New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, September 10th, 2010:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Sept 10, 2010
* NYNY1009.10

- Birds Mentioned:

AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Common Eider
LEAST BITTERN
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER
WHIMBREL
HUDSONIAN GODWIT
MARBLED GODWIT
White-rumped Sandpiper
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER
Long-billed Dowitcher
WILSON'S PHALAROPE
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
Black Tern
Red-headed Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
WESTERN KINGBIRD
Philadelphia Vireo
Common Raven
Cliff Swallow
Cedar Waxwing
Tennessee Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Bay-breasted Warbler
Connecticut Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
LARK SPARROW
BLUE GROSBEAK
DICKCISSEL
Bobolink
Purple Finch


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 nysarc1 AT nybirds.org .

If electronic submission is not possible, hardcopy reports and photos or sketches are welcome. Hardcopy documentation should be mailed to:

Jeanne Skelly - Secretary
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
420 Chili-Scottsville Rd.
Churchville, NY 14428

~ Transcript ~

Hotline: New York City Area Rare Bird Alert
Weekly Recording: (212) 979-3070

To report sightings call:
Tony Lauro (631) 734-4126
Tom Burke (212) 372-1483 (leave message)

Compilers: Tony Lauro, Tom Burke
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
Transcriber: Karen Fung

[~BEGIN RBA TAPE~]

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, September 10th, 2010 at 11 pm. The highlights of this week's tape are AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, LEAST BITTERN, AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS, WHIMBREL, MARBLED GODWIT, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, WESTERN KINGBIRD, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, LARK SPARROW, DICKCISSEL, and BLUE GROSBEAK.

The long-staying AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN is still present at the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.

A LEAST BITTERN, along with nine MARBLED GODWITS, a BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER and two CASPIAN TERNS, were seen Wednesday at Cupsogue County Park. [Transcriber's Update: A report from Cupsogue on Thursday morning included BLUE GROSBEAK, TENNESSEE WARBLER, two CLIFF SWALLOWS, 82 CEDAR WAXWINGS, and 111 BOBOLINKS.]

AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS were encountered at the following locations: one at Deep Hollow Ranch in Montauk last Saturday; four at the sod field on Osborne Avenue and Sound Avenue in Riverhead last Saturday; six at the same locale on Wednesday, and 12 on a sod field on Randall Road and Cooper Street in the town of Ridge today. [Transcriber's Update: At least ten were present at the Shoreham/Rocky Point sod farm in the NE corner close to Rte 25A on Thursday.]

WHIMBRELS reported last week were: one at Montauk last Saturday; one east of the Ponquogue Bridge in Shinnecock last Saturday; two on the ocean at Robert Moses State Park on Sunday.

There was a single HUDSONIAN GODWIT at Jamaica Bay East Pond on Tuesday. [Transcriber's Update: The Hudsonian was reported again today. Water levels at the north end of the East Pond remain high, and boots are necessary.]

BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS reported were: one at Jones Beach West End on Monday; two at Jamaica Bay East Pond on Sunday and Tuesday; two at the Firemans training facility in Northville Tpke and Route 24 in Riverhead along with BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER on Wednesday. Other BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS were seen at these locations: three at Head of the Neck Road in Manorville last Saturday; one at the median strip at Heckscher State Park Monday through Wednesday; one at Osborne Avenue and Sound Avenue, Riverhead on Tuesday; two at Cooper and Randall Road in Ridge on Tuesday; and four here today. [Transcriber's Update: two Buffies were also reported at the Shoreham / Rocky Point sod farm on Thursday morning.]

A WILSON'S PHALAROPE was at Jamaica Bay East Pond on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, along with a LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER and 20 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS.

A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, was found at the hawk watch area near field 5 at Robert Moses State Park, Fire Island, on Monday.

A LARK SPARROW was found at the westernmost turnaround area, near the dumpsters, at Robert Moses State Park, Fire Island, from Saturday through Tuesday.

A WESTERN KINGBIRD was located today at the westernmost parking lot at Sunken Meadow State Park on the north shore of Long Island.

A YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER and 17 species of warblers, highlighted by BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, BAY-BREASTED WARBLER, and WILSON'S WARBLER, were found today at Sunken Meadow State Park. Nineteen warbler species were found at the this location on Thursday.

A DICKCISSEL, along with an immature RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, BOBOLINKS, and PURPLE FINCH, were seen at Robert Moses State Park on Fire Island on Sunday.

A BLUE GROSBEAK, along with two CLIFF SWALLOWS, CEDAR WAXWINGS, BOBOLINKS, YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, and an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL were seen Thursday at Fire Island.

Other interesting birds reported in the past week were:

At Alley Pond Park, Queens [with updates from the Transcriber]: A MOURNING WARBLER and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT among 18 warbler species on Sunday; two CONNECTICUT WARBLERS, a MOURNING WARBLER, and two PHILADELPHIA VIREOS yesterday; 14 warbler species including MOURNING and TENNESSEE, along with one PHILADELPHIA VIREO today;

At Central Park today [with updates from the Transcriber]: Another PHILADELPHIA VIREO and 16 species of warbler including YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, MOURNING WARBLER, TENNESSEE WARBLER. The CHAT was reported near the Ravine in the N End, as well as in the maintenance field early this morning (Friday). Also seen at least three days this week including today was a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO in the Ramble.

At least eight PHILADELPHIA VIREOS were reported during the week, mostly in city parks;

Two COMMON RAVENS at the water tower in Kew Gardens on Monday;

A GULL-BILLED TERN at Jamaica Bay last Sunday;

Four COMMON EIDERS and nine BLACK TERNS at Montauk last Saturday.

[Additional updates from the Transcriber: Prospect Park, Brooklyn: YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT on Sunday; MOURNING WARBLER on Monday; 16 warbler species on Thursday; 12 warbler species today.]

To phone in reports, please call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126. Messages may be left with Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483. This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.

[~END TAPE~]

~ End Transcript ~