New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, August 10, 2012:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* August 10, 2012
* NYNY1208.10

- Birds Mentioned:

Wilson's Storm-Petrel
AMERICAN AVOCET
WHIMBREL
MARBLED GODWIT
Western Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Dunlin
Stilt Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
WILSON'S PHALAROPE
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Black Tern
Royal Tern
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Canada Warbler
LARK SPARROW

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 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

~ 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

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

[~BEGIN RBA TAPE~]

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, August 10th at 7:00pm. The highlights of today's tape are AMERICAN AVOCETS, MARBLED GODWIT, WILSON'S PHALAROPES, WHIMBRELS, and LARK SPARROW.

With the conditions on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge still very good for shorebirds, it was not surprising that last week an AMERICAN AVOCET stayed at the north end of the Pond through last weekend. Perhaps unfortunately though, three more avocets showed up on the Pond on Monday, and when they departed Monday night, they took the residing avocet with them. Two WILSON'S PHALAROPES also visited the East Pond Monday, but could not be relocated the next day.

Among the other less common shorebirds on the East Pond were a single LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER Saturday, with two on Tuesday, and very low numbers so far of PECTORAL SANDPIPER, WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, and WESTERN SANDPIPER have been occurring. A breeding-plumaged DUNLIN, appearing last Saturday, was an early surprise, and a high count of 84 STILT SANDPIPERS was recorded Sunday. One to three GULL-BILLED TERNS continue to visit the tern roosting island at the north end of the East Pond, and a single ROYAL TERN flew down the Pond on Thursday.

On Thursday a LARK SPARROW was reported from Jones Beach West End, the bird noted around the western section of parking field 2. On Friday morning the LARK SPARROW was again around the northwestern corner of lot 2 and was present to at least mid-afternoon, despite being flushed multiple times by passing vehicles. Also reported today in lot 2, in a large gull flock at the eastern end, were eight markedly different LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS.

Among the birds gathered around Jones Inlet on Tuesday were four LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS and a BLACK TERN.

Friday morning a sea watch from the Fishermen's parking lot at Fort Tilden netted six WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS and four BLACK TERNS moving past in a westerly direction, and a whale watch into the Atlantic from Riis Landing on Thursday afternoon noted about 25 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS, plus two humpback whales.

Out on eastern Long Island along Dune Road, west of Shinnecock Inlet, the low tide mussel beds and mudflats just west of the Ponquogue Bridge have been attracting one to three WHIMBREL during the week. A MARBLED GODWIT, perhaps the same one seen there the last weekend in July, was noted around the bay island west of the bridge on Wednesday and Thursday. It was still present today, but a bit farther east, frequenting the deep water around the easternmost mussel bed.

On the North Fork, Cedar Beach County Park in Southold has been attracting some WHIMBREL for a week or more, and six were counted there just yesterday. This is historically a good location to find WHIMBREL.

Last Sunday two AMERICAN AVOCETS appeared briefly on Downs Creek in Cutchogue, quickly flying off to the south. These may have been part of the three visiting Jamaica Bay on Monday.

Recent land bird migrants noted in the city area have included several species of regionally-breeding warblers, including BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER, WORM-EATING WARBLER, HOODED WARBLER, and CANADA 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 TAPE~]

~ End Transcript ~