New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, December 16, 2011:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Dec. 16, 2011
* NYNY1112.16

- Birds mentioned

RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
KING EIDER
Common Eider
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Red-necked Grebe
BROWN PELICAN
AMERICAN AVOCET
Marbled Godwit
Red Knot
Western Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
LITTLE GULL
Iceland Gull
Forster's Tern
Parasitic Jaeger
RAZORBILL
Northern Shrike
House Wren
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Lincoln's Sparrow
Rusty Blackbird
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, December 16th 2011 at 11am. The highlights of today's tape are RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, BROWN PELICAN, AMERICAN AVOCET, LITTLE GULL, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, HARLEQUIN DUCK, KING EIDER, RAZORBILL and more.

A selasphorous hummingbird found Wednesday at the American Museum of Natural History was still present this morning around the plantings on the east or left side of the entrance to the planetarium off 81st Street. The bird shows plumage characters interesting enough to evoke discussions on whether this is a Rufous or a different selasphorous not Allen's but Broad-tailed being the other contending species. However, close scrutiny would seem to indicate this is an immature RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD.

A female RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD was still visiting the feeders at the Lenoir Preserve's butterfly garden in Yonkers as of Wednesday. To reach Lenoir, from the Sawmill River Parkway, Exit 9, take Executive Boulevard to its end at North Broadway, go right on North Broadway a short distance to Dudley Street on the left, the preserve parking lot is on the left.

Last Tuesday afternoon a boater in western Long Island Sound photographed an immature BROWN PELICAN sitting on Execution Light this a small island in the sound between New Rochelle in Westchester County and Sands Point on Long Island. Please keep us informed of further sightings. Another exciting Westchester bird was a RAZORBILL off Reade Sanctuary / Playland Park in Rye Monday and Tuesday.

To our knowledge the Brooklyn AMERICAN AVOCET has not been seen in Coney Island Creek since last Saturday morning.

Last Saturday an adult LITTLE GULL appeared in the large congregation of Bonaparte's and other gulls feeding outside of Jones Inlet as viewed from the Point Lookout side. It could not be relocated on Sunday under different weather conditions though many gulls did continue there. Also off Point Lookout 10 RAZORBILLS gathered in a flock offshore Saturday afternoon, a drake HARLEQUIN DUCK on the ocean Sunday was joined by a female around the jetties as of Wednesday. Several COMMON EIDER continue in that area and a FORSTER'S TERN was still present Sunday.

Shorebirds on the Coast Guard bar last weekend at Jones Beach West End featured a presumed WESTERN SANDPIPER a rather short billed individual. A very diminished number of RED KNOT and 2 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS the latter also noted on Wednesday when 12 RAZORBILLS were spotted in the inlet.

A nice Brooklyn/Queens report from last Friday featured 2 PARASITIC JAEGERS on the ocean off the western end of Fort Tilden and 7 RED-NECKED GREBES in Jamaica Bay as seen from Floyd Bennett Field. [A NORTHERN SHRIKE and a MARBLED GODWIT were seen today at Floyd Bennett Field. Editor's note]

Other city reports include the continuing presence of YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and LINCOLN'S SPARROW in Bryant Park Manhattan, an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER at Swindler's Cove on northern Manhattan last Saturday and in Kissena Park in Queens a nice assortment of Christmas Count hopefuls including up to 3 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, a NASHVILLE WARBLER, HOUSE WREN, BALTIMORE ORIOLE and some RUSTY BLACKBIRDS and other good count birds are lingering in various parks.

The GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE has returned to Saint John's Pond seen Wednesday and Thursday on the pond off the south side of Route 25A a little southwest of Cold Spring Harbor.

A female KING EIDER found Saturday off East Island in Glen Cove just west of Bayville was still there on Thursday.

Two ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS were at the Cedar Beach overlook parking lot last Saturday.

A few reports from out east this weekend mentioned the GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE continuing at the Deep Hollow Ranch on the south side of Route 27 east of the town of Montauk and 2 ICELAND GULLS around the Montauk Harbor Inlet these on Saturday. Four RAZORBILLS were off Mecox Tuesday.

We'd be happy to report the highlights of our regional Christmas Counts so please call them in. 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