New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, February 16, 2018:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Feb. 16, 2018
* NYNY1802.16

- Birds Mentioned

PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+
PURPLE GALLINULE+
MEW GULL+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
ROSS’S GOOSE
EURASIAN WIGEON
KING EIDER
Common Eider
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
BARROW’S GOLDENEYE
Red-necked Grebe
EARED GREBE
Black Vulture
Razorbill
Bonaparte’s Gull
BLACK-HEADED GULL
LITTLE GULL
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
GLAUCOUS GULL
Pileated Woodpecker


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 Friday, February 16, 2018 at 9:00 pm.

Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties we have not been able to completely record the tape recently.

The highlights of today’s tape are MEW GULL, LITTLE, BLACK-HEADED and GLAUCOUS GULLS, PINK-FOOTED, ROSS’S and GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, BARROW’S GOLDENEYE, KING EIDER and EURASIAN WIGEON, EARED GREBE, and another PURPLE GALLINULE.

Last Saturday out at Orient Point an adult MEW GULL was spotted and fortunately nicely photographed before it shortly took off and flew north towards Connecticut. Two GLAUCOUS GULLS were also at that location, one still there Thursday.

The PINK-FOOTED GOOSE continues out at Montauk but is moving about a bit more. It was seen up to Tuesday at the Deep Hollow Ranch fields on the south side of Route 27, but on Monday and Tuesday it also visited the Theodore Roosevelt County Park on the north side of Route 27 just west of the ranch; by Wednesday it had also moved farther west to Rita’s Stable on the north side of Route 27 across from Ditch Plains Road. (There’s been no sign of the Westchester Barnacle Goose since the 9th.)

A ROSS’S GOOSE was still feeding on the lawns at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale at least to Monday, this bird usually roosting overnight at Belmont Lake State Park to the east.

A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was still visiting Tung Ting Pond in Centerport to Sunday, with another in Northport Saturday.

A drake BARROW’S GOLDENEYE was still off Crab Meadow Beach on Thursday, this in Northport as approached from Waterside Road.

The adult male KING EIDER around Jones Inlet was seen Monday across the inlet near Meadow Island, viewable from the Jones Beach West End Coast Guard Station area. A female KING was in Shinnecock Inlet Monday, and an immature was still at Old Field Point at the end of Old Field Road today.

A drake EURASIAN WIGEON was on Avon Lake in Amityville north of Route 27A midweek.

The adult LITTLE GULL was still present off Montauk Point at least to Wednesday, the bird usually spotted from the restaurant overlook as it and accompanying BONAPARTE’S GULLS continue to circulate around the Point. The number of COMMON EIDERS and BLACK, SURF and WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS there is also very impressive, and a few RAZORBILLS continue there as well.

Last Saturday two BLACK-HEADED GULLS featured the immature on Prospect Park Lake and the adult at Five Islands Park in New Rochelle.

A GLAUCOUS GULL was at Montauk Point last Saturday and on the Montauk harbor west jetty Monday, where an ICELAND GULL also continues. Other ICELANDS include Brooklyn sightings at Coney Island and Gravesend Bay and three noted at Old Field Point last Monday.

LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS include one at Brooklyn Army Terminal Pier Four Wednesday and one off Coney Island Monday, with another reported from Westhampton Beach Marina Wednesday.

An EARED GREBE continues in Fire Island Inlet as viewed from the western end of Oak Beach Road, with another reported from the bayside at Gilgo Monday.

Two RED-NECKED GREBES were off the Timber Point marina Sunday, another in Gravesend Bay Monday.

Interesting Suffolk County birds include three BLACK VULTURES in Riverhead, seen recently around Roanoke Avenue and the Supreme Court complex, and a PILEATED WOODPECKER at West Hills County Park in Melville.

Much more interesting, though, was the recent uncovering of a third Long Island PURPLE GALLINULE, this found in Rockville Center January 14 and expiring two days later. The date range for the three now deceased PURPLE GALLINULES was from January 13th in Manorville to January 16th in Southampton, an amazing dispersal with a very unfortunate ending.

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