-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Nov. 20, 2020
* NYNY2011.17
– Birds Mentioned
RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD+
ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER+
CAVE SWALLOW+
WESTERN TANAGER+
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
Cackling Goose
TUNDRA SWAN
EURASIAN WIGEON
KING EIDER
Common Eider
Red-necked Grebe
EARED GREBE
SANDHILL CRANE
Long-billed Dowitcher
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE
Barn Swallow
Evening Grosbeak
Common Redpoll
Red Crossbill
Pine Siskin
LAPLAND LONGSPUR
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD
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 nysarc44<at>nybirds<dot>org
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
Compiler: Tom Burke
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, November 20, 2020 at 11 pm.
The highlights of today’s tape are WESTERN TANAGER, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, CAVE SWALLOW, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, EARED GREBE, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, SANDHILL CRANE, TUNDRA SWAN, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, EURASIAN WIGEON and KING EIDER, BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, some winter finches, and more.
Two very exciting finds currently present in Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery began with a male WESTERN TANAGER first spotted last Saturday and relocated Monday, this bird continuing through today, primarily visiting some Yew trees adjacent to a mausoleum honoring Chas. T. Yerkes. This location is just east of the intersection of Cypress Avenue and Vine Avenue next to two quite tall Spruce trees, the Tanager continually reappearing in the Yews to feed.
And then a FLYCATCHER, first spotted on Tuesday, was confirmed as an ASH-THROATED on Wednesday and has since then been feeding in the vicinity of the Dell Water and nearby Crescent Water, today frequenting the area near the Wyeth memorial near the intersection of Crescent and Vale Avenues. When visiting Green-Wood, please remember to respect the cemetery property. The main entrance is at 500 25th Street off 5th Avenue and opens at 8 am.
After their recent incursion into the northeast, a few CAVE SWALLOWS have appeared in our area, especially due to the strong northerly winds driving them to the coast; most sightings, involving 1 to 3 birds, have been fly-bys, including at Coney Island, Fort Tilden and Breezy Point, but up to 3 CAVE SWALLOWS, joined by a BARN SWALLOW, did gather at Floyd Bennett Field, spending most of Wednesday around the old hangar next to the large parking lot on the Jamaica Bay side of the park. They could not be relocated Thursday.
A few lingering rarities include the RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD still visiting the feeder at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River today, the EARED GREBE continuing on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge through yesterday, and the male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, with badly damaged flight feathers, still along the east shore of Meadow Lake below the Boat House at Flushing Meadow Corona Park today.
Two SANDHILL CRANES flew over the Chestnut Ridge hawk watch site in Bedford yesterday, and today nine CRANES were spotted moving south over Croton Point Park.
Seven TUNDRA SWANS dropped in on the West Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Thursday, and single GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were recently seen at Hook Pond in Easthampton Saturday, on Tung Ting Pond in Centerport Wednesday, and at Northport High School today.
A few CACKLING GEESE have been reported, and a EURASIAN WIGEON was seen again on Tung Ting Pond, with another on Oakland Lake in Alley Pond Park as recently as Tuesday.
This week separate drake KING EIDERS have been with COMMON EIDERS both off Fort Tilden and out at Breezy Point.
A BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE was unusual off Inwood Hill Park in northern Manhattan last Saturday, but more expected were the 4 off Montauk Point Monday.
A RED-NECKED GREBE was noted at Plumb Beach Sunday and Breezy Point Tuesday..
Five LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS were at Santapogue Creek in West Babylon today.
A LAPLAND LONGSPUR visited Plumb Beach last Sunday.
Recently some flocks of RED CROSSBILLS and fewer COMMON REDPOLLS have been appearing especially along the coast, while numbers of PINE SISKINS and EVENING GROSBEAKS seem to be tapering off, but hopefully other winter finches will also reach our area soon.
To phone in reports call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922.
This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.
– End transcript
