Helen Hays: January 22, 1931 - February 5, 2025

I will post more about my friend and mentor in the future. For now I will post the following.

        How do you say goodbye to a person you have known for over fifty years. Especially when that person is someone like Helen. A person who was responsible for the life you have had. I know that Ann understands. Ann and I have been together for over forty years, but we would not have met if not for Helen. In fact, many of my closest friends were met because of Helen. To say that Helen was unique, and a force of nature is a cliché and certainly does not do her justice. Helen, through her own love of nature and birds in particular, literally helped change the world around her. Through her work on Great Gull Island and the students she inspired she left a legacy that cannot be measured and that will go on for generations. The day she died I started sending the sad news out. Within twelve hours tributes to her were being posted on multiple continents. Helen herself had visited every continent except Africa as well as islands in the Pacific. Like her beloved terns she was a traveler. I was lucky enough to travel with her to South America many times where we encountered some of the very same individual terns we had banded on Great Gull Island. As everywhere she went, she inspired people in South America to study and protect her terns. Of course, the Common and Roseate terns were not her only love. Before the terns she studied Ruddy Ducks in Manitoba and did ground-breaking work on the Spotted Sandpipers on Great Gull Island. She loved field work. When she wasn’t in the field she loved the theater, music and opera; all of which she enjoyed sharing with her friends.

        I still haven’t answered my original question about how to say goodbye to Helen. It is because I still don’t know how. There are too many memories. They give some comfort, and I take joy in looking back at the incredible and wonderful life she led and having some knowledge of the many other lives besides mine that she touched. So no, I don’t know how to say goodbye, other than to say: “Helen, I will miss you.”

March 10, 2025: A Book Recommendation - Taking Manhattan by Russell Shorto

This is a departure from natural history, but I want to highly recommend a just published book: Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America by Russell Shorto (W. W. Norton & Co.). It is a sequel to the same author’s classic book The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony that Shaped America (2004, Doubleday). Shorto’s earlier book recounted the history of New Amsterdam and how many of the American ideals of religious freedom and pluralism that are often attributed to the English colonies were actually passed on to the American colonies from the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam. In his new book, Shorto recounts the events of the late summer of 1664 when England sent a flotilla under command of Richard Nicolls to take control of New Amsterdam away from the Netherlands and add it to the growing British Empire. Instead of the military confrontation that both sides expected Nicolls and the Dutch leader of New Amsterdam, Peter Stuyvesant, negotiated a peaceful transfer of power from the Dutch to the English. Nicolls renamed the town at the southern tip of Manhattan New York and became the colonies first English governor. Shorto describes the peaceful transition as a merger rather than a military takeover. He guaranteed the population the rights and freedoms they had been used to under the Dutch and gave rise to modern New York city and many of the freedoms of the future United States.

February 19, 2025: Common Goldeneye - new species for my Inwood Hill Park list and my apartment list.

This morning I spotted two female type Common Goldeneyes in the channel off Muscota. It was a freezing cold morning with temperatures in the upper teens. I knew it was a new species for my apartment list (my 122nd), but did not realize until I looked at my records that it was new for my Inwood Hill Park list (my 230th).

Common Goldeneyes - 2/19/2025 

ADDENDA: Around noon I added another species to my apartment list. I had been hearing from birders in the park since the morning that there were one to three Horned Grebes over by Spuyten Duyvil. I had been watching hoping the incoming tide might push them over towards Muscota. I took a break to make some lunch. I was in the kitchen when Karina and Allen Greene texted me that one of the Horned Grebes was in the channel by the big “C”. Running back to the window I searched for it for a long time before finally spotting it. The bird was doing a lot of diving which was why it was so hard to spot. But when I did it became my 123rd species for the apartment.

January 23, 2025: Day 4 of the freeze - Warmer, but still below freezing.

Fourth day of the big freeze: temperatures were warmer today, but never rose close to the freezing point. The channel in front of Muscota had a considerable amount of floating ice most of the day. The cold temperatures continue to drive a variety of waterfowl into Inwood Hill Park. There were at least four Hooded Mergansers present, perhaps more. The most I saw at one time were three males and a female, but since I saw lone males at other times of the day, these could possibly have been additional individuals.

Hooded Merganser - January 23, 2025    ©️ Joseph DiCostanzo

It turned into a two merganser day when a female Common Merganser flew west just ahead of one of the commercial cruise boats which I suspect flushed it off the water east of my view. This may have been the same individual I saw in the channel off Muscota a few days ago on January 20th.

Also present today were seven Buffleheads, up from the five I saw yesterday. When I first saw them I assumed they were the same five males I saw yesterday. The second time I saw the group they were accompanied by a female Bufflehead and then a sixth male.

Rounding out the waterfowl for the day were the usual Canada Geese and Mallards who are here every day.

Yesterday, Allen and Karina Greene sent me a photo of a Horned Grebe they found near the Henry Hudson Bridge, yet another uncommon waterbird presumably brought to the park by the freeze.

January 22, 2025: Frost heaves and Buffleheads in Muscota Marsh.

No, frost heaves are not what you get when you eat bad frost. (Sorry. I couldn’t resist.) Frost heave is the phenomenon you get in areas of water saturated ground and extreme cold temperatures. The last few days of very cold temperatures here in Inwood Hill Park have been perfect for causing frost heaves in the mud of the Muscota mudflats. Frost heave occurs when the water in the ground (in this case the mud of the Muscota flats) freezes, Water expands when it freezes into ice crystals. This causes the ground (or mud) to also expand and “heave” upward. Below are some photos of frost heaves this morning at Muscota. The temperature was 10 F at sun-up. 

While I was typing the above post, five male Buffleheads appeared around the Point, apparently pushed in by the ice on the incoming tide. These are almost undoubtedly the five Buffleheads that Allen Greene saw two days ago under the Henry Hudson Bridge.

Once again, I apologize for the poor image quality caused by shooting through dirty window glass and heat shimmer.

January 20, 2025: First day of the freeze.

It is always fun when a prediction comes true! After my post yesterday predicting an influx of waterfowl following last night’s freeze, I awoke this morning to three adult Mute Swans sleeping on the edge of the Muscota Marsh mudflats. The two Mute Swans photographed three days ago on the main inlet were immatures.

Mute Swans - January 20, 2025  ©️ Joseph DiCostanzo

Shortly after sun-up Allen Greene messaged there was a Gadwall about to disappear around the Point at Muscota. It was a nice looking male. Later in the morning another Gadwall dropped into the bay at Muscota. This was clearly a different individual. However, it did look like the Gadwall Danny Karlson photographed yesterday.

Gadwall - January 29, 2025.  ©️ Joseph DiCostanzo

The biggest surprise of the morning was a female Common Merganser swimming by Muscota.

Common Merganser - January 20, 2025  ©️ Joseph DiCostanzo

Adding to the less than regular waterfowl for the morning were the five Buffleheads Allen Greene spotted under the Henry Hudson Bridge. Elizabeth White-Pultz later texted she had a Bufflehead in the main inlet off the Nature Center dock. I have a very obscured view of that area from the apartment, but thanks to Elizabeth’s text I was able to glimpse a Bufflehead by the dock from the living room window.

Rounding out the waterfowl for the morning were the usual Canada Geese, Mallards, and a lone American Black Duck. Not a waterfowl, but an uncommon waterbird here in the winter were two Double-crested Cormorants.

It will be interesting to see if the continuing freeze predicted for the next two days produces any other interesting waterfowl.

My apologies for the quality of the photographs. I am shooting through a window that needs to be washed and given the outside air temperature I wasn’t going to open it. 

January 19, 2025: Deep Freeze next several days.

Back on January 5 I wrote that with the cold weather predicted in the week after that Inwood birders should keep their eyes open for uncommon waterfowl pushed into the area by the predicted cold weather freezing interior waterways. The cold was not quite as cold as initially predicted, but in the last two weeks the park has had Mute Swans, Hooded and Red-breasted mergansers and Common Loon. Tonight the predicted low is 18 F and it may drop into the single digits for the next three nights. Up the Hudson River some areas are expecting temperatures perhaps below zero F. Once again, I say watch for unusual waterfowl pushed into our local area. However, most of you don’t have the luxury that I have of a window overlooking Muscota Marsh, so PLEASE remember temperatures like those predicted are dangerous! I will do my best to keep watch and report anything unusual, but it is likely anything pushed south from the interior would take some time to get here any way so after the temperatures start going up again later in the week might be the best time to look for birds.

Red-breasted Merganser.-  January 12, 2025 ©️ Joseph DiCostanzo

ADDITIONAL NOTE: I posted last week about going upstate to see the Taiga Bean Goose in Greenwich, NY. Yesterday, a Tundra Bean Goose was found in Portsmouth, RI. I don’t expect anything of that level of rarity showing up, but we can always hope!

January 13, 2025: Taiga Bean Goose - A New York State Bird AND a Life Bird. [EDITED: 1/14/2025]

In a recent post going over some of the highlights of my 2024 New York State birding I mentioned that in recent years I hope to pick up at least one new bird for my New York State bird list each year. Last year I was lucky enough to see two - Lazuli Bunting and American Flamingo. The flamingo was also a life bird which is a very rare occurrence for me in New York. Today I picked up another new bird for my state list that was also a life bird - Taiga Bean Goose.

Taiga Bean Goose - January 13, 2025    ©️ Joseph DiCostanzo

The Taiga Bean Goose is an incredible rarity for New York. Not only is it a first record for the state, it is a first record for the eastern United States. The bird was first reported from Saratoga Lake about ten days ago. It disappeared from there and was then refound in some farm fields near Greenwich, Washington County. Over the last few days it was found in a number of farm fields with flocks of Canada Geese, but it was hard to perceive a set pattern to its wanderings. My friend, Sean Sime, and I discussed trying for it (a 3.5 hour drive from Inwood). Last night we decided it was still a bit too iffy in its appearances and so we decided not to go. I was starting to make breakfast a little before 8:00 this morning when Sean called and said: “Get ready. I am picking you up in an hour. The bird has been found in the same field it was seen in yesterday.” When we arrived around 12:30 pm there were about half a dozen cars on the side of the road by the farm field and birders were watching the bird. It was asleep in a large flock of Canada Geese. We were able to watch it for over an hour during which time it woke up and did some feeding on the corn stubble. We heard it was still in the same field at sunset.

Taiga Bean Goose is a species from Eurasia. If you look it up in many field guides you will not find it. You will find Bean Goose. It was only in recent years that Bean Goose was split into two species - Tundra Bean Goose and Taiga Bean Goose. They are extremely similar with the Taiga having a longer bill, usually with more yellow on it. The Taiga also has a longer neck and a paler head as well as other minor differences. Some authorities think the two species should not have been split and should probably be re-lumped. You can read an article about it here.

The goose was my 446th bird for NYS and my 1459 world life bird. My birding year is off to a great start.

January 5, 2025: Cold weather coming - Keep your eyes open!

In late December we had a cold snap in New York. During and after it a number of uncommon (for Inwood Hill Park) waterbirds were spotted in the park. On December 23 Allen and Karina Greene found an American Coot. On December 26 I spotted three scaup from my window which Danny Karlson saw from in the park and identified as Lesser Scaup; the same day Allen and Karina photographed a female Northern Pintail. On December 31 Hilary Russ spotted a Red-throated Loon in the main channel and Danny found an American Wigeon. All these species have occurred before in Inwood, but they are all uncommon.

When I checked my records I found that the last time I saw American Wigeon, Lesser Scaup, and American Coot had all been in the winter of 2014. In fact, the winter of 2014 produced quite a variety of waterbirds in Inwood Hill Park. January 2014 saw a shift south in the Polar Vortex with record low temperatures throughout the eastern United States. New York City recorded temperatures in the low single digits in early January. The following observations are mostly from my observations in Inwood Hill Park from January to April 2014 — American Wigeon, March 10 (3 birds); Ring-necked Duck, March 13 (3); Canvasback, February 2 to March 18 (up to 13 birds); Redhead, February 23 (1 male); Greater and Lesser scaups (plus unidentified scaups), January 27 to March 18 (usually 1 to 3 birds); Common Goldeneye, mid-March, female (seen by James Knox and Nadir Souirgi); Bufflehead, March 16 to 18 (1 - 2 birds); White-winged Scoter, March 6 to April 5 (up to 5 birds); Red-breasted Merganser, February 12 to April 12 (up to 7 birds); non-waterfowl: American Coot, January 6 (1) and probably the rarest waterbird I saw in Inwood that winter a Red-necked Grebe on April 6. The grebe was part of a large influx of the species into the New York City/Long Island area that winter with one also occurring on the reservoir in Central Park. Most of these sightings are recorded in blog entries I made on this blog in that time period. Almost undoubtedly related to the weather pattern that produced this variety of birds locally was the stunning occurrence of a Willow Ptarmigan that showed up at Three Mile Bay in Jefferson County near the Canadian border in far northern New York State that I went up to see on April 27 with Doug Gochfeld and Sean Sime. The ptarmigan was eventually found dead and the specimen ended up in the American Museum of Natural History.)

It is still too early in the winter to know what sort of weather we will have this year, but we have already had one cold snap in December. Another stretch of cold weather is predicted for this coming week with several days in a row with highs for the day below freezing. This is also going to produce even colder temperatures inland and will undoubtedly freeze many interior water bodies. Therefore, this coming week and beyond should be a good time to watch in Inwood Hill Park and on the Hudson River for an influx of waterbirds forced to the coast by those freezing temperatures.

New York State 2024: Some Highlights

An early highlight of 2024 was a trip with my friend Sean Sime on February 19th to chase some rare birds. In Dutchess County we saw Golden Eagle near Dover Plains where they have tended to winter in recent years. On the way back south we went to the Shawangunk Grasslands in Ulster County to see an over wintering Loggerhead Shrike, a bird I last saw in New York in 2010.

Loggerhead Shrike - February 14, 2024.   ©️ Joseph DiCostanzo

Every year I hope to add at least one or more birds to my personal New York State bird list. Not surprisingly, every year it gets harder. This year I managed to pick up two new species, both in the first half of the year. In late April my friend Ed Eden and I did a weekend trip out Long Island to Montauk. We had originally scheduled it for the winter but had been forced to cancel because of a friend’s illness. Ann and I and our friend Georgia Rose did a trip out west to see the total solar eclipse in Texas on April 8. I picked up a few life birds on that trip. Ed and I rescheduled our Montauk trip for the weekend of April 20/21. It turned out we had great luck in our rescheduling. We started off the weekend with a Swainson’s Warbler at Brooklyn Bridge Park on the morning of April 20. It had been found there a day or two earlier. 

Swainson’s Warbler - April 20, 2024      ©️Joseph DiCostanzo

The Swainson’s was not a new bird for me in NY, but I had only seen it a couple of other times. Ed and I had a good trip out Long Island with lots of year birds. That evening I got a message that a Lazuli Bunting had been identified at a feeder in Flanders on the North Fork. This would be a New York bird for both of us, but that Saturday evening it wasn’t clear if the feeders where the bird was being seen were accessible to the public. We decided we would bird Montauk as planned the next morning and wait for any additional information. The next morning we were birding Camp Hero on the south side of Montauk Point when word came the bunting was still there and the feeders it frequented were visible from across the public street on front of the owner’s house. As we started to leave Camp Hero, Ed said: “Joe. Look out the driver’s side window.” On the ground was a an adult male Blue Grosbeak. When we got to Flanders it was easy to find the house with the feeders by the crowd of birders across the street. The bunting was sporadic in its appearance at the feeders, but finally it came in and put on a nice show. The bunting was my 444th species for my New York list.

Lazuli Bunting - April 21, 2024.   ©️Joseph DiCostanzo

Spring migration was about average, but at the end of May came the exciting news of an American Flamingo out at Georgica Pond on eastern Long Island. Ann, our friend Georgia and I went out early in the morning on June 1st. Legal parking was a problem. There was a parking area for local residents only. You could park there before 9:00 am, but after that the police ticketed nonresidents. We didn’t think we could get out to the bird and back by 9:00 so Georgia stayed with the car while Ann and I went down the beach to the pond inlet and saw the bird. Then I stayed at the inlet with my scope while Ann went back and relieved Georgia at the car and Georgia joined me at the inlet to enjoy the bird. The flamingo was not just my 445th New York State bird but was my 1458th World life bird. It was my first life bird in New York State since a Corn Crake at Cedar Beach on November 8, 2017. (Not counting the split of Scopoli’s Shearwater from Cory’s Shearwater last year.)

American Flamingo - June 1, 2024.  ©️ Joseph DiCostanzo

Later in June a Black-bellied Whistling-Duck showed up at the lake in Van Cortlandt Park and Ann and I went up to see it. It was not a new bird in New York for me, but it was only the second one I had seen in New York.

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - June 26, 2024.  ©️ Joseph DiCostanzo

The LeConte’s Sparrow in Inwood Hill Park on October 8, was only the second time I saw that species in New York. I posted about that bird on my blog last week. My last really good bird for the year 2024 in New York was the Sage Thrasher that showed up at Robert Moses State Park on Fire Island in November. I saw the bird twice, once on November 24 with Georgia and Ann and again in December when I led a Linnaean Society trip.

Sage Thrasher - December 8, 2024.  ©️ Joseph DiCostanzo

This was also only the second time I had seen this species in New York. My only other Sage Thrasher in New York was May 18, 2019 at Jamaica Bay. There was a time this species was my most wanted North American bird because it was the most widespread species in North America that I had never seen. This bird was present for over a month. It had a growth on one foot that was evidently caused by avian pox.