New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, March 8, 2019:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* March 8, 2019
* NYNY1903.08

- Birds Mentioned

PACIFIC LOON+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Greater White-fronted Goose
Cackling Goose
TUNDRA SWAN
EURASIAN WIGEON
Red-necked Grebe
Rough-legged Hawk
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
American Woodcock
Iceland Gull
Eastern Phoebe
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
DICKCISSEL
EVENING GROSBEAK
House Sparrow

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, March 8, 2019 at 8:00 pm.

The highlights of today's tape are PACIFIC LOON, TUNDRA SWAN, EURASIAN WIGEON, DICKCISSEL, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW and EVENING GROSBEAK.

A fairly slow week, thanks mostly to the cold weather conditions, with more drifting north out of our region than coming in.

Our last report of the Oyster Bay PACIFIC LOON was from Monday, when still around the Sagamore Yacht Club boat basin and a little east of there off Florence Avenue. To look for the Loon, enter Oyster Bay on Route 106 and continue on South Street, staying left at the end by the white tanks to reach the parking lot for the Yacht Club and adjacent Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park. Search the boat basin or, if not there, off the end of Florence Avenue, where there also is parking.

Two TUNDRA SWANS, presumably wintering around East Hampton despite only occasional reports, have been seen this week around Georgica Cove and Pond, an area birded with some difficulty as it is mostly surrounded by private homes.

The only GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE reported this week has been wintering in southern Westchester County and has recently been visiting Playland Lake in Rye. A drake EURASIAN WIGEON is also in the same area of Rye but, like the TUNDRA SWANS, is often not viewable due to the private homes lining the shore. The WIGEON is occasionally visible from a viewpoint off Forest Avenue east of Rye Beach, but there is really very limited access even at that spot.

Another EURASIAN WIGEON was still at Bush Terminal Piers Park in Brooklyn last Sunday, and one continues at the Marine Park Salt Marsh Nature Center.

CACKLING GEESE this week were reported from Clove Lakes Park on Staten Island and Arthur J. Hendrickson Park in Valley Stream as well as at Hook Pond in East Hampton Sunday.

An ICELAND GULL was still at the Montauk Harbor Inlet Sunday, with another visiting New Rochelle in Westchester County Wednesday.

A RED-NECKED GREBE was still off Floyd Bennett Field to Monday, with another at Glen Island Park in Westchester Thursday.

A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was noted at the former Grumman Airport grasslands yesterday, and a SPOTTED SANDPIPER was still at the West Meadow Wetlands Preserve in Stony Brook Sunday.

The Quogue CLAY-COLORED SPARROW present earlier in the year was refound Monday along Post Lane near houses number 18 and 20, this area just north of the bridge to Dune Road.

The DICKCISSEL at the Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area was seen coming into the feeders there with a horde of HOUSE SPARROWS at least to Tuesday morning.

A male EVENING GROSBEAK continues to grace Riverside Park in northern Manhattan around the Forever Wild Trail near West 117th Street or north of there.

Besides waterfowl, birds on the move this week have included KILLDEER, AMERICAN WOODCOCK and EASTERN PHOEBE.

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