May 9 - Inwood Hill Park - foggy

A relatively short walk around Inwood this morning, joined by Dale Dancis, and later Danny Karlson. Dale and I found a Greater Yellowlegs feeding on the mudflats north of the soccer fields when we started. It was still there a couple of hours later when we came back down off the ridge with Danny. Earlier I also saw a Solitary Sandpiper fly over.

Greater Yellowlegs in the fog 05/09/2015 Inwood Hill Park

There was very little singing going on in the moderate fog, so the warbler count was a paltry two. We did have two nice birds on the ridge. A Black-billed Cuckoo perched up along the central trail between the pine groves. After it flew off we could hear it calling from the same general area. Itexted Dave Barrett about the cuckoo and he ran up from the soccer fields to try and get it. I haven't heard if he did, but just before he came running up, Danny and Dale spotted a Lincoln's Sparrow in the underbrush. In all I had forty species before commitments forced us to leave. Complete list below.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Solitary Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs (see above)
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Black-billed Cuckoo (see above)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Great Crested Flycatcher (heard)
Warbling Vireo
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
House Wren
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Northern Parula
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow (1, on ridge)
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting (male north of overlook)
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Finally, one last non-avian sighting - we came across the Eastern Cottontail up on the ridge. Just like the turkey last week, it was ready for its closer-up.

Eastern Cottontail 05-09-2015 Inwood Hill Park