New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, February 5, 2016:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Feb. 5, 2016
* NYNY1602.05

- Birds mentioned

BARNACLE GOOSE+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
ROSS'S GOOSE
Cackling Goose
TUNDRA SWAN
EURASIAN WIGEON
Canvasback
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
Red-necked Grebe
American Bittern
Razorbill
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Iceland Gull
GLAUCOUS GULL
Short-eared Owl
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
LAPLAND LONGSPUR
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, February 5th 2016 at 4pm. The highlights of today's tape are BARNACLE GOOSE, ROSS'S GOOSE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, TUNDRA SWAN, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, EURASIAN WIGEON, BLACK-HEADED GULL, GLAUCOUS GULL, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, LAPLAND LONGSPUR and LARK SPARROW.

A new week but pretty much the same lingering birds. The BARNACLE GOOSE was still frequenting Tung Ting Pond in Centerport last weekend. This pond on the west side of the Chalet Motel and the Centerport Mill Pond off the north side of Route 25A. Lots of CANVASBACKS are also on the Mill Pond. A second BARNACLE GOOSE was seen Sunday and Monday in Mattituck on a field east of Locust Avenue this presumably the same individual noted several times this winter on nearby Marratooka Lake off New Suffolk Avenue. A ROSS'S GOOSE has been present for a few days at least to Wednesday at Bergen Point Golf Course in Great South Bay this off Bergen Avenue south of Route 27A. A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE flew into Belmont Lake State Park very late Saturday evening fortunately calling as it arrived. A few others presumably continue in the region as do a few CACKLING GEESE. Two TUNDRA SWANS were still on Hook Pond in East Hampton Wednesday.

The drake BARROW'S GOLDENEYE was present off the west side of the Sands Point peninsula Saturday but the issue here is parking. Sands Point Preserve is on the east side of the peninsula and provides good views of that portion of the water and with hunting season now over perhaps the Goldeneye flocks will gather off there again. The west side is effectively all private and the police will harass cars that stop along the roads there so use your best judgement if you visit that area.

Two drake EURASIAN WIGEON were still on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge yesterday frequenting the west side north of the Big John's Pond overlook. Another EURASIAN WIGEON was on Fresh Pond in Northport Monday to Wednesday this off Fresh Pond Road north of Route 25A.

An adult BLACK-HEADED GULL was still present Monday at Five Islands Park in New Rochelle, Westchester County. Look for the gull around the tanks at the water treatment plant next to the park or on the islands in the harbor. If not there try Premium Millpond to the east in Larchmont. The immature BLACK-HEADED GULL frequenting Prospect Park Lake in Brooklyn was seen as recently as Tuesday. Another BLACK-HEADED GULL was spotted at Brooklyn Bridge Park on Tuesday and Thursday near Pier 4 and may be the same one seen at Bush Terminal Piers Park today. A GLAUCOUS GULL in Brooklyn has been seen recently between the Brooklyn Army Terminal Pier 4 and nearby Bush Terminal Piers Park where it was today. A few ICELAND GULLS include one visiting Central Park Reservoir recently.

RAZORBILL was noted off Fort Tilden Sunday but more unusual was one in Long Island Sound off Old Field Point in Setauket Wednesday. A [...] number of RED-NECKED GREBES includes singles recently off Coney Island, Floyd Bennett Field and Fort Tilden plus one in Three Mile Harbor in East Hampton Wednesday.

A LARK SPARROW was still along the outer turnaround at Jones Beach West End as of yesterday and a LAPLAND LONGSPUR visited Randall's Island in Manhattan from Sunday to Tuesday. Lingering immature RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were noted last weekend both at Willowbrook Park on Staten Island and at Blydenburgh County Park in Smithtown the latter around the parking lot at the north entrance off New Mill Road. Also continuing are AMERICAN BITTERNS along Dune Road west of Shinnecock Inlet and two SHORT-EARED OWLS at the Calverton Grasslands at the former Grumman airport.

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