New York City Rare Bird Alert

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

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Mar. 11, 2011
* NYNY1103.11

- Birds mentioned

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

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
Snow Goose
ROSS'S GOOSE
CACKLING GOOSE
Tundra Swan
Wood Duck
Green-winged Teal (Eurasian form)
King Eider
Harlequin Duck
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
Red-necked Grebe
Northern Goshawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
American Oystercatcher
American Woodcock
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Razorbill
Red-headed Woodpecker
NORTHERN SHRIKE
Tree Swallow
Saltmarsh Sparrow
Rusty Blackbird
Common Redpoll

Extralimital: Bergen County, NEW JERSEY
PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+

- 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, March 11th 2011 at 8pm. The highlights of today's tape are VARIED THRUSH, ROSS'S GOOSE, BARNACLE GOOSE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, CACKLING GOOSE, BLACK-HEADED GULL, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, NORTHERN SHRIKE and extralimital PINK-FOOTED GOOSE and more.

With Spring transitioning in, one winter rarity that continues locally is the VARIED THRUSH in Central Park. This still occasionally appearing around the maintenance area south of the 79th Street transverse. It's also moving north of this transverse and feeding nearer the Metropolitan Museum while today it was spotted at Cedar Hill. The RED-HEADED WOODPECKER also remains just south of the Sheep Meadow.

However lately the regional emphasis has been on migrating waterfowl. The Black Dirt region of Orange County, around the town of Pine Island, has for the past week or more has been attracting thousands of Canada and Snow Geese and with them have been 9 or more ROSS'S GEESE including a spectacular blue form seen last Saturday and Sunday as well as a BARNACLE GOOSE last Friday and Saturday, up to 12 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, some CACKLING GEESE and up to 10 TUNDRA SWANS. Large numbers of ducks also continue in that area and a PINK-FOOTED GOOSE has been present recently in nearby Bergen County New Jersey.

At Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge two other notable waterfowl featured a drake BARROW'S GOLDENEYE reported Saturday well out in the northwestern section of the bay with some Common Goldeneye and a drake Eurasian form of GREEN-WINGED TEAL lingering on the West Pond often at the north end. Also at the bay 24 COMMON REDPOLL were in the East Garden near Big John's Pond Saturday and several AMERICAN WOODCOCK have been displaying there as well as in many other suitable locations recently. An immature NORTHERN GOSHAWK flew by the south end of the West Pond Monday and good numbers of SNOW GEESE and waterfowl are currently present there. Two SALTMARSH SPARROWS were in nearby Big Egg Marsh on Saturday.

Out at Fort Tilden Monday an adult BLACK-HEADED GULL was feeding with Bonapartes off the Fisherman's Parking Lot. An immature ICELAND GULL and an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL were also spotted there with another LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL and a mystery gull at Floyd Bennett Field on Thursday.

A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE found last Saturday at Calvert Vaux Park in Brooklyn was still present on a ball field there Thursday and also noted there last Saturday were 5 COMMON REDPOLL and an immature RED-SHOULDERED HAWK.

At least 6 HARLEQUIN DUCKS remain along the ocean jetties at Point Lookout where an immature ICELAND GULL occurred last Saturday. A couple of TREE SWALLOWS were at Jones Beach West End on Saturday and AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS have returned in decent numbers. Four GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were spotted with Canadas at Sunken Meadow State Park last Saturday.

Out at Napeague both the NORTHERN SHRIKE and the LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL were present at Lazy Point on Tuesday and Sunday both days also finding a CACKLING GOOSE at Deep Hollow Ranch off Route 27 east of Montauk. At Montauk Point Sunday the mass of sea ducks was augmented by 6 RAZORBILLS and an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL and 12 more RAZORBILLS plus a female KING EIDER were off Amagansett. A RED-NECKED GREBE was at Culloden Point in Montauk Sunday with 2 COMMON REDPOLLS at Ditch Plains. The duck feeding site off David's Lane north of Hook Pond in East Hampton has recently provided nice views of up to 5 WOOD DUCKS and 12 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS.

An adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was at Iron Pier Beach in Northville Thursday and 25 COMMON REDPOLLS were noted over the weekend at Cupsogue County Park in West Hampton Dunes.

For information on the pelagic trip running out of Freeport on March 27th call See Life Paulagics at (215) 234-6805 or visit their website at http://www.paulagics.com

To phone in reports on Long Island, call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126, or during the day except Sundays 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