New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, February 17, 2017:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Feb. 17, 2017
* NYNY1702.17

- Birds Mentioned

PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+
THICK-BILLED MURRE+

(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Greater White-Fronted Goose
ROSS’S GOOSE
Tundra Swan
Eurasian Wigeon
KING EIDER
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Common Goldeneye
BARROW’S GOLDENEYE
American Bittern
Rough-legged Hawk
SANDHILL CRANE
Wilson’s Snipe
Razorbill
BLACK GUILLEMOT
Bonaparte’s Gull
BLACK-HEADED GULL
LITTLE GULL
Iceland Gull
Glaucous Gull
Red-headed Woodpecker
TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE
NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH
Baltimore Oriole

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 Friday, February 17, 2017 at 6:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are BLACK GUILLEMOT, THICK-BILLED MURRE, TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE, SANDHILL CRANE, PINK-FOOTED and ROSS’S GEESE, BARROW’S GOLDENEYE, KING EIDER and HARLEQUIN DUCK, LITTLE and BLACK-HEADED GULLS, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH and more.

Last Sunday morning an immature BLACK GUILLEMOT was found just inside the Montauk harbor inlet and it was still there today, diving actively near the Coast Guard Station on Star Island.

Also in the Montauk area an adult winter LITTLE GULL was spotted moving by the Point Tuesday morning with a few BONAPARTE’S GULLS and was off Camp Hero today. A female KING EIDER was still off the restaurant both Saturday and Tuesday mornings, some RAZORBILLS continue off the Point and an ICELAND GULL remains around the Montauk harbor inlet. On Thursday and Friday a BLACK-HEADED GULL was seen with BONAPARTE’S at the south end of Lake Montauk.

Another nice alcid was a THICK-BILLED MURRE seen briefly Saturday before it dove and disappeared off Rocky Point Marsh in Queens. This area is directly across Rockaway Inlet from Plumb Beach, Brooklyn, west of the Marine Parkway Bridge.

The north fork TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE was still visiting the cedars along North Sea Drive in Southold at least to Wednesday – look especially in the vicinity of the blue house #1625 North Sea Drive.

On the south fork the SANDHILL CRANE was again feeding in the fields along Wainscott Hollow Road last Sunday. If not there, check around Wainscott Pond off Wainscott Main Street.

Two TUNDRA SWANS were still on Lake Ronkonkoma Wednesday.

The PINK-FOOTED GOOSE in Valley Stream was still at Hendrickson Park today, and a 2nd revisited Elda Lake in North Babylon last Saturday.

A ROSS’S GOOSE was reported today from Narrow River Road in Orient.

Two GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were on the private golf course east of Wellwood Avenue near the often productive cemeteries in the Farmingdale area, these west of Belmont Lake State Park, a presumed overnight roosting area for most of these geese. Another WHITE-FRONTED was back on Playland Lake in Rye Wednesday to today, usually flying out early in the morning.

A drake BARROW’S GOLDENEYE continues with COMMON GOLDENEYES around Prospect Point just a little northwest of the Sands Point Preserve. Usually you would need to walk out along the beach to view the GOLDENEYES.

Drake EURASIAN WIGEON were seen this week at Brooklyn’s Salt Marsh Nature Center section of Marine Park, at Mill Creek on Staten Island, and on Fresh Pond in Fort Salonga.

Birds at Shinnecock Tuesday included 3 HARLEQUIN DUCKS, AMERICAN BITTERN, and ICELAND GULL.

A BLACK-HEADED GULL was noted again at Cammanns Pond off Merrick Road last Saturday, and another appeared off Orient Point, seen from the New London Ferry Wednesday.

Single GLAUCOUS GULLS were noted in Bellport Saturday and on Roosevelt Island in Manhattan Thursday. A few ICELAND GULLS continue along the Brooklyn shoreline, with one also still visiting Prospect Park Lake to Thursday.

A RAZORBILL was seen off Coney Island Beach and Breezy Point last Sunday, with another off Staten Island the day before.

A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was spotted at Gilgo Saturday, a WILSON’S SNIPE at Swan Lake in East Patchogue Wednesday.

This week lingering RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were noted in Central Park just west of East 68th Street, at Hendrickson Park and Caumsett State Park and at the Makamah Preserve in Fort Salonga, and another was found in Dix Hills Wednesday.

Certainly unexpected among the landbirds were a BALTIMORE ORIOLE in Brooklyn Monday and, especially, a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH at Southards Pond Park in Babylon last Saturday.

To phone in reports call Tom Burke at 212-372-1483 on weekdays.

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

- End transcript