[nysbirds-l] South Brooklyn including SI Black Vultures 2/28/10
I birded Calvert Vaux Park this morning, then walked west along Gravesend Bay to the Verrazano Bridge. I did not encounter the Mew Gull that’s been seen intermittently along the bay shoreline since 12/26/09. It may well persist, but gull numbers seemed down overall. This may relate to the weather, but with spring only three weeks away winter patterns are starting to change and a few arrivals have been noted lately, including the BLACK VULTURES that nested at Fort Wadsworth on the Staten Island side of the Verrazano Narrows last year. I only learned about those birds recently and surmised that they might be visible from the Brooklyn side. It’s about a mile across the Narrows to Wadsworth, but with the scope I could clearly see two large black birds perched in a bare tree above the fort. They appeared appropriately small-headed and short-tailed, and after about 15 minutes they took flight, providing definitive views as they soared over the fort, eventually drifting southeast and disappearing behind the bridge. I’m not familiar with the history of this pair (I assume these are the returnees) but I was reminded of my first NYC sighting of the species, which occurred in the same general vicinity over Bath Beach Brooklyn on 3/3/07. That bird did not appear to be migrating and I wonder if there might be any connection with the breeders, but perhaps it’s just reflective of an increased presence around the city and Long Island in the last few years. No real notables otherwise, but land bird activity (and song) was certainly on the increase at Calvert Vaux Park with FoS Savannah Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird and Common Grackle on hand (also Eastern Bluebird last week,) and the nesting pair of Peregrine Falcons together atop the Brooklyn tower of the Verrazano Bridge. Record snowfall aside, spring is surely on the way. Good birding, Alex Wilson Brooklyn -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] South Brooklyn including SI Black Vultures 2/28/10
I birded Calvert Vaux Park this morning, then walked west along Gravesend Bay to the Verrazano Bridge. I did not encounter the Mew Gull that’s been seen intermittently along the bay shoreline since 12/26/09. It may well persist, but gull numbers seemed down overall. This may relate to the weather, but with spring only three weeks away winter patterns are starting to change and a few arrivals have been noted lately, including the BLACK VULTURES that nested at Fort Wadsworth on the Staten Island side of the Verrazano Narrows last year. I only learned about those birds recently and surmised that they might be visible from the Brooklyn side. It’s about a mile across the Narrows to Wadsworth, but with the scope I could clearly see two large black birds perched in a bare tree above the fort. They appeared appropriately small-headed and short-tailed, and after about 15 minutes they took flight, providing definitive views as they soared over the fort, eventually drifting southeast and disappearing behind the bridge. I’m not familiar with the history of this pair (I assume these are the returnees) but I was reminded of my first NYC sighting of the species, which occurred in the same general vicinity over Bath Beach Brooklyn on 3/3/07. That bird did not appear to be migrating and I wonder if there might be any connection with the breeders, but perhaps it’s just reflective of an increased presence around the city and Long Island in the last few years. No real notables otherwise, but land bird activity (and song) was certainly on the increase at Calvert Vaux Park with FoS Savannah Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird and Common Grackle on hand (also Eastern Bluebird last week,) and the nesting pair of Peregrine Falcons together atop the Brooklyn tower of the Verrazano Bridge. Record snowfall aside, spring is surely on the way. Good birding, Alex Wilson Brooklyn -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
