✰PREMIUM
Brooklyn birders, including former board member of Audubon Society, gather for winter outing along Jamaica Bay

FLOYD BENNETT FIELD — Although the sun was shining, the chill, fierce ocean winds of the Atlantic ocean reminded the birding group gathered by the Ryan Visitor Center at Floyd Bennett Field that it was still winter when they met on Saturday morning, March 8, for their Winter Birding with Heyde Lopes bird walk.

By the end of a two-and-a-half-hour walk covering about three-and-a-half miles, the group identified approximately 33 species and about 162 birds, which Lopes recorded on ebird, a free online data-collecting app managed by Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  

“I have to say that I really started to become obsessed with birding once I discovered eBird,” Lopes said. “It was a great way to keep track of my sightings.”

She said the highlights of the walk were spotting the Greater White-fronted Goose, the majestic Bald Eagle and a male and female Redhead. 

Lopes, a veteran birder of 16 years, began working for the NYC Bird Alliance three years ago as a bird guide at the Marine Park Salt Marsh nature trails. This would be her first time as the Bird Alliance’s guide at Floyd Bennett Field, but she has done it many times before for the Brooklyn Bird Club. 

To Lopes, the biggest difference between the two locations is the space. “I think Floyd Bennett may seem a bit intimidating at first if you are not that familiar with what areas to bird,” she said.

Lopes came prepared with binoculars, a telescope and maps to plot out their course across the expansive former airfield that was once the setting for record-setting aviation pioneers.  Floyd Bennett Field transitioned to commercial, military, training and recreational use and is currently a part of the  Gateway National Recreation Area‘s Jamaica Bay Unit, managed by the National Park Service.

Lopes suggested driving to the first part of the walk at the boat launch, located near the southern end of the park along the shoreline of Jamaica Bay. About 15 to 20 people in the group shared cars, as needed, and were joined by others along the way.

It was windy and cold, but there were sightings of the Red-breasted Merganser, a Gadwall, Canada Geese and Brant. Lopes shared that there are about 20 types of gulls as the group observed Herring Gulls, Ring-billed Gulls and Great Black-backed Gulls.

From there, the group packed into the cars again and headed over to the North Forty natural area across the way, where they could park at the Aviator Sports and Recreation Complex lot and walk over.

On the way, the group was searching for the Greater White-fronted Goose and spotted it feeding in the grass alongside runway 12. It’s a medium-sized goose with bright orange legs, a white face and splotches on the belly, which is where the nickname “specklebelly” comes from.

“I love this place back here because it’s really expansive, but you could see the different habitats,” Lopes said. “There’s grasslands here, there’s water over there and a type of wooded area.”

“It’s really exciting to see different areas and habitats for birding all in one place,” Queens resident Carlmais Johnson said. 

As the group walked further into the wooded area of the North Forty, they had to watch their step along the path below for uneven terrain and broken sticks, as well as above for branches sticking in the path.

Marine Park resident Lorna Hollander brought a pair of walking sticks to navigate the uneven ground. She’s been birding for about 50 years and noted that one perk of the events is “you get a nice walk in.” 

All of a sudden, she pointed up and spotted a Turkey Vulture. As a group, they raised their binoculars in unison to confirm her finding. 

“If you look underneath, they kind of have wing linings, and the way they fly, they rock side to side,” Lopes said of how to identify the Turkey Vulture. 

Towards the end of one of the paths was a wooden bird blind overlooking a pond. It had a small metal plaque nailed on a beam with a duck decoy overhead stating that it was constructed in 2015 by volunteers Russ Anderson and Broc Fisher in dedication to the memory of Jean Bourque. 

“Jean Bourque — who is memorialized here — and her husband Ron worked very hard to preserve the grasslands at Floyd Bennett Field for many, many years,” former NYC Audubon Society board member and birder Ned Boyajian said. 

A cardinal flew into sight and disappeared just as suddenly. Someone thought they heard a White-throated Sparrow.

Park Slope resident Camilo Gaston-Greenberg heard about the walk from a work colleague. He walked the North Forty before. He also went out to Harriman State Park and lives by Prospect Park, so he goes there a lot for birding. He said he just likes walking and being outside.

“It’s great to be with people out here and share in the experience of witnessing these beautiful birds,” he said.