Ending November with a Bang!

New York, New York

Tuesday 27 November 2018 45 °F

Today before school I visited a walkway along the Marine Parkway in Brooklyn in hopes of finding my life-bird Purple Sandpiper, and then Central Park to see what I could find including hopefully at least one of the two Barred Owls that have been calling the Ramble home for the last few weeks. Tuesdays are nice for me because my first class isn’t until noon, allowing me to go birding when the weather cooperates.

Along the walkway in Brooklyn, I found this RED-BREASTED MERGANSER:

And an AMERICAN BLACK DUCK:

It was a beautiful, albeit crisp morning to be out and about.

I scanned the rocky shoreline every hundred feet of walking or so because Purple Sandpipers are known to love surf-hammered rocks. Then, after about twenty minutes of walking, I saw a dark shape hunkered down on one of rocks and BOOM! I had my life bird PURPLE SANDPIPER! Awesome! What a phenomenal view of my life bird!

Then, I visited Central Park where I saw this cool Black Squirrel:

Then, I got a twitter notification giving me the location of a Northern Saw-whet Owl a mere three hundred yards away from where I was standing, a species I have heard but never ever seen before!

I rushed over to the spot and couldn’t find it but soon was joined by a few other birders who graciously got me on the amazing, tiny gem of a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL sitting in a Turkey Oak tree. Too cool!!!!!!

Then, I visited the Belvedere Castle area to try to find my hoped-for BARRED OWL, and lo and behold, there it was sitting in a pine tree just like I expected! A two-owl day in Manhattan!!!

What a day! Bird-of-the-day goes to the Purple Sandpiper & Northern Saw-whet Owl with runner-up to the Barred Owl — some great avian delights to choose from!

Good birding,
Henry
World Life List: 957 Species (1 life bird today: Purple Sandpiper)

Posted by skwclar 08:45 Archived in USA