New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, November 27, 2015:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Nov. 27, 2015
* NYNY1511.27

- Birds Mentioned

PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+
BARNACLE GOOSE+
WHITE-WINGED DOVE+
“WESTERN” FLYCATCHER+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
ROSS’S GOOSE
Cackling Goose
TUNDRA SWAN
Eurasian Wigeon
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN
Western Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
DOVEKIE
Black-legged Kittiwake
SABINE’S GULL
Bonaparte’s Gull
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Red-headed Woodpecker
Great Crested Flycatcher
Orange-crowned Warbler
‘AUDUBON’S” YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER

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, November 27, 2015 at 8:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are “WESTERN” FLYCATCHER, SABINE’S GULL, AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, WHITE-WINGED DOVE, DOVEKIE, PINK-FOOTED, BARNACLE, ROSS’S and GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, BLACK-HEADED GULL, TUNDRA SWAN, “AUDUBON’S” YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and more.

Of the two unidentified Flycatchers in Central Park last Friday, the Myiarchus was confirmed as a late GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER, but the Empidonax was indeed a great one, a “WESTERN” complex FLYCATCHER, either a PACIFIC SLOPE OR CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER. However, as these two very closely related and almost identical species are extremely difficult to separate away from their breeding ranges, the exact specific identity of the Central Park bird may not be determinable. New York’s only previous record of this complex, from Fire Island in 1995, was netted and measured but unfortunately not sufficiently to confirm either species. The Central Park “Western” was seen nicely Saturday and Sunday, and also on Monday, with calls recorded and even some droppings collected, so on-going analysis might provide some more specific evidence, though some folks do question whether these two actually deserve separate species ranking.

Other exciting birds this week included an adult SABINE’S GULL Sunday moving east offshore passed Dolphin Lane off Dune Road west of Shinnecock Inlet – this bird couldn’t be later relocated.

An AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge up to Saturday morning was joined by a 2nd Pelican as of mid-day Saturday, and both have continued there at the north end of the pond. Interestingly, at 8 am Saturday morning a Pelican was spotted flying west by Sherwood Island on the Connecticut coast, presumably the bird winding up at Jamaica Bay.

A WHITE-WINGED DOVE was spotted around the northwest side of the capped landfill at Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx on Monday but could not be found Tuesday.

On Wednesday, a DOVEKIE was reported flying east passed the Montauk harbor inlet.

A nice selection of Geese this week featured a PINK-FOOTED GOOSE found in Riverhead Thursday on the east side of Route 105 north of the Northville Turnpike and south of Sound Avenue, but it was not seen there today.

Also north of Riverhead on Thursday and today a ROSS’S GOOSE was present off Reeves Avenue just west of Roanoke Avenue and the Buffalo farm, this most likely the same Ross’s spotted Tuesday off Oakleigh Avenue north of Sound Avenue in Calverton.

A BARNACLE GOOSE was still visiting Marratooka Lake off New Suffolk Avenue in Mattituck last Saturday, presumably the same one present Tuesday on a field off Alvah’s Lane in Cutchogue.

A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was on Short’s Pond off Scuttle Hole Road in Watermilll Wednesday, and a few CACKLING GEESE have also been noted on eastern Long Island.

Four TUNDRA SWANS were back visiting Hook Pond in East Hampton as of Wednesday and were still present today.

An adult BLACK-HEADED GULL was a good find in Brooklyn last weekend, frequenting Gravesend Bay near Coney Island with some BONAPARTE’S GULLS.

A female “AUDUBON’S” form of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER was discovered last Sunday around the eastern parking lot at Sunken Meadows State Park, this the 3rd year in the last four that this subspecies has been seen at Sunken Meadows.

A nice coastal flight of BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES was noted moving east off Hither Hills State Park last Saturday morning, with 25 counted in less than an hour

Up to 12 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS were still along Santapogue Creek in Lindenhurst during the week, and 1 was Saturday still on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, where 2 EURASIAN WIGEONS were noted last Sunday, at least one regular there; another EURASIAN was off Route 25A in Centerport Monday.

RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS continue in Central Park and Brooklyn’s Greenwood Cemetery, and 2 were in Willowbrook Park on Staten Island last Saturday.

Among a few reports, 2 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS were at Jones Beach West End today, along with WESTERN SANDPIPER on the bar.

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