2011 Plan of birding
Bird List 2011 log 2010 log 2009 log 2008 log Photo and Video @ Punta Cana pic01.htm others Note on Dragonfly and Damselfly my insect spider list Macro butterflyMoth.htm frog Favorites in 2011 Bees Wasps myInventory Costa Rica info Costa Rica, 2012 - Photo
2011 Plan of birding
5/20/2012 (Sun) 2-5pm
JBWR
Big John's Pond:
Black-crowned Night Heron
close-up. Glossy Ibis(es). Gadwall pair.
Osprey pair at the nest. House Finch
pair at Blind Pond. Tree Swallow at the same wren nest box (also on 5/31/2010
Mon).
Photo:
Black-crowned Night Heron
- <1> (or
Yellow-crowned? or else?) adult:
<a1>
<a2>
<a3-1> (un-rotated)
<a3-2>
<a4>
<a5> (food in its mouth)
<a6-whole>
<a6-upper>
<a7>
<a8>
(un-rotated) <a9>
5/19/2012
(Sat) afternoon, after Dim Sum
Kissena Park
Double-crested Cormorant (first time this year at Kissena; an adult in breeding plumage), Osprey chased by a male RWBB & fishing by plunging into the pond, Ring-necked Pheasant (male), Eastern Cottontail Rabbit (rusty nape patch), Eastern Forktail, dragonfly (probably), Yellow Jacket, a baby turtle, etc.
Photo:
Double-crested Cormorant - <1>
Osprey (seems to be a successful fishing) -
<1>
<2>
<3> (Under
strong sunlight at far away, the shutter speed will be set to 1/4000 and osprey
picture will be under-exposed. So use Shutter Priority and set 1/1300.
Though the other parts of the picture may over-exposed, the focusing will be
faster and better and the
osprey picture will be better exposed and sharper.)
House Sparrow
- bathing (親子沐浴,
不是男女共浴)
Eastern Forktail
- <1>
and P1200860 - 62.JPG
Ring-necked Pheasant - <m1>
<m2>
Video:
Eastern Cottontail -
5/6/2012
(Sun) 4-6pm
Forest Park, met Eric Miller and Andrew Baksh
at waterhole where finally I can find it by myself
They are waiting for
Swainson's Warbler(?) at waterhole. They saw it(?) before I came. But it
was very quiet when I came. No luck.
Saw Baltimore Oriole, male
Scarlet Tanager, Hermit Thrush, female RWBB, many Catbirds and Robins.
There are a lot of
Red Admiral Butterflies. Even saw them while walking to the
church in the late morning. And Andrew said there are huge number of them
at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. They are easy meal so flycatchers must be
very happy. This is a year of
Red Admiral explosion. Related news:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/324350
Chicago CBS
Photo:
Scarlet Tanager
Red Admiral Butterfly
- underside-1
Video:
Red Admiral Butterfly
Note:
Lepidopterist Kurt Johnson reports an unusually large number of the species are
descending upon Brooklyn, NY ... in the last two days there has been
an outbreak of Red Admirals (Vanessa atalanta) in Brooklyn the likes of which I have never seen (not even close), and I've been here 45 years. ... [T]here were at least a half dozen Red Admirals for every 10 paces one walked.... [At] the Botanical Garden, Red Admirals were also flying all over the place, chasing each other etc.
Normally, Red Admirals migrate north from Guatemala to Canada beginning in March, but they do not usually arrive so early and in such great numbers. Unusual sitings were also reported in Le Roy, NY by the Daily News, in Trenton, NJ by CBS News and in Ottawa, Canada by Canada.com.
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/324350
Red Admiral - pictures of their wings from underside found on Web - <1> <2> <3>5/5/2012 (Sat) 7am - 12pm / 2-2:30pm after Dim Sum
before ping pong
Forest Park w/
QCBC, cloudy with intermittent light rain shower, bad for birding /
Kissena Park
Great Horned Owls (female? adult with a young), Baltimore
Orioles singing,
Scarlet Tanagers (m+f), Great Crested Flycatcher,
Blue-headed Vireo (also seen at 5/7/2011),
Catbirds, etc.
Warblers: Blackburnian, Black-and-White, Common
Yellowthroat, etc.
QCBC trip members saw or heard: Indigo Bunting, Warblers:
Chestnut-sided, Nashville, Wilson's or Canada, etc.
Three male Ring-necked Pheasants
and a hare/rabbit (id
as Eastern
Cottontail Rabbit),
Grackle picking grass to build nest at Kissena Park.
Photo:
Baltimore Oriole
Red Admiral Butterfly
- <1>
Video:
Baltimore Oriole
Great Horned Owl
Cottontail Rabbit (nape patch
rusty so it is
Eastern
not New England)
Note:
I, as a so-so birder, shouldn't expect to see Orchard Oriole in NYC,
not common.
Breeding Success of Wild and Hand-Reared Ring-Necked Pheasants - those in
Kissena are hand-reared pheasants
released into the wild?
Kissena
-
Kissena Park guide - seems to talk like those
pheasants
are wild.
-
Kissena Park was developed gradually in the
early years of the 20th Century (officially opening in 1910), with NYC slowly
acquiring territory from private owners and police department property. Kissena
Lake was once fed by streams, some of which emanated from the Flushing River,
but it was cut off by the Works Progress Administration in 1942 and placed in a
concrete retainer.
It is periodically cleaned of algae buildup and
is stocked with fish that support herons, egrets, cormorants and even snapping
turtles. “Kissena” is thought to be a Chippewa Indian term meaning “it is cold”;
though the Chippewa lived in Michigan, 19th-century horticulturalist Samuel
Parsons, whose tree grove is in the park at Rose Avenue and Parsons Blvd.
probably named it. It is also home to New York City’s only velodrome.
src
- A
snapping turtle at Kissena Park
-
There are 2 giant snapping turtles in the lake that
only a few have been lucky enough to see.. once an aligator was pulled (February
27, 2011)
Male pheasants duel over Royalton Township territory (SW Michigan)
[src]:
4/28/2012 (Sat) 2:30pm & after 4pm
Kissena Park
One female & one male Ring-necked Pheasants, close encounter.
Baby Turtles, a lot, perhaps 50+. Many female RWBBs. A
RWBB nest may be at the loop area so a female ignores me even come closer to me
while foraging and a male makes red-shoulder arched-wing spreading-tail display
(to me or another male?). Near the site, there is
a tree hole which may be used
for nesting
by a Starling. Red-bellied
Woodpecker. Yellow-rumped Warblers, both female & male.
4/25/2012 (Wed) am
JBWR
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, female. Osprey incubating. Wren. Male Ruddy Duck looking for something in the grass near the shore of West Pond. Blue-winged Teal. Grasshopper & Butterflies. Flower fly, probably.
Photo:4/24/2012 (Tue) lunch time?
Columbus Park
Wren.
4/21/2012 (Sat) pm
morning stay home, after Dim Sum to Kissena Park
No Ring-necked Pheasants. A lot of Turtles; I think mainly Eastern Painted Turtles. Damselflies curving their body in order to minimize exposure to the sun. Butterflies & Bees. Cowbirds, Grackles, etc.
Mourning Doves nesting at our apartment building?
Photo:
Note:
1a. Female Fragile Forktails are with broken shoulder stripes, though these darken
with age and can be difficult to see.
1b.
Fragile Forktails are one of the earliest of damsels to emerge.
src1
src2
1c.
For much of the Northeast, the first damselfly on the wing is the Eastern
Forktail. In southern New York, adults usually emerge at the beginning of May.
The image on the left was taken on April 17, 2002 – the earliest recorded date
for any damselfly in New York State. It was an unusually warm Spring and Eastern
Forktails were seen on that same day in both New York and Westchester counties.
src
1d.
The record winter [of 2001-02, ten years ago] warmth experienced in Iowa,
Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts,
Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Jersey also coincided with below normal
precipitation in much of the same region.
warm
winter
1e. Pictures found on Web of various Forktails of male/female, young/old
- ref1
ref2
ref3
2.
The American
Painted Lady or American
Lady (Vanessa
virginiensis)
- is most easily distinguishable by
its two large eyespots on the ventral side, whereas Painted
Lady (V.
cardui)
has four small eyespots and V.
annabella has
none.
3.
orientation/training session of participation as a Citizen Scientist in Harbor
Heron Foraging Study will be held in the NYC Audubon office at 71 W. 23rd
Street, Suite1523 (two hours from 9am).
John Rowden, PhD
Associate Director, Citizen Science and Outreach
New York City Audubon
71 West 23rd Street, Suite 1523
New York, NY 10010
Tel: 212.691.7483
Fax: 212.924.3870
4. FAMINE AMINE(ANIME) MINE INE (Ine: hereditary ruler, king of Wessex (688-726)) North East E
4/15/2012 (Sun) 8-10am / 3-5pm
JBWR : cloudy morning /
Kissena Corridor Park & Kissena Park : sunny afternoon like summer (70+°C)
JBWR : Brown Thrasher. Yellow-rumped Warbler. Somebody saw
Field Sparrow and id
Greater
Scaups. Common & Boat-tailed
Grackles. Brought tripod but failed to utilize it: not tall enough
for blinds; most of the time ground is not flat; difficult to point the camera
to the frame I wanted. So this cheap tripod is likely only useful for
taking video & BIF pictures at Osprey & Tree Swallow nests on open field, esp.
cloudy days or at dawn and dusk.
Kissena :
Ring-necked Pheasants (1 male & at least 2 females)
4/14/2012 (Sat) am
JBWR : sunny
Many birds, many insects, many people & many "guns"
Barn Owl
(they said there are 3 youngsters there), Black-crowned
Night Herons, Rudy-crowned Kinglet (id by its
big-eyed look), Hermit Thrushes,
Juncos, Glossy Ibis pair flying across,
Catbird, shorebirds at far distance (Sandpipers,
Yellowlegs or Dowitchers),
Oystercatcher,
Forster's Terns, Crows, 3 male & 1 female Cowbirds at feeder area, Cardinals, Robins, Grackles, Shovelers, Scaups
(seems to have 2 different sizes so both Greater and Lesser are there?), Ruddy
Ducks, Brants, Canada Geese, RWBBs, White-throated Sparrows, Clipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, probably
Savannah Sparrow, perhaps American Tree Sparrow (P1190628.JPG)
or Field Sparrow (P1190641.JPG), Palm
Warbler, Mute Swan pairs,
Cormorants, House Sparrows, Starlings, Mourning Doves (heard), Great Egret,
Gulls including Laughing Gull & a Herring Gull
finding way to eat a crab (P1190399.Gull.JPG) and flee when another
Herring Gull wants to have a share (P1190405.JPG), Tree Swallows, etc.
Insects:
Eastern Carpenter Bees, probably Small Carpenter Bees (Ceratina),
Yellow Jacket.
Info:
Lloyd Spitalnik's pictures of Barn Owlet at JBWR
Mild Winter, Early Spring: Bad News for Butterflies and Bees (March 17,
2012) and more:
NSF news
Canada: Wait a minute! A butterfly...in March?
...
Manitoba's most common butterflies, the morning cloak (Nymphalis
antiopa):
Others suggest that there may be two generations per year.
... Early springs may result in two broods of adults,
late springs may result in only one. Anybody out there know for sure?
src
Corey's
report of a fledgling Barn Owl at Big John's (July 13, 2009)
4/8/2012 (Sun) 6:30 (sunrise) - 9:30am 復活主日的清晨
JBWR
Big John's: Barn Owl (seen and videoed), Belted Kingfisher.
East Pond: a lot Ruddy Ducks, many male RWBBs, a couple of Mute Swan couples,
Cormorants, Wren.
West:
殖地爭「窿」戰 -
滿街是燕, 想照飛燕.
與趙飛燕, 都咁矜貴. Nice Junco pictures. I don't see Red-breasted
Mergansers; but some saw and there were a lot (100+?). Coming early
at sunrise will see them flying from West Pond to the bay.
4/7/2012 (Sat) am / pm
Pre-Easter hunt
"New Alley Pond" & Alley Pond Park with Eric Miller (and
Andrew Baksh, Jean & Jeff) in QCBC mini trip /
Kissena Park after Dim Sum, sunny
"New Alley Pond" feeder: Cowbird pair. Green-winged
Teal pair.
Saw quite a lot of species in the trip:
Yellow-throated Warbler, Pine
Warbler, Palm Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Junco,
Kinglet, female Cardinal singing, Towhee singing (somebody saw at the end of the
trip), Chickadee pair at the hole, Titmouse singing (according to Eric), Rusty
Blackbird, Brown Creeper,
Nuthatch, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, other 4 woodpeckers (sorry, no Red-headed),
Hermit Thrush, partial albino or called leucistic Robin
(first saw in 2009),
Clipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, etc.
Kissena Park: many beautiful Common Grackles.
A Queens County Bird Club walk at Alley Pond Park in Queens, led by Eric Miller turned out quite the crowd with somewhere around 24 folks in attendance. The huge crowd, no doubt attracted to the current Alley Pond Park star, a Yellow-throated Warbler that was found on Thursday by Bobby Kurtz. The YTWA did not disappoint and put in quite the show giving all those in attendance excellent looks. In addition to the YTWA, other highlights included, several Rusty Blackbirds (conservative count was 8-9), Swamp Sparrow, Black-and-white Warbler, Great Horned Owl, many Pine and Palm Warblers, many Brown Creepers, 5 species of Woodpeckers, both Kinglets and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher that was seen by only a few. Despite the "good birding" that many referred to, I could not help but notice that the number of birds seemed to be down from Thursday when Pine Warblers seemed to be everywhere. On that day, we also had several Yellow-rumped Warblers, and a Louisiana Waterthrush, neither of which were seen today. A note on the Yellow-throated Warbler. Today, the bird was again heard singing by a few of us; the song varied between incomplete to complete, but it was softly sung and unless one was really attentively listening for the song, it could easily be missed. Hopefully the bird sticks around for more folks to see it, as today we witnessed many birders from across the boroughs show up in hopes of getting a look. more with Photo of the crowd including me and Jean
3/31/2012 (Sat) am
Kissena Corridor Park, rain
Junco and probably male Yellow Warbler with breeding plumage. Nice pictures of Blue Jay.
Photo:
3/24/2012 (Sat) am
Kissena Corridor Park & Kissena Park, nice weather
Saw bee (probably Bumble Bee or Eastern Carpenter Bee) & butterflies. When will I see FOS (First of Season) Catbirds & dragonflies?
Photo:3/23/2012 (Fri)
NYC, very warm
The hybrids Forsythia × intermedia (F. suspensa × F. viridissima) and Forsythia × variabilis (F. ovata × F. suspensa) have been produced in cultivation.[6] Forsythia intermedia is a hybrid between F. suspensa and F. viridissima. Many cultivars have been selected from this cross including dwarf and compact forms.[12]
Forsythias are popular early spring flowering shrubs in gardens and parks. Two are commonly cultivated for ornament, Forsythia × intermedia and Forsythia suspensa. They are both spring flowering shrubs, with yellow flowers. They are grown and prized for being tough, reliable garden plants. Forsythia × intermedia is the more commonly grown, is smaller, has an upright habit, and produces strongly colored flowers. Forsythia suspensa is a large to very large shrub, can be grown as a weeping shrub on banks, and has paler flowers. ( from wiki )
Peach - The flowers are also produced in early spring before the leaves.3/13 - 22/2012 (Tue - Thu) 10 days
Costa Rica 哥斯达黎加
Photo Album 1
costa_rica_mybirdlist.htm
3/10/2012 (Sat) pm (after Dim Sum)
Met Henry Yee. Two male Mallards fight for a female. Grackles,
(probably Downy) Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Ruddy Duck. No Hooded
Merganser.
Most Gulls left. The index male is missing from the hybrid Mallard group.
Photo:
Video:
Info: video found on Web -
mallards fighting (slow motion) 3/8/2012 (Thu) 3-5pm
Ring-necked Pheasant, male.
Photo:
Video:
Info: 3/3/2012 (Sat) am / 5pm (after ping pong) 今天是好日, 三三三! 年是三(1+2), 月日都是三. 諸事皆宜. 最愛是星期六, 全日放假!
Kissena Park:
The hybrid Mallard group swim together but they are loosely separated into 2
subgroups: mother leads her son and the father lead the other 2 males.
Hooded Merganser pair, several closer encounters.
Cormorant. Wren singing.
Photo:
Video:
3/2/2012 (Fri)
I saw 2 beautiful Robins at Columbus Park. Everybody comes back early.
Other than 2/5 at
JBWR, this is the first time I see the bird this year.
Last year, the first day I saw is 3/13/2011 (Sun). Again, asking the same
question: when shall I see Catbird? 2/29/2012 (Wed)
記念這個閏年暖冬, 特作詩一首:
一月 Hooded騎上背
2/25/2012 (Sat) am / pm after Dim Sum Less gulls. Don't see
hybrid goose. See a pair of Mallards' prelude to mating then copulation.
After the sex, the female seems to be very high, jumping up and splashing the
water.
Photo (am GH2 / pm FZ35):
Kissena Park, colder
RWBB -
<1>
Mallard - young female looks innocent (note its
purple speculum in fact is black in color)
male Mallards circle a female (taken after a vigorous fight between the 2 males
of lust)
Kissena Corridor Park, very warm & nice weather
Hare or rabbit.
Possibly Cottontail
Rabbit
because it lacks black ear tips.
Or
European Hare?
Because of its grayer color, probably Eastern
Cottontail.
But it is quite big and its body build is more like a
Snowshoe Hare (L.
a. virginianas). I incline to this rather than
Cottontail Rabbit. Jackson Ho sees both at Kissena Park in early morning
when he runs.
Ring-necked Pheasant
-
<1> (before
filter)
<2a>
<2b>
<3>
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker (male)
Blue Jay
Sparrow
Starling
Robin
-
<1>
Cardinal
Mockingbird
Snowshoe Hare
-
<1>
American Robin -
closeup
Ring-necked Pheasant
-
<1>
(1)
American Hare (Lepus Americanus) - also called Snowshoe Hare.
wiki It is
the larger hare which changes its color in the winter. Read more:
http://chestofbooks.com/animals/dogs/Dog-Breeding/Hare-Hunting.html#ixzz1oZOpq5TO
(2) The Small Hare (Cottontail?), which does not change color
in the winter, Read more:
http://chestofbooks.com/animals/dogs/Dog-Breeding/Hare-Hunting.html#ixzz1oZP3foKz
(3) According to
1981 NY's Wildlife Resources, American Hare or called Varying Hare (Lepus
Americanus) grows a white winter coat (pelage) in Nov. & then sheds it in
late March. The tips of the ears are black & some individuals retain
patches of brown on their feet, legs or bodies through the winter. It is
intermediate in size between the relatively small
cottontail rabbit
(a true rabbit) and the large European Hare. Females tend to be a
bit larger than males. In NYC,
Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus
floridanus)
&
New England cottontail 新英格蘭棉尾兔
(Sylvilagus
transitionalis)
may be the most common.
New
England cottontail,
the native species, retains
its brown color during winter. Originally,
Eastern cottontail
was not found in New
England,
but it has been introduced there and now competes for habitat there with the
native New
England Cottontail.
Eastern cottontail
changes its color in the winter or not?
(4)
According to
1981 NY's Wildlife Resources, four subspecies of
Snowshoe Hare are recognized in the east, with only L. a. virginianas
occurring in NY.
(5)
Eastern cottontail
undergoes two molts per year. The spring molt, lasting from mid-April to
mid-July, leaves a short summer coat that is more brown. From mid-September to
the end of October, the change to longer, grayer pelage occurs for winter. Named
for the tail's fluffy, white underside, cottontails are smaller than snowshoe
hares and jackrabbits. Unlike these 2
true hares, they do not change fur color with
the seasons.
src
(6) Eastern and New England cottontails have slightly different body weights as
well. The Eastern cottontail weighs on average 2-4 pounds and has a total body
length ranging from 15-18 inches. The New England cottontail weighs 1.5-3 pounds
on average and has a total body length ranging from 14-19 inches. The males are
called bucks and the females are called does.
src
While, Snowshoe Hare (18-20 inches) and
European Hare (25-27 inches), according to
1981 NY's Wildlife Resources.
(7) In NY, there is no Jack Rabbit (Black-tailed
Jack Rabbit & White-tailed
Jack Rabbit).
Jack Rabbits have longer ears than Snowshoe Hares.
(8) The Snowshoe Hare is more easily identified as it is
the smallest hare. It looks more like a cottontail rabbit. Its ears are shorter
than its head, but the underside of its tail is brown, not white like the
cottontail.
src
(9) Three major species of hares occur in North America. These hares are of the
genus Lepus and are represented primarily by the blacktail jackrabbit,
the whitetail jackrabbit, and the snowshoe hare. Other members of this genus
include the antelope jackrabbit and the European hare. Hares have large, long
ears, long legs, and a larger body size than rabbits. Antelope
jackrabbits are found only in southern Arizona, New Mexico, and western Mexico.
The European hare is found only in southern Quebec, New York, and other New
England states.
src
(10) ID hare and rabbit
- size: European
Hare >
White-tailed Jack Rabbit (18-22 inches)
> Black-tailed Jack Rabbit (17-21 inches) > Snowshoe Hare >
Cottontail Rabbits. Female > Male.
-
In NY, only
European Hare, Snowshoe Hare &
Cottontail
Rabbits.
- Snowshoe Hare: the underside of its
tail is brown, not white like the cottontail.
- In winter,
Snowshoe Hare is white.
The tips of the ears are black & some individuals retain patches of brown on
their feet, legs or bodies through the winter.
Cottontail Rabbits are brown. Eastern cottontails are grayer
in winter
than in summer while New England Cottontails retain the brown color in winter.
(11)
Normally a shy animal, the European brown hare changes its behavior in spring,
when hares can be seen in broad daylight chasing one another around meadows;
this appears to be competition between males to attain dominance (and hence more
access to breeding females). During this spring frenzy, hares can be seen
"boxing"; one hare striking another with its paws (probably the origin of the
term "mad
as a March hare").
For a long time it had been thought that this was inter-male competition, but
closer observation has revealed that it is usually a female hitting a male to
prevent copulation. wiki
(12) European
Hare has elongated ears which in this species ranges
from 94–102 mm from the notch. The ears of the European hare are grayish white
inside and have black tips on the top ends. It also has long hind feet that have
a length from 142 to 161 mm. Most of the hare’s body is covered in
yellowish-brown to grayish-brown fur but has grayish-white fur on the underside.
In addition its face is brown with black rings around the eyes. Unlike some
other leoporids, the European hare’s fur does not turn white in the winter, but
it does get slightly more grey.
wiki
(13)
Differences Between Cottontail Rabbits and Snowshoe Hares
(15) Today, wild pheasants are difficult to find in NY State. Most wild
pheasants are found in the Lake Plains of western New York. The pheasant
population in New York has declined nearly 90% since 1970. Most biologists
believe it is because of a lack of fallow grasslands for nesting and
brood-rearing. In 2010, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
(DEC) adopted a "Management
Plan for Ring-necked Pheasants in New York State."
src
(16)
Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus in Kissena Corridor Park, Queens, NY ; and a rabbit/hare
(March 2010)
(17)
Queens County Bird Club Kissena Park Field Trip : Ring-necked Pheasant (October 2009)
am:
Kissena Park, rain. 在春雨中漫步影相,
雖然冇靚女陪, 但身邊有一眾老嫩型鴨, 不亦樂乎.
pm: Kissena Corridor Park, warm & nice weather before sunset.
Kissena Corridor Park: many (10+ or even 20+) Robins and other small birds
(Sparrows, etc.) 紅磚滿天飛 小鳥已春歸
Hooded Merganser -
<1>
Hooded Merganser pair
二月 Mallard躍叫床
冬暖
鴨兒 早思春
何須 等到 杜鵑紅
Kissena Park, highly windy
pm: The trouble of a hybrid Mallard group at Kissena -
The group is probably composed of 2 subgroups which I know before:
the hybrid family (father in very Mallard-like characteristic, mother in highly
Pintail appearance and the ugly son;
pic on
3/12/2011) and 2 hybrid Mallard males (pic1
on 2/21/2011;
pic2 on
2/21/2011).
Or the father in the hybrid family dies or disappears or loses control, then 3
or 2 hybrid Mallard males break into the family and reject the son. But
the mother doesn't like those guys so refuses to join them. That why we
see the 3 hybrid Mallard drakes together; the ugly son is being isolated; and
the mother stays on land and refuse to go back to the water joining them.
RWBB
Video:
Back
playground of my home: House Sparrow:
fighting, drinking with bathing - 小美女大混戰, 打到滾地葫蘆.
2/22/2012 (Wed) pm
See a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers at City Hall Park. One male and one female. Unfortunately I have no camera.
News: Seals return to NYC Harbor - As many as 50 seals now frolick just off Brooklyn. Seals are often spotted on Swinburne Island, a man-made island in NY Harbor near Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. source: Metro p.6, by Jesse Greenspan, citing Naturalist Gabriel Willow & Jon Forrest Dohlin, director of NY Aquarium.
2/20/2012 (Mon) am / pm (for a few minutes before ping pong)
Kissena Park, windy
Hooded Merganser pair, several closer encounters. An goose, possibly a
hybrid of Canada Goose with an orange or pink feet (a Greater White-fronted
Goose, a Snow Goose or others; even from the old
Snow Goose?).
Cormorant.
Great Blue Heron.
Afternoon, 2 RWBBs.
Photo:
Video:
Note on
gall bladder: 2/18/2012 (Sat) 9am until early pm
Long-tailed Ducks, Common Loons,
unexpectedly many Red-breasted
Mergansers, (probably mostly American) Crows, Brants, a Peregrine Falcon
perching & perhaps having some nesting activity at Marine Parkway
Bridge.
Photo:
Video:
Hooded Merganser
-
<1>
Hybrid Goose -
<1>
<2>
<3>
<4>
<5> (<unfiltered
jpg>)
Double-crested Cormorant
Red-winged Blackbird
Birds with
gall bladders: ducks, chickens, raptors; and without
gall bladders: psittacines (members
of the order Psittaciformes, the parrots and parakeets) & pigeons.
Cockatoos have gall bladders, parrots do not. For example,
African Grey Parrot (Psittacus
erithacus)
does not.
Most species of parrots, pigeons and ostriches do not possess
a
gall bladder. The dove or pigeon,
from ancient times, was considered special because of this anatomical
difference, as the "gall" was considered the seat of bitterness in an
individual. Hence the dove or pigeon, being without "gall", lacked some of the
more unpleasant aspects of personality, shared by man other beasties. Apparently
there are Biblical tales about the dove bursting its gall bladder in grief when
Noah released it from the Ark, as an explanation for the absence.
src
Note on
hybrid geese & molting:
Hybrid Geese -
<1>
a Leucistic Canada Goose
or a domestic breed? (June 2002, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge)
"I have also seen Snow Goose x Canada Goose and
they tend to be very easy to ID, with the body being mainly Canada and the
Neck/Head of the Snow. The bill tends to be very Canada Goose shaped, with a
dark colour." src
Snow Goose x Canada Goose:
Google
<1> (mirror)
First-winter Canada Geese look almost the same as adults.
It is suggested that Canada Goose (Branta
canadensis) and other
geese with bold head and neck patterns (the White-fronted Goose and the genus
Branta, which includes Brant) molt head and neck feathers in the late
winter and spring. So in addition to the prebasic molt, they do have a
second molt, although it brings about no change in appearance ("aspect").
That means no matter it is a first-winter or a molting adult, the appearance
will not be the one seen today at Kissena Park.
Steve
Howell's book on Molt pp.71-72
Canada crosses with domestic Brown China goose: the first
picture shows the two cross offspring with the Canada parent; the second picture
shows one offspring at the front with two Chinas and a Canada in the background;
the third picture is of one of the offspring showing off.
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/NDG/BRKHank.html
Fort Tilden (Riis Landing & coastal beach, the Atlantic shore) with Ron, then
the windy Breezy Point alone
very few land birds seen in
the Fort Tilden walk, only 2 Mourning Doves, no warblers nor sparrows.
Breezy Point (almost all birds are seen at the East side, or right side, of the
exit): many Sanderlings (100+), Ring-billed, Herring & Great Black-backed
Gulls. No Snowy Owl seen. The guy said not seen it for many days
already. Dune location of the owl:
East side, or right side, of the exit, about the 2nd dune. But according
to this,
it was still there on Tuesday and Wednesday and was
seen
late in the days.
In flight / taking off or landing:
(probably American)
Crow -
<1>
Long-tailed Duck
-
<1>
Sanderling -
<1>
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
-
<1>
(1/800 sec; the gray tail band is not common among non-breeding adults which
have unmarked white tails so it is a fourth-winter adult which still has not
gained the purely white tail.
allaboutbirds.org)
- or those commonly seen unmarked tails are just the white part and those gray
patches are hidden when the tail is not expanded like that in my picture?
Great Black-backed Gull
- <1>
Unknown Gull
- P1120609-611.JPG (probably 1st or 2nd-winter Herring),
P1120604-608.JPG (probably the same sub-adult gull)
Others
Great Black-backed Gull
-
big yawn
Red-breasted
Merganser - almost 5 min
Note:
Fort
Tilden State Park
Riis Landing (Beach 169th St. and State Rd., Queens - Breezy Point Roxbury, NY 11697)
Great spots to see wildlife at Fort Tilden: (1) in the maritime
forest, (2) along the Atlantic shore, and (3) near the fort's freshwater pond.
(4) The observatory deck on top of Battery Harris East, a historic gun site,
offers dramatic 360-degree panoramic views of Jamaica Bay and New York Harbor,
and is a great vantage point from which to spot migrating birds.
src
Peregrine Falcon
- Nine new Peregrine Falcon chicks who inhabit the
Verrazano-Narrows (under the bridge), Throgs Neck, and Marine Parkway Bridges
were born in May, 2011. Read more: New York's urban jungle
Best watch the nest and the falcons at Riis Landing (from Fort Tilden
across the Rockaway Point Blvd).
Ultra fast but only 20% success rate:
Peregrine Falcons often miss the strike and only 20%
ends up in kill.
BBC Earth
Jamaica Bay Bridges
Other info:
(1)
A
COMPARISON OF BEHAVIOR AND SUCCESS RATES OF MERLINS AND PEREGRINE FALCONS WHEN
HUNTING DUNLINS IN TWO COASTAL HABITATS (1996) "The success rates of
hunting flights for both species (merlin: 7.8%, peregrine falcon: 12.5%) were
significantly lower at beaches than previously reported for estuaries."
(2) "... recorded success rates ranging from
a low of 18.8% for Peregrine Falcons to 69.3% for American Kestrels."
from Hunting Success of Some Missouri Raptors by B. Toland.
Wilson Bull., 98(1), 1986, pp.116-125.
src1
2/17/2012 (Fri) am
Home at bed
Heard (highly probably male) Cardinal calling (the one sound like playing video game) in early morning. This winter is really so warm!
2/11/2012 (Sat) am / pm
Kissena Park in the snow / clear after
Hooded Merganser pair, Great Blue Heron, Cormorant, the old Snow Goose, Mallards and hybrid ducks, American Black Duck, Ring-billed Gulls, Blue-Jays (heard). Canada Geese (pm).
Photo:
2/5/2012 (Sun) pm
Surprised to see Robins. Yellow-rumped Warblers. Herring Gulls.
Rafts of Ruddy Ducks. Scaups. Coot. Mute Swans. Crows.
Photo:
2/4/2012 (Sat) am / pm
Hooded
Merganser - take
off
retouched
rule of thirds
Great Blue Heron -
<1>
<2>
<3 - Rule of thirds>
<4 - in flight>
(Alert
:
AP (even shutter speed turns out to be 1/125) is better
than SP at 1/500!)
Eastern Gray Squirrel -
<1>
<2>
JBWR - met Erin (know Jean) looking for Eared Grebe
Canada Goose -
<1>
Mockingbird -
<1>
Ruddy Duck -
<1>
Kissena & Kissena
Corridor Park / "New Alley Pond"
"New Alley Pond" : Cardinals,
Mockingbird,
Green-winged Teals,
Buffleheads,
Canada Geese, Gulls.
Photo:
Hybrid duck /
Northern Pintail
-
head close up
(note orange iris)
whole
(blue-gray bill is not like American Black Duck so it is a
female Northern Pintail
/ American Wigeon
or some kind of hybrid of American
Black Duck/Mallard/others with Northern Pintail/?)
*also
documented on
3/12/2011.
Judging
from her son, she is female
Northern Pintail or hybrid of Northern Pintail with some other ducks (Mallard/American
Black Duck/etc.).
Since she is not like an typical
female
Northern Pintail, she is probably a hybrid with at least one Northern Pintail as
ancestor.
Iris brown for both sexes of Northern Pintail
src
I also just find another pair on Web (location is
Hawaii): http://andiwolfe.blogspot.com/2007/03/aloha.html
-
A Mallard drake with some mix of
Pintail perhaps x female Pintail-like duck. The female is quite similar with the
one in Kissena Park.
Ring-billed
Gull - <1> (probably
2nd winter)
1st winter (note iris
is not pure black)
Mockingbird (New Alley Pond is its territory?) -
<1>
<2>
Starling -
<1>
1/29/2012 (Sun) 人日 7:30-8:30am
"New Alley Pond"
Photo:
Wilson's Snipe - <1>
<2>
Starling - <1>
Cardinal - <1> (around
Home, camera's jpg file showing almost all dark picture but from RAW I can make
this one out)
<2> (used flash)
Sparrow
- <1>
Ring-necked Duck -
<1>
Video:
Wilson's Snipe -
<1>
Green-winged Teal -
male-1 (can see green patch on
wing when it takes off to flight)
1/28/2012 (Sat) 年初六 am & pm after Dim Sum at home
"New Alley Pond" (the pond adjacent to the LIE and Douglaston Pkwy) /
Kissena Park
Alley Pond:
no Pink-footed Goose (or any other geese) or Wilson's Snipe
(a subspecies of the Common
Snipe, G. gallinago).
Green-winged Teals,
Buffleheads,
Pied-billed Grebe, Ring-necked Ducks (both female &
male), Coots, Ring-billed Gulls, a pair of House Finch, a Sparrow,
a (young?) Painted Turtle, a (1st winter?) Mockingbird, many Blue Jays and other
birds. Should visit again!
Home - 78th Ave: House Sparrows.
Kissena Park: no Mute Swan or Shoveler. Copulation
of
Hooded Mergansers on a warm day. Great Blue Heron, 2
Cormorants, Canada Geese,
the old Snow Goose,
a pair of American Black Ducks,
Ring-billed
Gulls, RWBB, etc.
Photo:
House Sparrow - <1>
<2>
American Black Duck
- male
female
pair
House Finch
- male-1 male-2 female-1
Canada Geese
- <1>
Eastern Gray Squirrel -
<1>
Mockingbird
- <1>
Great Blue Heron - <1>
Video:
Hooded Merganser copulation
House
Finch, female
Most waterfowl have rather expansive ranges. Mallards, for example, breed
throughout most the world. But hooded mergansers only live in North America.
They like it here, so why leave? They'd only have to learn another language.
Nesting mergansers are found in various locations in Massachusetts, but they are
only seen on Cape Cod during the cooler months. The birds arrive here in late
September and have pretty much cleared out by the end of April. Just don't
expect to see a lot of them, even in the winter. They aren't very common or
gregarious birds. I read a story in a newspaper last week that quoted some
bonehead who said that ducks love each other's company. While most ducks do like
each other's company, this is not the case with hooded mergansers. They tend to
stay in fairly small flocks and are inclined to keep to themselves. There's a
small pond in Eastham (MA) that often has hundreds of assorted ducks splashing
around in it this time of year. Right next to this small pond is an even smaller
pond, but the only ducks I ever see on this smaller pond are a few hooded
mergansers, which quietly keep to themselves. (BTW, in case you are wondering,
the bonehead the newspaper quoted was me.)
Hooded mergansers may not be big party birds, but that doesn't mean they don't
like a little action. Most songbirds don't bother looking for a mate until
spring and even other ducks don't form pairs until early winter. Hooded
mergansers can't wait that long. They want to pick their mates ASAP. By
mid-November many mergansers have started their courting displays. Typically, a
small number of males surround a single female and start strutting their stuff.
There's lots of crest raising, head bobbing and even some ritualistic drinking.
Yes, drinking, something these birds have in common with human courtship.
By late April, Erin, the mergansers have left Cape Cod for their breeding
grounds. The duller female hoodies lay their eggs in old tree cavities. After
the eggs have been laid (usually about ten), the female begins incubating. At
this point her husband moves on. Courting and mating are fine with him, but he
draws the line when at dealing with kids... especially ten of them. His work is
done until the coming fall, when once again he'll be strutting his stuff on the
local ponds. Hmm. Maybe he doesn't have such a bad life after all.
Read more: ASK THE BIRD FOLKS: Mating habits of the merganser - - Wicked Local -
Cape Cod
http://www.wickedlocal.com/capecod/opinions/opinion_columnists/x1773081136/ASK-THE-BIRD-FOLKS-Mating-habits-of-the-merganser#ixzz1l4JVNcRY
1/23/2012 (Mon) New (Dragon) Year - late morning
Home
1/16/2012 (Mon) cold morning
Kissena Park - entirely covered w/ ice
No diving ducks. Even Mallards are just a few. The Mute Swan pair, Great Blue Heron, Canada Geese, the old Snow Goose, American Black Ducks, Gulls, Mockingbird, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrows, Mourning Doves, RWBBs, etc.
Photo:
Ring-billed Gull - <1>
<2>
<3>
Song
Sparrow - <1>
(or Savannah?) (cf.
12/17/2011, it is not
White-throated Sparrow)
Mockingbird - <1>
1/14/2012 (Sat) morning
Kissena Park
One male Ruddy Duck, Mute Swans (the adult pair is still there but not the 2 newly arrived immatures seen last Sat), Hooded Merganser (1 pair), Great Blue Heron, many Canada Geese, the old Snow Goose, etc. No Shoveler and Cormorant.
Photo:
Ruddy Duck - <1>
Great Blue Heron - <1>
<2>
3 (retouch neck)
<4> (best
picture ever) (in morning low light for non-moving bird, AP (even shutter
speed turns out to be 1/125) may be better than SP at 1/500)
Video:
Ruddy
Duck
1/8/2012 (Sun) 9-11am
Dead Horse Bay (Floyd Bennett Field,
Take Exit 11S of Belt Pkwy for
Flatbush Ave S toward Rockaways) w/ Ron and many from
Kew Garden Hiking Meetup
Group
Info:
1. Ring-billed Gulls
not breed in NYC so only see them in winter not in summer. Laughing Gulls
will be seen in summer not in winter. Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls
are all seasons.
2. Dead Horse Bay provides sheltered waters for winter
waterfowl. In the past, up to 40,000 Greater Scaups have wintered in the bay.
Ron said there were 30,000 last year.
3.
http://www.nps.gov/gate/upload/GATEwinterguide2011templ-online-Jamaica-Bay-rev.pdf
4.
Dead Horse Bay: A prime winter site for ducks. It is not unusual to see large rafts of Greater Scaup mixed with less common species such as scoters, loons, Red-breasted Mergansers, and Arctic Duck (formerly Oldsquaw ). Dead Horse bay feeds the Gerritsen Creek inlet. Primarily, the water species are the same. However, it is more open water that supports larger rafts of waterfowl.
Best time: Autumn and Winter
Suggested tour: Park in the Floyd Bennett parking lot at the main entrance. Backtrack toward Flatbush Ave. Cross at the light to the west side of Flatbush Ave. You'll see a trail leading into the phragmites. Eventually, the trail veers left toward the shore, under the shadow of the Marine Park Bridge. At the small beach, sweep your binoculars from the bridge left to right for loons, grebes, scaup, and other bay ducks. Check for the Peregrine Falcon which nests on the bridge's south tower. Walk to your right along the shore for approximately a half mile till you see the boat marina. Stop here and scan the docks and surrounding waters for additional species. Behind you there is a trail going back toward the parking lot. Numerous Yellow-rumped Warblers winter here. Past scarce/rare species: White-winged and Surf Scoters, Red-necked Grebe, Eurasian Widgeon.
Directions: From the Belt parkway, take Exit 11S and follow south on Flatbush Avenue. Make a left turn BEFORE the bridge for signs indicating Floyd Bennett Field entrance. Park in the first lot on the right.
By bus: Q35 Green Lines to Floyd Bennett Field. Q35 is accessible from the IRT subway to Nostrand/Flatbush Avenue (last stop.)
1/7/2012 (Sat) morning
Home
/ Kissena Park
All common birds are seen today: Cardinals, Mourning Doves, Crows, Grackles, RWBBs, Mute Swans (1 pair of adults rejects the 2 newly arrived immatures), Shovelers, Canada Goose, the old Snow Goose, Black Ducks, Mallards, Mockingbirds, Blue Jays, Song Sparrow (or White-throated Sparrow?), Red-tailed Hawk, Ring-billed Gulls, Rock Doves, House Sparrows, Starlings, etc. No Hooded Merganser and Cormorant.
Pond Wars
of Mute Swans:
Photo:
Mute Swan
-
adult: <1>
<2>
chasing ; immature:
<1>
Ring-billed Gull -
移形換影
(日名「X攻擊」)
(是蘇由美 + 阿貞 抑或是
莊瑪莉呢?)
Red-tailed Hawk - <1>
<2> (can see pupil of
the buteo's eye; from RAW; SILKYPIX setting: less contrast & contrast
center=0.59)
Video:
Crows,
Grackles (or Rusty Blackbirds?) & Cardinals (As in several species of blackbirds & orioles, the
fresh plumage of male Tricolored Blackbird has brownish tips that will wear away
over the winter to reveal a glossy black undercoat. Is it also true for
Common Grackle?
No!
Blackbirds have different summer and winter plumages, Grackles and Cowbirds do
not.)
(So in the video, the first is a female and the second is juvenile.)
Mute
Swan chasing / running along the water
Info:
1.
weight: Canada Goose - 6.6 to 19.8 lbs (3 to 9 kg)
src
; usually
3.2–6.5 kg (7.1–14 lb) for male & 2.5–5.5 kg (5.5–12 lb) for
female.
wiki
Mute
Swans - 20-30 lbs (adult)
src1
src2
But there is record at an incredible 53 lbs (24 kg) for a Mute Swan (which
can still fly, not like flightless Ostrich). It has been demonstrated that
for sustained flight it is difficult for birds weighted exceeding 26 lbs (12
kg). So it is less common to seeing adult Mute Swam in flight. Other heaviest
fliers include Kori Bustard (Ardeotis kori) & the closely related Great
Bustard (Otis tarda).
An adult male Kori Bustard has been recorded at 42 lbs (19 kg) and Great Bustard
at 47 lbs (21 kg).
(Extreme
Birds: The world's most extraordinary and bizarre birds, 2008,
Dominic Couzens,
p.45)
An
exceptionally large male of the race B.
c. maxima,
the "giant Canada goose" (which rarely exceed 8 kilograms (18 lb)), weighed 10.9
kilograms (24 lb) .
wiki
2.
FLIGHT -
The Mute Swan performs a lengthy run along the water to take off.
At the same time, it performs powerful wing-beats and takes flight. Wings are
very strong, with large and well developed wing muscles. Once
in flight, it maintains fast rate of wing-beats. It does not soar, but it tends
to glide before to land. It alights on water, coming down with lowered feet and
fully spread webs to reduce the speed before the contact with the body. During
migrations, the Mute Swan may reaches speeds of 85-88 km per hour.
src
3.
Mute swans become sexually mature when they are two years old, but
often will not begin breeding until they are three, four, or even five years
old. Some individuals may pair and sometimes even build a nest when they are 1
year old, but will not breed.
src
4. Immature Mute swans
have greyish-brown plumage, turning white into the first winter,
but some feathers may be grey until the second winter. Legs are black, bill is
grey and eyes are brown. src
5. The
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) needs a large territory including
small lake or pond. During winter, it is common in sheltered bays, open marshes,
lakes, ponds, streams, estuaries and coastal areas. The species has adapted
to the life close to human, and this bird may be common in artificial water
bodies such as lakes in parks, reservoirs, private ponds. It uses
conspicuous signs and postures to communicate. During the nesting period, the
male is highly territorial and aggressive. As soon as an intruder approaches the
nest, animal or human, it adopts a typical attitude, coming fast over water,
with neck and head backwards, forming and arch ready to attack. The
secondaries also form an arch towards the back. It may give slaps with the
wings, the leading edge being very strong. The male tends to defend the whole
territory, using mainly neck and wings to drive away the intruders. They perform
bowing, wing-flapping and head-jerking, with fluffed feathers, accompanied by
loud calls. Pictures from the source show Mute Swan attacks a female Mallard and
a Canada Goose probably approaching the nest-site. Such fights may be
strong and violent, involving the use of the bill and the bend of the wing. One
bird may die and sometimes both opponents. The young
cygnets in pale morph are sometimes attacked by their parents. However,
non-breeding adults and immatures are gregarious all year round. If a
nest-failure occurs, the pair leaves the territory and joins other groups for
moulting. src
1/1/2012 (Sun) morning / afternoon
Home
/ Kissena Park
Around home: 2
Cardinals for Happy New Year!
Kissena :
Tufted Titmouse
Photo:
Tufted Titmouse
-
<1>
Recent Postings from The New York Birding List Rare Bird Alert for New York
my Notes on Punta Cana: birding_in_punta_cana.htm punta_cana.htm
Animals mate in autumn or winter
Camera/Camcorder for birding
