New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, February 26, 2016:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Feb. 26, 2016
* NYNY1602.26

- Birds mentioned
THICK-BILLED MURRE+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
TUNDRA SWAN
Wood Duck
EURASIAN WIGEON
GREEN-WINGED TEAL (Eurasian form "Common Teal")
TUFTED DUCK
KING EIDER
HARLEQUIN DUCK
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
Killdeer
American Woodcock
Razorbill
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Laughing Gull
ICELAND GULL
GLAUCOUS GULL
American Pipit
Cedar Waxwing
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 26th 2016 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are THICK-BILLED MURRE, TUFTED DUCK, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, EURASIAN WIGEON, Eurasian form of GREEN-WINGED TEAL, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, TUNDRA SWAN, BLACK-HEADED GULL, GLAUCOUS GULL, ICELAND GULL and LARK SPARROW.

A recent small incursion of THICK-BILLED MURRES found one off Coney Island last Sunday much to the enjoyment of local birders especially as one or two RAZORBILLS were also present in the same vicinity. Only one of the RAZORBILLS was noted the next day. Out at Montauk a much more accommodating THICK-BILLED spotted last Friday has continued around the entrance to Montauk Harbor at least through Thursday. The MURRE has often been seen in the inlet between the jetties occasionally it has been on the east side of the east jetty generally at low tide or sometimes farther into the harbor at higher tide and it has been a few times targeted by Great Black-backed Gulls but had so far evaded capture. Adult and subadult ICELAND GULLS have also been around the inlet. Out at Montauk Point itself there were a few dozen RAZORBILLS last Saturday amongst the large mass of sea ducks and a drake KING EIDER remains there as well usually on the south side of the point best viewed from the eastern end of the Camp Hero Overlook though it can be difficult to locate at times. A third THICK-BILLED MURRE was seen Sunday flying east off Ditch Plains in Montauk.

Further fuel to the how many immature male TUFTED DUCKS are there in the region was provided by one found Sunday on Patchogue Lake north of Holbrook Avenue in Patchogue. One was also seen again last Saturday on Santapogue Creek off Venetian Boulevard in Lindenhurst. Hopefully photos can be carefully analyzed to determine if there are actually three different individuals involved.

The drake BARROW'S GOLDENEYE remains at Sands Point generally seen around Half Moon Bay on the west side of the peninsula but beware of the no parking issues there.

Four HARLEQUIN DUCKS were still at Orient Point Monday along with a female KING EIDER and 2 more HARLEQUINS were spotted Thursday on Eaton's Neck north of Northport at the intersection of Asharoken Avenue and Bevin Road.

A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was seen again last Sunday at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park to the relief of a few Queens birders and two TUNDRA SWANS were still on Hook Pond in East Hampton yesterday.

Among the EURASIAN WIGEON noted this week were one Saturday at the Salt Marsh Nature Center at Marine Park in Brooklyn, two Monday on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, one Saturday on Fresh Pond north of Route 25A in Northport and one on the Mill Pond north of Old Field Road in Setauket where the Eurasian form of GREEN-WINGED TEAL was also still present last Sunday.

The immature BLACK-HEADED GULL was still visiting Prospect Park Lake yesterday. An immature GLAUCOUS GULL was noted again around Brooklyn Army Terminal Pier 4 at Bush Terminal Piers Park last Sunday and an immature ICELAND GULL visiting Central Park reservoir has been seen through Thursday. A LARK SPARROW was still at Croton Point Park in Westchester last Sunday and one continues around the outer turnaround at Jones Beach West End through today.

Among recent presumed migrants have been WOOD DUCK, a LAUGHING GULL Saturday at Long Beach, KILLDEER, a few AMERICAN WOODCOCK some of which should be displaying now, AMERICAN PIPIT and CEDAR WAXWING.

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