New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, February 18, 2022:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Feb. 18, 2022
* NYNY2202.18


- Birds Mentioned

SLATY-BACKED GULL+
WESTERN TANAGER+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
EURASIAN WIGEON
KING EIDER
Common Goldeneye
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
Common Gallinule
DOVEKIE
Razorbill
Black-legged Kittiwake
LITTLE GULL
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
GLAUCOUS GULL
American Bittern
Bald Eagle
Snowy Owl
Peregrine Falcon
Eastern Phoebe
VESPER SPARROW
Baltimore Oriole
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 18, 2022 at 11:00 pm.

The highlights of today's tape are SLATY-BACKED GULL, WESTERN TANAGER, LITTLE GULL, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, EURASIAN WIGEON, KING EIDER and BARROW’S GOLDENEYE, DOVEKIE, GLAUCOUS GULL, VESPER SPARROW, DICKCISSEL and more.

The sub-adult SLATY-BACKED GULL, building up the suspense last Saturday in Central Park, finally appeared on the reservoir about noon time and provided satisfying views for the gathered crowd until soon thereafter flushed off along with a few hundred other Gulls by a passing BALD EAGLE. We are unaware of any confirmed visits since then, though ICELAND and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS have continued to visit the reservoir on subsequent days.

Manhattan's two WESTERN TANAGERS feature a more reliable one best seen in the morning at Carl Schurz Park around the feeders located off East End Avenue just south of East 86th Street, and an elusive one circulating around the neighborhood near Clinton Community Garden off West 48th Street east of 10th Avenue.

Another interesting Manhattan visitor was a SNOWY OWL perched on an Upper West Side building, being harassed by PEREGRINE FALCONS last Saturday.

Late Thursday afternoon an adult LITTLE GULL paid a surprise visit to Piermont Pier in Rockland County, the bird photographed as it very quickly continued its journey down the Hudson River.

Single GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE this week included repeat sightings yesterday at Rockland Lake State Park and on Tung Ting Pond in Centerport, while the lower Westchester bird was today back on its now partially open pond off Bowman Avenue in Rye Brook.

Last Sunday EURASIAN WIGEON were again seen at Bush Terminal Piers Park and on the West Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, and the drake KING EIDER was still around Great Kills Park on Staten Island on Wednesday. A female BARROW'S GOLDENEYE was spotted Tuesday and also present Wednesday with COMMON GOLDENEYES off Culloden Point in Montauk.

Also in Montauk, a highlight Wednesday morning were three DOVEKIES flying in off the Point but quickly disappearing once landing in the choppy sea. Featured too at the Point were 42 RAZORBILLS counted Tuesday, with 34 on Wednesday, and counts of 4 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES Tuesday, 6 more on Wednesday.

ICELAND GULLS this week were spotted at Inwood Hill Park, Plumb Beach to Wednesday, and at Playland Park in Rye today, with a peak of three spotted Tuesday around Montauk Harbor Inlet, where a GLAUCOUS GULL was reported Saturday. Another GLAUCOUS appeared in the Bronx yesterday,

A COMMON GALLINULE continues at Mill Pond Park in Bellmore, and AMERICAN BITTERNS were noted this week at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Tobay Sanctuary and out at Napeague.

EASTERN PHOEBE and BALTIMORE ORIOLE were both still surviving at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn this week, and VESPER SPARROWS were still at Caumsett State Park and the Suffolk County Farm and Education Center on Thursday.

A DICKCISSEL was spotted Sunday at feeders at the Trap House just east of Wolfe’s Pond Park on Staten Island.

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