NYC Area RBA: 13 November 2009

[Ben Cacace-2]

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Nov. 13, 2009
* NYNY0911.13

- Birds mentioned

PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+
BARNACLE GOOSE+
WESTERN GREBE+
RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD+

CACKLING GOOSE
EURASIAN WIGEON
Common Eider
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Yellow-Billed Loon+ (reported but not confirmed)
Red-necked Grebe
Northern Gannet
American Bittern
Bald Eagle
American Golden-Plover
 Red Knot
Purple Sandpiper
 BLACK-HEADED GULL
Black-legged Kittiwake
Common Tern
Royal Tern
POMARINE JAEGER
Parasitic Jaeger
WESTERN KINGBIRD
Blackpoll Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Lincoln's Sparrow

- 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
nysarc3@....

If electronic submission is not possible, hardcopy reports and photos or
sketches are welcome. Hardcopy documentation should be mailed to:

        Jeanne Skelly - Secretary
        NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
        420 Chili-Scottsville Rd.
        Churchville, NY  14428

Hotline: New York City Area Rare Bird Alert
Number: [phone]

To report sightings call:
Tom Burke [phone] (weekdays, during the day)
Tony Lauro at [phone] (Long Island)

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

Transcriber: Ben Cacace

BEGIN TAPE

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, November 13th
2009 at 9pm. The highlights of today's tape are WESTERN GREBE, PINK-FOOTED
GOOSE, BARNACLE GOOSE, CACKLING GOOSE, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, BLACK-HEADED
GULL, POMARINE JAEGER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, EURASIAN WIGEON and WESTERN KINGBIRD.

A WESTERN GREBE spotted Wednesday afternoon along the south side of Piermont
Pier in Rockland County was still present this afternoon. Wednesday and
Thursday the grebe had been in the cove about halfway out along the south
side of the pier. Today it was a little farther south but still visible from
the pier. Perhaps the same WESTERN GREBE returning to winter again in
Raritan Bay and often seen off Staten Island. This bird's continued
existence could be jeopardized by some fishing line apparently stuck to its
lower breast.

Both the PINK-FOOTED and BARNACLE GEESE continue to be seen at Sunken Meadow
State Park apparently using the park as an overnight roosting site as well
as occasional feeding area. On both Saturday and Sunday at 3pm the
Pink-footed was seen flying back into Sunken Meadow both times landing with
Canadas in the creek to the west of the entrance road bridge. But the geese
can be difficult to view due to the somewhat limited viewing accesses.
Patient searching though can pay off. The Barnacle also flew in with the
Pink-footed on Sunday and on Wednesday both geese were found feeding on the
ball fields at Kings Park High School which is along Route 25A east of
Sunken Meadow State Park. Other grassy fields in the area obviously also
attract these geese. CACKLING GOOSE has also been reported from Sunken
Meadow with others noted at Caumsett State Park Monday and at Flushing
Meadow Corona Park in Queens on Wednesday.

An immature male RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD was still coming to Staten Island
feeders last Sunday and the homeowner at 122 Hillside Avenue still very
graciously welcomes birders to view the hummingbird. This location is in the
Grimes Hill section of northeastern Staten Island. The 2 CACKLING GEESE also
remain in the vicinity of Mount Loretto Park off Hylan Boulevard. Other
birds Saturday included BALD EAGLE and BLACKPOLL WARBLER.

An immature BLACK-HEADED GULL was spotted Tuesday around the Owl's Head
waste water treatment plant in Brooklyn. A RED-NECKED GREBE found in
Sheepshead Bay Sunday had increased to 2 by Thursday.

Out in the Montauk area, birders gathered at the point starting very early
on Sunday due to an indirect Internet report of a YELLOW-BILLED LOON in
transitional plumage there Saturday afternoon, were treated to a good
variety of birds including early single POMARINE JAEGER and BLACK-LEGGED
KITTIWAKE, several PARASITIC JAEGERS a RED-NECKED GREBE and good numbers of
other expected seabirds. There were no signs of a YELLOW-BILLED LOON but 1
or 2 transitional Common Loons with [tail and bills] gleaming in the bright
afternoon sun and looking quite colorful as a result were felt to be a
potential source of the species confusion concerning the prior afternoon's
report.

Also in Montauk Sunday a WESTERN KINGBIRD was spotted along Route 27 at the
south end of Fort Pond and later, possibly a different kingbird, at the
beginning of the one-way section of road at the entrance to Montauk Point
State Park. The CACKLING GOOSE was also on the Deep Hollow pasture on the
south side of Route 27 with 3 PURPLE SANDPIPERS on the eastern Montauk
Harbor jetty. Lots of NORTHERN GANNETS including 1,500 off East Hampton
Saturday. Two drake EURASIAN WIGEON were on Patchogue Lake in Patchogue
Sunday and 2 AMERICAN BITTERN were along Dune Road west of Shinnecock Inlet
Sunday.

Two drake HARLEQUIN DUCKS were back around the Point Lookout jetties as of
Saturday when a late juvenile COMMON TERN was sitting in the Point Lookout
parking lot and 2 ROYAL TERNS were lingering around the Jones Beach West End
Coast Guard Station.

An AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER was still in the shorebird flock along with some
RED KNOT at Jones Beach field 6 Saturday. 200+ COMMON EIDER were around the
West End jetty Sunday and 2 AMERICAN BITTERNS were seen at Tobay on
Thursday.

Late passerines featured a SCARLET TANAGER in Central Park Wednesday and a
LINCOLN'S SPARROW at Floyd Bennett Field Sunday.

To phone in reports on Long Island, call Tony Lauro at [phone], or
weekdays call Tom Burke at [phone].

This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the
National Audubon Society.

- End transcript

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