New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, February 21, 2020:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Feb. 21, 2020
* NYNY2002.21


- Birds mentioned
THICK-BILLED MURRE+
BARNACLE GOOSE+
PAINTED BUNTING+
TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Red-necked Grebe
Common Gallinule
Razorbill
Black-legged Kittiwake
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Canvasback
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
HARLEQUIN DUCK
KING EIDER
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
Rough-legged Hawk
Red-headed Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Baltimore Oriole
Boat-tailed Grackle
Vesper Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
Orange-crowned Warbler
Pine Warbler
Palm Warbler
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
Wood Thrush
VARIED THRUSH

- 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

Compiler: Tom Burke
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County

Transcriber: Ben Cacace

BEGIN TAPE

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, February 21st 2020 at 9pm. The highlights of today's tape are TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, VARIED THRUSH, PAINTED BUNTING, THICK-BILLED MURRE, BARNACLE GOOSE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, BLACK-HEADED GULL, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and more.

The TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, first seen on Sunday the 9th in Northwest Harbor north of East Hampton, was still present along Three Mile Harbor Drive today. Look especially around the fruit bearing trees in the vicinity of 56 Three Mile Harbor Drive and near a small turnout marked by a small park sign bearing the initials SLPOA. Also listen for the bird occasionally calling.

In Brooklyn two excellent winter passerines also remain with the Prospect Park VARIED THRUSH continuing in the Nethermead through today and the PAINTED BUNTING at Brooklyn Bridge Park noted as recently as yesterday around Pier 5.

Out at Montauk Point for the third Sunday in a row a THICK-BILLED MURRE was spotted off the restaurant at the point. This time though the MURRE remained floating a short distance offshore rather than disappearing and has continued to swim around the point providing excellent views right through today. Among the other birds out there have been some RAZORBILLS with 270 counted Monday and early in the week on Sunday and Monday one or two BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES reported well offshore. Completing the Montauk area a drake BARROW'S GOLDENEYE was spotted last Sunday in a Common Goldeneye flock on Lake Montauk as viewed from South Lake Drive still there Monday. On Tuesday the BARROW'S and Goldeneye flock had moved farther north on the lake. One or two RED-NECKED GREBES also remain off Culloden Point with one also off Montauk Point Monday and a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, perhaps the one initially seen on the Christmas Count, was around the traffic circle at the point near the Camp Hero turnoff on Monday.

The Riverhead area BARNACLE GOOSE was spotted today with Canada Geese east of Horton Avenue and south of Sound Avenue while the Rye area GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was still present today on the Rye Brook Pond off Bowman Avenue.

A female KING EIDER as well as up to 4 HARLEQUIN DUCKS were present off Orient Point at least to Monday and the Shinnecock female KING EIDER was reported again Tuesday on the east side of the inlet. The young male HARLEQUIN DUCK was noted in Sheepshead Bay at least to Wednesday with a BLACK-HEADED GULL still being seen there through yesterday and one or two RAZORBILLS were noted this week off Canarsie Pier as well as Fort Tilden and Breezy Point. Single ICELAND GULLS were noted in Sheepshead Bay to Monday and on the Central Park Reservoir to Wednesday joined there by a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL last Saturday. Other LESSER BLACK-BACKEDS visited Coney Island Beach to Monday and Jones Beach West End Tuesday. Another BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE was seen off Robert Moses State Park Tuesday and a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK continues in the Cedar Beach area with COMMON GALLINULE seen again on the Bellmore Mill Pond last Saturday.

A nice count was the 380 CANVASBACK present on the Mill Pond in Waterville last Sunday. A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER and a female BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE continue in Central Park with a VESPER SPARROW still on Randall's Island Monday. A WOOD THRUSH in Central Park Thursday was quite interesting.

On Staten Island the CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was still at Moravian Cemetery Monday and single YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS were uncovered at Great Kills Park Saturday and Cemetery of the Resurrection Monday.

Other notable passerines have included some lingering EASTERN PHOEBES, ORANGE-CROWNED, PINE and PALM WARBLERS and CHIPPING SPARROWS and a feeder visiting BALTIMORE ORIOLE Sunday.

To phone in reports 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