10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2012

New York City’s premiere wildlife refuge proved to be no refuge for Canada Geese on Monday morning as federal agents rounded up 711 geese – including goslings – and packed them up for a trip to upstate New York where they will be gassed and their meat will be provided to food banks.

Geese 141

Geese New York City Jamaica Slaughter 141

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2014

You are also probably aware that Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, one of the best urban birding sites in the world, is on my regular list of spots that I like to stop by and visit. I have seen some absolutely amazing birds at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. I can’t abide the thought of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge without a West Pond.

Jamaica 164

Jamaica New York City United States Wildlife 164

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2018

Corey was pleased to enjoy another lovely autumn weekend in New York City. But his Best Bird of the Weekend was a dabbling duck he found on the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, his first Eurasian Wigeon of the year!

2018 114

2018 New York City New York Jamaica 114

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2014

At seven in the morning I had just refound the Eurasian Wigeon at the north end of the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and turned around for the long slog down the east side of the pond when my phone buzzed with an email. … Trips Brooklyn New York City Northern Wheatear Plum Beach Twitching'

New York City 177

New York City Connecticut Jamaica New York 177

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2018

Speaking of OSFL, Corey had quite a haul of species to choose from this weekend after leading two walks for New York City Audubon and doing a ton of birding on his own on Sunday. Now that is a bird that is worthy of Best Bird of the Weekend! How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

New York City 100

New York City 2018 Jamaica New York 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 19, 2014

No one heard any complaints from me about this, as I was out at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge with the rising sun. By 8:00 AM I had finished up my walk around Jamaica Bay and decided to head out to the Rockaways to check out a few birding spots out there. And New York City was at the beginning of its hottest day of the year.

New York City 181

New York City Jamaica New York Wildlife 181

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

This was the downfall of an extremely competent New York City birder who recently saw a large wading bird fly by at a distance at Jamaica Bay with its neck extended. So you can imagine my surprise when, on a recent visit to Jamaica Bay, I too saw a Little Blue Heron fly past with its neck extended.

New York City 185

New York City Jamaica New York Killing 185

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2020

Considering the ten most recent additions before this March averaged six months apart getting six new species in eight months is mind-blowing. Way back in March we were in the midst of a global pandemic and Queens was the epicenter of the epicenter that was New York City. A new warbler for Queens? Two-for-two!

New York City 153

New York City Birds New York Blackbirds 153

10,000 Birds

MARCH 12, 2012

Disbelief probably seems like the proper response to the idea that there are woodpeckers in New York City. But even birders might be surprised to learn that eight species of woodpecker have graced New York City’s five boroughs with their presence! After all, woodpeckers peck on trees, not skyscrapers.

New York City 254

New York City New York Woodpeckers New Jersey 254

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 15, 2019

It was in the great borough of Queens in New York City that I first discovered both beer and birding, two great loves of my life that happily intersect with great regularity here at Birds and Booze. We were fans of the Dominican lager El Presidente (mostly on account of the cool name) and Guinness was always a favorite.

Poland 146

Poland Detroit New York City Eagles 146

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2011

All of the following shots have been taken over the last couple of weeks on Long Island and in New York City. I am fortunate to live by a coastline that tends to concentrate migratory birds and in an urban area packed with birders who report the birds that they find, a happy coupling of traits that leads to me seeing many birds.

New York 166

New York Jamaica New York City United States 166

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2012

Just take a look at some of the pictures I digiscoped in the first two days of May to get an idea of how great a month May is in the Borough of Queens, New York City.

New York City 158

New York City New York 2009 Litter 158

10,000 Birds

MAY 13, 2013

I started at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge pre-dawn to pick up American Woodcock and then headed to the coast to see if there was any flight happening. From there I went back to Jamaica Bay where I was treated to a tanager, grosbeak, and wood-warbler show in the North Gardens. This one was at Edgemere Landfill. What was my route?

Jamaica 151

Jamaica New York City Oakland Bats 151

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

A surprise was a Common Merganser , a bird we don’t see much in New York City and especially not flying over the coast in Brooklyn. We made our way from our boat’s berth out to and around the tip of Breezy Point, seeing the typical and expected ducks like Long-tailed Duck and Red-breasted Merganser.

New York City 165

New York City New York Jamaica Seals 165

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2013

I thought of this experience as I read Still the Same Hawk , a collection of twelve essays about nature and New York City, edited by John Waldman. Anne Matthews’ too-brief musings on the possible futures of the city offer cinematic utopian and dystopian possibilities to ponder.

New York 111

New York New York City 2013 Collecting 111

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

It is my belief that the birds were migrating, though one New York birder suggested that they might have been flying out for some crepuscular feeding. Either way, it was a heck of a sight and another example of why Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is the best place in New York City to see amazing wildlife spectacles.

Ducks 174

Ducks 2011 Jamaica New York 174

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2012

Hurricane Sandy devastated large swathes of New York City but my immediate neighborhood, Forest Hills in Queens, got off lightly, and I headed on over to Flushing Meadows Corona Park on foot, figuring that if the roads were blocked it was more likely that I could find a way around any obstacle under my own power rather than in a car.

New York 131

New York Birds New York City Jamaica 131

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2011

Queens, the finest borough in New York City, as I may have mentioned before, is where I have now seen a whopping 279 species! It was hunting around the edges of the West Pond of Jamaica Bay back at the beginning of March, a day that I saw both the individual in Queens and one in Brooklyn. Snow Bunting – Yes!

Jamaica 158

Jamaica Owls 2010 New York City 158

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2011

Part 2 You learn that swallows are hard in a place like New York City. The Tree Swallows nest in Jamaica Bay, in the nest boxes, good old reliable Tree Swallows. The Cliff Swallows are easy, very distinctive from above, with their white foreheads and pale rumps and metallic blue backs. She could watch them for hours.

New York City 167

New York City Turtles Jamaica New York 167

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2012

When you live in Queens and you only have one morning of an August weekend to go birding there is only one place to go – the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Get out to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge’s East Pond and enjoy those shorebirds. What makes it so good? Shorebirds! Well, it is. See you out on the pond!

Jamaica 183

Jamaica Wildlife New York City Falcons 183

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2013

The New York City area’s Christmas Bird Count density is absurd. Eventually, when the circle was adopted, it was discovered that some circles overlapped. This should not be because, after all, you don’t want people counting the same birds. The Queens count circle is the one in the middle.

Birds 163

Birds New York City New York New Jersey 163

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

North of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens is a middle class neighborhood, predominantly Italian-American, known as Howard Beach. Perhaps most known throughout New York City for mafia ties and a couple of hate crimes against African-Americans, Howard Beach was devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Named for William J.

Parrots 237

Parrots New York City New York New Jersey 237

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2018

This past Sunday I led a birding outing in Queens for New York City Audubon. Stop 3 – Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. At Jamaica Bay Northern Shovelers , Northern Pintail , American Wigeon , Gadwall , and Ruddy Duck should all be easily added. Most winters Snow Geese are a gimme when birding Queens.

Geese 116

Geese New York City Ducks Jamaica 116

10,000 Birds

JULY 12, 2019

Though I never cared much for the season growing up, my initial birding forays to Jamaica Bay in Queens were a welcome antidote to the smelly sidewalks and sweltering apartments that plagued my life in summer in New York City.

Detroit 148

Detroit New York New York City Vermont 148

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 28, 2019

When I go to Baisley, which is located in the neighborhood of South Jamaica, I know that I am, at the least, going to see at least ten species of waterfowl, a variety of gulls, some sparrows and other songbirds, and perhaps a raptor or two. There are few places in Queens that I like birding in winter more than Baisley Pond Park.

Ducks 114

Ducks New York City Geese Canada 114

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2012

This explains why when I was upstate celebrating my parents’ fortieth anniversary on Sunday I was not to happy to learn that a Ruff was found at Jamaica Bay. Other than my overall life list it is the one to which I most like to add a bird.

Jamaica 159

Jamaica New York City Abandon Abandoning 159

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2013

The birds eventually flew down to the water’s edge where I got even better looks and, even better, got Isaac Grant, who is doing a New York City big year and who I had called knowing he still needed Ross’s Goose , on the bird. Ross’s Goose with a Snow Goose. Ross’s Goose Chen rossii.

Geese 203

Geese New York City New York Jamaica 203

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2011

In New York City so far this year we have only had a dusting from the Halloween storm that wreaked so much havoc elsewhere and since then the weather has been mild. Then Seth and I grew tired of Nassau County and decided to wind up our day back in Queens, at Jamaica Bay.

United States 200

United States Jamaica Birds Owls 200

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2011

All of the shots in this post were taken on 12-13 March 2011 at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, New York. … Tags: digiscoping , ducks , jamaica bay • Have you seen the cool 10,000 Birds t-shirts? Get yours today!

Ducks 144

Ducks 2011 New York New York City 144

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2013

Since then I have had a second Purple Martin at Jamaica Bay’s East Pond. Upland Sandpiper – 23 Jun 2013 – Found by Isaac Grant at the Edgemere Landfill in the midst of Isaac’s New York City big year. Isaac was happy about this bird too as it counted for his New York City big year.

2012 158

2012 2013 New York City Jamaica 158

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2021

July in New York City is generally an unpleasant experience. This is why New Yorkers in summer have fled the city for the mountains upstate, the beaches on Long Island, or, really, anywhere, for as long as New York has been a metropolis. What’s going on? My year Royal Tern was nice as well.

Jamaica 264

Jamaica Birds New York City New York 264

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2020

Redgannet, you’ll have to come visit New York City sometime soon. As for me, well, I could have chosen any of the several new birds among the 277 species I spotted in Queens this year, but I think that my Jamaica trip in February, just before the pandemic completely wrecked 2020, provided more amazing species.

2020 245

2020 Birds Costa Rica Germany 245

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2019

As a matter of curiosity, a year later (1942) in the first version of the Cat People, Simon will be playing the leading role of Irena Dubrovna, a Serbian fashion illustrator in New York City who believes herself to be descended from people who shape-shift into panthers when sexually aroused or angered.

Saint Kitts and Nevis 170

Saint Kitts and Nevis Antigua and Barbuda Dominican Republic Cuba 170

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2021

Rough-legged Hawk (2 of them), 13 February, Breezy Point, Queens, New York (2nd and 3rd Queens sightings). Wood Stork , 08 May, Suffolk County, New York (state bird). Black-bellied Whistling-Duck , 11 July, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, New York (2nd Queens sighting). A new Queens bird?

New York 262

New York Birds California Owls 262