Sara and I, collectively known as the Core Team, enjoyed some great New York City birding in November 2003. We spotted our first Hermit Thrushes in Central Park, our first Ruby-crowned Kinglets at Jamaica Bay WR, our first Sharp-shinned Hawk in Pelham Bay Park, and our first American Pipits and Tundra Swans in Croton Point Park. Sure, Croton Point Park isn’t in NYC proper, but rather in northern Westchester County but those swans were pretty rare!

Tundra Swan

What else happened this month on 10,000 Birds? Apparently, seabirds were on my mind as I wrote about fallen fulmars, storm-petrels and science, and the International Bird Rescue Research Center. Red-bellied Woodpeckers and lores (the space on a bird’s face between the eyes and the upper part of the bill) were also topics of interest. Last but not least was yet another reason to become a bird watcher: the element of surprise.

Written by Mike
Mike is a leading authority in the field of standardized test preparation, but he's also a traveler who fully expects to see every bird in the world. Besides founding 10,000 Birds in 2003, Mike has also created a number of other entertaining but now extirpated nature blog resources, particularly the Nature Blog Network and I and the Bird.