Playful Break on the Beach

     Got back from teaching with my coworker, and just in time for lunch. With temperatures reading in the low 70's an outdoor beach lunch was in order. There was some wind, and some sand in my lunch, but a little sand in the GI tract never hurt no one. It felt awesome to go barefoot on the sand and even at one point, needing to shed the zip-up.
     The laughing gulls are back, they make themselves known with their laughing call, that gives them their name. A couple of winter stragglers still linger, but fewer and fewer are present. I think it's safe to say that winter and snow is finally done, bring on the warmth!

A common loon swims along the shore, in full breeding season plumage, looking sleek and gorgeous. This is a bird that will soon head North to reproduce and give that eerie loon call.

A ring billed gull in the surf.

Gulls frozen in flight take on a whole different feel from what we usually associate them with. I am pretty sure for most people, gulls are just a step up from pigeons (which I also love and adore), but freeze them in flight and they can seem angelic, playful, and very beautiful.

A gull catches some wind to give him some lift. The laughing gulls look so slick with that black head on a sleek white body.

An immature ring billed gull, looking more like a phoenix caught in such a pose. 

A couple of folks were tossing tidbits into the air and the laughing gulls hovered and caught them on the wing, making for some fun captures. They were also really good at catching!

Who's gonna get it?! One of the guys watching on the boardwalk of course gave a few "mine, mine, mine's." Disney nailed it on that anthropomorphism of gulls. 

I hope you can see gulls in a slightly different light, they are lovely things with interesting behaviors and so many differences between each bird, depending on species, age, and the time of year. Get out and enjoy some gulls and the amazing weather!

The Early Bird Catches the Worm

     I don't normally wake up at 6:30AM on the weekend, but when I do, it's because spring is calling. I headed out for a 7:15AM walk today with the Brooklyn Bird Club to see what has arrived so far in Prospect Park. The Brooklyn Bird Club is a great group, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn how to bird, already birds, or anyone who wants to get outdoors and explore more. The people who gather in these outings are friendly and willing to share their knowledge, it also is just a nice way to meet people who enjoy a similar hobby. I always find the crowd very interesting a good mix of people of varying ages and abilities- I highly recommend checking them out and joining if you're in the area!
     I used my "BirdLog" app to keep track of my sightings throughout the walk, I logged 46 species- others were seen, but I did not see them myself - like the brown thrasher and eastern towhee.
     Anyway, the walk was great- the sun was out, the temperature was comfy, and with good company and lots of eyes, I was very satisfied with this early adventure! Enjoy the sights!

Upon entering the park to meet the group, I was greeted by grackles. They seem like a "blackbird" to the untrained and unknowing eye, but I do love the blue and purple sheen their feathers give in just the right light. This ordinary "blackbird" becomes something a bit more special and a bit more beautiful. With soft ground a lot of birds were foraging for insects and seed.

Love is in the air, a male and female wood duck take a morning swim together. Wood ducks nested and bred in the park last year and these, unlike most ducks, nest in tree hollows. Their babies have a daring start to life, as they need to leap down (comparable to base-jumping) from their tree to reach the ground, all so they can swim around with their mother.

The wood duck may be one of my favorites, he is just so snazzy in his plumage and it looks really great in the early morning light. I've found wood ducks to usually be very shy, but this guy in particular came right up to the shoreline we were standing on! Maybe they just wanted to show off, who knows!

I also never noticed on the males those little feathery whisps towards their tail- everything about this animal is just so perfect, he is supremely handsome! If you have never experienced a wood duck in person, please I urge you to see one in person, they are absolutely spectacular.

Lots of pine warblers today, these guys are some the first warblers to arrive to the NY area, as this is not their final destination. They still have a ways to travel, Northward. This is simply a pit stop to catch and eat some insects as they awaken from their winter slumber, before continuing their trip. 

A very Brooklyn Osprey.

This and another osprey were both hunting over the lake, sometimes even diving in, as they are fish eaters.

Swallows are coming back to the area, today we saw three species, one of which I had never seen before. We saw barn, tree, and Norther rough-winged (pictured). It's a terrible picture with the sun not in our favor here... but it isn't often you get to see a swallow perched and still, especially a life bird.

A final pine warbler, warm, in the late morning sun. I hope you get a chance to get out and enjoy the richness of life that spring brings with it!

Spring Songs and Warm Welcomes

     I feel like I have not gotten a real good spring birding in yet since it has officially been spring. I had the chance today to report into work late and did some "quick" birding with my car in Green-Wood Cemetery, hitting up a few of my favorite areas before driving to work.
     What a sweet morning it was, the birds were singing all around, my first of the year NYC Osprey flew overhead, and little yellow warblers flitted about feeding- it felt like spring arrived, despite the 40-something degrees F it was this morning. In the little over an hour I saw 30 species, the complete list is here.
     Enjoy the sights:

I wish the people who are buried here knew how much vibrant life continues on above them in a place that is often thought of as full of death and sadness. I adore Green-Wood, it's quiet, beautiful, and an oasis for living creatures- with accessible solitude from the hectic nature of the urban spaces surrounding it.

So birds move... fast. Really fast. I was so happy to get this lovely shot of this tiny little guy. This is a blue-grey gnatcatcher and I have never seen one before today. So I'm really happy not only that I saw this little dude, but also got a pretty little capture of him to remember him by. Because the photos before and after this one are blurs moving between branches, as gnatcatchers and many other small birds do 

A song sparrow sings his little song to announce his awesomeness to the ladies and the great territory that he has around Sylvan water.

Another song sparrow sings his song to announce he has some good space to offer too. I love watching them sing because they are not shy about it, they get up high and are easy to see as they perform.

Again, little birds move fast. I was determined to get a photo of this amazing golden crowned kinglet, who donned a flaming orange crest as opposed to the usual yellow-gold. What a flashy little guy, heck, he impressed me! I hope he gets a nice girlfriend or two.

So I was pretty stoked to see some warblers- today's included palm, yellow-rumped, and this guy, the pine warbler. In the coming weeks more and more species of warbler will show up and brighten up the trees with their flashy little feathers. The pine warblers were like little rays of sunshine on this very grey day.

Obligatory robin photo... 

Had a cheeky little Pine warbler in the grass next to my car allowing for some nice close range shots. What a lovely little creature!

Pretty sure he is posing. Very very happy to see these guys, welcome back from your long journey, little friend!

Gulls Galore!

     Today on lunch break, my awesome coworker and I took a lunchtime walk out at Kaiser Park. It finally felt like Spring, with temperatures in the upper 50's, so a walk on the beach was perfect today! Kaiser park is on Coney Island, on the side facing Coney Island Creek and Gravesend Bay. It is unfortunately covered in so much debris, trash, tires, parts of who knows what-- and ironically is a great place to see wildlife.
     On our walk we were able to see 6 different species of gull, some first of the year Eastern Phoebes, and even a Northern gannet. It was a fun adventure and a great way to spend part of the day.

Brant will continue to be a common sight, but as we make our way through April, we will see less and less, as they head back North.

This is like a paparazzi gull shot. I was really excited to see my first of the year laughing gull! He is the one with the black head, among ring billed, and young herring gulls. 

Brant sometimes are that bird that people get sick of seeing, "what is it?! oh, just a brant." But you know come next winter, Brant signal the coming of winter migrants from the far North. I'm happy to see these guys no matter what, I'm glad they are making their journeys and doing so successfully year after year.

These ring billed gulls have some serious swagger. They know they look good. As breeding season approaches, the mature gulls take on that perfect white body, grey wings with no blemish and perfect, jet black tipped wings. You have to admit, they do look fantastic.

Like seriously, this ring billed gull is sexy, and he knows it.

I was super happy to see this gull. This is a Boneparte's will also soon be leaving the area- but glad to see him before he's gone because I have never seen a Bonepart's gull before today!

This little guy was actively bathing in the surf. This gull is smaller than most others on the beach, when mature and ready to breed, these gulls also have a black head, like the laughing gull. But, unlike the laughing gull they have orange-ish legs and feet.

Typically the common person refers to gulls as sea gulls. While this bird is indeed on the ocean right now, they nest in trees in the boreal forests nears freshwater sources in Canada and there eat mainly insects over the summer months. 

I adore this little guy! As I try more and more to identify my gulls, you start seeing the little (and sometimes big) differences between them that can be so easily over looked. I love that about being a naturalist, making observations allow you to really notice the little things that many others fail to notice. And as a teacher, I like sharing my knowledge and teaching people how to make these observations themselves.

I hope, now that I have seen this little gull that I will see him again and easily recognize him!

3 turkey vultures cruised by, and it seemed to make the birds on the beach a bit uneasy. They just kept cruising northward, making their way back from their winter vaycay down south.

Just before leaving I noticed another one of those gulls that doesn't look like the others. And it reminds me of this comic by Bird and Moon.

I did see a Glaucous gull this winter, at Bush Terminal Park. This bird just was much closer and in the sunlight really was blinding! This is another bird that will soon be off on an adventure Northward. This made for species 6 of the gulls we saw today: 1. ring billed gull, 2. herring gull, 3. greater black backed gull, 4. laughing gull, 5. Boneparte's gull, and 6. the glaucous. 

Soon all these Northerners will be skiddadling to make way for the winter snowbirds, like warblers, tanagers, sandpipers, and more to come back from their Southern winter homes. So, little American tree sparrow, till next winter!

A New Adventure: Alley Pond Environmental Center

     I have only visited Alley Pond Environmental Center (APEC) once before, and it was in 2007, and I had a red-tail hawk sitting on my glove while a politician held some kind of event for some local kids who won awards about projects they did involving birds. I didn't get to really check the place out fully, and always meant to come back. Well, here we are, 2015, and I had the chance to check out the trails and see what this area had to offer.
     Also, it's important to note, it's March 28th- it was snowing when I arrived, I had to wear hat, scarf, gloves, and probably should have done another layer. What was I saying about signs of spring yesterday??
     Enjoy the sights...

From the parking lot of APEC, you can walk out onto a nice boardwalk that takes you out to a tidal salt marsh. It must be an absolute joy to watch this marsh slowly come to life and turn green into the summer and grow tall with grasses!

I am ALWAYS so happy to see cattails. These plants play such an important role in the wetlands, they provide a natural filtration for runoff that might make its way into the waterway they grow along. Cattails are having a tough time against the invasive reed, phragmites.

When these cattails go to seed, they explode this fluffy seed that can take to the air to disperse. Birds use the fluff also to line their nests. 

The cattail nemesis... phragmites.

I love trails that look like they are transporting you into some kind of magical place...

A downy woodpecker was feeding on these little seed pods in this tree. He would dangle upside down to get into each nook and cranny with his little beak.

Another downy takes flight from the area.

I always love finding a new bird! This is a Rusty Blackbird. I was intrigued by it because I knew it wasn't a grackle, because of its short tail, and there were 5 or 7 birds calling, sounding nothing like grackles.

An awful picture, but you can at least see the lovely colors his dark feathers are secretly hiding.

A floofy little song sparrow, hopes that this wintry weather will soon pass.

Surprise sneaky flyover by a red tail hawk!

Little birdie feet in the mud of the salt marsh at low tide.

My first greater yellowlegs of the year. What a lovely, leggy creature they are!

Ever see those yellowlegs get stretched? 

APEC is a very cool place, whether as a family or with a friend, I recommend a visit! It looks like once it turns warmer the trails will really come to life as they green up and more animals start to stir. Go on your own adventure: http://www.alleypond.com