New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Thursday, December 15, 2016:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Dec. 15, 2016
* NYNY1612.15

- Birds Mentioned

PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+
BARNACLE GOOSE+
MEW GULL+
RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD+
“WESTERN” FLYCATCHER+
WESTERN TANAGER+

(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Greater White-fronted Goose
Cackling Goose
TUNDRA SWAN
EURASIAN WIGEON
GREEN-WINGED TEAL “EURASIAN” form
SANDHILL CRANE
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Red-headed Woodpecker
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
LAPLAND LONGSPUR
Snow Bunting
Ovenbird
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
DICKCISSEL
RED CROSSBILL
EVENING GROSBEAK

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

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 15, 2016 at 7:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are MEW GULL, a “WESTERN”-type FLYCATCHER, WESTERN TANAGER, SANDHILL CRANE, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, PINK-FOOTED and BARNACLE GEESE, TUNDRA SWAN, EURASIAN WIGEON and “EURASIAN” form of GREEN-WINGED TEAL, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, DICKCISSEL, RED CROSSBILL and EVENING GROSBEAK.

An adult MEW GULL has again appeared along the Brooklyn waterfront, perhaps the same Common Gull subspecies noted there in previous winters. This bird was nicely photographed Monday as it fed in the Narrows off the Belt Parkway esplanade between the Veterans Memorial Pier and the pedestrian crossover at 80th Street.

An EMPIDONAX FLYCATCHER, believed to be in the “WESTERN” group comprised of Pacific-slope and Cordilleran Flycatchers and first spotted and photographed on the 8th in Inwood Hill Park in northern Manhattan, was last seen there on Saturday. The original and subsequent photographs might aid in its specific identification, but to our knowledge, no other supporting evidence such as recordings or DNA material has been obtained, so the identification issue may remain unresolved.

The WESTERN TANAGER was still present Wednesday in City Hall Park in Manhattan in trees between City Hall and the building to the north; the YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT there was last noted Saturday but OVENBIRD, BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET were there Wednesday.

In Westchester 4 SANDHILL CRANES flew low over Rye Brook Saturday afternoon.

Two SELASPHOROUS HUMMINGBIRDS, appearing to both be RUFOUS, have recently been visiting feeders at a private home in Aquabogue, so if you have hummingbird feeders still out, keep them full and unfrozen.

The PINK-FOOTED GOOSE was still visiting Hendrickson Park in Valley Stream as of this morning and one was noted at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale last Sunday. Also at St. Charles a BARNACLE GOOSE was present Sunday and Monday, then seen Tuesday and today at nearby Belmont Lake State Park. This lake is a well-used overnight goose roost, worth checking for the BARNACLE, possibly also the PINK-FOOTED, and a few Greater White-fronted Geese as well, as the latter have been regular there in recent years.

A CACKLING GOOSE was at Van Cortlandt Park Monday and has been reported from other local sites as well.

Two TUNDRA SWANS were back on Hook Pond in East Hampton as of last Saturday, this is the most reliable regional site for this species.

A drake EURASIAN WIGEON continues on the Setauket Mill Pond to today, and the also lingering “EURASIAN” GREEN-WINGED TEAL remains there as well.

A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL visited Randall’s Island last Saturday, and an ICELAND GULL was on Staten Island Wednesday.

An adult RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was still in Kissena Park, Queens, Saturday, with an immature at the Makamah Preserve in Fort Salonga Tuesday.

A DICKCISSEL has been present recently on Staten Island in New Dorp at Midland Beach, where a RED CROSSBILL was also noted last Saturday.

Two LAPLAND LONGSPURS continue with SNOW BUNTINGS at Jones Beach West End.

Single ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS were spotted at Marine Park’s Salt Marsh Nature Center in Brooklyn Saturday and at Bay Park County Park Wednesday; others should be around.

A YELLOW WARBLER was at the south end of Fort Pond in Montauk last Saturday.

An EVENING GROSBEAK appeared briefly at a Rye feeder this morning.

We’d be happy to announce Christmas Count highlights so please call them in to Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483. Our thanks to Patricia Lindsay and Shai Mitra for their assistance with the RBA during Tony Lauro’s illness, and we wish Tony a very speedy recovery.

This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.

- End transcript