A list of 284 species was compiled in the mid-1990s by Robert Winkler, with contributions from Richard Soffer, Frank Mantlik and Charles Barnard Jr. The list published in 1996 is available here.

Additions since 1996 (shown in red): Ross’s Goose, Yellow Rail, Marbled Godwit, Black Skimmer, Cave Swallow, Dicksissel, Clay-colored Sparrow, Smith’s Longspur, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Boat-tailed Grackle, Western Meadowlark and Yellow-throated Warbler – all Very Rare. And also: Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow, common in Fall.

Note: Robert Winkler’s birding experiences at Sherwood Island are recorded in his book Going Wild and in essays.

Family Species N Spring Summer Fall Winter
Loons Red-throated Loon FC FC UC
Common Loon FC R FC UC
Grebes Pied-billed Grebe R R R
Horned Grebe C C FC
Red-necked Grebe R R
Eared Grebe VR
Gannets Northern Gannet R R
Pelicans American White Pelican VR
Cormorants & Darters Great Cormorant FC FC FC
Double-crested Cormorant C C C R
Bitterns & Herons American Bittern R R R
Least Bittern VR VR
Great Blue Heron UC FC FC FC
Great Egret FC FC C VR
Snowy Egret C FC C
Little Blue Heron UC UC UC
Tricolored Heron R R R
Cattle Egret UC R R
Green Heron UC FC FC
Black-crowned Night-Heron FC FC FC R
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron VR VR
Ibis Glossy Ibis UC UC R
Swans, Geese, Ducks Tundra Swan VR
Mute Swan N FC FC FC FC
Greater White-fronted Goose VR
Snow Goose UC UC R
Ross’s Goose VR
Brant UC UC R
Canada Goose N C C C C
Wood Duck R R
Green-winged Teal FC FC R
American Black Duck N C FC C C
Mallard N C FC C C
Northern Pintail R R R
Blue-winged Teal UC UC
Northern Shoveler R R
Gadwall UC UC R
Eurasian Wigeon R R R
American Wigeon FC C FC
Canvasback FC FC UC
Redhead VR
Ring-necked Duck R R
Greater Scaup UC UC UC
Lesser Scaup R R R
King Eider VR VR
Long-tailed Duck C C C
Black Scoter VR VR VR
Surf Scoter UC UC UC
White-winged Scoter FC FC FC
Common Goldeneye C C C
Barrow’s Goldeneye R R R
Bufflehead C C FC
Hooded Merganser FC R FC UC
Common Merganser R R
Red-breasted Merganser C C C
Ruddy Duck VR VR VR
Kites, Eagles, Hawks Black Vulture VR
Turkey Vulture UC UC
Osprey N UC R C
Bald Eagle R R R
Northern Harrier UC FC R
Sharp-shinned Hawk UC FC R
Cooper’s Hawk R UC
Northern Goshawk R R
Red-shouldered Hawk R UC R
Broad-winged Hawk UC UC
Red-tailed Hawk FC FC FC
Rough-legged Hawk R R
Golden Eagle VR
Falcons American Kestrel UC FC R
Merlin R UC R
Peregrine Falcon R R
Grouse, Turkeys, Quail Ring-necked Pheasant N FC FC FC FC
Wild Turkey VR
Rails, Gallinules, Coots Clapper Rail N UC R UC R
Yellow Rail  VR
King Rail VR
Virginia Rail R R R
Sora VR VR
Common Moorhen VR
American Coot R R
Cranes Sandhill Crane VR
Plovers Black-bellied Plover FC C UC
American Golden-Plover R R
Semipalmated Plover FC C
Piping Plover VR VR
Killdeer N FC FC C UC
Oystercatchers American Oystercatcher R R R
Stilts & Avocets American Avocet VR
Sandpipers & Phalaropes Greater Yellowlegs C C R
Lesser Yellowlegs UC FC
Solitary Sandpiper UC UC
Willet R UC
Spotted Sandpiper FC FC
Upland Sandpiper R R
Whimbrel R
Hudsonian Godwit VR
Marbled Godwit  VR
Ruddy Turnstone UC FC R
Red Knot VR
Sanderling R UC R
Semipalmated Sandpiper FC C
Western Sandpiper R
Least Sandpiper FC C
White-rumped Sandpiper R
Baird’s Sandpiper VR
Pectoral Sandpiper R FC
Purple Sandpiper VR
Dunlin FC C FC
Stilt Sandpiper R
Buff-breasted Sandpiper VR
Ruff VR
Short-billed Dowitcher UC FC
Common Snipe FC UC R
American Woodcock N UC R UC R
Wilson’s Phalarope VR VR
Skuas, Gulls, Terns, Skimmers Laughing Gull UC FC C
Bonaparte’s Gull UC UC UC
Ring-billed Gull C FC C C
Herring Gull C C C C
Iceland Gull VR VR
Lesser Black-backed Gull R R R
Glaucous Gull VR VR
Great Black-backed Gull FC FC FC FC
Caspian Tern VR VR
Common Tern FC FC FC
Forster’s Tern UC
Least Tern FC FC UC
Black Tern VR VR
Black Skimmer  VR
Pigeons & Doves Rock Dove N UC FC UC UC
Mourning Dove N C C FC FC
Parrots Monk Parakeet FC FC FC UC
Cuckoo Black-billed Cuckoo R R
Yellow-billed Cuckoo R R
Barn Owl Barn Owl VR
Typical Owls Eastern Screech-Owl R R R R
Great Horned Owl N R R R R
Snowy Owl VR
Barred Owl VR
Long-eared Owl VR
Short-eared Owl R R R
Northern Saw-whet Owl VR
Goatsuckers Common Nighthawk R C
Whip-poor-will VR
Swifts Chimney Swift FC FC
Hummingbirds Ruby-throated Hummingbird UC FC
Kingfishers Belted Kingfisher N UC UC FC UC
Woodpeckers Red-headed Woodpecker VR VR VR
Red-bellied Woodpecker UC R FC UC
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker UC UC R
Downy Woodpecker N FC FC FC FC
Hairy Woodpecker UC R UC UC
Northern Flicker N C FC C UC
Pileated Woodpecker VR VR
Tyrant Flycatchers Olive-sided Flycatcher VR
Eastern Wood-Pewee FC FC
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher VR VR
Acadian Flycatcher R R
Alder Flycatcher R R
Willow Flycatcher N FC FC UC
Least Flycatcher UC UC
Eastern Phoebe FC FC
Great Crested Flycatcher UC R UC
Western Kingbird VR
Eastern Kingbird N FC UC UC
Larks Horned Lark UC FC UC
Swallows Purple Martin UC R R
Tree Swallow N C UC C
Northern Rough-winged Swallow N FC UC FC
Bank Swallow UC FC
Cliff Swallow R R
Cave Swallow VR
Barn Swallow N C C C
Jays & Crows Blue Jay N C FC C FC
American Crow N C C C C
Fish Crow N FC FC FC UC
Chickadees & Titmice Black-capped Chickadee N C FC C FC
Tufted Titmouse N C FC FC UC
Nuthatches Red-breasted Nuthatch UC FC UC
White-breasted Nuthatch N FC UC FC UC
Creepers Brown Creeper UC UC UC
Wrens Carolina Wren N FC FC FC UC
House Wren N FC FC FC
Winter Wren UC UC
Marsh Wren N UC R UC R
Kinglets & Thrushes Golden-crowned Kinglet FC C FC
Ruby-crowned Kinglet FC C R
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher UC UC
Northern Wheatear VR
Eastern Bluebird N UC UC UC
Veery UC UC
Gray-cheeked Thrush R R
Swainson’s Thrush UC UC
Hermit Thrush FC FC R
Wood Thrush UC UC
American Robin N C C FC R
Thrashers Gray Catbird N C C C R
Northern Mockingbird N FC FC C FC
Brown Thrasher N UC UC UC R
Pipits American Pipit UC FC R
Waxwings Cedar Waxwing N C UC FC UC
Shrikes Northern Shrike VR
Starlings European Starling N C C C C
Vireos White-eyed Vireo UC UC
Blue-headed Vireo UC UC
Yellow-throated Vireo UC UC
Warbling Vireo N C FC UC
Philadelphia Vireo R
Red-eyed Vireo FC FC
Wood-warblers Blue-winged Warbler UC UC
Golden-winged Warbler VR VR
Tennessee Warbler UC UC
Orange-crowned Warbler VR
Nashville Warbler FC UC
Northern Parula C FC
Yellow Warbler N C C FC
Chestnut-sided Warbler FC FC
Magnolia Warbler C FC
Cape May Warbler UC UC
Black-throated Blue Warbler FC FC
Yellow-rumped Warbler C C R
Black-throated Green Warbler FC FC
Blackburnian Warbler UC UC
Yellow-throated Warbler VR
Pine Warbler UC UC
Prairie Warbler UC UC
Palm Warbler FC FC R
Bay-breasted Warbler UC UC
Blackpoll Warbler FC UC
Black-and-white Warbler C FC
American Redstart C C
Worm-eating Warbler VR
Ovenbird FC FC
Northern Waterthrush UC UC
Connecticut Warbler VR
Mourning Warbler R R
Common Yellowthroat N C C C R
Hooded Warbler R R
Wilson’s Warbler FC UC
Canada Warbler FC FC
Yellow-breasted Chat R R VR
Tanagers Scarlet Tanager UC UC
Cardinals, Grosbeaks, Buntings Northern Cardinal N FC FC FC FC
Rose-breasted Grosbeak UC UC
Blue Grosbeak VR
Indigo Bunting UC UC
Dickcissel VR
Towhees, Sparrows, Longspurs Eastern Towhee FC R FC R
American Tree Sparrow UC FC FC
Chipping Sparrow N C FC UC
Clay-colored Sparrow VR
Field Sparrow UC UC R
Vesper Sparrow R UC
Lark Sparrow VR
Savannah Sparrow C R C UC
Le Conte’s Sparrow VR
Saltmarsh Sparrow N FC UC FC
Nelson’s Sparrow C
Seaside Sparrow R R R
Fox Sparrow UC UC R
Song Sparrow N C C C FC
Lincoln’s Sparrow UC UC
Swamp Sparrow UC C R
White-throated Sparrow C C FC
White-crowned Sparrow UC FC
Dark-eyed Junco FC C FC
Lapland Longspur R R
Smith’s Longspur VR
Snow Bunting FC FC
Blackbirds & Orioles Bobolink UC FC
Red-winged Blackbird N C C FC R
Eastern Meadowlark UC R FC R
Western Meadowlark
VR
Yellow-headed Blackbird  VR
Rusty Blackbird VR VR
Common Grackle N C C UC R
Boat-tailed Grackle VR
Brown-headed Cowbird N C FC UC R
Orchard Oriole N FC FC R
Baltimore Oriole N C C UC
Finches Purple Finch UC UC R
House Finch N C C C FC
Red Crossbill VR
White-winged Crossbill VR
Common Redpoll VR
Pine Siskin UC R
American Goldfinch N FC FC C UC
Evening Grosbeak VR
Old World Sparrows House Sparrow N C C C UC
Code key:  Top of page
C: Common, nearly always seen
FC: Fairly common, usually seen
UC: Uncommon, sometimes seen
R: Rare, infrequently seen,
but expected in proper season
VR: Very rare, very infrequently seen; some years
absent; includes accidentals.  N: Nesting.
Data from “Checklist:
Birds of Sherwood Island State Park” (c) 1996
by Robert Winkler