Weekly Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week of December 18, 2009:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Dec 18, 2009
* NYNY0912.18

- Birds Mentioned:

PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+
RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD+
ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
Cackling Goose
TUNDRA SWAN
Great Egret
American Oystercatcher
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Glaucous Gull
Red-headed Woodpecker
American Pipit
Orange-crowned Warbler
Pine Warbler
Ovenbird
SUMMER TANAGER
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 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 (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 18th, at 1:00 pm. The highlights of today's tape are PINK-FOOTED GOOSE, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, BLACK-HEADED GULL, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, TUNDRA SWANS, and SUMMER TANAGER.

The PINK-FOOTED GOOSE continues its elusive stay in the area around Sunken Meadow State Park north of Smithtown, appearing again last Friday on the ball fields at Kings Park High School. This school is
1.5 miles east of Sunken Meadow Parkway, on the south side of Route 25A, though last Friday the flock of Canadas was not visible from 25A. The Pink-footed was visible from the back side of the school.

The Pink-footed probably won't be as imperiled by the weather as two other true rarities still present locally. The ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER amazingly remains through today near the intersection of North Conduit Avenue and Cohancy Street in Queens. Look for the flycatcher in the lot at the above intersection, behind the brick building and adjacent to the raised train tracks, or in other lots along Cohancy or just west of there across 99th Place. This site is easily reached just off exit 17N on the westbound Belt Parkway. Today the flycatcher was located farther up Cohancy Street near the 99th Place intersection.

The immature male RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD was, at least to Monday, still coming to feeders at 122 Hillside Avenue in the Grymes Hill section of northeastern Staten Island. At nearby Clove Lakes Park, birds continuing there Monday featured a SUMMER TANAGER below the Martling Avenue waterfall, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, PINE WARBLER, and three BALTIMORE ORIOLES, with the immature RED-HEADED WOODPECKER present at least to last Saturday.

The immature BLACK-HEADED GULL was spotted again Tuesday at the Owl's Head Wastewater Treatment Plant in Brooklyn. Patience and perseverance do pay off for this bird.

On Monday at Jones Beach West End, four TUNDRA SWANS were spotted flying by to the west. Other birds noted there Monday were seven AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS on the Coast Guard bar, GREAT EGRET, and AMERICAN PIPIT, and an adult GLAUCOUS GULL was reported from the Point Lookout bar last Saturday.

Late OVENBIRDS continued recently in Central Park and Bryant Park in Manhattan.

Moving east on Long Island, a CACKLING GOOSE was found at Belmont Lake State Park last Sunday.

Four TUNDRA SWANS were present Wednesday and Thursday on a farm field on the east side of Wading River Road, 1/4 mile south of the Long Island Expressway exit 69. [Transcriber's late update: The swans were also present there this afternoon (Friday).]

A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was found in a Canada flock along Wainscot Hollow Road in Sagaponack last Saturday.

A very pale and interesting falcon caused some excitement last Sunday along Hulse Landing Road in Calverton, but on close scrutiny seemed to be sporting some falconers equipment. Another escaped bird whose exact lineage will probably remain unknown.

We will be happy to announce the highlights of all regional Christmas counts, so please call them in.

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, and Happy Thanksgiving.