- Birds mentioned
Northern Gannet
American Bittern
Great Egret
Greater White-fronted Goose
Eurasian Wigeon
Redhead
Tufted Duck
Harlequin Duck
Bald Eagle
Red Knot
Black-headed Gull
Mew Gull (Common Gull) +
Black-tailed Gull
Iceland Gull
Iceland Gull (Kumlien's)
Glaucous Gull
Red-headed Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Tree Swallow
Lapland Longspur
Boat-tailed Grackle
if followed by (+) please send written report of the sighting to:
Jim Lowe
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
159 Sapsucker Woods Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
The NYSARC report form can be found at:
http://birds.cornell.edu/fnysbc/nysarc.htm
- Transcript
hotline: New York Rare Bird Alert
number: 212 979-3070
to report: Weekdays: Tom Burke 212 697-0606
Long Island: Tony Lauro 516 734-4126
Greater Brooklyn: Paul Keim 718 875-1151
compiler: Tom Burke
coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
transcriber: Greg Kunkel
- Begin RBA Tape
Greetings, this is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Thursday March
4th at 11:00 PM.
The highlights of todays tape are Mew Gull, apparent Black-Tailed
Gull, Greater White-Fronted Goose, Tufted Duck, Black-Headed,
Glaucous and Iceland Gulls, and Red-Headed Woodpeckers.
The MEW GULL, first noted at Shinnecock Inlet January 31st but only
recently confirmed as to its identification, was still present at
least through Wednesday. The first winter bird of the distinctly
marked European subspecies referred to as Common Gull is usually
found around the eastern side of Shinnecock Inlet often feeding along
the jetty with other gulls or up around the beach cove just east of
the jetty. It at times also flies across to the western side of the
inlet, sometimes disappears for awhile, but whether at these times it
generally moves into the bay or out to sea is not known. The bird is
readily recognized by its distinct black tail band offset by a pure
white tail base as well as outer tail feathers and its thin dark
tipped bill. On Sunday the bird seems to favor the rising tide when
feeding in the inlet but has also subsequently been seen under other
tidal conditions. Also around the inlet are a first year
GLAUCOUS GULL, the adult ICELAND GULL with no Kumlien's-like dark
pigmentation in its wingtips, and a subadult Kumlien's ICELAND GULL.
To reach the east side of Shinnecock Inlet, from Southampton take
Halsey Neck Lane or other southbound road to Dune Road/Meadow Lane
and continue west on this road to a parking lot just before the end.
Along Dune Road just west of Shinnecock Inlet up to five
AMERICAN BITTERNS, a GREAT EGRET, and BOAT-TAILED GRACKLES have been
present. A BALD EAGLE was seen there Saturday, and TREE SWALLOWS have
been noted recently.
The TUFTED DUCK was on Cooper's Neck Pond off Dune Road at
Southampton on Tuesday, and on Monday one was present on Swan Pond
off Main Street Route 27A at the eastern end of Patchogue along with
10 REDHEADS.
The GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE continues at Hook Pond in East
Hampton where it can be seen either on the pond or feeding on the
northern section of the adjacent golf course.
Finishing up The East End, single GLAUCOUS GULLS were seen at Hook
Pond and Montauk Point on Saturday, with other sightings that day
including the EURASIAN WIGEON which was still on Deep Hole Creek off
New Suffolk Avenue in Mattituck, an EASTERN PHOEBE and eight
RED KNOTS at Cupsogue County Park.
Late Saturday afternoon about 5:00 PM a birder at Point Lookout saw a
gull the description of which fits perfectly the BLACK-TAILED GULL
seen at Jones Beach on January 31st and February 1st except that the
gull was perceived to have a dark eye. Since the rest of the
description was right on and no other gull matches it, it is presumed
that this was the BLACK-TAILED GULL acting in similar fashion to the
previous hit and run New Jersey appearances. Birders should continue
to look for this bird in the Jones Beach area. Also at Point Lookout
four HARLEQUIN DUCKS, an adult BLACK-HEADED GULL, and an ICELAND GULL
were present over the weekend.
A LAPLAND LONGSPUR was still in the Horned Lark flock at Saint
Charles Cemetery last Saturday. This cemetery is on the eastern side
of New Highway just north of The Southern State Parkway Exit 34.
Nine RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS continue in Central Park with the five
still in the locust grove along the western side of The Great Lawn.
Up to nine NORTHERN GANNET were off the Glen Cove breakwater on
Wednesday.
A EURASIAN WIGEON was seen Wednesday at Pelham Bay Park between
Hunter and Twin Islands.
We have no recent word on the Brewer's Blackbird that has been
visiting the neighborhood along Neutral Avenue in New Dorp, Staten
Island, or the Sandhill Crane that wintered east of Orient Village,
appearing along Route 25 or Narrow River Road.
To phone in reports;
on Long Island call Tony Lauro at 516 734-4126,
in the Brooklyn area call Paul Keim at 718 875-1151,
or during the day except Sunday call Tom Burke at 212 697-0606.
This service is sponsored by The Linnaean Society of New York and The
National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.
- End RBA Tape
- End transcript
Greg Kunkel
Smithtown (Suffolk), NY
74055.1622@compuserve.com