New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, December 7, 2018:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Dec. 07, 2018
* NYNY1812.07

- Birds Mentioned

BARNACLE GOOSE+
MEW GULL+
VARIED THRUSH+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
TUNDRA SWAN
EURASIAN WIGEON
Red-necked Grebe
MARBLED GODWIT
Razorbill
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Ring-billed Gull
ICELAND GULL
GLAUCOUS GULL
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
BOHEMIAN WAXWING
Purple Finch
Red Crossbill
Common Redpoll
Pine Siskin
Evening Grosbeak
Orange-crowned Warbler
Vesper Sparrow
Baltimore Oriole

(+ 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, December 7, 2018 at 9:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are MEW GULL, VARIED THRUSH, BOHEMIAN WAXWING, BARNACLE and GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, BLACK-HEADED, GLAUCOUS and ICELAND GULLS, TUNDRA SWAN and EURASIAN WIGEON, MARBLED GODWIT and winter FINCHES.

Among the nice finds this week was an adult MEW GULL spotted and nicely photographed on Brooklyn Army Terminal Pier 4 Monday afternoon. Roosting among a large congregation of GULLS, including many RING-BILLEDS, the group eventually took flight, and the MEW has not since been relocated, though it could easily be in the area.

Late Wednesday morning a male VARIED THRUSH was spotted near Brooks Pond at Cloves Lakes Park on Staten Island. The Thrush made appearances in that area a few times during the afternoon but could not be refound on Thursday.

Another interesting report was a BOHEMIAN WAXWING heard as it flew by Stillwell Woods Park in Syosset last Saturday morning.

A BARNACLE GOOSE was still present Thursday north of Riverhead off Route 105 just south of the Northville Turnpike, and another was noted first on Monday in Southold on the North Fork just north of Sound Avenue, with presumably the same bird again today just west of Wells Road and south of Route 25, both BARNACLES moving around in large flocks of CANADA GEESE.

A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE is back in the Rye-Port Chester area of Westchester County, this Goose in prior years moving around with CANADAS between several local golf courses and ponds, including the lake at Playland Park in Rye, where it has not yet been seen this year.

Among some CACKLING GEESE reported locally were singles at Hendrickson Park in Valley Stream since Sunday, one on Mill Pond in Sayville Saturday, and another at Caumsett State Park Tuesday.

A TUNDRA SWAN was spotted on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge on Monday, and a drake EURASIAN WIGEON was still at the Marine Park Salt Marsh Nature Center today, with another continuing on the ponds at the Cemetery of the Resurrection on Staten Island.

An adult BLACK-HEADED GULL was spotted Thursday on the bar off the Coast Guard Station at Jones Beach West End, where two MARBLED GODWITS were still lingering at least through last weekend.

An immature GLAUCOUS GULL was still hanging out at Triton Lane in Hampton Bays today, and an ICELAND GULL again visited Prospect Park Lake last Saturday.

A small number of RAZORBILLS have been off Montauk Point recently, and RED- NECKED GREBES this week were noted at Pelham Bay Park and the Salt Marsh Nature Center.

Among the incursion of winter Finches, many of the PINE SISKINS and PURPLE FINCHES have moved through our area, while RED CROSSBILLS, EVENING GROSBEAKS and now a few COMMON REDPOLLS continue to make irregular appearances as their numbers continue to build to our north. RED CROSSBILLS this week included eleven at Cedar Beach in the Mt. Sinai area, while single EVENING GROSBEAKS were reported from Stillwell Woods Park Saturday and at Jamaica Bay Monday, and two COMMON REDPOLLS were located in Sunken Meadow State Park last Saturday.

ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS locally included two at the New York Botanical Garden Saturday, one on Randall’s Island to Monday, another at Oakland Lake in Queens Monday, and one continuing in Central Park’s north end.

A VESPER SPARROW was in Alley Pond Park Tuesday, and other late passerines, with Christmas Bird Counts in mind, have included a BLUE-HEADED VIREO in Prospect Park and a few EASTERN PHOEBES, BALTIMORE ORIOLES, and lingering WARBLERS – let’s hope!

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