Recap: Birding along the Brooklyn Waterfront

Our first online "Breakfast Talk" was a success!

We are thrilled so many of you were able to join us on Zoom for our first virtual “Breakfast Talk.” Thank you for all your great questions and, of course, special thanks to our wonderful guest, Heather Wolf!

COVID19 has shown us an ugly side of Nature, but lest we forget, Nature has many beauties and many gifts. For our first online Breakfast Talk we took a respite from the virus, and the heat waves, and the social distancing and welcomed Heather Wolf as she “show and tell”-ed us about the birds along the Brooklyn Waterfront. 

Heather, a Brooklyn-based birder and author of Birding at the Bridge: In Search of Every Bird on the Brooklyn Waterfront discussed the diversity of birds along our borough’s waterfront, with a focus on the Brooklyn Bridge Park area. We enjoyed the beauty these birds offered, all from the comfort of our own homes! Attendees were able to engage with Heather and BWRC moderators through a live Q & A session. 

Resources & Tips from speaker Heather Wolf

Below are Heather’s recommendations for tools and resources to get started with birding. Visit her blog brooklynbridgebirds.com to keep in touch.

Steps to Get Started
1. Get a field guide.
2. Get some bird-worthy binoculars.
3. Use eBird.org/explore to see what’s being spotted in your area.
4. To find birds in the field, listen and look for movement.
5. Observe a bird closely. Note its size & shape, behavior, habitat and color pattern.
6. Attempt to identify in field guide and/or with Merlin Bird ID app.
7. Optional: Enter an eBird.org checklist.
8. Celebrate!

Field Guides / Books
• National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America
• Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America (Roger Tory
Peterson)
• Birding at the Bridge: In Search of Every Bird on the Brooklyn Waterfront (me)

“Bird-worthy” Binoculars
Size: 8×42 (standard) 10×42 (more magnification, more subject to hand shake). Some Models in Different Price Ranges:
• Bushnell Falcon 7×35 ~$30 on Amazon!!
• Celestron Nature DX 8×42 ~$119
• Nikon Monarch 8×42 ~$230 – $350
• Zeiss Conquest HD ~$1000

Apps (free)
• Merlin Bird ID (by Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
• eBird (by Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

Sites
• eBird.org by Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• All About Birds by Cornell Lab of Ornithology (allaboutbirds.org)
• Families & shapes: allaboutbirds.org/guide/browse/shape

For more updates:

Happy birding

Heather Wolf is a Brooklyn-based birder and author of Birding at the Bridge: In Search of Every Bird on the Brooklyn Waterfront. She works for Cornell Lab of Ornithology as a web developer for sites including eBird and Birds of the World. Heather has taught birding classes at Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Brooklyn Brainery, given lectures for various organizations including Spotify, NYC Audubon and Brooklyn Public Library, and has led bird walks for Brooklyn Bridge Park, Washington Square Park Eco Projects and more. Learn more via her website: http://heatherwolf.com/ 

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