– RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Dec. 29, 2023
* NYNY2312.29
– Birds mentioned
PINK-FOOTED GOOSE+
ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER+
MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD+
MACGILLIVRAY’S WARBLER+
TOWNSEND’S WARBLER+
WESTERN TANAGER+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)
Eurasian Wigeon
Green-winged Teal
TUFTED DUCK
King Eider
Harlequin Duck
Red-necked Grebe
Marbled Godwit
Black-legged Kittiwake
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Iceland Gull
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Red-headed Woodpecker
Lapland Longspur
Chipping Sparrow
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
Baltimore Oriole
Orange-crowned Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
– 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, December 29th 2023 at 11pm. The highlights of today’s tape are MACGILLIVRAY’S and TOWNSEND’S WARBLER, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, WESTERN TANAGER, PINK-FOOTED GOOSE, TUFTED DUCK, BLACK-HEADED GULL, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, Christmas Count results and more.
The 100th Bronx-Westchester Christmas Bird Count Saturday recorded 121 species including 2 new to the count the most striking of which was the MACGILLIVRAY’S WARBLER found in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. This handsome bird has continued there through today but due to the volume of people visiting this residential neighborhood birders have been requested to park only along public streets and bird from sidewalks along those streets. A key area is the south side of West 231st Street just west of Independence Avenue just beyond the non-public parking lot at this corner bordered by a hedgerow there’s a private home and driveway and then an overgrown small field. The MACGILLIVRAY’S appears both in the hedgerow at times coming up West 231st Street and in the small field where it can be quite elusive requiring patience. The two new count ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS included a bird at Pelham Bay landfill and one lingering in Mount Vernon recently most frequently seen a short way down South 8th Avenue just south of West 2nd Street. Other count highlights included 3 RED-NECKED GREBES, ICELAND GULL, a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER at Marshlands Conservancy, 4 CHIPPING SPARROWS, BALTIMORE ORIOLE, and 7 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS.
A TOWNSEND’S WARBLER, perhaps present in Forest Park Queens since November, has been seen since Wednesday often in the gully but today also in evergreens just north of Forest Park Drive. A MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD spotted Monday at Heckscher State Park was still present today often along the roadway median just north of the park cottages at the northeast sector of the park’s circle road. Other ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS this week were noted in Brooklyn at Calvert Vaux Park Sunday and Owl’s Head Park today and at Bayswater State Park in Queens to Wednesday. A WESTERN TANAGER at Jones Beach West End near the Coast Guard Station was still present at least to Wednesday.
Single PINK-FOOTED GEESE were spotted today at Planting Fields Arboretum near Oyster Bay and at Crab Meadow Beach in Fort Salonga. The EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL was found on Short’s Pond off Scuttle Hole Road in Watermill last Sunday and a male TUFTED DUCK was still in Stony Brook Harbor today often viewed from Cordwood Park off Harbor Road. Last Sunday single young male KING EIDERS were seen off the Jones Inlet jetty and off Montauk Point and 3 HARLEQUIN DUCKS continue off the Jones jetty, another at Orient Point with 4 at Old Field Point Wednesday.
Eleven MARBLED GODWITS were present Sunday off field 10 at Jones Beach State Park with single BLACK-HEADED GULLS at Calvert Vaux Park Monday, Setauket Harbor Tuesday and on Wednesday at Coney Island Creek which also had an ICELAND GULL today.
Two LAPLAND LONGSPURS were spotted in Watermill Sunday and single CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS were at Marshlands Conservancy Tuesday and Hither Hills State Park today.
Single YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS occurred today at Mecox Inlet and Big Reed Pond in Montauk.
The Captree Christmas Count on Sunday the 17th netted 133 species including a new BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER plus EURASIAN WIGEON at Connetquot River State Park, BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, ICELAND GULL and 5 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS.
The Northern Nassau Count on Saturday the 16th recorded 118 species with 2 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS, PINK-FOOTED GOOSE, KING EIDER and BALTIMORE ORIOLE.
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