New York City Rare Bird Alert

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

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Mar. 16, 2018
* NYNY1803.16

- Birds mentioned
PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+
MEW GULL+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
EURASIAN WIGEON
RED-NECKED GREBE
EARED GREBE
Great Egret
American Woodcock
BLACK-HEADED GULL
ICELAND GULL
Snowy Owl
Eastern Phoebe
Tree Swallow
Pine Warbler
Rusty Blackbird

- 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

Compilers: Tom Burke and 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, March 16th 2018 at 8pm. The highlights of today's tape are MEW GULL, BLACK-HEADED GULL, ICELAND GULL, PINK-FOOTED GOOSE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, EURASIAN WIGEON, EARED GREBE, RED-NECKED GREBE and more.

As we work our way through the March doldrums, when the anticipation accompanying seasonal change is generally poorly rewarded initially, a few nice rarities hanging around have at least kept things interesting.

Just today a MEW GULL, perhaps one that had also been seen earlier in the season in Brooklyn, was spotted in the gull flock that gathers around the boat basin at Floyd Bennett Field. Scanning through Ring-billed Gull gatherings does pay off. Speaking of that the immature BLACK-HEADED GULL appeared on Prospect Park Lake at least to last Saturday and Monday. An ICELAND GULL was also in Brooklyn Saturday seen at Bush Terminal Piers Park.

The PINK-FOOTED GOOSE out in Montauk was still present Sunday on the pastures at Deep Hollow Ranch on the south side of Route 27. Also hanging on through today is the GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE roosting on Tung Ting Pond in Centerport. The EURASIAN WIGEON was still at Marine Park Salt Marsh Nature Center in Brooklyn today. The EARED GREBE wintering in Fire Island Inlet was still around on Monday at its frequent location around the piers west of the fisherman's parking lot on Oak Beach Road. This probably now is appropriate to note that Horned Grebes still lingering in our area are currently molting into breeding plumage and so now should be separated from EARED GREBES more by structural than plumage differences. The RED-NECKED GREBE at the Restoration Pond in Alley Pond Park in Queens was still there yesterday and another was around the West Marina in Long Beach last weekend.

To keep things interesting a small number of SNOWY OWLS also remain in the area.

Returning to other recent arrivals a couple of GREAT EGRETS appeared Sunday in the Jamaica Bay region. The recent weather pattern has stalled some of the inbound migration with some of the EASTERN PHOEBES, TREE SWALLOWS and PINE WARBLERS plus the AMERICAN WOODCOCK that have ventured north have surely found recent conditions very difficult. RUSTY BLACKBIRDS have been present at various fresh water swampy sites including Prospect and Alley Pond Parks and even the Bronx Zoo.

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

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

- End transcript