New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, January 4, 2019:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Jan. 04, 2019
* NYNY1901.04

- Birds Mentioned

THICK-BILLED MURRE+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Cackling Goose
TUNDRA SWAN
EURASIAN WIGEON
KING EIDER
Common Eider
HARLEQUIN DUCK
BARROW’S GOLDENEYE
Red-necked Grebe
Northern Gannet
BROWN PELICAN
Rough-legged Hawk
Razorbill
Black-legged Kittiwake
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Black Skimmer
Barn Owl
Snowy Owl
Long-eared Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Eastern Phoebe
Say’s Phoebe (extralimital)
Common Raven
Marsh Wren
LAPLAND LONGSPUR
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Cape May Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Chipping Sparrow
Saltmarsh Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow (extralimital)
RED CROSSBILL
EVENING GROSBEAK

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, January 4, 2019 at 9:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are THICK-BILLED MURRE, BROWN PELICAN, BARROW’S GOLDENEYE, KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, EURASIAN WIGEON, TUNDRA SWAN, BLACK-HEADED GULL, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, RED CROSSBILL, EVENING GROSBEAK, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER and more.

A THICK-BILLED MURRE first spotted in Shinnecock Inlet last Sunday has been present through today, spending most of its time feeding closer to the west jetty as it moves with the tides from near the tip of the jetty to well inside the inlet as the feeding conditions change. Other birds following suit have included a RAZOBILL or two and various species of ducks including a female KING EIDER Monday and a young HARLEQUIN DUCK Wednesday to Friday. A drake KING EIDER has also been seen in Shinnecock Bay among the thousands of COMMON EIDERS and Scoters present there. Other Shinnecock highlights have featured up to 3 RED-NECKED GREBES, good numbers of RAZORBILLS and some NORTHERN GANNETS offshore, and at least 6 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES Monday, when 4 TUNDRA SWANS were spotted flying east.

An internet report of a BROWN PELICAN in Moriches Inlet on Tuesday may be the one subsequently being seen in Rhode Island.

The Southern Nassau Christmas Count last Saturday recorded a high 133 species despite high wind conditions. Highlights included 5 HARLEQUIN DUCKS, 2 RED-NECKED GREBES, 1,287 RAZORBILLS, the adult BLACK-HEADED GULL at Jones Beach West End, still present yesterday, 1 ICELAND and 2 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS, 4 BARN, 2 SNOWY, 1 LONG-EARED and 3 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS, 3 EASTERN PHOEBES, MARSH WREN, COMMON RAVEN, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, CHIPPING and SALTMARSH SPARROWS, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, NASHVILLE and 2 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, and, new on the count, a YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER visiting a private Baldwin feeder.

Finishing the waterfowl, both drake and female BARROW’S GOLDENEYES were spotted off Orchard Beach at Pelham Bay Park earlier in the week, and a drake BARROW’S was found yesterday off Crab Meadow Beach in Northport. A drake KING EIDER was seen from the Orient to New London ferry last Saturday, and lingering EURASIAN WIGEON were noted at the Marine Park Salt Marsh Nature Center in Brooklyn today and on Avon Lake in Amityville Wednesday. CACKLING GEESE have been present lately at Arthur J. Hendrickson Park in Valley Stream and at Miller Field on Staten Island, among others.

A BLACK-HEADED GULL was at Coney Island Creek Sunday to Tuesday, a GLAUCOUS GULL continues along Triton Lane off Dune Road, an ICELAND GULL was in the Crab Meadow Beach parking lot Thursday, and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were noted at Lake Ronkonkoma Thursday and off Depot Lane in Cutchogue Tuesday.

A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was spotted near Cedar Beach on Tuesday.

A male EVENING GROSBEAK spent the week at Riverside Park in northern Manhattan, often in the 117th Street area, and 4 RED CROSSBILLS were seen along the boardwalk to the lighthouse at Robert Moses State Park Monday. Generally, though, winter finches have been relatively scarce recently.

A late BLACK SKIMMER was at Bush Terminal Piers Park in Brooklyn Wednesday.

Among some lingering WARBLERS have been a CAPE MAY still in Union Square Park in Manhattan yesterday, a NASHVILLE in Kissena Park yesterday, and several ORANGE-CROWNEDS scattered across the area.

Big news north of our area have been a GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW in Delaware County and a SAY’S PHOEBE in Orange County, both lingering through today. Check the internet for details.

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