New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, January 23, 2015:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Jan. 23, 2015
* NYNY1501.23

- Birds Mentioned

PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+
BARNACLE GOOSE+
MEW GULL+
THICK-BILLED MURRE+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Greater White-Fronted Goose
Cackling Goose
Tundra Swan
Eurasian Wigeon
KING EIDER
Common Eider
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Common Goldeneye
BARROW’S GOLDENEYE
Red-necked Grebe
EARED GREBE
American Bittern
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Ring-billed Gull
Iceland Gull
Glaucous Gull
Razorbill
Snowy Owl
Short-eared Owl
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
COMMON REDPOLL

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, January 23 at 7:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are MEW GULL, PINK-FOOTED and BARNACLE GEESE, EARED GREBE, THICK-BILLED MURRE, BARROW’S GOLDENEYE, KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, BLACK-HEADED GULL and a COMMON REDPOLL incursion.

This Wednesday a 1st winter MEW GULL was spotted along the Brooklyn waterfront, where it spent several hours yesterday, but was apparently only seen sporadically this morning. This very brownish immature is the North American subspecies brachyrhynchus, whereas most New York records have involved the European form canus, called Common Gull. This bird has been frequenting the shoreline just west of the Ceasar’s Bay shopping center and has also been perched on the Kohl’s and adjacent buildings in the center. This site is just off the Belt Parkway; if eastbound on the Belt, park at the roadside parking area just before exit 5 off the Belt; if westbound, it may be best to get off at Exit 5 and work your way around to the shopping center area. Look for the Mew in the large flock of RING-BILLED GULLS that gather there. An ICELAND GULL was also there today.

The BARNACLE GOOSE was still being seen early in the morning at the goose overnight roost on the lake at Belmont Lake State Park through last weekend. Also in the large Canada flock have been a CACKLING and 4 GREATER-WHITE-FRONTED GEESE.

The PINK-FOOTED GOOSE and a GREATER-WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE were reported again Thursday in the fields along Doctor’s Path south of Sound Avenue, north of Riverhead, while Friday morning the PINK-FOOTED was still on Merritts Pond in Riverhead late in the morning.

Further east on Long Island a THICK-BILLED MURRE was spotted Tuesday around the inlet to Montauk harbor and was still being seen inside the inlet today, often in the vicinity of the Coast Guard Station off the west side of Lake Montauk as viewed from Star Island. A couple of ICELAND GULLS have also been near the west side of the west inlet jetty, with two HARLEQUIN DUCKS there Monday.

Back at Jones Beach West End, last Saturday 2 EARED GREBES were present in Jones Inlet off Point Lookout, with a RED-NECKED GREBE between the east and middle of the Point Lookout jetties. At least 1 of the EARED GREBES and the RED-NECKED GREBE were still being seen recently, and 2 HARLEQUIN DUCKS also continue there, but the female KING EIDER there has become even more elusive. A drake KING EIDER does remain at Shinnecock, seen with COMMON EIDERS usually near the large sandbar inside the inlet as viewed from the main inlet parking lot.

Besides the drake BARROW’S GOLDENEYE that has been just west of Sands Point Preserve, others uncovered recently include a pair returning to the south end of Lake Montauk, best viewed from South Lake Drive, and, on the north fork of Long Island, seen on Wednesday were a pair of Barrow’s at Mattituck inlet along the north shore and a drake seen 3 miles east of there off Duck Pond Road in Cutchogue, all these in COMMON GOLDENEYE flocks. The Mattituck male was just east of the east jetty off Baillie Beach today.

Two TUNDRA SWANS continue on mostly frozen Hook Pond in East Hampton, where up to 4 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE have also been present.

Two HARLEQUIN DUCKS continue at Point Lookout, and EURASIAN WIGEONS continue at several sites.

A BLACK-HEADED GULL was reported again from northern Manhattan along the East River Monday.

A GLAUCOUS GULL continues at Shinnecock Inlet, with an ICELAND GULL also there Monday. Another Glaucous was at Jones Beach West End Saturday, and another Iceland has been at Iron Pier in Northville.

70 RAZORBILLS were counted at Montauk Point Sunday, with 25 or so off Fort Tilden Tuesday.

A SNOWY OWL on Hick’s Island off Nappeague seems safer there than those being chased around the south shore of Long Island. And we mention two SHORT-EARED OWLS appearing late in the afternoon at the old Grumman Airport in Calverton, these just one of the reasons why this wonderful grassland should be preserved.

A nice invasion of COMMON REDPOLLS has begun this week, with birds appearing in numerous locations, with perhaps the largest flock the up to 50 plus near Tiana Beach along Dune Road west of Shinnecock Inlet. AMERICAN BITTERN is also regular along Dune Road.

An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and a NASHVILLE WARBLER continue at Massapequa Preserve, and two Orange-Crowneds were seen at Brooklyn’s Marine Park Tuesday.

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