New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, May 29th 2020:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* May. 29, 2020
* NYNY2005.29

- Birds mentioned
ARCTIC TERN+
BROWN BOOBY+
SWAINSON'S WARBLER+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

PARASITIC JAEGER
ICELAND GULL
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Caspian Tern
CORY'S SHEARWATER
Sooty Shearwater
Wilson's Storm-Petrel
Northern Gannet
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE
MARBLED GODWIT
Acadian Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD
BLUE GROSBEAK
SUMMER TANAGER
PHILADELPHIA VIREO
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Mourning Warbler
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT

- 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

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

Transcriber: Ben Cacace

BEGIN TAPE

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, May 29th 2020 at 10pm. The highlights of today's tape are SWAINSON'S WARBLER, BROWN BOOBY, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, MARBLED GODWIT, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, ICELAND GULL, ARCTIC TERN, CORY'S SHEARWATER, PARASITIC JAEGER, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, PROTHONOTARY WARBLER, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, PHILADELPHIA VIREO, SUMMER TANAGER, BLUE GROSBEAK and much more.

Some exciting birds at the end of a mixed period of migration included a SWAINSON'S WARBLER seen briefly but well at Muttontown Preserve in Nassau's East Norwich on Tuesday. The bird was seen from the trail north of the equestrian area parking lot off Route 106 but could not be relocated subsequently.

On Thursday a BROWN BOOBY was identified moving east off Robert Moses State Park during a seawatch. It should be noted that good numbers of NORTHERN GANNETS are now also moving by including about 300 estimated off Triton Lane along Dune Road last Monday with virtually all the GANNETS now immatures. The Triton Lane watch Monday also provided the season's first shearwaters with 23 SOOTY and even 2 early CORY'S as well as 28 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS and 4 PARASITIC JAEGERS. On Thursday SOOTY SHEARWATERS included 56 off Moses Park and fewer numbers off Dune Road sites while 4 PARASITIC JAEGERS cruised by Pike's Beach east of Cupsogue County Park and 2 were noted from Moses. Interesting along Dune Road as well were the 24 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS gathered at Tiana Beach and 9 more at Pike's Beach.

Last Sunday an ARCTIC TERN was found at Democrat Point at the western tip of Fire Island with a CASPIAN TERN at Mecox the same day. Single ICELAND GULLS were spotted Sunday at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and Wednesday at Brooklyn's Plumb Beach.

Shorebirds are now gathering in good numbers along south shore estuaries including at Cupsogue County Park and east along Dune Road. Highlights so far included a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE photographed Tuesday at Plumb Beach and a MARBLED GODWIT spotted today at Cupsogue.

Most unusual among the passerines was a young male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD photographed today during its brief stay at Point O'Woods in central Fire Island.

Among the various but decreasing numbers of warblers this week were a PROTHONOTARY seen again Monday at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in the North Garden and a YELLOW-THROATED still singing at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River last Saturday. Among the latest to move through several MOURNING WARBLERS were noted this week. The YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT continued in Central Park’s Ramble through last weekend and a few SUMMER TANAGERS remained in Central Park and elsewhere.

Some BLUE GROSBEAKS remain around the Calverton Grasslands but unfortunately they apparently have been aggressively pursued by various people some using tapes to extreme excess and this practice, especially with very sensitive nesting species, cannot be condoned. Enjoy these birds peacefully but do not harass them.

Among the later migrants are some ALDER and ACADIAN FLYCATCHERS and at least 3 PHILADELPHIA VIREOS this week and NELSON'S SPARROWS were noted as of Wednesday at Plumb Beach.

To phone in reports call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922.

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

- End transcript ...Read more

New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, May 1, 2020:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* May. 1, 2020
* NYNY2005.01

- Birds mentioned
BROWN BOOBY+
WHITE-FACED IBIS+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Parasitic Jaeger
Black-legged Kittiwake
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Caspian Tern
Least Tern
MANX SHEARWATER
Northern Gannet
HARLEQUIN DUCK
KING EIDER
Cattle Egret
SANDHILL CRANE
White-rumped Sandpiper
WHIMBREL
Red-headed Woodpecker
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern Kingbird
Great Crested Flycatcher
Seaside Sparrow
BLUE GROSBEAK
SUMMER TANAGER
Bank Swallow
Warbling Vireo
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
Worm-eating Warbler
Blue-winged Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Black-throated Green Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Hooded Warbler
American Redstart
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Wood Thrush
Veery

- 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

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

Transcriber: Ben Cacace

BEGIN TAPE

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, May 1st 2020 at 10pm. The highlights of today's tape are BROWN BOOBY, SANDHILL CRANE, WHITE-FACED IBIS, MANX SHEARWATER, BLACK-HEADED GULL, KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, WHIMBREL, BLUE GROSBEAK, SUMMER TANAGER, PROTHONOTARY WARBLER, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER and much more.

Despite the virus and generally adverse weather patterns migration continues to happen and probably the biggest surprise was an adult BROWN BOOBY found late this afternoon sitting on a fence post in the median of Ocean Parkway at Gilgo. At dusk the BOOBY was still roosting in the median on the west side of Gilgo.

Another surprise was a SANDHILL CRANE photographed Wednesday as it flew over the north end of Central Park.

A WHITE-FACED IBIS was photographed with Glossy Ibis at Captree Island last Tuesday and one was also seen again on Thursday at the Timber Point Golf Course in Great River.

During Thursday's storm single MANX SHEARWATERS were reported from Robert Moses State Park in the morning and then off Hook Pond in East Hampton in the afternoon. Other highlights from these seawatches included a BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, 1,259 NORTHERN GANNETS, 1 ICELAND and 12 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS at Moses and 3 PARASITIC JAEGERS going by together off Hook Pond. A BLACK-HEADED GULL continuing at Timber Point to Sunday was followed by a full adult visiting Knapp's Lake at Brockwood Hall Park in East Islip yesterday.

At Orient Point 3 KING EIDER last Sunday were down to 1 female today and the 4 HARLEQUIN DUCKS were last noted Monday.

A WHIMBREL at Timber Point Saturday was followed by 6 Tuesday at Smith Point County Park in Shirley and a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER stayed at Captree Island to Saturday.

On Thursday an ICELAND GULL was seen again in Sheepshead Bay and 11 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were counted at Riis Park. A few reports of CASPIAN TERN included one at Prospect Park Lake Wednesday and 3 at Hempstead Lake State Park today.

A CATTLE EGRET was still around the Down's Creek area in Cutchogue at least to Wednesday. A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER continues at Central Park's north end with another found at Connetquot River State Park Tuesday. A BLUE GROSBEAK found Monday at Fort Tryon Park on Manhattan was still present today and the season's first SUMMER TANAGER appeared at Hempstead Lake State Park Wednesday. A PROTHONOTARY WARBLER lingered at Hempstead Lake to Tuesday with others found Wednesday in Prospect Park and at Fuch's Pond Preserve in Fort Salonga while a YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER continues at Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River with another reported from Central Park's north end Wednesday.

With a decent influx of migrants during the week some arrivals have included LEAST TERN, RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, both GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER and EASTERN KINGBIRD, WARBLING VIREO, BANK SWALLOW, VEERY and WOOD THRUSH, GRAY CATBIRD and BROWN THRASHER and SEASIDE SPARROW.

In addition numerous species of warblers in varying numbers have featured first reports of HOODED, AMERICAN REDSTART, CERULEAN, MAGNOLIA and BLACK-THROATED BLUE and increasing numbers of WORM-EATING, BLUE-WINGED, NASHVILLE, NORTHERN PARULA, PRAIRIE WARBLER, BLACK-THROATED GREEN and the like.

To phone in reports call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922.

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

- End transcript ...Read more

New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, April 24, 2019:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Apr. 24, 2020
* NYNY2004.24


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

BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE
GLAUCOUS GULL
ICELAND GULL
Lesser Black-backed Gull
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Caspian Tern
HARLEQUIN DUCK
KING EIDER
Least Bittern
Tricolored Heron
CATTLE EGRET
Little Blue Heron
Short-billed Dowitcher
Stilt Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
WHIMBREL
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-headed Woodpecker
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
VESPER SPARROW
GRASSHOPPER SPARROW
Scarlet Tanager
Cliff Swallow
Yellow-throated Vireo
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
Worm-eating Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Black-throated Green Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush

- 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

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

Transcriber: Ben Cacace

BEGIN TAPE

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, April 24th 2020 at 10pm. The highlights of today's tape are BROWN PELICAN, WHITE-FACED IBIS, KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, BLACK-HEADED GULL, GLAUCOUS GULL, ICELAND GULL, BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, WHIMBREL and other shorebirds, CATTLE EGRET, GRASSHOPPER SPARROW, VESPER SPARROW, PROTHONOTARY WARBLER, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER and spring migrants.

Early for our region, but always welcome, a BROWN PELICAN was spotted flying by Robert Moses State Park last Saturday morning.

At least one of last week's WHITE-FACED IBIS at Timber Point Golf Course in Great River visited the marsh by the East Marina a few times last weekend with one of the few small flocks of Glossy Ibis moving around that area. Though a WHITE-FACED was not reported there after Sunday among the other unusual birds during the week were an immature BLACK-HEADED GULL, 2 WHIMBREL and 5 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS present there today. Three additional WHIMBREL were noted on Fire Island east of Smith Point County Park last Sunday.

At Orient Point an immature male KING EIDER joined the female there at least to Thursday and 4 or more HARLEQUIN DUCKS remain as well with an ICELAND GULL stopping by there Thursday. A GLAUCOUS GULL visited Lemon Creek Park on Staten Island last Saturday. An immature BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE was spotted off Moses Park Tuesday and some regional LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS starting to gather locally included 16 at Moses Park Tuesday. A CASPIAN TERN was seen Monday and Thursday at Mecox Bay. A decent spring location for this species.

A nice gathering of shorebirds at Captree Island last Sunday featured single STILT, WHITE-RUMPED and LEAST SANDPIPERS and 2 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS among the GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS there.

During the week single TRICOLORED and LITTLE BLUE HERONS also appeared.

A LEAST BITTERN was a surprise visitor to a City Island backyard last Sunday.

A CATTLE EGRET found Wednesday on Long Island's north fork was relocated near the Downs Farm Preserve off Route 25 west of Cutchogue on Thursday but not reported today.

Single RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS continued this week in Central Park's north end, at Cunningham Park in Queens and at the Long Pond Greenbelt in Sag Harbor.

A VESPER SPARROW found Monday in Central Park's north end was followed by a GRASSHOPPER SPARROW present yesterday and today at Sparrow Rock.

At Hempstead Lake State Park a male PROTHONOTARY WARBLER, first spotted last Sunday along the southwestern shore of Hempstead Lake, was still being seen there yesterday. This area is across the road and usually a little south of parking field 1. A YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER continues to sing near the entrance to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River. Among the warblers being observed during this past week were such arrivals as OVENBIRD, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, WORM-EATING, PRAIRIE and BLACK-THROATED GREEN.

Other arrivals have featured YELLOW-THROATED VIREO, CLIFF SWALLOW, ORCHARD and BALTIMORE ORIOLES and SCARLET TANAGER.

Decent numbers of BROAD-WINGED HAWKS moved by local hawkwatches Wednesday and Thursday.

To phone in reports call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922.

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

- End transcript ...Read more

New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, April 17, 2020:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Apr. 17, 2020
* NYNY2004.17

- Birds Mentioned

WHITE-FACED IBIS+
CAVE SWALLOW+

(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

KING EIDER
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Northern Gannet
American Bittern
Little Blue Heron
Green Heron
Glossy Ibis
Broad-winged Hawk
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Willet
Short-billed Dowitcher
ICELAND GULL
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Common Tern
Forster’s Tern
Chimney Swift
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
American Kestrel
White-eyed Vireo
VESPER SPARROW
GRASSHOPPER SPARROW
Louisiana Waterthrush
Blue-winged Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting

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 nysarc44nybirdsorg

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

Gary Chapin - Secretary
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
125 Pine Springs Drive
Ticonderoga, NY 12883

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

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

Transcriber: Gail Benson

[~BEGIN RBA TAPE~]

Greetings! This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, April 17, 2020 at 10:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are CAVE SWALLOW, WHITE-FACED IBIS, KING EIDER and HARLEQUIN DUCK, ICELAND GULL, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, GRASSHOPPER and VESPER SPARROWS, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER and spring migrants.

As spring migration slowly increases in intensity, certainly one very unexpected visitor was a CAVE SWALLOW spotted Tuesday morning moving west over the dunes at Robert Moses State Park Field 2. With a few down in Cape May, New Jersey recently, this report definitely provides a very unusual seasonal record for this species locally. Determining which race it was would be quite interesting.

On Wednesday a WHITE-FACED IBIS was picked out in a group of GLOSSY IBIS at the Timber Point Golf Course in Great River. Later that day, as the IBIS flocks moved around the area, a second WHITE-FACED was also tentatively identified. This golf course is currently closed, and we do not know what their future policy will be regarding visiting birders.

Out at Orient Point the two female KING EIDERS were still present last Sunday, when another female was identified as it flew past Robert Moses State Park in a Scoter flock.

The five HARLEQUIN DUCKS at Orient Point last Sunday were down to four today, and the Sheepshead Bay male was still around last Saturday.

An ICELAND GULL also visited Sheepshead Bay on Saturday, this followed by one in the Riis Park-Fort Tilden area on Monday and one off Orient Point today.

Some LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS included one on Central Park Reservoir and three at Floyd Bennett Field on Monday and one at Croton Point Park in Westchester today.

A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was still at Central Park’s north end today, and the one in Cunningham Park in Queens was observed on Tuesday, both birds now in nice adult plumage.

A survey Tuesday at Freshkills Park on Staten Island, where access is restricted, did produce four GRASSHOPPER and three VESPER SPARROWS as well as an estimated fifty AMERICAN KESTRELS.

Single AMERICAN BITTERNS were noted along Dune Road and at Big Reed Pond in Montauk this week, and good numbers of NORTHERN GANNETS were still in western Long Island Sound earlier this week, with over five hundred counted off Playland Park in Rye late Tuesday afternoon.

A YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER has been singing recently at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River since last Saturday, with another noted again Sunday at Connetquot River State Park nearby.

An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was seen again at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge on Tuesday, while among other species of WARBLERS appearing locally in very limited numbers so far have been BLUE-WINGED, NORTHERN PARULA and COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, along with more YELLOW, BLACK-AND-WHITE and LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH and the now common PALM, PINE and YELLOW-RUMPED.

Other migrants making appearances or in slightly increasing numbers this week have included CHIMNEY SWIFT, SOLITARY and SPOTTED SANDPIPERS, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, WILLET, FORSTER’S TERN and only a very few COMMON TERNS, LITTLE BLUE and GREEN HERONS, BROAD-WINGED HAWK, WHITE-EYED VIREO, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK and INDIGO BUNTING.

To phone in reports call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922.

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

- End transcript ...Read more

New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, April 10, 2020:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Apr. 10, 2020
* NYNY2004.10


- Birds Mentioned

VARIED THRUSH+
PAINTED BUNTING+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

KING EIDER
Common Eider
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Lesser Yellowlegs
ICELAND GULL
Lesser Black-backed Gull
GLAUCOUS GULL
Forster’s Tern
Northern Gannet
Broad-winged Hawk
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
White-eyed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Purple Martin
Bank Swallow
House Wren
Marsh Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
Chipping Sparrow
VESPER SPARROW
Orchard Oriole
Ovenbird
Louisiana Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER
Nashville Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow Warbler
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER



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 nysarc44nybirdsorg

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

Gary Chapin - Secretary
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
125 Pine Springs Drive
Ticonderoga, NY 12883

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

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

Transcriber: Gail Benson

[~BEGIN RBA TAPE~]

Greetings! This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, April 10, 2020 at 9:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are VARIED THRUSH, PAINTED BUNTING, KING EIDER and HARLEQUIN DUCK, GLAUCOUS and ICELAND GULLS, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, YELLOW-THOATED and ORANGE CROWNED WARBLERS, VESPER SPARROW and more.

With an increasing number of spring arrivals raising anticipation of migration to come, it is still a few overwintering birds that provide this week’s rarity highlights. The VARIED THRUSH in Prospect Park was spotted on Tuesday near the Upper Pool, its recently most favored location. In addition, Brooklyn on Tuesday also produced another sighting of a PAINTED BUNTING, this at the Marine Park Salt Marsh Nature Center.

Among the waterfowl, two female KING EIDERS were present in the COMMON EIDER flock lingering off Orient Point at least to Tuesday, while up to five HARLEQUIN DUCKS also continuing there were seen through Wednesday. The male HARLEQUIN DUCK visiting Brooklyn’s Sheepshead Bay was reported again today.

Also in Brooklyn, a GLAUCOUS GULL was spotted at Floyd Bennett Field Sunday, followed by one at Coney Island Creek Wednesday, both locations also producing ICELAND GULL sightings Wednesday. Other ICELAND GULLS included two at Playland Park in Rye and one at Croton Point Park last Sunday and one at Miller Field on Staten Island on Wednesday. Last Sunday’s large Gull gathering at Playland Park also included two adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS plus a count of over 650 NORTHERN GANNETS, this species occurring in unusually large numbers recently in western Long Island Sound. This total, however, would never approach Long Island south shore numbers, where over 4,000 were estimated in Fire Island Inlet yesterday.

RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS featured one still in Central Park’s north end today, one in Cunningham Park in Queens to Tuesday, and one at Wolfe’s Pond Park on Staten Island Monday.

A YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER was reported singing at Connetquot River State Park , a known breeding site, on Wednesday, and an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was at the Salt Marsh Nature Center Wednesday.

Six reports of VESPER SPARROW included two at Caumsett State Park Tuesday, and singles on Tuesday at Floyd Bennett Field, Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers and Nissequogue River State Park in Kings Park, along Hulse Landing Road Wednesday, and at Lenoir Preserve in Yonkers last Saturday.

Among the recent migrants have been a few LESSER YELLOWLEGS, some FORSTER’S TERNS as of Wednesday, and a few BROAD-WINGED HAWKS, mostly inland.

Various arriving passerines, generally as expected, have included BLUE-HEADED and WHITE-EYED VIREOS, PURPLE MARTIN and BANK SWALLOW, HOUSE and MARSH WRENS, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, HERMIT THRUSH and CHIPPING SPARROW. An ORCHARD ORIOLE was reported singing on Long Island Sunday, and among the WARBLERS joining already present PINE, PALM and YELLOW-RUMPED have been some LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, BLACK-AND-WHITE and YELLOW, with just one or two of OVENBIRD, NASHVILLE and COMMON YELLOWTHROAT.

To phone in reports call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922.

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

New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, April 3, 2020:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Apr. 3, 2020
* NYNY2004.03


- Birds mentioned
WESTERN SANDPIPER+
VARIED THRUSH+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Red-necked Grebe
Razorbill
Glaucous Gull
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Harlequin Duck
King Eider
American Bittern
Green Heron
Dunlin
Sanderling
Willet
Spotted Sandpiper
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Red-headed Woodpecker
Vesper Sparrow
Barn Swallow
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Black-and-White Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Pine Warbler
Palm Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush

- 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

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

Transcriber: Ben Cacace

BEGIN TAPE

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, April 3rd 2020 at 9pm. The highlights of today's tape are VARIED THRUSH, KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, GLAUCOUS GULL, ICELAND GULL, WESTERN SANDPIPER, VESPER SPARROW and a few early migrants including YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER.

In Prospect Park the VARIED THRUSH was present through yesterday now seemingly favoring the area around the edge of the Upper Pool.

The female KING EIDER was still off Orient Point Wednesday two days after the 4 HARLEQUIN DUCKS were last noted there. The Brooklyn HARLEQUIN DUCK was still at Sheepshead Bay Tuesday and a pair of HARLEQUINS were spotted Thursday at Smith Point County Park in Shirley.

Rather unexpected was an adult GLAUCOUS GULL seen from Coney Island Creek Park in Brooklyn late Tuesday morning this followed by an ICELAND GULL on a light pole at Ceasar's Bay Bazaar. Another another ICELAND was at Smith Point County Park on Thursday.

WESTERN SANDPIPER was seen again Monday in a large DUNLIN and SANDERLING flock at Nickerson Beach and a RED-NECKED GREBE was off Plumb Beach Brooklyn on Tuesday.

Out at Cupsogue County Park last Tuesday 17 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were counted along the beach and 4 RAZORBILLS were spotted offshore while an AMERICAN BITTERN was still along the Dune Road last Sunday.

RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS locally featured the one still at the north end of Central Park on Wednesday and another remaining in Cunningham Park in Queens through yesterday.

Among some recent arrivals, and certainly unexpectedly early, was a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO seen well as it flew near Mott Lane in Bellport Tuesday afternoon. A BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER at Central Park's Tanner's Spring Thursday morning was also rather early joining some widespread PINE and a few LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH and PALM and YELLOW-RUMPED as the first warblers returning to our region.

Out east an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was seen again Saturday at the Sound Avenue Nature Preserve west of Roanoke Avenue in Riverhead.

A VESPER SPARROW was photographed at the Lenoir Preserve in Yonkers on Monday.

Also appearing this week were a GREEN HERON in Prospect Park Tuesday, a SPOTTED SANDPIPER on the Central Park Reservoir and WILLETS along the south shore of Long Island while a small number of BARN and NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS also joined local TREE SWALLOW gatherings.

To phone in reports call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922.

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

- End transcript ...Read more

Treehugger Tuesday

From the website Newatlas.com:

American robins head north sooner due to Arctic snow melting earlier
By Nick Lavars
April 02, 2020

Climate change threatens to shake up the lifestyles of many animals around the world and a new study has revealed that for the American robin these wheels are already very much in motion. Scientists tagged the songbirds with GPS units to track their migration patterns and found that they are embarking on their annual Arctic-bound journey earlier each decade, with a shift in snow melt conditions a big part of the reason why.

American robins spend most of the year scattered around the US and Mexico, but each time spring rolls around they pack up and head north towards Canada and Alaska for a little summer vacation. There, they do their best to find a mate, put together a nest and raise a family, fattening up on insects, berries and worms while they’re at it.

With these warmer seasons in the Arctic kicking off earlier due to climate change, scientists at Columbia University began to wonder what impact this would have on the migration habits of the American robin. To find some answers, the research team turned to Canada’s Slave Lake, which acts as a pit stop for the birds on their journey north.

Researchers have been monitoring the migration patterns of birds at Slave Lake for a quarter of a century, with visual surveys and netting censuses revealing that robins are heading north around five days earlier per decade since 1994, or a total of 12 days earlier now than they did back then. To understand the reasons behind this, the Columbia researchers took things one step further and equipped 55 robins with tiny GPS devices.

This GPS data of the birds’ movements was able to be connected with weather data on temperatures, snow depth, winds, rain and other elements that could impact their migration behavior. This analysis revealed that the robins starting moving north earlier when the conditions were warmer and drier, with snow coverage a particularly important factor.

“The one factor that seemed the most consistent was snow conditions and when things melt. That’s very new,” says lead author Ruth Oliver. “We’ve generally felt like birds must be responding to when food is available – when snow melts and there are insects to get at – but we’ve never had data like this before.”

The team says this is the first study to reveal how environmental conditions are shifting migration patterns along this route. This kind of information can help them develop predictive models of how the birds will respond as the climate continues to change.

“Because the timing of migration can indirectly influence the reproductive success of an individual, understanding controls over the timing of migratory events is important,” Natalie Boelman, a coauthor on the paper.

From here, the team hopes to map out the birds’ entire migration path, rather than from a midway point, using tissue samples collected during the GPS fitting that could reveal clues about their earlier whereabouts.

The research was published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

Source: Columbia University
...Read more

Ear Birding for Spring

With the current pandemic keeping most of us at home I thought it would be a good time to review the importance of ear birding and recommended tools. In preparation for the wave of songbirds about to descend upon the NYC area, below are some teaching tools to help one appreciate the assortment of buzzes, chips, trills, tweets, whistles and warbles coming our way.

There are several sources available to help you learn how to identify birds by ear, some online, some app and some discs.

• Audubon has a good website of earbirding information here.

• The Cornell Lab has a really good online game called "Bird Song Hero" at this link.

• Birdwatchers Digest has a free download called "How to Identify Birds Without Using Your Eyes" at this link.

• Larkwire is an iOS-based app. Learn about it at this link.

Here are a few more resources:

• BirdGenie (not one of my favorites)
• Chirp!
• Merlin (not so much a teaching tool, but more of a reference)

While the above are pretty good, the best teaching tool for my money is the Peterson Field Guides series of CDs (as far as I am aware, they are not available as digital downloads). These discs are not reference recordings, but rather well organized lessons that use groups of similar sounding species, repetition and mnemonics to help you quickly learn sounds. Here on the east coast of North America you should purchase "Birding by Ear: Eastern/Central" and "More Birding by Ear Eastern and Central North America". There are discs available for the west coast, as well.

Below is a list of recommended tracks to study. Obviously, there are many more common species in our area which you could add as you feel needed.

The colorful wood-warblers are the most important songbirds to learn. Once you've purchased the discs, use iTunes (or similar software) to import the following tracks so you don't have to constantly shuffle through the 6 discs:

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Sing-songers	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4
Warbling Songsters	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	6
Wood Warblers and a Warbling Wren	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Warblers: Buzzy	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	1
Warblers: Simple	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	2
Warblers: Two-Parted	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	3
Warblers: Complex	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	2	4
Empidonax Flycatchers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	4

Note that I included the empidonax flycatchers on the list as they are notoriously difficult to separate visually, but each have very distinctive vocalizations.

The woodland thrushes are also incredible songsters, so I recommend the following tracks:

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Thrushes	Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	2
Thrushes	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	1	7

One family of bird vocalizations that I tend to neglect are the shorebirds. More often than not, during spring migration a group of calling shorebirds passing overhead are noted only as "flock of unidentified peeps". While their calls and songs may not be nearly as melodic as the wood-warblers, they are each unique and easily identifiable if you take a few minutes each day to study the recommended "Birding by Ear" tracks.

Name	Album	Disc #	Track #
Shorebirds: Pairs	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	1
Shorebirds: Plovers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	2
Shorebirds: Whistlers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	3
Shorebirds: Peepers	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	4
Shorebirds: Other	More Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central	3	5

Please note that I don't make any money promoting the Peterson Field Guide series. I only do this because I have found that their systematic approach to learning bird-song to be the most effective available. If you have recommendations for other learning tools, feel free to email me or put something in the comments section. Spend 15 - 20 minutes a day listening during your commute, so that by the time all the songbirds begin streaming through NYC I guarantee you'll be able to find a lot more birds and add a whole other dimension to the experience of birding.

No matter how you approach birding (and ear birding), be sure to always put the welfare of the birds ahead of your desire to "list". If you have any doubt about birding ethics, please refer to the American Birding Association Code of Birding Ethics. ...Read more

New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, March 27, 2020:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Mar. 27, 2020
* NYNY2003.27


- Birds Mentioned

VARIED THRUSH+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

SNOW GOOSE
KING EIDER
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Northern Gannet
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Glossy Ibis
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
SANDHILL CRANE
American Oystercatcher
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Laughing Gull
ICELAND GULL
Lesser Black-backed Gull
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Eastern Phoebe
Purple Martin
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
House Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
American Pipit
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
VESPER SPARROW
Rusty Blackbird
Louisiana Waterthrush
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER
Common Yellowthroat
Pine Warbler

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 nysarc44nybirdsorg

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

Gary Chapin - Secretary
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
125 Pine Springs Drive
Ticonderoga, NY 12883

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

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

Transcriber: Gail Benson

[~BEGIN RBA TAPE~]

Greetings! This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, March 27, 2020 at 10:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are SANDHILL CRANE, VARIED THRUSH, KING EIDER and HARLEQUIN DUCK, ICELAND GULL, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, VESPER SPARROW and more.

With SANDHILL CRANES recently returning to the northeast and breeding sites used in recent years, it was nice to have a pair at least pass through our region, as happened yesterday when two flew over a home in Croton-on-Hudson in northern Westchester and were shortly thereafter spotted moving east over Croton Dam Park. Hopefully more will follow.

An unconfirmed report of the Prospect Park VARIED THRUSH near the Nethermead Arches on Monday was this week’s only mention of any exceptional passerine, perhaps appropriate given the restrictive conditions we must now abide by.

But signs of Spring do persist. On the warbler front a LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH first noted in Prospect Park last Sunday was followed by another in Central Park today, while at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens an overwintering ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was joined today by a singing COMMON YELLOWTHROAT. A list of other passerines just now arriving or currently showing increases in numbers include many more EASTERN PHOEBES, the first NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS, PURPLE MARTINS and HOUSE WRENS, plus GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, BROWN THRASHER and GRAY CATBIRD, CHIPPING SPARROW, EASTERN TOWHEE, AMERICAN PIPIT, RUSTY BLACKBIRD and PINE WARBLER. And found today as part of a reasonable early flight was a VESPER SPARROW at Captree Island, while two wintering at the Suffolk County Farm and Education Center off Yaphank Avenue were still present last Saturday.

Other arrivals have featured a few SNOWY EGRETS joining some GREAT EGRETS, YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, more GLOSSY IBIS and AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, with two LESSER YELLOWLEGS recently on Staten Island, and certainly more LAUGHING GULLS and DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS.

Among the waterfowl the female KING EIDER was still present today off Orient Point, where the four HARLEQUIN DUCKS were last noted on Wednesday; the HARLEQUIN DUCK in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn continued at least to yesterday. 120 SNOW GEESE flew over Rye yesterday.

An ICELAND GULL was at Jacob Riis Park Monday, and two LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were present at Floyd Bennet Field Monday, with singles also noted at at least eight other sites this week.

The Ocean Parkway ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was spotted at Cedar Beach last Saturday, and one flew over Marshlands Conservancy in Rye Sunday.

RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS continue in Central Park’s north end and at Cunningham Park and the Long Pond Greenbelt in Sag Harbor.

Very unexpectedly, a fairly large incursion of NORTHERN GANNETS into western Long Island Sound began yesterday and continued through today. Yesterday, around 200 GANNETS were seen moving west past Rye late in the day, with similar numbers today; presumably following bait fish, along Long Island’s north shore a swarm was noted yesterday off Cedar Point in East Hampton and today an estimated 2,000+ flew by Sunken Meadow State Park, with well over 700 moving back east off Stamford, CT late in the afternoon. Quite unusual numbers away from the Atlantic Ocean!

Please note that there are currently recording issues with the RBA, which hopefully will be resolved soon. To phone in reports call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922.

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

- End transcript ...Read more

New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, March 20, 2020:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Mar. 20, 2020
* NYNY2003.20


- Birds mentioned
WESTERN SANDPIPER+
PAINTED BUNTING+
TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE+
VARIED THRUSH+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Razorbill
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Laughing Gull
HARLEQUIN DUCK
KING EIDER
Glossy Ibis
Great Egret
Clapper Rail
Piping Plover
American Oystercatcher
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
Osprey
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
VESPER SPARROW
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER

- 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

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

Transcriber: Ben Cacace

BEGIN TAPE

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, March 20th 2020 at 9pm. The highlights of today's tape are PAINTED BUNTING, VARIED THRUSH, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, WESTERN SANDPIPER, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, VESPER SPARROW and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER plus a few new migrants.

Given the turmoil we've been subjected to recently it's great to have three of our best over wintering species reappear locally. On Thursday morning the female type PAINTED BUNTING was spotted at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn, a new location for this species this winter but perhaps involving an individual visiting previously in the borough or maybe a little farther afield. This bird was found in the dune scrub in front of the parking lot off the Belt Parkway and lingered there into the afternoon.

In Prospect Park the VARIED THRUSH was seen midweek through today along the path to the boathouse and especially near the split Osage Orange tree.

Out on the South Fork of Long Island the TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was spotted again last Saturday in the SLPOA Nature Preserve off Three Mile Harbor Drive. This site in Northwest Harbor is marked by a small white sign with the SLPOA initials on it.

With waterfowl numbers seriously dropping the female KING EIDER at least stayed to Wednesday off Orient Point where the four HARLEQUIN DUCKS continue through today. The Brooklyn male HARLEQUIN DUCK still around Sheepshead Bay last Sunday seemed more advanced than the one dropping by Plumb Beach on Thursday. The female HARLEQUIN was spotted out in Shinnecock Inlet last Sunday.

Last Sunday a WESTERN SANDPIPER, presumably a wintering bird, was identified in a large concentration of Sanderlings and Dunlin at Nickerson Beach and was spotted again there today. PIPING PLOVER and AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER are also now present at that site and elsewhere.

A RAZORBILL was spotted off Breezy Point last Sunday.

A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL visited Jones Beach West End last Saturday perhaps our last report from that location for awhile and two more were at Smith Point County Park yesterday.

A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was still along Ocean Parkway last Saturday while Wednesday found RED-HEADED WOODPECKER still visiting the north end of Central Park and Cunningham Park in Queens. Also continuing have been a VESPER SPARROW at the Suffolk County Farm and Education Center to Monday and an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER visiting the suet feeder at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton to Wednesday.

Among recent arrivals have been CLAPPER RAIL, GREAT EGRET and more LAUGHING GULLS, an OSPREY plus 7 GLOSSY IBIS out in Holbrook Long Island today.

To phone in reports call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922.

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

- End transcript ...Read more

Treehugger Tuesday

From The Guardian:

How the world's fattest parrot came back from the brink
Kate Evans
March 14, 2020

Photograph: Jason Hosking

Growing up in the north of England, Dr James Chatterton was enthralled by the books of the pioneering zookeeper and conservationist Gerald Durrell and dreamed of saving endangered species. Now, on the other side of the world, Chatterton has done just that, helping to bring the world’s fattest parrot back from the brink.

Chatterton and his team spent the best part of a year bringing in quarantine conditions and trialling new treatments on the frontline of a killer disease afflicting New Zealand’s kākāpō.

“I think most people think our job is to go and stroke the red panda, and cuddle the kākāpō,” says Chatterton, manager of veterinary services at Auckland Zoo’s New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine. Even in a normal year, the vet team’s work caring for the zoo’s animals and treating some of the country’s wild creatures is more serious than that, but 2019 was “monumental”, he says.

The respiratory disease aspergillosis began to spread through the endangered kākāpō population last April, threatening to reverse the gains of the bird’s most successful breeding season in living memory.

Kākāpo are not just rare, they are also deeply weird: flightless, nocturnal, with fragrant feathers and a comical waddling run. Males “boom” to attract females, and they only breed every three to six years when the native rimu trees “mast”, or produce large numbers of seeds. Last year was a “mega-mast”, the ripe fruit carpeting the ground, and the kākāpō responded by laying eggs earlier than ever before.

Read the full article here

Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming birding and nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, March 21, 2020 to Sunday, March 22, 2020:

Bedford Audubon Society
Saturday, March 21, 2020, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Exploring Vernal Pools
Bedford Audubon's Hunt-Parker Sanctuary
Instead of looking up for birds, we’ll give you the opportunity to look down in search of amphibians and salamanders on a seasonal adventure!

Vernal pools are seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. Join us on this annual Nature Walk to Explore Vernal Pools at Hunt-Parker Sanctuary with long-time Bedford Audubon Member Paul Lewis. Under Paul’s leadership, you'll visit these hidden treasures deep in the forest and learn about the vital importance of these seasonal wetlands as spawning grounds for salamanders and other amphibians. Family friendly for children 10 years of age and older, must be accompanied by an adult.

Meet at Bylane Farm 12:45pm wearing boots suitable for water. Cost: Free. Level of difficulty: Easy to Moderate. Please register with Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914-302-9713.
See more details

**********

Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, March 21, 2020, 8:00am - 12:00pm
A Spring start in Prospect Park
Meet 8 am at the Prospect Park Boathouse. No registration required.
Leader: Tina Alleva
Focus: early spring passerines, transitional winter species, woodpeckers, sparrows, early raptors
Please review our trip guidelines here: http://brooklynbirdclub.org/information-registration

Saturday, March 21, 2020, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Prospect Park: Birdwatching for Beginners
Leader: Cyrus Baty
Birdwatching for Beginners meets at the Prospect Park Audubon Center at The Boathouse at 12 noon. Bring binoculars if you have them; otherwise, binoculars are available for loan.

**********

Gateway National Parks​
Saturday, March 21, 2020, 10:00am — 1:00pm
Early Spring Bird Walk
View Details

Sunday, March 22, 2020, 10:00am — 11:30am
Osprey Watch Guided Walk
View Details

**********

Green-Wood Cemetery
Sunday, March 22, 6:45am - 8:15am
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.

Early-spring migration tours will be a feast for the ears and eyes with the trilling song of pine warblers and drumming pronouncements of woodpeckers on newly blossoming trees (including magnolias, maples, quinces, and dogwoods). We’ll discover thousands of songbirds resting before their trip farther north as well as arriving herons and egrets at Green-Wood’s glacial ponds.

This event is free, but RSVPs are required. We encourage you to make an optional donation with your reservation to help Green-Wood continue to offer these events free of charge.

Please note: All walking tours traverse hilly and at times uneven terrain. Comfortable footwear is suggested.

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

**********

Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
Sunday, March 22, 2020, 10:00am
Caumsett State Park in Lloyd Harbor
Caumsett State Park is special because it has a variety of habitats that attract many different species of birds
Registration: (585) 880-0915

Directions: Take West Neck Rd north from downtown Huntington for 5 miles. The entrance to the park is on the left, 3/4 mi past the causeway to Lloyd's Neck, at which point the road is called Lloyd Harbor Rd. State Park fees may apply. Meet in the parking area

**********

Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Brooklyn Coastal Birding
Leader: Peter Dorosh
Registrar: Karen Asakawa — avocet501@gmail.com or 347-306-0690
Registration opens: Monday, March 9
Ride: $20

**********

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

**********

North Shore Audubon Society
Saturday, March 21, 2020, 9:30am – 12:00pm
Hempstead Lake SP (map)
Leader: Ralph (516) 785-3375‬
Please inform walk leader that you are attending.
See "Walk Locations" for directions. Hempstead Lake State Park - lot #3.

Wear water-resistant footwear, bring binoculars and drinking water. Wear long pants and socks so you do not touch poison ivy.

**********

South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, March 22, 2020
Norman J. Levy Park and Preserve
From the Meadowbrook Parkway, use the Merrick Road M9 east exit. Enter the Department of Sanitation entrance immediately on right (if you’re driving west on Merrick Road, make a U-turn after Central Boulevard and before the Meadowbrook Parkway). Look for signs to Levy Park and Preserve parking lot.
Directions via Google Maps

Bird walks led by a member of SSAS are conducted nearly every Sunday morning from late August through early June. Walks are open to the public and are free of charge. We especially encourage youngsters to attend.
All walks start at 9:00 A.M.
There is no walk if it rains or snows or temperature is below 25°F.
For more information or in case of questionable weather conditions, please phone Joe at 516 467-9498.

**********

Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Kaiser Park Bird Walk and Wetland Cleanup at Park Entrance at Bayview Avenue and W 33rd Street (in Kaiser Park), Brooklyn
9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Start the day on an hour-long spring bird walk led by Audubon NY staff, followed by a wetland cleanup with the Stewardship team!
Free!

Early Spring Birding at Cabrini Woods (in Fort Tryon Park), Manhattan
10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Join Gabriel Willow, an expert naturalist, to learn about winter species and birds that visit Fort Tryon—including early migrants like Eastern Phoebe and Palm Warbler!
Free!

Scavengers of the Sky: Vultures at Arthur Kill Road and Brookfield Avenue (in Brookfield Park), Staten Island
11:00 a.m.–12:30 a.m.
Often called ugly, disgusting, and unhygienic, vultures play a crucial role in the environment as nature’s best scavengers.
Free!

Sunday, March 22, 2020
Birding: Spring Migrants at Fountain Terrace (in Bryant Park), Manhattan
10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Our Urban Park 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, March 13, 2020:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Mar. 13, 2020
* NYNY2003.13


- Birds Mentioned

CACKLING GOOSE
Blue-winged Teal
KING EIDER
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Piping Plover
American Woodcock
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Eastern Phoebe
Tree Swallow
Eastern Bluebird
American Pipit
VESPER SPARROW
Rusty Blackbird
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER

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 nysarc44nybirdsorg

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

Gary Chapin - Secretary
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
125 Pine Springs Drive
Ticonderoga, NY 12883

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

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

Transcriber: Gail Benson

[~BEGIN RBA TAPE~]

Greetings! This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, March 13, 2020 at 9:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, CACKLING GOOSE, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, VESPER SPARROW, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and a few spring arrivals.

Once again the March doldrums, with the many winter departures not yet replaced by a nice variety of spring arrivals.

On the waterfowl front, with many now headed north, the female KING EIDER at Shinnecock Inlet was not reported after last Sunday, while the female at Orient Point was noted to Wednesday, with the four HARLEQUIN DUCKS at Orient still around the rocks off the point today. The young male HARLEQUIN DUCK has continued to visit Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn up through yesterday.

Also still present in the area at least to last Saturday was the CACKLING GOOSE wintering at Arthur J. Hendrickson Park in Valley Stream. A few BLUE-WINGED TEAL are among the inbound migrants.

A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was noted on Central Park Reservoir again last Saturday, with another at Shinnecock Sunday, and this is one species that should be increasing in numbers along the coast in a few weeks.

A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was still along Ocean Parkway in the Cedar Beach area on Wednesday.

A trio of RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS includes one remaining at the north end of Central Park today, another seen recently through today around the southeastern section of Cunningham Park on Queens, and a third visiting the Long Pond Greenbelt out in Sag Harbor at least to Wednesday.

A VESPER SPARROW has continued at the Suffolk County Farm and Education Center on the west side of Yaphank Avenue through last weekend.

Besides the ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER still present yesterday at the feeders of the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton, two were spotted at Hendrix Creek in Brooklyn Sunday, and another was in Alley Pond Park yesterday.

Among recent arrivals, two PIPING PLOVERS appeared at Smith Point County Park Wednesday, and AMERICAN WOODCOCK are now displaying at numerous appropriate locations.

On the raptor front, a few more OSPREYS have been spotted this week, and some BALD EAGLES as well as both TURKEY and BLACK VULTURES have been moving through.

Other landbirds on the move recently have included more EASTERN PHOEBES and TREE SWALLOWS and small numbers of AMERICAN PIPITS and EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, as well as some RUSTY BLACKBIRDS appearing in Central, Prospect and other local parks.

To phone in reports call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922.

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

- End transcript

Coney Island Creek Bio-Blitz

Request for Bird Surveyors on May 2nd for NY Aquarium event at Coney Island Creek

The New York Aquarium has rescheduled their abbreviated bio-blitz that was postponed last fall for May, 2nd and are looking for 3-4 local birders to participate. The event will generally be in two parts, starting out with small surveys in the AM starting around 8am, and then inviting the public to participate in guided surveys starting at 12pm. Bird surveys will most likely take place only at Calvert Vaux Park, and survey protocols are TBD. Good news is that we can also incorporate the NY Breeding Bird Atlas into the survey!

If you are interested in volunteering to represent NYC Audubon in any or all parts of this day, check this link for more information: