On an afternoon stroll from the Audubon Center up to Breezy Hill and back today I hit a sparrow goldmine and many other autumn migrants. There are several big piles of gravel on the hill covered in seeding mugwort, Japanese knotweed, and goldenrod that seem to be a sparrow mecca.
There were about 5 White-throated Sparrows for every other bird seen. Other species sighted were 2 Swamp Sparrows, several Song Sparrows, a Lincoln's Sparrow, an immature White-crowned Sparrow, numerous Dark-eyed Juncos, Chipping Sparrows, and a Field Sparrow. Other species present included numerous Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, a Brown Creeper, a Winter Wren, American Redstart, Palm, Blackpoll, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Blue, and Black-throated Green Warblers, a flyover Common Nighthawk and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Not a bad lunch break! Good Birding, Gabriel Willow Prospect Park Audubon Center -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --