New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, February 19, 2010:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Feb 19, 2010
* NYNY1002.19

- Birds Mentioned:

MEW GULL+ (European subspecies "Common Gull")
WESTERN GREBE+
Yellow-headed Blackbird+ (not reported this week)
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

TUNDRA SWAN
EURASIAN WIGEON
KING EIDER
Harlequin Duck
Northern Gannet
American Bittern
Purple Sandpiper
Wilson's Snipe
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Black-legged Kittiwake
DOVEKIE
Razorbill
Red-headed Woodpecker
Saltmarsh Sparrow
Lapland Longspur

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, February 19th, at 7:00 pm. The highlights of today's tape are MEW GULL, WESTERN GREBE, DOVEKIE, BLACK-HEADED GULL, TUNDRA SWANS, EURASIAN WIGEON and KING EIDER.

The MEW GULL in Brooklyn was still present last Saturday along the promenade between the Belt Parkway and Gravesend Bay, this time being seen just north of the pedestrian bridge over the Belt Parkway, occurring first offshore and then along the rocks on the shoreline. It is likely that the gull continues in this vicinity. Parking is usually available around Bay 16th Street, providing a quick access to the pedestrian bridge.

Last Sunday morning a WESTERN GREBE was present for a short while off Riis Park, ultimately disappearing from sight under some difficult viewing conditions. The grebe was seen well off the fishermen's parking lot at the western end of Riis Park.

Two TUNDRA SWANS remain at Massapequa Preserve, staying on the pond east of the eastern end of Pittsburgh Avenue.

At Jones Beach West End, the number of LAPLAND LONGSPURS feeding on the lawn just east of the Coast Guard Station parking lot has increased to three by Thursday, these still there today.

The drake EURASIAN WIGEON on Santapogue Creek in Lindenhurst was still present Sunday, this time a little upstream from the mouth of the river, seen from local streets on the west side of the creek, north of Venetian Shores Park.

An ICELAND GULL was on Argyle Pond in Babylon on Sunday.

Farther east, five HARLEQUIN DUCKS remained along the jetties at Shinnecock Inlet at least to Monday, and an AMERICAN BITTERN was present in the marsh of the inlet on Monday, with a SALTMARSH SPARROW off Dune Road last Saturday.

Six TUNDRA SWANS were among the Mutes on Sag Pond in Bridgehampton Monday, and a WILSON'S SNIPE was on the Route 25A pond in Eastport Saturday.

A very interesting seabird flight took place off Amagansett last Saturday afternoon. An hour count produced a total of 700+ large alcids, those that could be identified to species all being RAZORBILLS, and one group of RAZORBILLS was accompanied by three DOVEKIES. Also noted there were 49 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES and 18 NORTHERN GANNETS. About 80 RAZORBILLS had been noted off Montauk Point earlier on Saturday.

Adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS continue in Fort Pond Bay in Montauk and at Lazy Point in Napeague.

On Sunday an adult BLACK-HEADED GULL was seen off the beach at Ditch Plains in Montauk, perhaps the same bird present up to the 7th around Shinnecock Inlet. Also at Ditch Plains Sunday were a female KING EIDER, 22 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES and some PURPLE SANDPIPERS. A small number of RAZORBILLS was also seen Sunday from Montauk Point to Amagansett.

An immature RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was still at Croton Point Park Monday, around the parking lot by the model airplane field.

There have, to our knowledge, been no recent sightings of the YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD in Chappaqua.

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 ~