NYC Area Rare Bird Alert, 2/26/21

– RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Feb. 26, 2021
* NYNY2102.26

– Birds mentioned
MEW GULL+
FERRUGINOUS HAWK+ (Orange County)
SPOTTED TOWHEE+
WESTERN TANAGER+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Wood Duck
EURASIAN WIGEON
KING EIDER
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Piping Plover
American Woodcock
Wilson’s Snipe
Razorbill
Black-legged Kittiwake
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
GLAUCOUS GULL
American Bittern
Rough-legged Hawk
Tree Swallow
Common Redpoll
RED CROSSBILL
Pine Siskin
Common Grackle

– 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 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: Ben Cacace

BEGIN TAPE

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, February 26th 2021 at 11pm. The highlights of today’s tape are SPOTTED TOWHEE, MEW GULL, WESTERN TANAGER, EURASIAN WIGEON, KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, BLACK-HEADED GULL, GLAUCOUS GULL, RED CROSSBILL and other winter finches, early spring arrivals and more.

A SPOTTED TOWHEE in Baldwin Harbor Park was still being seen today along the paved bike and walking path that bisects the thicket east of Grand Avenue and the first of two large parking lots. An entrance to this path is at the northwest corner of the second lot. Watch for areas where seed has been spread along the path.

The immature MEW GULL was appearing daily on Prospect Park Lake through yesterday with some warning that a lingering Bald Eagle there might have caused it to alter its routine. An immature BLACK-HEADED GULL has also been joining the mob of gulls roosting on the lake as have single ICELAND and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS at least through Wednesday.

The WESTERN TANAGER originally found in early December in Manhattan’s Chelsea section was recently relocated in the same area occurring Tuesday near 10th Avenue and West 22nd Street and the following day up near West 23rd Street now much more elusive as it maintains its search for food. Likewise the WESTERN TANAGER at Carl Schurz Park in Manhattan has remained in the area at the feeders off East End Avenue just below East 86th Street but squirrels raiding the feeders have impacted the TANAGERS reliability.

Single drake EURASIAN WIGEON were spotted around 61 Mott Lane in Brookhaven Wednesday and off Bush Terminal Piers Park in Brooklyn today.

KING EIDERS this week included the female off the end of Archery Road at Floyd Bennett Field on Sunday and Monday, a young male again at Bayshore Marina Tuesday and a drake at Great Kills Park on Staten Island as recently as Wednesday. Two HARLEQUIN DUCKS were at Shinnecock Inlet last Sunday.

An adult BLACK-HEADED GULL visited Central Park Reservoir last Tuesday and other younger BLACK-HEADEDS in Brooklyn, besides on Prospect Park Lake, were also noted at Brooklyn Bridge Park Wednesday and Bush Terminal Piers Park today. GLAUCOUS GULL was spotted again yesterday at Cedar Beach in Mount Sinai and single ICELAND GULLS visited Riverside Park last Saturday and Flushing Meadows-Corona Park yesterday. Eight BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES and 49 RAZORBILLS were counted off Montauk Point last Saturday.

One or two ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS were noted recently both along Ocean Parkway near Tobay and at the Calverton Grasslands and AMERICAN BITTERN are still being seen at Tobay and along Dune Road.

Flocks of RED CROSSBILLS along the south shore recently have featured 11 at Jones Beach West End and 16 at Oak Beach both on Wednesday and 24 at Robert Moses State Park yesterday. Small groups of COMMON REDPOLLS included 29 along Oregon Road in Cutchogue Wednesday and 21 at Goethal’s Bridge Pond on Staten Island yesterday and PINE SISKINS too are moving around in our area.

Among some early spring arrivals recently were 2 PIPING PLOVERS at Robert Moses State Park yesterday plus many WOOD DUCKS and some AMERICAN WOODCOCK, WILSON’S SNIPE, TREE SWALLOWS and COMMON GRACKLE and the FERRUGINOUS HAWK continues in the Orange County Black Dirt area.

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