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    all yr: 2012-now          FOS in NY  

    Next: Saint Martin, Trinidad and Tobago.  More: <1>  trinidad_and_tobago.htm
    2020 Cape Cod & Berkshire, MA
    2019 1. Cayman Islands.  2. Iceland.  Baltic Sea ( Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, northeast Germany and Russia ) [link]   3. Barbados.
    2018 Tucson, AZ.  Pittsburgh, PA.  Bonaire & Curacao.  HK (trips to China).
    2017 Cayman Islands / Bonaire & Curacao / HK (1 day trip to China with Siu Ming)
    2016 celebrate birding 10 year anniversary - 決志:  矢志不渝 、堅定不移地 進行觀鳥, 成為一生一世的嗜好, 天長地久的興趣.
    2016 (Aug-):  HK
    2016 (Jan-Jul): Mexico (4/7)
    2015 (8/14-): Curacao / HK
    2015 (Jan-8/8) log: South Carolina / Seattle
    2014 log: Jamaica / Canadian Rockies / Curacao
    2013 log: New Orleans, Costa Maya, Belize City, Roatan, & Cozumel / HK (1/2 day China with Siu Ming)   Periodical Cicada at SI        
    2012 (after Hurricane Sandy) log  
    2012 (Jul-before Hurricane Sandy) log  (Netherlands, UK, Scotland, Norway, Denmark) (birdList.b4_split2_b_and_c.htm)   
    2012 (Jan-Jun) log  (Costa Rica)  
    2011 log  (HK, Punta Cana
    2010 log  ( 1. Mar. Caribbean Cruise : Fort Lauderdale / Cozumel, Mexico / Cayman Islands ; 1b. HK ; 2. Nov. Caribbean Cruise : Puerto Rico / St Maarten / Half Moon Cay ) 
    2009 log  (Las Vegas; HK, Mainland China and Taiwan)  
    2008 log  (South Caribbean Cruise - Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Grenada, Bonaire & Aruba; Toronto; Palm Beach, Florida)   
    Photo and Video @ Punta Cana    pic01.htm  others   HK trips
    ducks and geese
    Note on Dragonfly and Damselfly   my insect spider list    Macro   butterflyMoth.htm   frog   kissena_rare_encounter.htm    Postings of NY Birding List
    Favorites in 2013   Favorites in 2012   Favorites in 2011  
    Bees   Wasps   Cricket   myInventory   myNationalPark.htm
    Costa Rica info   Costa Rica, 2012 - Photo    costa_rica_mybirdlist.htm
    Birding in Shetland Islands     Norway cruise     pc_stuff.htm    pc_stuff2.htm    Google Voice    t-mobile (6/2014)   多部未华子   cull_CanadaGeese_at_JBWR.htm
    samsung_s3600.note01.htm   smart_phone.htm   car_problem.htm   pedometer.htm
    http://www.nycgovparks.org/news/notices   Biblical_problems_caused_by_translation.htm   translation resource
    how_can_i_make_a_very_sharp_phot.htm   flash_wont_sync_in_slave_mode.htm   Camera/Camcorder for birding   cam4underwater   infrared_photography.htm
    snorkeling  
    comet_PANSTARRS.htm    Jamaica_bird.htm   2015plus_jamaica_trips.htm   Glacier   Hay fever   Glacier & Canadian Rockies  
    Curacao-1   Curacao-2   Bermuda   Cancun   Snorkeling Cozumel Reefs (El Cozumeleño Resort) 
    St. Maarten  St. Eustatius
    Saint Martin: The best snorkeling on the island lies on the French side, where the government religiously protects the calm waters, which are populated with schools of brilliantly colored fish. Find a tiny cove and explore the shallow reefs along its shores, especially in the northeastern underwater nature reserve.
    Barbados is called the land of flying fish.
    Cuba [mirrorEthiopia [Rockjumper's standard tours (as we classify this PNG tour) are aimed at the keen birder who wants to see as many birds and as much wildlife as possible without extreme effort or arduous hours in the field i.e. the average birder. src]  
    NewFoundLand
    South Carolina   Seattle   Bird in Arizona Desert
    Lead Adventures 3-Week Galapagos program - doc  
    Quito - Monastery of San Francisco - pic1  quito.htm
    The best month for me to visit Galapagos is probably Feb.   https://www.quasarex.com/blog/galapagos-climate-february-weather-in-the-galapagos-islands   https://www.quasarex.com/galapagos/when-to-visit
    List of whale and dolphin species        List of birds of HK   
    fb Post - 青衣島 譚炳文 1971   hksong_placeName.htm   根据哼唱的旋律找歌的网站 ( http://www.midomi.com/ )
    全膝關節置換術 (TKA)   飛 蚊症
  
    How to Get Free Gogo Inflight WiFi : Click on “Watch for Free” in the Delta Studio to watch free movies. > Choose your movie and select "Watch Now." > asked if you have the Gogo app or need to download the app. > select the option to “Download on the App Store.” (or Google Play)  > Leave the App Store once Gogo takes you there.

    How to Access Google in China (& All Google Services) :
    1. Access the Internet in China -
        Via Wi-Fi. 
        Via a China SIM card: Although a bit time consuming, it’s not difficult for a foreigner to get a local SIM card to access the internet via any unlocked phone. You’ll need your passport to register the number but monthly service can be unbelievably cheap. In some major airports (Beijing, Shanghai) you’ll find kiosks where you can purchase a China SIM card. Otherwise, you’ll have to go to a China Telecom, China Unicom or China Mobile store to purchase.  
        Via a Rented China Phone: Of course, if you want to eliminate all the hassle of the above options, you can also consider renting a phone in China. There are services that will mail you a phone to your home that will work the moment you land in China. You can rent cheap Android phones or nicer Apple iPhones.
    2. Connect to a VPN (Virtual Private Network)
    3. Log on to Google in China!

    Tourists to China can finally use the country’s massively popular mobile payment systems

    flu__covid19.htm   coronavirus01.htm  

    interview_questions_and_answers.htm   hk_box_office.htm


2021 Plan:

(1) Periodical cicada Brood X (10) will emerge in 15 states in 2021

Periodical cicada Brood X (10) will emerge in the spring of 2021 in Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington D.C.

The last time this brood emerged was in 2004.

When: Typically beginning in mid-May and ending in late June. These cicadas will begin to emerge approximately when the soil 8″ beneath the ground reaches 64 degrees Fahrenheit. A nice, warm rain will often trigger an emergence. Back in 2004, people began reporting emergences around May, 13th.

Other tips: these cicadas will emerge after the trees have grown leaves, and, by my own observation, around the same time Iris flowers bloom.

Where:  Magicicada.org has the most up to date maps.

Note: Review my 6/8/2013 experience Others 2013 (locations with video)
More:
 Cicadas may emerge early in Central Illinois (6/2020)  (Brood XIII and XIX)
 Billions of cicadas expected in spring of 2021  
 17 Year Periodical Cicadas | Planet Earth | BBC Earth  
 Brood V, 2016, Wildwood State Park, Long Island, NY 
 Can ask: Professor Douglas Futuyma, Stony Brook University's Ecology and Evolution Department
 Download Mobile Cicada App Developed by Campus Experts to Track 2020 Cicada Emergence
 Brood XIV (14) may come four year earlier in 2021.  New York counties: Nassau, Suffolk
'Impossible dreams challenge us to rise above who we are now to see if we can become better versions of ourselves.' by Emily Harrington.  Rock climber Emily Harrington has become the first woman, and fourth person, to free-climb the Golden Gate route on Yosemite National Park's 3,000-foot El Capitan summit in a single day.  src
Hope Goddard Iselin Preserve
Chicken Valley Rd, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
PARKING: AVAILABLE ON SITE - There is parking for 3-4 cars. Open dawn to dusk.

FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020 7:30 PM
Owl and Bat Prowl at Iselin Preserve
LED BY STELLA MILLER


Large Trail Map


John P. Humes Japanese Stroll Garden
347 Oyster Bay Road, Mill Neck, NY 11765
Sat 10am-2pm
Sun 1-5pm
Mon-Fri Closed
Brooklyn birding places:
 Brooklyn Botanic Garden  ebird | saw Bobolink on 22 Apr 2018 (in reeds of water garden just south of Conservatory), 8 Oct 2017 (Pic-1, smaller) & 14 Sep 2014 | saw Dickcissel on 9 Oct 2017 | saw European Goldfinch (is considered a rare bird in New York) on 22 Oct 2017
 Prospect Park (next to Brooklyn Botanic Garden)
 Green-Wood Cemetery (near to Prospect Park)
 Bush Terminal Piers Park (near to Green-Wood Cemetery)
So the above 4 are formed a cluster.

Note:
 (1) European Goldfinch - native to Europe, North Africa, and central Asia. The European Goldfinch has been introduced to other areas, such as southern Australia, New Zealand, and even the US. About 100 years ago these birds were established on Long Island, but those colonies died out and now they’re considered rare in North America. In recent years, there have been many sightings of them in the Mid-West where they are believed to be nesting. They are hardy birds and able to withstand cold winters. Like their American cousins, these little birds like sunflower and nyjer seed, so you may be able to keep this visitor around for a while!  src
 (2) European Goldfinch in Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens - European Goldfinches presently found in New York are believed to all be escaped cage birds or, at best, a handful of their first-generation descendants. In order for introduced birds to become countable in the high-stakes world of official bird-counting, they must establish a self-sustaining breeding population. 
Note on patch birding: Carrie Laben saw 76 species of birds at Socrates Sculpture Park (21 minute drive from home).

2020-21 Winter 成績單:
1.  ducks seen in 2020-21 winter:
Redhead
Canvasback
American Wigeon
Eurasian Wigeon (at Oakland Lake, 11/26 Thanksgiving)
Gadwall
Ruddy Duck
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser (Martha Weintraub saw 2 at JBWR on 12 Dec 2019)
Ring-necked Duck
Northern Shoveler
Mallard
American Black Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Wood Duck
Northern Pintail
Blue-winged Teal (seen at JBWR on 8/20/2011)
Green-winged Teal
Common Eider
King Eider
White-winged Scoter (seen at Dead Horse Bay / Floyd Bennett Field on 1/8/2012)
Black Scoter
Surf Scoter
Long-tailed Duck (seen at Fort Tilden [Riis Landing & coastal beach, the Atlantic shore] on 2/18/2012)
Harlequin Duck
Black-bellied Whistling Duck
Mottled Duck

Year 2020 Life bird: 
Canvasback.  Common Merganser.  Harlequin Duck.
Black Scoter.  Surf Scoter.  Eared Grebe.  Red-throated Loon.  Red Crossbill.  Horned Lark.  Snowy Owl.  Purple Sandpiper.  American Woodcock.


2020成績單:
1.  ducks seen in 2019-20 winter:
Redhead
Canvasback (male, 1/1/2020 at World's Fair Marina)
American Wigeon
Gadwall
Ruddy Duck
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser (1/1/2020 at World's Fair Marina; 11/9 probably)
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser (Martha Weintraub saw 2 at JBWR on 12 Dec 2019)
Ring-necked Duck
Northern Shoveler
Mallard
American Black Duck
Scaup (Greater Scaup + Lesser Scaup)
Wood Duck
Northern Pintail
Blue-winged Teal (seen at JBWR on 8/20/2011)
Green-winged Teal
Common Eider
White-winged Scoter (seen at Dead Horse Bay / Floyd Bennett Field on 1/8/2012)
Long-tailed Duck (seen at Fort Tilden [Riis Landing & coastal beach, the Atlantic shore] on 2/18/2012)
Harlequin Duck (3/28/2020 at Point Lookout)

Note: During winter, location can be a deciding factor. Greater Scaup tend to choose saltwater bodies, while Lesser Scaup are found in freshwater zones further inland.  So try to see Lesser at Alley Pond Park.  src


Purple Martin House, Broad Channel, south of JBWR HQ

© Lisa Scheppke


Sites of watching duck:

October
JBWR - Bufflehead.  Scaup, possible.
Point Lookout - sea ducks.  Scaup.  Northern Gannet (not a duck).  
Oakland Lake - Green-winged Teal.
Baisley Pond Park - American Wigeon.  Gadwall.  Northern Shoveler.

November-March
JBWR - Red-breasted Merganser.  Hooded Merganser.  Redhead.  Scaup.
Point Lookout (even early April) - Harlequin Duck.  Long-tailed Duck. 
Baisley Pond Park - Redhead.  Ring-necked Duck. [eBird: 10/28/2020 both ducks were seen.]
Restoration Pond - Bufflehead.  Scaup.
World's Fair Marina (1 Marina Rd, Corona, NY 11368; GCP Exit 9E) - Canvasback.  Red-breasted Merganser.  Bufflehead.  Scaup of both species.  How about Long-tailed Duck?  Try after New Year or even Christmas. 
Meadow Lake - Common Merganser.  Bufflehead.  Hooded Merganser.  White-winged Scoter [eBird: 23 Oct 2020]
Dead Horse Bay - Red-breasted Merganser.  Bufflehead.  
*(from a 1/2010 article about Dead Horse Bay) you are likely to see are Red-throated LoonCommon LoonHorned GrebeBrantAmerican Black DuckLong-tailed DuckBufflehead and Red-breasted Merganser. Now the Scaup seemed to have returned in epic numbers.  src
Jones Beach Coast Guard Station - Long-tailed Duck.
Jones Beach - Surf Scoter.

eBird records found:
Common Goldeneye - World's Fair Marina, 7 Dec 2019.  Point Lookout, 26 Jan 2020.  Baisley Pond Park, 2017-12-31.   And:
Meadow lake - Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser - Kissena Park, 25 Oct 2020 .  Meadow Lake, 3 Nov 2020 
Red-breasted Merganser - West Pond, 2020-10-31 (Flying in and out of pond. in small groups.); 11/1/2020

Blue-winged Teal -
  Kissena Park, 3 Oct 2020 (1 observed by Mary Normandia, flyover with black duck). 
  Flushing Meadows Corona Park--Meadow Lake, 3 Oct 2020 morning (2) | also observed (1-3) by many others in September.
  More on sighting map
  It seems the best time to spot it in Greater NYC is September & October.

Note:
 (1) Wintering ducks are birds often with whimsical names - goldeneyes, scaup, scoters, mergansers, and more - that nest near the water during the summer in northern New England, northern New York State, or far northern waters in Canada. As temperatures drop, many water birds will migrate south as northern waters freeze over. They fly to find refuge in open ice-free water, especially saltwater which has a lower temperature at which it freezes between 29 or 28 degrees F. They arrive to fish, feed, and rest before another busy breeding season begins. ...
Once daylight increases and temperatures rise in the spring, the birds [Buffleheads] are off again to nest near lakes, ponds, and rivers in the forests of Canada.  They will raise a family in an old woodpecker hole, usually a Flicker, in which the entrance hole is enlarged to a little more than three inches in diameter to accommodate the bird’s chubby body.  A pair of Buffleheads will raise 8 to 12 chicks, providing none of the little birds are victims of predation.   src
 (2) Bufflehead breed primarily in northwestern North America and winter on both coasts. On the Atlantic coast they winter from Newfoundland to Florida, with concentrations in Maine and between Cape Cod and North Carolina. The New York Bight accounts for about one-quarter of the Atlantic flyway wintering population. Bufflehead feed on a variety of food items, and in northern estuaries the primary winter foods are crustaceans such as isopods, amphipods, and shrimp, mollusks, some fish, pondweeds, and widgeon grass. Bufflehead are distributed in small flocks throughout the backbarrier lagoons of the New York Bight along the New Jersey and Long Island coasts, with significant concentration areas in Barnegat Bay and the Cape May Atlantic coast marshes.  src
Cammanns Pond County Park, 235 Lindenmere Dr, Merrick, NY 11566
35 minutes from home.  A nice stopping point on the way to Point Lookout.
eBird link
Records:
-
Hooded Merganser
14 30 Oct 2020
-
Bufflehead
  4 26 Oct 2020
-
Ring-necked Duck
  2 29 Mar 2020
-
Northern Pintail
  1 28 Mar 2020
-
Red-breasted Merganser
12 17 Feb 2020
-
Greater/Lesser Scaup
  5 1 Jan 2020
-
Green-winged Teal
 X 7 Dec 2019
etc.
Mill Pond Park   ebird
2286 Arby Ct, Wantagh, NY 11793 or 2866 Merrick Rd, Bellmore, NY 11710
from home: 40 min drive
2286 Arby Ct, Wantagh, NY 11793

Mill Pond Park
Ring-necked Pheasant at Kissena (Corridor) Park
My sightings:
4/18/2017
11/5/2016
9/2/2016
3/6/2016
10/24/2015
9/16/2015
6/28/2015 
3/14/2015  
8/25/2014
6/21/2014
5/31/2014
11/2/2013
10/19/2013
8/3/2013
5/16/2013
5/11/2013
5/4/2013
4/27/2013
11/12/2012
10/28/2012
10/27/2012 etc.
我的四年大學生活
- 住了多年宿舍: 應林 明 華堂
- 做過系會會長, 參予學生活動(校慶etc.)
- 讀過非科學類科目(social science, Introduction to NT, etc.)
- 修過羽毛球 網球, 閒餘有打乒乓球 康樂(檯)棋
- 煲粥煮麵玩橋牌 跑步
- 暑期活動
- 基督教活動 - study group of HK contemporary church history , 理學院院代, 生化系小組組長
- ...
12/27/2020 (Sun) am
Pelham Bay Park (from Orchard Beach Parking Lot to Hunter Island)

Red-breasted Merganser, M+F, 30+.  Bufflehead, M+F, many.  Scaup.  Mute Swan. 
Titmouse.  Mourning Dove.  Blue Jay.  Cardinal.  Chickadee.  Woodpecker.
Cannot find Common Merganser.  So up to now, before the end of 2020, only 24 species of ducks. 
Deer swimming near Hog Island (The northernmost island of New York City).
   
Photo:
  Blue Jay - <1>
  Cardinal -
  Chickadee -
  Woodpecker -
  I think they are female Greater Scaup - <1>  with a male Greater Scaup

And Video: 00048_possibly_2_CommonMerganser.MTS   00049_possibly_2_CommonMerganser.MTS
Deer Swimming

Note:
  (1) This is the first time I see a deer in NYC.  I saw it at Fire Island, Long Island (6/30/2007) and around Uncle Jim's house in Westchester County. 
  (2) Deer population explodes on Staten Island; jumps from 24 to 793 in six years
  (3) The most recent estimate, conducted in January 2019, estimated that there were approximately 1,737 deer on Staten Island.  src
  (4) Deer population down 24% in Staten Island   Eyewitness News
        "The study done by the city parks department found a 24% drop in the deer population between January 2017 and January 2020. There are now just a little more than 1,500 deer in the borough."
  (5) The Woodpeckers of New York City (2012)
         "It seems likely that eventually a population (of Pileated Woodpecker) will take root in the Bronx because Pileated Woodpeckers are relatively common in Westchester County, which is just north of the Bronx, and Bergen County, New Jersey, just across the Hudson River"
  (6) Pileated Woodpecker, the largest common woodpecker in the U.S.  But it is rare in NYC.
pileated woodpecker at Pelham

12/26/2020 (Sat) pm
Meadow Lake

Red-breasted Merganser, 1M+1F.  Hooded Merganser, M+F (14+).  American Black Duck.  Mallard.  Ruddy Duck (1).  Bufflehead, 1M.  Totally 6 species of ducks.
12/20/2020 (Sun) early morning
Point Lookout & Cammanns Pond County Park

Harlequin Duck (FOS), 1M with some red (breeding, alternate plumage) color and a couple of males without the red color (not really non-breeding (basic) plumage).  No female is seen; but I did not pay attention and did not make effort to find. 
Long-tailed Duck.  Common Eider.  Brant. a lot. 
Shorebird:  Turnstone.  Black-bellied Plover, one still has black belly.  Sanderling.  Dunlin?
Seal (2), very close to shore.
Cammanns:  Hooded Merganser.  Northern Shoveler, very close.  American Black Duck, many, in tens.  Mallard.  Canada Goose.  Black-crowned Night Heron.  No kingfisher probably because most of the surface of the pond is frozen.
   
Photo:
   Shoveler -

Note:
 (1) Harlequin Ducks are very social, especially in the non-breeding season when they form large groups at food-rich areas. Even at the end of the breeding season, males form post-breeding “clubs” (俱樂部) with failed and non-breeding females.  src
 (2) Their breeding habitat is cold fast moving streams in north-western and north-eastern North AmericaGreenlandIceland and eastern Russia. The nest is usually located in a well-concealed location on the ground near a stream. They are usually found near pounding surf and white water. They are short distance migrants and most winter near rocky shorelines on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
      Harlequin males will have an alternate plumage during this winter mating season.    wiki
 (3) Waterfowl Hunting on Long Island
 (4) Opposition to hunting
 (5) A 1997 article examines molting of Harlequin Duck from mid-June until late November - proceed from the alternate plumage through basic to the return of the new alternate plumage.  So in December, many have already in breeding plumage.
12/19/2020 (Sat) late morning
Kissena (Corridor) Park

Red-tailed Hawk, eating on a branch.  Blue Jay.  White-throated Sparrow.  Starling.  Mockingbird.  Wood Duck, 3M+3F.  Northern Shoveler.  Mute Swan, a pair. 
   
Photo:
   Red-tailed Hawk -
12/16-17/2020 (Wed-Thu)
The first heavy snowstorm in the season - Winter Storm Gail
...SNOWFALL REPORTS...

Location                     Amount    Time/Date       Provider
...Queens County...
Jamaica                      11.8 in   1140 AM 12/17   Emergency Mngr
Whitestone                   10.5 in   1130 AM 12/17   Public
Laguardia Airport            10.1 in   0100 PM 12/17   Official NWS Obs
3 S Jackson Heights          9.3 in    0230 PM 12/17   Trained Spotter
2 NW Ozone Park              9.1 in    1055 AM 12/17   Public
2 SSW Russell Gardens        8.0 in    1210 PM 12/17   Trained Spotter
1 SW Russell Gardens         8.0 in    1000 AM 12/17   Trained Spotter
1 NNW Whitestone             8.0 in    0645 AM 12/17   Public
1 SSE Whitestone             7.5 in    1130 AM 12/17   Trained Spotter
Howard Beach                 7.5 in    0800 AM 12/17   Trained Spotter
Kennedy Airport              7.2 in    0100 PM 12/17   Official NWS Obs
...New York County...
Central Park                 10.5 in   0100 PM 12/17   Central Park Conservancy
2 SSE Greenwich Village      9.9 in    1105 AM 12/17   Emergency Mngr
1 NNE Greenwich Village      7.1 in    0900 AM 12/17   Cocorahs

Latest snowfall reports for Flushing from NOAA


Notes:
 (1)  A number of locations from northern Pennsylvania into central New York, Vermont and New Hampshire picked up a whopping 40 inches of snow or more, primarily occurring within a 24-hour period from Dec. 16-17. Gail shattered all-time snowstorm records in Binghamton, New York (40 inches), and Williamsport, Pennsylvania (24.7 inches).  src


12/13/2020 (Sun) whole day, warm and partly sunny (with Ivy & Winnie)
Hempstead Lake SP,  Point Lookout and Mill Pond Park (Bellmore)

Hempstead: Hooded Merganser, many.  Can't find Northern Bobwhite.
Point Lookout: Purple Sandpiper (4).  Turnstone (1).
Mill:  Green-winged Teal, 1M.  American Wigeon, 1M.  Hooded Merganser, many but less than Hempstead.  American Black Duck, a lot.  Belted Kingfisher (1).  Can't find Common Gallinule.

Note:
- GPS of Mill Pond Park:  2866 Merrick Rd, Bellmore, NY 11710 (a store address).
- 12/4 people see Common Gallinule at Mill Pond Park: Chicken-like bird with gray-brown back and slate-gray head, neck, breast and belly; upper flanks show a white line; short yellow-tipped red bill with a red frontal plate extending onto the forehead; white under a short tail. When it stepped onto some rhizomes, the legs were long, feet were unwebbed, all yellow-green.
- Ebird - https://ebird.org/hotspot/L283126?yr=cur&m=&rank=mrec  South Shore Audubon Society 12/13 Sunday Bird Walk (Joseph Landesberg & Bill Belford)
- SSAS Bird Walk webpage

- Mallard x American Black Duck (hybrid) seen by Stacy McCormack at Mill Pond Park on 12/8 :

12/12/2020 (Sat) am, cloudy
Willow Lake and spend < half hour at Meadow Lake

American Woodcock (1).  A lifer.  But most of this bird should have migrated south.  From the map, NYC does in the range of all year around so it implies we can see it in winter.  Corey Finger saw 2 on 26 Oct 2020.
  I think it is not Wilson's Snipe.
Chickadee, many, easy to be more than 10.
Fox Sparrow (red), 4+.  I never see that many.  Until today, I have seen it 3 times only.
Hooded Merganser, 1M+1F.
American Goldfinch (1).
Downy Woodpecker (2).
Hawk-like bird (1).
Mourning Dove (1).
Great Blue Heron (1), flying across.
American Robin, many (4+), at Al Mauro Playground (entrance at Park Drive East at 73rd Terrace in Kew Gardens Hills)
Rusty Blackbird, a few.
Cardinal, male and female.
Grackle (1). 
Pied-billed Grebe (1), non-breeding adult or immature.  *Some non-breeding birds have more cinnamon coloring on the neck.  Someone mistakenly takes it as Red-necked Grebe.
Not see Bald Eagle, Green-winged Teal and European Goldfinch.

Note:
(1) Although both see at night, the Woodcock is more nocturnal than the Snipe. The latter often, without provocation or apparent object, migrates or takes long and elevated flights during the day; but the Woodcock rarely takes flight at this time, unless forced to do so to elude its enemies, and even then removes only to a short distance. When rambling unconcernedly, it rarely passes high above the tree tops, or is seen before the dusk or after the morning twilight, when it flies rather low, generally through the wood.  src
(2) When flushed from the ground, these birds flutter up through the thick canopy, level off over the top, and then fly away. Wind moving through their wings makes a whistling sound as they go. Although they sometimes fly considerable distances, they usually only fly short distances of 10 to 20 yards at flight speeds of up to 30 mph. Their odd appearance and behavior has inspired many local names like timberdoodle, bog sucker, mud bat, mud snipe, and Labrador twister.  DEC.NY

12/6/2020 (Sun) am, windy
Fort Tilden Beach, Jacob Riis Park Beach and Breeze Point w/ Ivy Chao

Snowy Owl, life bird.  We probably the first one to see this Snowy Owl at Breeze Point.  Twitter
Purple Sandpiper, life bird.
Looking for King Eider but failed.
   
Photo:
   Snowy Owl - <1>   <2>
   Purple Sandpiper -

12/5/2020 (Sat) pm, cloudy and windy
JBWR (30th visit)

Ruddy Duck, a lot.  Gull, a lot.  Brant.  Swan, a few.  Cormorant, 1 or 2.  Harrier, 2.  Northern Shoveler, a few flying pass by.  Because of the weather, no other land bird and comparatively less ducks.  Bufflehead, female.
   
Photo:
   Ruddy Duck -
   Bufflehead, female - <1>
11/29/2020 (Sun) am, sunny and warm
JBWR (29th visit)

Photo:
   Canada Goose - <1>


11/28/2020 (Sat) before sunrise leaving home to almost 4pm, cloudy or partly sunny, warm
Cammanns Pond County Park and Jones Beach with QCBC, met Ivy & Calvin Yang

Cammanns:  Northern Pintail, 1M (FOS).  Belted Kingfisher.  Hooded Merganser, many M+F.  Black-crowned Night Heron, many.  Brant, 1000+.  Northern Shoveler.   
Jones:  Long-tailed Duck (FOS).  Life bird list:  Red Crossbill, 2M+3F.  Horned Lark (4).  Surf Scoter, 1M. 
Red-breasted Merganser.  White-winged Scoter, female.  Common Eider.
Brant in thousands.  Oystercatcher.  Dunlin.  Black-bellied Plover.  Ruddy Turnstone. 
Common Loon.  Red-throated Loon.  Northern Gannet.  Black-capped Chickadee.  Nuthatch.  Downy Woodpecker.  Hermit Thrush.   
Seal.  First time in NY.

Photo:
   Northern Pintail - with Shoveler  Better
   Belted Kingfisher -
   Brant -
   Long-tailed Duck -
   Red Crossbill - Male-1   Male-2  
   Horned Lark - only video; picture is not good.
   Surf Scoter - M with Red-throated Loon:  1  2
   Oystercatcher -
   Common Loon -
   Red-throated Loon -
   Northern Gannet -
   Black-capped Chickadee -
   Nuthatch -

Note: Jones Beach Coast Guard Station facebook

11/26/2020 (Thu) am, mostly cloudy with some sunny moment and warm / pm, sunny and warm
Oakland Lake with Winnie / World's Fair Marina

Oakland: I think it is a female Eurasian Wigeon (FOS).  American Wigeon, 1M and a couple of F.  Ruddy Duck (3+).  Gadwall, M+F, a lot.  Northern Shoveler.  Coot.  Mute Swan (3).  Bufflehead (1), not sure.
Woodpecker, Downy or Hairy. 
Marina: Canvasback, 2F (FOS).  Horned Grebe (1).  Lots of Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, and Ruddy Duck.  Gadwall, quite a lot.  American Black Duck, many.  Mute Swan, 8.  Rat, many.  Great Blue Heron (1).  Great Egret (1).

Photo:
   Gadwall -
   Canvasback, female -
   Gadwall -
   American Black Duck -
   Lesser Scaup -
   Great Blue Heron -
   Marina


11/21/2020 (Sat) am, sunny and warm (but early morning is still chilly)
Dead Horse Bay & JBWR (28th visit)

Dead Horse: Red-breasted Merganser (1) (FOS).  Bufflehead, many M+F.  Horned Grebe, a few.
JBWR: Both Lesser Scaup and Greater Scaup.  Grebe.  Cardinal, a group.  Northern Harrier (2).
At south end of East Pond, see many Hooded Merganser, M+F. 
Big John's Pond:  Cooper's Hawk (or Sharp-Shinned Hawk).
Common Buckeye.

Photo:
  Hawk -
  Common Buckeye -

Note:
(1) Laura Weir today saw 18 Greater Scaup and more than 90 Lesser Scaup at JBWR.
(2)

Greater Scaup and Lesser Scaup: Quick Reference

Characteristic Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup
Size 18-20 inches 16-18 inches
Bill Broad, prominent black nail Narrower, more delicate nail
Head Shape Rounded, highest point near forehead Oval, highest point near back, notch at rear
Iridescence Green only Green or purple
Plumage Narrow back barring, plain white flanks Heavier barring, barring extends onto flanks
Wing Pattern White extends across secondary and primary feathers White only on secondary feathers
Range Northern, saltwater, coastal, also in Eurasia More southern, inland freshwater, North America only
Hatchlings First flight in 36-40 days First flight in 45-50 days
Male
Female
src


11/14/2020 (Sat) am, sunny
Fort Tilden & Breezy Point

A cold morning of sea birds - the 3 common sea duck species and many Loons (5+).  I never see that many Loons before.  And Red-throated Loon is life bird.
Black Scoter, 1M.  White-winged Scoter, 2F.  Common Eider, many. 
Red-throated Loon, first winter and perhaps adult Red-throated Loon.  Probably no Common Loon.  People see both species of Loons at Breezy Point and Fort Tilden Beach.
Bufflehead, a few males and perhaps some females. 
Gulls of the 3 species.  
Double-crested Cormorant. 
Shorebirds: Sanderling or other species.

I did not visit Fort Tilden since 2012.

Photo:
  Red-throated Loon, first winter -


11/11/2020 (Wed) am, cloudy, a few moment sunny, and warm 
Cammanns Pond County Park, Point Lookout & Nickerson Beach

Cammanns: Belted Kingfisher.  Hooded Merganser, 1M+2F.  Black-crowned Night Heron, many.  Double-crested Cormorant, a few.  Brant.  Ring-billed Gull.
Point Lookout: Common Eider, a lot.  Black Scoter.  White-winged Scoter.  Turnstone (1).  Sanderling (2).
Nickerson:  Crow.  Ring-billed Gull or Herring Gull, immature so can't tell; more likely Ring-billed. Great Black-backed Gull.

Photo:
  Common Eider - female-1

11/8/2020 (Sun) am/pm, sunny and warm (but early morning is still chilly)
JBWR (27th visit) / Cammanns Pond County Park & Point Lookout w/ Winnie until sunset

JBWR:
Hooded Merganser, 1M+1F (FOS). 
A rare bird: Eared Grebe (has red eye), a life bird.  In fact, not 100% sure.  Could be a Horned Grebe. 
Pied-billed Grebe
Scaup, many (FOS; 10/31 not certain). 
Yellowlegs (1).   Someone saws Greater Yellowlegs recently.  
Great Blue Heron.
Cammanns:
Hooded Merganser, easy 40+, M+F.  Black-crowned Night Heron, many, 10+/-.  Double-crested Cormorant, quite a lot.  Brant, a lot.
Point Lookout:
White-winged Scoter (2+), FOS.  Sanderling, many.  Common Eider, a lot. 

Note by Patricia Lindsay on Eared Grebe sighting:
"rare but with many prior records; continuing bird found by Doug Futuyma; small podiceps with peaked crown, slim neck, darker face than Horned Grebe; raised boustierre. Hugging west shore, and only visible when phrags were blown back by huge gusts."

Note: Why are loon and many grebe eyes red? 
11/7/2020 (Sat) am, sunny and warm (but early morning is still chilly) / late am. 
Baisley Pond Park, Meadow Lake / Kissena Park

Redhead (1) and many Ring-necked Ducks (FOS).
Baisley: Redhead.  Ring-necked Duck.  American Wigeon.  Gadwall.  Wood Duck.  Ruddy Duck.  Northern Shoveler.  Coot.  Rat.     
Meadow Lake: Junco.  Ruddy Duck, many.  Bufflehead, 1M.
Still many Yellow-rumped Warblers.  Robin. 
Kissena Park: Ruddy Duck (2).
Northern Flicker.

11/1/2020 (Sun) am, cold & cloudy
Point Lookout

LLife bird:  Black Scoter.   There are many M+F, in tens.  [According to Eric's eBird report, count is 70]
Common Eider (FOS), M+F, a lot [According to Eric's eBird report, count is 75].  
Common Loon (1) (FOS); not a Red-throated Loon; last seen on 3/28/2020.
Piping Plover (2).  Black-bellied Plover, more than 10.  Turnstone (1).
Ring-billed Gull, a few (FOS).  Herring Gull.  Great Black-backed Gull.

Note:
Piping Plover:
"Migrants may be observed on Long Island in March and late August and breeding individuals may be observed from April through July (Levine 1998). This species usually rare on Long Island before mid-March and after September. On very rare occasions individual birds are observed in winter on Long Island."  src

10/31/2020 (Sat) am, sunny
JBWR (26th visit)

Junco (FOS), many, M + F or Immature.  Red-tailed Hawk.  Accipiter, I think it is a Juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk.  Still many Yellow-rumped Warblers.  Eastern Phoebe, many.  Ruby-crowned Kinglet.  Golden-crowned Kinglet (1).  Mockingbird. etc.
Bufflehead, many M+F.  Scaup (1), not 100% sure.

Photo:
  Junco -
  Accipiter - <1>
  Mockingbird -

Note:
 (1) AA Beginner's Guide to IDing Cooper’s and Sharp-Shinned Hawks

10/25/2020 (Sun) am & pm (two times), cloudy
Oakland Lake

Green-winged Teal (2M+2F), FOS.  Red-tailed Hawk.  Pied-billed Grebe (1).  Coot.  Gadwall.  Mallard.  Canada Goose.  Mute Swan, a family of 3.  Double-crested Cormorant.  Ruby-crowned Kinglet.  
A group of Ring-billed Gulls, possibly, or other species of immature gulls.
10/24/2020 (Sat) am / pm, cloudy
JBWR (25th visit) / Kissena Park

A lot of Ducks and Geese.  Bufflehead, 1 female or immature male (FOS).
Coot.  American Wigeon.  Gadwall.  Northern Shoveler.  Ruddy Duck.
Double-crested Cormorant.  Still many Yellow-rumped Warblers.  Ruby-crowned Kinglet.  Mockingbird.  Cardinal.  Mourning Dove (1).  Sparrows.  Great Egret.
Frog at East Pond bird blind.
Moth (1).
Kissena:  American Black Duck.  Mallard.  Wood Duck.  Canada Goose.  Mute Swan.  Ruby-crowned Kinglet., many and so close to me.

Photo:
  Frog -
  Moth -
  Yellow-rumped Warbler -

10/18/2020 (Sun) am, sunny
Alley Pond Park and Restoration Pond

Blue-headed Vireo.  Ruby-crowned Kinglet.  RWBB.  Blue Jay.  Grackle, a flock.  Cardinal.  Robin.  Sparrows.  No Redhead or other wintering ducks.

Note:
(1) It is estimated that 80 percent of the North American Redhead population winters in the Laguna Madre of Texas and Mexico. Smaller numbers of redheads winter in Apalachee Bay, Fla., along the Chandeleur Islands, Yucatan Peninsula and the Atlantic coast from Rhode Island to Florida.  src1   src2

10/17/2020 (Sat) am, sunny
JBWR (24th visit)

A lot of Double-crested Cormorant.  Still many Yellow-rumped Warblers.  Eastern Phoebe, many.  Ruby-crowned Kinglet.  Towhee (1).  I saw Towhee at here on 11/4/2017 too.
10/11/2020 (Sun) am, partly cloudy
Baisley Pond Park - Warbler Day

Many Warblers of various species.  Yellow-rumped Warbler.  Black-throated Blue Warbler, male and possibly female too.  And other unidentified. 
I see a warbler with a white spot on the upper side of the tail.  Female/immature Hooded Warbler?  No, from other characteristics, look like a Northern Waterthrush.
Chickadee.  Great Blue Heron. Mourning Dove.  Woodpecker.  Blue Jay.  Sparrows.  Ruby-crowned Kinglet.  Wren.  Geese.  Mute Swan. 
Coot.  American Wigeon, M+F.  Gadwall, M+F.  Wood Duck, one male.  Northern Shoveler, M+F.

Photo:
  Black-throated Blue Warbler -
  Yellow-rumped Warbler -
  Warbler, unknown, probably Northern Waterthrush - <1>
  Mockingbird - <1>

Note:
(1) The white spots on a Hooded Warbler's tail help them capture more insects, possibly by startling the insects into taking flight. An experimental study conducted in Pennsylvania found that birds with temporarily darkened tail feathers were less successful at capturing insects than those with white spots on their tails.  src
(2) Hooded Warbler: Females/immatures have a yellow face and throat and an olive crown and back. The underside of the tail feathers are white, the outer corners of which flash white when fanned.  src
(3) Common Gallinule is seen on 10/23/2020 (Fri).  pic

10/10/2020 (Sat) am, sunny
JBWR (23rd visit) - Duck Day

A lot of Yellow-rumped Warblers.  Yellowlegs (2) at the blind of East Pond, one has a broken leg; so being easy target of Merlin.  Merlin (1), I guess, at the blind of East Pond.  Harris (1) at West Pond. 
East Pond:  Ruddy Duck in hundreds.  Northern Shoveler, a few.  Grebe.
Monarch.  Moths and Cricket at the wall.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (FOS).

Photo:
  Great Egret -
  Yellow-rumped Warbler -
  Yellowlegs -
  Mockingbird -
  Mourning Dove -

Note:
The Mallard and Ruddy ducks invasion of Netherland -
A foreign student like me, who has been living in Delft for over six months, finds the Mallards homogenous and camouflaging in the brick-lined canals. These ducks not just survive on the bread scraps fed by different inhabitants of the city, but they are also familiar with the timing when their masters (or servants?) will be arriving with the food. These wild but urbanised ducks have tamed the Dutch who obediently keep up with their meal routines. A quick google search about these species throws out information on how they prefer to live in swamps and grow well on slimy worms and plants which can be found in the surface of the pond. The winter frozen period does not worry them as they are well taken care of by Delft habitants themselves. Such is the relation! This ownership, a sense of belonging by the citizens towards the ducks is surprising, especially when one realises that these ducks were not even born here, but they came all the way from other continents!

The Ruddy duck was introduced into Europe from North America in 1948. Due to its aggressive courting behaviour and willingness to interbreed with European species it became known as an invasive species. The Mallard duck also travelled to a great extent. Some conjectural history suggests that this duck was first seen in Egypt. Later, the Spaniards brought it to Europe, and the rest is history. The Romans relished duck’s roasted meat and, for this reason, they continued raising ducks and eating them. It was not until the nineteenth century that people realized that their eggs tasted well too!

Today the canals in the cities of the Netherlands seem incomplete without Mallards and Rudy ducks in them. What some do not know is that these “invasive” species may affect the endangered local White-headed ducks. Thus, White-headed ducks are close to becoming extinct. But many biologists explain that extinction of species is part of “nature” as well. At present it is difficult to imagine how it would be to live with dinosaurs and great mammoths. It is actually not the alteration, but the static-ness of nature what should be a cause for concern. There is even a chance that Ruddy ducks could form a hybrid with the White-headed ducks engendering something that Professor Jelle Reumer from Utrecht University has called “Ruddy white-headed duck”. Therefore, in coming years we might have an evolved species of multi-coloured ducks waddling fiercely in the human-made canals, while the Dutch citizens feed them with organic whole wheat bread. This fascinating new birds may then travel again around the globe, proliferating in the wetlands of Sundarbans in Asia or the Amazon Basin in South America. Imagine, this avian Dutch hybrid might soon pursue the same route that their colonizer fathers took! Interesting, isn’t it?



10/3/2020 (Sat) am, sunny
JBWR (22nd visit) - Warbler Day

A lot of Yellow-rumped Warblers.  Other Warblers, including at least one female or immature Northern Parula (probably). 
One Blue Jay and one Shorebird (probably Yellowlegs) at Big John's Pond.
Eastern Phoebe, many.  Double-crested Cormorant, many at West Pond.  Sparrows.  Tree Swallow, many at East Pond.

Note:
(1) Northern Parula: Forages rather sedately. Searches among leaves, and hovers to take insects from foliage, sometimes hanging upside down on twigs like a chickadee or on trunk like a nuthatch. Occasionally darts out after flying insects, or forages on ground.  src
9/27/2020 (Sun) am, sunny with Terry
JBWR (21st visit)

Yellow-color butterfly, probably Orange Sulphur or its hybrid.  Common Buckeye.  Mantis.
Osprey (1).  Double-crested Cormorant, many.  Shorebird.  Oystercatcher (2).  Warblers.  Sparrows.

Photo:
  Moths -
  Mantis -
  Orange Sulphur -
  Common Buckeye -
  Osprey - 

Note:
(1) Sulfur butterfly: britannica.com 
(2) Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme) also called Alfalfa Butterfly- wiki
   is a butterfly of the family Pieridae, where it belongs to the lowland group of "clouded yellows and sulphurs" subfamily Coliadinae
   Other members of this lineage including the common or clouded sulphur (C. philodice) and C. eriphyle and C. vitabunda, which are often included in C. philodice as subspecies. Hybridization runs rampant between these, making phylogenetic analyses exclusively utilizing one type of data (especially mtDNA sequences) unreliable. Therefore, little more can be said about its relationships, except that it is perhaps closer to C. (p.) eriphyle than generally assumed, strengthening the view that the latter should be considered a valid species.

(3) Yellow Sulphur - info
(4) Common Sulphur or Clouded Sulphur - wiki
(5) Large Orange Sulphur (Phoebis agarithe) - bugguide.net -
        It is not Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme)
9/26/2020 (Sat) am, cloudy
JBWR (20th visit)

Big John's Pond: Greater Yellowlegs.
Eastern Phoebe, I guess.  Canada Goose, many.  Mute Swan, many.  Tree Swallow, 20+.  etc.
Moths and a probably cricket on the wall.  One moth is Plume Moth (Family Pterophoridae).  Monarch.

Photo:
  Greater Yellowlegs -
  Eastern Phoebe -
  Mockingbird -
  Moths -
9/16-19/2020 (Wed-Sat)
Holiday Inn Club Vacations Oak n' Spruce Resort, Berkshire, MA

9/18 am: Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary

9/13/2020 (Sun) pm, sunny/cloudy, nice weather
Kissena Park

Hummingbird.  Double-crested Cormorant.
9/7/2020 (Mon) am, sunny, nice weather
JBWR

Shorebird; one is Least Sandpiper.  Goldfinch.  Cedar Waxwing.  Boat-tailed Grackle.  Yellow Warbler.  Kingfisher.  Eastern Phoebe, I guess.  Sand Wasp and other Wasps.  etc.

8/22/2020 (Sat) am, sunny/cloudy & hot
JBWR

Cicada.  Lesser Yellowlegs and other shorebirds.  Kingbird (1).  Waterthrush (2).  Goldfinch (1).
7/26-31/2020 (Sun-Fri)
Westport & Mystic, CT and Cape Cod, MA

Westport birdwatching site:
Westport birdwatching site

7/25/2020 (Sat) am, sunny & very hot
JBWR

Sand Wasp.  Cicada Killer.  A black-and-white Wasp.  Other Wasps.  Damselfly.  Dragonfly, many species.  Common Thread Waisted Wasp (Ammophila procera) or alike (Ammophila pictipennis).  Butterfly. etc.


6/28/2020 (Sun) am, sunny & hot
JBWR

Sand Wasp (FOS).  Damselfly, red in color.  Common Thread Waisted Wasp (Ammophila procera) or alike (Ammophila pictipennis).

6/20/2020 (Sat) am, sunny
Baisley Pond Park

No Eastern Amberwing.  Many Dragonflies:  Blue Dasher.  Two pairs of black Dragonfly are ovipositing. 
Damselfly. 
RWBB attacks me probably because I am too close to his nest.  Great Egret.
Finally I see and get good some good pictures of a Wasp (yellow and black in color).

Note:
According to nycgovparks.org, eight different varieties of dragonflies thrive at Baisley Pond Park.
6/19/2020 (Fri) - State Holiday, am, sunny
Crocheron Park

Eastern Amberwing.  Eastern Pondhawk, a young male turning blue.  Damselfly. 
Swift.

Photo:
  Damselfly -
  Eastern Pondhawk -

Note:
  Eastern Pondhawk dragonfly (young adult male, turning blue)
  This individual is a young male turning blue, as indicated by its blue and green coloration and the terminal appendages at the end of its abdomen. Blue pruinescence will cover the dragonfly's body completely when it is mature. "Immature [male] colored as female, becomes pruinose first on abdomen and then thorax. Color change begins at about a week of age and takes about 2–3 weeks, fastest at higher temperatures."
Source Credit: Paulson, Dennis (2011-12-19). Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East (Princeton Field Guides) (Kindle Locations 10207-10208). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition. 

6/18/2020 (Thu) pm after work, partly sunny
Kissena Park

FOS: Eastern Amberwing.
I realize that Kissena Park is the only place in NYC + Long Island I see the dragonfly.
Damselfly, orange in color. 
Ducklings of Wood Duck and Mallard.  Juvenile Grackle and Starling. 

Note: Central Park Dragonfly and Damselfly
6/14/2020 (Sun) 11:30am-2:30pm, sunny & comfortable
JBWR with Terry Chu

Yellow-billed Cuckoo.  Goldfinch.  Yellow Warbler.  Osprey.  Glossy Ibis.  Cowbird, M.  Great Blue Heron.  Crow.  Waxwing.  etc.
Damselfly.  Skipper.  etc.
6/13/2020 (Sat) am, sunny & comfortable
JBWR
My Damselfly Day

Yellow Warbler.  Carolina Wren.  Glossy Ibis.  Cowbird, M+F.  Fish Crow?  Osprey and babies.  Black-crowned Night Heron, juvenile. 
Various Damselflies.  Skipper.  Flower Fly.

Photo:
  Damselfly -
  Skipper -
  Carolina Wren -
  Cowbird -

6/10/2020 (Wed) pm after work, sunny
Kissena Park

Baltimore Oriole.  Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.
No Damselfly or Dragonfly.  

Photo:
  Tiger Swallowtail -
  Baltimore Oriole -
  Song Sparrow -

6/7/2020 (Sun) pm, sunny
Forest Park

Chipmunk, very close to Winnie and I. 
6/6/2020 (Sat) am, sunny & hot
Broad Channel American Park & JBWR

Killdeer.  Waxwing.  Eastern Phoebe?  Tern.  Yellow Warbler.  Common Yellowthroat. Carolina Wren.  Cowbird, male.  etc.
Wasp.  Skipper.  Damselfly. 
5/30/2020 (Sat) am / pm , sunny and warm/hot (pm 81F)
JBWR / Kissena Park with Terry

JBWR FOS: Waxwing.  Vireo (2), possibly Red-eyed Vireo.  Sweat Bee, not 100% sure.  
Wasp (black and white color).  Skipper. 
Black-crowned Night Heron.  Eastern Phoebe?  Towhee.  Piper / peep sp. (a few).  Glossy Ibis.  Double-crested Cormorant. Yellow Warbler.  Grackle.  Tern.  etc.
Kissena FOS: Damselfly.  Juvenile Common Grackle.

Photo:
   Vireo -
   Mockingbird - <w1920>  HDR
   Tree Swallow -
   Skipper -
   Sweat Bee -
   Wasp -
   Damselfly -
   Flower Fly - <1>
  
5/27/2020 (Wed) pm after work, sunny
Kissena Park

FOS: Wasp (yellow and black color).  Skipper (2).
Flower Fly. Honey Bee.  Bumble Bee.  Wood Duck ducking (7+).  Mallard duckling (9).  Canada Goose gosling (3).  Swan pair without any babies.
Rabbit. 
5/25/2020 (Mon) am, cloudy and cold / pm, sunny and warm
Nickerson Beach, parking at the side street at the opposite side.  Note parking is not allowed at there in the period 5/30 - 9/15 8am-8pm. / Kissena Park

FOS: Black Skimmer, a lot.  Least Tern, a few.
Oystercatcher baby.  Piping Plover, a few.  Finch. 
Kissena:  Eastern Kingbird.  I saw the unknown bird again today. I saw it the first time perhaps last Sun.  I think it is Tufted Titmouse.  Look quite like a Townsend's Solitaire; but it is quite unlikely because its geographic range does not match. 

5/24/2020 (Sun) pm, partly sunny; with Winnie
Broad Channel American Park & JBWR

See Common Yellowthroat again.  Baltimore Oriole.  Killdeer.  Yellow Warbler.  Boat-tailed Grackle.  Gadwall, M+F.  Wood Duck, 3M.  Barn Swallow.  Tree Swallow. Glossy Ibis.  Double-crested Cormorant.  Laughing Gull.  Great Egret.  Catbird.  Cowbird, M+F.  Osprey.  Semipalmated Sandpiper, many, and other Shorebirds. Terns.  8 goslings of Canada Goose and parents. 8 ducklings.  etc.   
Chipmunk.  Muskrat.  

5/17/2020 (Sun) pm, sunny
Kissena Park

FOS: Redstart.  
Baltimore Oriole, both males and female(1+).  Eastern Kingbird?  I think it is Tufted Titmouse.
5/16/2020 (Sat) am - 12:30pm with Winnie
Orchard Beach, Pelham Bay NYC Park

FOS: Common Yellowthroat.  Baltimore Oriole (1). 
Killdeer (2).  Black morph of  Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). 
Blue Jay, many.  Hermit Thrush.  Yellow Warbler.  Black-and-white Warbler (1).  Barn Swallow.  Tree Swallow.  Catbird.  Shorebird.  goslings of Canada Goose.  Swan incubating; both parents are there. Red-tailed Hawk.  Song Sparrow.  Northern Flicker.  etc.
5/13/2020 (Wed) pm after work, sunny
Alley Pond Park

Rabbit, 3 or 4+.  Hermit Thrush or bird alike.
5/9/2020 (Sat) am, sunny but cold
JBWR

FOS: Barn Swallow.  Rose-breasted Grosbeak, female.   (Did I see female before?  If I didn't, it is life bird.)  A large shorebird, what is it?
Yellow Warbler.  Yellow-rumped Warbler.  Cowbird.  Black-crowned Night Heron.  Glossy Ibis.  Boat-tailed Grackle.  etc.
5/3/2020 (Sun) late morning to 1pm, cloudy
Point Lookout, walking to Nickerson Beach.    

Thousand of Common Terns.

Note:
5/2/2020 (Sat) am/pm, warm and sunny
JBWR, my Warbler Day / Kissena   

FOS: Yellow Warbler.  Black-and-white Warbler.  Yellowlegs (2).  Vulture.  Flower Fly.  Grasshopper.  Honey Bee.
Yellow-rumped Warbler. Palm Warbler.  Towhee, many.  Cowbird.  Tern.  Black-crowned Night Heron (2).  Ring-necked Duck.  Oystercatcher.  etc. 

Note: 'Murder Hornets' in the U.S.: The Rush to Stop the Asian Giant Hornet
4/25/2020 (Sat) pm after eating Korean dumpling at home, warm and sunny
JBWR, my FOS Day.   

FOS: Gray Catbird.  Brown Thrasher.  Eastern Towhee.  Killdeer (see again after 6/7/2007 with Erica and 7/3/2010).  Tern, may be Common Tern.  Black-crowned Night Heron.   
Mockingbird.  Osprey.  Tree Swallow.  Song Sparrow.  White-throated Sparrow.  Red-breasted Merganser, a group.  Ruddy Duck, a lot.  Swan.  RWBB.  Double-crested Cormorant.  Laughing Gull.  Egret, Great or Snowy.  Bumble Bee.  etc.
Canada Geese incubating, I think.
4/19/2020 (Sun) 11am-1pm
JBWR, my Yellow-rumped Warbler Day.   

JBWR - Barn Owl in shade.  Glossy Ibis (2).  Cowbird, M+F, many; active in courting; I see a courting party of 3 males and a female.  Yellow-rumped Warbler, seeing so many times.  Tree Swallow.  Mockingbird. Osprey.   Song Sparrow.  Bufflehead (1).  Swan.  Woodpecker, Downy or Hairy.  Crow.  RWBB.  Double-crested Cormorant.  Ruddy Duck.  etc.   
FOS:  Laughing Gull.  Great Egret.
4/11/2020 (Sat) am / pm
JBWR / Kissena

JBWR -
FOS:  Cowbird.  Glossy Ibis.  Palm Warbler.  Bumble Bee.  Dragonfly, not 100% sure.  Chipmunk, not 100% sure.
Wren Heard.  Mockingbird, many.  Osprey.  Yellow-rumped Warbler.  Tree Swallow, many.  Song Sparrow.  Bufflehead.  Swan.  Woodpecker.  Crow.  RWBB.  etc.
Butterfly, may not be FOS?
Kissena -
Pine Warbler, possibly.  Grackle.  Swan.  Double-crested Cormorant.  Wood Duck pair.  Butterfly (1), possibly Small White.  No Ring-billed Gulls, all gone.
 

4/8/2020 (Wed) pm after work from home
Alley Pond

No Cowbird is found. Wren, FOS.  Northern Flicker.  Chipping Sparrow.
4/4/2020 (Sat) am
JBWR

JBWR:  Barn Owl.  Wren Heard.  Mockingbird, many.  Osprey, a few.  Yellow-rumped Warbler, at least 2.  Tree Swallow.  Grackle.  Song Sparrow.  Double-crested Cormorant.  Ruddy Duck.  etc.

Photo:
   Osprey -
   Mockingbird -
3/28/2020 (Sat) early morning
Point Lookout, walking to Nickerson Beach.  Note:  Marine Nature Study Area is closed due to COVID-19.

Point Lookout: Long-tailed Duck, many (20+), FOS.  Harlequin Duck, life bird.  American Oystercatcher, many, FOS.  Piping Plover, FOS.  Common Loon.
Nickerson:  As usual, Sanderling, Dunlin and American Oystercatcher.

Photo:
   Harlequin Duck - M-1

Note: Harlequin Ducks at Point Lookout
3/27/2020 (Fri) pm after work from home (5:15pm-6:30pm)
Alley Pond

No Cowbird is found.  Titmouse.  Junco, 10+ perhaps 20 or over.  Robin, eating earthworm.  Cardinal.  Song Sparrow.  Blue Jay.  Mourning Dove.  Mockingbird. etc.
3/21/2020 (Sat) am
JBWR

JBWR:  Barn Owl.  Wren Heard.  Mockingbird chasing competitor.  Osprey pair at the nest beside Cross Bay Blvd.  I probably see 4 Ospreys this morning.
FOS: Tree Swallow.  Boat-tailed Grackle, probably not Common Grackle.  Eastern Phoebe, probably.  Song Sparrow singing.    

Photo:
   Barn Owl -
   Mockingbird - <1>   <2>  
   Osprey -
   Boat-tailed Grackle -
   Eastern Phoebe -
   Bufflehead spreading wings -
   RWBB - <1>
 
3/20/2020 (Fri) pm sunny
Kissena Park 

Photo:
   Wood Duck -


3/14/2020 (Sat) am / pm sunny
Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area / Kissena Park

Oceanside:  Osprey (1), FOS.  Belted Kingfisher.  People reports: "The Osprey pair continues at the nest site, copulating."
Kissena Park:  first time to see Robin at the park, many.  Wood Duck (1).  Only 3 or 4 Ring-billed Gulls flying in the sky.  Turtle, many.  Grackle, many.  RWBB. 
3/14/2020 (Sat) Report: The Peregrine nest box now has four eggs.
3/13/2020 (Fri) check Marine Nature Study Area website and camera - Peregrine laid 3rd egg on 3/10. Osprey is back.
3/7/2020 (Sat) am, cloudy/sunny; but cold and very windy / pm, sunny
JBWR / Kissena Park

JBWR:  Scaup.  Double-crested Cormorant.  Ruddy Duck.  Snow Goose.  Brant.  Canada Goose.  Mockingbird.  RWBB.

Note:
驚蟄 (Jingzhe) :

2/23/2020 (Sun) pm, sunny; not cold
Crocheron Park

Robin (1), FOS.  Grackle, many.  House Finch (1).  Blue Jay, many.  RWBB.
2/22/2020 (Sat) pm, sunny; not cold
Kissena Park

RWBB, many.  Mourning Dove, many feeding on the grass with White-throated Sparrow and perhaps other species of sparrow. 

2/17/2020 (Mon) am, sunny; quite warm
Nickerson Beach / Alley Pond Park (Restoration Pond) with Terry

Sanderling and Dunlin (counted: 2000+).

Photo:
   Dunlin - <1>
2/16/2020 (Sun) am, cloudy; not so cold
Baisley Pond Park

very early morning at home: first time hear Cardinal's call.
A complete list of ducks: Redhead. Ring-necked Duck. Ruddy Duck. Gadwall. American Wigeon. Shoveler. Mallard.
Coot. Gull. Swan. Canada Geese. White-throated Sparrow. Cardinal.  Crow.  Blue Jay.  Rock Dove.  Double-crested Cormorant (1).  RWBB.

2/9/2020 (Sun) am, sunny; not so cold
Nickerson Beach

Sanderling.  Dunlin (hundreds or 1000+; when they take off, it is a swirling ball of birds).  Black-bellied Plover.  I don't find any Horned Lark or Snow Bunting.

Note: Nesting on Nickerson Beach
2/8/2020 (Sat) pm, partly sunny; not so cold
Kissena (Corridor) Park

A group of Common Grackle (FOS) is seen on the way to Dim Sum after parking my car.
RWBB (FOS), 2-3.  Double-crested Cormorant (1).  Nuthatch (1).  Cardinal, M+F.  Mourning Dove, many.  White-throated Sparrow.  Northern Shoveler, 5+.  Mute Swan, a pair.  Blue Jay.  Crow.      

Photo:
   Nuthatch - <1>  <2> 
   Cormorant - <1>
   Cardinal - female-1  female-2 
  
2/1/2020 (Sat) am, cloudy; weather like Iceland
Restoration Pond & Meadow Lake

Restoration: Bufflehead
Meadow: Common Merganser, M+F.  Bufflehead, M+F.  Hooded Merganser, M+F.  Great Blue Heron (1).  Coot.  Snow Goose (1).  Hawk (1). 
Photo:
   Bufflehead - <1>

Common Merganser Video
1/26/2020 (Sun) pm
JBWR

American Wigeon.  Hooded Merganser. 

1/12/2020 (Sun) pm - warm ( 68 F, breaking the old record of 66 set in 2017 )
Willow Lake & Restoration Pond (part of Alley Pond Park)

Willow Lake:  mostly gulls.  There are look like geese and ducks at the far side.
Restoration Pond: Bufflehead, many males and females; many males are begging for love (courtship).  Scaup, 1M+1F.  Redhead (1).  Mourning Dove (2).

Notes:
<1>
Willow Lake Trail, at the Grand Central Parkway and 72nd Road, is now open on weekends (Saturdays and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or during scheduled Urban Park Ranger tours), but the hope it to eventually have it open 7 days a week for most of the year, according to the Parks Department.
<2>
bufflehead courtship behaviour
&<3>
Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity (1999) By Bruce Bagemihl
"Homosexuality in its myriad forms has been scientifically documented in more than 450 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, and other animals worldwide. Biological Exuberance is the first comprehensive account of the subject, bringing together accurate, accessible, and nonsensationalized information. Drawing upon a rich body of zoological research spanning more than two centuries, Bruce Bagemihl shows that animals engage in all types of nonreproductive sexual behavior. Sexual and gender expression in the animal world displays exuberant variety, including same-sex courtship, pair-bonding, sex, and co-parenting--even instances of lifelong homosexual bonding in species that do not have lifelong heterosexual bonding."
<4> History of the Restoration Pond: a href="https://hiddenwatersblog.wordpress.com/2016/03/17/the-return-of-alley-pond-queens/">https://hiddenwatersblog.wordpress.com/2016/03/17/the-return-of-alley-pond-queens/
The Return of the (Alley) Pond
1/11/2020 (Sat) am / pm - warm ( 68 F )
Meadow Lake & JBWR / Kissena Park

Meadow Lake:  Common Merganser, males and female(s).  Bufflehead.  Hooded Merganser.  Great Blue Heron.
JBWR:  Scaup.  Double-crested Cormorant.  Ruddy Duck.  Snow Goose.
Kissena:  Hooded Merganser, a pair.  Wood Duck, a pair.  Northern Shoveler, many.  Mockingbird.  Turtle (1).

Notes:
<1>
Mileage of my 22-year-old car hits 40k today while driving to birdwatching places.
<2>
The temperature hit 65 degrees in Central Park late Saturday morning and continued to climb, breaking the old record of 63 set in 1975.
The mercury read 68 in Central Park by early afternoon on Saturday. Even warmer temperatures are forecast on Sunday with highs in the middle and upper 60s.
ABC News: 69F.

1/4/2020 (Sat) am / pm - not cold (highest is 50F), light rain & foggy / cloudy (high humidity)
Dead Horse Bay (visiting after 8 years) / Kissena Park

Dead Horse: Red-breasted Merganser (a group of 3M+2F and others).  Bufflehead.  Ring-necked Duck, male(s), not likely; it probably be female Scaup.  Horned Grebe, a few.  Brant, many.
Kissena: Wood Duck.  Northern Shoveler.  Mallard, many males are very beautiful.

Notes:
<1>
Dead Horse Bay

<2> Dead Horse Bay ebird

1/1/2020 (Wed) am / pm - cold and cloudy
World's Fair Marina / Restoration Pond (part of Alley Pond Park) & Forest Park

World's Fair Marina: A lot of ducks.  Life bird: Canvasback, male (1).  Red-breasted Merganser (1).  Scaup, probably both Greater Scaup and Lesser Scaup, a lot M+F; at least one is immature male (please confirm from the pictures taken).  Ring-necked Duck, female (1).  Gadwall.  Ruddy Duck.  Bufflehead, quite a lot.
Near home: Mourning Dove.   
Alley Pond: Many ducks but no new species.  Up to now, 15 species.  Redhead (1).  Bufflehead. Hooded Merganser, a pair. Lesser Scaup, female, probably; but possibly Greater Scaup.  Mute Swan, a pair. 
Forest Park: Nuthatch.  Cardinal.  Did not see Red-headed Woodpecker.  But others saw it on the same day.

Note:
<1> ebird.org: Restoration Pond
Alley Park Restoration Pond
<2> ABA Birding News (Sat Dec 28, 2019)
There is a Red-headed Woodpecker that is very easy to find because it is enjoying street trees. It has been reported in the area (near Forest Park) for the past few days. Park near: 129 Audley St, Kew Gardens, NY 11418. It was flying from tree to tree along Audley St on both sides of Abingdon Rd.
<3> This year's North Nassau CBC (Christmas Bird Count) took place on Saturday December 21, 2019. 
... However, other passerines and woodpeckers, were found in unprecedented numbers. This included all-time high counts of Red-bellied woodpecker (256), Hairy woodpecker (64), Carolina wren (204), White-throated sparrow (1790), and Chipping sparrow (68, shattering the previous high of 11 in 2011). Other high counts included Rusty blackbird (77, seen in 5 sectors), Sapsucker (29), and American robin (1536).
<4>

World’s Fair Marina:  Canvasback flock up in winter, the only reliable spot for the species in Queens. Lots of Bufflehead, scaup of both species, and Red-breasted Mergansers ...

 

https://www.10000birds.com/setting-a-record-that-no-one-cares-about.htm

 

Address: 1 Marina Rd, Flushing, NY 11368

 

<5>
Between one in 10 and one in three eggs in a female cardinal's nest has genes that don't match her partner, and less commonly, they don't even match her own.  src
<6>
Lesser Scaup, immature male:  Non-breeding males have a dark head with a yellow eye. The body is mottled brown-gray.  src