Apartment Bird List

Ann and I are extremely lucky in the location of our apartment. Not only are we next to Inwood Hill Park, but we look out at the park and the ship canal that connects the Hudson and Harlem rivers. The new Muscota Marsh area created by Columbia University in 2012/2013 has really increased the habitat diversity visible from the apartment and has been particularly good for shorebirds on the mudflats and rocks along the shore. This has allowed me to build up quite a list of species seen from the apartment. The list is below with some notes on when I have seen or regularly record some species. Species without notation are seen too frequently to warrant notes.

As of  May 16 2025 my list stands at 129 species; the latest was an American Bittern. It flew by Muscota on the morning of May 16.

Snow Goose (one was present for the Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 18, 2011)
Brant (flocks overhead are regular on migration)
Cackling Goose (one was present with Canadas in March 2013)
Canada Goose
Mute Swan

Wood Duck (Three, two males, March 9 2025)

Gadwall  (January 20 2025)

American Wigeon (March 16 2025)
American Black Duck
Mallard
Northern Shoveler (A group of six Dec 28 1999)
Northern Pintail (A pair Jan 29 2000)
Canvasback (Uncommon, but regular in winter in the canal)
Redhead (A male, Feb 23, 2014)
Greater Scaup (Several Jan - Mar 2014)
Lesser Scaup (Female Feb 22-23 2014)
Surf Scoter (Male, Dec 22 1995)
White-winged Scoter (Male, Mar 6 2014; stayed in the canal for couple of weeks)
Bufflehead (Uncommon, but regular in winter)

Common Goldeneye (Rare; two female Feb 19, 2025; one female Feb 26 2025)
Hooded Merganser (2, Jan1 2000)
Common Merganser (Females, Dec 2 2000 and Feb 6 2015)
Red-breasted Merganser (Uncommon,but regular in winter)
Ruddy Duck (2, Jan 1 2000)
Red-throated Loon (1, Jan 28 2013)
Common Loon (Calling bird heard in flight overhead, Jun 6 2006)
Pied-billed Grebe (Dec 16, 2000, Feb 20 2013, and Jan 26, 2025)

Horned Grebe (Feb 19 2025)
Double-crested Cormorant

American Bittern (May 16 2025)
Great Blue Heron (Regular, especially on migration)
Great Egret (Regular in the warmer months)
Snowy Egret (1, May 7 1991)
Green Heron (1, Aug 17 2014)
Black-crowned Night-Heron (Seen every month of the year.)
Black Vulture (2, Mar 24 2009)
Turkey Vulture (Regular during migration)
Osprey (Regular during migration)
Bald Eagle (Migration and winter; these refer to wild birds - not the hacked young)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Migration)
Cooper's Hawk (Migration and winter)
Northern Goshawk (Adult, Nov 6 2001)
Red-tailed Hawk (Resident)
Rough-legged Hawk (Flying south over the ridge, Jan 31, 2009)
American Kestrel (Possible anytime)
Merlin (A few times on fall migration)
Peregrine Falcon (Breeds on the Broadway Bridge)
American Coot (Rare in winter)
Semipalmated Plover (Small numbers with sandpiper flocks in recent late summers.)
Killdeer (Possible almost anytime.)
Spotted Sandpiper (Summer)
Solitary Sandpiper (May 7 2002)
Greater Yellowlegs (May 10 1999, Aug 20 2008, and Apr 3 2025)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Regular in recent late summers)
Least Sandpiper (Regular in recent late summers)
White-rumped Sandpiper (Oct 4 2014)
Pectoral Sandpiper (Present on edge of Muscota Marsh area for about a week in late Sep 2014)
Red Phalarope (Undoubtedly my rarest sighting, Oct 30 2012; morning after Super Storm Sandy)
Laughing Gull (Formerly regular in summer; now very rare)
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Subadults, Mar 5 2013 & Dec 9 2013)
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Monk Parakeet (Unpredictable, but seen and heard a number of times)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (One heard calling from the trees across the street May 11 1999)
Eastern Screech-Owl (Heard calling before dawn, Sep 6 2013)
Common Nighthawk (Heard calling overhead on migration)
Chimney Swift (Summer resident)
Belted Kingfisher (Anytime)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Park resident)
Downy Woodpecker (Park resident)
Northern Flicker (Anytime, but especially on migration)
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Calling, Sep 27 2010)
Alder Flycatcher (May 19, 2018; first seen and heard from deck at Muscota, then from apartment)
Eastern Phoebe (Calling bird, Mar 30, 1999)
Eastern Kingbird (Breeds in park)
Warbling Vireo (Breeds in park)
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow (Heard during migration)
Common Raven (Regular in the park in last couple of years)
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Summer resident
Barn Swallow (Summer resident)
Tree Swallow (Summer resident)
Black-capped Chickadee (Possible anytime)
Tufted Titmouse (Possible anytime; breeds in park)
White-breasted Nuthatch (Possible anytime; breeds in park)
Carolina Wren (Possible anytime; breeds in park)
Marsh Wren (May 10 2020, calling in Muscota Marsh)
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regular migrant)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regular migrant)
Hermit Thrush (Regular migrant)
American Robin
Gray Catbird (May 21, 2020)
Northern Mockingbird (Resident)
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing (Regular migrant)
Northern Waterthrush (May 11 2001 & Aug 13 2001)
Common Yellowthroat (Warmer months; especially in the new Muscota Marsh habitat)
American Redstart (Migration)
Yellow Warbler (Migration and summer)
Blackpoll Warbler (Migration)
Palm Warbler (Oct 12 2008)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Fall migration)
Nelson's Sparrow (Oct 14 2020)
American Tree Sparrow (Winter)
Chipping Sparrow (Migration)
Field Sparrow (Oct 21 2014)
Savannah Sparrow (Fall migration)
Song Sparrow

Lincoln’s Sparrow (May 6 2025)
Swamp Sparrow (Fall migration)

White-crowned Sparrow (Oct 26 2020)
White-throated Sparrow (Fall and winter)
Dark-eyed Junco (Fall and winter)

Eastern Towhee (migrant)
Northern Cardinal (Resident in park)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (May 17 2004 & May 4 2009)
Red-winged Blackbird (Warm months)
Common Grackle (Feb - Dec)
Brown-headed Cowbird (Migration)
Orchard Oriole (Regular summer breeder in park)
Baltimore Oriole (regular summer breeder in park)
House Finch (Possible anytime)

Pine Siskin (Oct 23 2020)
American Goldfinch (Migration)
House Sparrow