New York State New York Ornithological Association, Inc. 59 No. 3 Vol. September 2009 The Kingbird PRESORTED STANDARD NONPROFIT ORG. Publication of NYS Ornithological Assoc., Inc. U.S. POSTAGE P.O. Box 296 PAID Somers, NY 10589 HICKSVILLE, NY 11801 PERMIT NO. 583 Change Service Requested DO NOT FOLD !117903408502! **************AUTO**SCH 3-DIGIT 117 Nyc Dec Region 1 Regional Wildlife Manager Stony Brook University 50 Circle Rd Stony Brook NY 11790-3408 39 THE KINGBIRD (ISSN 0023-1606), published quarterly (March, June, Editor of The Kingbird September, December), is a peer-reviewed publication of the New York State Shaibal S. Mitra Ornithological Association, Inc., which has been organized to further the study of Biology Dept., College of Staten Island bird life and to disseminate knowledge thereof, to educate the public in the need for 2800 Victory Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10314 conserving natural resources, and to document the ornithology of the state and maintain the official Checklist of the Birds of New York State. Editor of New York Birders Website: http://nybirds.org Tim Baird 242 E. State St., Salamanca, NY 14779 Members of NYSOA receive The Kingbird and the newsletter New York Birders. Membership is available in the following annual categories: Individual $22 Contributing $50 Appointed Committees Family $25 Kingbird Club $100 Archives: Supporting $30 Student $12 Phyllis R. Jones, Chair—9 Hallock Road, Pond Eddy, NY 12770 Awards: Life Membership is $900. Andrew Mason, 1039 Peck St., Jefferson, NY 12093 Clubs and organizations—variable, inquire. Conservation: Institutional subscriptions to The Kingbird are $25 annually. Gail Kirch—1099 Powderhouse Rd., Vestal, NY 13850 John Confer—651 Hammond Hill Rd., Brooktondale, NY 14817 Applications for membership and subscriptions: New York State Ornithological Finance: Association, Inc., P.O. Box 296, Somers, NY 10589. Berna B. Lincoln, Chair—P.O. Box 296, Somers, NY 10589 Requests for single copies and back numbers ($5.00 each): Tim Baird, 242 E. John J. Elliott Memorial: State St., Salamanca, NY 14779. Shaibal S. Mitra—Biology Dept., College of Staten Island All amounts stated above are payable in US funds only, with checks payable to 2800 Victory Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10314 NYSOA. Add $10 to all categories for addresses in Canada or Mexico, $20 for New York State Avian Records: all other non-US addresses. Angus Wilson, Chair Postmaster—send address changes to: Send reports to: THE KINGBIRD, P.O. Box 296, Somers, NY 10589. Jeanne Skelly, Secretary for NYSARC 420 Chili-Scottsville Rd., Churchville, NY 14428 ©2009 New York State Ornithological Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Publications: Timothy Baird, Chair—242 E. State St., Salamanca, NY 14779 NEW YORK STATE ORNITHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, INC. Waterfowl Count: 2008-2009 Officers Bryan L. Swift NYSDEC Bureau of Wildlife, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4754 President Treasurer Web Site: William Ostrander, 80 Westmont William B. Reeves, 19 Brian Lane, Carena Pooth—22 Brothers Rd., Poughquag, NY 12570 Ave., Elmira, NY 14905 East Northport, NY 11731-3810 Vice-President Carena Pooth, 22 Brothers Rd., Directors (Term Expiration Dates) Elected Committees Poughquag, NY 12570 Robert Adamo 2009 Nominating: Corresponding Secretary Andrew Mason 2009 Jerry Lazarczyk, Berna Lincoln, Kathryn Schneider (Chair) Timothy H. Baird, 242 E. State St., Robert Mauceli 2009 Auditing: Salamanca, NY 14779 Victor Lamoureux 2010 John Cairns, Irving Cantor (Chair), Peter Capainolo Recording Secretary Kathryn Schneider 2010 Joan E. Collins, 120 Regan Rd., vacant 2010 Potsdam, NY 13676 continued on inside back cover Volume 59 No. 3 September 2009 pp. 225-304 CONTENTS Mitred Parakeets (Aratinga mitrata) in Queens and Nassau Counties, New York Seth Ausubel . 226 Bird Populations in Western New York State: Insights From the Annual Counts of the Buffalo Ornithological Society Robert L. DeLeon . 231 Notes and Observations . 235 Highlights of the Season — Spring 2009 Thomas B. Johnson . 238 Regional Reports . 240 Photo Gallery . 263 Standard Regional Report Abbreviations, Reporting Deadlines and Map of Reporting Regions . 303 Editor – S. S. Mitra Regional Reports Editor – Robert G. Spahn Circulation Manager – Barbara Butler, Berna Lincoln Cover Illustration – Eastern Kingbird, Central Park, New York County, 5 July 2007, copyright Deborah Allen. The Kingbird 2009 September; 59 (3) 225 MITRED PARAKEETS (Aratinga mitrata) IN QUEENS AND NASSAU COUNTIES, NEW YORK Seth Ausubel 118-17 Union Tpke., Forest Hills, NY 11375 [email protected] On two occasions in recent years, while walking between my apartment and the subway station in urban Forest Hills, Queens County, New York, I have encountered the anomalous spectacle of a flock of large, noisy, bright-green and red parrots. Other passers-by were as impressed as I, and each time a crowd gathered in amazement. The birds were Mitred Parakeets (Aratinga mitrata), and I learned that local birders have been aware of their presence in Queens County and southwestern Nassau County in recent years. The purpose of this article is to document several recent sightings and to provide a summary of what is known regarding the origin, abundance, distribution, and possible breeding of these charismatic parrots in New York City and western Long Island. My most recent sighting in Forest Hills was on 13 April 2009, when I found a flock of 15 birds in front of an apartment building at 78-11 Kew Forest Lane. I observed them from 4:15-4:35 p.m. More than two years earlier, on 24 February 2007, I observed a flock of 13 birds in the same location, for approximately 15 minutes at 11:00 a.m. In both instances, the birds were feeding on the berries of two hackberry trees (Celtis occidentalis). The trees were bare, the berries persisting through the winter. On 13 April 2009, I was fortunate to have binoculars with me. Also notable on this occasion was that the birds were actively exploring the eaves of the apartment building, as if searching for hollows and potential nesting sites. On both occasions the flock flew off toward the west, squawking loudly in chorus. The identification of these birds as A. mitrata was established as follows: They had long tails and overall were bright green. A trace of red, orange or yellow (at most a few feathers) was visible on the bend of the wing (“wrist”) on some birds; most had only green there. The underwing coverts were green, with some yellow mottling on a few birds, but no red. Some birds had completely red faces, with bright red from the crown to the chin, and all around the eye. On 13 April 2009, at least three of the birds had red restricted to the forehead, with patchy orange, yellow, and green feathers on the rest of the face, and no red around the eye. This is consistent with the identification of these individuals as immatures (Juniper and Parr 1998, Arndt 2006). All birds had a white orbital ring. Some birds had brown on the forehead just above the bill. The birds had numerous red, orange or yellow feathers on the body, the sides of the head and nape. A number of birds showed variation on the facial pattern, with intermediate amounts of red feathering. Several Aratinga species in the United States may be confused with A. mitrata, especially in immature plumages. However, none of these are currently 226 The Kingbird 2009 September; 59 (3) naturalized in the northeastern U.S. Most similar is the Red-masked Parakeet (A. erythrogenys) (Butler 2005, Pranty and Garrett 2003). This species has more red in the bend of the wing than A. mitrata, and red at the leading edge of the underwing coverts. The Green Parakeet (A. holochlora) lacks any patches of red on the forehead and crown. The Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) is established in the New York City metropolitan area. Colonies exist locally throughout. It has a pale gray forehead and breast, and the flight feathers and wing coverts are extensively blue, both above and below. These are sometimes useful field marks for fly-over birds. The Black-hooded Parakeet (Nandayus nenday) was confirmed breeding in 1980 in Westchester County (Andrle and Carrol1 1988). These birds, numbering approximately six, perished in a cold snap in December 1980. Probable breeding of single pairs was observed in Brooklyn and Nassau County in 1984. The species has not been recorded in our area recently. Field marks distinguishing Black-hooded Parakeet include the sooty-black frontal portion of the head, and pale blue wash on the upper breast. A. mitrata is native to southwestern South America, from southern Peru and western Bolivia to northern Argentina. It is found in a variety of temperate zone habitats including montane evergreen and deciduous forest, cultivated areas, and open shrub land, savannah, and woodland (Juniper and Parr 1998). It is typically found at 1000-3500m elevation, and has been recorded to 4000m in Peru. It is often found around tall rock faces. It nests in such locations, or in tree cavities. In North America, naturalized populations of A. mitrata are found in California and Florida (Butler 2005). In Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California, populations increased from the 1980s to the 1990s. Estimates are of several hundred to more than 1000 birds, and these birds are believed to be A. m. tucumana (“Tucuman” Mitred Parakeet: California Parrott Project, 2009). Pranty and Garret (2003) identify the Mitred Parakeets in Florida and California as the nominate subspecies, A.m. mitrata. The American Ornithologists Union added the species to the AOU North America checklist in 2002, considering the southern California populations established (Banks et al. 2002). However, the species is not on the American Birding Association Checklist or on any checklist established by state bird records committees (Pranty and Garrett 2003). Arndt (2006) proposed taxonomic revisions to the A.