New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, October 6, 2012:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Oct 5, 2012
* NYNY1210.05

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

Eurasian Wigeon (unconfirmed)
Cory's Shearwater
MANX SHEARWATER
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER
Western Sandpiper
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
Pectoral Sandpiper
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Caspian Tern
Royal Tern
Common Nighthawk
Red-headed Woodpecker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Philadelphia Vireo
GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Connecticut Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
LARK SPARROW
GRASSHOPPER SPARROW
Nelson's Sparrow
Lapland Longspur
BLUE GROSBEAK
Dickcissel
Orchard Oriole
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 AT nybirds.org .

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

Gary Chapin - Secretary
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
486 High Street
Victor, NY 14564

~ 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, October 5th, at 10:00pm. The highlights of today's tape are WHITE-FACED IBIS, AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, MANX SHEARWATER, AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER, BLUE GROSBEAK, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, LARK SPARROW, and GRASSHOPPER SPARROW, and incoming PINE SISKINS.

The East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge continues to provide the most unusual rarities in our region. On Sunday morning, close scrutiny of the decent number of Glossy Ibis present produced a winter-plumaged WHITE-FACED IBIS, this well-studied bird identified by its red eye and pinkish face. The ibis was at the south end of the East Pond, in the cove on the west side of the south end, while the AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, present since August 14th, continued around the north end of the East Pond. We also have a report of a possible EURASIAN WIGEON on the West Pond; please let us know if this is confirmed.

In the city parks, perhaps the most notable event recently has been the arrival of groups of PINE SISKINS, this also noted along the south shore of Long Island. Five siskins spotted in Kissena Park in Queens last Sunday were followed by a flock of 20 there on Wednesday and other similar groups scattered about, these numbers increasing today to a peak of over 300 estimated at Robert Moses State Park and others elsewhere, with many more expected.

Notable birds reported from Central Park this week featured a GRASSHOPPER SPARROW and an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER at the north end, and one or two BLUE GROSBEAKS in the park last Saturday; and the GRASSHOPPER SPARROW again and a late GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER around the Maintenance Field, these on Sunday.

Prospect Park also has had a BLUE GROSBEAK (two today) as well as a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT today, PHILADELPHIA VIREO Thursday, and other seasonal birds during the week.

Kissena Park in Queens this week has had a nice run of birds, with two BLUE GROSBEAKS Sunday and Wednesday, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW Sunday, and LARK SPARROW Monday, and six COMMON NIGHTHAWKS and CAPE MAY WARBLER Wednesday.

NELSON'S SPARROWS have been appearing in appropriate coastal salt marshes throughout the area, including recently at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn.

At Floyd Bennett Field, a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was in the Community Garden last weekend, along with NASHVILLE WARBLER and TENNESSEE WARBLER. A CONNECTICUT WARBLER was reported there as well.

Shorebirds at the Jones Beach West End Coast Guard Station bar today included an AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, plus WESTERN SANDPIPER and PECTORAL SANDPIPER, while today's land bird flight at West End produced two RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS and an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER. A YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was at Zach's Bay last Friday.

Besides so many PINE SISKINS noted at Robert Moses State Park this morning, other birds recorded during today's activity featured four CASPIAN TERNS, two DICKCISSELS, two CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS, ORCHARD ORIOLE, and LAPLAND LONGSPUR.

Moving east, the summering GLAUCOUS GULL was still at Smith Point County Park in Shirley yesterday. At Mecox Bay, a BAIRD'S SANDPIPER visited the flats last Saturday, along with three LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS and two ROYAL TERNS, and the LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL has returned to Napeague, hopefully for the winter, this bird usually around the end of Lazy Point Road.

Out in Montauk, a BLUE GROSBEAK was at Theodore Roosevelt County Park last Saturday, with a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW there today. Seabirds featured a couple of MANX SHEARWATERS off the village of Montauk last Saturday and a few CORY'S SHEARWATERS off Camp Hero today. Among the warblers at Camp Hero last Saturday were TENNESSEE WARBLER, CAPE MAY WARBLER, and BAY-BREASTED 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 ~