All good things must come to end, and I have now officially moved out of the marvelous apartment on 28th Street in Astoria that served as my home since June 2022. Over the course the past 4 years, I have observed 150 different species of birds from the building’s rooftop deck. Saying goodbye to this beloved residence is certainly a bittersweet affair, especially considering that the chapter of my life spent at this address was perhaps the most memorable yet. As I prepared to finalize the farewell, I found myself reflecting on all of the wonderful experiences that took place during my tenure at this site. To that end, I have crafted this rooftop retrospective post to recount the most noteworthy highlights of my birding efforts here in Astoria.
Cumulative Effort
All told, I logged 556 hours and 4 minutes of total observation time over the course of 652 checklists, adding up to more than 23 entire days over the course of 4 years.
Milestone Birds
– Species #50: Bald Eagle on 9/16/22
– Species #100: Bay-breasted Warbler on 5/16/23,
– Species #150: Greater White-fronted Goose on 11/16/25
Longest Contiguous Checklist
My longest uninterrupted session of apartment birding clocked in at 9 hours and 32 minutes on 3/11/25. I essentially put in a complete work shift on a relatively quiet day in March simply because I had the time to do so, an effort that seems unthinkable now that I have become a father!
Most Diverse Checklist
The highest number of species I ever recorded in a single session was a mere 38 species on 5/17/26, highlighting that even the liveliest morning flights at this site seldom featured dramatic diversity.
Highest Individual Tallies
– 3,740 Brant on 5/20/25
– 1,580 American Robins on 11/14/25
– 975 Canada Geese on 11/16/25
– 925 Red-winged Blackbirds on 11/2/24
– 820 Double-crested Cormorants on 10/11/22
One-Off Oddities
– A migrant Brown Thrasher that perched up majestically on the roof across the street on 9/28/23 remains one of the stranger sightings I have documented at this site.
– During the passage of a major storm system on 7/31/25, I picked out a flock of 15 White-rumped Sandpipers moving between bands of heavy rain, an especially notable occurrence for both count and context.Â
– Around dawn on 10/11/24, a Brown Creeper fluttered up from the gardens and briefly clung to the wall a few feet from my face before continuing onwards in morning flight.
– My habit of checking the tiny sliver of open water visible from one corner of the roof finally paid off when I spied the local pair of Mute Swans paddling along the far shore of the East River on 10/26/25.
– A post-work vigil on 9/23/22 allowed me to document an impressive flight of Broad-winged Hawks, which usually bypass the coastal flyways during migration; I counted 458 individuals in just over an hour.
Surprising Repeat Customers
– My first Black Skimmer at this address was spotted from the comfort of my couch on 6/21/23, and I picked out another pair during an evening chill session with my friend Ryan on 6/5/25.Â
– Two different flocks of Glossy Ibis made appearances within a few days of each other on 5/6/23 and 5/9/23, a nice surprise considering how infrequent flyover migrants are in much of the City.
– I picked out the distinctive, buzzing flight calls of passing Dickcissels on 9/20/23 and 5/8/24, always a noteworthy addition to any NYC skywatch tally.
– Though increasing in our region, Lesser Black-backed Gulls are most commonly found along the immediate ocean coast. I was pleasantly surprised by flybys on two occasions: an adult on 8/6/25 and an immature bird on 5/13/26,
– The roof proved to be an especially productive vantage point for spotting Black Vultures. I logged sightings on 4/21/23, 3/7/24, 10/26/24, and 3/20/25, always involving multiple individuals.
Most Reliable Residents
– Unsurprisingly, the “European Trinity” of Rock Pigeon, European Starling, House Sparrow were the only species that I recorded every single week of the year.
– American Herring Gull and American Crow were the runners-up for consistency, with each only missing one week on the frequency bar charts.
– Mourning Dove and, impressively, American Kestrel only had two gap weeks on their bar charts. Both of these species reliably nested in the immediate vicinity of the roof, so I was able to regularly document courtship behavior and got to know many adorable fledglings over the years.
Favorite Neighbors
I have gotten particularly well-acquainted with the resident pair of Common Ravens during my time in Astoria, and their amusing antics never fail to bring a smile to my face. These birds have been my neighbors ever since I first moved to this corner of Queens at the end of 2019, and their territory also encompasses Randall’s Island, my beloved patch. Their nest site on the smokestacks of the Astoria Generating Station was consistently visible from the apartment every spring, allowing me to monitor the family’s seasonal progress from afar. The ravens were even known to join me on the roof itself from time to time, and I observed a wide range of fascinating behaviors over the course of my tenure at this address.
Number 1 Nemesis
It is genuinely surprising to me that I somehow never picked up a Killdeer for the yard list. This is a species that breeds within sight of the rooftop over on Randall’s Island, and local starlings and mockingbirds are quite accomplished at mimicking their distinctive vocalizations. Even my efforts at my old Astoria apartment just a few blocks to the north produced a calling nocturnal flyover back in 2020. Considering how many unusual and unexpected species I did manage to observe at this apartment, the conspicuous absence of this hard-to-miss species is an amusing blind spot on my prized yard list.
Top 5 Rooftop Rarities
– A chance sighting of a passing Blue Grosbeak in morning flight on 9/1/22, was the first locally scarce species that I documented at this vantage point. This early success underscored the possibilities that were in play if I put in substantial effort under the right conditions.
– The sight of an American Golden-Plover winging its way down the East River on 9/21/22 was surprising enough to begin with. When it briefly paused to circle the area with a small flock of pigeons, it officially secured its spot as one of my most bizarre birding experiences to date.
– The final new addition to my roof list was a Greater White-fronted Goose migrating alongside with a skein of Canada Geese on 11/16/25, which was independently spotted by my buddy Adam in Manhattan. This species is always a noteworthy sighting in our area, even more so in a vismig context.
– Continental weather patterns were primed for a Cave Swallow incursion in late 2025, and I managed to spot coastal New York’s first record of the season on 11/5/25. Despite the relative predictability of this regional rarity, I was still absolutely delighted to pick one out from home during my limited pre-work watch window.
– Of course, the indisputable crowning achievement of my time here in Astoria was my fateful observation of New York state’s first-ever record of Red-footed Booby on 8/22/24. I still cannot quite believe that this remarkable tropical seabird actually crossed the airspace over my own humble abode! More than any other wildlife encounter over the course of my lifetime, this sighting stands out above all the rest as the purest distillation of the wondrous serendipity inherent in birding. Almost any species can show up almost anywhere in the world at almost any time! This simple truth is the reason we bird. I will never forget the shock and awe that accompanied that mind-blowing moment on the rooftop for all the rest of my days.
Data Tables
My full species list can be found at this spreadsheet, which includes the dates of initial occurrence as well as notes on context. The complete eBird frequency bar charts for the site are also included below.
Bar Charts
Parting Words
All told, my time on 28th Street was one of my favorite eras of my life to date. This was the first apartment that Jacqi and I picked out together, our first truly shared home. This is the address where we lived during our engagement and as newlyweds, and it is where we began our journey as parents after the birth of our son, Brennan. We forged countless unforgettable memories here as a couple, not to mention those shared with the friends and family who we hosted over the years. My birding experiences on the rooftop have been truly eye-opening, reinforcing my long held belief that wherever in the world you may be, there are always natural wonders waiting to be discovered. Sometimes it really is as easy as simply looking up. In truth, there was nothing inherently all that special about this location, but it was my own dedicated survey efforts that made it special. My observations put this unassuming site on the map for the ornithological world, and this lovely little apartment undoubtedly left an enduring mark on me as well. And now my watch has ended.
