New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, January 1, 2016:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Jan. 1, 2016
* NYNY1601.01

- Birds mentioned
SWAINSON'S HAWK+
COMMON MURRE+
ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER+
PAINTED BUNTING+

(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Snow Goose
Brant (subspecies "Black Brant")
TUNDRA SWAN
EURASIAN WIGEON
Green-winged Teal (Eurasian form "Common Teal")
TUFTED DUCK
KING EIDER
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Red-necked Grebe
Northern Gannet
Great Egret
Black Vulture
Clapper Rail
Virginia Rail
Long-billed Dowitcher
DOVEKIE
Razorbill
BLACK GUILLEMOT
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Laughing Gull
Iceland Gull
GLAUCOUS GULL
Barn Owl
SNOWY OWL
Barred Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Common Raven
Marsh Wren
Black-and-white Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
LARK SPARROW
Dickcissel
Rusty Blackbird
Baltimore Oriole
Purple Finch
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, January 1st 2016 at 8pm. The highlights of today's tape are PAINTED BUNTING, SWAINSON'S HAWK, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, BLACK GUILLEMOT, COMMON MURRE, DOVEKIE, TUFTED DUCK, KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, BLACK-HEADED GULL, GLAUCOUS GULL, SNOWY OWL, TUNDRA SWAN, EURASIAN WIGEON, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, LARK SPARROW and CLAY-COLORED SPARROW.

The two Christmas Counts held last Sunday started out with heavy fog but at least it wasn't snow.

The Bronx-Westchester recorded 115 species including an interesting late movement of SNOW GEESE with several flocks producing a total of 377 plus 4 NORTHERN GANNETS, a GREAT EGRET, 2 BLACK VULTURES, 3 VIRGINIA RAILS, 15 LAUGHING GULLS, single SNOWY, BARRED and NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS, 8 COMMON RAVENS, MARSH WREN, a BLACK-AND-WHITE and 3 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, 32 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS and a PINE SISKIN. Count period birds included RED-NECKED GREBE and another BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER the latter new for the count.

The Smithtown Count highlights included 45 SNOWY GEESE, EURASIAN WIGEON and Eurasian form of GREEN-WINGED TEAL on the Setauket Mill Pond, one CLAPPER and 2 VIRGINIA RAILS, 4 RAZORBILLS, 1 GLAUCOUS and 2 ICELAND GULLS, 2 BARN OWLS, a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER at Blydenburgh County Park near the north entrance off New Mill Road, one each of COMMON RAVEN, MARSH WREN, BALTIMORE ORIOLE, PURPLE FINCH and 6 PINE SISKINS,

Otherwise this week's rarities mostly featured lingering birds but the incoming cold weather might change that. There are also a few surprises today. The male PAINTED BUNTING at Prospect Park in Brooklyn continues around the green roof of the LeFrak Center and Skating Rink in the southeastern corner of the park and just to the west of there the immature BLACK-HEADED GULL can usually be found around the western portion of Prospect Lake. An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER has also continued in the park in the Wellhouse area.

On Staten Island the immature SWAINSON'S HAWK remains at Freshkills Park which unfortunately has very restricted access so birders generally must cope with scanning the landfill from the outside hoping the SWAINSON'S flies by. It has been seen a few times from near the Dick's Sporting Goods store off Richmond Avenue near Richmond Hill Road as this area is near the East Mound where the hawk appears to frequent.

The young male TUFTED DUCK was still on Lake Capri in West Islip today this lake on the north side of Route 27A 0.7 miles west of the Robert Moses Causeway. A little west of there at least 9 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS continue along Santapogue Creek off Venetian Boulevard in Lindenhurst and out in the Montauk area the ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER found on the count on the 19th was still foraging at Fort Hill Cemetery today located just west of the Montauk Manor. The cemetery can be reached from Essex Street. Look along the brush line especially on the north and east sides of the cemetery and at Montauk Point besides good numbers of RAZORBILLS other alcids reported today included a BLACK GUILLEMOT just off the rocks in front of the lighthouse, a COMMON MURRE off the point in the afternoon and a flyby DOVEKIE. Also there were the drake KING EIDER and HARLEQUIN DUCK and a GLAUCOUS GULL was reported last Sunday. Two TUNDRA SWANS continue on Hook Pond in East Hampton and EURASIAN WIGEON include two on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge today and one at Bush Terminal Piers Park in Brooklyn Thursday and one again on Deep Hole Creek off New Suffolk Avenue in Mattituck.

Four LARK SPARROWS in the area today with the one continuing along with the CLAY-COLORED SPARROW at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens near the meditation garden, one at Point Lookout just south of the Fireman's Park, one at Croton Point Park in Westchester and one at Deep Hollow Ranch in Montauk on the north side of Route 27.

Other notable species include ICELAND GULL on Prospect Park last Saturday and at Mount Loretto Unique Area on Staten Island Monday, a "Black" BRANT at Jones Beach West End Monday, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER still at Willowbrook Park on Staten Island, a DICKCISSEL at Southards' Pond Park in Babylon today and a few ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS with other lingering warblers also including NASHVILLE, BLACK-AND-WHITE and WIL SON'S WARBLER.

Happy New Year.

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