-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Dec. 28, 2018
* NYNY1812.28
- Birds Mentioned
MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD+
COMMON MURRE+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)
Cackling Goose
Green-winged Teal (Eurasian form)
Common Eider
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Red-necked Grebe
CATTLE EGRET
Bald Eagle
Short-billed Dowitcher
Wilson’s Snipe
RAZORBILL
BLACK GUILLEMOT
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE
BLACK-HEADED GULL
ICELAND GULL
Lesser Black-backed Gull
GLAUCOUS GULL
Barred Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Eastern Phoebe
Common Raven
Marsh Wren
Ovenbird
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Cape May Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Chipping Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Rusty Blackbird
RED CROSSBILL
Pine Siskin
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)
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
Compilers: Tom Burke and Tony Lauro
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, December 28,
2018 at 8:00 pm.
The highlights of today’s tape are MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD, COMMON MURRE,
BLACK GUILLEMOT and RAZORBILL numbers, BLACK-HEADED GULL, BLACK-LEGGED
KITTIWAKE, GLAUCOUS and ICELAND GULLS, CATTLE EGRET, HARLEQUIN DUCK,
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, RED CROSSBILL and more.
A great find any time in the northeast, a young MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD was
spotted Saturday morning at Point Judith on a Rhode Island Christmas Bird
Count. As the bird continued west, birders contemplated sites along Long
Island Sound’s north shore to look for it. The FRIGATEBIRD instead turned
left and was next seen moving by the Coast Guard Station on the north side
of the Ponquogue Bridge at Shinnecock around 3 pm in the afternoon, still
heading west but, unfortunately, not seen again.
For local Christmas Bird Counts, the Bronx Westchester last Sunday recorded
116 species, including two RED-NECKED GREBES, a WILSON’S SNIPE, nine BALD
EAGLES, a RAZORBILL off Rye, one NORTHERN SAW-WHET and ten BARRED OWLS, a
RED-HEADLED WOODPECKER at Pelham Bay, four EASTERN PHOEBES, three PINE
SISKINS, eight CHIPPING, one LINCOLN’S and four WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, a
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and ninety-one RUSTY BLACKBIRDS.
The Smithtown Count held yesterday netted 98 species, highlights including
a EURASIAN form of GREEN-WINGED TEAL, four COMMON EIDERS, a SHORT-BILLED
DOWITCHER, one LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, nine NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS,
MERLIN and PEREGRINE FALCON, four COMMON RAVENS, two MARSH WRENS and two
PINE SISKINS.
The impressive RAZORBILL invasion on Eastern Long Island continues, with
over 9,000 estimated yesterday off Montauk Point and adjacent Camp Hero,
these numbers continuing to build over the last two weeks. Very few other
alcids, though, have
joined this movement. A COMMON MURRE was seen briefly off Camp Hero last
Sunday afternoon and reported again off the Point Monday morning, and a
BLACK GUILLEMOT was photographed as it few into Shinnecock Inlet last
Saturday afternoon. Farther west on Long Island, 677 RAZORBILLS were
counted moving by Robert Moses State Park Field 2 Wednesday morning.
Also at Montauk Point Thursday were a BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE and a LESSER
BLACK-BACKED GULL, with a RED-NECKED GREBE at Culloden Point. An ICELAND
GULL continues around the Montauk harbor entrance, and a CATTLE EGRET was
seen in flight along Route 27 west of the town of Montauk last Sunday,
while a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was spotted at Hither Hills State Park
Thursday.
Three HARLEQUIN DUCKS were present at Shinnecock Inlet Wednesday, along
with a GLAUCOUS GULL, perhaps the same bird frequenting the area around
Triton Lane at least to Wednesday.
An adult BLACK-HEADED GULL continues to be seen around the bar adjacent to
the Coast Guard Station at Jones Beach West End, and two LESSER
BLACK-BACKED GULLS were at Robert Moses State Park Tuesday, with one at
West End Wednesday.
Other ICELAND GULLS were noted in Manhattan last Saturday and in Brooklyn
Tuesday.
A few CACKLING GEESE have been noted locally, but we have no report of the
PINK-FOOTED GOOSE since December 20th.
Single RED-NECKED GREBES were seen last Sunday off Coney Island Pier and
Floyd Bennett Field.
It seems few winter finches continue to linger in our area, but among them
were four or more RED CROSSBILLS seen Sunday in Brookhaven State Park.
Among a fairly low variety of late lin
