New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, December 5, 2014:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Dec. 5, 2014
* NYNY1412.05

- Birds Mentioned

BARNACLE GOOSE+
COMMON GROUND-DOVE+
CASSIN’S KINGBIRD
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Cackling Goose
Eurasian Wigeon
KING EIDER
Common Eider
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Red-necked Grebe
American Bittern
Black Vulture
Rough-legged Hawk
American Oystercatcher
Marbled Godwit
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Ring-billed Gull
Razorbill
Mourning Dove
SNOWY OWL
Long-eared Owl
Horned Lark
Orange-crowned Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Lapland Longspur
Snow Bunting
Henslow’s Sparrow
LE CONTE’S SPARROW

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 nysarc44nybirdsorg

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

Compiler: Tom Burke, Tony Lauro
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County

Transcriber: Gail Benson

[~BEGIN RBA TAPE~]
Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, December
5, at 6:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are COMMON GROUND-DOVE, CASSIN’S KINGBIRD, LE CONTE’S SPARROW, BLACK-HEADED GULL, BARNACLE GOOSE, SNOWY OWL, HARLEQUIN DUCK, KING EIDER and more.

Despite the weather both the COMMON GROUND-DOVE and the CASSIN’S KINGBIRD have continued in our area, but if you haven’t seen them, don’t put it off much longer. The Ground-Dove at Jones Beach West End has become quite elusive, but continues to occasionally be seen around the NE corner of parking field 2 through Thursday. It was spotted Sunday near the West End turnaround as well, so it continues to move about that area, sometimes with accompanying MOURNING DOVES, but does seem to return periodically to the NE section of Lot 2.

The CASSIN’S KINGBIRD at Floyd Bennett Field was still present today. It has been seen most consistently around the picnic area south of the Community Garden but also occasionally frequents the Garden itself. Once it wanders off it becomes very difficult to find, so the best strategy seems to be to wait around the picnic area, keeping an eye also on the many perches in the Community Garden, which is off Aviation Boulevard.

It almost seemed like déjà-vu all over again, but with changes in species and location. Back on Sunday, November 23rd a richly colored HENSLOW’S SPARROW was found at Riis Park and was enjoyed by many as it ran through grasses there through Monday. Then last Sunday at Floyd Bennett Field a beautiful LE CONTE’S SPARROW was expertly uncovered as it too ran through low vegetation, also staying to Monday to the delight of many. Can’t wait to see what will show up this Sunday,

Other birds around Floyd Bennett Field this week featured 3 BLACK VULTURES overhead last Friday, LONG-EARED OWL, and 2 LAPLAND LONGSPURS last Friday, with one Saturday.

At Jones Beach West End, 2 HARLEQUIN DUCKS around Jones Inlet are most frequently seen on the Point Lookout side along the jetties, where a decent flock of COMMON EIDER also remained. The MARBLED GODWIT is still visiting the bar off the Coast Guard Station at high tide with AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS. A SNOWY OWL flying along the West End dunes last Saturday landed near enough to an AMERICAN BITTERN to cause the Bittern to relocate elsewhere, and also on Saturday three LAPLAND LONGSPURS were with SNOW BUNTINGS and HORNED LARKS in the swale off the Field 2 Pavilion.

In Westchester County an immature BLACK-HEADED GULL was found on Friday the 28th at Premium Mill Pond in Larchmont. It was relocated on Sunday, spending most of its time at adjacent Five Islands Park in New Rochelle, where it was still being seen today. The park entrance is off Route 1 on Le Fevres Lane, and the bird is usually with RING-BILLED GULLS feeding around the edge of the pond, especially on the east side. If not there, also check Premium Mill Pond to the east from Pryer Manor Road.

A BARNACLE GOOSE was seen on Miller’s Pond in Smithtown late last Saturday morning but not since. Scattered CACKLING GEESE included 6 on the fields and golf course at Van Cortland Park last Sunday.

Off Montauk Point last Sunday were a female KING EIDER with many COMMON EIDER and 4 RAZORBILLS.

Recent EURASIAN WIGEONS have been at Jamaica Bay’s East Pond, Bush Terminal Piers Park in Brooklyn, Grant Park in Hewlett, the Centerport Mill Pond, and Hommock’s Park in Mamaroneck. A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK has been at the landfills along the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn, and several reports of interesting species from RED-NECKED GREBE to ORANGE-CROWNED and WILSON’S WARBLERS hopefully forebode good things for the upcoming Christmas Bird Count season.

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