Best of the Fortnight

Below is a selection of my photos from the second two weeks of January. Unless otherwise noted, all my "Fortnight" photographs were taken somewhere within New York City:

Carolina Wren

Great Blue Heron

'Jalena' Witch-hazel buds

Striped Skunk

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Baltimore Oriole

Immature Cooper's Hawk

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Immature Red-tailed Hawk

Upcoming Trips

Below are the birding/nature trips for the weekend of February 1 - February 2, 2025:

Brooklyn Bird Club

Jones Beach in Winter Glory
Saturday, February 1, 2025
Leader: Adelia Harrison
Description: The focus is primarily coastal waterfowl and gulls, possible Snowy Owl, wintering shorebirds, dune species, raptors, finches and other winter passerines.
Registration: Adelia Honeywood email honeywood5@yahoo.com
View Details

Introduction to Birdwatching
Saturday, February 1, 2025, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Leader: A member of the Brooklyn Bird Club
Description: Whether you’re just starting out or have already joined the birding ranks, this introductory walk is for you. Join a member of the Brooklyn Bird Club to learn the basics of birding and search for the dozens of species that visit Prospect Park through all seasons. All levels are welcome.
Registration: No registration necessary. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
View Details

First Sunday Bird Outings
Sunday, February 2, 2025, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Leader: A member of the Brooklyn Bird Club
Description: Join a member of the Brooklyn Bird Club in search of dozens of species that visit the park through all seasons. Learn about the different habitats in Prospect Park and why they are important for all types of birds.
Registration: No registration necessary.
View Details


**********

Gateway National Parks

Birding for Beginners at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Saturday, February 1, 2025, 10:00am — 11:30am
Leader: Park Rangers
Description: Is one of your New Year's resolutions to become a birder? Look no further and come with a ranger on this birding for beginners walk around West Pond. All skill levels welcomed; binoculars provided. Dress for the weather.
Registration: Reservation or Registration: No
View Details


**********

Green-Wood Cemetery

Birding in Peace
Sunday, February 2, 2025, 7:00am - 8:30am
Description: Just because it’s winter, doesn’t mean that there aren’t interesting birds to discover in Green-Wood. For some bird species that migrate south after the breeding season, Brooklyn is their Miami during the cold months. Spend the early morning exploring the cemetery, looking for overwintering waterfowl, nuthatches, woodpeckers, sparrows, finches, and any half-hardy birds that decided to stick around. By February we’ll see some of the early north-bound birds beginning to trickle back into the area.
View Details


**********

Linnaean Society of New York

Coney Island Pier to Coney Island Creek
Saturday, February 1, 2025
Leader: Rob Jett
Description: This casual four-mile loop begins by exploring the shore, water, and jetties of the lower bay along Coney Island Beach. Walking west towards the border between Coney Island and the private community of Seagate, we expect to observe Common and Red-throated Loons, Horned Grebes, Long-tailed Ducks, scoters, and several other species of waterfowl. The overwintering Purple Sandpipers along the rock jetties are always a delight. We may find a rare Lesser Black-backed Gull or an Iceland Gull among the abundant common gulls. The second half of the loop takes us to the tranquil Gravesend Bay and Coney Island Creek.
Registration: Mary Braza — brazamary@gmail.com
View Details

Staten Island
Sunday, February 2, 2025
Leader: Richard ZainEldeen
Description: Staten Island’s habitats include woodlands, coastal beaches, marshes, parks, and more. We have seen shorebirds, Bonaparte’s Gulls, Horned Grebes, and other grebe species. Many rare birds may make surprise appearances. One year, a Summer Tanager stayed throughout the winter, eating bees found in a tree hole. Hairy Woodpeckers are not uncommon. The itinerary may evolve based on sightings or rare bird species.
Registration: Ursula Mitra — ursula.mitra@verizon.net
View Details


**********

Protectors of Pine Oak Woods

A Walk in the Woods at Blue Heron Park
Sunday, February 2, 2025, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Leader: Don Recklies
Description: We’ll brave the chill—if there is any—to see winter activity in the park and try to identify a few trees by their bark. Perhaps we’ll run across a shed or hear the pileated woodpeckers. We’ll meet at the Blue Heron Nature Center then walk around Spring Pond and the Arbutus Woods Trail loop to the north. (Inclement weather will cancel; should earlier weather have made the Orange trail impassible, we’ll choose another route.)
Registration: For more information call Don Recklies at (718) 768-9036
View Details


**********

South Shore Audubon Society

Point Lookout Town Park (and Lido Preserve afterwards)
Sunday, February 2, 2025
Leader: Members of SSAS
Description: From the Southern State Parkway, exit onto the Meadowbrook State Parkway south. Exit from the Meadowbrook at Loop Parkway (just before the Jones Beach toll booths) toward Point Lookout. The Loop Parkway ends west of Point Lookout at Lido Boulevard. Continue straight across Lido Boulevard into Point Lookout Park. Travel past the ticket booths and curve left into the very large parking lot on the south side of the park. Park in the southeast corner, closest to the private homes of the village of Point Lookout and the beach. We will walk east along the beach toward Jones Inlet. After returning to the parking lot, we will drive west on Lido Boulevard to Lido Beach Passive Nature Preserve on the north side of Lido Boulevard to walk through the bay marsh.
Registration: Registration is required by calling Joe Landesberg at 516-467-9498
View Details


**********

Urban Park Rangers

Saturday, February 1, 2025
Birding: Winter Birds at Forest Avenue and Silver Lake Park Road (in Silver Lake Park), Staten Island
11:00am - 12:30pm
Join us on this Ranger led walk along the trails identifying various woodland birds and winter waterfowl.
Free

Sunday, February 2, 2025
Birding: All About Woodpeckers at Alley Pond Adventure Course (in Alley Pond Park)
10:00am - 11:00am
Join the Urban Park Rangers as they guide you through the forest of Alley Pond Park while highlighting the signs and tracks of woodpeckers.
Free

Birding: Winter Waterfowl at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
1:00pm - 2:00pm
Birding programs are appropriate for all skill levels and beginners are welcome.
Free

...Read more

Winter Orioles

Baltimore Orioles are one of my favorite, locally breeding songbirds. During the spring, I love hearing their loud, clear, flute-like whistled song broadcast from the treetops. Locating the source is usually fairly easy given the male's vivid orange body and matte black head. In addition to the whistled call, they frequently make an almost mechanical chattering sound. I look foward to hunting down their finely woven, hanging basket nest, which is often accented with colorful bits of discarded ribbon or string.

The orioles that nest in Brooklyn usually have a brief breeding season, with many heading south as early as July. Described as a medium to long-distance migrant, most winter in Florida, the Caribbean, Central America, and northern South America. Here's a range map from Cornell's "All About Birds" website:

Their usual diet consists of insects, berries and nectar. In Brooklyn's historic Green-Wood Cemetery there is apparently a lot to eat as several pair nest there every year.

I was motivated to write this post as I've been watching an overwintering pair at Green-Wood since December 13th of last year. Their plumage is much more subdued in the winter, but they are still a nice bright spot in a mostly drab landscape. The orioles were first observed feeding on the small red fruit of a spawling yew tree at Pastoral Dell. Yew trees provide an important source of food to many animals, especially when other trees, such as, holly and persimmon are depleted. Over the course of two weeks I noticed that they were actually remaining in a relatively small area along Hillock Avenue. There are several yews in that area and the two orioles would regularly move between them.

Eventually I could not longer find them at those trees. I didn't think that they suddenly decided to leave New York and head to the tropics, but rather another source of food was found.

Approximately 200 yards south of the yew trees in a small protected valley is a manmade pond named "Dell Water". There are huge fluctuations in the water level, but there's always enough to attract wildlife. Deep leaf litter on the surrounding ridges and a general "messy" habitat makes it a prime spot for birds. The cemetery maintains winter bird feeding stations here, plus, there are about a dozen honeybee hives. The latter will become an important point. On January 2nd I encountered both the orioles at Dell Water.

I wasn't sure what they were eating as I didn't notice them chowing down on the abundant mixed seed or thistle. Ultimately, I saw one nibbling on the suet feeder. Occasionally, they'd break off pieces, fly to a distant section of grass and eat it away from all the other birds.

Apparently, orioles cannot survive on suet alone. On January 14th I noticed one of them foraging in the leaves that had collected below the bee hives. It appeared to be finding some small insects, then flying to an adjacent crabapple to devour it. I watched it going back and forth for about 15 minutes wondering what it was eating. When I uploaded my photos to the computer I saw what should have been obvious. It was eating dead honeybees. Subsequently, I observed that they figured out bees can also be found inside the hive openings. Note that on a couple of mild days, the honeybees were actively moving around at the entrance to some of the hives. That might explain the red welt at the corner of one oriole's mouth. Oops.

This is not the first Brooklyn winter that I've seen Baltimore Oriole hanging around. In fact, on the annual Christmas Bird Count, this species has become semi-regular. So, it begs the question, why are a pair of neotropic songbirds sticking around in the northeast? In an article by Terry W. Johnson of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division, the author writes:

"For untold thousands of years, Baltimore orioles have traditionally wintered
far south of the U.S. in southern Mexico southward to Columbia. Consequently,
they were rarely, if ever, seen in North America in winter."

"However, as long ago as the 1890s, a smattering of Baltimore orioles began
showing up at bird feeders during the winter. Thereafter, from time to time, one
would be spotted in the northern U.S. Then, for reasons we do not fully
understand, by 1950 these gorgeous birds were regularly appearing in small
numbers across New England."

"In the years since, sightings have come in from feeder watchers as far south as
the Carolinas and Georgia. Now Baltimore orioles are regular winter visitors
throughout much of eastern North America."

Perhaps many more people putting out feeders in the winter, plus the planting of more fruiting botanics have made it easier for the Baltimore Oriole to survive cold winters. Whatever the reasons, I look forward to seeing this fascinating species more often...maybe even year-round.

Upcoming Trips

Below are the birding/nature trips for the weekend of January 25 - January 26, 2025:

Brooklyn Bird Club

Counting Waterfowl in Prospect Park
Saturday, January 25, 2025, 9:00am - 11:00am
Leader: Tina Alleva
Description: The annual NYS Waterfowl count commences this week with the aim of counting ducks, swans, geese, grebes and coots among the species documented. Prospect Park’s tally will be part of the overall Kings County count.
Registration: No registration necessary.
View Details

Staten Island Winter Trip
Saturday, January 25, 2025
Leader: Tom Preston
Description: We will visit several locations in Staten Island on this trip. There is good birding year round on the island. In winter coastal spots are often productive, but we will visit inland areas too.The exact spots will be finalized later, based on conditions and reports. Staten Island has many productive and easily accessible birding spots, we will visit a number of them.
Registration: JoAnn Preston email jocrochet@verizon.net Members and drivers get priority.
View Details

Introduction to Birdwatching
Saturday, January 25, 2025, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Leader: A member of the Brooklyn Bird Club
Description: Whether you’re just starting out or have already joined the birding ranks, this introductory walk is for you. Join a member of the Brooklyn Bird Club to learn the basics of birding and search for the dozens of species that visit Prospect Park through all seasons. All levels are welcome.
Registration: No registration necessary. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
View Details


**********

Gateway National Parks

Winter Wander at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Saturday, January 25, 2025, 1:00pm — 2:30pm
Leader: Park Rangers
Description: Wander with a park ranger at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge while it’s a winter wonderland! Explore how plants and animals at the park survive and adapt to the winter. Open to all ages. This is an all-weather walk, so please dress for the conditions.
Registration: Reservation or Registration: No
View Details


**********

Green-Wood Cemetery

Birding in Peace: Late-Risers Edition (Members Only)
Sunday, January 26, 2025, 10:00am - 11:30am
Description: You may know birding expert Rob Jett from his Birding in Peace tours. You know, the ones that meet at 6am? Always wanted to go on a birding tour at Green-Wood but not much of a morning person? This tour is for you!
View Details


**********

Hudson River Audubon Society

Jones Beach Inlet, a walk out to the jetty
Saturday, January 25, 2025, 8:00am
Leader: Michael Bochnik
Description: On our walk out, we will check out the dunes and sand for Snow Bunting, Horned Lark and maybe a Snowy Owl. At the jetty we hope to find Harlequin Ducks, Purple Sandpiper, scooters, loons and Northern Gannets.
Registration: bochnikm@cs.com
View Details


**********

Linnaean Society of New York

Breezy Point
Saturday, January 25, 2025
Leader: David Spawn
Description: Breezy Point, Queens, is located on the western end of the Rockaway peninsula, between Rockaway Inlet and Jamaica Bay to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south. It is part of Gateway National Recreation Area, which the National Park Service manages. This isolated, 200-acre area includes an ocean-facing beach, a shoreline on Jamaica Bay, dunes, and marshland.
Registration: Matthew Fischer — matthewwfischer@gmail.com
View Details


**********

NYC Bird Alliance

Birding at Wolfe's Pond Park
Saturday, January 25, 2025, 9:00am - 10:30am
Leader: Anthony Ciancimino
Description: Join NYC Bird Alliance at one of Staten Island's hidden gems, Wolfe's Pond Park. Explore the park’s diverse habitats and spot wintering birds like Northern Pintails, American Black Ducks, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. Staten Island resident and birder, Anthony Ciancimino will led us through the space.
Registration: Registration page
View Details

Highland Park and Reservoir Birding
Sunday, January 26, 2025, 10:00am - 11:30am
Leader: Oliver Lopez
Description: Located in both Queens and Brooklyn, Highland Park boasts forested areas, reservoir, and a community garden. Join NYC Bird Alliance in search of winter migrants in this beautiful outdoor space.
Registration: Registration page
View Details

Birding in Midtown Greenway
Sunday, January 26, 2025, 11:00am - 12:30pm
Leader: EsplanadeFriends
Description: Join NYC Bird Alliance and EsplanadeFriends to discover the East River Esplanade and its adjacent green spaces. Expect to see many water birds right off the coast.
Registration: Registration page
View Details


**********

NYC Queer Birders

Birding at Riverside Park
Sunday, January 26, 2025, 9:00am
Leader: _____
Description: Meet at 120th St. and Riverside Dr.
Registration: Registration not required.
View Details


**********

Protectors of Pine Oak Woods

The Richard Buegler 10-Mile Spring Greenbelt Walk
Sunday, January 26, 2025, 9:15am - 3:45pm
Leader: Hillel Lofaso
Description: Join with Protectors of Pine Oak Woods for a hike through the winter woods of the Greenbelt. Beginning at the trailhead on Staten Island Boulevard behind the Petrides School, participants will climb through Deere Park, cross the top of Todt Hill and wander down through the Saint Francis Woodlands. Bring water, wear sturdy shoes, dress appropriately for the weather. Be sure to confirm that the walk is not cancelled due to snow or forecast storms.
Registration: To confirm a day prior please call Hillel Lofaso at (718) 477-0545
View Details


**********

Queens County Bird Club

Montauk
Sunday, January 26, 2025, 7:30am - 4:30pm
Leader: Joe Schiavone (203) 640-2927
Description: We will start the trip viewing from the back of the restaurant specified by the map. Parking is in the lot on the opposite side of Montauk Hwy. If you have a scope, it will be useful here. Razorbills and gannets are possible here, and you will definitely see Common Eider and scoters. We will proceed to various birding spots in the Montauk area. We usually end the trip with a visit to the Shinnecock Inlet and dinner at a restaurant near there.
Registration: Please contact trip leader for meeting time and location.
View Details


**********

South Shore Audubon Society

Jones Beach Coast Guard Station Parking Area
Saturday, January 25, 2025
Leader: Members of SSAS
Description: From the Wantagh State Parkway, travel south. Upon entering Jones Beach State Park, exit at Bay Drive and continue west. Turn right (north) at entrance for Coast Guard Station and West End Boat Basin; turn right again for parking.
Registration: Registration is required by calling Joe Landesberg at 516-467-9498
View Details


**********

Urban Park Rangers

Saturday, January 25, 2025
Birding: Winter Waterfowl at Shore Parkway and Rabbi Block Street (in Calvert Vaux Park), Brooklyn
10:00am - 11:00am
Birding programs are an all-inclusive safe space and appropriate for all skill levels and beginners are welcome.
Free

Sunday, January 26, 2025
Birding: Raptors at West 218th Street and Indian Road (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
1:00pm - 2:00pm
Join the Urban Park Rangers as we explore Inwood Hill Park's ecosystem and determine what kind of raptors make it their home.
Free

...Read more

Best of the Fortnight

Here is my first "Best of" installment for 2025. Enjoy:

Cooper's Hawk

Peregrine Falcon

Red-tailed Hawk

Baltimore Oriole

Northern Cardinal

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

White-breasted Nuthatch

Black-capped Chickadee

Immature Red-headed Woodpecker

White-throated Sparrow

Great Blue Heron

American Herring Gull

Purple Sandpiper

Northern Pintail

Gadwall

Carolina Wren

Green-Wood Cemetery 2024 Highlights

Here is my highlights video of my 2024 "Birding in Peace" tours at Green-Wood Cemetery. Note that the species shown are in chronologic order from my first walk in January to the last in December. I hope you enjoy it.

Gulls, Shorebirds & Waterfowl

From Tuesday through Thursday of last week we experienced some pretty extreme winds around NYC. I have plenty of winter gear to handle the cold, so windchills are not usually an issue for me. I really wanted to get to the coast and look for gulls, shorebirds and waterfowl, but it's kind of pointless to go out looking for things with wings when winds were averaging >30mph gusts. Thursday was the worst of it with gusts of over 50mph. I barely left the house.

The worst of the weather finally passed and I eventually made it outside. I went down to Coney Island full of optimism that I'd locate a rare gull or, even better, an alcid paddling around offshore.

Coney Island looking west towards Sandy Hook

One of the first things I always do is to check the top of the historic Parachute Jump for Peregrine Falcons. A sure sign that they use that spot are the frequent remains of their meals on the boardwalk below. It's usually pigeons, but also an occasional starling.

Parachute Jump

The fishing pier is a great spot to scan the water for seaducks, grebes, gulls and loons. Some winters we'll see rare Razorbills or Thick-billed Murres around the coast and this is a perfect spot to look for them. So far it doesn't appear to be one of those years. Note: the official name of the pier is the "Pat Auletta Steeplechase Pier", but everyone just calls it the pier.

Pat Auletta Steeplechase Pier

Over the 2 days I birded the area I spent a lot of time scanning for birds from the end of the pier. There were plenty of Ring-billed, Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls, but nothing unusual. The walk west along the beach was dominated by hundreds of Ring-billed Gulls. The same was true for Gravesend Bay and Coney Island Creek to the north. The "typical" rarities on everyone's wish list in the winter are Black-headed Gull, Short-billed Gull, Glaucous Gull and Iceland Gull.

Assorted Gulls, but mostly Ringed-billed

1st cycle American Herring Gull

There were lots of Common Loons fairly close to shore during the low-tide cycle. If this individual is any indication of the food source, they were feasting on crabs.

Common Loon eating a crab

Long-tailed Ducks were oddly absent, but there were lots of Black Scoters and Surf Scoters around. Black Scoters are typically the most abundant of the scoter species around Brooklyn, followed by Surf Scoter. White-winged Scoters are much more scarce and I usually only see a few each year.

Male Surf Scoter

I always check the rock jetties for overwintering Purple Sandpipers. This arctic breeding shorebird winters around NYC and spends its time foraging in the rocky intertidal zone. There were 7 of them at the W. 37th Street jetty on Saturday. As an aside, Woody Guthrie's grandchildren said on a podcast, that Woody's ashes were spread near that jetty. I propose the jetty be officially renamed "The Woody Guthrie Memorial Jetty". Just sayin'...

Purple Sandpiper

Coney Island Creek used to stretch all the way from Gravesend Bay to Sheepshead Bay. Much of the eastern end has been filled in, paved and buildings erected over. Today, the wide section from W. 31st Street to the Cropsey Avenue bridge is a hive of waterfowl activity in the winter. A sandspit at the western end is a low-tide roost for gull, while the main waterbody, complete with rotting wooden barge hulls, is a great spot to look for waterfowl. On Sunday I tallied 14 species of ducks and geese. The highlights being Northern Pintail and Redhead.

Steaming boat wreck

Northern Pintail

Redhead

Gadwall

American Wigeon

Finally, Killdeer aren't rare around Brooklyn during most of the year, but they are fairly scarce in the winter. It was nice to see my first of the year foraging in the mud at low-tide. There were 3 in total at the edge of Calvert Vaux Park.

Killdeer