New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Thursday, December 14, 2017:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Dec. 14, 2017
* NYNY1712.14

- Birds Mentioned

HAMMOND’S FLYCATCHER+
ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER+
WESTERN TANAGER+

(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
Snow Goose
EURASIAN WIGEON
SANDHILL CRANE
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
BLACK-HEADED GULL
GLAUCOUS GULL
Snowy Owl
Short-eared Owl
Red-headed Woodpecker
Black-and-white Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Northern Parula
Pine Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Wilson’s Warbler
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT


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

Compilers: Tom Burke and Tony Lauro
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 14, 2017 at 10:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are HAMMOND’S and ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS, WESTERN TANAGER, SANDHILL CRANE, BLACK-HEADED and GLAUCOUS GULLS, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, EURASIAN WIGEON, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT.

With Christmas Count season just about to begin, attention has intensified regarding some of the best rarities and late-lingering species continuing in our area. Unfortunately, the HAMMOND’S FLYCATCHER in Central Park has not been reported since Tuesday, when it was still present in the Ramble, being seen again near the Swampy Pin Oak. Hopefully it will reappear.

The WESTERN TANAGER in Crocheron Park in Queens was spotted today, still near the pond in the south end of the park, though it has been wandering more around the area. Also continuing there have been a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and a WILSON’S WARBLER, a nice potential Christmas Count trio.

An ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER appeared at Jones Beach West End Wednesday, staying mostly around the median, ranging from near the entrance to the Coast Guard Station along the westbound road to a little east of the eastern exit from Field 2 on the eastbound side. It was not reported today, the snowy, cold weather presumably playing a part in that.

With a large goose flight going on all day Wednesday and into Thursday, including many skeins of SNOW GEESE, a report of two SANDHILL CRANES moving along the Hudson River, as viewed from mid-Manhattan Wednesday morning, seemed to fit the occasion.

An immature BLACK-HEADED GULL was seen last Sunday around Veterans Memorial Pier in Brooklyn, and there was also a report of a brief appearance of an adult on Prospect Park Lake Tuesday.

Single immature GLAUCOUS GULLS out on eastern Long Island last weekend included one at Goldsmith Inlet in Peconic Saturday and one at Breakwater Beach in Mattituck Sunday.

A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was off Depot Lane in Cutchogue last weekend, with another still along Reeves Avenue north of Riverhead Monday.

A drake EURASIAN WIGEON continued on Mill Pond in Sayville to Sunday, and another has returned to the Marine Park Salt Marsh Nature Center as of today.

At Santapogue Creek in West Babylon Saturday there were still 5 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS as well as a rather late SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER.

Along with the current SNOWY OWL incursion, there was a SHORT-EARED OWL last weekend at Jones Beach West End, and other owls should be present for the upcoming Counts – please take extra caution and do not disturb these birds at their daytime roosts.

A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER continues at Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn

A YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER was a nice find at Midland Beach on Staten Island last Sunday, the bird continuing near ballfield #6 at least to Wednesday, and other late WARBLERS this week have included BLACK-AND-WHITE, NORTHERN PARULA and decent numbers of PINE, as well as some ORANGE-CROWNEDS.

Other unseasonal goodies are also still lurking out there to be found, and we will be happy to include local Christmas Count highlights, so please phone them in.

To phone in reports, on Long Island call Tony Lauro at (631) 734 4126 or call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922 and leave a message.

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

- End transcript