NYC Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending December 25, 2009:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Dec 25, 2009
* NYNY0912.25

- Birds Mentioned:

BARNACLE GOOSE+ (Rockland County)
RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Wood Duck
EURASIAN WIGEON
KING EIDER
Common Eider
American Bittern
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Merlin
Virginia Rail
Wilson's Snipe
American Woodcock
Laughing Gull
Black-headed Gull
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE
Jaeger sp.
RAZORBILL
BLACK GUILLEMOT
Barred Owl
Long-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Common Raven
Orange-crowned Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Ovenbird
Wilson's Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
SUMMER TANAGER
Saltmarsh Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Rusty Blackbird
Baltimore Oriole

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@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 (weekdays)
Tony Lauro (631) 734-4126 (Long Island)

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 25th, at 11:00 pm. The highlights of today's tape are BLACK GUILLEMOT, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, BARNACLE GOOSE, KING EIDER, EURASIAN WIGEON, BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, RAZORBILL, and SUMMER TANAGER.

With last weekend's weather and substantial snowfall playing havoc with the opening weekend of the Christmas Count period, causing many counts to be shortened or postponed, the Brooklyn Count, held on Saturday, fared better than other counts and was able to report a decent 123 species. The highlights included COMMON EIDER, AMERICAN BITTERN, a BLACK-HEADED GULL lingering at Owl's Head Wastewater Treatment Plant, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, LAUGHING GULL; BLACK-HEADED KITTIWAKE at Breezy Point; RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, LONG-EARED OWL, SHORT-EARED OWL, NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL; an interesting collection of warblers including ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, a BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER at Spring Creek, OVENBIRD, and WILSON'S WARBLER; SALTMARSH SPARROW, and RUSTY BLACKBIRD.

We do not have the full results of the Quogue-Watermill Count held Saturday, but the count did produce a very interesting bird: a BLACK GUILLEMOT that, by its pale white plumage and small bill, would appear to be a subspecies from the Eastern Canadian Arctic. The bird has been staying in or near a narrow channel connecting Bullhead Bay with Peconic Bay on the north side of Southampton. From Route 27 in Southampton, take Tuckahoe Road north, and pick up Sebonac Inlet Road. Take this road to its end at the inlet, and look for the guillemot around the inlet where it is often in the company of some Long-tailed Ducks and Bufflehead. [Transcriber's Update: The most recent report of the guillemot was this afternoon, 12/25, at 1pm.]

The Montauk Count, normally one of the state's leaders, on Saturday recorded only 109 species, featuring a male KING EIDER off Montauk Point, MERLIN, two VIRGINIA RAILS, two WILSON'S SNIPE and two AMERICAN WOODCOCK, a JAEGER off Accabonac, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL on Fort Pond Bay, 27 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES, seven RAZORBILLS, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, CHIPPING SPARROW, and BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

A BARNACLE GOOSE was reported with Canadas Sunday from Piermont Pier as part of the Rockland County Count, but we have no other details on the goose, or the count.

A movement of birds headed south last Sunday as a result of the storm was noted at Riverside Park, adding 15 TURKEY VULTURES and a BALD EAGLE to the Lower Hudson Christmas Count.

The Greenwich-Stamford Count on Sunday, which includes areas in Westchester County, netted 115 species, with highlights featuring 35 WOOD DUCKS, EURASIAN WIGEON, OSPREY, BALD EAGLE, three species of falcons, ICELAND GULL, BARRED OWL, LONG-EARED OWL, COMMON RAVEN, CHIPPING SPARROW, and BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

Reports from Staten Island included the immature male RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD still visiting feeders Saturday at 122 Hillside Avenue in the Grymes Hill section of northeastern Staten Island, and a SUMMER TANAGER continuing to Sunday at Clove Lakes Park.

Two EURASIAN WIGEON were spotted recently in Scott's Cove in Setauket Harbor as viewed from Shore Road.

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 Transcript ~