– RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Feb. 20, 2026
* NYNY2602.20
– Birds mentioned
SHORT-BILLED GULL+
SWAINSON’S HAWK+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
EURASIAN WIGEON
Harlequin Duck
BARROW’S GOLDENEYE
Red-necked Grebe
Razorbill
DOVEKIE
THICK-BILLED MURRE
Black-legged Kittiwake
BLACK-HEADED GULL
GLAUCOUS GULL
Iceland Gull
PACIFIC LOON
Rough-legged Hawk
VESPER SPARROW
PAINTED BUNTING
– 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 20th 2026 at 11pm. The highlights of today’s tape are SWAINSON’S HAWK, SHORT-BILLED GULL, PACIFIC LOON, DOVEKIE, THICK-BILLED MURRE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, EURASIAN WIGEON, BARROW’S GOLDENEYE, BLACK-HEADED and GLAUCOUS GULLS, VESPER SPARROW, PAINTED BUNTING and more.
Quite welcome was the return Tuesday of the SWAINSON’S HAWK to Brooklyn seen initially moving over Green-wood Cemetery and then later at its favored location, the Sims Municipal Recycling Center. This site, where it often roosts, is located around 29th Street west of 2nd Avenue. Access is restricted but the area can be viewed from outside the surrounding fences. Also watch for the hawk if around the Green-wood Cemetery area.
A SHORT-BILLED GULL was spotted Monday morning on the mudflats at Great Kills Park on Staten Island but it only stayed for a short while before moving off and has not been reported since.
A PACIFIC LOON, possibly hanging around in the vicinity of Jones Inlet for awhile now, was seen Sunday from both the Jones Beach West End side and the Point Lookout side.
Out at Montauk Point a few DOVEKIES were seen Sunday and Monday off the point and from Camp Hero along with some RAZORBILLS with 3 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES also reported Monday. Last Saturday a THICK-BILLED MURRE was identified off Lido Beach West Town Park and another was reported off Robert Moses State Park west of field 2.
A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was identified as it flew over Coney Island Beach in Brooklyn on Sunday and a EURASIAN WIGEON, in unusual plumage, was still on Agawam Lake in Southampton last Sunday, this lake south of Montauk Highway. Today a drake BARROW’S GOLDENEYE was still at Sammy’s Beach in East Hampton and a female is present off the Lemon Creek Pier on Staten Island yesterday and today. Wintering HARLEQUIN DUCKS include about 10 around the Jones Inlet jetties and 3 continuing at Ditch Plains in Montauk.
On Tuesday single BLACK-HEADED GULLS were seen at Plumb Beach and at Swindler’s Cove in northern Manhattan with another continuing around the Point Lookout Town Park seen Tuesday and Thursday. A GLAUCOUS GULL continues along the western Brooklyn coast between Brooklyn Army Terminal Pier 4 and Bush Terminal Piers Park and several ICELAND GULLS include up to 3 around Gravesend Bay in Brooklyn, 2 on Central Park Reservoir Saturday, one up the Hudson in Peekskill Tuesday and one continuing around the Lake Montauk inlet.
A RED-NECKED GREBE visited Playland Park in Rye Sunday, this perhaps the one off Pelham Bay Park Tuesday to Thursday, with another at Brooklyn Army Terminal Pier 4 Tuesday.
A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was seen around Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge’s West Pond early in the week with another at Jones Beach State Park Monday.
A VESPER SPARROW continues at the Suffolk County Farm and Education Center off Yaphank Avenue and a female type PAINTED BUNTING has recently been visiting a private residence on eastern Long Island. Good reason to keep those feeders full.
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