New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, August 30, 2013:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Aug. 30, 2013
* NYNY1308.30

- Birds mentioned

CURLEW SANDPIPER+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Cory's Shearwater
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER
American Avocet (last seen Friday 23-Aug)
Willet (subspecies "Western Willet")
Whimbrel
MARBLED GODWIT
Least Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
Royal Tern
Barn Owl
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Lawrence's Warbler (hybrid)
Worm-eating Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Hooded Warbler
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
LARK SPARROW
BLUE GROSBEAK

- Transcript

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 nysarc3@nybirds.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

To report sightings call:
Tom Burke (212) 372-1483 (weekdays, during the day)
Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126 (Long Island)

Compiler: Tom Burke, Tony Lauro
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County

Transcriber: Ben Cacace

BEGIN TAPE

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, August 30th 2013 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are CURLEW SANDPIPER, AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, MARBLED GODWIT, BLUE GROSBEAK, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and LARK SPARROW.

Shorebird numbers at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge continue to be somewhat low and the AMERICAN AVOCET pulling out last Friday night was disappointing for Saturday's shorebird festival. A BARN OWL does continue to appear at the BARN OWL box entrance hole across Big John's Pond from the bird blind but patience may be needed to see the owl. If at the bay please stress at the front desk the need to get the breach in the West Pond repaired.

At Jones Beach West End a BAIRD'S SANDPIPER was present Saturday and Sunday in pools between the Roosevelt Nature Center and the West End 2 parking lot often seen from the bird blind. Other species noted this week included PECTORAL, STILT and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS plus a WHIMBREL on Saturday. Please stay away from the pond edges so as to keep the disturbance there to a minimum.

The adult CURLEW SANDPIPER spent Saturday on the flats at Mecox until about 7pm when it lifted off and flew straight out over the ocean not to be seen there thereafter. A WHIMBREL was also at Mecox Saturday and Saturday evening 20 or more CORY'S SHEARWATER (S) were feeding and sitting around offshore.

The one notable shorebird increase took place at Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes where the number of MARBLED GODWITS grew to 6 last Saturday. Also there were WHIMBREL, PECTORAL SANDPIPER and several "Western" WILLETS. Another MARBLED GODWIT was seen along Dune Road Sunday and yesterday at Cupsogue there were 5 MARBLED GODWIT (S) and a WHIMBREL.

On Thursday a BAIRD'S SANDPIPER was on a sod field off Osborne Avenue northwest of Riverhead where 4 PECTORAL and numerous LEAST SANDPIPERS and a WHIMBREL was along Eastport Manor Road in Eastport. On Friday up to 17 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS also joined the Osborne Avenue flock this field just south of Sound Avenue.

Two GULL-BILLED and 2 ROYAL TERNS were at Nickerson Beach west of Point Lookout last Monday and 2 CASPIAN TERNS were at Wolfe's Pond Park on Staten Island today.

Among the landbirds during a moderately quiet week due to the weather conditions 2 LARK SPARROWS did show up at Playland Park in Rye Westchester County on Tuesday with at least one lingering to Wednesday.

Also interesting were 3 BLUE GROSBEAKS seen today in Calverton at Veteran's Memorial Park next to Grumman Airport off Route 25 this apparently a family group including an adult male.

A LAWRENCE'S WARBLER hybrid appeared today in Central Park where a modest number of warblers for the week did include HOODED WARBLER and WORM-EATING WARBLER.

Highlights in Prospect Park last weekend featured OLIVE-SIDED and YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS, MOURNING WARBLER and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT. Some of these and other expected migrants also occurring during the week.

To phone in reports on Long Island, call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126, or weekdays call 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 transcript