New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, October 21, 2011:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Oct. 21, 2011
* NYNY1110.21

- Birds mentioned

GRAY KINGBIRD+
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
Cackling Goose
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
American Golden-Plover
Piping Plover
Marbled Godwit
Red Knot
Western Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Forster's Tern
Royal Tern
PARASITIC JAEGER
WESTERN KINGBIRD
Common Raven
Cape May Warbler
Connecticut Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
Grasshopper Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
BLUE GROSBEAK
DICKCISSEL
Rusty Blackbird

- 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, October 21st 2011 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are GRAY KINGBIRD, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, WESTERN KINGBIRD, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, PARASITIC JAEGER, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, BLUE GROSBEAK and DICKCISSEL.

Last Saturday morning at Jones Beach West End a GRAY KINGBIRD was initially spotted and photographed near the Coast Guard Station at about 9:45am. It was subsequently seen independently a half an hour later and then observed flying east out of sight propelled by strong southwest winds. The Kingbird was searched for throughout the weekend to no avail. The prolonged, distressingly intense winds, hindered the search and certainly discouraged the Kingbird from sitting up prominently.

A WESTERN KINGBIRD was also reported at West End shortly after the Gray Kingbird sightings but it too quickly disappeared. Also at Jones Beach West End last weekend 3 MARBLED GODWITS were seen Saturday on the Coast Guard bar at high tide and then across the inlet at low tide where 2 were also noted Sunday. The CLAY-COLORED SPARROW spent the weekend at the Coast Guard Station fence line and was still there Tuesday. A male HOODED WARBLER put in a brief appearance in the roadway median Saturday. On Thursday a nice high tide gathering of shorebirds on the West End 2 parking lot featured 4 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS, a WESTERN SANDPIPER and several RED KNOT and also present were 2 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS with another LESSER BLACK-BACKED at Jones Beach field 6. Single lingering ROYAL TERN and many FORSTER'S TERNS plus some arriving scoters (WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, SURF SCOTER & BLACK SCOTER) were also around Jones Inlet.

At Zach's Bay next to Jones Beach field 6 on Saturday a decent collection of birds featured a DICKCISSEL with House Sparrows near the underpass while the open areas on the bay side provided a GRASSHOPPER SPARROW, a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and 2 CAPE MAY WARBLERS feeding on the ground. Sunday a second DICKCISSEL was also found there.

Also on Sunday 2 CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS joined a feeding sparrow flock at Gilgo and 2 more were noted at Robert Moses State Park.

On Wednesday an immature male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was spotted at Captree State Park feeding along with some Red-winged Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds and Starlings near the park entrance booth or around the boat launch parking area in the northwestern section of the park. The Yellow-headed was again seen in the same area Thursday and today. A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was also at Captree Thursday.

Birds found at Sunken Meadow State Park last Sunday included DICKCISSEL, LINCOLN'S SPARROW and 2 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS the latter just beginning to appear locally.

A COMMON RAVEN was heard Saturday near the stacks in Northport.

Out in the Montauk area the GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE continued at Deep Hollow Ranch at least through Tuesday appearing with Canadas in the pastures on the south side of Route 27 about halfway between the town of Montauk and Montauk Point. A STILT SANDPIPER was also on these fields last Saturday and last Friday 2 PARASITIC JAEGERS were spotted off the point in a Laughing Gull and tern gathering.

Also on Saturday a BLUE GROSBEAK was seen along Town Lane in Amagansett while Sunday produced single LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS at Napeague, Sagg Pond and Mecox the latter also featuring a lingering PIPING PLOVER.

CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was found at Hither Hills State Park on Monday.

In Westchester County reports from Marshlands Conservancy in Rye last Monday included a CACKLING GOOSE flying by in a Canada flock and a CONNECTICUT WARBLER.

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

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

- End transcript