New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, December 30, 2016:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Dec. 30, 2016
* NYNY1612.30

- Birds mentioned
PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+
BARNACLE GOOSE+
THICK-BILLED MURRE+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
ROSS'S GOOSE
CACKLING GOOSE
TUNDRA SWAN
Eurasian Wigeon
GREEN-WINGED TEAL (Eurasian form)
KING EIDER
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Surf Scoter
Northern Gannet
Black Vulture
Bald Eagle
Northern Goshawk
Clapper Rail
Virginia Rail
American Woodcock
DOVEKIE
Razorbill
Black-legged Kittiwake
Black-headed Gull
Iceland Gull
Glaucous Gull
Black Skimmer
Barn Owl
Red-headed Woodpecker
Merlin
NORTHERN SHRIKE
Common Raven
Marsh Wren
LAPLAND LONGSPUR
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Chipping Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Nelson's Sparrow
DICKCISSEL
RED CROSSBILL

- 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, December 30th 2016 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are Christmas Count results including PINK-FOOTED GOOSE, CACKLING GOOSE, TUNDRA SWAN, Eurasian form of GREEN-WINGED TEAL, RED CROSSBILL plus ROSS'S GOOSE, BARNACLE GOOSE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, THICK-BILLED MURRE, DOVEKIE, NORTHERN SHRIKE, LAPLAND LONGSPUR and DICKCISSEL.

The Bronx-Westchester Christmas Count Monday recorded 118 species. New to the count were the PINK-FOOTED GOOSE as well as the CACKLING GOOSE both residing recently at Van Cortlandt Park where they, an immature Snow Goose and 100s of Canadas, can usually be found on the Parade Ground along Route 9 / Broadway. Other highlights were 1,200 SURF SCOTERS with other scoters off City Island, 5 NORTHERN GANNETS, the adult BLACK-HEADED GULL at Five Islands Park in New Rochelle, ICELAND GULL, 7 BLACK VULTURES, NORTHERN GOSHAWK, CLAPPER RAIL, AMERICAN WOODCOCK, 9 MERLIN, a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, 12 COMMON RAVENS and 4 RED CROSSBILLS in Rye. The crossbills at Greenwood Union Cemetery have not been seen since.

The Smithtown Count Tuesday netted 103 species including 2 TUNDRA SWANS on Lake Ronkonkoma, a Eurasian form of GREEN-WINGED TEAL on Setauket Mill Pond, one CLAPPER and 2 VIRGINIA RAILS, BALD EAGLE, 18 NORTHERN GANNETS, BARN OWL, a few MARSH WRENS, NASHVILLE WARBLER and CHIPPING SPARROW. The TUNDRA SWANS were still present today on the lake off Lakeshore Road.

Regarding PINK-FOOTED GEESE the Van Cortlandt bird was still there Thursday and the one in Arthur J. Hendrickson Park in Valley Stream was there today.

Besides the Five Islands Park BLACK-HEADED GULL a second adult has been visiting Cammann's Pond in Merrick through today this pond off Merrick Road less than a mile east of the Meadowbrook Parkway.

Finishing the waterfowl 2 ROSS'S GEESE have been feeding through today in the grass circle around the water tower at the entrance to Robert Moses State Park on Fire Island and another ROSS'S was spotted on Saint John's Pond off Route 25A in Coldspring last Saturday. A BARNACLE GOOSE spotted today in St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale was presumably the bird that is likely still roosting overnight in Belmont Lake State Park east of there. The GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE at Playland Park in Rye departs the lake very early and did not make it onto the Bronx-Westchester Count while another was spotted at Hook Pond in East Hampton Sunday. Among the few reports of this species were 2 CACKLING GEESE together on a sod field off Edward's Avenue in Calverton Wednesday. The EURASIAN WIGEON was noted in Setauket Harbor last Sunday and 2 HARLEQUIN DUCKS were along the jetty at Jones Beach West End Monday.

Out at Montauk Point yesterday in the stormy weather some nice birds featured a drake KING EIDER as well as 3 DOVEKIES and 2 THICK-BILLED MURRES joining about 140 RAZORBILLS and a distant BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE. GLAUCOUS and ICELAND GULLS have been reported during the week at Bush Terminal Piers Park in Brooklyn with ICELAND also at the Brooklyn Army Terminal Pier 4 Thursday.

Adult RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were seen on Sunday at Kissena Park in Queens and Blydenburgh County Park in Smithtown and the immature continues at Hendrickson Park. The YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was still at the Plandome railroad station Sunday and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS included one at Drier-Offerman Park in Brooklyn to Wednesday and 2 at Smith Point County Park in Shirley Tuesday. Single LAPLAND LONGSPUR (S) have been present during the week at Jones Beach West End and Robert Moses State Park.

In northern Westchester an immature NORTHERN SHRIKE was seen again Monday and Tuesday at Onatru Farm Park in Lewisboro and a DICKCISSEL was reported again today at Midland Beach on Staten Island.

The Kings County Christmas Count reported last week without complete information actually took place on Saturday the 17th and included among its 119 species previously unmentioned passerines such as 2 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, single VESPER and NELSON'S SPARROWS. The 3 BLACK SKIMMERS were actually found the day after the count.

To phone in reports on Long Island or in New York please call Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483.

This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Happy New Year!

- End transcript