I've been at Coney Island Creek Park, in Brooklyn, for parts of 5 mornings over the past week, to watch the passerine morning flight (essentially diurnal songbird migration, often by species that are classic nocturnal migrants). Each day I've also taken a short check of the park proper after morning flight, and had some nice migrants on the ground in there as well.
All checklists have media (photos) embedded within. The best day, numbers-wise, was Thursday, 8/27, when I had ~515 inidividual warblers, of at least 16 species, take part in morning flight. Checklist here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S24778940 Highlights that day were an early Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 3 Purple Martins, a Common Nighthawk, 2 each of Bay-breasted and Cape May Warblers, 111 Bobolinks (This species was moving each day), and 138 Eastern Kingbirds. Also in the park after that were single Yellow-bellied and Alder Flycatchers. On 8/28 I was joined by Luke Musher and Sean Sime, and warbler numbers were reduced to about 1/5 of the day before, but there was still an enjoyable flight. Highlights were a Dickcissel and 78 Bobolinks. Checklist here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S24788269 I checked very briefly on 8/29, before going to the Shorebird Festival, and was joined then by Tom Preston. The highlight that day was a Lark Sparrow engaging in morning flight, and then apparently the same bird returning and flying back to the east 40 minutes later. Otherwise. warbler migrants were once again reduced to about 1/5 of the day before (1/25 of two days prior!). Checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S24811751 On Tuesday, 9/01, I went there again, fresh after the pelagic trip, and was joined by Tom Johnson and Drew Weber. We had a very entertaining morning, with ~150 diurnally migrating warblers, of at least 15 species. Highlights in morning flight were: Dickcissel, my FOS Red-breasted Nuthatch, FOS 2 Blackpoll Warblers,and 69 Bobolinks. Highlights aside from passerine morning flight were: 1 each of Roseate and Black Tern around Gravesend Bay, the former being very rarely reported in Brooklyn, and Yellow-breasted Chat and Yellow-throated Vireo in the park itself, after morning flight. Checklist here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S24848588 I went yesterday (9/02) in the fog, and the flight was virtually nonexistent, but a Savannah Sparrow was a new arrival and my first definite migrant of that species of the season. For those who were on the pelagic trip, a pelagic summary and shared checklists are forthcoming within the next day or two. Good Birding -Doug Gochfeld. Brooklyn, NY. https://www.flickr.com/photos/29840397@N08/ -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
