New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, November 30, 2018:

RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Nov. 30, 2018
* NYNY1811.30

- Birds Mentioned

BARNACLE GOOSE+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
Snow Goose
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
TUNDRA SWAN
EURASIAN WIGEON
Common Eider
MARBLED GODWIT
BLACK-HEADED GULL
ICELAND GULL
GLAUCOUS GULL
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Eastern Phoebe
American Robin
European Starling
BOHEMIAN WAXWING
Cedar Waxwing
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Blackpoll Warbler
Baltimore Oriole
Red Crossbill
Common Redpoll
Evening Grosbeak


(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

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, November 30, 2018 at 9:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are BOHEMIAN WAXWING, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, BLACK-HEADED, GLAUCOUS and ICELAND GULLS, TUNDRA SWAN, EURASIAN WIGEON, MARBLED GODWIT, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER and winter finches.

Early Thursday morning a single BOHEMIAN WAXWING was spotted and recognizably photographed as it flew with a few AMERICAN ROBINS past Crab Meadow Beach in Fort Salonga. A species noted for its irregular wanderings, BOHEMIANS are now appearing well north of us in irruptive numbers, with a good flock even in Kingston, Ulster County yesterday. With large numbers of CEDAR WAXWINGS still moving in the area, it could pay to watch for a BOHEMIAN in migrating flocks of CEDARS, though down here you are probably more likely to find one on its own or feeding with AMERICAN ROBINS or EUROPEAN STARLINGS in fruiting trees.

An adult GLAUCOUS GULL was seen Monday off Old Field Point north of Setauket, presumably the same bird in Conscience Bay a week earlier.

A large gathering of CANADA GEESE spotted last Saturday north of Riverhead also contained a BARNACLE GOOSE and three GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, as well as a CACKLING GOOSE and a Blue form of SNOW GOOSE. The BARNACLE was still present in the flock Monday, and the three GREATER WHITE-FRONTEDS were seen Sunday, one again Monday. This site is on the west side of Route 105, Cross River Drive, about half way between Route 25 to the south and the intersection with Northville Turnpike to the north.

Other CACKLING GEESE included two each at the West Babylon High School last Saturday and at Schmitt’s Farm in Melville Tuesday.

Two TUNDRA SWANS were in Georgica Cove in East Hampton last weekend; these birds should also be watched for on nearby Hook Pond.

A drake EURASIAN WIGEON was still at the Marine Park Salt Marsh Nature Center in Brooklyn yesterday, and a male in transitional plumage was on ponds at the Cemetery of the Resurrection on Staten Island Wednesday and Thursday.

Odd for western Long Island Sound were seven COMMON EIDER last Saturday first seen off Playland Park in Rye and later off City Island in the Bronx; a single was also off Playland Sunday.

A young GLAUCOUS GULL found last Friday off Orchard Beach in the Bronx was seen on offshore islands there on Sunday, and another was reported off Triton Lane in Hampton Bays Wednesday.

Last Saturday an ICELAND GULL was spotted on Prospect Park Lake, with two different individuals then identified there on Wednesday, at least one continuing to today.

Two MARBLED GODWITS still present at Jones Beach West End last Saturday apparently moved across Jones Inlet to Point Lookout on Sunday but were back at Jones Beach West End today.

An adult RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was photographed at Hunters Island in Pelham Bay Park last Sunday.

Among the various winter finches still moving around as they look for places to settle into, single EVENING GROSBEAKS were noted last Sunday at Jones Beach West End and at Heckscher State Park, and nine RED CROSSBILLS were reported from Jones Beach West End the day before. A COMMON REDPOLL was heard moving over northern Westchester County today.

At least ten late EASTERN PHOEBES and four BALTIMORE ORIOLES were noted this week, as were a few ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS and other late WARBLERS, including OVENBIRD, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, NASHVILLE, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and BLACKPOLL.

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