparrow (Floyd Bennett Field, 03/19/10)
119) Eastern Phoebe (Prospect Park, 03/20/10)
120) Common Raven (Queens County, 03/20/10)
121) Boat-tailed Grackle (Salt Marsh Nature Center--West, 03/21/10)
122) Black Vulture (Greenwood Cemetery, 03/24/10)
123) Turkey Vulture (Greenwood Cemetery, 03/24/10)
124) Osprey (Greenwood Cemetery, 03/24/10)
125) Wilson's Snipe (Four Sparrow Marsh, 03/28/10)