New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, April 2, 2010:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Apr. 2, 2010
* NYNY1004.02

- Birds mentioned

TUNDRA SWAN
KING EIDER
Common Eider
Northern Gannet
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
CATTLE EGRET
SANDHILL CRANE
Piping Plover
Purple Sandpiper
Wilson's Snipe
ICELAND GULL
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE
Razorbill
Red-headed Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Eastern Phoebe
White-eyed Vireo
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Pine Warbler
Palm Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
White-crowned Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark

- Transcript

If followed by (+) please submit documentation of your report electronically and use the NYSARC online submission form found at http://www.nybirds.org/NYSARC/goodreport.htm

You can also send reports and digital image files via email to nysarc3 AT nybirds.org.

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

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

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

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

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

Transcriber: Ben Cacace

BEGIN TAPE

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, April 2nd 2010 at 9pm. The highlights of today's tape are SANDHILL CRANE, TUNDRA SWAN, KING EIDER, CATTLE EGRET, BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, ICELAND GULL, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL & Spring migrants.

Two SANDHILL CRANES were relocated last Saturday on the south fork of Long Island where they have been feeding in corn fields east of Sag Pond in Bridgehampton. They have been frequenting fields along Daniel's Lane especially between Fairfield Pond Lane and Gibson Lane. The cranes have also been seen on fields a little to the west and nearer Sag Pond and also they have been noted roosting once or twice on Sag Pond. It is not inconceivable that this pair could attempt to nest in our area so extra care should be taken not to disturb them and please do not enter the fields which are private property. The cranes were still present along Daniel's Lane today.

Birds seen in the last week at Sag Pond have included 2 TUNDRA SWANS last Saturday and up to 5 PIPING PLOVERS and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL and ICELAND GULL.

Also out east 3 CATTLE EGRETS showed up on Wednesday along Dune Road east of Shinnecock Inlet. One appeared today along Route 27 in Montauk just west of Hither Hills State Park.

An hour's seawatch from Amagansett Sunday morning featured an adult BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, 2 RAZORBILLS and a count of 665 NORTHERN GANNETS streaming northeast with another count of 482 gannets later at Ditch Plains.

Also Sunday a female KING EIDER was off Gin Beach at Montauk. A LITTLE BLUE HERON was still at Little Reed Pond and 8 PURPLE SANDPIPERS continued on the Montauk Harbor jetties where an ICELAND GULL was noted Saturday.

Other adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS on Sunday were the 1 continuing at Lazy Point in Napeague and 1 on the flats at Mecox.

At Shinnecock a few hundred COMMON EIDER continue in the inlet. SNOWY EGRET has joined several Great Egrets along Dune Road and another 5 PIPING PLOVERS were at Pikes Beach in West Hampton Dunes Sunday.

Four BARN SWALLOWS joined a large congregation of Tree Swallows on Long Pond in Sag Harbor on Sunday.

A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was still present Sunday at Caumsett State Park in the woods west of Fresh Pond.

At Calverton Sunday were 24 WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS and some EASTERN MEADOWLARKS around the Grumman Airport and 6 WILSON'S SNIPE off Wading River Road.

The recent front has started a flow of passerines into the city parks. In Prospect Park the warbler total today reached 5 with arriving PALM WARBLER, PINE WARBLER and LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH joining some YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS and an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER that has been lingering around the Lullwater.

In Central Park a NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW appeared Sunday with a WILSON'S SNIPE on the Sheep Meadow in the rain Tuesday. Another snipe was at Four Sparrow Marsh in Brooklyn on Sunday.

Another ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was seen again at Hempstead Lake State Park today and a WHITE-EYED VIREO was spotted yesterday at Sunken Meadow State Park. Further indication of recent migration were the 25 EASTERN PHOEBES estimated today at Jones Beach West End joining YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER and PINE WARBLER there. More migrants are on their way.

To phone in reports on Long Island, call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126, or during the day except Sunday call Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483.

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

- End transcript