New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending on Friday, November 16, 2012:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Nov. 16, 2012
* NYNY1211.16

- Birds mentioned

BARNACLE GOOSE+
NORTHERN LAPWING+
ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER+ (possible)
SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER+
VIRGINIA'S WARBLER+
PAINTED BUNTING+
BREWER'S BLACKBIRD+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose (possible "Dusky" subspecies)
EURASIAN WIGEON
HARLEQUIN DUCK
White-rumped Sandpiper
Short-eared Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
SELASPHOROUS HUMMINGBIRD
WESTERN KINGBIRD
NORTHERN SHRIKE
Orange-crowned Warbler
Clay-colored Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill
Common Redpoll
Evening Grosbeak

- 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@nybirds.org.

If electronic submission is not possible, hardcopy reports and photos or sketches are welcome. Hardcopy documentation should be mailed to:

Gary Chapin - Secretary
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
486 High Street
Victor, NY 14564

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, November 16th 2012 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are VIRGINIA'S WARBLER, NORTHERN LAPWING, BREWER'S BLACKBIRD, SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER, PAINTED BUNTING, WESTERN KINGBIRD, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, BARNACLE GOOSE, EURASIAN WIGEON, HARLEQUIN DUCK, NORTHERN SHRIKE, lots of winter finches and even unidentified selasphorous hummingbird and myiarchus flycatcher. Wow!

A spectacular week locally topped by the eventually more findable VIRGINIA'S WARBLER at Alley Pond Park in Queens. Last Saturday the warbler was spotted in a stretch of woods on the west side of the park where this elusive bird has more frequently been seen though missed on Tuesday and Thursday. It has remained very skulky and is usually only visible for a minute or two. From the initial sighting on October 31st the bird has only been seen once on November 5th until last Saturday and was in that same area today. For this area, to concentrate on, closest parking is along 73rd Avenue at the Cloverdale Boulevard intersection. Cloverdale would also be 227th Street. Go up the path into the park to a paved path on the other side of the path is a wooded scrubby area and the warbler has been working this stretch east and west along the path. The area can also be viewed from a parallel path on the other side of the scrubby area. Park parking is also available off 76th Avenue. It should be a first New York State record once accepted by NYSARC. Also at Alley Pond Park has been NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL and COMMON REDPOLL among others.

Out at the Montauk area two NORTHERN LAPWINGS were discovered Saturday at the Deep Hollow Ranch complex along Route 27 east of the town of Montauk. The lapwings had been seen daily to Wednesday but not reported Thursday or today. At times they were on pastures on the south side of Route 27 but also ranged north to the pastures that were viewable from the Theodore Roosevelt County Park along the west side of Deep Hollow Ranch. For these park at Roosevelt and walk north along the white trail using various vantage points to view the pastures. On the south side on Sunday were also a CACKLING GOOSE and an apparent "Dusky" CANADA GOOSE. Also on Montauk on Sunday a female BREWER'S BLACKBIRD was present around the pond at Rita's Horse Farm. This farm is between Montauk Town and Deep Hollow Ranch on the north side of Route 27. This is an operating stable so do not park there when so requested or there is commercial activity going on. The pond can be viewed from the side of Route 27 but make sure to park off the road. A WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER was also there Sunday. A myiarchus flycatcher possibly ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER was at Rita's on Saturday but could not be relocated. In the town of Montauk at the west end is small Kirk Park, a parking lot surrounded by pines, where a flock of 25 plus WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS spent much of last Sunday with a few lingering into the week.

Another NORTHERN LAPWING was photographed on November 8th in the median at the now closed Robert Moses State Park.

By Saturday an adult male PAINTED BUNTING was photographed at a private feeder in Port Jefferson and on Sunday afternoon a SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER was photographed near parking field 3 at Sunken Meadow State Park but could not subsequently be relocated.

In Manhattan single selasphorous hummingbirds were seen last Sunday at the Heather Gardens at Fort Tryon and then on Tuesday at the Conservatory Garden at the north end of Central Park and a BARNACLE GOOSE was present with Canadas on the ballfields at Inwood Hill Park Sunday to Tuesday.

A NORTHERN SHRIKE spotted on Long Island's north shore at Caumsett State Park last Saturday was still present Thursday when a WESTERN KINGBIRD was also found there.

A EURASIAN WIGEON was still at Massapequa Preserve on the first pond north of Clark Boulevard on Monday and another was still on Mill Pond off Montauk Highway in Sayville on Thursday.

A particularly nice flight going on, one RED CROSSBILL and 25 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were in Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn on Saturday. White-wingeds have been widespread with a few REDS and EVENING GROSBEAKS and COMMON REDPOLLS also appearing.

GRASSHOPPER and CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS were at Kissena Corridor Park in Queens Monday. A BARNACLE GOOSE was reported from Marratooka Lake in Mattituck early this week and 2 female HARLEQUIN DUCKS were at Lazy Point inlet at Napeague Wednesday. Five GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were with Canadas on the north side of Further Lane in East Hampton last Sunday and a SHORT-EARED OWL flew over Route 111 in Eastport Sunday evening.

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 transcript