New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, January 16, 2015:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Jan. 16, 2015
* NYNY1501.16

- Birds mentioned
PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+
BARNACLE GOOSE+
COMMON MURRE+
COUCH'S KINGBIRD+ (not reported)
CASSIN'S KINGBIRD+ (not reported)
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Greater White-fronted Goose
Snow Goose
ROSS'S GOOSE
Cackling Goose
Eurasian Wigeon
Green-winged Teal (Eurasian form "Common Teal")
KING EIDER
Harlequin Duck
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
EARED GREBE
Bald Eagle
Golden Eagle
American Oystercatcher
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Black-legged Kittiwake
Dovekie
Razorbill
BOHEMIAN WAXWING
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler

- 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, January 16th 2015 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are BOHEMIAN WAXWING, pelagic trip results, PINK-FOOTED GOOSE, ROSS'S GOOSE, BARNACLE GOOSE, EARED GREBE, BLACK-HEADED GULL, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE and KING EIDER.

Firstly a kingbird update. Unfortunately the last dates reported seem to be January 9th for the COUCH'S KINGBIRD in lower Manhattan and January 5th for the CASSIN'S KINGBIRD at Floyd Bennett Field.

Another nice passerine, a BOHEMIAN WAXWING, spent last weekend visiting fruiting trees near the Chandler Estate in Miller Place on north-central Long Island. The waxwing was usually in the company of robins and starlings so watch for flocking birds at fruit bearing trees.

A pelagic trip, sponsored by See Life Paulagics last Sunday from Freeport aboard the Captain Lou's Star Stream VIII got out over 40 miles and recorded 37 RAZORBILLS, 8 COMMON MURRES, and 87 DOVEKIES and among the gulls 2 ICELAND, LESSER BLACK-BACKED and 8 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES. Interestingly another COMMON MURRE was spotted inside Jones Inlet Sunday seen off Jones Beach West End Coast Guard Station. Also around the inlet an EARED GREBE was present Saturday and Sunday near the Point Lookout eastern jetty and a female KING EIDER was still in the Common Eider flock seen both off Point Lookout and off the Jones Beach West End jetty. Two HARLEQUIN DUCKS also continue around the Point Lookout jetties and 4 AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS were still in that area Saturday.

It seems the best bet now to see the BARNACLE GOOSE is to be at Belmont Lake State Park early in the morning before the geese fly out from their nighttime roost. Also roosting there have been 4 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED, 1 CACKLING and 3 SNOW GEESE. Once they leave the lake, usually beginning around 8:30am or a little after 9am the places to look for the BARNACLE would be at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale or on private Colonial Springs Golf Course on the east side of Wellwood Avenue north of the cemetery. The PINK-FOOTED GOOSE was seen last weekend along Roanoke Avenue north of Riverhead and should also be looked for along the east side of Doctor's Path south of Sound Avenue. The ROSS'S GOOSE was at the latter site last Saturday when a second ROSS'S was also spotted at Southaven County Park in Yaphank this latter may have been the same ROSS'S reported from Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge in Shirley south of Route 27 on Sunday.

A drake BARROW'S GOLDENEYE continues with Common Goldeneyes off the Sands Point Preserve. The bird is usually off to the northwest from the preserve often fairly far out.

A drake KING EIDER spotted at Shinnecock Inlet last Saturday was still present today is usually with Common Eider north of the main parking lot at the inlet out near the sandbars. A GLAUCOUS GULL also continues at Shinnecock.

A BLACK-HEADED GULL was seen again at Riverside Park in northern Manhattan flying by the park late Thursday afternoon.

The Eurasian form of GREEN-WINGED TEAL remains on the small pond in Centerport. This pond on the north side of Route 25A on the west side of the Chalet Motel parking lot. A controversial wigeon neither a Eurasian or a hybrid also continues there.

Other GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE have been at Marratooka Lake in Mattituck Sunday and at Playland Lake in Rye this week. The latter location also hosting a CACKLING GOOSE plus a EURASIAN WIGEON on Wednesday. Other EURASIAN WIGEON remain at Bush Terminal Piers Park in Brooklyn and on the West Sayville Golf Course and other drakes were reported at Deep Hole Creek in Mattituck Sunday and at Massapequa Preserve today. A nice mix of birds at Massapequa Preserve include continuing ORANGE-CROWNED and NASHVILLE WARBLERS often seen together in the cattails north of the bridge over the stream at the Walker Street ball field entrance. A good number of BALD EAGLES are present regionally now and a couple of GOLDEN EAGLES have been reported so look at your eagles carefully.

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