New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, February 6, 2015:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Feb. 6, 2015
* NYNY1502.06

- Birds mentioned
BARNACLE GOOSE+ (not reported)
MEW GULL+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
Cackling Goose
EURASIAN WIGEON
Common Eider
HARLEQUIN DUCK
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
Red-necked Grebe
Bald Eagle
NORTHERN GOSHAWK
Rough-legged Hawk
Wilson's Snipe
ICELAND GULL
GLAUCOUS GULL
Razorbill
Long-eared Owl
Common Raven
Horned Lark
American Pipit
Orange-crowned Warbler
Palm Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
LAPLAND LONGSPUR
Snow Bunting
Rusty Blackbird
Boat-tailed Grackle
Purple Finch
Common Redpoll
Pine Siskin

- 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, February 6th 2015 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are MEW GULL, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, HARLEQUIN DUCK, EURASIAN WIGEON, NORTHERN GOSHAWK, GLAUCOUS GULL, ICELAND GULL and LAPLAND LONGSPUR.

The immature MEW GULL continued its elusive and somewhat mysterious presence in Brooklyn reappearing last Sunday afternoon around the playing fields next to the Cesar's Bay shopping center after having gone unseen since the previous Monday. It was also reported there Monday and Tuesday afternoon including in the large parking lot at the shopping center where many Ring-billed Gulls gather and are occasionally fed. Whether the afternoon appearances are tide or time related has not been determined. This site is off the Belt Parkway just west of exit 5. The ICELAND GULL also continues there.

Also in Brooklyn the number of drake EURASIAN WIGEON at Bush Terminal Piers Park climbed to two last Saturday with both also present Sunday. Single GLAUCOUS and ICELAND GULLS were also still at that site Sunday. Another ICELAND has been around Coney Island Creek in Brooklyn and a couple of RED-NECKED GREBES continue along the Brooklyn / Queens shoreline. At Marine Park in Brooklyn there was WILSON'S SNIPE and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER this week.

The Fort Tilden sightings last Saturday included a RAZORBILL and 5 COMMON REDPOLLS with 3 LAPLAND LONGSPURS there today with many HORNED LARKS and SNOW BUNTINGS. Other REDPOLLS continue to be seen especially along the south shore of Long Island with up to 20 at Jones Beach West End, Robert Moses State Park with 8 PINE SISKINS and 30 at Smith Point County Park in Shirley last weekend. Additional weekend REDPOLLS included 18 in Springs and 11 at Orient State Park with one also continuing at the feeders in Central Park.

On Staten Island an apparent immature female BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, a bird provoking some discussion as to its identification, has recently been on a pond at Moravian Cemetery north of Richmond Road this area just east of High Rock Park.

At Jones Beach West End an immature NORTHERN GOSHAWK was seen a few times last weekend cruising the various pine groves. This may or may not be the same immature GOSHAWK also noted as far east as Tobay along Ocean Parkway. Three HARLEQUIN DUCKS and some COMMON EIDER also continue at Jones Inlet. The HARLEQUINS moving between the West End jetty and the jetties off Point Lookout. Also at West End 5 LAPLAND LONGSPURS were present Saturday together with many HORNED LARKS and SNOW BUNTINGS along the exposed grassy areas in the median or at the Coast Guard Station field and other species noted last weekend included AMERICAN PIPIT, PALM WARBLER, CHIPPING SPARROW and FIELD SPARROWS. A GLAUCOUS GULL visited the Jones Beach field 10 fishing piers Sunday where 2 BOAT-TAILED GRACKLES were also present.

A dead LONG-EARED OWL along Ocean Parkway last Sunday indicates they are around somewhere and 2 LAPLAND LONGSPURS were at Robert Moses State Park Wednesday.

A check at Belmont Lake State Park Wednesday morning found the 4 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, a CACKLING GOOSE and an immature ICELAND GULL but there was no sign of the BARNACLE GOOSE.

The Hudson River is in good shape with numbers of BALD EAGLES now and many are also being seen away from the river including one along with a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK along Dune Road west of Shinnecock Inlet Wednesday. Other recent sightings have featured a number of widely scattered COMMON RAVENS, some RUSTY BLACKBIRDS inhabiting some still open local wet areas and just a few PURPLE FINCHES.

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