New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, January 17, 2014:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Jan. 17, 2014
* NYNY1401.17

- Birds mentioned

PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+
BARNACLE GOOSE+ (no recent reports)
PACIFIC LOON+
GYRFALCON+
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
Cackling Goose
Tundra Swan
Eurasian Wigeon
King Eider
Harlequin Duck
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
Red-necked Grebe
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Black-legged Kittiwake
Razorbill
Snowy Owl
Red-headed Woodpecker
NORTHERN SHRIKE

- 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)
125 Pine Springs Drive
Ticonderoga, NY 12883

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, January 17th 2014 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are GYRFALCON, PACIFIC LOON, PINK-FOOTED GOOSE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, BLACK-HEADED GULL, NORTHERN SHRIKE, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD and a pelagic trip announcement.

The only report this week of the gray GYRFALCON was from the recently closed Cedar Beach Marina. The bird well out in the marsh at midday Sunday. This site is at the eastern end of its currently known range with the otherwise most recent sightings from Gilgo about 4 miles to the west. A lot of territory to cover but check the Osprey platforms especially as you cruise Ocean Parkway realizing that there are also a few Peregrines using these as perches.

Some nice rarities out on eastern Long Island started Saturday with a PACIFIC LOON spotted well off Culloden Point in Montauk joined there by a female KING EIDER and a RED-NECKED GREBE. Then on Sunday a YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was seen again at the Buffalo Farm at the southwest corner of Roanoke Avenue and Reeves Avenue north of Riverhead. This same area on Thursday produced a PINK-FOOTED GOOSE in a Canada flock in a field on the eastern side of Roanoke just south of Sound Avenue. The goose ultimately flying south. Today the PINK-FOOTED GOOSE was present with Canadas on the Buffalo Farm but viewing the geese there from the public roads is very difficult and the PINK-FOOTED was not seen until it took off with Canadas and flew away. TUNDRA SWAN was also noted in the Roanoke fields and 2 were seen again on Hook Pond in East Hampton today. Also in the Montauk area last year's pair of BARROW'S GOLDENEYE have returned to Lake Montauk being seen Sunday and after at the south end of the lake as viewed from South Lake Drive.

The sightings of adult BLACK-HEADED GULLS this week took place near Coney Island Creek in Brooklyn on Saturday perhaps the same bird at Breezy Point Sunday and one in Little Neck Bay Thursday afternoon. Coney Island Creek this week also produced single GLAUCOUS, ICELAND and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS.

Early Sunday morning at Jones Beach West End NORTHERN SHRIKE appeared atop a tree on the western side of the swale in front of the West End lot 2 pavilion and then flew west sitting up on a couple of Junipers and adjacent trees well out towards the West End jetty. The darkly pigmented adult ICELAND GULL was in the West End 2 parking lot Sunday.

Over at Point Lookout 7 HARLEQUIN DUCKS continue around the inlet or ocean jetties and another visited northeastern Staten Island yesterday and today.

Birders looking for a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE reported from Bergen Point Golf Course in West Babylon on Sunday found a drake EURASIAN WIGEON and a SNOWY OWL there and perhaps the same GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was present late Sunday at Heckscher State Park field 7. There have been no recent reports of the Belmont Lake State Park BARNACLE GOOSE but birders should keep looking.

Other EURASIAN WIGEON have been in Brooklyn near the Verrazzano Bridge Saturday and on Staten Island. RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS continue at Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, Turtle Cove in Pelham Bay Park and at Croton Point.

At Shinnecock Inlet a few KING EIDER, a GLAUCOUS and ICELAND GULLS continue. Among several other ICELAND GULLS have been birds at Breezy Point, Artist Lake in Middle Island and Iron Pier Beach in Northville. The GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was noted at Hedges Lane in Sagaponack on Wednesday and a CACKLING GOOSE has been along Center Shore Road in Centerport recently.

At Montauk Point during the past week around 20 RAZORBILLS and one or two BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES have been noted. The LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS have been at Montauk Harbor Inlet, Fort Pond and Napeague. RED-NECKED GREBES have also been well scattered.

See Life Paulagics is sponsoring a pelagic trip with the Captain Lou Fleet out of Freeport on Saturday, February 1st leaving at 6am. This should be a good trip and spaces are available. Call (215) 234-6805 for information or visit their website at < http://www.paulagics.com/site/ >.

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