New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending on Friday, June 29, 2012:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Jun. 29, 2012
* NYNY1206.29

- Birds mentioned

PACIFIC LOON+
MISSISSIPPI KITE+ (Orange County, NY)
SANDWICH TERN+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Cory's Shearwater
MARBLED GODWIT
Lesser Black-backed Gull
GULL-BILLED TERN
Black Tern
Roseate Tern
Royal Tern
Black Skimmer
Bank Swallow
Kentucky Warbler
Summer Tanager
Bobolink

- 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, June 29th 2012 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are PACIFIC LOON, SANDWICH TERN, MISSISSIPPI KITE, MARBLED GODWIT and GULL-BILLED TERN.

Seawatching along the south shore of Long Island has not been very productive lately except perhaps for the winter plumaged PACIFIC LOON reported off Cupsogue County Park last Saturday morning. Once the loon disappeared from sight it was never relocated despite prolonged searching along the Dune Road beaches.

Only a couple of CORY'S SHEARWATERS were seen at Cupsogue last Saturday but on the flats north of the Cupsogue parking lot a SANDWICH TERN did put in a brief appearance joining a BLACK TERN that had flown in from the ocean. Again on Thursday a SANDWICH TERN also in non-breeding plumage visited the flats but was shortly flushed off by a marsh spraying helicopter. Other terns on the flats Thursday featured a GULL-BILLED TERN and 2 BLACK TERNS and a MARBLED GODWIT was reported earlier on Thursday this among a small number of southbound shorebirds now showing up. On Friday 2 SANDWICH TERNS appeared on the Cupsogue flats these like the previous 2 showing up as the tide was getting rather high in mid-afternoon. A ROYAL TERN was also out there then with 1 SANDWICH and 3 ROYAL TERNS also present earlier in the morning. Things do keep changing there.

A GULL-BILLED TERN was seen as recently as this morning over the marsh south of the West Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and the great news is that the lowering of the East Pond seems to be progressing nicely.

Birds at Mecox Sunday on the now mostly disappeared flats included a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, 2 ROSEATE TERNS and 9 BLACK SKIMMERS.

Up in Sterling Forest State Park in Orange County the pair of MISSISSIPPI KITES continues to be seen but their appearances around the visitors center off Old Forge Road have become much less predictable and no positive nesting activity has been noted recently. It seems now that earlier in the morning is the best time to spot them there as they tend to wander farther afield as the dragonflies become more active.

Among the rarer residents on Long Island the KENTUCKY WARBLER has still been singing recently but less frequently at the DEC property on the south side of Route 25A and Rocky Point Suffolk County. Additionally, and it's good to know, that a pair of SUMMER TANAGERS is back again this year on private property in Northwest Harbor in East Hampton.

Among a smattering of early Fall migrant passerines lately have been BANK SWALLOW and BOBOLINK.

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