Treehugger Tuesday

Bikes vs. Cars
A film by Fredrik Gertten

New York Times Critics' Pick!

Bikes vs Cars depicts a global crisis that we all deep down know we need to talk about: climate, earth's resources, cities where the entire surface is consumed by the car. An ever-growing, dirty, noisy traffic chaos. The bike is a great tool for change, but the powerful interests who gain from the private car invest billions each year on lobbying and advertising to protect their business. In the film we meet activists and thinkers who are fighting for better cities, who refuse to stop riding despite the increasing number killed in traffic.

Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of Friday, January 1, 2016 to Sunday, January 3, 2016:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Sunday, January 3 , 10 am – 11 am
Early Morning Bird Walk: Bring in the New Year with Birds
Join the Prospect Park Alliance and explore the Park’s nature trails and discover the beautiful plumage and fascinating behavior of the Park’s wintering ducks. Please note this tour leaves promptly at 10 am. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club.

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Marathon Tour of Brooklyn's Southern Beaches
Leader: Peter Dorosh
Focus: winter gulls, ducks, sea bird waterfowl, waterbirds; dune species.
Registrar: Peter Dorosh 347-622-3559 (text only) prosbird@aol.com (for more info)
Meet: 8:00 am at the Q train stop "Brighton Beach" off hours section benches by token booth http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/qline.htm
Note: The total hike will approach 9 miles, birding first Brighton Beach, Sheepshead Bay, little known Manhattan Beach, Plumb Beach, then in reverse back towards Coney Island, Norton Point and Coney Island Creek. This is an all day affair. We return to Stillwell Avenue train terminal. Dress warm or appropriate winter wear and proper footwear. We may stop in a diner or eatery on Emmons Ave.

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Gateway National Parks
Friday, January 1, 2016
New Year’s Day Beach Walk
Location: Fort Tilden, Building 1. | Map
Time: 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Fee Information: FREE
Contact Phone Number: (732) 291 – 0055
Meet at Ford Tilden in Breezy Point for a brisk hike along the beach, dunes and woods to welcome in the New Year. Look for Saw-whet and Snowy Owls. Warm up and enjoy light refreshments afterward at the Rockaway Artists Alliance building.
Leaders: Mickey Maxwell Cohen and Don Riepe. With American Littoral Society and NYC Audubon.
2 mile hike.

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Littoral Society
Friday, January 1, 2016, 11:00am - 01:00pm
New Year's Day Beach Walk
Meet at Fort Tilden in Breezy Point. Walk will be led by Mickey Cohen and Don Riepe. The walk is in partnership with Gateway National Recreation Area and the NYC Audubon Society.
Following the walk, enjoy refreshments and cookies at the Rockaway Artists Alliance building. No reservations necessary.
Location : Fort Tilden, NY

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center

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New York City Audubon Society
Friday, January 1, 2016, 11am – 1pm
New Year's Day Beach Walk at Fort Tilden
Guide: Don Riepe, Mickey Cohen with American Littoral Society and Gateway NRA
Meet at Fort Tilden in Breezy Point for a brisk hike along the beach, dunes and woods to welcome in the new year. Look for Saw-whet and Snowy Owls.
Enjoy champagne, coffee and cookies afterward at the Rockaway Artists Allianced bldg.
Leaders: Mickey Cohen, Don Riepe. With American Littoral Society and Gateway NRA.
For info, call (718) 474-0896. No reservations necessary. Free

Sunday, January 3, 2016, 10am – 1pm
Central Park Winter Walk
Guide: Gabriel Willow
Meet at the entrance to Central Park at Central Park West and 72nd Street. Some of the best sightings await hardy nature-lovers willing to venture out in winter! Several species of owls can be seen in Central Park for example, but generally only in the colder months. "Winter finches" such as Pine Siskins, Redpolls, and Crossbills have also been found at the feeders or in conifers in the park. Observing the adaptations for cold-weather survival among Blue Jays, Titmice, and other resident species is fascinating as well. Warm up after the walk with a hot chocolate by the fireplace at the Loeb Boathouse. Limited to 15. $36 (25)
Click here to register

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods
Friday, January 1, 2016, 10:00am – 2:00pm
26th Annual New Year’s Day Walk to Crooke’s Point
Cost: Free
Contact: Jim Scarcella / Cliff Hagen 718-873-4291 / 718-313-8591
Join NRPA and PPOW for a healthy start to a fantastic New Year. Gather in the parking lot at Hylan Blvd. and carpool to the last lot before Crooke’s Point. The group will observe wintering birds and dormant grasses while discussing ideas and concerns for the year ahead. After a half mile walk to the point, we will share treats and tales in celebration of the New Year. We continue to the harbor before returning to the cars.

Saturday, January 2, 2016, 12:00pm – 2:00pm
Clay Pits “After the Rut”
Cost: Free
Contact: Clay Wollney 718-869-6327
The deer have recently finished the rutting season and the males are calming down. The antlers, which are no longer needed, are shed at this time. In addition to searching for shed antlers, we will examine the impact that the large number of deer living here have had on this unique and shrinking pine – oak ecosystem. Additionally, we will take a look at the new developments along the park boundaries in terms of their impact on the park and contemplate the impact of recreational use in terms of the original reasons that the park exists in the first place.

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South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Mill Pond Park

All walks start at 9:00 A.M.
There is no walk if it rains or snows or temperature is below 25°F.
For more information or in case of questionable weather conditions, please phone Joe at 516 467-9498.
For directions to our bird-watching locations, click here.

New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, December 25, 2015:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Dec. 25, 2015
* NYNY1512.25

- Birds Mentioned

SWAINSON’S HAWK+
ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER+
PAINTED BUNTING+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Greater White-Fronted Goose
ROSS’S GOOSE
Cackling Goose
Tundra Swan
Eurasian Wigeon
Blue-winged Teal
TUFTED DUCK
KING EIDER
Red-necked Grebe
NORTHERN FULMAR
Sooty Shearwater
Northern Gannet
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN
American Bittern
Great Egret
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Virginia Rail
Sora
Long-billed Dowitcher
DOVEKIE
Razorbill
Black-legged Kittiwake
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Laughing Gull
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Snowy Owl
Long-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Blue-headed Vireo
Common Raven
CAVE SWALLOW
TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE
Lapland Longspur
Worm-eating Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Pine Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
LARK SPARROW
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Baltimore Oriole
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 Thursday, December 25, 2015 at 9:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are Christmas Count results, including PAINTED BUNTING, SWAINSON’S HAWK, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, DOVEKIE, NORTHERN FULMAR, AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, TUFTED DUCK, KING EIDER, BLACK-HEADED GULL, TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE and LARK and CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS, plus CAVE SWALLOW and ROSS’S GOOSE.

Last Saturday’s start to the Christmas Count season began with mild temperatures, which enabled several rare stake-outs to stick around, but also strong winds, which did have a negative impact on most counts.

The Queens Count came in with the highest total Saturday, 119 species, their highlights including CACKLING GOOSE at Flushing Meadows, EURASIAN WIGEON and 3 BLUE-WINGED TEAL on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, where the 2 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS also returned for the Count, 3 BALD EAGLES, SNOWY OWL at JFK Airport, COMMON RAVEN, 3 PINE and 2 NASHVILLE WARBLERS, plus a Count Period WORM-EATING WARBLER the day before at Forest Park and the now well publicized CLAY-COLORED and LARK SPARROWS, still present today at Flushing Meadows Park near the Meditation Garden north of the Long Island Expressway.

The Kings (Brooklyn) Count Saturday recorded 117 species including AMERICAN BITTERN, BALD EAGLE, the immature BLACK-HEADED GULL on Prospect Park Lake, a BLUE-HEADED VIREO, new for the count, 1 YELLOW, 1 NASHVILLE, and 3 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, and the now famous PAINTED BUNTING at Prospect Park, still present yesterday around the green roof at the LeFrak Center in the southeast corner of the park.

The Montauk Count Saturday, killed by winds cancelling any coverage of Gardiner’s Island, netted just 111 species, including a drake KING EIDER off the south side of the Point, GREEN HERON, 3 VIRGINIA RAILS, 1 ICELAND, 1 LESSER BLACK-BACKED and 2 LAUGHING GULLS, 3 DOVEKIES and a good number of RAZORBILLS, SNOWY and SHORT-EARED OWLS, an ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER and a COMMON REDPOLL. The morning before off Amagansett, 4 NORTHERN FULMARS, a SOOTY SHEARWATER and a BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE were seen during a sea watch. The ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER was still present today at the Fort Hill Cemetery in Montauk; look along the bush line on the northern side of the Cemetery located just west of the Montauk Manor, approached from Essex Street.

The Northern Nassau Count Saturday counted 102 species, including NORTHERN GANNET, 5 LAUGHING GULLS, TURKEY VULTURES, RED-NECKED GREBE, BALTIMORE ORIOLE, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, and 2 new count additions, a LAPLAND LONGSPUR and a female PAINTED BUNTING - the BUNTING was at Caumsett State Park well away from the parking lot and could not later be relocated.

Rarities on 2 Saturday counts with unknown results included the SWAINSON’S HAWK at the Great Kills Landfill on Staten Island and the LARK SPARROW at Croton Point Park in the Peekskill Count circle. The SWAINSON’S HAWK was still being seen yesterday, but the issue here is visibility of the closed landfill, with the periphery off Richmond Avenue sometimes productive.

Under better conditions Sunday, the Captree Count recorded 122 species – 2 new additions were the immature TUFTED DUCK on Capri Lake in West Islip and 10 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS at Santapogue Creek in Lindenhurst, the TUFTED still present Thursday. Capri Lake is on the north side of Route 27A, 7/10ths of a mile west of the Robert Moses Causeway. Also counted were PRAIRIE, NASHVILLE, and 3 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, and LINCOLN’S SPARROW.

The Greenwich-Stamford Count Sunday, including parts of Westchester County, netted 101 species including 2 CACKLING GEESE, GREAT EGRET, RED-NECKED GREBE, LONG-EARED OWL, BALTIMORE ORIOLE, and the TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE still lingering in Cos Cob, CT.

The Rockland County Count Sunday netted 78 species, including 16 COMMON RAVENS, and in Central Park as part of the Lower Hudson Count Sunday they found ORANGE-CROWNED, WILSON’S and BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS.

A ROSS’S GOOSE continues to visit Eastport Lake off Montauk Highway, and recently there have been 2 TUNDRA SWANS and 2 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE on Hook Pond in East Hampton. A CAVE SWALLOW was on Fire Island on the 18th.

Happy holidays! 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

Season's Greetings

Brooklyn Christmas Bird Count Overview

Given the past 2 month's unseasonably warm weather with few intervals of northwest winds, nobody should have been surprised by this year's dearth of winter birds during Brooklyn's Christmas Bird Count. Probably the only good news was that Prospect Park's vagrant Painted Bunting survived, making it a new species for the Kings County's CBC. A rare Black-headed Gull also hung around the park's lake. The last time this gull was recorded on a Christmas Count here was in 1983.

On Friday the winds shifted to the north and I was cautiously optimistic that we would finally see some winter birds. Josh, Peter and I arrived at Floyd Bennett's grasslands before sunrise hoping to spot some owls. We walked the runways at the edge of the grass in the dark, blustery hour before the sun came up. Nothing. I think we were spoiled by two previous years of Snowy Owls in Brooklyn. In fact, last year we spotted three species of owl at Floyd Bennett Field during the count. This year zilch. The weather patterns not withstanding, it also really hurt that the managers of this national park decided to mow the grasslands two weeks before the count. It is supposed to be done in August, giving some of the vegetation time to regrow. Some of the typical and irregular species that forage or hunt in these fields are Ring-necked Pheasant, Northern Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Eastern Meadowlark and Savannah Sparrow. The only animal on the fields this year were a couple of feral cats...but that's a story for another day.

Josh and I volunteered to make the run across the peninsula to Dead Horse Bay. Near the marina at the north end a huge flock of scaup usually lingers during the cold months. Sometimes other waterfowl will mix in with them, as well as, Horned Grebes. On Saturday the northwest wind was blasting across the water so hard that we had to set up our scopes behind the hull of a derelict boat to use as a windbreak. For the first time in over a decade there wasn't a single scaup at Dead Horse. There wasn't much of anything there other than some scattered Brant. We hurried back to meet the rest of the team at Archery Road and figure out where we might scrap up a few birds.

After conferring with Ron, Josh and I decided to split from the main group and check the coast by Raptor Point. Also, a short distance down the beach is a small, seldom birded pond Heydi and I have named "Raptor Point Pond". Sometimes it is filled with water, sometimes it isn't much more than a mud flat. After Friday's rainfall, I figured it would be full and that maybe we would find a wading bird or large shorebird.

There is a small, grassy peninsula near the western end of the pond with a narrow trail through the vegetation. From here one gets a nice overview of the entire pond. I always walk up very slowly and quietly to avoid flushing any birds that may be along the near edge. On Saturday I was particularly careful as the water was very high and didn't want to sink into the mud. We did a quick scan. Nothing. I took two more steps, then a small rail shot out from directly in front of my right foot and skittered across the water to the opposite side. It immediately disappeared into the phragmites. The bird was a mostly grey, short billed rail with greenish yellow feet and legs and mostly unmarked dark brown primaries, nape and mantle. Josh and I stared at each other in disbelief. SORA?! We briefly toyed with the idea of the only other two small, short billed rails - Black Rail and Yellow Rail. I immediately ruled out Black Rail as it is a tiny bird, small enough for me to hide in my two cupped hands. Yellow Rail was out for two reasons. Our bird had no orange-yellow streaks on the upper body and no white in the wings when it flew. Josh reminded me that there had actually been quite a few Sora sightings over the fall and the incredible warm weather may have encouraged one to stick around. This is the first time I've seen a Sora at Floyd Bennett Field and my first for a Christmas Bird Count.

A lack of birds at Dead Horse Bay and a virtually denuded grassland gave us more time to cover areas that usually went unchecked. Unfortunately it was slim pickings wherever we looked. I was almost glad, though, because as the day progressed I got sicker and sicker. By 3pm my voice was completely gone. I missed the compilation dinner and ended up spending the next two days mostly in bed. Next year will be much better, I'm sure of it...

Below are the preliminary results for all Brooklyn location provided by compiler Rick Cech. Rare and irregular species have been highlighted in RED. The YELLOW column is just Floyd Bennett Field (including Dead Horse Bay).

**********

Locations Key for chart:

NS = North shore of Brooklyn
PP = Prospect Park
GW = Green-Wood Cemetery
OH = Owls Head Park
MP = Marine Park
FB = Floyd Bennett Field
BB = Bergen Beach
SC = Spring Creek
JB = Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
RP = Riis Park
BP = Breezy Point
BT = Bush Terminal




**********

To put this year's "unusual" results in perspective, below is a chart of highlights and low-lights. Note how many species were at a 10 year low.

Treehugger Tuesday

Greater Efficiency Means Less CO₂

The following article is from the The Washington Post:

Obama just released the biggest energy efficiency rule in U.S. history
By Chris Mooney December 17

U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz delivers a speech during the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) at Le Bourget, near Paris, France, on De. 8. (Stephane Mahe/Reuters)

They dribble out regularly — Energy Department rules or “standards” that require ever improving levels of energy efficiency for dishwashers, refrigerators, and much more.

On Thursday, though, the Department dumped what it is describing as the “largest energy-saving standard in history” and one that “will save more energy than any other standard issued by the Department to date” — a standard governing commercial air conditioners and furnaces. These devices consume a gigantic amount of energy across America because, well, they keep us comfortable in large buildings.

“It’s over 10 percent of all the commercial space energy, it covers heating and cooling for roughly half of commercial space,” said Ernest Moniz, secretary of energy, on the announcement of the regulation.

Accordingly, making these devices more efficient can thus really move the needle, and the new standard, says the department, will translate into $ 167 billion in saved costs for businesses over the life of the standard, as well as 885 million tons fewer carbon dioxide emissions. (That’s just shy of a gigaton, or a billion tons.)

“The amended energy conservation standards being adopted for these equipment would result in the significant conservation of energy and be technologically feasible and economically justified,” the new rule states.

The new standard was actually produced through what Moniz calls a “consensus process” involving industry, labor groups, and environmentalists. A number praised the action Thursday.

“They really came out with the most favorable ruling for all parties involved,” said Terry Johnston, vice-president and chief operating officer for Lennox International, a large maker of industrial air conditioners and other products. Johnston said that while Lennox will have to create some new products to comply with the standard, it has adequate of time to do so.

“These standards are a game-changer for the commercial sector,” said Steve Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. “Industry and advocates worked closely together to help produce the biggest energy savings standards in US history. These new standards will bring down the cost of doing business and improve bottom lines by letting companies invest money they used to spend on heating and cooling. This will in turn stimulate the economy, create jobs, and bring us closer to the finish line of the president’s climate goals for appliance standards.”

As the quotation suggests, it’s hard to interpret this move outside of the context of the Paris agreement, struck Saturday due in significant part to high levels of U.S. engagement and diplomacy. Now the Obama administration has come home and immediately ushered in a big move that will, over the long run, make us a lower-emitting country.

What makes the rule the biggest ever, according to the Energy Department, is the total amount of energy that it saves over the lifetime of the standard, which would be 15 quads — short for a quadrillion (a one with fifteen zeros after it) British thermal units, or BTUs. A BTU is defined as “the heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.”

Just to give some sense of scale – in 2012, the entire U.S. used 97 quads of energy.

The Obama administration has launched new efficiency standards covering more than 40 products since taking office, and the net amount of greenhouse gases that these standards will prevent is over 2 gigatons, or billion tons, by the year 2030, according to the department. The new standard arrives in this midst and boosts the entire group significantly.

“We think we’re on track to get to, or very close to, 3 gigatons of C02 cumulative up to 2030,” says Moniz. He notes that after 2030, even greater savings will kick in.

In 2013 alone, the U.S. emitted 5.5 gigatons of carbon dioxide.

Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of Saturday, December 26, 2015 to Sunday, December 27, 2015:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, December 26, 2015, 12–1 pm
Introduction to Bird Watching
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club

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Hudson River Audubon Society of Westchester
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Bronx-Westchester Christmas Bird Count
A census of birds in the area. Help gather information on local bird populations in the 90th year of the count.
There is no particular meeting place for this event. Different groups of volunteers start at various locations throughout southern Westchester and the Bronx and canvas their area for birds. For more information, call the Count Compiler, Michael Bochnik at 237-9331, or visit http://hras.org/bwcbc.html

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Introduction to Bird Watching at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home.
Free!

Birding: Jamaica Bay at Bay 32nd Street and Beach Channel Drive (in Bayswater Park), Queens
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Our Urban Park Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in the urban jungle. We offer birding programs throughout the year.
Free!

Sunday, December 27, 2015
Birding: Owls at Orchard Beach Nature Center (in Pelham Bay Park), Bronx
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Winter is the best time of year to spot owls roosting in New York City's parks. Our Urban Park Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in the urban jungle.
Free!

New T-Shirt Designs

I just added a bunch more Painted Bunting products to my Spreadshirt shop, including kids shirts, here.

Friday's Foto

The White-winged Crossbill fall under what birders in the Northeast refer to as "winter finches". These are a group of hardy birds that are normally found in winter along the northern edge of the United States and the boreal forests of Canada. They are Pine Grosbeak, Purple Finch, Red Crossbill, White-Winged Crossbill, Common Redpoll, Hoary Redpoll, Pine Siskin and Evening Grosbeak. During winters when their food source is scarce many of them make their way farther south in search of food. These are known as irruption years. It is a well studied phenomenon with annual predictions posted online. Here is this winter's. It seems unlikely that this crossbill will make its way to NYC this winter. Their scientific name, loxia leucoptera, means crosswise, slanting; white-wing. Despite decreasing numbers, the IUCN Redlist lists this species as "Least Concern" due to its extremely large range and large population.

New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Thursday, December 17, 2015:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Dec. 17, 2015
* NYNY1512.17

- Birds Mentioned

PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+
SWAINSON’S HAWK+
PAINTED BUNTING+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Greater White-fronted Goose
ROSS’S GOOSE
Cackling Goose
Tundra Swan
Eurasian Wigeon
TUFTED DUCK
KING EIDER
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Surf Scoter
Red-throated Loon
Sooty Shearwater
Northern Gannet
Long-billed Dowitcher
Razorbill
Black-legged Kittiwake
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Iceland Gull
GLAUCOUS GULL
Red-headed Woodpecker
WESTERN KINGBIRD
Horned Lark
CAVE SWALLOW
Lapland Longspur
Orange-crowned Warbler
LARK SPARROW
DICKCISSEL

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 Thursday, December 17, 2015 at 6:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are PAINTED BUNTING, SWAINSON’S HAWK, TUFTED DUCK, CAVE SWALLOW, PINK-FOOTED and ROSS’S GEESE, KING EIDER and HARLEQUIN DUCK, BLACK-HEADED and GLAUCOUS GULLS, WESTERN KINGBIRD, LARK SPARROW, and DICKCISSEL.

The striking male PAINTED BUNTING continues in Prospect Park, hopefully to stay at least through the upcoming Christmas Count. The bird has remained faithful to the plantings on or adjacent to the green roof of the LeFrak Center and skating rink, located in the southeast corner of the park, just east of Prospect Park Lake. Please remember to stay on the paved pathways when enjoying the Bunting, and while in the park, look for the immature BLACK-HEADED GULL that has been visiting Prospect Park Lake. An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was also still in the park Sunday.

Over on Staten Island an immature SWAINSON’S HAWK was spotted Tuesday over the Fresh Kills Landfill and has been noted Wednesday and this morning. Unfortunately the landfill is not open to the public, but birders have stationed themselves around the periphery of the Landfill and have occasionally had some decent views of the SWAINSON’S when it flies around. One successful viewing site has been over the East mound as viewed just south of the intersection of Richmond Avenue and Richmond Hill Road, near Dick’s Sporting Goods, but please respect private property.

Regarding hawks, there have been no reported sightings of the Gyrfalcon at Cedar Beach since Thursday the 10th.

With Christmas Counts starting this weekend and the unusual weather pattern persisting, its impact on the counts will be interesting to see. Out at Montauk Point, for instance, last Saturday morning 6 CAVE SWALLOWS were seen feeding near the restaurant for a little while and a drake KING EIDER flew by the restaurant with some SURF SCOTERS, while the WESTERN KINGBIRD has continued to frequent the parking lot area at the Point to at least Tuesday.

Waterfowl numbers have been relatively low recently, but variety has been good. A young male TUFTED DUCK was spotted last Sunday on Lake Capri in West Islip but has not been seen since. This lake is on the north side of Route 27A less than a mile west of the Robert Moses Causeway.

Three HARLEQUIN DUCKS, including 2 drakes, were around the Point Lookout jetties as of last Saturday, and recent EURASIAN WIGEONS have included drakes on the Centerport Mill Pond and at East Setauket Pond Park, both off Route 25A on the north shore of Long Island, and on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.

Among the GEESE, the PINK-FOOTED was seen Saturday in Baiting Hollow, north of Sound Avenue between Oakleigh Avenue and Warner Drive, and a ROSS’S appeared on Eastport Lake off Montauk Highway last weekend; there were no recent reports of the Barnacle Goose from the Mattituck area, but a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was along Further Lane Sunday in East Hampton, where 2 TUNDRA SWANS also continue on Hook Pond. Two CACKLING GEESE were still at Flushing Meadow Park Sunday.

Single BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES were noted at Lake Agawam in Southampton Saturday and off Amagansett Sunday during a sea watch that also recorded an immature GLAUCOUS GULL, 50 RAZORBILLS, 187 NORTHERN GANNETS and 325 RED-THROATED LOONS. Another GLAUCOUS GULL and an ICELAND GULL were at Smith Point Park in Shirley Sunday, and additional ICELANDS occurred off Montauk Point and at the Montauk Harbor jetties Saturday. Decent numbers of RAZORBILLS were also off Montauk Point.

A SOOTY SHEARWATER off Shinnecock Inlet Saturday afternoon was quite late.

Eleven LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS were still along Santapogue Creek in Lindenhurst Saturday, and 2 RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were still present at Willowbrook Park on Staten Island Wednesday.

At Jones Beach West End, 1 or 2 LAPLAND LONGSPURS were in a HORNED LARK flock Saturday.

A DICKCISSEL flew over Fuch’s Pond Preserve in Northport Wednesday morning.


What will hopefully be a great bird for the Peekskill Count Saturday is a LARK SPARROW present near the nature center road at Croton Point Park since Sunday.

Several ORANGE-CROWNED are among the various WARBLERS still in the area.

Please call in this weekend’s Christmas Count results. 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

Treehugger Tuesday

Architecture Firm's Vision for more Green Space in NYC

The following article appeared in DeZeen Magazine:

Perkins Eastman proposes turning New York's Broadway into one long park
11 December 2015

Perkins Eastman Architects' Green Line concept would see New York's iconic Broadway converted into a linear park running from Columbus Circle to Union Square.

The Green Line would create a more than 40-block long park for pedestrians and cyclists that would connect many of the city's famous public spaces – including Union Square, Madison Square, Herald Square, Times Square, and Columbus Circle.

According to Perkins Eastman, emergency vehicles would be permitted to use the green route as a shortcut through the city, but cars and trucks would otherwise be banned.

It is the latest in a string of proposals for turning existing city infrastructure into parkland following the success of the High Line, which was built on disused elevated railway tracks. Recent examples include the Lowline underground park below the streets of Manhattan's Lower East Side.

Unlike most of these proposals, which largely focus on derelict spaces and structures, Perkins Eastman's concept is for one of New York's central roads. Broadway is a unique avenue in Manhattan's street grid, cutting across much of the island on the diagonal, creating breaks in the city's plan for public squares.

Read the entire article and see renderings here.

Brooklyn Painted Bunting T-Shirt

Here's a little something I created to help you remember your Painted Bunting experience in Brooklyn's Prospect Park or share with friends/family who weren't able to make it to NYC. There are several styles of t-shirt and hoodie available at my Cafe Press store here, as well as, my Spreadshirt store here.



Here's how it looks on a t-shirt:

Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Today is the start of the 116th Audubon Christmas Bird Count cycle. This coming weekend most of the local birding clubs and conservation organizations are participating in the annual census instead of having walks. If you haven't already, I recommend joining a group in your area for this fun and important wildlife survey. Find a CBC circle near you and who to contact to sign up here.

New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, December 11, 2015:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Dec. 11, 2015
* NYNY1512.11

- Birds mentioned

PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+ (not reported)
BARNACLE GOOSE+
GYRFALCON+
CAVE SWALLOW+
PAINTED BUNTING+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Greater White-fronted Goose
Cackling Goose
TUNDRA SWAN
Eurasian Wigeon
Long-billed Dowitcher
RED PHALAROPE
BLACK-HEADED GULL
SNOWY OWL
Red-headed Woodpecker
WESTERN KINGBIRD
Ovenbird
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Wilson's Warbler

- 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, December 11th 2015 at 6pm. The highlights of today's tape are PAINTED BUNTING, GYRFALCON, CAVE SWALLOW, BLACK-HEADED GULL, BARNACLE GOOSE, WESTERN KINGBIRD, RED PHALAROPE, SNOWY OWL, TUNDRA SWAN and much more.

The now well celebrated adult male PAINTED BUNTING in Prospect Park Brooklyn continues its presence near the LeFrak Center Skating Rink usually near the plantings on or adjacent to the center's green roof. The center is in the southeastern corner of the park just east of Prospect Park Lake. The green roof area is approached by several paved paths that cross the low growth area that the Bunting has been feeding in and sometimes disappears into at which point it can be very difficult to see despite its brilliant coloration. So, have patience and please stay on the paved paths.

Also in Prospect Park an immature BLACK-HEADED GULL was visiting Prospect Park Lake from Sunday at least through Thursday and is possibly still around and perhaps 2 different ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS were present there last Saturday one joined by a NASHVILLE WARBLER.

Out at Cedar Beach along the Jones strip a large falcon seen briefly Tuesday was confirmed as a GYRFALCON on Wednesday when spotted in the marsh north of Cedar Beach Marina. Thursday morning it was first seen a mile west of the marina before appearing off the marina for awhile and then moving on. This area has attracted GYRFALCON in previous Winters and thus should be checked regularly.

At Jones Beach West End a CAVE SWALLOW was photographed Wednesday morning as it mixed for a short while with a group of Tree Swallows along the outer beach.

A WESTERN KINGBIRD found Saturday around the parking lot at Montauk Point State Park was still present there at least through Wednesday. Two interesting flybys last Sunday were a RED PHALAROPE reported off Orient Point from the New London - Orient ferry and a SNOWY OWL flying south near Prall's Island as viewed from northwestern Staten Island.

Among the waterfowl two TUNDRA SWANS were still on Hook Pond in East Hampton Wednesday. The north fork BARNACLE GOOSE was seen as recently as Thursday on Marratooka Lake off New Suffolk Avenue in Mattituck where it roosts and feeding last Sunday along Alva's Lane in Cutchogue. The PINK-FOOTED GOOSE was not reported this week and the only GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE reported involved two on a private farm in Melville Monday but others of the latter are surely still around. CACKLING GEESE continue to be reported including two at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens to Thursday. EURASIAN WIGEONS include drakes at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge with two on the East Pond Saturday plus singles at Massapequa Preserve and Deep Hole Creek in Mattituck on Sunday and Mill Pond in Centerport Tuesday.

LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS last Sunday featured two continuing on Jamaica Bay's East Pond and 11 still along Santapogue Creek in Lindenhurst.

Two RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS continue at Willowbrook Park on Staten Island.

With Christmas Count period just about on us it will be interesting to see the effects of the warmer, perhaps El Nino induced weather. Many Winter birds seem to be rather sparse in numbers this somewhat offset by various lingering species including various warblers. A YELLOW WARBLER Sunday and Monday in Kissena Park Corridor and a WILSON'S WARBLER lingering in Kissena Park to Wednesday plus other species such as OVENBIRD and NASHVILLE still around could make it interesting. Other ORANGE-CROWNEDS too have recently been in Central, Kissena and Willowbrook Parks and at Jones Beach West End with probably several others still around.

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

Opportunistic Red-tailed Hawk

The last few times I walked from Prospect Park to Green-Wood Cemetery I noticed an immature Red-tailed Hawk hanging around the Prospect Expressway. I finally managed a decent photo of him on one of the lights above the roadway. You can see him at eye level where Prospect Park West goes over the highway near 20th Street. I'm sure this young bird is taking advantage of any roadkill spied from his highway perch. I hope he knows cars don't stop for hawks in the road. A few days after I took this photo I realized that he sits nearly directly in front of the traffic camera. This would be the "Prospect Expressway at Ft. Hamilton Parkway, South" camera. I went to the News 12 traffic camera page hoping to get a live glimpse of the hawk, unfortunately I got "This camera is being serviced". I'll keep checking back and do a screengrab if I see anything interesting.

Treehugger Tuesday

The Argument for Shade-Grown Coffee

The following well researched piece was published by Even Buechley and posted on the website The Conversation:

Why shade-grown coffee is good for birds and farmers
February 26, 2015 6.03am EST
by Evan R. Buechley
Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Utah

Your choice of coffee can make a difference for birds in tropical parts of the world — and biodiversity overall. In a study on coffee plantations in Africa, we found that coffee farms with shade trees are best for birds and that these tropical birds likely provide important environmental and economic benefits to farmers.

Earnings related to the coffee trade were an estimated US$173 billion in 2012, making coffee one of the most valuable commodities. And for many tropical countries, it is the largest export. Coffee is grown on 24.8 million acres, mainly in tropical forest ecosystems, some of the most biologically rich terrestrial ecosystem on Earth.

Agriculture makes up 38% of global land cover, which means farms are critical areas for wildlife conservation. Agroforestry – a technique that combines crops with a mixture of trees and shrubs – is particularly important for biodiversity conservation. Shade coffee farming, where the crop is grown under a tree canopy, is one of the most biodiversity-friendly agricultural habitats and harbors high bird diversity.

Unfortunately, certified sustainable coffee is only about 8% of the global coffee market. The vast majority of coffee is produced in monoculture farms with few or no shade trees, which harbor minimal biodiversity and are a cause of rainforest deforestation. Additionally, intensive-sun coffee farms can face pollination and pest problems, increasing reliance on pesticides and further perpetuating ecological degradation.

Going to the source: Ethiopia

We monitor birds because they reflect the overall health of ecosystems. Since they are specialized, have key ecological functions and are susceptible to disturbances, their declines can affect ecological processes, including insect regulation, seed dispersal, and pollination.

Forest birds are declining around the world, primarily because deforestation is destroying their habitat. Currently, 14% of the world’s bird species are threatened or near threatened with extinction and most of these birds live in tropical forests.

Coffea arabica makes up two-thirds of the world’s coffee market and is native to southwestern Ethiopia, where it has been cultivated for over 1,000 years. The agricultural industry accounts for 80% of employment in Ethiopia and coffee is the primary export crop. Here, there are different types of coffee cultivation, including near-wild coffee grown in forests, shade coffee farms with native tree canopies and monoculture sun coffee plantations. Although Ethiopia has a long history of shade coffee farming, it is following the global trend towards sun coffee monoculture.

Over a three-year period, we studied bird communities on shade coffee farms and nearby forests in southwestern Ethiopia, where C. arabica was first domesticated from wild stock. We set out to evaluate which and how many bird species were present on shade coffee farms, in comparison to nearby forests.

We sampled the bird communities by using fine nets strung between bamboo poles. When birds fly into the nets, they fall gently into one of several pockets. Within 30 minutes we remove, identify, measure, tag and release them unharmed. Using this technique, we were able to evaluate species richness, diversity and bird community structure.

Our results showed that shade coffee farms had more than twice as many bird species as forest sites and all but one of nine migratory species were captured only in shade coffee habitat. Furthermore, all species that were captured in nearby forests were also captured in shade coffee sites, where we also found evidence that several threatened, forest-dwelling specialist birds were likely breeding.

Forest sites did have a much higher relative abundance of forest specialist species. Nonetheless, our study documents the only known location where all forest understory bird species recorded in nearby forest were also recorded on shade coffee farms. These results position Ethiopian shade coffee as likely the most “bird-friendly” in the world.

Ecological services

Retaining shade cover on coffee farms helps to preserve insect- and nectar-eating birds. In turn, these species provide important ecosystem services –- that is, free services provided to humans by controlling insect pests and pollinating crops.

For example, a study in Jamaica concluded that insect-eating birds benefited coffee farmers by $125 per acre per year by controlling pests. Our results show that shade coffee farms in Ethiopia harbor a diverse and abundant insect-eating bird community that may provide similar ecosystem services.

With a per-capita GDP of $505, Ethiopia is one of the most impoverished nations on Earth. Such ecosystem services could vastly improve the livelihoods of small-scale farmers.

More importantly, certifying, publicizing and marketing Ethiopian coffee as “shade-grown” and “bird friendly” has the potential to increase the incomes of local coffee farmers, providing a disincentive to convert shade coffee farms into sun coffee plantations. Farms in Ethiopia with shade grown certification may receive as much as 20% more revenue per unit of crop.

So for your next cup, look for “shade grown” and “bird friendly” coffee, certified by the Rainforest Alliance or Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and encourage these organizations to certify farms in Ethiopia – the birthplace of coffee and likely the most biodiversity-friendly.

Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of Saturday, December 12, 2015 to Sunday, December 13, 2015:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, December 12, 2015, 12–1 pm
Introduction to Bird Watching
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club

**********

Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Fort Tilden and Breezy Point Seabirds Walk
Leader: Peter Dorosh
Focus: Hiking the Western Rockaway terminus for seabirds and dune species. 6 + miles -extensive walking.
Registrar: Peter Dorosh Prosbird@aol.com or cell # 347-622-3559 (text only)
Registration Period: December 5th - December 10th
Meet: 8 am at Flatbush Avenue's Target Store main entrance for the Q 35 bus terminus stop. This retail locale is accessed from the IRT train last stop "Flatbush Avenue/ Brooklyn College ". http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/twoline.htm . Walk south two blocks on Flatbush Avenue

**********

Great South Bay Audubon Society
Saturday December 12, 2015, 9:00am
Montauk
Leaders: Bob Grover (516-318-8536), Ken Thompson (631-612-8028)
Meet at Lighthouse parking lot. Latecomers can still join in the vicinity of the restaurant overlook. Directions Route 27 to 27A to end.

**********

Hudson River Audubon Society of Westchester
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Greenwich Point Park, Connecticut
Meet near the concession stand at 8AM.
Wintering loons, grebes and ducks should be found. If we are lucky, an owl or two.

Hudson River Audubon Society field trips are free. Non-members/ newcomers are welcome and are encouraged to join us as members ($20 introductory offer).
Bring binoculars and field guides if you have them. Some are available for loan for those who need them. Dress appropriately for the weather. For more information call Michael Bochnik at (914) 237-9331.

**********

New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center

**********

New York City Audubon Society
Sunday, December 13, 2015, 9:30am – 11:30am
Fall Birding at Wave Hill, the Bronx
Guide: Gabriel Willow with Wave Hill
Naturalist Gabriel Willow contributes his extensive knowledge of bird species and their behaviors on these captivating walks. Wave Hill’s garden setting overlooking the Hudson River flyway provides the perfect habitat for resident and migrating birds. Advanced registration is recommended, either online at www.wavehill.org, at the Perkins Visitor Center, or by calling 718-549-3200 x251. (Walks run rain or shine; in case of severe weather call the number above for updates.) Ages 10 and up welcome with an adult. NYC Audubon members enjoy two-for-one admission (see www.wavehill.org for more information). Meet at Perkins Visitor Center at 9:30am

**********

Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Sunday, December 13, 2015, 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Long Pond Park
Cost: Free
Contact: Clay Wollney (718) 869-6327
We will look for evidence of animal life, especially deer, raccoons and other mammals in the winter woodlands surrounding Long Pond. We will also look for the bird life, examine the geology of the area and observe evidence of past human use of the area during this unhurried stroll through about one and a half miles of the park. Meet at PS 6, on Page Avenue and Academy Avenue about three blocks northwest of Hylan Boulevard.

**********

Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Introduction to Bird Watching at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home.
Free!

Inwood Owl Prowl at Seaman Avenue and Isham Street Entrance (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
4:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
Bring the whole family and find out as you roam the winter woods in search of owls with expert naturalist Mike Feller.
Free!

Birding: Owls at Blue Heron Nature Center (in Blue Heron Park), Staten Island
6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
As the leaves fall and temperatures drop, its a great time of year to spot owls that are migrating south, and might spend the winter in New York City's parks.
Free!

Sunday, December 13, 2015
Winter Wildlife Viewing at Albert H. Mauro Playground (in Flushing Meadows Corona Park), Queens
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
As we near the winter season, its a wonderful time of year to spot birds which migrate to New York City's parks.
Free!!

Winter Birding at Perkins Visitors Center (in Wave Hill), Bronx
9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Naturalist Gabriel Willow contributes his extensive knowledge of bird species and their behaviors on these captivating walks. Wave Hill’s garden setting overlooking the…

New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, December 4, 2015:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Dec. 4, 2015
* NYNY1512.04

- Birds mentioned

PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+
BARNACLE GOOSE+
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN+
CAVE SWALLOW+
PAINTED BUNTING+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
ROSS'S GOOSE
Cackling Goose
TUNDRA SWAN
Eurasian Wigeon
Canvasback
Redhead
Red-throated Loon
MANX SHEARWATER
Northern Gannet
Red Knot
Western Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
Parasitic Jaeger
RAZORBILL
ICELAND GULL
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Orange-crowned Warbler
American Redstart
Magnolia Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
LARK SPARROW

- 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, December 4th 2015 at 6pm. The highlights of today's tape are PAINTED BUNTING, AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, ROSS'S GOOSE, PINK-FOOTED GOOSE, BARNACLE GOOSE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, CAVE SWALLOW, MANX SHEARWATER, TUNDRA SWAN, ICELAND GULL, RAZORBILL, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER and LARK SPARROW.

Certainly the surprise of the week is the very striking adult male PAINTED BUNTING first spotted last Sunday in Brooklyn's Prospect Park where it is still present today. For most of the week the bird has been feeding on the green roof at the LeFrak Center and Skating Rink. With patience some nice views can be had but the bunting, as this species usually does, spends much of its time in the denser lower portions of the plants, shrubbery and grasses especially on the downward easterly facing slope of the green roof and it can be quite hidden despite its brilliant colors. The center is located in the southeastern portion of Prospect Park just east of Prospect Lake and the roof is reached from various paved paths just east of the skating rink. Please stay on the paved paths and especially if a large number of birders are present assist others in finding the bird.

At Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge two AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS were present at least to Wednesday at the north end of the East Pond. They could usually be seen from the East Pond overlook by Big John's Pond. A good variety of waterfowl has also gathered on the East Pond.

Regarding waterfowl, anyone hoping to see the ROSS'S GOOSE that had been visiting the Riverhead Buffalo Farm off Reeves Avenue would be quite disappointed to learn that it was shot by a hunter last Saturday but a good selection of geese does remain on Long Island.

A BARNACLE GOOSE has been seen both on Marratooka Lake off New Suffolk Avenue in Mattituck where it roosts and feeding with Canadas along Alva's Lane in Cutchogue this a short goose flight from Marratooka. The previously reported PINK-FOOTED GOOSE north of Riverhead was seen last Saturday in the vicinity of Route 105 and Penny's Road off Sound Avenue and may again this Winter be roosting on Merritt's Pond in Riverhead a lake surrounded mostly by private homes. Scattered GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE included up to 3 at Belmont Lake State Park, 3 at Hook Pond or along nearby Further Lane in East Hampton and one on Short's Pond off Scuttlehole Road in Watermill and CACKLING GEESE have been noted at several locations. Four TUNDRA SWANS also continue on Hook Pond in East Hampton. The EURASIAN WIGEON was recently on Seatauk Creek in Islip along with some REDHEADS and CANVASBACKS.

Certainly unusual by date was a MANX SHEARWATER seen during a seawatch off Robert Moses State Park Tuesday morning. Interesting to note that a large number of MANX and other shearwaters were noted off Cape Cod in late November. A seawatch off Amagansett last Sunday morning produced such numbers as 476 RED-THROATED LOONS and 545 NORTHERN GANNETS plus a PARASITIC JAEGER but the real surprise was a group of 5 CAVE SWALLOWS moving east along the beach there. Some RAZORBILLS and an immature ICELAND GULL were seen off Montauk Point last Sunday. Eleven LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS were still along Santapogue Creek in Lindenhurst Sunday and a WESTERN SANDPIPER and some RED KNOT were on the Jones Beach West End sandbar last Saturday.

RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were still present this week in Central Park's Ramble, at Brooklyn's Green-wood Cemetery and at Willowbrook Park on Staten Island. Also on Staten Island was a LARK SPARROW at Moravian Cemetery last Sunday. The YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was at Tobay Sunday, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS occurred at Massapequa Preserve and Hook Pond and other late warblers today included an AMERICAN REDSTART in Central Park and MAGNOLIA and WILSON'S at Kissena Park in Queens.

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

The Bird That Made NYC Crazy

(a.k.a. "The Bird That Broke The Internet")

If you haven't heard, there's a rare avian visitor to Brooklyn that has caused a bit of insanity among birders, the mainstream media and social media. I can only assume that the folks that haven't heard about it don't have a computer, radio, smart phone, television or read the newspaper. The funny thing is, this bird species isn't super rare in New York. It is, however, without a doubt the prettiest out-of-towner. I'm referring, of course, to the male Painted Bunting that has taken up temporary residence in Brooklyn's Prospect Park.

Birding activity around the borough last weekend was pretty slow. On Sunday I decided to take a slow stroll around Green-Wood Cemetery. There were the expected winter sparrows, some finches, a few nuthatches, as well as, a few raptors eyeing the aforementioned. A somewhat rare Red-headed Woodpecker overwintering in the cemetery was the only interesting bird around. Out of boredom I thought I'd play find-six-species-of-woodpecker-in-one-day (we'd normally only see 5). I had only made it to four when around 10:30am I received the following tweet from my friend Keir:

"Male Painted Bunting at Prospect just south of ice rink. Can't see band but can't rule it out yet".

Seconds later my friend Heydi called to make sure I got the news and ask if I was headed over to look for the bunting. She sounded surprised when I didn't immediately agree to drop what I was doing and run over to Prospect Park. There were a couple of reasons for my hesitation. The first was that I'd actually seen a Painted Bunting in Brooklyn, ironically, also in Prospect Park. The year was 1999 and it was a female, which is an overall drab olive coloration. The second reason was that, at the time, the general thinking was that male Painted Buntings were frequently kept (illegally) as caged pets and the individuals that were seen way out of their southern range were most likely escaped birds. I called my friend Sean to get his better informed opinion. He let me know that if the bird isn't banded and the plumage is "clean", then it is probably a wild bird. We also discussed the systems of south-west winds that have carried some other interesting birds into our area over the past few weeks. I hung up with him and began the 3 mile trudge from the cemetery's Crescent Water to Prospect Park's skating rink.

Keir was still waiting at the edge of the wildflower habitat next to the new Lefrak skating rink where he first spotted the bunting. He had been joined by Heydi and a few other local birders. Apparently the bird had been flushed by some horses passing on the adjacent bridle path. Nobody had seen it for about 30 minutes. The new skating facility had been built into an artificial hillside with the berm on the east side covered in native wildflower plantings. It was the perfect habitat for a Painted Bunting, although about 600 miles passed their normal northern-most range.

I spent about 90 minutes with a small group of birders circling the area around the skating rink, but came up empty. I had promised to meet my wife for lunch, so announced I would be the sacrificial lamb (meaning the bird would be found as soon as I left) and headed home. We were just finishing up eating when Heydi texted me that the bird had returned. I asked Robin if she would like to take a walk to go see the gaudiest bird in North America. How could she not.

As we got close to the skating rink I texted Heydi to find out where they were seeing the bird. She advised to just look for the "crowd" of birders. Long story short, the Painted Bunting returned, first to a weedy path next to the bridle path, then an open spot on the berm behind the Lefrak Center. The sun was perfect, the bird was gorgeous and the crowd of birders "ooed" and "aahed" like July 4th celebrants watching fireworks. In an interview for CBS News my friend Sean perfectly described the bunting as "rainbow meets bird".

There's a part of this story that most people don't know about, and I hope Keir doesn't mind me sharing. I've known Keir for over six years and we've had a lot of great birding experiences together. He has been a part of our Christmas Bird Count team at Floyd Bennett Field since 2009. Well, this year will be his last count in New York as he and his family are relocating to Texas. When I walked up to him at the skating rink last Sunday I asked, "So, is this bird your parting gift to the birders of Brooklyn?" I should have said New York City. Keir just smiled.

Finally, here's my group email from 1999:

Date: March 30, 1999
Subject: Prospect Park

I spent an hour alone at the weedy patch beneath lightpost #249 this morning. Even though I'd seen the Painted Bunting that's been frequenting this spot I wanted another look. It didn't show up so I left and came back much later. Jonathan and I started searching the spot again at around noon. After about 30 patient minutes the bird just seemed to "appear" in the rose bushes on the right edge of the patch. Bob Bain and Ron Ellard joined us and we eventually had nice looks at the bird as it snapped up some small insects that hovered in the tangled branches of the rose shrub.

**********

Prospect Park - 03/30/99
-
Pied-billed Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Turkey Vulture (1. Over Long Meadow. First of year.)
Northern Shoveler
Ring-necked Duck
Ruddy Duck
Red-tailed Hawk
Common Snipe (1. Over Lookout Hill. First of year.)
Monk Parakeet (3. Duck Island. First of year.)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Fish Crow
Carolina Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Painted Bunting (1. BB, RE, RJ, JR. Wellhouse Drive. Lightpost 249.)
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch

Here are Steve Nanz's pre-digital photography shots of that bird:



UPDATE

I just did a little research and here is the list of accepted records for Painted Bunting in New York State:

- female, West Monroe, Oswego Co. 7 July 1978
- male, Richmond Co. 2 May 1983
- male, Pine City, Chemung Co. 6-7 May 1983
- male, Preble, Cortland Co. 5-6 May 1984
- imm. male, Richmond Co. 18-20 May 1985
- Lafayette, Dutchess Co. 10 Aug 1992
- female, Montauk, Suffolk Co. 19-28 Dec 1992
- female, Prospect Park, Kings Co. 26-30 Mar 1999
- female, Alley Pond Park, Queens Co. 25-26 November 2012

Treehugger Tuesday

The following was just published by National Geographic:

Sea Turtles Might Be Threatened, But So Are Their Hunters

In Mexico, turtle egg thieves can go to prison for up to nine years. As a new film shows, that doesn’t stop them from stealing.

By Jani Actman, National Geographic
Published November 30, 2015

We all know that people kill majestic animals to hack off their tusks and horns. Here at Wildlife Watch, we spotlight these well-known crimes. But we also expose lesser known wildlife crimes. Take the egg poaching of olive ridley sea turtles. At certain times of the year, thousands of them invade the shores of Mexico, Costa Rica, India, Panama, and Nicaragua to dig nests and lay about 100 eggs each.

This phenomenon, called arribada, also brings out local egg hunters. In Morro Ayuta, a beach on the Pacific coast of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, they snatch up the golf-ball-size eggs and can sell them to vendors in nearby markets for two dollars per 100 eggs. People consider the eggs a delicacy and an aphrodisiac, and they appear on the menus in local restaurants.

Filmmaker John Dickie spent two weeks in the area exploring the practice. He documented it in “Stealing Turtle Eggs Got People Shot, But The Thievery Continues,” the first film produced for National Geographic as part of its pilot series of investigative mini documentaries. “I wanted to do a film that kind of covered both sides of it,” Dickie told our Special Investigations Unit. “I just felt that it made an amazing story.”

And a complex one. On the one hand, poachers threaten the turtles. The species once hovered on the brink of extinction in Mexico, but conservation measures and a government crackdown on poaching has helped increase the population.

People who violate Mexico’s 1990 ban on sea turtle hunting can face up to nine years in prison. Or worse: One man interviewed in the film said he quit poaching after he was shot. From July to mid-September 2015, authorities seized a reported 14,000 eggs in Morro Ayuta and the neighboring beach of Escobilla, and one person was detained.

The numbers of olive ridley turtles have halved since the 1960s, because of poaching and incidental capture in fishing gear. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature lists the species as a whole as “vulnerable,” meaning they’re at a high risk of extinction. But the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service categorizes olive ridley turtles that breed in the Pacific coast of Mexico as “endangered.”

For villagers, poaching turtle eggs provides a source of income they can’t find elsewhere. “There’s no work,” says one man featured in the documentary. “If there were jobs, why the hell would I come and do this?”

The egg hunters say that as long as the market thrives, they’ll keep finding and selling eggs—unless the government can offer them an alternative. “The people there get a bad reputation because they’re painted as criminals for stealing the eggs,” Dickie says. “I think that’s pretty unfair. These are rural, poor communities.”

Watch the short film here.

This story was produced by National Geographic’s Special Investigations Unit, which focuses on wildlife crime and is made possible by grants from the BAND Foundation and the Woodtiger Fund. Read more stories from the SIU on Wildlife Watch. Send tips, feedback and story ideas to ngwildlife@ngs.org.

Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of Saturday, December 5, 2015 to Sunday, December 6, 2015:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, December 5, 2015, 12–1 pm
Introduction to Bird Watching
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club

Sunday, December 6, 10 am – 11 am
Early Morning Bird Walk: Twelve Birds of Winter
Not everyone flies south for the winter. Spot Prospect Park’s most common winter birds during their busiest time of day. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club, this tour leaves promptly at 10 am.

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Prospect Park
Leader: Dennis Hrehowsik
Focus: winter migrants, waterfowl, ducks, and raptors
No registration necessary. Meet at 8:00 am at the "Pergola ," Ocean and Parkside Avenues park entrance http://binged.it/1UiffD1 . Nearest train stop: "Q" local stop at Parkside Avenue; otherwise express "B" stops at Prospect Park, walk south along Ocean Avenue

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Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
Sunday, December 6, 2015 - 9:00 AM
Pelham Bay Park Bird Walk
Today we will look for resident and visiting owls, as well as waterfowl and late migrants.
Directions: Hutchinson River Parkway to the Pelham Bay Park/City Island/Orchard Beach exit. Continue east farther into the park past the traffic circle then veering left to the parking area on Hunter Island. Meet the group there.
Registration: 631-885-1881

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Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Rye Playland and Environs
Leader: Tom Burke
Registrar: Louise Fraza — louisefraza@yahoo.com or 212-534-6182
Registration opens: Monday November 23
Ride: $25

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center

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New York City Audubon Society
Sunday, December 6, 2015, 10am – 1pm
Central Park Winter Walk
Guide: Gabriel Willow
Meet at the entrance to Central Park at Central Park West and 72nd Street. Some of the best sightings await hardy nature-lovers willing to venture out in winter! Several species of owls can be seen in Central Park for example, but generally only in the colder months. "Winter finches" such as Pine Siskins, Redpolls, and Crossbills have also been found at the feeders or in conifers in the park. Observing the adaptations for cold-weather survival among Blue Jays, Titmice, and other resident species is fascinating as well. Warm up after the walk with a hot chocolate by the fireplace at the Loeb Boathouse. Limited to 15. $36 (25)
Click here to register

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Saturday, December 5, 2015, 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Old Mill Road
Contact: Clay Wollney 718-869-6327
Park at the end of Old Mill Road, behind the church. We will stroll along the multi-use trail next to Fresh Kills, below the hills of LaTourette Golf Course and return along the Blue Trail. From the remains of colonial structures to the Hessian Spring and the remains of Ketchum’s Mill we will take a look into the influence of man and nature on the ecosystems bordering the Fresh Kills estuary.

Saturday, December 5, 2015, 3:00pm – 5:00pm
Acme Pond
Contact: John Paul Learn 718-619-5051
Acme Pond is a diverse ecosystem, located on the north side of Hylan Boulevard across from Wolfe’s Pond Park. This walk will take us through hiking trails in some of the most idyllic woodlands in all of New York City. The trail offers views of the freshwater pond and assortment of small swampy areas. We will meet at the corner of Seguine Avenue and Herbert Street. Street parking is available on Herbert Street and in parking lots at the end of Herbert Street (http://goo.gl/maps/59dvC).

Sunday, December 6, 2015, 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Buck’s Hollow and/or Heyerdahl Hill
Contact: John Paul Learn 718-619-5051
Located in the Greenbelt, Heyerdahl Hill is nestled in an impressive stretch of woodland, holding ruins of a stone home built in the 1800s and plants and trees rarely seen in urban woodlands. We will meet at the stone wall on Meisner Avenue, located by the intersection of Rockland Avenue and Meisner Avenue (http://goo.gl/maps/YP1HI).

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Queens County Bird Club
Saturday, December 5, 2015, 7:30am – 6:00pm
Montauk Point
Leader: Rich Kelly (516) 509-1094

Be sure to CONTACT LEADER to confirm meeting time/place

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South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

Notes:
All walks start at 9:00 A.M.
There is no walk if it rains or snows or temperature is below 25°F.
For more information or in case of questionable weather conditions, please phone Joe at 516 467-9498
For directions to our bird-watching locations, click here.

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Introduction to Bird Watching at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home.
Free!

Birding: Owls at Seaman Avenue and Isham Street Entrance (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
5:00 p.m.–6:30 p.m.
As the leaves fall and temperatures drop, its a great time of year to spot owls which are migrating south, and might spend the winter in NYC Parks.
Free!

Sunday, December 6, 2015
Early Morning Bird Walk: Twelve Birds of Winter at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Not everyone flies south for the winter. Spot Prospect Park’s most common winter birds during their busiest time of day.
Free!