New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, March 22, 2013:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* March 22, 2013
* NYNY1303.22

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

Wood Duck
GREEN-WINGED TEAL (Eurasian form "Common Teal")
TUFTED DUCK
Harlequin Duck
Red-necked Grebe
Osprey
Piping Plover
Lesser Yellowlegs
Pectoral Sandpiper
ICELAND GULL
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL
GLAUCOUS GULL
Eastern Phoebe
Tree Swallow
American Robin
Pine Warbler
LAPLAND LONGSPUR
White-winged Crossbill
Common Redpoll
Pine Siskin
European Goldfinch
Evening Grosbeak

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 22nd, at 7:00pm. The highlights of today's tape are VARIED THRUSH, TUFTED DUCK, BARNACLE GOOSE, Eurasian form of GREEN-WINGED TEAL, GLAUCOUS GULL, ICELAND GULL, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, and Winter Finches.

The VARIED THRUSH, a wonderfully colorful male, continues in Prospect Park, its whereabouts since Sunday seemingly more consistent. On Sunday the thrush was spotted feeding on the ground with numerous American Robins and other birds along the south side of Quaker Hill, east of Quaker Cemetery and west of the Nethermead Bridge. This site is just north of Center Drive and is best viewed from a dirt bridle path just off Center Drive. When feeding, the thrush does kick up fallen leaves constantly, making it easier to spot, and it has continued to favor this site during the week. Among the other birds in that area Sunday were some WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS and PINE SISKINS, as well as a EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH -- this latter, and the one present for awhile in Central Park, both presumed to be escapes. A few COMMON REDPOLLS have also been seen in the park recently.

A drake TUFTED DUCK was present for a few days, at least to Sunday, on Upper Francis Pond in Mill Neck. This pond is off Frost Mill Road, almost a mile south of Shu Swamp. Another drake TUFTED was still on the pond at Heckscher Park, off Route 25A in Huntington on Thursday.

The Westchester County BARNACLE GOOSE was present Wednesday and Thursday at Twin Lakes Park in Eastchester. It has been frequenting what is called "Reservoir Number Two", off the east side of the Hutchinson River Parkway, south of Exit 16.

On Saturday, three HARLEQUIN DUCKS were still in Jones Inlet, and two more were off Magnolia Boulevard in Long Beach.

A Eurasian form of GREEN-WINGED TEAL was still on Smith Pond in Rockville Centre Sunday, this pond south of Hempstead Lake State Park. Two more Eurasian GREEN-WINGED TEAL, plus a couple of possible hybrids, were at Terrell River County Park in Center Moriches last Sunday in a large flock of Green-winged Teal.

Going from waterfowl to gulls, an immature GLAUCOUS GULL was at Bellport Bay Yacht Club in Bellport last weekend. An immature ICELAND GULL was photographed at Coney Island Beach Saturday, with another continuing around the Montauk Harbor Inlet, and the Napeague LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was still at the end of Lazy Point Road on Saturday.

A RED-NECKED GREBE was at Marine Park in Brooklyn on Saturday, with another continuing at the Captree State Park Boat Basin.

A LAPLAND LONGSPUR was seen again at the Jones Beach West End lawn by the Coast Guard Station last Saturday.

An EVENING GROSBEAK continued at Marshlands Conservancy in Rye, at least to Tuesday, with a dozen WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS there Wednesday.

And yes, it is Spring! Regular early migrants such as WOOD DUCK, OSPREY, EASTERN PHOEBE and TREE SWALLOW are quickly becoming more widespread, along with PIPING PLOVER along the south shore of Long Island, and single LESSER YELLOWLEGS and PECTORAL SANDPIPER appeared at the Deep Hollow Ranch in Montauk last Tuesday. PINE WARBLER was at Hempstead Lake State Park yesterday, and more arrivals should be forthcoming, especially if it warms up.

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 ~