New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, January 27, 2012:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Jan 27, 2012
* NYNY1201.27

- Birds Mentioned:
PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+
SLATY-BACKED GULL+ (Dutchess County)
RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Greater White-fronted Goose
Eurasian Wigeon
Wilson's Snipe
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Razorbill
SNOWY OWL
Red-headed Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (Audubon's form)
Palm Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Dickcissel
COMMON REDPOLL

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 nysarc1 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

~ Transcript ~

Hotline: New York City Area Rare Bird Alert
Weekly Recording: (212) 979-3070

To report sightings call:
Tom Burke (212) 372-1483
Tony Lauro (631) 734-4126

Compilers: Tom Burke, Tony Lauro
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
Transcriber: Karen Fung

[~BEGIN RBA TAPE~]

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, January 27th, at 7:00pm. The highlights of today's tape are SLATY-BACKED GULL, PINK-FOOTED GOOSE, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, SNOWY OWL, Audubon's form of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, COMMON REDPOLL, and more.

Though slightly north of our normal coverage area, last Saturday an adult SLATY-BACKED GULL was spotted and photographed on the Hudson River off the Beacon train station in Dutchess County. This site is south of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge off Route 9D. Follow signs to the station and park on the Hudson side of the tracks to view the cove that the Slaty-backed visited. The gull has not yet been re-sighted, but lots of gulls have been on the river there, including one or two GLAUCOUS GULLS, at least five ICELAND GULLS, and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS.

On Wednesday a PINK-FOOTED GOOSE was found in Queens, at the Alley Restoration Area, a newly-created marshy pond that lies between the Cross Island Parkway on its west side, the Long Island Expressway to the north, and Douglaston Parkway on the east side -- an approach being West Alley Road that runs along the south side, but access is difficult. The goose has not been noted there since, but it likely remains in the area. A WILSON'S SNIPE and PALM WARBLER were also spotted there. At this time of year, Wilson's Snipe can also be found in unfrozen, muddy, marshy areas adjacent to water bodies.

The RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD still survives at the American Museum of Natural History, seen through today around the plantings and feeders on either side of the entrance to the planetarium off West 81st Street.

An EASTERN PHOEBE was still in Central Park Central Park Saturday, and the immature RED-HEADED WOODPECKER remains in the Hallett Sanctuary in the southeastern corner of the park. Also continuing in Manhattan are the YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT on the Fifth Avenue / 42nd Street side of Bryant Park in front of the New York Public Library and the DICKCISSEL around the ball fields at Inwood Hill Park, at the west end of Dyckman Street. [Transcriber's Update: The other YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was still at Union Square Park off East 14th Street, near the Gandhi statue, on Wednesday and Thursday.]

The white SNOWY OWL was still in the Jones Beach West End dunes between the swale in front of the West End 2 parking lot building and the West End jetty on Wednesday. Please enjoy this spectacular owl, but keep your distance so as not to disturb it. Also in the Jones area, over 100 RAZORBILLS were estimated around Jones Inlet Thursday. A good sign for Saturday's pelagic trip out of Freeport. If interested in this trip [January 28th], call See Life Paulagics at (215) 234-6805.

The Audubon's form of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER continues at Sunken Meadow State Park. Look for it around the fenced-in juniper clump at the eastern end of the easternmost parking lot or along the river just south of there.

The GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was noted again last Sunday at Gerry Pond Park in Roslyn, but it does move around.

A EURASIAN WIGEON has been present recently in New Rochelle, Westchester County, visiting the pond with dozens of American Wigeon off the west side of Church Street, just a short distance south of the light on Pelham Road. The school ball field across Church Street from this pond has several Monk Parakeet nests in the light stanchions.

Also in Westchester, three RAZORBILLS were still off Read Sanctuary Playland Park in Rye on Thursday.

On eastern Long Island, a COMMON REDPOLL was found Tuesday feeding near Tiana Beach, off Dune Road, west of Shinnecock Inlet. Historically there have been late pushes of some winter finches into our area in late January and early February, but this year they have been notably absent so far throughout our region.

An immature LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was at Shinnecock Inlet on Sunday, and a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE visited Hook Pond in East Hampton on Wednesday.

We have no positive word on either the Calverton MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD or the Eastport BARNACLE GOOSE. The ICELAND GULL does continue to visit Iron Pier Park at the end of Pier Road in Northville.

An immature RED-HEADED WOODPECKER is wintering at the Baiting Hollow Boy Scout Camp off the north side of Sound Avenue. This site is about a half mile west of Edwards Avenue. The woodpecker is usually in trees about 200 yards in from the parking lot where the trail parallels the water course lower down on the left.

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 TAPE~]

~ End Transcript ~