Falling For Birds

     I don't know which I like better, fall or spring migration. Spring always feels like a hectic mad rush, birds eager to get to their nesting grounds to take care of business, reproduce! But Fall seems more laid back, it comes in waves: shore birds, raptors, sparrows, waterfowl, and a few lost souls who are way off course! It's an exciting to to be a birder and a time when many discover birding, in the mad rush of birders for a rarity.

     I spent my weekend in Prospect Park, and it was very rewarding. I realize how much I miss regularly getting lost in the park. But I also found a pretty great bike route that gets me there in 20 minutes, with guaranteed parking. I might be heading there more and more, especially after I found a Vietnamese sandwich spot within 10 minutes of walking from Grand Army Plaza.
     And it didn't end there- Monday after work, I sought our sparrows in Floyd Bennett Field. I enjoyed the community gardens, the grass filled with sparrows! On Tuesday, for work, we all walked in Marine Park with an old coworker who is now an Urban Park Ranger and bonus, our colleague brought her adorable dog - who is my long lost canine sister. Our hair matched. All outings were exciting with great finds, I look forward to uncovering more as the winds continue to bring in new birds!
     Needles to say, it has been a migratory bird extravaganza, I am feeling a mix of fulfillment and still haven't had enough --as reports of new batches of birds are coming in!

Upon arriving in Prospect Park last Friday, I was greeted with trees dripping with cute- kinglets, both ruby-crowned (above) and golden-crowned were flitting about, dangling from branches, vocalizing, and flying within close proximity.

Just a little voracious insect snatcher!

Also abundant, yellow-rumped warblers. If you didn't see then, you heard them!

Want a guaranteed wood-duck sighting? This is your park! Prospect has a lovely little population of wood ducks that you can see on the lake, the lullwater, and the upper & lower pools.

In the Rose Garden, this Palm warbler was not shy. The bird nearly walked atop my toes as it hunted insect prey.

Here for the winter: White-throated sparrows. They make you work for others- currently I find myself sifting through these birds to uncover something not white-throated.

I gasped with delight when I found her, the very modest but very delicately beautiful female purple finch. 

I was satisfied with the female, but then another female and male purple finch showed up. Just hang up my boinculars, I'm done!

...No I'm not.

I headed to the sparrow bowl for sparrows. I found this lovely blue-headed vireo!

It was nice to see it at eye level, could see all its gorgeous coloration.

I wanted this to not be a song sparrow, buuuut, it is.

Showstopper: I took a break from painting Saturday to see the purple gallinule. The last time one was here was 2004! See the accounts of 14 years ago from The City Birder.

Why is the city and beyond bugging out for this bird? Well, it's a Southerner-- like South Florida.
With all the storm activity along with migration, this bird seems to have been thrown off course.
Those giant, splayed toes are for walking over water plants with ease.

And totally didn't have my camera to see this bird-- so these are straight up through my iPhone via my binoculars!


Some birders and some bird- the Gallinule was quite close and not shy. Almost like it knew its value to the growing crowd.


And video shot via my phone via my binoculars.

In getting to Floyd after work on Monday, the ground at the Community garden was crawling with birds. The kinglets (like the golden-crowned) barely flinch in your presence. This one was literally burrowing through the grass!

My find of the evening was among the white-throated and juvenile white-crowned, an adult white-crowned sparrow! 

It was a 3-falcon day at Marine Park. We had Merlin, which was busy pestering the local Kestrel team...

The kestrels were busy trying to hunt, while the merlin kept them on their toes. 

With the mowed grasses and dropping temperatures, and a lucky warm afternoon- the kestrels cashed in on insects-- like this grasshopper.

And no time to stop-- eating on the wing!

Just a 'hopper leg hanging out the mouth!

ANd then, the third falcon species showed up-- the fastest creature on earth, the peregrine falcon-- a pair, at that!

So much falcon activity also kept us entertained. The hovering, dives, and swerves to avoid competitor talons.

And just as we thought all was perfect... A VESPER SPARROW!!!! 

White eye-ring with that smudgy-streaked breast, a perfect vesper sparrow. Another migration marvel, vespers have been showing up all around the city. They are not usually common sights but it seems like they are showing up in a number of places this season!

Always lovely to see, and also feels like there is a huge amount of them EVERYWHERE, American Goldfinch.

If there is grass with old flowers gone to seed, brown and dry-- then chances are a goldfinch is not far away!