New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Saturday, July 31, 2010:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* July 31, 2010
* NYNY1007.31

- Birds Mentioned:
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Cory's Shearwater
Greater Shearwater [AOU name change: Great Shearwater]
Sooty Shearwater
BROWN PELICAN
LEAST BITTERN
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
"Western" Willet
WHIMBREL
HUDSONIAN GODWIT
Semipalmated Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
WILSON'S PHALAROPE
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Black Tern
Forster's Tern
Royal Tern
Cliff Swallow
Yellow Warbler
Prairie Warbler
American Redstart
Northern Waterthrush
PINE SISKIN

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

You can also send reports and digital image files via email to nysarc1@nybirds.org .

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

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

~ Transcript ~

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

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

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

[~BEGIN RBA TAPE~]

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Saturday, July 31, 2010, at 11:00 am. The highlights of today's tape are BROWN PELICAN, AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS, LEAST BITTERNS, WHIMBRELS, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, WILSON'S PHALAROPES, shorebird migration, and PINE SISKIN.

A BROWN PELICAN was found last Saturday at Cupsogue County Park and was last seen flying out to the ocean.

Four AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS were seen last week. A new arrival on Sunday apparently joined the lingering past reported bird at the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Apparently the new arrival has replaced the last reported bird, and two other birds were seen flying west over Long Island Sound at Norwalk, CT on Tuesday.

Two LEAST BITTERNS were present during the week at the East Pond of Jamaica Bay, one an apparent juvenile.

Four WHIMBRELS were reported last week: two at Plumb Beach (Brooklyn) yesterday, one at Cupsogue County Park last Saturday, and one yesterday at West End, Jones Beach.

Over 8,000 shorebirds were counted at Jamaica Bay yesterday, consisting of 21 species highlighted by HUDSONIAN GODWIT, two WILSON'S PHALAROPES, two PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, three LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, two WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS, and over 4,000 each of SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS.

A very early PINE SISKIN was seen Thursday at the Marine Park Golf Course in Brooklyn.

Interesting terns reported last week were: three GULL-BILLED TERNS at Jamaica Bay on Tuesday; another GULL-BILLED at Marine Park on Thursday; and two other GULL-BILLED at West End Jones Beach on Friday. Seven ROYAL TERNS were at Pike's Beach in West Hampton Dunes last Saturday, and two other ROYAL TERNS were at Cupsogue County Park also on Saturday. Good numbers of FORSTER'S TERNS along with juveniles were present at Jamaica Bay through the week, and a BLACK TERN was present through the week at the East Pond of Jamaica Bay.

Sea watches at the barrier beach from the Moriches Inlet to the Shinnecock Inlet through the week included 15-25 CORY'S SHEARWATERS, and a few SOOTY SHEARWATERS and GREATER SHEARWATERS.

Other interesting birds reported last week were good numbers of NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES moving through the area, with a maximum number of nine at Jamaica Bay yesterday, along with modest numbers of YELLOW WARBLERS, AMERICAN REDSTARTS, and PRAIRIE WARBLERS.

A CLIFF SWALLOW was seen yesterday at Jamaica Bay, and a YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was present at Plumb Beach yesterday.

Over 25 "Western" WILLETS were present through the week at the Coast Guard Station sandbar at West End Jones Beach.

Two first year LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were seen at field 2, West End Jones Beach yesterday.

A birder has reported that the water level is low at the North Pond at Cow Meadow Park in Freeport, and good numbers of shorebirds were seen yesterday. This site should be checked out on a regular basis.

Please call in reports to Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126. Messages can also be left for Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483.

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

[~END TAPE~]

~ End Transcript ~