It was a cool and dry morning. At 7:30 AM the parking lot at Rodman's Neck was already beginning to fill. Just as Patty, Peter and I were about to leave I spotted David Burg. David had just finished birding a part of the park known as "The Meadows." That's the area south and west of the CI Bridge. I know David from the Bronx Christmas Bird Count. David is extremely knowledgeable about both the flora and fauna of Pelham Bay Park, particularly the south end. We decided it would be fun to bird together and headed off with him to the south end.
It was typical July birding, a bit slow. There were lot's of Catbirds, a Great Blue Heron, an American Kestrel, various Sparrows and a variety of butterflies. We did learn a great deal about the vegetation of the area. David identified many plants for us. We were surprised to find many interesting and fairly rare species growing there. There are also terrible invasive species destroying native plants. We saw a huge White Oak probably 300-400 years old and an interesting rock outcropping in the middle of the woods.
