I thought a brief explanation would be in order for all who are wondering why word of this bird did not get out via public forum until yesterday.
My niece Holly Wilson and I found the Gyrfalcon last Sunday late morning, and it was seen only very intermittently and very briefly untill around 2 PM, when it seemed to have vanished for good. Given a negative experience with another LI Gyrfalcon in the recent past, when a falconer came forward after the sighting and claimed to have lost the very bird (a fact which defied verification), we decided to keep it word of mouth for the time being.
Despite dedicated searching by several parties during the following week, the bird was NOT refound. When the NY RBA was published Friday night the bird was presumed to have moved on.
Yesterday morning, Saturday, the Gyr was seen perched on an Osprey platform at Gilgo, and then flying off and disappearing to the southwest; subsequent searchers evenually spotted it perched on a low tree at a great distance out on the Gilgo marsh, with rain and fog and the bird's refusal to move precluding any detail of plumage and making for a very frustrating and wet experience. A known falconer was seen at Gilgo looking for the bird. We felt it would still be prudent not to post to NYSBirds, for reasons stated above and because of the potential sensitivity of the location, which is the beach restoration project staging area, very active Monday to Saturday. It was, however, reported on eBird by several birders.
With the bird's performance today, and with word getting out far and wide, I am happy almost everyone who wanted to got to see it. I hope that it will stick around for the rest of the folks who try for it, and that if anyone witnesses any nefarious activity, it will be reported to this list and to the local Bay Constable and/or the DEC.
Patricia Lindsay Bay Shore, NY -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
