New York City Rare Bird Alert

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

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* March 1, 2013
* NYNY1303.01

- Birds Mentioned:
PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+ (Orange County)
BARNACLE GOOSE+
GYRFALCON+
THICK-BILLED MURRE+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Snow Goose
Ross's Goose
Tundra Swan
TUFTED DUCK
HARLEQUIN DUCK
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
Red-necked Grebe
American Bittern
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Iceland Gull
Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill

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:
Tom Burke (212) 372-1483 (during the day except Sunday)
Tony Lauro (631) 734-4126 (Long Island)

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 1st, at 7:00pm. The highlights of today's tape are GYRFALCON, TUFTED DUCK, HARLEQUIN DUCK, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, BARNACLE GOOSE, BLACK-HEADED GULL, THICK-BILLED MURRE, and an extralimital PINK-FOOTED GOOSE.

Gratefully, this year's South Shore GYRFALCON has been around; this subadult gray form being seen daily, weather permitting, since last Saturday, except that there were no positive reports from today. The most successful strategy for seeing it has been to go to the western side of the main Gilgo parking lot and scan the marsh, keeping an eye especially on the bare osprey platforms to the northwest of the lot, but also scanning the marsh throughout the area. A few Peregrines also use these platforms. Last Sunday, after having an in-flight duel with a Peregrine, the GYR was watched capturing a Black Duck and then devouring it along the edge of an island north of Gilgo. This might account for some periods when it is not visible, but the GYR has spent a reasonable amount of time perched up. A telescope is strongly recommended.

An AMERICAN BITTERN has been present in the Gilgo marshes, and at nearby Oak Beach, east of Gilgo, a female BARROW'S GOLDENEYE has continued in the Common Goldeneye flock at Fire Island Inlet, this area viewed by the Oak Beach parking lot or along the road going west from the parking lot. An ICELAND GULL was in the Inlet last Sunday.

A RED-NECKED GREBE has also been seen several times in the Captree Boat Basin at the eastern end of Ocean Parkway.

At Jones Beach West End, 5+ RED CROSSBILLS were present Sunday, with 4 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS there Tuesday, as both species continue locally. An interesting immature ICELAND-type GULL was in the West End 2 parking lot last Sunday.

Across Jones Inlet at Point Lookout, 6 HARLEQUIN DUCKS continue along the ocean jetties there, and an ICELAND GULL was in the Town Park parking lot last Sunday.

On Staten Island, a THICK-BILLED MURRE was spotted at Lemon Creek Marina off Hylan Boulevard yesterday, but not located there today.

A closer look at the Long Island TUFTED DUCK situation has determined that two drakes are definitely present. One has been on Stump Pond in Blydenburgh County Park in Smithtown to today, while the other has recently been on the pond at Heckscher Park and Museum in Huntington.

A BARNACLE GOOSE was still visiting Larchmont Reservoir, also known as Sheldrake Lake, off Weaver Street, south of the Hutchinson River Parkway in Larchmont (Westchester County) earlier this week. However, if out chasing down waterfowl, be aware that this week larger numbers of geese have been moving through Orange County. A PINK-FOOTED GOOSE has been among the Canadas in fields north of Pine Island, seen as recently as today. Also featured were three TUNDRA SWANS and thousands of SNOW GEESE.

A BLACK-HEADED GULL continues to be seen irregularly on Central Park Reservoir, occurring up to yesterday.

Out on eastern Long Island, a ROSS'S GOOSE was reported again Sunday from Doctor's Path, north of Riverhead. A pair of BARROW'S GOLDENEYE was seen at the south end of Lake Montauk on Monday, and a RED-NECKED GREBE was on the south side of Montauk Point that day.

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 ~