New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, April 4, 2014:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Apr. 4, 2014
* NYNY1404.04

- Birds mentioned

EURASIAN WIGEON
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Redhead
Long-tailed Duck
RED-NECKED GREBE
Little Blue Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Virginia Rail
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Lesser Yellowlegs
Pectoral Sandpiper
SNOWY OWL
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Brown Creeper
Winter Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Pine Warbler
Palm Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Chipping Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Purple Finch

- 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 nysarc44(at)nybirds{dot}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, April 4th 2014 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are SNOWY OWL, RED-NECKED GREBE, EURASIAN WIGEON, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER and Spring migrants.

A somewhat lackluster week was augmented by an increasing number of early Spring arrivals. On the Winter front only a few SNOWY OWLS continue in the region with 2 still at Jones Beach West End last Saturday and at least 4 others from Great Kills Park on Staten Island to Dune Road west of Shinnecock Inlet. Hopefully most of the birds involved in this spectacular invasion are now making their way successfully back north.

The wintering EURASIAN WIGEON was still off Milton Point in Rye today and there are still some decent concentrations of ducks around now in diminished numbers including such species as REDHEAD and NORTHERN PINTAIL as well as some sea ducks especially LONG-TAILED DUCK. A Eurasian form of GREEN-WINGED TEAL was spotted Tuesday northwest of Wading River on ponds on the south side of North Country Road. Continuing RED-NECKED GREBES featured 3 together on Prospect Park Lake in Brooklyn from Wednesday through today. But the one on the Central Park reservoir was last noted Wednesday.

Besides the over wintering RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS still present this week at Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx and Croton Point in Westchester an immature found yesterday at Greenwood-Union Cemetery in Rye was still present today.

Perhaps most unusual among the recent Spring arrivals was the VIRGINIA RAIL apparently released Thursday at the north end of Central Park. The rail could not be relocated today.

Both Central Park and Prospect Park have shared in a smattering of new arrivals the warblers including a LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH or two and both PALM and PINE WARBLERS plus some YELLOW-RUMPS. Other passerines showing up have featured NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED and BARN SWALLOWS, WINTER WREN, BROWN CREEPER, many GOLDEN-CROWNED and one or two RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, HERMIT THRUSH and CHIPPING and SWAMP SPARROWS.

A PECTORAL SANDPIPER around the median at Jones Beach West End from Saturday to Tuesday this being followed by a growing number at Sunken Meadow State Park starting with 7 there on Wednesday and these increasing to 21 today these seen on flats just west of the bridge on the entrance road into the park.

Other arrivals have included a LITTLE BLUE HERON reported Wednesday from Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area, YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, WILLET and LESSER YELLOWLEGS the latter greatly outnumbered now by GREATER YELLOWLEGS. A PURPLE FINCH was noted Monday on Shelter Island and some should begin moving back through the area.

If you haven't already don't forget to sign the petition to restore Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge's West Pond. The petition can be found on the Internet at http://tinyurl.com/west-pond-petition. Thank you for doing so.

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 transcript