New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, January 25, 2013:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Jan 25, 2013
* NYNY1301.25

- Birds Mentioned:
BARNACLE GOOSE+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
CACKLING GOOSE
EURASIAN WIGEON
TUFTED DUCK
KING EIDER
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
Red-necked Grebe
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Lesser Black-backed Gull
GLAUCOUS GULL
DOVEKIE
RAZORBILL
SNOWY OWL
NORTHERN SHRIKE
Common Raven
American Pipit
Prairie Warbler
Palm Warbler (Western subspecies)
Northern Waterthrush
Wilson's Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill
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:

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

~ Transcript ~

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

To report sightings call:
Tony Lauro (631) 734-4126

Compiler: 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 25th, 2013, at 11:30pm. The highlights of this tape are GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, BARNACLE GOOSE, CACKLING GOOSE, EURASIAN WIGEON, TUFTED DUCK, KING EIDER, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, BLACK-HEADED GULL, GLAUCOUS GULL, DOVEKIE, RAZORBILL, SNOWY OWL, NORTHERN SHRIKE, Winter Warblers, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, and Winter Finches.

Three GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were reported last week: one at South Haven County Park on Saturday, another Saturday on Westbrook Pond at North Great River, and a third at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale on Sunday.

Two BARNACLE GEESE were seen last week: one at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale on Saturday through Tuesday, and another at Belmont Lake State Park in Babylon on Thursday.

The previously reported CACKLING GOOSE was still at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx on Saturday.

Six EURASIAN WIGEONS were seen on the pond at the Sayville Golf Course on Sunday, and another EURASIAN WIGEON reappeared Sunday on the pond at Saint John's Church in Cold Spring Harbor, along with the previously reported TUFTED DUCK. The TUFTED DUCK has not been reported since Sunday, and the pond may be frozen over.

Reports from Montauk on Monday included a first winter male KING EIDER with ~25 Common Eider and 20 RAZORBILLS at the Point, with two of the RAZORBILLS feeding fairly close to shore, and the continuing pair of BARROW'S GOLDENEYE on Lake Montauk, this time at the north end of the Lake.

Two DOVEKIES were reported at Montauk Point on Sunday.

A RAZORBILL was seen from Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island, on Saturday, and another was at the Ponquogue Bridge in Shinnecock on Sunday.

A BLACK-HEADED GULL was found Saturday at Lake Montauk.

A GLAUCOUS GULL was seen Monday near the Jessup Lane Bridge to Dune Road in Westhampton.

A SNOWY OWL appeared sporadically on Monday and Wednesday at Hicks Island in Napeague, where the resident LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL remains. Another SNOWY OWL was seen on Sunday and during the week at Jones Beach.

An immature NORTHERN SHRIKE was seen by many birders last Sunday at Ward Pound Ridge in Westchester County, but has not been reported since then.

Five uncommon species of warblers reported through the week were as follows: PRAIRIE WARBLER and "Western" PALM WARBLER in Pelham Bay Park on Saturday; a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH and WILSON'S WARBLER at the junction of the Long Island Expressway and Alley Pond Restoration Area in Queens last Friday; and a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT in Prospect Park on Sunday.

Two previously reported CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS were seen again this week: one at Marshlands Conservancy in Rye last Saturday; the other at Heckscher State Park, west of the pool area, on Monday.

Time and space for winter finch reports preclude us listing all of the winter finches, but be advised that RED CROSSBILLS, WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS, and COMMON REDPOLLS were seen throughout the area through the week.

Other interesting birds reported this past week were: a RED-NECKED GREBE near the bridge to Smith Point County Park and another near the Jessup Lane Bridge to Dune Road in Westhampton, both on Monday; two COMMON RAVENS continuing in the water tower area in Hampton Bays, and a flock of ~12 AMERICAN PIPITS seen near the bison farm on Roanoke Avenue and Reeves Road in Riverhead on Wednesday and Thursday.

Tom Burke will be away next week. Please call in reports to Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126.

This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.

[~END TAPE~]

~ End Transcript ~