-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Feb. 9, 2024
* NYNY2402.09
– Birds Mentioned
WESTERN GREBE+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
EURASIAN WIGEON
KING EIDER
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Red-necked Grebe
Common Gallinule
American Oystercatcher
MARBLED GODWIT
Purple Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
DOVEKIE
COMMON MURRE
Razorbill
Black-legged Kittiwake
Bonaparte’s Gull
BLACK-HEADED GULL
ICELAND GULL
Red-headed Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Horned Lark
Lapland Longspur
Orange-crowned Warbler
“AUDUBON’S” YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER
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, February 9, 2024 at 10:00 pm.
The highlights of today’s tape are COMMON MURRE and DOVEKIE, a WESTERN GREBE in New Jersey waters, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, EURASIAN WIGEON, KING EIDER and HARLEQUIN DUCK, MARBLED GODWIT, BLACK-HEADED and ICELAND GULLS, “AUDUBON’S” YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and more.
Jones inlet has recently been attracting good numbers of birds, including a decent number of RAZORBILLS during the week. Other alcids also appearing there have been a COMMON MURRE spotted last Sunday off the Jones Beach West End Coast Guard Station and a DOVEKIE present yesterday and today around the jetties off Point Lookout. At least one immature BLACK-HEADED GULL also continues, often seen along the West End jetty or joining the BONAPARTE’S GULL flock in the inlet. Up to 16 HARLEQUIN DUCKS can be found along the jetties on either side of the inlet, as can groups of shorebirds, including some PURPLE SANDPIPERS. Over at Jones Beach State Park Field 10 have been a few lingering MARBLED GODWITS hanging out with numerous AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS as well as up to 3 DOWITCHERS requiring definitive identification. And the “AUDUBON’S” YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER was still present near the Coast Guard Station today, while a LAPLAND LONGSPUR was spotted with HORNED LARKS near Field One Monday.
Other DOVEKIE sightings during the week featured singles off Democrat Point at Robert Moses State Park yesterday and off eastern Fire Island last Saturday, with one at Montauk Point Sunday along with 42 RAZORBILLS and a BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE.
A WESTERN GREBE present for a while in Raritan Bay off South Amboy. New Jersey, has been viewed recently from Conference House Park at the southern tip of Staten Island, though views are quite distant and require a telescope and good visibility.
A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE continues to visit the pond off Bowman Avenue in Rye Brook, and a drake EURASIAN WIGEON is still being reported from the main pond at Connetquot River State Park, though it has been sporadic there recently, and another drake was noted again Sunday on Long Creek north of the Grand Avenue bridge in Mattituck.
A female KING EIDER was noted in a SCOTER flock off Oak Neck Beach Road last Saturday, and other HARLEQUIN DUCKS included four off Orient Point and two off Ditch Plains in Montauk, both sightings today, and a female recently off West Neck Beach in Lloyd Harbor.
An adult BLACK-HEADED GULL was seen off Brooklyn’s Plumb Beach last Saturday, and a first winter ICELAND GULL was present by the beach at Glen Island Park in Westchester on Wednesday and Thursday.
Single RED-NECKED GREBES were noted during the week off Floyd Bennett Field and Pelham Bay Park; a COMMON GALLINULE continues at Mill Pond Preserve in Wantagh, and five LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS were still present Sunday at Smith Pond in Rockville Centre.
A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was still in Willowbrook Park on Staten Island Thursday, while others also continue at Croton Point Park and Marshlands Conservancy in Westchester and along the Paumanok Trail by Jones Pond off Schultz Road in Manorville, and a PILEATED WOODPECKER in Shu Swamp Nature Preserve in Mill Neck recently provided some local excitement.
A decent number of ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS remain locally.
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