New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, February 19, 2016:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Feb 19, 2016
* NYNY1602.19

- Birds Mentioned

BARNACLE GOOSE+
THICK-BILLED MURRE+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Tundra Swan
TUFTED DUCK
KING EIDER
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Common Goldeneye
BARROW’S GOLDENEYE
Red-necked Grebe
Razorbill
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
SNOWY OWL
LARK SPARROW

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, February 19, 2016 at 6:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are THICK-BILLED MURRE, TUFTED DUCK, BARROW’S GOLDENEYE, KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, BARNACLE and GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, BLACK-HEADED GULL, SNOWY OWL, and LARK SPARROW.

Thursday afternoon an apparent THICK-BILLED MURRE was spotted near the east jetty at the Montauk Harbor Inlet, and the sighting followed another THICK-BILLED that was found dead along the beach in Southhold on Monday, something to watch for as alcids begin their trek back north. A dead alcid being devoured by GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS off Battery Park Tuesday was identified as a RAZORBILL but was not retrieved for closer scrutiny.

About 50 RAZORBILLS were estimated off Montauk Point last Friday, with fewer noted Saturday, and among the large assemblage of waterfowl there were single drake KING EIDER Friday and HARLEQUIN DUCK Saturday off the Point.

It appears that 2 separate TUFTED DUCKS are present on Long Island, both seemingly young males. The bird initially on Lake Capri in West Islip was spotted again on Santapogue Creek last Sunday, this off Venetian Blvd. in Lindenhurst. And last Friday afternoon a different TUFTED was picked out in a large Scaup flock further east in Blue Point, where it was still present Saturday off the southern end of Blue Point Avenue, this area shortly thereafter frozen over, pushing the Scaup flock farther offshore into Patchogue Bay.

The drake BARROW’S GOLDENEYE continues with COMMON GOLDENEYE at Sands Point, usually on the western side of the peninsula; the only really permitted parking in that area is at the Sands Point Preserve, which charges a fee and would require a long walk west along the beach.

The presumed family group of 3 BARNACLE GEESE was present again yesterday with CANADAS north of Riverhead on the east side of Roanoke Avenue just south of Reeves Avenue.

A single BARNACLE GOOSE continues to roost overnight, presumably regularly, at Belmont Lake State Park, the congregating Geese there also featuring 2 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and a CACKLING GOOSE. The WHITE-FRONTEDS were also noted at St. Charles Cemetery Wednesday afternoon, one of the various feeding sites for the Belmont Geese. The Cemetery is west of Belmont Lake between Wellwood Avenue and New Highway, just east of Republic Airport. Two other WHITE-FRONTEDS continue to be seen on or near Hook Pond in East Hampton, where 2 TUNDRA SWANS also remain, despite the pond freezing over at one point. The Swans were also off David’s Lane northeast of Hook Wednesday.

Among the few CACKLING GEESE reported this week has been 1 on Central Park Reservoir that has initiated much discussion regarding the variation among the various forms of CACKLING, especially the *hutchinsii* race expected in our area, and the small forms of CANADA GOOSE. The issue of hybrids has also been raised, all this pointing to the need for a comprehensive article on the subject, copiously supplemented with many photographs of the various races, including variation within each. Good luck on that.

The immature BLACK-HEADED GULL was spotted on Prospect Park Lake last Monday, and an ICELAND GULL regularly visiting Central Park Reservoir was seen there today, while anther ICELAND stopped by Prospect Park Lake Wednesday. A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was reported from Belmont Lake State Park on Wednesday.

A SNOWY OWL was seen again off Lazy Point in Napeague last Saturday, and 1 was reported from the West Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Tuesday, but no details were provided.

A RED-NECKED GREBE was in the Hudson River off the 20’s in Manhattan on Monday.

A LARK SPARROW was still present around the outer turnaround at Jones Beach West End Wednesday, with another still at Croton Point Park last Saturday.

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