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
6, 2026 at 11:00 pm.
The highlights of today’s tape are LECONTE’S SPARROW, TUFTED DUCK,
BARROW’S GOLDENEYE, GLAUCOUS GULL, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, LAPLAND
LONGSPUR, NELSON’S and VESPER SPARROWS and more.
The LECONTE’S SPARROW found back on January 29th on the landfill at
Croton Point Park in Westchester was only seen there through last
Saturday, not unexpected for a reclusive bird.
With the icy conditions on New Croton Reservoir squeezing the
waterfowl seeking refuge there into increasingly smaller stretches of
open water, it at least became easier to track down TUFTED DUCKS
there. At least two drakes plus a female–plumaged bird have been found
there, the two males seen simultaneously last weekend, these all
joining large flocks of several hundred RING-NECKED DUCKS in open
water near the dam spillway or a short distance up the eastern shore
of the reservoir off Croton Lake Road. There is a parking area for the
dam spillway site off Route 129 just uphill from the Croton Gorge Park
entrance, but duck numbers may continue to drop as the freeze again
intensifies. Other birds present there have included two female
BARROW’S GOLDENEYES, at least seen to Wednesday with a flock of COMMON
GOLDENEYES, plus a few REDHEADS and a CANVASBACK and other expected
waterfowl, and several BALD EAGLES. Two TUFTED DUCKS seen Thursday
only over at Piermont Pier in Rockland County may have moved over
there from New Croton Reservoir.
On Long Island single drake BARROW’S GOLDENEYES were seen on Tuesday
off Shoreham Village Beach and back on Saturday at Crab Meadow Beach
in Fort Salonga, where other highlights featured an ICELAND GULL and a
NELSON'S SPARROW.
In Brooklyn a RAZORBILL was photographed off Manhattan Beach Park on
Tuesday, and a GLAUCOUS GULL visited Bush Army Terminal Pier 4 last
Sunday, while up to three ICELAND GULLS were seen around Gravesend Bay
during the week, with others noted at Randall's Island and Governors
Island Wednesday, in Westchester at the Ossining waterfront at Louis
Engle Park during the week, at Old Field Point Tuesday, and at the
Bellport Bay Yacht Club yesterday.
AMERICAN BITTERNS have been seen fairly regularly along Dune Road west
of Shinnecock inlet, and a few recent sightings of ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK,
very often. coastal, have come from Staten Island, including Great
Kills Park Sunday, and from Floyd Bennett Field and Jones Beach to
Monday.
A LAPLAND LONGSPUR was spotted at Smith Point County Park on Tuesday,
and two VESPER SPARROWS have been present recently at the Suffolk
County Farm and Education Center off Yaphank Avenue.
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.
