All photos and text by Jack Rothman. All rights reserved. No photo may be copied or duplicated without written permission. Copyright 2026
Updated 3/18/26
City Island Birds
Since 2007
Welcome to City Island Birds. My name is Jack Rothman. I created this website and birding club because this area of New York City is little known and underutilized by birdwatchers and other nature lovers. Pelham Bay Park, with its woods and wetlands is a critical stopover and nesting area to many migratory species.
Our Mission
City Island Birds was created in 2007 to bring birders, and would be birders, to the park. Everyone has always been and always will be welcome. Our walks are always inclusive, friendly, non-competitive, fun and free. We all love to see great birds, but without each other, it's never as enjoyable.
Saul's Science Watch
My birding buddy Saul has been writing wonderful science articles for the Hudson River Audubon Society. You can link for years of wonderful insights and information. Just scroll to the bottom of the page for a complete list of the articles.
Five Quick Beginning Birding Suggestions
1. Go out with a group or an experienced leader. You'll learn how to use binoculars, find birds, meet interesting and friendly people.
2. Wear appropriate clothes. Weather is always a little more extreme in open spaces. Don't wear your brand new $200 running shoes. It can be muddy.
3. Most leaders have binoculars to lend if you don't have your own. Opera glasses are pretty useless for birding. If you want to buy a pair, email me and I will make suggestions depending on your budget.
4. Bring a snack and water. Most walks are a few hours. You'll see that birding is not fast walking. Expect to be moving slowly.
5. Get a portable field guide to bring with you when you bird alone. Use it at home too. Look for the Peterson or Sibley guide.
Sunday, March 8 was foggy. Not a great day for searching for waterfowl and passerines. We did manage to see 25 species and had a fun morning. Some of the group posed while others were busy socializing. We started out slow but when the fog began to lift were able to find more birds. Since I've been leading walks here, almost 20 years, I've always had friendly and social groups. Link for species report.
A Savannah Sparrow near the Orchard Beach Lagoon.
Names Given To Groups of Birds
Based on History and Literature
From The Verb To Bird, Peter Cashwell (Paul Dry Pub. 2003)
A gaggle of geese ( in water)
A charm of finches
A tiding of magpies
A descent of woodpeckers
A mustering of storks
A parliament of owls
A host of sparrows
A siege of herons
An unkindness of ravens
A cast of hawks
An ostentation of peacocks
A murder of crows
A walk of snipe
From An Exaltation of Larks, James Lipton (Penguin pub. 1993)
A party of jays
A gatling of woodpeckers
A murmuration of starlings
(in air)
A clutter of starlings
(on ground)
A mutation of thrushes
A fall of woodcock
A skein of geese (in air)
An exaltation of larks
A shimmer of hummingbirds
A spring of teal ( ducks)
A sorde of mallards
A rafter of turkeys
A descent of woodpeckers
A convocation of eagles
A leash of merlins
Upcoming Birding Tours with Jack
Van Cortlandt Park on April 26 @9:00am Meet at Nature Center.
Other walks in Pelham Bay park TBA. I'm waiting for birds and weather!
For other inquiries contact me, jack@cityislandbirds.com
Not seen often in Pelham Bay Park is the Eastern Meadowlark. They can often be found nearby in Ferry Point Park
Pete Dunne, in his book, Pete Dunne on Bird Watching: The How-to, Where-to and When-to of Birding:
"The difference between a beginning birder and an experienced one is that beginning birders have misidentified few birds. Experienced birders have misidentified thousands."
A terrific ABA blog post called "Birding is Hard" from April 22, 2015 can be found here.
A Fox Sparrow in early March.While many sparrows are confusing, the Fox Sparrow is distinctive.
A resting Tree Swallow. It has an unusually light colored back.
Northern Flickers are coming through. Sometimes there are flocks in the southern zone grassy areas, near the monument. I've seen dozens land on the grass in front of the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum.
This is a female Red-winged Blackbird. The males come first and stake out their territory. Females are a difficult bird to identify for new birders.
A male Brown-headed Cowbird. It was part of a mixed flock that included Common Grackles and male Red-winged Blackbirds.
A Rusty Blackbird on Hunter Island in early March 2021. A good place to find them is Van Cortlandt Park. Sometimes they're mixed in with Grackles ,Red-winged Blackbirds and Cowbirds. Check the flocks carefully.
An American Woodcock, doing it's mesmerizing dance. I recorded this in Bryant Park in Manhattan a few years ago.
Some Early Sping Migrants are below, taken from "Bull's Birds of NYS." There are others, lots of Grackles, Cowbirds and Red-winged Blackbird flocks in the park.
Early March (March 1-10)- Pied-billed Grebe, Wood Duck, Killdeer, American Woodcock, American Robin, Eastern Bluebird, Rusty Blackbird, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow
Mid March (11-20)- Gannet, Black-crowned Night Heron, Snow Goose, Turkey Vulture, Piping Plover, Wilson's Snipe, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Flicker, Phoebe, Fish Crow, Water Pipit, Meadowlark, Cowbird
Late March (21-31) Double-crested Cormorant, Osprey, Greater Yellowlegs, Laughing Gull, Tree Swallow, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Savannah Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Field Sparrow.
