Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming birding and nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, July 20, 2019 to Sunday, July 21, 2019:

Gateway National Park
Saturday, July 20, 2019, 10:00am — 11:00am
Birding for Beginners
Day(s): Every week on Saturday until September 28, 2019
View Details

Sunday, July 21, 2019, 10:00am — 11:30am
Osprey Watch Guided Walk
Day(s): Every week on Sunday until September 29, 2019
View Details

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Green-Wood Cemetery
Sunday, July 21, 2019, 6:00am - 7:30am
Birding in Peace
Before our gates open to the general public, birding expert Rob Jett leads these peaceful Sunday morning walking tours to discover the many birds that call Green-Wood home. Green-Wood’s official birding checklist is available to pick up from the security guard at the main entrance on 25th Street or to print here. Comfortable footwear is recommended.

Summer Birding
In July we should see the offspring of our resident red-tailed hawk bravely preparing to leave the nest. Warbler songs will be replaced by chirring Cicadas and the tweets of fledgling birds. Butterflies and dragonflies are abundant. By late-July, expect the arrival of the first southbound migrants.

$10 for members of Green-Wood and BHS / $15 for non-members
Click here for our inclement weather policy.

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New York City Audubon
Saturday, July 20, 2019, 9:00am – 10:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks, The Bronx
Saturdays, April 27-July 20, 9-10:30am
Guide: NYC Audubon with the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature Center. The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds. These walks celebrate the tradition set by these great ornithologists. Participants will look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, call 212-691-7483. No registration necessary. No limit. Free

Sunday, July 21, 2019, 8am – 3pm
Birding Gems of Staten Island: Freshkills Park
Guides: Cliff Hagen with NYC Department of Parks & Recreation
Meet at the Staten Island Ferry and start your trip with a journey across the Upper Bay. This is a special opportunity to see Freshkills Park in transition from what was once the world’s largest landfill into an expansive park. Currently closed to the general public, the Park is home to rolling grasslands, tidal marshes, successional woodlands, and a freshwater pond system that host an array of breeding birds, butterflies, mammals, frogs, and turtles. Grasshopper Sparrows, Osprey, Yellow Warblers, and Blue Grosbeaks nest alongside wrens, blackbirds, orioles, and shorebirds. Wading birds feed on the mudflats at low tide while hawks and vultures soar above. On calm, sunny days, one can expect to find nearly two dozen species of butterflies as they nectar among the grasses and woodlands. Transport by passenger van from the Staten Island St. George Terminal included. Limited to 12. $64 (45)
Click here to register

Sunday, July 21, 2019, 2pm – 3pm
Governors Island Free Bird Walks
Saturdays, June 22, June 29, July 27, August 10 and August 24, 2-3pm
Sundays, June 16, July 21 and August 18, 2-3pm
Guide: NYC Audubon
Meet at Nolan Park House #17. Join us for a bird walk around beautiful and historic Governors Island, which boasts over 192 species recorded on ebird.org. Learn about the island’s fascinating history and search for waterbirds, raptors, waterfowl, and more. Binoculars are available. No registration necessary. No limit. Free

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturdays -- 11:00 a.m.
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11am to 12:30pm beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Included in All-Garden Pass
Get Tickets

**********

New York City WILD!
Saturday, July 20, 2019, 10:00am
NEW! Hardscrabble Ramble #3: Newtown Creek, Queens/Brooklyn

Sunday, July 21, 2019
NEW! Bridges of New York Sunset Walk: Triborough Bridges, Manhattan/The Bronx/Queens

For the full information about each walk click HERE

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Staten Island Museum
Saturday, July 20, 2019, 8:30pm-10pm
Moth Night
Location: Staten Island Museum, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Building A, SI, NY 10301
Cost: $10 per adult/Children under 12 Free
Stay up late and celebrate National Moth Week! Revel in the beauty and learn about the life cycles and habitats of moths. Featured activities include looking closely at Museum specimens, face painting, shadow dancing, art activities, and a short night hike through Snug Harbor.
Guests should bring flashlights. Presented in collaboration with the Staten Island Children’s Museum.
Registration recommended.
Click to Register

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, July 20, 2019
Bird Walks at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Join us in the park as we focus on wildlife happenings in the park on a walk led by NYC Audubon experts.
Free!

Rocking the Boat: Rowing and Birding at Hunts Point Riverside Park, Bronx
1:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
Explore the Bronx River aboard student-built wooden rowboats, accompanied by staff who teach them about the local waterways.
Free!

Sunday, July 21, 2019
Orchard Beach Lagoon Birding Excursion (Intermediate) at Pelham Bay Park, Bronx
12:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Explore the Orchard Beach Lagoon, including Bartow Creek as we look for birds that live in this estuarine habitat of the Long Island Sound. Registration opens on July 10.
Free! ...Read more

New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, July 12, 2019:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* July 12, 2019
* NYNY1907.12

- Birds Mentioned
RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD+
BRIDLED TERN+
MISSISSIPPI KITE+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Ring-necked Duck
Bufflehead
SANDHILL CRANE
Least Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Whimbrel
Parasitic Jaeger
Gull-billed Tern
Black Tern
LEACH’S STORM-PETREL
Cory’s Shearwater
Great Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
MANX SHEARWATER
BROWN PELICAN
Ovenbird
European Goldfinch

+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

Compilers: Tom Burke, Tony Lauro, and Shai Mitra
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County

Transcriber: Shai Mitra

[~BEGIN RBA TAPE~]

Greetings! This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, July 12, 2019 at 6:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape include RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, continuing SANDHILL CRANE and BRIDLED TERN, MISSISSIPPI KITE, LEACH’S STORM-PETREL, MANX SHEARWATER, BROWN PELICAN, and other seasonal seabirds and shorebirds.

A report of a RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD at a feeding station at a private residence in Stony Brook on Sunday, 7 July was not only very rare, but also on a very remarkable date.

Also very rare was a MISSISSIPPI KITE soaring over the Cemetery of the Resurrection on Staten Island, on Monday, 8 July.

Two long-staying rarities that continued into this week were the SANDHILL CRANE in Napeague and the BRIDLED TERN at Great Gull Island. The latter site is a sensitive research station that cannot be visited without permission, but the tern has been viewed from boats positioned off of the northeastern point of the island.

Four BROWN PELICANS were reported from Smith Point County Park on Thursday, and another from West Meadow Beach, flying toward Stony Brook on Wednesday.

This point in the summer offers the potential for wandering birds of many kinds to show up almost anywhere. Some recent examples include a BUFFLEHEAD at the Marine Nature Study Area in Oceanside, Nassau County, on Wednesday, a RING-NECKED DUCK at Blydenburgh County Park in Suffolk County on Sunday, an OVENBIRD far from breeding habitat at Baldwin Harbor Park in Nassau County, on Sunday, and EUROPEAN GOLDFINCHES at two sites in Brooklyn over the weekend.

The summer shorebird season has commenced, with many reports of early-migrating species, such as LEAST SANDPIPER, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, and GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS. Among the more unusual reports have been single WHIMBRELS at West Meadow Beach and Shinnecock on Saturday, 6 July.

A boat trip to offshore Suffolk County waters on Wednesday reported a LEACH’S STORM-PETREL and a MANX SHEARWATER, among other, more expected species.

Seawatching from shore continues to be slow, but small numbers of GREAT and CORY’S SHEARWATERS have been widely reported from ocean vantages in Suffolk County; highlights have included a PARASITIC JAEGER harassing terns at Lake Montauk Inlet on Wednesday and a SOOTY SHEARWATER and four BLACK TERNS off Robert Moses State Park on Thursday. More unusual was a report of a GULL-BILLED TERN at Smith Point County Park on Thursday, well east of currently known breeding stations.

For next week also, the Rare Bird Alert will be recorded by Shai Mitra. To send in reports this next week, email or call Shai Mitra at (email address filtered) or 631-666-7624; or, on Long Island, please call Tony Lauro at 631-734-4126. Tom Burke will resume recording the RBA on July
26.

This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.

- End transcript ...Read more

Not Quite an Adult Hawk Yet

At around this time of year, for the past several years, I've noticed that one or more of Green-Wood Cemetery's resident Red-tailed Hawk pair's offspring starts "growing up". That is to say, their namesake red tail feathers start to emerge (up to that point they are just brown stripes). It takes about two years for those feathers to come in. Presumably an abundance of food in the area make the parents pretty tolerant of their young-adult offspring hanging around ... especially when there's a new brood to look after. Anyway, here's a nice photo that Jim Demers just took of one of our locals finally making that transition. I suppose the next step is he or she will move farther afield in search of territory and a mate.

Treehugger Tuesday

From the website Earther:

Calculation Shows We Could Add a U.S.-Sized Forest to the Planet to Fight Climate Change
by Brian Kahn
July 4, 2019

Trees are good for all sorts of things, like providing shade for picnics and habitat for animals. But they’re also a huge part of the efforts to combat climate change by sucking carbon dioxide out of the air.

New findings were published on Thursday in Science show just how important a role they could play in climate mitigation efforts by calculating “Earth’s tree carrying capacity.” Right now there are estimated to be nearly 17 million square miles of forest cover on Earth, and there’s enough room to add another 3.5 million square miles of trees—a U.S.-sized chunk of land—to sequester even more carbon. There’s just one slight wrinkle: Climate change could make life in certain parts of the globe inhospitable for some of those new trees, particularly in the tropics.

Despite trees being nearly everywhere, figuring out just how much tree coverage the planet has is a pretty challenging task. The Food and Agriculture Organization defines forest as any area with more than 10 percent tree cover. And the best way to really see just how much tree cover’s out there is using satellite data, which is exactly what the study turned to.

Using the open access software Collect Earth to gather satellite imagery, the researchers pulled 78,774 satellite snapshots of forested area. They looked specifically at protected areas and places with limited human activity to avoid including city parks, farms, and other land uses that might look like forest but aren’t in actuality. They fed all that data as well as 10 other variables chronicling the climate and soil through a model to estimate current tree cover as well as areas where tree cover could be expanded. The results show an area of the world roughly equivalent to Russia, Canada, the U.S., and Australia—or nearly a third of all land area in the world—is covered in forest.

More than 12 million square miles of land could host more forest according to the study, but given that we need that land for crops and places to live, just 3.5 million square miles of that land is actually suitable for forest cover. The top four places primed for reforestation are Russia, the U.S., Canada, and Australia, all developed countries and in the case of the first three, all home to a piece of the vast boreal forest that rings the northern tier of the world. Brazil and China are also on the list and together those six countries contain 50 percent of the area where forests could grow again.

Based on what we know about forests, that would store an extra 205 gigatons of carbon as the trees grew to maturity. To compare, the world emitted 37.1 gigatons of carbon dioxide last year. The newly filled out forests would be a huge boon to absorbing new emissions and the carbon pollution we’ve committed to the atmosphere.

“The restoration of ecosystems that could support trees is our main weapon to fight climate change,” Jean-François Bastin, the study’s lead author from ETH-Zürich, told Earther in an email. “Restoring the potential areas available, we could store about a quarter of the current amount of carbon held in the atmosphere.”

That would help combat climate change in addition to providing other benefits from recreation to habitat restoration. The study has one caveat, though. The researchers modeled two climate scenarios—one where emissions rise rapidly and another where they peak by mid-century and start to decline—to see how habitable those areas would actually be for trees. It turns out that while the boreal forest would likely fare OK, tree cover is likely to decline in the tropics as the climate warms. The Amazon is particularly at-risk since it’s also expected to dry out. Overall, the tree carrying capacity of Earth would be lower with more warming and with it, so would the chances of staving off severe climate change consequences.

The even more dire piece of news is that Amazon deforestation rates are climbing under the rule of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, tropical deforestation is continuing elsewhere, and massive fires are engulfing the world’s northern forests thanks to already rising temperatures. In short, humanity is headed in the wrong direction.

But if there’s a silver lining, it’s that we know the solutions. The new study provides yet another incentive to start slashing carbon pollution now instead of later and keep the Earth’s tree carrying capacity on the up and up. And it shows where we could concentrate conservation efforts to max out the climate benefits.
...Read more

Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming birding and nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, July 13, 2019 to Sunday, July 14, 2019:

Bedford Audubon Society
Sunday, July 14, 2019, 6:00am and 8:30am
Bird Walks at Caramoor's Birdsong Celebration
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, 149 Girdle Ridge Rd, Katonah, NY 10536
Celebrate the birds on walks and through the universal language of music!
Join Tait Johansson for free Bird Walks around the spectacular grounds and gardens of Caramoor this summer! Bedford Audubon is proud to be a part of Caramoor Takes Wing! Celebrating Birdsong as Pierre-Laurent Aimard performs Messiaen’s Catalogue d’Oiseaux. This event is appropriate for kids and families.
Cost: Bird Walks are Free with registration with Caramoor
Level of difficulty: Easy
Register by contacting the Caramoor Box Office at boxoffice@caramoor.org or 914.232.1252
See more details

**********

Eastern Long Island Audubon Society
Saturday, July 13, 2019, 8:00am
Dune Road - Shinnecock to Tiana
Meet Eileen Schwinn, trip leader, at 8:00 am. We will begin at a NEW LOCATION, the County Parking Lot at the End of Dune Road, overlooking the Shinnecock Inlet (east of Oakland’s Restaurant). ELIAS has bayside day passes to be used as we travel along Dune Road, and stop at Tiana, Trustee Roads and other Points of Interest, as the birds dictate. Restrooms are portapotty, or “real” at Ponquogue Pavillion (ocean side and walkable from bayside parking) and at Tiana (again, walkable on Ocean side from the bayside parking area).

All levels of naturalists, including beginners, are most welcome on Eastern Long Island Audubon field trips.
Most trips are free to attend, however, sometimes the venue we are visiting has a fee. We try to make a note of it in the notice.

**********

Gateway National Park
Saturday, July 13, 2019, 10:00am — 11:00am
Birding for Beginners
Day(s): Every week on Saturday until September 28, 2019
View Details

Sunday, July 14, 2019, 10:00am — 11:30am
Osprey Watch Guided Walk
Day(s): Every week on Sunday until September 29, 2019
View Details

**********

Green-Wood Cemetery
Sunday, July 14, 2019, 6:00am - 7:30am
Birding in Peace
Before our gates open to the general public, birding expert Rob Jett leads these peaceful Sunday morning walking tours to discover the many birds that call Green-Wood home. Green-Wood’s official birding checklist is available to pick up from the security guard at the main entrance on 25th Street or to print here. Comfortable footwear is recommended.

Summer Birding
In July we should see the offspring of our resident red-tailed hawk bravely preparing to leave the nest. Warbler songs will be replaced by chirring Cicadas and the tweets of fledgling birds. Butterflies and dragonflies are abundant. By late-July, expect the arrival of the first southbound migrants.

$10 for members of Green-Wood and BHS / $15 for non-members
Click here for our inclement weather policy.

**********

Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
Sunday, July 14, 2019 - 8:00am
Suffolk County Environmental Center
The 70-acre facility lies near the shores of the Great South Bay and is adjacent to the Seatuck National Wildlife Refuge and the Islip Town Beach. A system of trails and boardwalks gives visitors access to the property's diverse mix of habitats, including extensive salt marsh, freshwater wetlands and mature upland forest.
Registration: Call (585) 880-0915 to register.

Directions: Take LIE east to exit 56, to Route 111 South. Turn right onto 27A, turn left onto S. Bay Ave, entrance is one mile south on Main St.

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Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Staten Island Nesting Birds – Purple Martins Plus
Leader: Richard Veit
Registrar: Karen Asakawa — avocet501@gmail.com or 347-306-0690
Registration opens: Monday, July 1
Ride: $20

**********

New York City Audubon
Saturday, July 13, 2019, 6:30am – 12:30pm
Beach-Nesting Birds of Nickerson Beach, NY
Guide: Tod Winston
Come bird at the beach. Departing early to beat the heat, we’ll have plenty of time to observe breeding waterbirds feeding their young: Common and Least Terns, American Oystercatchers, and Piping Plovers. We're also sure to see nesting Black Skimmers—and will be on the lookout for possible Gull-billed and Roseate Terns, as well as summering sea ducks.
Bring lunch. Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 12. $100 (70)
Click here to register

Saturday, July 13, 2019, 9:00am – 10:30am
Birding Brooklyn Bridge Park
Guide: Heather Wolf
Meet at Pier 1 park entrance at the intersection of Old Fulton Street and Furman Street. Join Heather Wolf, author of Birding at the Bridge, for a picturesque bird walk along the Brooklyn waterfront. We'll look for breeding and nesting birds like the Gray Catbird, American Robin, Song Sparrow, and more. Visit www.nycaudubon.org/birding-bk-bridge to register. Limited to 19 per walk. Free
Click here to register

Saturday, July 13, 2019, 9:00am – 10:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks, The Bronx
Saturdays, April 27-July 20, 9-10:30am
Guide: NYC Audubon with the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature Center. The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds. These walks celebrate the tradition set by these great ornithologists. Participants will look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, call 212-691-7483. No registration necessary. No limit. Free

Saturday, July 13, 2019, 12pm – 4pm
Sixth Annual "It's Your Tern!" Festival
Parade Ground Southeast Corner, Governors Island
With Trust for Governors Island, Friends of Governors Island, National Park Service, New York Harbor School, Earth Matter NY
Come celebrate Governors Island’s treasures: Common Terns and oysters! Common Terns, listed as a threatened species in New York State, have nested for several years on decommissioned piers on Governors Island’s waterfront. The colony has expanded over time and benefited recently from the introduction of oyster shells as a nesting material. Free activities at this year’s festival will include bird walks and talks, as well as hands-on activities for the whole family. Get to the festival by taking the ferry to Governors Island. The festival will take place at the southeast corner of the Parade Ground right across from St. Cornelius Chapel. No limit. Free
Click here for Google Map of the festival location

Sunday, July 14, 2019, 9am – 11am
Transmitter Park Bird and Plant Walk, Brooklyn
Guide: Tod Winston with the Friends of WNYC Transmitter Park
Meet inside the Greenpoint Avenue park entrance. Join Tod Winston as he helps identify bird species in Transmitter Park and discusses how planted life supports avian life there and beyond, specifically highlighting the Greenpoint Avenue gardens, which were created with this purpose in mind. Registration preferred. Free
Click here to register

Sunday, July 14, 2019, 9:30am – 11:30am
Birding at Wave Hill
Sundays May 12, June 9, July 14, August 11, September 8, 9:30-11:30am
Meet at the Perkins Visitor Center. Naturalist Gabriel Willow contributes his extensive knowledge of bird species and their behaviors on these captivating walks. Wave Hill’s garden setting overlooking the Hudson River flyway provides the perfect habitat for resident and migrating birds. Walks run rain or shine. Ages 10 and up welcome with an adult. No registration required. No limit. NYC Audubon members enjoy two-for-one admission (see www.wavehill.org for more information)

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturdays -- 11:00 a.m.
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11am to 12:30pm beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Included in All-Garden Pass
Get Tickets

**********

New York City WILD!
Saturday, July 13, 2019, 10:00am
Hardscrabble Ramble #2: Bridges of the Harlem River

Sunday, July 14, 2019, 4:00pm
Bridges of New York Sunset Walk: Bayonne Bridge, Staten Island to Bayonne, NJ

For the full information about each walk click HERE

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Bird Walks at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Join us in the park as we focus on wildlife happenings in the park on a walk led by NYC Audubon experts.
Free!

Community Tour of the Ridgewood Reservoir at Ridgewood Reservoir, Queens
10:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m.
Guides from NYCH2O will lead a history, engineering, and ecology tour of the reservoir and Brooklyn Waterworks.
Free!

Rocking the Boat: Rowing and Birding at Hunts Point Riverside Park, Bronx
1:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
Explore the Bronx River aboard student-built wooden rowboats, accompanied by staff who teach them about the local waterways.
Free!

Sunday, July 14, 2019
Summer Birding at Perkins Visitors Center (in Wave Hill), Bronx
9:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Naturalist Gabriel Willow contributes his extensive knowledge of diverse bird species and their behavior on these walks through the gardens and woodlands.

The New York City Naturalist Club: Evening Hawk Watch at Saint Marks Place and Avenue A (in Tompkins Square Park), Manhattan
2:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. Our Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in the urban jungle.
Free! ...Read more

New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, July 5, 2019:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* July 5, 2019
* NYNY1907.05

- Birds Mentioned

BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK+
BRIDLED TERN+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Wilson’s Storm-Petrel
BROWN PELICAN
SANDHILL CRANE
PARASITIC JAEGER
GULL-BILLED TERN
Roseate Tern
Common Tern
Royal Tern
Black Skimmer
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Acadian Flycatcher
Hermit Thrush
Worm-eating Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Northern Parula
Grasshopper Sparrow
BLUE GROSBEAK

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

Compilers: Tom Burke and Tony Lauro
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, July 5, 2019 at 8:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are BRIDLED TERN, BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK, SANDHILL CRANE, BROWN PELICAN, PARASITIC JAEGER, GULL-BILLED TERN, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, BLUE GROSBEAK and more.

Of our lingering rarities, the most difficult to see is the BRIDLED TERN still roosting today on the northeast side of Great Gull Island, viewable by boat as it flies about the area. But please remember that boats are not permitted to land on the island, an important COMMON and ROSEATE TERN research station.

At least eight BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS were still visiting the grassy lawns at the western end of Nickerson Beach today. Located on the south side of Lido Boulevard just west of Point Lookout, Nickerson does charge a substantial entry fee between 9 am and 4 pm, but the ducks can often be seen from Lido Boulevard. Up to four GULL-BILLED TERNS also continue to be seen around the COMMON TERN and BLACK SKIMMER colonies there, and last Saturday a BROWN PELICAN was spotted roosting on a red buoy off Nickerson, but it apparently moved on after a short stay.

The SANDHILL CRANE out at Napeague on Long Island’s South Fork was still present yesterday near the old fish factory along Cranberry Hole Road.

A sea watch from Robert Moses State Park Field 2 last Saturday morning did finally produce a PARASITIC JAEGER along with forty-six WILSON’S STORM-PETRELS, but no Shearwaters, as coastal sea flights continue to be fairly slow.

Last Saturday six ROYAL TERNS were counted around Old Inlet in Bellport Bay, this just west of Smith Point County Park, and two more were at Sagg Pond in Bridgehampton.

The situation for RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS locally seems optimistic, with two continuing along the Paumanok Trail off the west side of Schultz Road in Manorville and three noted last week in the restricted Brookhaven National Lab complex, as well as birds previously present in Connetquot River State Park and another still at Muscoot Farm in northern Westchester County.

A couple of ACADIAN FLYCATCHERS and some breeding HERMIT THRUSHES at Hunter’s Garden off Route 51 southwest of Riverhead have been attracting attention lately though presumably a continuation of birds historically present here for some time. This site a while back was best known for a pair or two of Blue Grosbeaks nesting there before they became more widespread locally. Now most birders visit the Calverton grasslands area for the BLUE GROSBEAKS, and three were spotted there today. This site also hosts a healthy population of GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS and other desirable grassland birds.

Among the warblers, a few seasonal floaters mentioned this week included WORM-EATING, LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, NORTHERN PARULA and BLACK-AND-WHITE.

For the next two weeks, the chores of the Rare Bird Alert will gratefully be handled by Shai Mitra. To phone in reports, on Long Island please call Tony Lauro at 631-734-4126 or call Shai Mitra at 631-666-7624.

This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.

- End transcript ...Read more

New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, June 28, 2019:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* June 28, 2019
* NYNY1906.28

- Birds Mentioned

BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK+
MISSISSIPPI KITE+
BRIDLED TERN+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Common Eider
Cory’s Shearwater
Great Shearwater
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel
LEACH’S STORM-PETREL
BROWN PELICAN
Tricolored Heron
Turkey Vulture
Common Gallinule
SANDHILL CRANE
Lesser Black-backed Gull
GULL-BILLED TERN
BLACK TERN
Roseate Tern
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo
Red-headed Woodpecker
American Kestrel
Acadian Flycatcher
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Canada Warbler
Grasshopper Sparrow
BLUE GROSBEAK
Eastern Meadowlark

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

Compilers: Tom Burke and Tony Lauro
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, June 28, 2019 at 9:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are BRIDLED TERN, BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK, SANDHILL CRANE, MISSISSIPPI KITE, BROWN PELICAN, LEACH’S STORM-PETREL, GULL-BILLED and BLACK TERNS, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, BLUE GROSBEAK and more.

The adult BRIDLED TERN was seen again last Sunday roosting on the northeast corner of Great Gull Island. This bird is viewable from a boat, but, as Great Gull is an important research island, please remember that no boats are permitted to land there.

The surprisingly long stay of up to ten BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS continues at Nickerson Beach off Lido Boulevard just west of Point Lookout. All ten were noted yesterday on the grassy lawn on the west side of the park, and at least two were there today. A couple of GULL-BILLED TERNS also continue to be seen at Nickerson or across Lido Boulevard at the Lido Preserve Passive Nature Center, and a ROSEATE TERN was still at Nickerson Tuesday. Remember Nickerson charges a hefty entrance fee between 9 am and 4 pm.

The SANDHILL CRANE also remains on Eastern Long Island at Napeague, often seen near the old fish factory along Cranberry Hole Road.

A MISSISSIPPI KITE was reported soaring last Saturday with TURKEY VULTURES at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in northern Westchester County. It has been looked for but not seen since.

A BROWN PELICAN was noted flying west by Southampton last Saturday – this species should be watched for along Long Island’s south shore as well as around the inlets and bays.

A fishing boat in the Atlantic well off Long Island last Sunday and Monday noted good numbers of SHEARWATERS, mostly GREAT and some CORY’S, as well as a few LEACH’S and many WILSON’S STORM-PETRELS. But pelagic birding from Long Island’s south shore continues to be slow, a watch from Robert Moses State Park Tuesday morning noting two BLACK TERNS but only one WILSON’S STORM-PETREL, though forty LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were around Field 2, and there were just seven WILSON’S STORM-PETRELS off Shinnecock Inlet Thursday, though there were over fifty COMMON EIDER still lingering there.

One or two RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS and a singing YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER were still present this week out in Manorville, these continuing along the Paumanok Trail located on the western side of Schultz Road along the north side of Jones Pond.

BLUE GROSBEAKS remain around the Calverton grasslands at the site of the old Grumman airport, this productive area also providing habitat for many GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS as well as EASTERN MEADOWLARKS, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOOS, AMERICAN KESTRELS and many other species.

A COMMON GALLINULE was spotted today on the west pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge; two BLACK-BILLED CUCKOOS were also at the refuge this week as well as at Floyd Bennet Field.

Farther east a TRICOLORED HERON was seen again yesterday at Captree Island marsh, and an ACADIAN FLYCATCHER was found in Hunter’s Garden southwest of Riverhead yesterday.

This is the time to be on the lookout for floaters, migrant passerines that are either not going to nest in their expected range or have been disrupted in their attempt and are already moving around – this might explain the CANADA WARBLER at Caumsett State Park last Saturday.

To phone in reports, on Long Island call Tony Lauro at (631) 734 4126 or call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922 and leave a message.

This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling. ...Read more

Treehugger Tuesday

From Earther.com:

City Dwellers Could Be Key to Saving Monarch Butterflies From Extinction
Yessenia Funes
June 21, 2019


Monarchs in Chicago!
Photo: Abigail Derby Lewis (The Field Museum)

Since 2014, conservationists have been trying to secure protections for the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act. The butterfly—whose signature black-and-white speckled orange wings are impossible to miss—has seen its numbers drop by 80 percent in North America over the last 20 years.

New research, however, paints a promising future for the species in a surprising place: our cities.

A pair of studies from the Field Museum in Chicago published Friday look at the role urban centers can play in saving the monarch butterfly, as well as other pollinators, from extinction. What these insects need is milkweed, the only plant the butterflies can lay their eggs on. Unfortunately, habitat loss has made it difficult for these bugs to find enough milkweed to breed. But more than 100 species of milkweed exist, so the team of researchers got to work figuring out how much already exists in U.S. cities, and how much room cities have for even more milkweed.

Until this study, these questions have largely gone unanswered. The assumption was that cities wouldn’t offer very much in the way of new monarch habitat. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

As it turns out, cities east of the Rocky Mountains—the habitat for the eastern monarch butterfly and the focus of this research—could support up to 30 percent of the 1.8 billion stems of milkweed the population needs to reach sustainable levels. The researchers came to this conclusion after looking at high-resolution images of land cover, as well as conducting field research, in four cities the butterflies fly through: Chicago, Kansas City, Austin, and Minneapolis-St. Paul. The team, however, only used its data from Chicago (because it was the most comprehensive) to extrapolate the estimate for all urban areas, a key limitation of this study.

Regardless, all this data allowed the scientists to estimate how much “plantable space” exists in these cities, including areas where pollinator habitats already exist and where they could theoretically exist. The team collected data from 2016 and 2017 to estimate the density of milkweed already present in each city. The authors looked at natural areas—like state parks and wilderness areas—where they expected to find higher concentrations of milkweed, as well as more randomly-chosen areas. The researchers were surprised to find millions of milkweed stems throughout these cities (more than 15 million in the case of Chicago).

In all these cities, about half of all the plantable space was in agricultural areas, but residential single-family areas came in second. That means individuals have a chance to show up for the monarch butterfly—if they’re willing to leave behind their pristine green lawns for a little bit of native milkweed. (Lawns suck, anyway.)

“We’re really hoping to shift public perception of what people think of as beautiful or appropriate,” said author Abigail Derby Lewis, a senior conservation ecologist at the Field Museum, to Earther. “So much of the yards, they’re just grassy lawns, and they could be so much more.”

“It’s not just nature out in Yellowstone. It’s not just nature somewhere out there. What we do in our cities, in our backyards, front yards, churches, parkways, vacant lots, cultural institutions, golf courses—all of these things!—really have this enormous collective impact.”

That was another key piece of the research: finding out how people felt about monarch butterflies. The team asked 734 individuals both open-ended, fill-in-the-blank questions and yes-or-no questions to learn how many were already planting milkweed and what it’d take them to grow if they weren’t already. Only 226 indicated they were growing plants, and 81 percent of those were growing milkweed. This data was not, however, representative of the general population but, rather, representative of the interested public.

“We think that if we can get our first wave of people who are starting to plant milkweed, that it can really turn into a snowball effect where other folks are willing to do the same because they start to learn about what their neighbors are doing, and it catches on,” said author Mark Johnston, a conservation ecologist with the Field Museum, to Earther.

Planting milkweed wouldn’t only help save the monarch butterflies. It’ll help save the honeybees, too! These are pollinators we need for our food systems to flourish and ones that are currently on the decline.

Cities aren’t the only answer, of course, but they’re a key piece of the puzzle. And they can play a damn big part.

“This shows that you can actually put really functional habitat on the ground,” Derby Lewis told Earther. “It’s not just nature out in Yellowstone. It’s not just nature somewhere out there. What we do in our cities, in our backyards, front yards, churches, parkways, vacant lots, cultural institutions, golf courses—all of these things!—really have this enormous collective impact.”

Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming birding and nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, June 29, 2019 to Sunday, June 30, 2019:

Bedford Audubon Society
Saturday, June 29, 2019, 9:00am - 11:00am
Nature Walk at Bylane Farm
Come to our Happy Place! Naturalist Tait Johansson will lead a Nature Walk at Bylane Farm where you’ll connect with nature while walking through beautiful meadows, trails and our Leon Levy Native Garden. If you haven’t visited our sanctuaries yet, you won’t want to miss this remarkable walk where you might see Bluebirds, Baltimore Orioles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Wood Ducks and more!
Bylane Farm, 35 Todd Road, Katonah
Cost: Free
Level of physical difficulty: Easy
Please register with Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914.302.9713
See more details

**********

Brooklyn Bird Club
Friday, June 28, 2019, 8:00pm - 9:30pm
Prospect Park evening Bat Walk
Meet 8:00 pm (evening) at Bartel Pritchard’s Prospect Park entrance (nearest train “F” and “G” to 15th Street/Prospect Park stop)
NOTE: Rain date of June 29th
Leader: Danielle Gustafson
Donation: $5.00 per person
Beneficiary: Bat Conservation International - http://www.batcon.org/
Walk Synopsis: This evening walk will be led by the New York City Bat Group's Danielle Gustafson. Starting […]

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Gateway National Park
Saturday, June 29, 2019, 10:00am — 11:00am
Birding for Beginners
Day(s): Every week on Saturday until September 28, 2019
View Details

Saturday, June 29, 2019, 10:00am — 1:00pm
Butterflies and Moths of Jamaica Bay
View Details

Sunday, June 30, 2019, 10:00am — 11:30am
Osprey Watch Guided Walk
Day(s): Every week on Sunday until September 29, 2019
View Details

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New York City Audubon
Saturday, June 29, 2019, 9:00am – 10:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks, The Bronx
Saturdays, April 27-July 20, 9-10:30am
Guide: NYC Audubon with the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature Center. The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds. These walks celebrate the tradition set by these great ornithologists. Participants will look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, call 212-691-7483. No registration necessary. No limit. Free

Saturday, June 29, 2019, 2pm – 3pm
Governors Island Free Bird Walks
Saturdays, June 22, June 29, July 27, August 10 and August 24, 2-3pm
Sundays, June 16, June 23, June 30, July 21 and August 18, 2-3pm
Guide: NYC Audubon
Meet at Nolan Park house #17. Join us for a bird walk around beautiful and historic Governors Island, which boasts over 192 species recorded on ebird.org. Learn about the island’s fascinating history and search for waterbirds, raptors, waterfowl, and more. Binoculars are available. No registration necessary. No limit. Free

Sunday, June 30, 2019, 9:00am – 10:30am
Pelham Bay Park Bird Walk Series
Sundays, March 24-June 30 9-10:30am
Guide: NYC Audubon with Pelham Bay Park
Before May 20th: Meet at Orchard Beach Parking Lot
May 20th-June 30th: Meet at Rodman's Neck Parking Lot
Join us to explore some of the best birding NYC has to offer. Come discover Pelham Bay Park's diverse habitat that attracts a variety of spring migrants. No registration necessary. No limit. Free

Sunday, June 30, 2019, 2pm – 3pm
Governors Island Free Bird Walks
Saturdays, June 22, June 29, July 27, August 10 and August 24, 2-3pm
Sundays, June 16, June 23, June 30, July 21 and August 18, 2-3pm
Guide: NYC Audubon
Meet at Nolan Park House #17. Join us for a bird walk around beautiful and historic Governors Island, which boasts over 192 species recorded on ebird.org. Learn about the island’s fascinating history and search for waterbirds, raptors, waterfowl, and more. Binoculars are available. No registration necessary. No limit. Free

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturdays -- 11:00 a.m.
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11am to 12:30pm beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Included in All-Garden Pass
Get Tickets

**********

New York City WILD!
Sunday, June 30, 2019, 12:00pm (Raindate)
Old Croton Aqueduct (Route to be Determined)

For the full information about each walk click HERE

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods
Saturday, June 29, 2019, 8:00am - 6:00pm
Annual Fourth of July Butterfly Count
For more than two decades folks from Staten Island have gathered to survey and document the populations of Staten Island butterflies. Each year data is consistently collected along a well-established route on the last Saturday of June. From Snug Harbor to Conference House, butterflies are sought and identified with totals being shared with the North American Butterfly Association.
For more information or to join the count contact Cliff Hagen at (718) 313-8591.

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, June 29, 2019
Bird Walks at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Join us in the park as we focus on wildlife happenings in the park on a walk led by NYC Audubon experts.
Free! ...Read more

New York City Rare Bird Alert

Here's the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, June 21, 2019:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Jun. 21, 2019
* NYNY1906.21

- Birds mentioned
SANDWICH TERN+
ARCTIC TERN+
BRIDLED TERN+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Gull-billed Tern
Royal Tern
Cory's Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
Wilson's Storm-Petrel
BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK
SANDHILL CRANE
Stilt Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Grasshopper Sparrow
BLUE GROSBEAK
Northern Parula
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
KENTUCKY WARBLER
MOURNING WARBLER
Common Yellowthroat

- 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 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

Compilers: Tom Burke and 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, June 21st 2019 at 8pm. The highlights of today's tape are BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK, BRIDLED TERN, SANDWICH TERN, ARCTIC TERN, SANDHILL CRANE, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, KENTUCKY WARBLER, MOURNING WARBLER, BLUE GROSBEAK, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER and more.

Nickerson Beach continues to provide several of our regions most unusual birds including up to 10 BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS that have spent the week at or near this park. The ducks are often seen on the grassy lawn towards the western end of the park just beyond the main parking lot and adjacent to the south side of Lido Boulevard. At other times from 2 to 10 ducks have been around the ponds in the dunes just west of the beach entrance from the southwest corner of the lot. It is these ponds that also attracted an either rather late or somewhat early STILT SANDPIPER yesterday. The STILT joined there by a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER this morning.

Also at Nickerson this week were reports from around the Common and Least Tern and Black Skimmer colonies included, besides a couple of GULL-BILLED TERNS, a flyby SANDWICH TERN Monday morning. This individual moving southwest and an adult ARCTIC TERN on the beach Wednesday. The entrance to Nickerson Beach is off Lido Boulevard just west of Malibu Beach in Point Lookout and a substantial fee is collected there roughly between the hours of 9am to 4pm.

The adult BRIDLED TERN visiting Great Gull Island recently was last reported there last Saturday but may still be in the area.

Continuing out at Napeague on eastern Long Island is the SANDHILL CRANE still present yesterday along Cranberry Hill Road near the old fish factory.

With weather conditions not really cooperating in a helpful way sightings of pelagic birds from Long Island's south shore have been somewhat spotty but a few SOOTY, GREAT and CORY'S SHEARWATERS and WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS have occurred off traditional viewing sites like Robert Moses State Park field 2 and along Dune Road to Shinnecock Inlet. It's helpful for the wind to have a southerly component and historically the stronger flights have been from Moses and east though some can also be seen from westerly sites like Nickerson and Breezy Point.

Increasing numbers of ROYAL TERNS this week have included 2 each at Smith Point County Park Wednesday and at Cupsogue County Park today.

Two RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were seen together along the Paumanok Trail off Schultz Road in Manorville and another continues at Muscoot Farm Preserve in northern Westchester County. Also along the Paumanok Trail a YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER was still present Monday. The KENTUCKY WARBLER was still heard singing near the Ecology Village at Floyd Bennett Field yesterday and even more unexpected is a female MOURNING WARBLER still in Bryant Park in Manhattan today but its presence there might be the result of an unfriendly encounter with one of the surrounding buildings. A couple of COMMON YELLOWTHROATS also remain there. Other late warblers reported this week included NORTHERN PARULA, MAGNOLIA, BLACK-THROATED BLUE and BLACKPOLL.

Paired up BLUE GROSBEAKS and some GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS are among the highlight birds breeding around the Calverton Grasslands at the former Grumman airport.

To phone in reports on Long Island call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126 or 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 ...Read more

Treehugger Tuesday

From MNN.com:

Canada bans all captive whales and dolphins
Christian Cotroneo
June 11, 2019

'This legislation heralds a change in how Canadians are thinking.'

The new law also shuts down the cetacean trade by banning the import and export of whales and dolphins.

Canada is freeing Willy.

In a landmark decision, the country's lawmakers have made it illegal to breed whales and dolphins — or even keep them in captivity.

While Canadian law has long held people and organizations accountable for mistreating marine animals, the new legislation would make it a crime to simply keep one.

The bill covers all captive cetaceans — whales, dolphins and porpoises — and establishes fines of up to $200,000 for violations.

“This is a watershed moment for whales and dolphins, and powerful recognition that our country no longer accepts imprisoning smart, sensitive animals in tiny tanks for entertainment,” Camille Labchuk, executive director of Animal Justice, noted in a press release.

Lawmakers passed Bill S-203, also known as "Free Willy," on June 10. But aquariums — Canada currently has two facilities that keep dolphins and whales in captivity — may have seen the writing on the wall long before the bill began its journey through the nation's legislative gauntlet in 2015.

Last year, the Vancouver Aquarium, which has kept dolphins and whales for more than 50 years, announced it would phase out its cetacean program by 2029.

Marineland, the other facility that keeps captive cetaceans, has taken a different approach, lobbying against the bill every step of the way. Indeed, the amusement park has even suggested the bill would make it necessary to terminate late-stage pregnancies of beluga whales.

In addition to the ban on owning whales and dolphins, the ban includes a provision making their import and export illegal. The sole exceptions to that rule would be for scientific research or if it's deemed "in the best interest" of that animal.

Facilities that already have marine animals, however, will be allowed to keep them under the bill's grandfather clause.

The Free Willy legislation still needs royal assent before it becomes law — but that approval from the governor general's office has traditionally been little more than a formality for Canadian legislation.

"Today's a really good day for animals in Canada," Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, who sponsored the bill back in 2015, told reporters this week.

"Many scientists testified to why it was critical that we stop keeping cetaceans in captivity. We understand why because they are obviously not akin to other animals, for instance, livestock. Cetaceans require the ocean, they require the space, they require acoustic communication over long distances." ...Read more

Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming birding and nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, June 22, 2019 to Sunday, June 23, 2019:

Gateway National Park
Saturday, June 22, 2019, 10:00am — 11:00am
Birding for Beginners
Day(s): Every week on Saturday until September 28, 2019
View Details

Saturday, June 22, 2019, 3:00pm
Diamondback Terrapin Walk
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
View Details

Sunday, June 23, 2019, 10:00am — 11:30am
Osprey Watch Guided Walk
Day(s): Every week on Sunday until September 29, 2019
View Details

**********

Green-Wood Cemetery
Sunday, June 23, 2019, 6:00am - 7:30am
Birding in Peace
Summer Birding Late-June and July we should see the offspring of our resident red-tailed hawk bravely preparing to leave the nest. Warbler songs will be replaced by chirring Cicadas and the tweets of fledgling birds. Butterflies and dragonflies are abundant. By late-July, expect the arrival of the first southbound migrants.
$10 for members of Green-Wood and BHS / $15 for non-members

Green-Wood’s official birding checklist is available to pick up from the security guard at the main entrance on 25th Street or to print here. Comfortable footwear is recommended.

For this program you will check in at the Gothic Arches, right at the main entrance. Click here for our inclement weather policy.

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New York City Audubon
Saturday, June 22, 2019, 7:30am – 12:30pm
Explore the NJ Meadowlands by Pontoon Boat
Guides: Tod Winston, NJ Meadowlands Docent with NJ Meadowlands Commission
Explore the Meadowlands on a relaxing pontoon boat ride in search of egrets, night-herons, and kingfishers—along with nesting Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, and Marsh Wrens. We'll travel along the Hackensack River to both man-made and restored wetland sites and learn about the area's environmental history. Bring lunch. Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 11. $108 (75)
Click here to register

Saturday, June 22, 2019, 8am – 5pm
Breeding Birds of the Hudson Highlands
Guide: Gabriel Willow
Join Gabriel Willow on a day-long trip to some of the most exciting and beautiful birding locations in the Hudson Valley: Doodletown Road, Constitution Marsh, and Indian Brook Farm. We'll look for uncommon breeding warbler specialties at Doodletown, such as Cerulean, Hooded, Blue-winged, Golden-winged, and Worm-eating Warblers. We will then head to the Constitution Marsh Audubon Sanctuary, home to breeding Wood Ducks, Bald Eagles, Least Bitterns, Marsh Wrens, and more. After a picnic lunch, we will drive to Indian Brook Farm in search of breeding Field and Savannah Sparrows, Bobolinks, and Indigo Buntings. Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 12. $129 (90) per trip
Click here to register

Saturday, June 22, 2019, 9:00am – 10:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks, The Bronx
Saturdays, April 27-July 20, 9-10:30am
Guide: NYC Audubon with the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature Center. The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds. These walks celebrate the tradition set by these great ornithologists. Participants will look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, call 212-691-7483. No registration necessary. No limit. Free

Saturday, June 22, 2019, 2pm – 3pm
Governors Island Free Bird Walks
Guide: NYC Audubon
Meet at Nolan Park house #17. Join us for a bird walk around beautiful and historic Governors Island, which boasts over 192 species recorded on ebird.org. Learn about the island’s fascinating history and search for waterbirds, raptors, waterfowl, and more. Binoculars are available. No registration necessary. No limit. Free

Sunday, June 23, 2019, 9:00am – 10:30am
Pelham Bay Park Bird Walk Series
Sundays, March 24-June 30 9-10:30am
Guide: NYC Audubon with Pelham Bay Park
Before May 20th: Meet at Orchard Beach Parking Lot
May 20th-June 30th: Meet at Rodman's Neck Parking Lot
Join us to explore some of the best birding NYC has to offer. Come discover Pelham Bay Park's diverse habitat that attracts a variety of spring migrants. No registration necessary. No limit. Free

**********

New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturdays -- 11:00 a.m.
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11am to 12:30pm beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Included in All-Garden Pass
Get Tickets

**********

New York City WILD!
Saturday, June 22, 2019
MAKE RESERVATIONS through Trust for Public Lands: Bronx River Greenway, The Bronx
Sunday, June 23, 2019, 10:00am
Old Croton Aqueduct - Sleepy Hollow to Dobbs Ferry

For the full information about each walk click HERE

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, June 22, 2019
Bird Walks at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Join us in the park as we focus on wildlife happenings in the park on a walk led by NYC Audubon experts.
Free!

Birding: Piping Plovers at Beach 35th Street and Boardwalk, Queens
11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Meet the piping plovers, cute and tiny endangered shorebirds that visit Rockaway Beach each year to nest and raise chicks from spring through the summer.
Free!

Meet NYC's Piping Plover at Beach 17th Street and Boardwalk (in Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk), Queens
11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Enjoy the beach? So do nesting piping plovers. Meet the team from NYC Parks that is protecting this endangered species and enjoy family-friendly activities and wildlife viewing walks.
Free! ...Read more

New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, June 14, 2019:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Jun. 14, 2019
* NYNY1906.14

- Birds mentioned
ARCTIC TERN+
BRIDLED TERN+
BROWN PELICAN+
WHITE-FACED IBIS+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Lesser Black-backed Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
Royal Tern
Roseate Tern
Black Skimmer
Cory's Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
Wilson's Storm-Petrel
Hooded Merganser
BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK
Glossy Ibis
Least Bittern
SANDHILL CRANE
Bald Eagle
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Alder Flycatcher
Pine Siskin
BLUE GROSBEAK
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
KENTUCKY WARBLER
Red-breasted Nuthatch

- 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 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

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

Transcriber: Ben Cacace

BEGIN TAPE

(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, June 14th 2019 at 8pm. The highlights of today's tape are BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK, BRIDLED TERN, BROWN PELICAN, SANDHILL CRANE, WHITE-FACED IBIS, ARCTIC and other terns, YELLOW-THROATED and KENTUCKY WARBLERS, BLUE GROSBEAK, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, pelagics from shore and more.

At least 10 BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS continue in the area this group lately spending much of its time at Nickerson Beach where from Monday afternoon through today they have been loafing on the grassy lawn next to Lido Boulevard a little west of the main Nickerson parking lot. Last Saturday at least 8 were still in the cloverleaf pond at the Jones Beach West End and Meadowbrook Parkway intersection but for now Nickerson seems to be the best place to look for them. At least until the weekend crowds start to gather.

An adult BRIDLED TERN has returned for a 4th summer to Great Gull Island where it roosts on the northeastern end of the island with some of the nesting Common and Roseate Terns. Great Gull, located between Plum Island and Fisher's Island in Long Island Sound, is a tern research island with no shore landings permitted but boating near the island can provide views of the tern.

Last Saturday 2 BROWN PELICANS were spotted flying east over the bay off Heckscher State Park. There has been no further report of the pelican in the Northport area. The SANDHILL CRANE was still along Cranberry Hole Road in the Napeague area last Monday. An adult WHITE-FACED IBIS was present in the marsh north of Captree Island Thursday afternoon.

An immature ARCTIC TERN at Nickerson Beach Sunday was followed by 2 reported there Wednesday this site also continuing to provide GULL-BILLED and ROSEATE TERNS around the tern and Black Skimmer colonies. An adult ARCTIC was also found Saturday at Democrat Point at the western end of Fire Island. Other terns this week featured 2 CASPIAN at Heckscher Monday and a ROYAL TERN at Crab Meadow Beach in Fort Salonga Tuesday. Decent numbers of LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS also continue at certain sites like Robert Moses State Park and Jones Beach West End.

Various pelagic species began showing up along Long Island's south shore recently especially when winds feature an easterly component though southeast and southwest can both be favorable. Seen yesterday off Robert Moses State Park field 2 were small numbers of SOOTY, GREAT and CORY'S SHEARWATERS and WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS and there were also a few off Shinnecock Inlet.

Both RED-HEADED WOODPECKER and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER were noted this week along the Paumanok Trail off Schultz Road in Manorville. Another RED-HEADED continues at Connetquot River State Park and the YELLOW-THROATED remains at Bayard Cutting Arboretum and KENTUCKY WARBLER was still singing at Floyd Bennett Field today. Two BLUE GROSBEAKS were still around the Calverton Grasslands this week and another was found at Connetquot also good habitat for them.

The Captree Summer Bird Count last weekend netted 130 species besides several species noted above like BROWN PELICAN and ARCTIC TERN the count also featured a LEAST BITTERN, 3 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS and a NELSON'S SPARROW.

The Greenwich-Stanford Summer Bird Count including much of Westchester County recorded 122 species including GLOSSY IBIS, HOODED MERGANSER with 5 young, several BALD EAGLE nests, BLACK SKIMMER, a few YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS, ALDER FLYCATCHER, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH and 2 PINE SISKINS in Bedford.

To phone in reports on Long Island call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126 or 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 ...Read more

Treehugger Tuesday

From the website Mother Nature Network:

Renewable energy is quickly becoming cheaper than fossil fuels, report finds
Russell McLendon
June 20, 2019

The costs of renewable energy fell to a record low in 2018, according to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Renewable sources are already the cheapest way to generate electricity in many parts of the world, the intergovernmental agency reports, and they're rapidly outpacing the affordability of fossil fuels on a global scale.

Within the next year, electricity generated by onshore wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies will be consistently cheaper than electricity generated by any fossil-fuel source, the report forecasts. On top of the "hidden" costs of fossil fuels — from dangerous mining and drilling operations to the greenhouse gas emissions that are now disrupting climate patterns all over the planet — this is further boosting the economic case for a global shift to renewable energy.

"Renewable power is the backbone of any development that aims to be sustainable," IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera says in a statement released May 29. "We must do everything we can to accelerate renewables if we are to meet the climate objectives of the Paris Agreement. Today's report sends a clear signal to the international community: Renewable energy provides countries with a low-cost climate solution that allows for scaling up action."

The biggest cost reduction in 2018 was for concentrated solar power (CSP), which saw a 26% drop in its global weighted-average cost of electricity generation, according to IRENA. This was followed by a 14% drop for bioenergy costs, 13% for solar PV and onshore wind, 11% for hydroelectricity, and 1% for geothermal and offshore wind. These reductions are being driven by technological improvements as well as increased production, Reuters reports.

Hydroelectricity remains the cheapest form of renewable power overall, at a global weighted-average cost of just under $0.05 per kilowatt hour (kWh), but several other sources are now commonly below $0.10 per kWh, according to IRENA. That includes onshore wind, at a little more than $0.05 per kWh, and solar PV, which averages less than $0.90 per kWh globally. Even CSP, the most expensive renewable source, increasingly rivals fossil fuels at about $0.19 per kWh. (For comparison, developing a new power plant based on fossil fuels like oil or gas tends to range from $0.05 to $0.15 per kWh, according to Forbes.)

These are global averages, so the costs are still higher in some countries. But they're also even lower in others — solar PV, for example, has recently fallen as low as $0.03 per kWh in Chile, Mexico, Peru, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

This trend shows no signs of slowing down, IRENA adds. Costs of renewable energy are expected to continue falling into the next decade, especially for solar- and wind-power technologies. More than 75% of onshore wind and 80% of solar PV projects due to be commissioned next year will generate power at lower prices than the cheapest new fossil-fuel options, according to the report. On top of that, IRENA points out, they're on pace to achieve this milestone even without financial assistance.

Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming birding and nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, June 15, 2019 to Sunday, June 16, 2019:

Feminist Bird Club
Saturday, June 15, 2019
Let's Go Birding Together
Help us celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots with a riot of birds! Let's Go Birding Together walks are a way for folks who love birds and the outdoors to come together during Pride month. This walk is for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, their families, and allies.This Central Park bird walk is co-presented by NYC Audubon, National Audubon Society and the Feminist Bird Club. Meet at 72nd Street and Central Park West. Free.

All walks follow the ABA Code of Birding Ethics

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Freshkill Park Alliance
Saturday, June 15, 2019, 10:00am
Family Nature Walk
Lace up your shoes for a family-friendly nature walk at Freshkills Park! Learn about the different plants and animals found in the park.
Read More

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Gateway National Park
Saturday, June 15, 2019, 10:00am — 11:00am
Birding for Beginners
Day(s): Every week on Saturday until September 28, 2019
View Details

Saturday, June 15, 2019, 2pm — 3pm
Hummingbird Hide-and-Seek
View Details

Sunday, June 16, 2019, 10:00am — 11:30am
Osprey Watch Guided Walk
Day(s): Every week on Sunday until September 29, 2019
View Details

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Green-Wood Cemetery
Sunday, June 16, 2019, 6:00am - 7:30am
Birding in Peace
Summer Birding Late-June and July we should see the offspring of our resident red-tailed hawk bravely preparing to leave the nest. Warbler songs will be replaced by chirring Cicadas and the tweets of fledgling birds. Butterflies and dragonflies are abundant. By late-July, expect the arrival of the first southbound migrants.
$10 for members of Green-Wood and BHS / $15 for non-members

Green-Wood’s official birding checklist is available to pick up from the security guard at the main entrance on 25th Street or to print here. Comfortable footwear is recommended.

For this program you will check in at the Gothic Arches, right at the main entrance. Click here for our inclement weather policy.

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Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
Sunday, June 16, 2019, 8:00am
Connetquot River State Preserve
The Preserve maintains 3,473 acres of land and water for the protection and propagation of game birds, fish, and animals. Deer and waterfowl are numerous and there are numerous rare plants, such as trailing arbutus and pyxie moss in their natural habitats. The Preserve is a waterfowl hang-out as well as many resident birds. There may be some surprises at the bird feeders!
Registration: Call (585) 880-0915 to register.

Directions: From the west, get off Sunrise Highway at Oakdale-Bohemia Road, cross over Sunrise, head west and watch for the Park entrance on the right.

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Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, June 15, 2019 (Rain date, June 16)
Ward Pound Ridge for Butterflies
Leader: Rick Cech
Registrar: Lenore Swenson — lenoreswenson@gmail.com or 212-533-9567
Registration opens: Monday, June 3
Ride: $30

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New York City Audubon
Saturday, June 15, 2019, 9:00am – 10:30am
Birding Brooklyn Bridge Park with Heather Wolf
Guide: Heather Wolf
Meet at Pier 1 park entrance at the intersection of Old Fulton Street and Furman Street. Join Heather Wolf, author of Birding at the Bridge, for a picturesque bird walk along the Brooklyn waterfront. We'll look for breeding and nesting birds like the Gray Catbird, American Robin, and Song Sparrow, and more. Limited to 19. Free
Click here to register

Saturday, June 15, 2019, 9:00am – 10:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks, The Bronx
Saturdays, April 27-July 20, 9-10:30am
Guide: NYC Audubon with the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature Center. The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds. These walks celebrate the tradition set by these great ornithologists. Participants will look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, call 212-691-7483. No registration necessary. No limit. Free

Saturday, June 15, 2019, 10am – 1pm
Birds and Plants: New York Botanical Garden in Springtime
Guides: Gabriel Willow
The New York Botanical Garden is home to a large tract of East Coast old-growth forest. During the peak of spring migration, the beautiful gardens come alive with migrating songbirds. Limited to 15. Entrance fee to NYBG not included. $39 (27) per walk
Click here to register

Sunday, June 16, 2019, 9:00am – 10:30am
Pelham Bay Park Bird Walk Series
Sundays, March 24-June 30 9-10:30am
Guide: NYC Audubon with Pelham Bay Park
Before May 20th: Meet at Orchard Beach Parking Lot
May 20th-June 30th: Meet at Rodman's Neck Parking Lot
Join us to explore some of the best birding NYC has to offer. Come discover Pelham Bay Park's diverse habitat that attracts a variety of spring migrants. No registration necessary. No limit. Free

Sunday, June 16, 2019, 2pm – 3pm
Governors Island Free Bird Walks
Sundays, June 9 and June 16, 2-3pm
Guide: NYC Audubon
Meet at Nolan Park house #17. Join us for a bird walk around beautiful and historic Governors Island, which boasts over 192 species recorded on ebird.org. Learn about the island’s fascinating history and search for waterbirds, raptors, waterfowl, and more. Binoculars are available. No registration necessary. No limit. Free

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturdays -- 11:00 a.m.
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11am to 12:30pm beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Included in All-Garden Pass
Get Tickets

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New York City WILD!
Sunday, June 16, 2019, 12:00pm
Old Croton Aqueduct - Part 8 (of 8) Central Park Great Lawn to Bryant Park

For the full information about each walk click HERE

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods
Saturday, June 15, 2019, 12:00pm-2:00pm
Mount Loretto Unique Area (Botany, Birds and Butterflies)
Kenny Road and Hylan Blvd., Staten Island
Walk along the trails through the meadows, the wetlands and shoreline and into the Butler Woods. Explore the diversity of habitats in this south shore parkland system which Protectors helped to have preserved in the mid-1990s. Now home to eagles and deer, orchids and a rich variety of butterflies no one could have anticipated just how special the Mount Loretto property would have become once preserved. Participants will investigate the area for birds and butterflies, horseshoe crabs and even fossils buried among the layers of detritus at the beach.
For more information contact Ray Matarazzo at (718) 317-7666.

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Queens County Bird Club
Saturday, June 15, 2019, 7:30am
Nickerson Beach Park
Leader: Mike Zito (516) 507-9419
Where: 40.588552, -73.603587 (map)
A perennially great place for Terns! Common, Roseate, Least, Black, Arctic and Sandwich have been seen on this trip.

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, June 15, 2019
Bird Walks at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Join us in the park as we focus on wildlife happenings in the park on a walk led by NYC Audubon experts.
Free!

Flora and Fauna Walk at Highbridge Park with Leslie Day at W 158th Street and Edgecombe Avenue (in Highbridge Park), Manhattan
10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Come on a morning nature walk through Highbridge Park, an ideal spot to see many species of animals, insects, and birds.
Free!

Sunday, June 16, 2019
Birding at Arthur Kill Road and Brookfield Avenue (in Brookfield Park), Staten Island
11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Our Urban Park Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in the urban jungle.
Free! ...Read more