New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, March 23, 2012:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* March 23, 2012
* NYNY1203.23

- Birds Mentioned:

EURASIAN WIGEON
GREEN-WINGED TEAL (Eurasian form)
Common Eider
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Red-necked Grebe
Snowy Egret
Glossy Ibis
Osprey
Clapper Rail
Piping Plover
Purple Sandpiper
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
Tree Swallow
Marsh Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Orange-crowned Warbler
Pine Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Saltmarsh Sparrow


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 (during the day except Sunday)
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, March 23rd at 8:00pm. The highlights of today's tape are EURASIAN WIGEON, EURASIAN FORM OF GREEN-WINGED TEAL, HARLEQUIN DUCKS, and spring migrants.

Not unexpectedly given the prolonged bout of very warm March weather, some movement of migrants into the area has taken place this week. PINE WARBLERS have appeared in reasonable numbers throughout the area, as have EASTERN PHOEBES and TREE SWALLOWS. Perhaps the most unexpected, given the date, was a BLUE-HEADED VIREO seen Thursday at Marshlands Conservancy in Rye, with three SNOWY EGRETS there today. Other early arrivals have featured three GLOSSY IBIS last Saturday at Terrell River County Park in East Moriches, and such passerines as MARSH WREN, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, and SALTMARSH SPARROW. OSPREY and CLAPPER RAIL are among others moving in.

In Central Park an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER has been present at the Meer from Sunday through today, and another continues in Kissena Park in Queens.

The Union Square Park YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was still present recently down off East 14th Street in Manhattan, often near the Gandhi statue, and another Chat was seen again Thursday near McDonald Pond at Hempstead Lake State Park.

Some RED-NECKED GREBES remain in Jamaica Bay off Floyd Bennett Field.

At Jones Beach, some PIPING PLOVERS were on the West End beach last weekend, with some PURPLE SANDPIPERS remaining around the West End jetty. Four HARLEQUIN DUCKS were still on the Point Lookout side of Jones Inlet Sunday, and a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was on the Point Lookout Town Park parking lot on Saturday.

At Tobay, a Eurasian form of GREEN-WINGED TEAL was seen on an excavated pond west of the main pond last Sunday.

Farther east, a EURASIAN WIGEON was still residing on Cooper's Neck Pond at Southampton Sunday. Also on Sunday, two LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were at Sagg Pond, and the overwintering bird at Napeague was still at the end of Lazy Point Road. RED-NECKED GREBE was off Mecox Sunday, and good numbers of COMMON EIDER continue around Shinnecock Inlet.

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