New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, December 10, 2010:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* December 10, 2010
* NYNY1012.10

- Birds Mentioned:

COMMON GROUND-DOVE+ [no recent reports]
LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE+
VARIED THRUSH+
HERMIT WARBLER+
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD+ [unconfirmed]
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Cackling Goose
Common Eider
Harlequin Duck
Black Vulture
Rough-legged Hawk
Razorbill
BLACK GUILLEMOT
Yellow-breasted Chat
Lapland Longspur

** EXTRALIMITAL - Stamford, CT
FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER [not seen since 4-Dec]


If followed by (+) please submit documentation of your report electronically and use the NYSARC online submission form found at http://www.nybirds.org/NYSARC/goodreport.htm

You can also send reports and digital image files via email to nysarc1 [AT] nybirds.org .

If electronic submission is not possible, hardcopy reports and photos or sketches are welcome. Hardcopy documentation should be mailed to:

Jeanne Skelly - Secretary
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
420 Chili-Scottsville Rd.
Churchville, NY  14428

~ Transcript ~

Hotline: New York City Area Rare Bird Alert
Weekly Recording: (212) 979-3070

To report sightings call:
Tom Burke (212) 372-1483
Tony Lauro (631) 734-4126

Compilers: Tom Burke, Tony Lauro
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
Transcriber: Karen Fung

[~BEGIN RBA TAPE~]

Greetings.  This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, December 10th, at 8:00pm.  The highlights of today's tape are HERMIT WARBLER, VARIED THRUSH, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, BLACK GUILLEMOT, and more.

New York's first HERMIT WARBLER, pending acceptance by NYSARC, was found last Saturday at Sunken Meadow State Park and entertained many birders as it fed primarily on the ground within a fairly limited area through Wednesday.  Presumably a first fall female, the bird remained along a fence row just west of the traffic circle and flag pole at the end of the entrance road off Sunken Meadow Parkway.  The area chosen by the warbler was sheltered from the persistent strong northwest winds, but perhaps due to a change in the winds yesterday and today, the warbler could not be relocated in that same area.  It may still persist, but the colder temperatures would make subsistence more problematic.  Please let us know if the warbler is relocated.

The female-type VARIED THRUSH, in Central Park since November 28th, was still present around the  maintenance area today.  This site, on the south side of the 79th Street Transverse across the park, can readily be reached from Fifth Avenue.  From 5th Avenue take the path into the park on the south side of the 79th Street Transverse, and continue up the hill and across the East Drive.  Across the road, walk down to the maintenance buildings, including the Ramble shed, and look for the thrush along the upslope on the north side of the path, or along the perimeter of the small field on the south side of the path. The thrush does disappear at times, and patience may be required.

A YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was also in Central Park last weekend, near the Boathouse.

The FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER in Stamford, CT was last seen on Saturday the 4th, and there have been no recent reports of the COMMON GROUND-DOVE at Captree State Park.

The LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE was still recently at the Roosevelt Nature Center at Jones Beach West End.  Look for the shrike especially in the dunes surrounding the boardwalk, and sometimes even using the boardwalk as a perch, but it can disappear for a while.

Up to three HARLEQUIN DUCKS have been frequenting the Jones Beach West End Boat Basin east of the Coast Guard Station and if not there, may be around the Point Lookout jetties.  Also at West End, keep an eye out for a possible YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD reported there last Sunday. Please let us know if this is confirmed.

A CACKLING GOOSE was with Canadas on Belmont Lake State Park Wednesday, and two LAPLAND LONGSPURS were with Horned Larks at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn today.

Among the large concentration of ducks off Montauk Point last weekend were over 3,000 COMMON EIDER alone and many more scoters estimated there.  Alcids spotted Saturday included 150 or more RAZORBILLS and a single BLACK GUILLEMOT seen only briefly.

A BLACK VULTURE was seen around the Deep Hollow Ranch and the Roosevelt Third House County Park in Montauk on Sunday.

Also out East, two Greater White-fronted Geese were in the flock of Canadas feeding along Further Lane in East Hampton on Saturday and if not seen there, check nearby Hook Pond.

A dark ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was spotted over East Hampton Wednesday, and a light morph was at Smith Point County Park in Shirley today.

In Yaphank two adult Trumpeter Swans have returned to Upper Lake, north of Mill Road at its intersection with Main Street.  NYSARC continues to monitor the New York sightings and breeding success of this species, which has not yet been added to the state list, given that the source of presumably all New York trumpeters is from reintroduction programs in surrounding states and provinces, as well as privately released birds within the state.  Guidelines adopted by NYSARC regarding the accceptance of such species to the state list provide the basis for their ongoing evaluation.

An interesting hybrid duck was seen in Mamaroneck, Westchester County, on Tuesday and Wednesday, but freezing conditions have kept it moving. Traveling with a group of Hooded Mergansers, the bird appears to be a Hooded Merganser x Goldeneye hybrid, possibly Barrow's Goldeneye.

To phone in reports on Long Island, call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126, or weekdays call Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483.  This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society.  Thank you for calling.

[~END TAPE~]

~ End Transcript ~