New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, December 14, 2012:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Dec. 14, 2012
* NYNY1212.14

- Birds mentioned

BARNACLE GOOSE+
CAVE SWALLOW+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
BRANT (subspecies "Black Brant")
EURASIAN WIGEON
BROWN PELICAN
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Black-legged Kittiwake
DOVEKIE
Razorbill
SNOWY OWL
Barred Owl
House Wren
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Cape May Warbler
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (western subspecies "Audubon's" form)
Common Yellowthroat
Clay-colored Sparrow
Indigo Bunting
Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill
Common Redpoll

- 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, December 14th 2012 at 2pm. The highlights of today's tape are BROWN PELICAN, BLACK-HEADED GULL, CAVE SWALLOW, DOVEKIE, SNOWY OWL, BARNACLE GOOSE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, EURASIAN WIGEON, AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER and Black form of BRANT and Audubon's form of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER.

With the Christmas Count season now upon us some unusual birds lingering in the area could make things quite interesting. For the local counts a scattering of BARRED OWLS as well as some flocks of RED and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS plus some arriving COMMON REDPOLLS should add some variety. Among the waterfowl the BARNACLE GOOSE was still with Canadas on the Parade Ground at Van Cortlandt Park in The Bronx last Saturday and a "Black" BRANT, a good count subspecies, was spotted on the ballfields at Marine Park in Brooklyn on Monday. Four WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS also moved by Coney Island on Monday and indicative of their recent movement west into Long Island Sound a RAZORBILL was found off Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx on Wednesday joined by some COMMON REDPOLLS there.

Among some interesting lingering birds in local parks Kissena Park has recently produced HOUSE WREN, INDIGO BUNTING and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER while Marshlands Conservancy in Rye has featured CLAY-COLORED SPARROW plus ORANGE-CROWNED and NASHVILLE WARBLERS and COMMON YELLOWTHROAT both sites also having COMMON REDPOLL during the week and a CAPE MAY WARBLER has been on Staten Island.

At Massapequa Preserve on the pond east of the eastern end of Pittsburgh Avenue a continuing male EURASIAN WIGEON has been joined by what appears to be a hybrid Eurasian and American Wigeon. The Audubon's form of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER was still at Sunken Meadow State Park today usually around the southeastern corner of the easternmost parking lot near the footbridge.

Moving further east on Long Island a late AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER was present Wednesday and Thursday east of field 8 at Heckscher State Park where some RED and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS continue.

On the north shore a winter adult BLACK-HEADED GULL has been present through today in Setauket where it is usually seen at Mill Pond although on Tuesday and today it was present on Little Bay north of Mill Pond as viewed off Dike Road. Its movements presumably are tidally related.

A EURASIAN WIGEON was on the pond at Southaven County Park in Shirley on Tuesday when 35 RED CROSSBILLS were along Dune Road near Tiana Beach west of Shinnecock Inlet.

The SNOWY OWL was seen again last Saturday on Hick's Island in Napeague as viewed from the end of Lazy Point Road. The annually wintering LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL also remains at that spot.

A BROWN PELICAN was still around the jetties at the Montauk Harbor Inlet last Sunday but we have no subsequent reports. A drake EURASIAN WIGEON was on the pond at Rita's Horse Farm east of the town of Montauk on the north side of Route 27 last Sunday and GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE continues to be seen on a field on the north side of Further Lane in East Hampton. Birds at Montauk Point last Sunday featured a dozen BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES about 90 RAZORBILLS and a CAVE SWALLOW and some DOVEKIES were seen off the point today. Crossbills out east included about 20 WHITE-WINGEDS along East Lake Drive and a few REDS between the point and the town of Montauk on Sunday and a mixed flock of about 30 crossbills at Hither Hills State Park on Saturday.

We will gladly mention Christmas Count highlights so please call them in.

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