NYC Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending January 8, 2010:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Jan. 8, 2010
* NYNY1001.08

- Birds mentioned

MEW GULL+ (Eurasian subspecies "Common Gull")
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
Cackling Goose
Tundra Swan
Wood Duck
Eurasian Wigeon
Green-winged Teal (Eurasian subspecies "Common Teal")
Common Eider
Harlequin Duck
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
Red-necked Grebe
BROWN PELICAN
American Bittern
Tricolored Heron
Bald Eagle
Rough-legged Hawk
Virginia Rail
American Oystercatcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
Black-headed Gull
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Razorbill
BLACK GUILLEMOT
SNOWY OWL
Red-headed Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Tree Swallow
House Wren
American Pipit
Orange-crowned Warbler
Pine Warbler
Summer Tanager
Chipping Sparrow
Saltmarsh Sparrow
Lapland Longspur
Baltimore Oriole

- Transcript

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:
nysarc3 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

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

To report sightings call:
Tom Burke (212) 372-1483 (weekdays, during the day)
Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126 (Long Island)

Compiler: Tom Burke, Tony Lauro
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County

Transcriber: Ben Cacace

BEGIN TAPE

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, January 8th 2010 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are MEW GULL, BLACK GUILLEMOT, BROWN PELICAN, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, SNOWY OWL, a pelagic trip announcement and much more.

The adult European form of MEW GULL referred to as "Common Gull" has been seen in Brooklyn as recently as Wednesday and Thursday off the promenade along the Belt Parkway. Both days it appeared near or just southeast of the yellow pedestrian bridge over the Belt Parkway near Bay 16th Street. Times of sightings were around 9am Wednesday and after 10a Thursday with the bird also reported around noon each day. Its presence may be tidally related and it is thought to be best about 2 to 3 hours before high tide. This could be pinned down with a few additional sightings. So please keep noting the time and duration of appearances. Probably the best areas to park would be in a lot next to the Bensonhurst ball fields and Kohl's Shopping Center accessed from the eastbound Belt Parkway and requiring a walk west on the promenade to the footbridge or on local streets near the footbridge. High tide Saturday is around 2pm.

The Southampton BLACK GUILLEMOT was last seen last Friday before the area got totally iced in. A SNOWY OWL was seen so far last Friday only on the east side of Shinnecock Inlet visible at times from the west side of the inlet.

The Bayville drake BARROW'S GOLDENEYE was spotted with Common Goldeneye last Friday east of Bayville near the entrance to Centre Island it's favored location for the last couple of years.

Completing what was the worst trio of Christmas Count period weekends in a long time the Southern Nassau Count on Saturday managed 122 species highlights featuring CACKLING GOOSE, 3 TUNDRA SWANS 2 continuing at Massapequa Preserve on the Pittsburgh Avenue Pond, Eurasian GREEN-WINGED TEAL on Millburn Pond in Baldwin, 254 COMMON EIDER, 8 HARLEQUIN DUCKS 6 continuing at Point Lookout, RED-NECKED GREBE, TRICOLORED HERON and 2 AMERICAN BITTERNS, 17 AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, an adult ICELAND GULL at Jones Beach West End parking field 2, 2 RAZORBILLS, HOUSE WREN, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, PINE WARBLER, 4 SALTMARSH SPARROWS and BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

On the Orient Count on Saturday a drake BARROW'S GOLDENEYE and a HARLEQUIN DUCK were noted along the Route 25 causeway between East Marion and Orient.

The Captree Count on Sunday netted 110 species including 7 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and a CACKLING GOOSE on the pond at Belmont Lake State Park, a TUNDRA SWAN at Connequot River State Park, EURASIAN WIGEON in West Baldwin on the Center Pond Creek, 2 VIRGINIA RAILS, ICELAND GULL, 12 TREE SWALLOWS, 29 AMERICAN PIPITS, PINE WARBLER and 2 CHIPPING SPARROWS.

Birds at Clove Lakes Park on Staten Island on the 1st included 3 WOOD DUCKS and an immature RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, SUMMER TANAGER, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and PINE WARBLER but recent searches for the tanager have not been successful.

Other western Long Island sightings have featured an ICELAND GULL at the Fort Tilden fisherman's lot last Friday, a LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER and WILSON'S SNIPE at the Massapequa Preserve Pond on Sunday and a LAPLAND LONGSPUR at Jones Beach West End Monday.

A BLACK-HEADED GULL was seen again at the Owl's Head waste water treatment plant in Brooklyn last Sunday. An ICELAND GULL visiting Gravesend Bay in Brooklyn was seen to Tuesday and a LAPLAND LONGSPUR was on the Floyd Bennett cricket field Thursday.

And 2 surprises today, a PILEATED WOODPECKER in Manhattan around West 21st Street early this morning and a BROWN PELICAN flying east past the Marine Park Saltmarsh just after noontime.

Father east on the north fork an adult ICELAND GULL was in Southold on the 1st, an immature ICELAND GULL at Iron Pier in Northville Tuesday and a GLAUCOUS GULL at the end of Breakwater Road in Mattatuck on Wednesday.

Birds in Smith Point County Park in Shirley featured a dark ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK Wednesday and 7 RAZORBILLS Thursday.

On Tuesday 6 TUNDRA SWANS were in a field with many Canadas near the intersection of Daniel's Lane and Fairfield Pond Road in Sagaponack and 2 BALD EAGLES were at Georgica Pond Wednesday and 1 Thursday.

The See Life Paulagics pelagic trip scheduled for Sunday the 17th from Freeport aboard the Captain Lou VII needs more participants for it to go. If interested please call (215) 234-6805 as soon as possible as the cutoff is quickly approaching or check their website at http://www.paulagics.com/.

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.

- End transcript