New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, March 10, 2017:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Mar. 10, 2017
* NYNY1703.10

- Birds Mentioned

TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE+
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD+

(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

ROSS’S GOOSE
Eurasian Wigeon
KING EIDER
BARROW’S GOLDENEYE
Horned Grebe
EARED GREBE
Black Vulture
Northern Goshawk
SANDHILL CRANE
Piping Plover
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
GLAUCOUS GULL
Red-headed Woodpecker
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 Friday, March 10, 2017
at 7:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE, SANDHILL CRANE, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, EARED GREBE, ROSS’S GULL, BARROW’S GOLDENEYE, KING EIDER, GLAUCOUS GULL, and EVENING GROSBEAK.

Perhaps a familiar ring to this week’s tape as we await more variety promised by the upcoming spring, wherever it is.

Two Eastern Long Island rarities were still on territory this week, the TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE continuing to feed and roost near the blue house #1625 North Sea Drive in Southold through today, and the SANDHILL CRANE remaining around the north end of Wainscott Pond or visiting the fields along Wainscott Hollow Road at least through Wednesday.

On Staten Island the female YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was reported again Monday in a mixed flock around Oakwood Beach, just north of Great Kills Park, where it had been seen back on the 2nd.

An EARED GREBE appeared on Gravesend Bay in Brooklyn and was enjoyed by many on Tuesday, this following the Oak Beach bird which was still being reported around the western end of Fire Island Inlet near the Sore Thumb to yesterday. This time of year correctly identifying an EARED GREBE becomes more of a challenge, with good numbers of HORNED GREBES now moving through, many in transitional plumage, looking more an EARED than their traditional winter plumage. Of the 51 HORNED GREBES counted off Playland Park in Rye Monday, several were looking rather dusky, so it is important to rely more now on structure than plumage – especially note EARED’s usually fluffy raised rear end, a good long distance mark.

For the still remaining waterfowl, a ROSS’S GOOSE was spotted again on Oregon Road in Cutchogue last Sunday, a drake EURASIAN WIGEON was still present Thursday at the Salt Marsh Nature Center section of Marine Park in Brooklyn, with another on Eastport Lake again last Saturday, the female BARROW’S GOLDENEYE was reported again Sunday off Oak Beach, and a female KING EIDER remained off Orient Point County Park to Wednesday.

Single GLAUCOUS and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were still around Bellport Bay last Sunday, and an ICELAND GULL was still visiting Prospect Park Lake Wednesday.

Separate immature NORTHERN GOSHAWKS were still being seen Thursday both in Prospect Park and at Massapequa Preserve.

Three BLACK VULTURES seen over Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn Sunday, plus a few others locally, indicate these as well as various other raptors are beginning to move back north.

RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS this week included one still in Central Park just west of East 68th Street and one at Blydenburgh County Park in Smithtown Sunday.

A PIPING PLOVER was back at Oak Beach last Saturday, with a few others subsequently arriving, and interesting was a report from last Saturday of two EVENING GROSBEAKS flying west over Jones Beach West End.

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