2023 turned out to be a pretty good bird year for me. I ended the year with 246 species, 24 of which were lifers (first-time observations).
My first bird observation of 2023 was a pair of Red-Tailed hawks in Brooklyn, and the last observation of the year was a male Merlin, also in Brooklyn.
According to eBird, the species I saw the greatest number of was Common Grackle (5,015). This was due to the huge flocks they form in the fall. Coming in second was Brant (4,935) followed closely by Canada Goose (4,684). Conspicuously missing from this list is Snow Geese, which I usually see in large numbers at Jamaica Bay, so it appears I failed to visit the wildlife refuge at the end of last winter. Something to strive for this year.
Some highlights from 2023:
These were photographed at Floyd Bennett Field and this was, surprisingly, the first time I'd seen them. Despite their bold color patterns, they could be really camouflaged while foraging on the ground.
This was an extreme rarity found in the Bronx by birders during the Christmas Bird Count. This little skulker looks similar to a Mourning Warbler, but has a broken eye ring. They're normally found on the west coast, so this individual drew a lot of attention in the birding community.
I've seen Connecticut Warblers several times, but they are often tough to find as they prefer to stay hidden away in dense vegetation. This one spent a lot of time in the open in Green-Wood Cemetery and provided some excellent views.
There were a couple of Pintails in the Central Park Meer this last fall, but I saw this male on Christmas Day in Brooklyn. I've never seen one as close to shore as this, so he made my day.
These are birds I've also seen several times before, but it seems they always appear on dark and dreary days, making photographing them difficult. This was one of a flock of five that were foraging along the rocky shoreline of Governors Island.
This was my first time seeing this bird and I just thought it was cool looking. This photo was taken at sunrise in a Florida wetland. Check out those huge feet!
I saw this pair while on a visit to New Orleans, then saw more in Florida. I think they're really beautiful and I love their squeaky calls.
Kingfishers can be found everywhere, but this male was hanging out at Newtown Creek, a Superfund Site in Brooklyn/Queens. Those are Canada Geese in the background. Despite being one of the most polluted sites in the country, there is a lot of wildlife to be found there - more reason to clean up the environment.
Christo
2023 marks my 10th year documenting Christo, the resident male Red-Tailed Hawk of Tompkins Square Park. He and his mate, Dora, appeared in November 2013 and I'll never forget the day they made their move on the territory. There had been three immature hawks using the park when the new adult pair showed up and spent a whole day observing the situation from the roof of the Christodora. At some point, they made a decision and few into the park and drove off all the other hawks. The first time I saw Christo close up, he was perched on the fence at the Avenue A & St Mark's Place entrance. The following year would prove to be absolutely magical as we (several hawk-watchers) observed Christo raise a family of three chicks and show us what it means to be a hawk in this city.
Christo has gone on to raise 22 chicks to fledge, as well as one foster chick from Brooklyn. You can read up on his stats on my Tompkins Square Park Hawk Archive Page.
Christo and his mate of six years, Amelia, are currently gearing up for the next breeding season. You are likely to see them around the park any day of the week.
