New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, January 1, 2021:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Jan. 1, 2021
* NYNY2101.01


- Birds mentioned
WESTERN TANAGER+
LECONTE'S SPARROW+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
Eurasian Wigeon
Redhead
KING EIDER
Common Eider
Harlequin Duck
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
Red-necked Grebe
Clapper Rail
Semipalmated Plover
Wilson's Snipe
Spotted Sandpiper
DOVEKIE
Razorbill
Black-legged Kittiwake
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Iceland Gull
GLAUCOUS GULL
Bald Eagle
Rough-legged Hawk
Snowy Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Common Raven
House Wren
Eastern Bluebird
Common Redpoll
RED CROSSBILL
Pine Siskin
Chipping Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
Common Yellowthroat

- 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, January 1st 2021 at 10pm. The highlights of today's tape are LECONTE'S SPARROW, WESTERN TANAGER, DOVEKIE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, KING EIDER, BLACK-HEADED GULL, GLAUCOUS GULL, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, RED CROSSBILL, Christmas Count results and more.

A very elusive LE CONTE'S SPARROW, found back on December 19th at Wolfe's Pond Park on Staten Island, was reported a few times this week through yesterday along the shore of the park or in the adjacent overgrown area at Seguine Point just south of the park.

More cooperative have been Manhattan's two WESTERN TANAGERS, both still present today, one in the Chelsea section along West 22nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues, usually closer to 10th, and one in or near Carl Schurz Park east of East End Avenue near 86th Street.

Always a treat to see a few DOVEKIES continue to appear along the south shore of Long Island but unfortunately 3 of these were found deceased, two last Sunday at Jones Beach West End and at Montauk and one today at Napeague while flying birds were noted Monday at West End and Montauk. Some offshore RAZORBILLS especially off Montauk also included two off Playland Park in Rye yesterday.

A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE appearing in Central Park's Reservoir last Sunday morning is presumably the same one visiting Randall's Island all week. Another was again on Tung Ting Pond in Eastport Monday and the Ryebrook individual appeared on Playland Lake Monday. Drake BARROW'S GOLDENEYES were noted off Cow Meadow Beach in Fort Salonga Sunday and at Cedar Point in Gardiners Bay off Northwest Harbor last Saturday while females were reported at Goldsmith's Inlet in Southold Saturday and at Orient Beach State Park today. Decent numbers recently of KING EIDER included sightings this week at Brooklyn Army Terminal Pier 4, Fort Tilden, Great Kills Park on Staten Island, Jones Beach West End and Shinnecock Inlet. EURASIAN WIGEON was reported on Mill Pond in Oyster Bay today.

Six BLACK-HEADED GULLS noted this week involved singles at Breezy Point Sunday, Veteran's Memorial Pier in Brooklyn Monday, Randall's Island Thursday and today, Jones Beach West End Tuesday to today, Setauket Harbor Monday and at Ditch Plains in Montauk Wednesday. Mature GLAUCOUS GULLS occurred in the Jones Beach area Wednesday, at Playland Park during the week and at Ditch Plains to Wednesday while 4 ICELAND GULLS noted included one on Prospect Park today and a BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE was spotted off Montauk Point Tuesday.

A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was spotted in Orient Saturday with Tuesday reports from Southold and Yaphank. The YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was still at Ketcham's Creek in Amityville Monday and among the winter finches RED CROSSBILLS have easily been the most predominate lately with groups of 30 to 40 for example frequenting Jones Beach West End and COMMON REDPOLLS also continue.

The Bronx-Westchester Christmas Count last Sunday recorded 120 species including two COMMON EIDER, new for the count, 3 REDHEAD, 2 RED-NECKED GREBES, 2 CLAPPER RAILS, a third record for SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, WILSON'S SNIPE, ICELAND GULL, SNOWY and NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, 70 PINE SISKINS and 4 CHIPPING and 2 WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS while count week birds featured GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, GLAUCOUS GULL and a first record of SPOTTED SANDPIPER.

The Smithtown Count Sunday netted 110 species including 36 COMMON EIDERS, 6 BALD EAGLES, GLAUCOUS GULL, 7 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS, 10 COMMON RAVENS and HOUSE WREN.

Quogue-Watermill, December 20th had 113 species with HARLEQUIN DUCKS, SNOWY OWL and NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and RED CROSSBILLS.

To phone in reports, call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922 and Happy New Year.

- End transcript