New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, November 14, 2014:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Nov. 14, 2014
* NYNY1411.14

- Birds mentioned

PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+
COMMON GROUND-DOVE+
ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
Cackling Goose
Eurasian Wigeon
KING EIDER
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Northern Gannet
CATTLE EGRET
HUDSONIAN GODWIT
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
American Redstart
Yellow-breasted Chat
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
Vesper Sparrow
Lapland Longspur
DICKCISSEL
Purple Finch
Pine Siskin
EVENING GROSBEAK

- 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, November 14th 2014 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are COMMON GROUND-DOVE, PINK-FOOTED GOOSE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, CATTLE EGRET, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, DICKCISSEL, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, EVENING GROSBEAK and more.

The COMMON GROUND-DOVE at Jones Beach West End is alive and apparently well. Through photo analysis from November 2nd when the bird was found the bird taken by the Merlin appears to have been a sparrow, probably White-throated, and the few photos of the Ground-Dove that were taken before it disappeared do show it was missing its tail back then. Last Saturday the Ground-Dove was refound near the Coast Guard Station entrance but soon relocated to the eastbound side of Ocean Parkway where it has been seen all week to today. Its tail is now showing signs of regrowth. The Ground-Dove has been pretty faithful to the area adjacent to the easternmost entrance and exit at West End parking field 2 often near the Holiday Village Lightshow Arch over the entrance road feeding along the edge between the cut lawn and the adjacent natural vegetation.

On Sunday a PINK-FOOTED GOOSE was spotted in a large flock of Canadas north of Riverhead in fields in the triangle south of Sound Avenue east of Route 105 and north of the Northville Turnpike. The PINK-FOOTED has not been reported since but probably remains in the area.

Also, apparently late on Sunday an ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER was found at Mount Loretto Unique Area off Hylan Boulevard on Staten Island was seen early on Monday but not thereafter.

Among the other interesting birds on eastern Long Island this week were a CATTLE EGRET at Hook Pond in East Hampton last Sunday joined there by 3 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE while on the north fork a drake HARLEQUIN DUCK was still at Orient Beach State Park last Saturday and a drake KING EIDER was spotted in a flock of Common Eiders near Plum Island as viewed from the Orient Ferry last Saturday.

An HUDSONIAN GODWIT was also still at Sagg Pond in Bridgehampton on Saturday. This area is viewed from the parking lot at the south end of Sagg Main Street.

A drake EURASIAN WIGEON was still on Grant Pond in Hewlett at least to Tuesday and a CACKLING GOOSE visited Marratooka Lake in Mattituck Monday.

As per the alert provided two weeks ago indeed a few EVENING GROSBEAKS have appeared in the area with reports from Inwood Hill Park last week, three in Queens Monday and on Tuesday two at Mount Loretto Unique Area and one in Rye Westchester County. Hopefully a few more of this wonderful species will make it this far south but certainly they will not be the flocks that decades ago used to pour by our inland hawkwatches in good numbers this time of year.

Numbers of PINE SISKINS and PURPLE FINCHES do seem to be dropping down in numbers on good flight days now.

Other notable passerines have featured a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT in Central Park Sunday, a LAPLAND LONGSPUR at Bay Park in East Rockaway Sunday, a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW at Kissena Park in Queens Sunday and single DICKCISSELS at Inwood Hill Park to Monday and at a Queens feeder to Wednesday. Recent warblers have included a quite late YELLOW at Jones Beach West End Sunday plus ORANGE-CROWNED, BLACK-THROATED BLUE and GREEN, MAGNOLIA and AMERICAN REDSTART.

Also at Jones Beach West End a half dozen or so LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were still visiting the field 2 parking lot at high tide last weekend. NORTHERN GANNET numbers offshore were huge on Saturday but much diminished on Sunday when a distant JAEGER put in an appearance. A VESPER SPARROW also lingered there to Sunday.

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