New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, February 11, 2011:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Feb. 11, 2011
* NYNY1102.11

- Birds mentioned

VARIED THRUSH+
WESTERN TANAGER+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
CACKLING GOOSE
Ring-necked Duck
KING EIDER
Pied-billed Grebe
Wilson's Snipe
ICELAND GULL
GLAUCOUS GULL
Razorbill
Short-eared Owl
Common Raven
Orange-crowned Warbler
Saltmarsh Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow

Not reported this week:
- Snowy Owl
- Northern Shrike

- 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@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, February 11th 2011 at 8pm. The highlights of today's tape are WESTERN TANAGER, VARIED THRUSH, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, CACKLING GOOSE, KING EIDER, GLAUCOUS GULL and ICELAND GULL.

Out east the male WESTERN TANAGER continues to visit feeders at a private residence near Big Reed Pond. It's important that birders looking for the tanager do not trespass onto private property but remain on the roadways. To reach this site from Montauk Highway Route 27 east of the town of Montauk take Eastlake Drive north to Big Reed Path, a dead end road before the entrance to Big Reed Pond. Take Big Reed Path to its end at a "T" intersection with a very short road called Deer Way. Park on the roadway so as not to block traffic but especially at the feeders on the back side of the house on the right side of the "T" intersection. This requires looking over a shrubby area along the roadside and a telescope is helpful. Also look in the brushy area along Deer Way bordering the house with the feeders, a favored roosting area of the tanager.

At Montauk Point Sunday only a handful of RAZORBILLS could be found among the hordes of scoters and Common Eider present. But from the Camp Hero Overlook 6 KING EIDERS were spotted, 2 immature males and 4 females. At the Montauk Harbor Inlet 1 or 2 ICELAND GULLS were still present Sunday along the beach west of the inlet usually near a rocky point jutting out from the beach.

At East Hampton Sunday a CACKLING GOOSE was with Canadas along Further Lane and an immature GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was spotted on Maidstone Golf Course adjacent to Hook Pond. Also on Sunday a GLAUCOUS GULL was on a tower along Route 27 in Southampton and 2 SHORT-EARED OWLS were along Dune Road west of Shinnecock Inlet where 1 SALTMARSH SPARROW and 3 SEASIDE SPARROWS were seen Saturday at high tide. There were no reports of the Napeague SNOWY OWL or NORTHERN SHRIKE. Other GLAUCOUS GULLS included the immature still around the ferry terminals at Orient Point on Saturday and 1 at West Meadow Beach in Stonybrook on Sunday.

In Central Park the VARIED THRUSH was seen as recently as Wednesday. The thrush is generally on the slope on the east side of a building called the Rambles Shed which contains restrooms and is part of the maintenance area just south of the 79th Street park transverse. The closest park entrance is at 5th Avenue and 79th Street.

A COMMON RAVEN was seen over Forest Park in Queens on Monday. At Alley Pond Park, at the restoration area that is east of Cross Island Parkway and south of the Long Island Expressway, on Sunday there were 6 WILSON'S SNIPE as well as PIED-BILLED GREBE and RING-NECKED DUCK.

Out at Jones Beach West End an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was spotted Monday along the boardwalk at the Roosevelt Nature Center.

Another COMMON RAVEN was over Rocky Point Preserve today.

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