New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, February 11, 2022:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Feb. 11, 2022
* NYNY2202.11


- Birds Mentioned

PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+
THICK-BILLED MURRE+
SLATY-BACKED GULL+
WESTERN TANAGER+
BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE|
“Black” form of Brant
EURASIAN WIGEON
KING EIDER
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Least Sandpiper
DOVEKIE
Razorbill
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
GLAUCOUS GULL
Bald Eagle
Rough-legged Hawk
COMMON REDPOLL
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
Vesper Sparrow
Orange-crowned Warbler
DICKCISSEL

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

Compiler: Tom Burke
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, February 11, 2022 at 11:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are SLATY-BACKED GULL, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, WESTERN TANAGER, DOVEKIE and THICK-BILLED MURRE, PINK-FOOTED and GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, EURASIAN WIGEON, KING EIDER and HARLEQUIN DUCK, BLACK-HEADED and GLAUCOUS GULLS, COMMON REDPOLL, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, DICKCISSEL and more.

Not confirmed on Central Park Reservoir since February 2nd, the subadult SLATY-BACKED GULL was spotted back on the Reservoir Thursday morning, staying for an undetermined amount of time, and then spent most of Friday morning on the Reservoir until the Gulls were flushed off by an overflying BALD EAGLE. Hopefully Saturday will bring a repeat performance.

Last Monday morning a colorful winter male BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK paid a visit to a private feeder in Northern Westchester, where nicely photographed before quickly moving on.

More accommodating have been Manhattan's two WESTERN TANAGERS, the more reliable Carl Schurz Park bird seen through today, usually near the feeder area off East End Avenue around East 86th Street. The other TANAGER is often near private Clinton Community Gardens along West 48th Street east of 10th Avenue.

Sightings of Alcids this week featured a DOVEKIE and ten RAZORBILLS Sunday off Montauk Point, a THICK-BILLED MURRE lingering in the harbor at Great Kills Park on Staten Island through Sunday, and four RAZORBILLS off Breezy Point Monday.

A PINK-FOOTED GOOSE was identified last Monday in a flock of CANADA GEESE at the mouth of Reeves Creek out in Aquabogue, the Westchester GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was roosting on Playland Lake in Rye today, and a “BLACK” BRANT was spotted in the BRANT flock south of the West Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge last Sunday.

A EURASIAN WIGEON continues at Bush Terminal Piers Park in Brooklyn, and another was identified at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge last Saturday. A drake KING EIDER remains at Great Kills Park, and a HARLEQUIN DUCK was spotted yesterday off Crescent Beach Town Park in Huntington, with others presumably still at Point Lookout.

A very early LEAST SANDPIPER was a good find at Great Kills Park on Tuesday.

Reports of adult BLACK-HEADED GULLS this week came from Randall's Island last weekend, Bush Terminal Piers Park Sunday and Plumb Beach today. Other GULLS reported from Central Park Reservoir include a GLAUCOUS early today plus ICELAND and LESSER BLACK-BACKED, and Prospect Park also produced ICELAND and LESSER BLACK-BACKED, with an ICELAND visiting Jerome Reservoir in the Bronx Wednesday.

Sparse this winter, a ROUGH- LEGGED HAWK has been seen in the Calverton grasslands area recently.

Very interesting, as there have been very few reports in lower New York this winter, was a calling COMMON REDPOLL flying over Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge last Saturday.

A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was seen again at the Calverton grasslands last Sunday, and a VESPER SPARROW was photographed Wednesday and Thursday at Caumsett State Park.

ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was noted this week at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and at the New York Botanical Garden, and a DICKCISSEL was photographed Tuesday in Prospect Park.

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