New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, January 30, 2015:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Jan. 30, 2015
* NYNY1501.30

- Birds Mentioned

PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+
CRESTED CARACARA sp?+
MEW GULL+
THICK-BILLED MURRE+
WESTERN TANAGER+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Greater White-Fronted Goose
Tundra Swan
Eurasian Wigeon
KING EIDER
Common Eider
Harlequin Duck
BARROW’S GOLDENEYE
EARED GREBE
Northern Goshawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Long-billed Dowitcher
LITTLE GULL
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Razorbill
Snowy Owl
BOHEMIAN WAXWING
Cedar Waxwing
Lapland Longspur
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 30 at
6:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are MEW GULL, a CRESTED CARACARA-- species and provenance to be determined, BOHEMIAN WAXWING, WESTERN TANAGER, EARED GREBE, LITTLE GULL, THICK-BILLED MURRE, PINK-FOOTED GOOSE, BARROW’S GOLDENEYE, KING EIDER and more.

The Brooklyn MEW GULL, an immature of the western subspecies brachyrhynchus, went unobserved last weekend but reappeared Monday morning on the small ballfield along the Belt Parkway just northwest of the Caesar’s Bay shopping center; though not reported since Monday, it presumably continues in that area. An ICELAND GULL has also been around that site.

Among a few odd birds appearing recently was a CRESTED CARACARA photographed back on the 22nd in Seaford, Nassau County. Certainly issues to be resolved regarding this bird would include its origin and, as the Crested Caracaras were split a while ago, which species is represented, either Northern or Southern. Please pass on any additional sightings of this bird. Interestingly, this follows another Caracara report from Bear Mountain back on January 5th.

Also intriguing was a female WESTERN TANAGER visiting a feeder at a private home in Rocky Point, Suffolk County on Wednesday and Thursday. So watch your feeders closely.

On Sunday, a BOHEMIAN WAXWING was reported with 18 CEDAR WAXWINGS at the Sands Point Preserve, where a drake BARROW’S GOLDENEYE continues offshore, usually a little west of the Preserve.

At least one of the EARED GREBES was still off Point Lookout Sunday near the jetties, and the number of HARLEQUIN DUCKS there is now up to three.

The EURASIAN WIGEON was still present today, at Bush Terminal Piers Park in Brooklyn, where birders during the week have also been treated to single GLAUCOUS, ICELAND and LESSER-BLACK-BACKED GULLS.

Floyd Bennett Field last weekend hosted a SNOWY OWL and a LAPLAND LONGSPUR, and once again we ask that people don’t approach this or any roosting owl too closely. Twenty-eight RAZORBILLS were counted off Breezy Point Sunday.

Last Wednesday an immature NORTHERN GOSHAWK was reported both from Jones Beach and farther east at Tobay, and on eastern Long Island another was noted briefly harassing a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK at Napeague Sunday.

A EURASIAN WIGEON spotted at Connetquot River State Park last Saturday was still present today and on Sunday a LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER was seen and heard in the marsh at the William Floyd Estate in Mastic Beach.

In the Riverhead area the PINK-FOOTED GOOSE was reported again last Sunday in the fields along Doctors Path and Route 105.

Moving further east on Long Island’s south fork, the drake KING EIDER was still in the COMMON EIDER flock inside Shinnecock Bay as viewed from the main parking lot at the inlet on Wednesday. At Hook Pond in East Hampton the two TUNDRA SWANS left the pond some time Sunday morning, but the four GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were present in the afternoon.

The THICK-BILLED MURRE was last noted on Lake Montauk early Saturday morning, but a female BARROW’S GOLDENEYE was just off Star Island inside the inlet Sunday. The Goldeneye seemed injured, perhaps a hunting casualty, which might also explain the male’s apparent absence.

An adult LITTLE GULL was reported from Montauk Point Sunday off the lighthouse, and three ICELAND GULLS, including two adults, were around the Montauk Harbor inlet Sunday, when a SNOWY OWL was also seen from Napeague.

COMMON REDPOLLS have been widely scattered recently, but it seems mostly along the south shore of Long Island. Flocks of 10 to 30 have occurred from Great Kills Park on Staten Island to Point Lookout to Jones Beach and Tobay, and continuing east to Tiana Beach along Dune Road west of Shinnecock Inlet. One has also been consistently visiting the feeders in Central Park’s Ramble.

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