Birdday Re-do Success!

     All I ever want for my birthday is to look at birds, so I was pretty bummed that on my birthday it was a 100% rainy day. I really hate birding in the rain, I hate wet binoculars, I hate being soggy, just really not into it. So I was pretty bummed to be not birding and was pretty bummed about my birthday.

    So I decided that the following week I'd give myself a birthday re-do, and I did. I got up early yesterday to a cool morning, winds that would keep the bugs at bay, and perhaps move some migrant birds around. The humidity was non-existent. And the sun, there was sun! I headed to the East Pond at Jamaica Bay and was delivered a few of the things I had been hoping to see plus a few great surprises.

     On my birthday I also got myself a Phone Skope and got to play around with it, it's pretty awesome. I love using it. I'd love to try it on a not windy day because the photos were just too shaky, but it took great video! So I'm looking forward to playing around with that more. If you have a scope, it was worth it, it might even replace my camera for shore birding.

One of those nice surprises was a black tern who was working the shoreline close to where myself and a few others were standing.
And then of course, all of a sudden a much bigger bird popped overhead and a young peregrine gave this bird the run-around. I got sub par photo evidence of it, was more happy to see it.

Lots of these, lesser yellowlegs.
I went hoping to see some phalaropes, where basically look like swimming sandpipers. But today the lesser yellow legs were swimming and the phalaropes were wading. So what that means is that I looked at a lot of yellowlegs thinking they could be a phalarope, only to be a swimming lesser yellowlegs.

Was hoping to see some peeps and enjoyed being able to pick out the white-rumped sandpipers from the crowd.
I feel like every shorebird summer, I am second guessing and reacquainting myself and then by end of summer, I feel like a shorebird master... only to fall back the following year. Shorebirds are tough but fun to find and get familiar with the sometimes subtle differences.
For this one, it body is a bir more elongated than the semipalmated and its wing tips go past the tail, sometimes even crossing in an "x," like you see on these two.

Saw some stilt sandpipers the last time I was here and was happy to be able to recognize them as stilt sandpipers. The ebird flags often intimidate me too. These came up as rare and this was just one of a few small groups.

They are pretty, the stilt sandpipers, they look like a wooden carving with that plumage.

There were mostly least sandpipers around. And aren't they just so cute?!

I only saw one of the two phalarope species that had been seen for over the last week, this is the Wilson's.
While it stinks to miss one, the Wilson's Phalarope was walking on the shore where I and other birders were so we got some lovely close looks at it.
Unlike the sandpipers and the yellowlegs that look fairly similar, this bird is shaped like a boat, it has a heavy and deep belly, and like a boat it flats real well, swimming. Often they swim in circles to stir up prey and other edible yummies.

I was so pleased with the birds I got to observe today, the day continued on a fairly positive path. The kiddo took a perfectly timed nap so that we could pack up some beach things and then head to the beach for lunch and the late afternoon.

Here is a video I pieced together with my new Phone Skope on my (fairly) new Vortex Viper Spotting Scope along with an iPhone 12Max Pro. Pretty pleased with the results, despite the wind! Following birds by scope is definitely tough!

The Story of A Wood Stork Wanderer

Content Warning: This story contains details of animal death.

     How exciting, birder Anthony C. of Staten Island reported a WOOD STORK on Staten Island. It's been a banner year for wood storks in New York State, a few of these birds have made their way up to NY, one earlier this spring in the Hamptons, another upstate, and then this one, a Verrazano Bridge Toll away, right before the Goethal's Bridge.

    Wood storks are birds of Florida and the warmer climes - New York is quite out of their way, but this bird was a youngster, perhaps it didn't know. Of course I went to see it the following day it was reported and noted how cute it was for what many regard as a bird with a face only a mother could love. As adults, bare, brown, wrinkly skin is around their face and neck, but this one still had quite a fuzzy brown look to it meaning it was a juvenile bird. Who knows what drove it this way, perhaps following food, weather patterns, or perhaps we can all fantasize it as the young bird that dreamed about what was out in that wild blue yonder, big dreams for a big city. 

    So, off it went on it's flight from wherever it was born, and it ended up in Richmond Country, the fifth borough that folks beyond New York City can never remember or even realize is part of NYC. To most everyone, it's best known as Staten Island. And while most scoff it away as that borough you really never visit, except for maybe your extended Italian Family, it's actually our greenest borough and has some beautiful hidden treasures among it. It's the borough of parks, and this bird found The Global Matrix Park. Better known as the Amazon Fulfillment Center. 

    (This is where you insert a joke about Amazon delivering a stork... a bird paired up with the delivery of babies. Who ordered this bird?!)

    You might question this bird on why the heck it would choose an Amazon Fulfillment center, but this bird is one that in Florida frequents drainage canals and storm runoff ditches. I saw my first one driving past a stork in such a ditch along the roadside in Florida. So, a small pond in a wetland butting up against a center full of trucks humming and idling nearby was probably feeling quite like home. It called this place home for about a week and a half.

    Generally vagrant birds don't fare too well, they do, in most cases meet their demise. I thought about this in driving home from seeing this stork, this perverse way we go to see this bird whose journey here could essentially be a death sentence. But hey, I have a New York City wood stork! And that is generally what most folks think, in terms of listing; but also in fairness the documentation through community science platforms, this is most excellent data.

    This is where this story takes a turn for the worse. Yesterday, reports on the NYS bird list serves went out, the stork was found dead. It's body was collected with proper permitting and its cause of death was to be looked at. What a sad tragic end for a young bird.

    Today came the report of its very likely cause of death. A three foot long piece of foam was pulled from its gut. Looking similar to their natural prey of eels, snakes and fish, it ate it up. When animals consume plastic, trash, and other items that are not natural it generally leads to complications in their gut and ultimately death. Now, the birding community is shocked; how awful! We already are upset by unfriendly bird buildings, outdoor cats, oil spills, habitat degradation, and light pollution among so many other things, but we often are forgetful about our direct impact on the natural world. We live in a city where trash is just another part of the scenery many of us disregard it as a bag blows by our walking path; yet we are quite aware of the gyres of plastic in the ocean, but forget, easily, its everywhere and it causes trouble everywhere.

    So here is my message, as an educator where it is my job, day in and day out to spread this message and include as many people from all different backgrounds and cultures as I can, as a community it is so important to focus on the bigger picture. This happens to birds and wildlife on the daily around the world. Of course when it happens to an animal that is quite unique and has garnered attention it seems so incredibly shocking, but the truth is it happens all the time.

    If you want to make changes, make changes yourself where you can. The truth is we can't quit plastic, but there are many plastic things we can quit. Talk to your friends, your family, your neighbors, your local bird club, and your community leaders, put your support behind policies that help not only wildlife but us too. Buy used items instead of those freshly produced, plastic lasts forever and chances are you can find items in good condition instead of purchasing brand new (plus it saves $$). Reduce and refuse plastic as much as you can. Plastic recycling is a farce and most plastic that is dumped in that bin with the three cyclical arrows is either put into the landfills anyway or burned (a lot of countries where we'd ship our plastic for recycling no longer want our trash, because they are neck deep in it). It's cheaper to make new plastic and most plastic that is recycled is down cycled into a lower grade plastic like textiles that are a dead end for that petroleum based concoction.

    So if the story of the wood stork has saddened you, I urge you to turn that sadness into empowerment and to do something, even if it's just quitting your Starbucks run and getting a new single use cup every day with just making some iced coffee at home (y'all, it's really easy). Or if it's something bigger, writing your officials or getting behind policies that can help wildlife and their homes. The truth is we need to start doing something as a whole, because the plastic problem is a big one and it's going to take more than just a few people who bring their own metal straws to the bar.

A fuzzy feathery head marks this bird as a juvenile.

That large, heavily bill is their primary tool for feeling for and snapping up food hiding below the surface.

A snowy egret, a bird familiar to it's home range, forages alongside it.

I hope others can hop on board with understand just how bad the plastic problem is and become part of the solution.

Baby Rails are Good for You

    I have not been birding in maybe 2, 3 weeks. Granted it been hot, miserable, and I've missed my daughter as I've been back at work full time for a busy summer. Also my camera and lens were being weird, it all was a lot and I just needed some time to be with my family, see friends, and just relax for a bit.

    But I missed the birds and while I made some treks here and there, saw my baby terns at Nickerson, saw my piping plovers at Breezy Point, I also in the free time I had needed to prioritize some care time for the pets, the baby (who now walks), and me.

    I got back my lens today, and it seems to be working better- perhaps it just needed a good cleaning. I don't yet have back my preferred camera body, so I went with our original camera, which is always a good backup. I took it for a test run at Marine Park. The air was thick enough to slice but it was worth it because my bird health was restored when I saw a little black fuzz ball with oversized feet...

I will admit the first time I saw a baby clapper rail I was like... WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!
And then you see them follow out after their parent and you're like... huh. So that's a baby clapper rail.

Really the only thing that makes you say "oh, I see the resemblance..." are the feets, and today, I also learned, their eyes. They have eyes that just look so full of anxiety and paranoia. Which is why I love them, because I feel that if I were an animal, I'd definitely be a clapper rail. Awkward, always a little stressed out, running around like I can't find my house keys....

I observed from a platform as they moved about the marsh, but they were close enough that I could actually hear the vocalizations of the chicks!

And those big splayed out feets, perfect for life in the marsh, to walk over the grasses especially when the tide is in.

Two chicks were present, and damn, did they fill my heart with joy.

And here is the adult bird, I want it to be their mama, but honestly, I can't tell. I saw it bring some food over to where the chicks were hiding and sometimes the little ones followed.

I LOVE clapper rails. The best swamp chicken there is.

Good luck, little rail family!

Other than the rails, it's just the usual suspects hanging about. I would definitely advise against a midday visit on a sunny humid day to the salt marsh unless you like becoming a drippy sweat mess. Unless you're a Forster's tern and you can just plunge into the water at any time you'd like.

Iridescent common grackle eats an iridescent june beetle.

Hoping I'll be able to get in a little birding next weekend, and if I'm lucky...a kayak paddle?

Shirley Chisholm State Park 6.4.21

    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.

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.

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.

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.

I also for sure blame this cottontail for the tick I found on myself later on.

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. 

A given for grasslands, one of a killdeer pair that I crossed paths with.

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!

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.

This cedar waxwing has no wax wings. So, it's just a cedar wing.

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!

And right before leaving, a female orchard oriole! What a nice bird to end my walk with!

Spring Migration Winding Down

     On Saturday, the kiddo and I met my friend Christine at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge to do some birding and general wildlife watching. Compared to one week ago, there was definitely less species diversity but an abundance of the residents and nesting species. We enjoyed a lot of yellow warblers, the occasional flyover glossy ibis, and the nesting osprey among others. 

    I was impressed that the baby made the entire loop around the west pond without a fuss, granted she did take a pretty solid nap. I also got her some reef-safe baby sunscreen and she really likes the tube and held on to it for the entire loop. And of course, all the birders were smitten when she gave them a look and a smile.

    Despite the species diversity there was still plenty to view and enjoy and that we did!

Arrived to singing house wrens. Who were all around the place, just this one was very okay with being out in the open.

Cute as a button.

This robin has a grub and struts with perhaps a little pride?

An awful picture, but I spotted this sparrow and noticed it was different, and it sure was - Lincoln's Sparrow!

A pair of Bay breasted warblers were putting on a show against an overcast sky in the canopy of leaves...

Excited to have remembered the song of the willow flycatcher and identified it correctly. I repeat this same feeling every year when I hear my first willow flycatcher.

The Jamaica Bay WR Special: perching tree swallows.

Little blue gems they are.

I didn't know what this was because it made no sound. It was a willow flycatcher.

Doodletown and Brooklyn Birding This Week

     I decided with my vacation day on Monday to take another stab at Doodletown and Sterling forest on a more sunny day. Plus, on Wednesday, I took a few of my volunteers from work birding as per their request, we visited Green-Wood Cemetery for this. And lastly, today on day one of my weekend, I took to my bike and did a circuit to Plumb and back to Marine Park. It was such a nice day for a bike ride too.

A lot of loud bois at Doodletown, including this American Redstart

Elegant noisy boi, the wood thrush.
For what their song sounds like, I don't ever think I pictured them shouting like this.

I love brown birds that SHINE. Wood thrush, brown thrasher, worm eating warblers are the most gorgeous birds, they just have the warmest, richest tones. 
So beautiful.

The cerulean warblers are up SO DAMN HIGH. SO this one was "lower" and I managed an alright shot.
This blue boi is also just screaming!!!! Like every other bird here.

I went to Sterling Forest and while I heard and did see the Golden-wing warbler, I got no photos. So here instead, is a bull frog sitting on a lily pad.

Not a golden wing, but a blue winged warbler at Sterling, before I left for a long ride home.

I took my aquarium volunteers to Green-Wood on Wednesday, they asked for a birding walk. So we did just that!
We were greeted at the Sylvan water by a GREG, catching some fish.

We also got to see a green heron (pictured), a spotted sandpiper, a northern water thrush, and two Canada Warblers along the Sylvan water. 

On our route back to the main gate, we encountered many male scarlet tanagers. I think this was the highlight, because at one point we had 4 of them flying above us, catching insects, and being very visible. I think that everyone was delighted.
Like, if that isn't a spark bird moment, then I don't know what is.

WHY ARE YOU SO DAMN BEAUTIFUL?!

...And a few of these guys were there too.

This morning I wanted to try for Plumb. The tides were to my liking, but honestly, not a whole lot happening. Aside from some crazy oystercatchers.

I love these birds, always so loud, with their crazy eyes, and that ultra orange carrot-beak. I also really love their cankles. I secretly want to pet their feet.

Scanning the marsh I found a few least sandpipers. This one was quite snoozy, just super round and tucking its head in and out of its feathers. Seeing as to how the beach was full of paired and un-paired horseshoe crabs, this little buddy probably ate well.
I was hoping that the spawning would have attracted more birds, but meh, felt pretty quiet, not even a single egret or heron.

I spied another birder looking at something and then I saw what the something was. I was so excited.
I LOVE CLAPPER RAILS.
And they are so weird, they are usually super hidey, but sometimes you get one that just doesn't give a heck. And I thought that was this fella.
Then I realized what was going on...

After I put my camera down, I saw the "birder" waving his phone through the air. I thought that clapper was screaming at another clapper in the marsh behind us.
No.
It was screaming at the recording this guy kept playing on his phone. I even made a comment, "oh, is that YOU, playing rail calls?! I thought I was hearing other birds." To give that hint as to his faux paux.
And he replied "yeah, but there are tons of them here." To which I replied, "well, play back isn't cool." To which he shrugged me off.
At this point I felt very guilty for photographing this bird.
I like to earn my birds, not cheat by playing calls. Not to memtion its nesting season. Birds are defending territory, attracting mates, and here is this guy, wasting this birds time and energy when it could be eating, attracting a mate, or actually defending its territory against an actual rain, not a recording of one.

Playback is unethical. Don't do it. And especially don't do it for 10+ minutes as this guy did.
Here is the code of ethics, and this behavior is breaking that first section:
(b) Avoid stressing birds or exposing them to danger. Be particularly cautious around active nests and nesting colonies, roosts, display sites, and feeding sites. Limit the use of recordings and other audio methods of attracting birds, particularly in heavily birded areas, for species that are rare in the area, and for species that are threatened or endangered. Always exercise caution and restraint when photographing, recording, or otherwise approaching birds.

Needless to say, I left Plumb Beach fairly angry. So I needed to end my birding time on a good note, so I stopped at Marine Park on my bike ride home, rather than biking up and getting grit kicked up in my face along the Flatbush Ave "greenway," if you can call sidewalks that are cracked, broken, and full or grit, silt, mud, and shards of glass, metal, and plastic from car accidents that...

Anyway. I was greeted by hungry cedar waxwings, feasting on these seeds in this tree.

No idea what tree it is in and feasting on, but it allowed me some fun looks as this little buddy stuffed its face.

The closer osprey nest is looking less and less nest-like, but a pair of osprey, different from the ones at the active nest, continue to occupy the space. Is this just a practice round for next spring?

You know what feels great, standing on a trail, hearing a clapper rail, turning around and seeing said clapper rail.
This felt SO much better than what happened at Plumb. I earned this bird with some patience and had the privilege to enjoy it as it went about its business with a heck of a lot less disturbance from me, the viewer.

It even did some picking and feeding before burrowing in to a mound of dead grass. Such good stuff.
Now do birders cause disturbance to birds? There is no doubt that looking at birds likely does intrude on their space - which is why it is so important that we do absolutely as much as we can to not go out of our way to disturb them in ways that cause them to drastically change their behavior and disturb them to the point where they become stressed, loose opportunities to feed, or find a mate/raise young.
So if you're looking at birds, truly also get to know their behaviors, know when you are pressing on to hard, learn when to back off and not get too greedy. We do this because we love birds, right?! Let's make sure we show them some love with limiting actions (play back, approaching nesting birds) and increasing others (blowing them kisses, and waving hello to be polite - does no one else do this?!) that we take around them.

A snowy egret before heading home, with a much better feeling to continue the day on with.