Feeder Survey Summer 2022

Jun 24, 2022 | Bird Feeder Survey, The Sandpiper

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I started birding in New York City over sixty years ago the last 55 of which were spent in Suffolk County birding and feeding birds, I’ve become aware of how the population of some species has crept up. My first sight of a Mockingbird on Long Island was at Pinelawn Cemetery in 1963, (although I was told that “I couldn’t possibly have seen it”), I proved that person wrong the next day as we entered Pinelawn and the “Mocker” was sitting on a branch right at the entrance. That same year we started having House Finches visit our feeders in NYC.

Both species have since become common on Long Island and NYC. Years ago, we would take trips down to Florida visiting relatives and as we traveled through the south we were lucky to find Carolina Wrens and Red-bellied Woodpeckers which have now moved north and are regulars at our feeders and surrounding habitats. Recently a mature Bald Eagle flew low and slow over my house. WOW!! Making me wonder if in the next twenty years, with the recent, steady population increase, will Bald Eagles and Ravens become common sights sitting around the periphery of our yards observing us? Well this brings to a close the survey period that started in November of 2021 and finished in March 2022.

For the past three months the following 11 people representing 9 areas participated: Banaszak (Blue point), Cafarelli (West Islip), Dr. Caruso (East Patchogue), Fogarty (Babylon), Horman (Ridge), Kremer-Parrott (West Sayville), Merryman (Babylon), Preisinger (Medford), Sorenson (North Babylon), Unterschuetz (Lindenhurst) and Weissman (Lindenhurst). Thank you for participating. I look forward to hearing from you again in the fall, when we start again in November. Have a great Spring and Summer

Red-tailed Hawk _0/1/1

Sharp-shinned Hawk _ 1/0/1

Cooper’s Hawk _ 5/1/1

Rock Pigeon _7/6/8

Mourning Dove _16/137/ 15

Monk Parakeet _7/1/2

Red-bellied Woodpecker _ 11/8/10

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker _0/1/0

Downy Woodpecker _16/14/11

Hairy Woodpecker _3/1/3

Northern Flicker _ 5/5/3

Blue Jay _ 45/38/30

American Crow _9/11/14

Black-capped Chickadee _ 20/20/24

Tufted Titmouse _6/11/9

Brown Creeper_0/1/1

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet_0/1/1

Yellow-Rumped Warbler_0/0/1 Bald Eagle_1/0/1

Osprey_ 0/0/1

Red-breasted Nuthatch _0/0/0

White-breasted Nuthatch _3/3/5

Carolina Wren _7/10/9

American Robin _25/39/68

Northern Mockingbird _6/6/7

Brown Thrasher_0/0/0

European Starling _ 137/49/14

Towhee _ 0/0/0

Fox Sparrow _0/0/0

Song Sparrow _18/17/6

White-throated Sparrow _ 54/54/40

European Starling _ 137/49/14

Towhee _ 0/0/0

Fox Sparrow _0/0/0

Song Sparrow _18/17/6

White-throated Sparrow _ 54/54/40

Dark-eyed Junco _ 32/38/26

Northern Cardinal _36/37/39

Red-winged Blackbird _3/49/25

Common Grackle_5/104+/118

Brown-headed Cowbird _0/10/7

House Finch _57/63/72

American Goldfinch _2/5/3

House Sparrow _ 100+/174+/88

OTHER SPECIES

Great Blue Heron_1/0/3

Mallards _0/26/23

Black-duck Mallard

hybrid_0/0/1

Hooded Mergansers_ 0/0/7

Kingfisher _0/3/1

Raven _3/1/0

The GSBAS Feeder Survey has been run for many years. The reward of the survey is to bring awareness of nature to our doorstep and share our observations with others.