July Birds

As I've mentioned in some recent posts, for birders anxious for the Fall migration to begin, July is a good time to explore New York City's coastal habitats. In July, marsh birds, whether they are locally breeding species or long distant migrants passing through the area, are starting to become more numerous. It is not typically a month for adding a lot of new species to one's year list, but I did pick up 2 more, bringing my Brooklyn total to 220 this year.

Midway through the month Heydi and I went to Plum Beach looking for marsh sparrows and shorebirds. The pickin's were pretty slim that day, but we did spot a Seaside Sparrow slinking around at the edge of the marsh grass. The next weekend, Bob, Heydi, Mike and I went to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge where we all added Tricolor Heron to our year list. Fortunately, it was feeding in the corner of the West Pond that falls within the borough of Brooklyn.

Shorebird migration generally peaks in mid-August so, hopefully, I'll have a few new birds to tell you about in my "August Birds" posting.

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NYS Total: 229
Kings Total: 220
Added in July: 2
Effort: 6 birding days, 7 locations

219) Seaside Sparrow (Plumb Beach, 07/14/13)
220) Tricolored Heron (Jamaica Bay West--Brooklyn, 07/20/13)