In the current issue (August '09: Vol. 21, No. 4) of "Winging It",
the American Birding Association's bimonthly newsletter (mailed to
all A.B.A. members, archived on-line but with a rather contrived
"member password" set-up), there's a note (on page 11) of possible
interest with regards to flamingo sightings in the US, & in our area:
Lister's Corner - Tony White, ABA Director
"A wild bird and an escape"
"In October 2007 two flamingos were photographed in Calcasieu
channel, Louisiana. One was an American Flamingo and one was a
Greater Flamingo. One was countable and one was not. Fortunately
both birds had large plastic leg-bands. The American Flamingo's leg-
band bore the letters HDNT showing it was one of 2,700 flamingos
banded at Rio Lagartos, Mexico, confirming its wild provenance. The
Greater Flamingo's leg-band showed 492, confirming that it was a bird
that had escaped from Sedgwick County Zoo in Nebraska, in June 2005.
The American Flamingo became the first accepted (state) record for
Louisiana. The same two birds reappeared in Louisiana in 2009.
Would that all wild bird versus escapee (bird) questions could be
resolved so conclusively."
Also under the same column is a note about Louisiana's state bird
records committee deciding to place Canada Goose on that state's
"review list", meaning it will now be required to document its'
occurrence there to record the species if wild bird[s] are
suspected. The committee has determined that all migrant geese of
that type (white-cheeked) are Cackling Geese, & not Canada. There
are resident feral Canada Geese there but are now considered
"introduced". In short, Canada Geese seen after 1970 will no longer
be countable (by A.B.A. standards) in that state.
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On the local scene there were 8 Common Nighthawks moving southward
seen from Manhattan's Hudson River overlook just northwest of Grant's
Tomb, at Riverside Drive above 125 Street, between 7 p.m. & sunset.
Over in nearby Central Park, a migrant of note was a well-seen Yellow-
bellied Flycatcher near the Pool close to W. 103 Street. A very few
other migrants were also seen there, & a very few at Riverside Park's
northern end also.
Tom Fiore,
Manhattan
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