By then attendees had started to arrive and were gathering in the parking lot at building one, Don also arrived and we convened and prepared our agenda. As I handed out literature to the group, we had a real treat as a Sharp Shinned Hawk flew right into the trees behind the parking lot right above our heads; the group had really good looks and for many it was their first time seeing this bird.
We began our walk by heading past the community gardens and as I had noted earlier, there was not much bird action on the ground. As we started to walk by the ball fields, I called out a Savannah Sparrow, which was our first of the day. We continued on the path towards the Hawk Watch platform and Don called out a Peregrine Falcon, which is always nice to see...we speculated whether it was one from the nesting pair that hang out on the Marine Parkway Bridge. By this time the Sun was starting to add some warmth and we began seeing more action in the form of northern Flickers, Sharp Shinned Hawks, as well as a number of Yellow-rumped Warblers. Eventually, we got to the hawk watch platform and somehow got the majority of us up there…by now the group was over 45 participants. On the platform we saw a couple of Sharp Shinned Hawks, but overall there was not much Hawk migration; though Don did call out a flock of Scooters (Sea Ducks) that were flying over the water. After spending a few minutes on the Hawk watch platform, we decided that the winds were not quite right for Hawk migration and decided to head to the beach. When we gathered at the bottom of the Hawk Watch Platform, we saw a Coopers Hawk…our first of the day, it was too bad we had just left the platform or we would have had even better views.
We headed out to the beach passing Horsetail Reed Equisetum hyemale, which is an ancient grass species, a survivor from the Paleozoic era. Its slender stems are hollow and jointed, similar to bamboo. We also saw Camphor plants, which when the leaves are crushed smells like moth balls…which is made from…you guessed it Camphor; along the way Don talked about the vegetation explaining the use of many of the plants at Fort Tilden and their importance to the wildlife.
When we got to the beach, there was not much beach to walk on because of high tides; nevertheless, the group trekked on while avoiding the incoming waves and we spotted Sanderlings, a Buckeye (butterfly) and a Mourning Cloak Butterfly…though surprisingly no Monarchs. We also noted many holes in the sand that Don attributed to Ghost Crabs. From the beach we began our way back, taking the path that would take us behind the Hawk Watch platform. Along the way we saw a Downy Woodpecker, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Northern Flickers, a Black-capped Chickadee, Swamp Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, Sharp Shinned Hawks, an American Robin, and the ubiquitous Yellow-rumped Warblers. We got back to the parking lot around 1:30 and many attendees offered their thanks and expressed their satisfaction on a great walk. I have worked with Don on many events and besides being an excellent naturalist/birder, he is an excellent narrator and his walks are always well received…this one was no exception.
Here is a list of birds seen.
- Brandt
- Canada Goose
- Peregrine Falcon
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Laughing Gull
- Golden-crowned Kinglet
- Mourning Dove
- European Starling
- Eastern Phoebe
- Savannah Sparrow
- Swamp Sparrow
- House Sparrow
- White-throated Sparrow
- Song Sparrow
- Sharp Shinned Hawk
- Northern Flicker
- Ring-Billed Gull
- Sanderling
Sharp Shinned Hawk at Fort Tilden.
A closer look at a Sharp Shinned Hawk at Fort Tilden shows traces of blood in the left talon and there are feather remnants in the beak. Someone may have just eaten.
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