Birding from my Aparment Window

New York City's nature diversity now appears to be common knowledge for many people.  Between beaches, grasslands, forests, meadows, salt marshes, and glacial ponds, we have it all!

What I'm amazed by is the amount of bird life I've seen and heard just from my apartment window.

Let me set the scene: I'm in Forest Hills, Queens, on a rather loud street -- one-way traffic, but with several apartment buildings, houses, a couple schools, and also a main route for the local firehouse.  I look out on the edge of Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the distance -- lovely, but with all the housing, I wouldn't really call it bucolic.

I've always noticed my bird neighbors (of course!) but it wasn't until last night when I discovered we have chimney swifts, that I got thinking about the diversity outside my window (not to mention some butterflies, bees, dragonflies and even a few sightings of bats).  So here's my list of seen and heard on 112th Street from the 6th Floor:

• American Robin

• Blue Jay

• Canada Goose

• Chimney Swift

• Common Yellowthroat

• Double-crested Cormorant

• European Starling

• Gray Catbird

• Great Egret

• House Finch

• House Sparrow

• Mitred Parakeet

• Mourning Dove

• Northern Cardinal

• Northern Mockingbird

• Red-tailed Hawk

• Rock Pigeon

• White-throated Sparrow

• Various Gulls

Not too bad considering that I'm not even concentrating on this!  I will keep you posted as I start to really focus more on what's right outside the window.