New York City Rare Bird Alert

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

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Mar. 6, 2015
* NYNY1503.06

- Birds mentioned
PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+
BARNACLE GOOSE+
MEW GULL+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Eurasian Wigeon
KING EIDER
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
Red-necked Grebe
Northern Goshawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Wilson's Snipe
BLACK-HEADED GULL
ICELAND GULL
GLAUCOUS GULL
Long-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Chipping Sparrow
Lapland Longspur
Common Redpoll

- 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, March 6th 2015 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are MEW GULL, BLACK-HEADED GULL, GLAUCOUS GULL, ICELAND GULL, PINK-FOOTED GOOSE, BARNACLE GOOSE, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, KING EIDER and more.

What was presumably the same first year brachyrhynchus MEW GULL that had earlier frequented the Brooklyn waterfront near the Caesar's Bay shopping mall, now perhaps in more advanced or more worn plumage, was photographed Monday along the shore of Gravesend Bay about 1/4 mile south of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.

The PINK-FOOTED GOOSE was still present north of Riverhead last Saturday spotted in its usual location with Canadas on the sod fields south of Sound Avenue between Doctor's Path on the west and Route 105 on the east this time closer to Doctor's Path. Careful searching is often necessary.

A BARNACLE GOOSE was found in Calverton Sunday off Manor Road west of Twomey Avenue and just north of Route 25 and hasn't been spotted there since.

Besides the female BARROW'S GOLDENEYE continuing on the pond at Moravian Cemetery north of Richmond Road on Staten Island a drake BARROW'S GOLDENEYE was spotted in Rockaway Inlet in Brooklyn on Tuesday and Wednesday the bird with Common Goldeneye several hundred yards off Manhattan Beach Park.

Out on Long Island's north fork 2 female KING EIDERS were identified last Sunday with 140 Common Eider off Orient Point County Park where a drake EURASIAN WIGEON was present Saturday and Sunday this conjectured to be one of two drakes previously present on nearby Plum Island.

An adult BLACK-HEADED GULL was spotted Sunday off Fort Tilden the bird ultimately moving out to sea. On Wednesday single GLAUCOUS GULLS were reported near the Caeser's Bay Plaza in Brooklyn and in Napeague Harbor west of Montauk while the ICELAND GULL continues in Gravesend Bay often near the Caeser's Bay location.

The immature NORTHERN GOSHAWK was reported a few times this week at Jones Beach West End between Saturday and Wednesday cruising about the various groves.

A continuing freeze north of our area has driven a higher than usual number of RED-NECKED GREBES to our area. Present at numerous locations recent peak numbers have included 10 off Smith Point County Park in Shirley last Saturday and 16 flying by Robert Moses State Park Sunday with 6 also at Oak Beach that day. Other multiples include 4 off Fort Tilden and 3 at Point Lookout Saturday and 3 in Jamaica Bay off Floyd Bennett Field Tuesday [...] was one at Baisley Park in Queens recently.

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS continue especially around marshes and other open areas locally including 3 at Floyd Bennett Field, several along Ocean Parkway from Jones Beach West End to Captree and 5 counted Saturday at the Calverton Grasslands on the former Grumman airport.

COMMON REDPOLLS have been seen recently at the Ramble feeders in Central Park along with a wintering CHIPPING SPARROW and also in Prospect Park. Larger numbers of REDPOLLS along the south shore of Long Island last Saturday included about 45 at Jones Beach West End and 70 estimated at Robert Moses State Park.

Seemingly diminished numbers of LAPLAND LONGSPURS locally include two at Floyd Bennett Field Tuesday and one at Riis Park Sunday.

A WILSON'S SNIPE continues at Saltmarsh Nature Center at Marine Park Brooklyn and reports SHORT-EARED, LONG-EARED and NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS indicate they are still around.

To phone in reports on Long Island, call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126 or during the day except Sunday 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