New Years Day - Coney Island

We always start the New Year by taking the F train to Coney Island for the "Polar Plunge". The annual New Years Day event is, basically, a party on the boardwalk and beach. My wife and I are sane enough not to participate, but it is fun to watch. This year event organizers were anticipating approximately 5,000 swimmers. An added bonus for going to Coney is that I get to begin the new birding year by spotting my first winter seabirds and, occasionally, a rare visitor or two.

The temperature was not ideal for swimming and gusting winds made it a little challenging to spot birds in the choppy water.

Coney Island looking west towards Rockaway Inlet

There were so many people registered to swim this year that they had to stagger small groups to keep the beach from getting out of control.

Coney Island "Polar Plunge"

We walked down to the end of the fishing pier with our friends Bob and HJ. From there we scanned the water for scoters, eiders and loons. There were quite a few Black Scoters nearby and streaming passed on the distant horizon. At one point a young Surf Scoter landed near the pier. It dove for food for several minutes before flying off to join some of his friends near a red channel marking buoy.

Immature Surf Scoter

Farther offshore, Northern Gannets could be seen diving for fish in the hazy, heat distorted air.

Northern Gannets

I usually tally my first Peregrine Falcon of the year on New Year's Day. The 250' tall Parachute Jump tower at the edge of the boardwalk is a preferred vantage point for local falcons. One can nearly always spot one up there in the winter. When we first arrived it was devoid of raptors, but as we walked back to the boardwalk from the pier, one sped towards the open water, directly over our heads.

Peregrine Falcon

We would normally walk down the beach to the western terminus near the private community of Seagate. There are usually wintering Purple Sandpiper foraging along the rock jetty at that spot. The wind was coming directly out of the west and gusting at times up to 40mph. We decided it would be a less than fun stroll into the sand scouring wind. Instead, we opted to walk in the opposite direction to Paul's Daughter for some hot toddies.

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Coney Island, Brooklyn
Jan 1, 2025

Brant
Canada Goose
Surf Scoter
Black Scoter
Rock Pigeon
Ruddy Turnstone
Ring-billed Gull
American Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Common Loon
Northern Gannet
Double-crested Cormorant
Peregrine Falcon
American Crow
European Starling
House Sparrow