With the threat of rain, I'm usually not fond of overcast birding. It really felt like a good excuse to get lost in Shirley Chishlom State Park. The park is restored land that was once and up until fairly recent, a landfill. It is open, hilly grassland so there is no cover from the sun and it was quite comfortable this morning. My favorite part about this park is officially the Fountain Avenue side. It is so much bigger, taller, and if you stand just right and look out over it you really can forget that you are in Brooklyn. If you've never been, this park is just absolutely wonderful for birding, running, biking, and the rangers often have all kinds of free opportunities including their bike library and nature walks.
If you go on a sunny day though, definitely pack your sunscreen.
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A really good female bird, the red-wing blackbird. The red-wing blackbirds are EVERYWHERE. But I love the females, they are just so drastically different from the males. And I admit, I never realized what the females looked like up until maybe 7 or 8 years ago.
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You heard of the tortoise and the hare, but what about the Willet and the Cottontail?
Willet are also ALL OVER the place here, if you don't see them (you'll for sure see them), you'll definitely hear them. |
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| Another willet, I suppose maybe they nest on the landfill? There are lots of puddles formed after the rain and likely they are feed here. |
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| I also for sure blame this cottontail for the tick I found on myself later on. |
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| Did I mention that this place is AMAZING for glossy ibis?! They were EVERYWHERE! They fly over, land in the grasses and forage throughout the upper parts of the Fountain Avenue side. |
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| A given for grasslands, one of a killdeer pair that I crossed paths with. |
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| As I was watching the killdeer, this spotted sandpiper flew in and landed in a funny place. But, I suppose a metal barricade is as good a perch as any! |
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| Throughout the lower parts of the Fountain Ave side (basically where there were more trees and shrubs), were also lots of cedar waxwings. I love these pretty little birds. |
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| This cedar waxwing has no wax wings. So, it's just a cedar wing. |
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| I'm told this could be a first year bird, and I am also reading that some adult birds just don't have the waxy red tips. Never saw a waxless waxwing before! |
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| And right before leaving, a female orchard oriole! What a nice bird to end my walk with! |
