New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, February 21, 2014:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Feb. 21, 2014
* NYNY1402.21

- Birds mentioned

Wood Duck
EURASIAN WIGEON
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Red-necked Grebe
Black Vulture
Bald Eagle
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
Purple Sandpiper
ICELAND GULL
Lesser Black-backed Gull
GLAUCOUS GULL
SNOWY OWL
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Horned Lark
LAPLAND LONGSPUR
Snow Bunting
Rusty Blackbird
Baltimore Oriole

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)
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: Gail Benson

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, January 21, 2014 at 6 pm. The highlights of today's tape are BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, HARLEQUIN DUCK, EURASIAN WIGEON, SNOWY OWLS, GLAUCOUS and ICELAND GULLS, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, and LAPLAND LONGSPUR.

In a fairly normal week for winter bird-wise, it is at least great to see that SNOWY OWLS continue at a good variety of locations, much less concerned over the weather conditions than birders have been. Reports range from Staten Island to Shinnecock, mostly at coastal locations.

A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was seen along the Meadowbrook Parkway up to Wednesday, and then at Jones Beach West End on Thursday, that same day producing one near Canarsie Pier in Brooklyn.

Three HARLEQUIN DUCKS were back around the Point Lookout ocean jetties along with sixteen PURPLE SANDPIPERS last Saturday. A drake EURASIAN WIGEON was still present Thursday in Arthur Kill as observed from the Tottenville train station on Staten Island, and earlier on Monday the Prospect Park EURASIAN WIGEON was reported again at the Lake.

Indicative of freezing conditions up on the Great Lakes, RED-NECKED GREBES have been occurring at various sites in our area, though not in the numbers seen off Brooklyn Tuesday, when twenty were counted off the Brooklyn Army Terminal 58th Street Pier.

GLAUCOUS GULLS include one continuing around the inlet at Shinnecock and another on Staten Island at Seguine Pond Tuesday, perhaps the one at Piermont Pier in Rockland County last Saturday. ICELAND GULLS featured one or two continuing at Shinnecock, another at Lemon Creek Pier on Staten Island Sunday, and one Saturday at Long Beach, joined by a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL.

On Monday, five LAPLAND LONGSPURS were present with HORNED LARKS and SNOW BUNTINGS at Breezy Point. RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS continue at Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn, at Kissena Park in Queens, at Turtle Cove in Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx, and at Croton Point in Westchester.

In Central Park three WOOD DUCKS were seen Thursday and two BALTIMORE ORIOLES continue near the Ramble feeders.

In the Montauk area, the pair of BARROW'S GOLDENEYES was still present yesterday at the south end of Lake Montauk, usually best viewed from South Lake Drive. Up to three ICELAND GULLS continue around the Montauk Harbor inlet, and a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was spotted yesterday from the restaurant at the Point, another continuing at Napeague, at the end of Lazy Point Road. Also, a BLACK VULTURE continues around Church Lane north of Riverhead.

BALD EAGLES remain in good numbers along the Hudson River. At George's Island Park in Montrose Sunday evening about forty Eagles came into or flew by the hillside roost there, and a few RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were among the passerines coming into the marsh roost.

To phone in reports on Long Island, call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126, or days 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 transcript