New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, February 1, 2013:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Feb 01, 2013
* NYNY1302.01

- Birds Mentioned:

BARNACLE GOOSE+
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
ROSS'S GOOSE
CACKLING GOOSE
TUFTED DUCK
HARLEQUIN DUCK
American Bittern
Bald Eagle
BLACK-HEADED GULL
ICELAND GULL
SNOWY OWL
Common Raven
Orange-crowned Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Ovenbird
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@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:
Tom Burke (212) 372-1483 (weekdays)
Tony Lauro (631) 734-4126 (Long Island)

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, February 1st, 2013, at 11:45pm. The highlights of this tape are GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, ROSS'S GOOSE, BARNACLE GOOSE, CACKLING GOOSE, TUFTED DUCK, HARLEQUIN DUCK, BLACK-HEADED GULL, ICELAND GULL, SNOWY OWL, Winter Warblers, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, and Winter Finches.

Two GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and two continuing CACKLING GEESE were seen at Stump Pond in Blydenburgh County Park in Smithtown on Monday, and a CACKLING GOOSE was reported at Merritt's Pond in Riverhead on Friday. The previously reported CACKLING GOOSE at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx has not been seen since last Saturday.

A BARNACLE GOOSE continued throughout the week at St. Charles Cemetery on Wellwood Avenue, east of Farmingdale, and is presumably the same bird that has been in the area since December, possibly still roosting overnight at Belmont Lake State Park and also visiting the Colonial Springs Golf Course in Wyandanch (the latter a private club that is off-limits to birders).

A ROSS'S GOOSE was found last Sunday in Riverhead and was relocated Monday in Merritt's Pond, Riverhead, and again Friday in the fields at Doctor's Path on Sound Avenue, Riverhead. [Transcriber's late update: the bird was reported today, Saturday 2/2, north of field 4 at Heckscher State Park.]

An adult drake TUFTED DUCK was found Friday on Stump Pond at Blydenburgh County Park, Smithtown.

Five HARLEQUIN DUCKS were seen at the jetty near Roosevelt Blvd in Long Beach last Sunday.

A subadult ICELAND GULL has been present at the Reservoir in Central Park since Monday, and was joined by another subadult ICELAND GULL on Thursday. A subadult BLACK-HEADED GULL was on the Reservoir on Wednesday.

The previously reported BLACK-HEADED GULL at Lake Montauk was back there on Thursday.

An adult ICELAND GULL was at Iron Pier Park in Northville on Wednesday.

The SNOWY OWL at Jones Beach was last seen on Sunday.

Warblers reported this week were: a ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER at Marine Park, Brooklyn last Saturday and another ORANGE-CROWNED at Marshlands Conservancy in Rye on Wednesday; a BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER at a feeder in East Patchogue last Sunday; and an OVENBIRD frequenting a residence on Grand Street in Manhattan on Tuesday.

Two overwintering CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS continue to be seen: one at Marshlands Conservancy in Rye, and another at the East End Community Organic (EECO) Farm in East Hampton.

Two adult YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS were found Thursday in a large mixed blackbird flock on Route 25 and Edwards Avenue in Calverton. A single adult YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was seen again Friday morning at 3918 Middle Country Road, (Rte 25), west of Edwards Avenue, then again 20 minutes later by a different observer east of Edwards Avenue, near Manor Road, both times in a large icterid flock.

RED CROSSBILLS, WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS, and COMMON REDPOLLS continue through the area in small but regular numbers.

There are now three AMERICAN BITTERNS on Dune Road in Shinnecock.

An AMERICAN BITTERN was seen at Marine Park, Brooklyn, on Tuesday and Wednesday, and an adult BALD EAGLE flew over Marine Park on Tuesday.

COMMON RAVENS were reported this week in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Central Islip, and Hampton Bays.

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 ~