Ornithology Field Trip to Brinton Brook Sanctuary

I’m trying to catch up blogging about some of my most recent school programs. On June 1st I did the final ornithology field trip for Pierre Van Cortlandt Middle School 5th Graders. Two classes participated in the field trips, Mrs. Ernau’s class in the morning and Mrs. Herbert’s class in the afternoon. Here are our findings.


Mrs. Ernau’s class

We started at about 9:30 AM. The weather was good with high altitude haze, a slight breeze from the southwest and temperature in the low 70’s. The nineteen species identified were:

Red-tailed Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Wood Thrush
Gray Catbird
Black-and-White Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Purple Finch
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole

Mrs. Herbert’s class

Our exploration started at about 12:15 PM. The weather had become partly sunny and remained breezy with temperatures still in the low 70’s. At one point there was a strong rain shower that lasted about 5 or 10 minutes. We waited out the rain underneath a tree at the edge of the pond. The eighteen species identified were:

Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Wood Thrush
Cedar Waxwing
Gray Catbird
Black-and-White Warbler
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole

In addition to these birds that were identified while the two classes were with me I was able to identify the following birds either before or after students were in the Sanctuary.

Turkey Vulture
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Red-eyed Vireo
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
American Robin
Yellow Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Gold Finch

A total of 35 species were identified during the day including birds seen by the two classes and what were observed when I was by myself. A very good day indeed.