New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, April 12, 2013:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Apr. 12, 2013
* NYNY1304.12

- Birds mentioned

Blue-winged Teal
TUFTED DUCK
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Northern Gannet
Broad-winged Hawk
Piping Plover
Spotted Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Pectoral Sandpiper
Purple Sandpiper
American Woodcock
ICELAND GULL
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL
RAZORBILL
Short-eared Owl
Chimney Swift
Northern Flicker
Blue-headed Vireo
Common Raven
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
American Robin
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Pine Warbler
Palm Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Chipping Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
LAPLAND LONGSPUR
Rusty Blackbird
Baltimore Oriole
Purple Finch
White-winged Crossbill
Common Redpoll
Pine Siskin

- 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@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

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, April 12th 2013 at 9pm. The highlights of today's tape are TUFTED DUCK, HARLEQUIN DUCK, ICELAND GULL, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, RAZORBILL, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, LAPLAND LONGSPUR and Spring migration.

The TUFTED DUCK was still present through Thursday at Heckscher Museum Pond Park in Huntington. Three HARLEQUIN DUCKS were seen last Saturday at Point Lookout and a single HARLEQUIN DUCK was seen also on Saturday at Montauk Point where today in heavy weather 143 RAZORBILLS and 55 NORTHERN GANNETS were counted. An ICELAND GULL appeared Sunday at the 35th Street overlook at Coney Island in Brooklyn and yesterday a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was seen at the Maidstone Golf Course in East Hampton.

A YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER was closely observed Monday at the picnic area at Hempstead Lake State Park, a LAPLAND LONGSPUR seen last week at the gazebo area near the Coast Guard Station at Jones Beach West End was joined by another LAPLAND LONGSPUR in full breeding plumage last Saturday.

Spring migration was fair during the early part of the week with good numbers of GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS, lesser numbers of RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, fair numbers of PALM WARBLERS and PINE WARBLERS with reports of 7 individual LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH.

All five swallow species were seen Hempstead Lake on Saturday along with good numbers of CHIMNEY SWIFTS. NORTHERN PARULA, YELLOW WARBLER, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER and COMMON YELLOWTHROAT appeared this week.

An early hawkwatch at Hook Mountain in Rockland County counted over 150 hawks highlighted by 60 to 70 BROAD-WINGED HAWKS.

Interesting migrants in an unusual habitat were 2 AMERICAN WOODCOCK found in Bryant Park in Manhattan on Monday. One bird was lingering through Thursday.

There were 4 reports of BLUE-HEADED VIREO from Clove Lakes Park in Staten Island, Central Park and Prospect Park and 4 BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS were seen in Central Park on Tuesday when a BALTIMORE ORIOLE also seen. RUSTY BLACKBIRDS, CHIPPING SPARROWS, NORTHERN FLICKERS and AMERICAN ROBINS have passed through our area in good numbers during the week.

COMMON RAVENS have appeared throughout the entire area this week from Montauk to the Hamptons to Brooklyn to Staten Island.

The 2 BLUE-WINGED TEAL were still present last Saturday at Hempstead Lake and another BLUE-WINGED TEAL was at the West Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge on Sunday.

A remarkable number of 31 PIPING PLOVERS were seen Sunday at Point Lookout and there were 3 reports of multiple LESSER YELLOWLEGS in the area. A SPOTTED SANDPIPER was at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens on Wednesday, PECTORAL SANDPIPER at Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area on Sunday and 2 lingering PURPLE SANDPIPERS were at Point Lookout on Saturday.

A SHORT-EARED OWL was seen Sunday at Croton Point Park where a VESPER SPARROW also appeared.

Lingering WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were: 3 at the Bronx Zoo on Wednesday, 4 at Marshlands Conservancy last Saturday, 7 at Prospect Park Thursday along with a COMMON REDPOLL on Saturday.

There was a PINE SISKIN at Central Park on Tuesday and a PURPLE FINCH was at Hoyt Farm in Commack Monday and Tuesday.

To phone in reports on Long Island, call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126, or during 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