-RBA * New York * New York City, Long Island, Westchester County * Feb. 06, 2026 * NYNY2602.06
- Birds Mentioned LECONTE’S SPARROW+ (+ Details requested by NYSARC) Canvasback Redhead Ring-necked Duck TUFTED DUCK BARROW’S GOLDENEYE Common Goldeneye Razorbill GLAUCOUS GULL Iceland Gull American Bittern Bald Eagle ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK LAPLAND LONGSPUR VESPER SPARROW NELSON'S SPARROW 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 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. - End transcript -- NYSbirds-L List Info: Visit: http://LISTS.cornell.edu for more information Posting Address: [email protected] Archives: The Mail Archive: https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html Sightings: Please submit your observations to eBird at http://www.ebird.org --
