New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, January 21, 2011:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Jan. 21, 2011
* NYNY1101.21

- Birds mentioned

BARNACLE GOOSE+
VARIED THRUSH+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
CACKLING GOOSE
Wood Duck
Redhead
King Eider
Harlequin Duck
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
Northern Bobwhite
American Bittern
Bald Eagle
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Northern Goshawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Clapper Rail
BLACK-HEADED GULL
ICELAND GULL
Lesser Black-backed Gull
GLAUCOUS GULL
Razorbill
Short-eared Owl
Red-headed Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
NORTHERN SHRIKE
Nelson's Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow
Lapland Longspur
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL
Common Redpoll

- 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 21st 2011 at 8pm. The highlights of today's tape are VARIED THRUSH, BARNACLE GOOSE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, CACKLING GOOSE, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, BLACK-HEADED GULL, GLAUCOUS GULL, ICELAND GULL, NORTHERN SHRIKE, WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL and more.

The fairly accommodating Central Park VARIED THRUSH continues around the Maintenance Field area where it is usually seen foraging on the upslope on the north side of the pedestrian path just east of the building called the Rambles Shed which contains restrooms. This site is just south of the 79th Street transverse through the park and can be reached by taking the path from 5th Avenue just south of the transverse, continue into the park and across the Central Park north roadway to the maintenance area just across the road. Also look for the immature RED-HEADED WOODPECKER in the trees on the south side of the Sheep Meadow where it is usually just north of the 66th Street transverse.

The BARNACLE GOOSE has recently been most reliably seen as it roosts overnight on Belmont Lake State Park accompanying many Canada as well as 4 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and 2 CACKLING GEESE. A substantial flight of geese onto the lake last Sunday evening at dusk and later did produce all the above the following morning. The morning departure of these geese from the lake seems to be variable but it is recommended to get there early. WOOD DUCK is among the other waterfowl there. If not on the lake try nearby St. Charles Cemetery for the BARNACLE GOOSE.

The immature BLACK-HEADED GULL was seen again Monday on Veteran's Memorial Pier in Bay Ridge Brooklyn and the adult presumably continues around Owl's Head Park. It appears at the end of Bay Ridge Avenue or 69th Street and Shore Road. A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was also seen on Gravesend Bay Monday and a LAPLAND LONGSPUR appeared on the Brooklyn Golf Driving Range off Flatbush Avenue.

At Point Lookout a BLACK-HEADED GULL was seen in the inlet last Saturday with an ICELAND GULL in the town park parking lot on Sunday. Up to 6 HARLEQUIN DUCKS continue along the inlet and ocean front jetties.

Across Jones and later Jones Beach West End a flock of up to 20 COMMON REDPOLLS has been present usually along the median where a WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL was also reported Monday. One or more LAPLAND LONGSPURS have also been traveling with the Horned Lark and Snow Bunting flocks. Joining the hunting COOPER'S HAWKS and SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS around the West End was a large, probably female, NORTHERN GOSHAWK last Sunday. The bird seen between the West End 2 and Nature Center parking lots before crossing over the median towards the police station. A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was reported from lot 2 Tuesday. Both light and dark phase ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS have been present recently along the eastern end of the Jones strip between Cedar Beach and Captree. A decent number of REDHEAD continue on Capri Pond off Route 27A a little west of the Robert Moses Causeway.

An EASTERN PHOEBE was spotted at the fish hatchery Saturday at Connetquot River State Park where some feeder visiting NORTHERN BOBWHITE continue. These apparently part of a reintroduction program.

Four COMMON REDPOLLS were are Bayard Cutting Arboretum Saturday.

Out at Montauk Point a few dozen RAZORBILLS continue as does a large congregation of sea ducks which included 5 KING EIDER last Sunday. Gulls in the area recently have included an ICELAND GULL at the restaurant Monday and another continuing west of the Montauk Harbor Inlet and a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL remaining along the shore of Fort Pond Bay. A few COMMON REDPOLL have been noted in that area and a WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL was found at the point Monday.

A NORTHERN SHRIKE last Saturday at Napeague was first seen at the end of Lazy Point Road and later along Napeague Meadow Road this apparently moving around quite a bit.

The drake BARROW'S GOLDENEYE continues just east of Noyak but can be hard to find. It has been seen on Noyak Bay recently from the western end of Long Beach Road (Route 60) and Noyak Road.

Six GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were still in East Hampton Saturday seen just north of Hook Pond. Dune Road, west of Shinnecock Inlet, has recently produced a couple of AMERICAN BITTERN and CLAPPER RAIL west of Tiana Beach, SHORT-EARED OWL just east of the Ponquogue Bridge and last Saturday single SEASIDE SPARROW and NELSON'S SPARROW along a tidal channel near Triton Lane. The immature GLAUCOUS GULL remains near the Orient Point Ferry terminal.

BALD EAGLES are in good numbers along the Hudson River now.

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