New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, December 23, 2011:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Dec. 23, 2011
* NYNY1112.23

- Birds mentioned

RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD+
GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH+ (Greene County)
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Greater White-fronted Goose
Snow Goose
Cackling Goose
Eurasian Wigeon
KING EIDER
Common Eider
Harlequin Duck
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
Red-necked Grebe
EARED GREBE
Northern Gannet
American Bittern
Green Heron
Bald Eagle
Rough-legged Hawk
BLACK RAIL
Marbled Godwit
Long-billed Dowitcher
RED PHALAROPE
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
DOVEKIE
Razorbill
BLACK GUILLEMOT
SNOWY OWL
Long-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Red-headed Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
NORTHERN SHRIKE
Common Raven
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Yellow-breasted Chat
Chipping Sparrow
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
Vesper Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Dickcissel
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 23rd 2011 at 9pm. The highlights of today's tape are RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, BLACK GUILLEMOT, DOVEKIE, RED PHALAROPE, EARED GREBE, BLACK RAIL, BLACK-HEADED GULL, SNOWY OWL, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, KING EIDER, NORTHERN SHRIKE, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW and much more.

The Christmas Count season has begun with some great finds locally but probably the best find occurred Thursday in Greene County when a GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH was photographed on Black Dome Mountain in Windham this a new addition to the New York State list if accepted by NYSARC.

The Brooklyn Christmas Count last Saturday recorded 132 species including a drake BARROW'S GOLDENEYE an EARED GREBE and some RED-NECKED GREBES all in Jamaica Bay, AMERICAN BITTERN, GREEN HERON a RED PHALAROPE along the Brooklyn waterfront, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, GLAUCOUS GULL, RAZORBILL, SNOWY OWL, LONG-EARED OWL, a NORTHERN SHRIKE at Floyd Bennett Field, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, a BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER in Prospect Park, a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, CHIPPING SPARROW and BALTIMORE ORIOLE. Count period birds featured MARBLED GODWIT and AMERICAN REDSTART. Look for the BARROW'S in the bay north of the West Pond it also tends to overnight on the West Pond. The EARED GREBE was still present today just off the Broad Channel community and the NORTHERN SHRIKE was still along the most northerly runway at Floyd Bennett Field today.

The Montauk Count Saturday tallied 123 species including the GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE at the Deep Hollow Ranch off Route 27, EURASIAN WIGEON on Gardiner's Island, 2 drake KING EIDERS one off Camp Hero and 1 at Gardiner's, 6 RED-NECKED GREBES, 4 BALD EAGLES and 5 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS on Gardiner's, 2 ICELAND GULLS and 2 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS, 96 RAZORBILLS, a BLACK GUILLEMOT flying west off Montauk Village, SHORT-EARED OWL, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW at Accabonac and "NORTHERN" ORIOLE.

The Northern Nassau Count Saturday featured 111 species including GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, CACKLING GOOSE, a female KING EIDER off Glen Cove, 18 NORTHERN GANNETS, 5 RED-NECKED GREBES, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, 5 RAZORBILLS, BALD EAGLE, 2 COMMON RAVENS, 3 HOUSE WRENS, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and LINCOLN'S SPARROW.

On Sunday the Sagaponack Count netted 117 species both 1 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE and 2 CACKLING GEESE, a drake KING EIDER off Mecox, a LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER at Hook Pond, 4 RAZORBILLS, SHORT-EARED OWL and 3 LONG-EARED OWLS, a RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, 2 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS and 2 YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS.

The Captree Count Sunday totaled 116 species with 3 CACKLING GEESE, RED-NECKED GREBE, 2 AMERICAN BITTERNS, BLACK RAIL, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, 4 RAZORBILLS, a SNOWY OWL on Fire Island, SHORT-EARED OWL, HOUSE WREN, VESPER SPARROW and SEASIDE SPARROW.

The Greenwich-Stamford Count Sunday had 101 species including a female BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, NORTHERN GANNET, RAZORBILL, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER and BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

Highlights in Manhattan included the RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD continuing at least to Thursday at the American Museum of Natural History usually in flowers to the left of the planetarium entrance off 81st Street, 2 YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS and LINCOLN'S SPARROW lingering in Bryant Park and a DICKCISSEL with House Sparrows at Inwood Hill Park. In Central Park an immature RED-HEADED WOODPECKER has been around the Hallett Sanctuary in the southeast section of the park and other notable recent species have included EASTERN PHOEBE, NASHVILLE WARBLER and BALTIMORE ORIOLE with 3 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS in Manhattan last Sunday.

The adult BLACK-HEADED GULL was still present today in Brooklyn where it sometimes frequents the Owl's Head waste water treatment plant and can be viewed from the hillside at Owl's Head Park or from Veteran's Memorial Pier. The GLAUCOUS GULL was near the Breezy Point jetty Tuesday.

At Jones Beach West End Thursday 2 COMMON RAVENS were being harassed by some crows, a pair of HARLEQUIN DUCKS and 2 RAZORBILLS were still around Jones Inlet and 9 SNOW GEESE joined some COMMON EIDERS on a bar inside the inlet. Out at Montauk Point a DOVEKIE was spotted Wednesday off Camp Hero and then off the lighthouse. Last Monday in East Hampton 2 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were on Hook Pond along with the one continuing down Further Lane. A female HARLEQUIN DUCK has been along the western jetty at Shinnecock Inlet since Saturday and a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE has been at the Northport High School recently.

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. Happy Holidays.

- End transcript