Prospect Park Year Firsts 2006
I’m trying to keep track of when individual species have shown up in Prospect Park this year. So far, here’s what we have:
January 1:
Snow Goose
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
American Black Duck
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Bufflehead
Ruddy Duck
American Coot
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Hermit Thrush
European Starling
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Great Blue Heron: Peter Dorosh
American Crow: Peter Dorosh
Pied-billed Grebe: Peter Dorosh
Red-tailed Hawk: Peter Dorosh
American Robin: Arleen O’Brien
Golden-crowned Kinglet: Arleen O’Brien
January 2:
Cooper’s Hawk: Rafael Campos
Ruby-crowned Kinglet: Rafael Campos
Northern Flicker: Rafael Campos
January 3:
Northern Mockingbird: Elliotte Rusty Harold
Eastern Towhee: Elliotte Rusty Harold
January 4:
Merlin: Doug Gochfeld
Brown Creeper: Doug Gochfeld
American Tree Sparrow: Arleen O’Brien
January 5:
Fish Crow: Arleen O’Brien
Gray Catbird: Peter Dorosh
January 6:
Long-eared Owl: Rob Jett, Sean Sime. That’s a good one. We missed it last year.
January 7:
Sharp-shinned Hawk: Alex Wilson
January 8:
Double-crested Cormorant: Elliotte Rusty Harold, Peter Dorosh
January 15:
Canvasback: Paul Keim. This is a good one. It may well be the only one we see all year.
January 27:
Brant: Peter Dorosh
January 28:
Cackling Goose: Peter Dorosh. Beth Anderson-Harold. First ever recorded in the park.
February 3:
Common Grackle: ????
February 4:
Winter Wren: Ed Crowne
Cedar Waxwing: Elliotte Rusty Harold
Ring-necked Duck: Alex Wilson
February 6:
House Finch: ????
February 11:
Common Merganser: Alex Wilson
February 16:
Peregrine Falcon: Rob Jett
February 17:
American Wigeon: Peter Dorosh
February 21:
Hooded Merganser: Peter Dorosh
Red-shouldered Hawk: Peter Dorosh
March 1:
Black-headed Gull: Shane Blodgett
Turkey Vulture: Rob Jett, Peter Dorosh
March 2:
Killdeer: Shane Blodgett
March 10:
Black-crowned Night Heron: Peter Dorosh
March 14:
American Woodcock: Shane Blodgett
Eastern Phoebe: Shane Blodgett
Pine Warbler: Doug Gochfeld
March 15:
Green-winged Teal: Peter Dorosh, Alex Wilson
Belted Kingfisher: Peter Dorosh, Alex Wilson
Field Sparrow: Doug Gochfeld, Alex Wilson
Rusty Blackbird: Alex Wilson
March 20:
Wilson’s Snipe: Ed Crowne
March 21:
Red-breasted Merganser: Rafael Campos
March 25:
Lesser Black-backed Gull: Alex Wilson
Tree Swallow: Alex Wilson
Brown-headed Cowbird: Alex Wilson
March 27:
Osprey: Shane Blodgett
March 28:
American Kestrel: Elliotte Rusty Harold
March 29:
Yellow-rumped Warbler: Shane Blodgett
March 30:
Great Egret: Ed Crowne, Peter Dorosh
March 31:
Eastern Meadowlark: Monica Berger
Chipping Sparrow: Ed Crowne
Brown Thrasher: Michael Zablocky
April 1:
American Bittern: Alex Wilson. This is a good one. We haven’t had this bird in several years.
Lesser Scaup: Peter Dorosh
Laughing Gull: Peter Dorosh
Palm Warbler: Peter Dorosh
Savannah Sparrow: Alex Wilson
Louisiana Waterthrush: Peter Dorosh, Rafael Campos
April 2:
Northern Rough-winged Swallow: Shane Blodgett, Elliotte Rusty Harold, Roberto Cavalieros
Eastern Wood Pewee: Elliotte Rusty Harold, Elyse Taylor
House Wren: Elliotte Rusty Harold, Elyse Taylor
April 3:
White-eyed Vireo: Rafael Campos
April 5:
Common Loon: Alex Wilson
April 7:
Virginia Rail: Peter Dorosh. This is a very uncommon bird for the park.
April 8:
Barn Swallow: Alex Wilson
April 9:
Wood Thrush: Bill Jeffrey, Jan Jeffrey
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: Monica Berger
April 10:
Green Heron: Rob Jett
Cliff Swallow: Dale Dyer
April 12:
Brown Thrasher: Rafael Campos, Alex Wilson
Blue-headed Vireo: Rafael Campos
April 13:
Black-throated Green Warbler: Rafael Campos, Peter Dorosh, Mary Eyster, Doug Gochfeld, Rob Jett, Sean Sime
Yellow-throated Warbler: Doug Gochfeld
Vesper Sparrow: Jerry Layton
Gadwall: Mary Eyster, Jerry Layton
April 14:
Purple Finch: Peter Dorosh, Shane Blodgett
April 16:
Ovenbird: Gayle Lovell
Black-and-white Warbler: Janet Schumacher
April 17:
Chimney Swift: Doug Gochfeld
Northern Parula: Doug Gochfeld
Warbling Vireo: Chuck McAlexander
April 18:
Glossy Ibis: Rafael Campos
April 20:
Prothonotary Warbler: Gil Shrank
Worm-eating Warbler: Rafael Campos
April 22:
Bonaparte’s Gull: Peter Dorosh, Sean Sime, Shane Blodgett, John Walsh
April 24:
Ruby-throated Hummingbird: Rafael Campos
April 25:
Ruby-throated Hummingbird: Rafael Campos
April 26:
Solitary Sandpiper: Sean Sime, Rob Jett, Shane Blodgett, Rafael Campos
Spotted Sandpiper: Sean Sime, Rob Jett, Shane Blodgett, Rafael Campos
Eastern Kingbird: Rafael Campos
Yellow-throated Vireo: Shane Blodgett, Rafael Campos
Red-eyed Vireo: Rafael Campos
Veery: Sean Sime, Rob Jett, Shane Blodgett
Yellow Warbler: Sean Sime, Rob Jett, Shane Blodgett, Rafael Campos
Northern Waterthrush: Sean Sime, Rob Jett, Shane Blodgett, Rafael Campos
Common Yellowthroat: Mary Eyster
Hooded Warbler: Sean Sime, Rob Jett, Shane Blodgett, Rafael Campos
Rose-breasted Grosbeak: David Perry
Orchard Oriole: Philip Pane
April 27:
Nashville Warbler: Ed Crowne, Philip Pane, Peter Dorosh, Rafael Campos
April 28:
American Redstart: Rob Jett
May 1:
Common Tern: Rafael Campos
Bank Swallow: Rafael Campos
May 2:
Prairie Warbler: Rob Jett
May 3:
Chestnut-sided Warbler: Ed Crowne, Philip Pane
Black-throated Blue Warbler: Ed Crowne, Philip Pane
Scarlet Tanager: Orrin Tilevitz
May 4:
Blackpoll Warbler: Ed Crowne, Philip Pane, Mike Shanley
May 5:
Least Flycatcher: Peter Dorosh
Great Crested Flycatcher: Mary Eyster, Elliotte Rusty Harold
Magnolia Warbler: Mary Eyster, Elliotte Rusty Harold
Blackburnian Warbler: Ed Crowne, Philip Pane, Peter Dorosh, Inara Schwartz
Tennesee Warbler: Ed Crowne, Philip Pane
Wilson’s Warbler: Ed Crowne, Philip Pane
Canada Warbler: Ed Crowne, Philip Pane
Pine Siskin: Rafael Campos
Indigo Bunting: Alex Wilson
Golden-winged Warbler: Elliotte Rusty Harold
May 6:
Cape May Warbler: Tom Stephenson, Peter Dorosh, Elliotte Rusty Harold, Mary Eyster, Phil Payne, Suzanne Ortiz, Sandi Paci, Janet Schumacher, and many others
Swainson’s Thrush: Peter Dorosh, Janet Schumacher, Tom Stephenson
Mourning Warbler: Peter Dorosh, Mary Eyster
Bay-breasted Warbler: Tom Preston, Janet Schumacher, Tom Stephenson
Summer Tanager: Peter Dorosh, Mary Eyster, Janet Schumacher, Tom Stephenson
May 7:
Lincoln’s Sparrow: Alex Wilson
May 9:
Philadelphia Vireo: Paul Sweet
May 13:
Monk Parakeet: Bob Gochfeld
Black-billed Cuckoo: Alex Wilson
May 15:
Common Nighthawk: Ed Crowne
May 19:
Kentucky Warbler: Rafael Campos
May 20:
Olive-sided Flycatcher: Alex Wilson
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher: Alex Wilson, Shane Blodgett, Rob Jett
May 22:
Broad-winged Hawk: Rafael Campos
May 23:
Cerulean Warbler: Philip Pane, Ed Crowne
Willow Flycatcher: Doug Gochfeld
May 24:
Bicknell’s Thrush: Doug Gochfeld, Rob Jett, Sean Sime
May 27:
Acadian Flycatcher: Philip Pane, Ed Crowne
May 29:
Yellow-billed Cuckoo: Pat Mazza
Alder Flycatcher: Doug Gochfeld
June 17:
Black Skimmer: Peter Dorosh
July 1:
Forster’s Tern: ????
July 17:
Snowy Egret: Orrin Tilevitz
This one’s surprisingly uncommon in the park. We missed it in 2005, and only saw one in 2004.
August 30:
Yellow-breasted Chat: Alex Wilson
September 9:
Connecticut Warbler: Peter Dorosh, Rafael Campos, Philip Pane: another one we miss some years
September 10:
Clay-colored Sparrow: John Ascher. Our first Western bird of the year, and the second of this species in two years.
September 13:
Marsh Wren: Alex Wilson
September 18:
Little Blue Heron: Alex Wilson
Purple Martin: Alex Wilson
Those are both excellent species we don’t get every year. I’ll have to check but I think there are only a dozen or so records of each one in the park over the last century.
September 23:
Red-headed Woodpecker: Paul Keim
October 9:
Dickcissel: Ed Crowne
October 14:
Orange-crowned Warbler: Alex Wilson
October 19:
Great Horned Owl
October 22:
Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow: John Ascher, Chaoyan Dong
November 10:
Eastern Bluebird: Alex Wilson, Peter Dorosh
November 26:
Bald Eagle: Peter Dorosh
December 7:
Common Goldeneye: Peter Dorosh
That’s a great sighting. Very unusual for the park.
December 27:
Greater Scaup: Peter Dorosh
So far that makes 195 species total for Prospect Park. Central Park is now up to 197 (though they’ve got eight on their list I don’t 100% believe). We should reliably pick up all but eight of the ones Central Park has recorded later in the year, if not immediately. Bobolink, Wild Turkey, Tri-colored Heron, Varied Thrush, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Horned Grebe, Henslow’s Sparrow, Northern Goshawk, and Northern Sawwhet Owl will be tough though. On the other hand, Central Park probably won’t get a Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Cackling Goose or Black-headed Gull and may not get Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Bonaparte’s Gull, Little Blue Heron, Purple Martin, Common Goldeneye, or Lesser Black-backed Gull.
