A free morning in the City so wandered over to the Park. Spent an hour or so checking gulls at the reservoir (albeit just with bins) but couldn't find an Iceland Gull. Good numbers of waterfowl on the reservoir though including a Common Loon and 6 Wood Ducks.
After a long search I did manage to find a BARRED OWL. It took a while because the bird wasn't 'where it was supposed to be' but by checking all the White Pines around the Great Lawn I eventually picked it up. It just took a little time. I did have a single male WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL in the Sweetgum near the feeders in the Ramble but couldn't find a Redpoll or a Siskin. There was a EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH in the American Goldfinch flock however, feeding high in the trees and looking quite comfortable and wild. I think this bird has been around for a while but I expected this (presumably) escaped cage-bird to be milling around the feeders looking quite tame so was a little surprised at how well it seems to have adapted to it's new life as a free bird. Finally, on the 'you just never know' front a non-birding friend asked me what kind of owl she was seeing outside her apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Skeptical (as many birders would be) I asked her to try to get a photo. She did in fact get pictures last night and they clearly show a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL hunting in the trees along her street. Score one for the non-birders.... -- 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/ --
