Van Courtlandt Bird Walk Report 4-30-2011...

Van Courtlandt Birders.

This past Saturday, our group met up up at the nature center near the parade grounds and after picking up a few Killdeers (Charadrius vociferus) American Robins (Turdus migratorius), Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) and Brown Headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) on the fields we headed out to hike the lake. I was hoping to get to the North Woods early to look for migrants, but we hit a little pocket of activity near the Van Cortlandt Lake on the John Muir trail that we worked over. Our first good bird was a Chestnut-sided Warbler that turned out to be a lifer for almost everyone present. Then, I got the group on a Black-throated-Blue Warbler. We continued working the area picking up Warbling Vireo, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and others. We worked the area over very well and then continued on making the loop around the golf course and headed into the woods. Before heading into the woods, we stopped to scan the fields and picked up an American Kestrel perched on the fence, it was in the same area that I picked up a bird in the fence that looked like a Blue Grosbeak. The looks were not great and it was for a fleeting moment as the bird took off and even though I was 90% sure it was a Blue Grosbeak, I let it go because I did not feel I had enough to seal the deal.  The woods were disappointingly quiet and we abandoned the area after a short stint and worked our way back to the nature center ending what was a very nice walk. Total species seen 54.  Below is a list of the birds seen.


Canada Goose - Branta canadensis
Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos
Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus
Great Egret - Ardea alba
American Kestrel - Falco sparverius
Laughing Gull - Leucophaeus atricilla
Herring Gull - Larus argentatus
Rock Pigeon - Columba livia
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura
Chimney Swift - Chaetura pelagica
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens
Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus
Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus
White-eyed Vireo - Vireo griseus
Warbling Vireo - Vireo gilvus
Red-eyed Vireo - Vireo olivaceus
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Tree Swallow - Tachycineta bicolor
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis
House Wren - Troglodytes aedon
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Polioptila caerulea
Golden-crowned Kinglet - Regulus satrapa
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Regulus calendula
Hermit Thrush - Catharus guttatus
American Robin - Turdus migratorius
Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis
Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos
European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris
Northern Parula - Parula americana
Yellow Warbler - Dendroica petechia
Chestnut-sided Warbler - Dendroica pensylvanica
Black-throated Blue Warbler - Dendroica caerulescens
Yellow-rumped Warbler - Dendroica coronata
Palm Warbler - Dendroica palmarum
Black-and-white Warbler - Mniotilta varia
Northern Waterthrush - Parkesia noveboracensis
Eastern Towhee - Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia
White-throated Sparrow - Zonotrichia albicollis
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - Pheucticus ludovicianus
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus
Rusty Blackbird - Euphagus carolinus
Common Grackle - Quiscalus quiscula
Boat-tailed Grackle - Quiscalus major
Baltimore Oriole - Icterus galbula
House Finch - Carpodacus mexicanus
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis
House Sparrow - Passer domesticus

Tags: Van Courtlandt Bird Walk