– RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Dec. 31, 2021
* NYNY2112.31
– Birds mentioned
SHORT-BILLED GULL+
ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER+
LECONTE’S SPARROW+
WESTERN TANAGER+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
EURASIAN WIGEON
KING EIDER
HARLEQUIN DUCK
BARROW’S GOLDENEYE
Clapper Rail
Virginia Rail
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Snowy Egret
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Red-headed Woodpecker
NORTHERN SHRIKE
Chipping Sparrow
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
Baltimore Oriole
Boat-tailed Grackle
Orange-crowned Warbler
American Redstart
Black-throated Blue Warbler
DICKCISSEL
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, December 31st 2021 at 9pm. The highlights of today’s tape are SHORT-BILLED GULL, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, WESTERN TANAGER, NORTHERN SHRIKE, LECONTE’S SPARROW, BLACK-HEADED GULL, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, EURASIAN WIGEON, BARROW’S GOLDENEYE, KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, DICKCISSEL, Christmas Count results and more.
The SHORT-BILLED GULL first spotted on Tuesday, December 21st, near Bush Terminal Piers Park continued in that section of Brooklyn for a while but today was relocated south of there around Gravesend Bay. During the day the bird was viewed from the parking lots at BJ’s and Ceasar’s Bay Bazaar down to Calvert Vaux Park and across to Coney Island Creek Park so this may become its favorite area.
Two ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS continue locally, one at Brooklyn’s Owl’s Head Park and the other in Westchester at the Rockwood Hall section of Rockefeller State Park Preserve in Mount Pleasant.
With the 2 WESTERN TANAGERS in Manhattan, one was still today visiting the feeder area at Carl Schurz Park off East End Avenue around East 86th Street while the other at private Clinton Community Garden has not been reported since Saturday this site along West 48th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues.
A NORTHERN SHRIKE remains in the North Fork Preserve seen today at this park located north of Sound Avenue in Northville but the SHRIKE at the Norman Levy Preserve located just east of the Meadowbrook Parkway in Merrick has not been reported since Monday. A YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER do continue there.
LECONTE’S SPARROW continues to be reported on the landfill at Croton Point Park occurring on the top with Savannah Sparrows.
A BLACK-HEADED GULL in Brooklyn was present Thursday and today at Brooklyn Army Terminal Pier 4 and earlier at Gravesend Bay on Wednesday and another has returned to Setauket Harbor. A GLAUCOUS GULL was at BJ’s in Brooklyn today and near Randall’s Island Sunday and an ICELAND GULL or 2 were also in the area.
Single GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE continue at the Bowman Avenue pond in Rye Brook, at Tung Ting Pond in Centerport and at Rockland Lake State Park. A drake EURASIAN WIGEON remained on the West Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and on the Oyster Bay Mill Pond. A drake BARROW’S GOLDENEYE was spotted Sunday at Cedar Point County Park in Northwest Harbor north of East Hampton and a drake KING EIDER continues around the mudflats at Great Kills Park on Staten Island. A surprise was provided by a flock of 7 HARLEQUIN DUCKS seen Tuesday flying south along the Brooklyn coast in the Red Hook area.
A DICKCISSEL has been visiting the feeders in Prospect Park since Wednesday with an AMERICAN REDSTART also continuing in the park.
On the Bronx-Westchester Christmas Count last Sunday recorded 110 species including GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, 2 CLAPPER RAILS, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER at Pelham Bay Park, CHIPPING SPARROW, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and 2 new count species, 8 BOAT-TAILED GRACKLES and a BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER.
The Smithtown Count Monday netted 101 species with highlights including the Setauket BLACK-HEADED GULL, VIRGINIA RAILS, SNOWY EGRET, 4 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS, 22 CHIPPING SPARROWS, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and BALTIMORE ORIOLE.
To phone in reports, call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922 and have a great New Year!
This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.