Introduction
I visited New York City and adjacent Long Island for 5 days (6 nights) in early January 2009. This was a ‘see the sights’ trip with a load of birding chucked in along the way for good measure. Karen and I had both visited New York previously, but from a birding perspective my last visit was over 10 years ago and this was my first winter visit to the USA.
We booked the trip through Expedia less than a week before we travelled and stayed at the Carlton on Madison Avenue, and then at The Atlantic in Southampton, Long Island.
For American birders though, this trip will be kind of tame with the exception being the extraordinary numbers of sea duck present along Long Island. However, for the European birder who’d like to combine a city visit with some birding then hopefully this report will be able to offer some guidance. Despite the unspectacular exchange rate, cost of living was pretty similar to the UK and there were still a few bargains to be had (apparently) in the January sales.
Literature and websites
I didn’t have a map, I didn’t have any birding books… all I used were web resources and a Lonely Planet guide. Admittedly I’d birded Central Park on a previous trip but an essential reference is the New York Birding List where you can find out what’s been seen recently. The ‘Seasonal Hot Spots’ section on Long Island Birding is a useful resource and gives excellent directions of birding sites and species on Long Island. One jewel that I discovered on my last afternoon was Marine Nature Study Area – well worth a visit due to its close proximity to JFK Airport. Also thanks to Bob Watts who came back from New York the day before I was set to leave, and provided me with some good info for Central Park.
DAILY DIARY
1st January 2009
We arrived at JFK airport late evening on an American Airlines flight from London Heathrow. After getting the Airtrain from the airport, we took the train from Jamaica Station to Penn Station and then walked to our hotel on Madison Avenue from there.
2nd January 2009 (Central Park)
After a casual morning of wandering around Manhatten and visiting the likes of Macys, FAO Schwarz etc, Karen realised I was getting a bit restless. So we made our first visit to Central Park late morning, starting off at the south end at 59th Street and heading as far north as 86th Street where the main reservoir could be viewed.
As I entered the park, it was obvious that most of the water bodies were frozen over and that all the wildfowl would be confined to the largest lake ‘Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir’. A couple of Dark-eyed Juncos near the ice rink brought back memories of Chester a decade or so ago while upwards of 50 White-throated Sparrows scattered around the park were good value for a British birder. Along with the ubiquitous Starlings and House Sparrows, the commonest species appeared to be Blue Jay and Northern Cardinal. Despite heavy snow showers, birds were on the move and no more so than a flock of 60 or so American Robins that had ditched down near Belvedere Castle. A male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker between the Band Shell and Bethesda Fountain showed well while several small groups of Pine Siskins buzzed around, particularly after being disturbed by an American Kestrel. A couple of Red-bellied Woodpeckers and a vocal Carolina Wren were also noted.
American Robin, Central Park
Birds can be found anywhere in Central Park although, for passerines, one place in particular stands out – the feeders at The Ramble. In twenty or so minutes, a showy Downy Woodpecker, three White-breasted Nuthatches, a handful of Common Grackles, several House Finches and lots of American Goldfinches were recorded. In what was a good year for the species, several Pine Siskins were also coming to the feeders and a confiding Red-tailed Hawk looked down from its perch.
White-throated Sparrow, Central Park
With the light becoming ever more gloomy and an increase in snow, I headed to the reservoir to see what was around. A drake Bufflehead was active alongside seven Hooded Mergansers on the near edge of the reservoir. A group of 80 Ruddy Ducks felt safe in the knowledge that no culling Brits were going to get them, while a single American Coot, a couple of Pied-billed Grebes and a female Black Duck reminded me which side of the Atlantic I was. A fair number of American Herring Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls were watched intensively before I headed back to the hotel for some warmth and food.
Hooded Merganser, Central Park
3rd January 2009 (Central Park)
With Karen having made plans to visit the Museum of Fashion, and the weather being one of those crisp and bright winter days, I decided to spend a few hours at leisure walking around Central Park again. Although the birds seen were pretty similar to the previous day, the weather was completely different and afforded me with good light to take a few photos.
Pied-billed Grebe, Central Park
There were now four Buffleheads on the reservoir and Hooded Mergansers were up to about 15; amongst the Ruddy Duck flock three Black Duck and a Pied-billed Grebe were spotted. Other than this, the only additions to the previous day’s list were single Hermit Thrushes and Mourning Doves at Strawberry Fields. However, large numbers of White-throated Sparrows were excellent and the feeders at The Ramble were once again alive with a good selection of birds.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Central Park
As I headed back south through the park, continually scouring all the sparrows for rarer species (that never came), half a dozen or so Red-bellied Woodpeckers added a bit of colour and a further Yellow-bellied Sapsucker already had me dreaming of autumn 2009 back in the UK. And that was that for the day.
4th January 2009 (Liberty Island and Ellis Island)
Today was the day to visit Liberty and Ellis Islands. We’d both been to the Statue of Liberty on previous trips but, back in summer 1998, I remembered getting crippling views of gulls there so was keen to do it again. Though Karen had different priorities – being keen on history, she’d visited the Queenstown experience in Cobh, County Cork in September while I’d gone off to Ballycotton for a couple of hours. The museum on Ellis Island linked in nicely – the Irish immigrants who’d left Cobh arrived in the US and this museum documented American migration (it was so good that Karen was there for over four hours!). I was not disappointed though because I had the opportunity to study lots of American Herring Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls up close and personal.
American Herring Gulls, Ellis Island (above four)
Given the prolonged period of time spent on Ellis Island in particular, I scoured the water and located a handful of Double-crested Cormorants, a dozen Buffleheads, a female Long-tailed Duck, four Red-breasted Mergansers as well as a single Slavonian Grebe and small numbers of Gadwall and Ruddy Duck. At least 150 Brent Geese showed extremely well on the grass in front of the museum on Ellis Island.
Pale-bellied Brent, Ellis Island
What more could a girl want? To be surrounded by gulls and geese?
Ring-billed Gulls, Ellis Island (above two)
5th January 2009 (Long Island)
Shortly after breakfast, we headed out of Manhattan on the train from Penn Station and back to JFK Airport where we picked up a hire car. Though it was a challenge to navigate our way out onto Long Island as we only had the map given to us by the car hire company, we managed it and it was not long before we arrived at Jones Beach State Park.
As we were driving along the road to the car park at the west end, a 1st-winter Snow Goose was present with a group of a hundred or so Canada Geese, feeding on the frozen ground. As we’d now left New York City, the variety of birds changed and terrestrial highlights at Jones Beach were a ringtail American Marsh Hawk, a group of Shore Larks, a large flock of Snow Buntings, a single Northern Mockingbird and a handful of American Crows. A quick scan out to sea revealed loads of birds at a relatively decent range. These included several White-winged Scoters, 50+ Surf Scoters and good numbers of both Long-tailed Duck and Red-throated Diver.
After a quick stroll along the beach where large number of American Herring Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls were present, we headed east along the inlet towards Fire Island. Large numbers of Brent Geese were dotted along the inlet along with smaller numbers of Black Duck, Bufflehead, Goldeneye and Red-breasted Mergansers. An adult Peregrine showed well as it hunted for prey from the bridge over to Fire Island and further raptors included single American Marsh Hawks and Red-tailed Hawks.
Snow Goose, Jones Beach
When we reached Westhampton, we drove south and then headed east along Dune Road through the village of Quogue, before heading back north across the inlet over the Ponquogue Bridge. The biggest surprise of the trip was a group of at least five, probably seven, Two-barred Crossbills (including two males) in the village of Quogue as they fed actively on an isolated pine tree in one of the gardens adjacent to Dune Road. Other passerines in the area including handfuls of Song Sparrows and American Goldfinches, along with larger numbers of White-throated Sparrows. At least 50 Black Ducks were flocked together on the inlet while at the east end a couple of Double-crested Cormorants sat on the rocks.
Back on Route 27, a Sharp-shinned Hawk circled over Hampton Bays town as we headed to Southampton where we were to spend the night. After having a late lunch in the village, we headed south through the town to the beach and then headed west along the south side of Shinnecock Inlet. A Great Blue Heron stood motionless at the west end of the saltmarsh while the iced over pond nearer the town produced large numbers of Canada Geese, a few Shoveler and 50 or so Black Ducks. As dusk approached, we parked at Cooper’s Beach where large numbers of American Herrings Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls gathered on the beach in a pre-roost while on the sea five Black Scoters were seen in amongst large numbers of White-winged Scoters. The scrub adjacent to the beach held a Yellow-rumped Warbler, a Downy Woodpecker, three Black-capped Chickadees and good numbers of Song and White-throated Sparrows.
6th January 2009 (Long Island)
A walk around The Atlantic Hotel in Southampton early morning revealed a Northern Flicker, several Black-capped Chickadees and both Song and White-throated Sparrows. A return to Cooper’s Beach produced a similar array of species as the previous evening.
We headed east along Long Island’s ‘South Fork’ with the next stop being Hook Pond in East Hampton. A flock of 11 Common Mergansers were on the unfrozen north end, with each drake showing a nice dark bar at the base of the secondaries. Half a dozen or so Yellow-rumped Warblers fed busily in the adjacent scrub while a couple of Northern Flickers were seen in an adjacent garden. From the beach at the south end of the pond, birds included at least two Slavonian Grebes and good numbers of Long-tailed Ducks and White-winged Scoters.
Song Sparrow, Cooper's Beach
A stop at the tip of Long Island, Montauk Point, was memorable for the sheer numbers of sea duck present. There were thousands of White-winged Scoters offshore with smaller numbers of both Black and Surf Scoters as well as Long-tailed Ducks, Red-breasted Mergansers, Great Northern and Red-throated Divers. The adjacent scrub held a Northern Mockingbird, several Black-capped Chickadees and Song and White-throated Sparrows.
Time was progressing and we had been warned about a potential ice storm that was on its way to New York State. Therefore we headed back west through Long Island, along the Sunrise Highway, and to the Marine Nature Study Area in Oceanside. We were struggling to find the place so popped in at a local petrol station. Out of pure coincidence, the guy who was stacking the newspaper shelves was a birder and offered to show us where it was!
So once we’d been chauffeured through the gate and parked the car, we headed inside the centre to watch the birds at the feeder. Having had a look through the New York Birding List before I left the UK, I realised that this site had a couple of birds I wanted to see. An overwintering Yellow-breasted Chat was one of them, and after about ten minutes of searching it came to the feeders and showed really well. The other one, Fox Sparrow, was there on arrival and at least a handful of them showed on the ground below the feeders throughout my visit – excellent! The feeders were mobbed by Brown-headed Cowbirds while other species included House Finch, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, American Robin, Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee and Mourning Dove. A quick walk out onto the marsh produced the only Belted Kingfisher of the trip and thousands of Brent Geese flew over just prior to dusk. With the skies darkening, and the heavens opening, this was the last bit of birding before heading back to the airport for a flight early the next morning.
7th January 2009
We caught an early morning flight back to London Heathrow, arriving back home in London early evening.
SPECIES LIST: -
Red-throated Diver
Great Northern Diver
Slavonian Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose
Brent Goose
Snow Goose
Mallard
Black Duck
Gadwall
Shoveler
Long-tailed Duck
Black Scoter
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Common Goldeneye
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
American Marsh Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine
American Coot
American Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Shore Lark
Tufted Titmouse
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
American Robin
Hermit Thrush
Northern Mockingbird
Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Northern Cardinal
White-throated Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Snow Bunting
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
House Finch
Two-barred Crossbill
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow