New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, October 12, 2012:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Oct 12, 2012
* NYNY1210.12

- Birds Mentioned:
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN+
LE CONTE'S SPARROW+
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Snow Goose
Bald Eagle
Long-billed Dowitcher
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Caspian Tern
Pomarine Jaeger
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
WESTERN KINGBIRD
Philadelphia Vireo
SEDGE WREN
Blue-winged Warbler
Hooded Warbler
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
Vesper Sparrow
LARK SPARROW
Nelson's Sparrow
BLUE GROSBEAK
DICKCISSEL
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:

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 12th, at 10:00pm. The highlights of today's tape are LE CONTE'S SPARROW, SEDGE WREN, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, WESTERN KINGBIRD, BLUE GROSBEAK, DICKCISSEL, LARK SPARROW, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, and RED-HEADED WOODPECKER.

Some interesting land birds were found in the area this week, topped by a LE CONTE'S SPARROW spotted at a back section of Floyd Bennett Field last Saturday. Some photos were managed before the bird disappeared, and it could not be relocated on Sunday. Other birds at Floyd Bennett during the week included a PHILADELPHIA VIREO Saturday and a BLUE GROSBEAK in the Community Garden from Monday through Thursday, and a POMARINE JAEGER (sitting unhappily, based on the photos) on a runway for a while on Wednesday.

In that same general area, a WESTERN KINGBIRD was found today around the Fishermen's Parking Lot at Breezy Point.

In other city parks, Central Park featured a BLUE GROSBEAK in the Ramble on Monday, and a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO was among the good mix of birds there Tuesday. Also on Tuesday, a flock of ~50 PINE SISKINS visited the Lake's Upper Lobe, and a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was reported at the north end on Thursday.

Prospect Park in Brooklyn featured a NELSON'S SPARROW along with a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and a late BLUE-WINGED WARBLER on Thursday.

At Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, the AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN was still on the East Pond Thursday, where it was joined by a LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER among the shorebirds and 15 SNOW GEESE among the waterfowl.

In Queens on Wednesday, a VESPER SPARROW was found Wednesday and again today at All Faith's Cemetery in Middle Village, and a BLUE GROSBEAK was there on Tuesday.

In Westchester County two AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS, found Sunday in Milton Harbor off Marshlands Conservancy in Rye, moved over to the Lakeside Playland Park for Monday through Wednesday, but have not been seen since.

A SEDGE WREN was reported today from an obscure location at Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx.

Out along the southern beaches of Long Island, some good coastal migration has certainly been topped by a heavy movement of PINE SISKINS. High morning counts last Sunday and again on Thursday and Friday produced totals close to 2,000 at sites such as Robert Moses State Park, Jones Beach West End, and even out east in the Montauk area, these sustained high numbers reaching epic proportions. Lesser numbers of PURPLE FINCHES have also joined the flight.

At Jones Beach West End there were two CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS together and a flyover DICKCISSEL at the Coast Guard Station hedgerow last Sunday, with perhaps a different CLAY-COLORED near field 2, and birds at Gilgo Saturday included a BLUE GROSBEAK and single CLAY-COLORED and LARK SPARROWS, the latter staying at least to Monday.

Among the other highlights at Robert Moses State Park last Sunday were three CASPIAN TERNS, both YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, and a HOODED WARBLER.

At Smith Point County Park in Shirley, a female YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was spotted in a Brown-headed Cowbird flock last Sunday, and two DICKCISSELS were noted there that day, while the summering GLAUCOUS GULL was still present there today.

Last Sunday a BLUE GROSBEAK and DICKCISSEL were seen along Town Lane in Amagansset.

Nice birds at the Theodore Roosevelt County Park in Montauk included BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO and BLUE GROSBEAK Sunday, and LARK and CLAY-COLORED SPARROW plus DICKCISSEL on Monday.

Two RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS and a PHILADELPHIA VIREO were at Camp Hero in Montauk Point State Park on Sunday, and two BALD EAGLES were spotted overhead there on Monday.

Another BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO and two CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS were present around Montauk Inlet Sunday, when two LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were also at Fort Pond.

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 ~