New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, April 19, 2013:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* April 19, 2013
* NYNY1304.19

- Birds Mentioned:

RUFF+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

BRANT (subspecies "Black Brant")
Eurasian Wigeon
Blue-winged Teal
Red-necked Grebe
Northern Gannet
Little Blue Heron
Green Heron
Glossy Ibis
Virginia Rail
Rail (possible King Rail or Clapper x King hybrid)
Spotted Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet (subspecies "Western Willet")
Lesser Yellowlegs
Least Sandpiper
Forster's Tern
Razorbill
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
House Wren
Brown Thrasher
Blue-winged Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Black-and-white Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Vesper Sparrow
Saltmarsh Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Baltimore Oriole
Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill

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 (Long Island)

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, April 19th, at 7:00pm. The highlights of today's tape are RUFF, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, BLACK BRANT, and Spring Migrants.

Last Saturday two RUFFS were discovered in the marsh east of Timber Point Golf Club, and both were still noted there today. This club, just northeast of Heckscher State Park, is entered from the end of Great River Road. Follow the signs to East Marina, where there is a parking lot next to the marsh. The birds are seen off and on, usually around the pools in the marsh. One RUFF has acquired some heavy black spotting and other beginnings of breeding plumage, while the other, perhaps a first-year bird, is still in winter plumage. Other shorebirds at these pools since Saturday have included GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, WILLET, LEAST SANDPIPER, and SPOTTED SANDPIPER. Two BLUE-WINGED TEAL dropped by on Sunday, and six GLOSSY IBIS flew over, also on Sunday, while the lingering Black BRANT was also spotted in the cove south of the Marina, among the few hundred Atlantic BRANT still around the golf course. If visiting there, please do not go onto the golf course or otherwise disrupt the golf activities.

At least three migrant YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS were found this week. One, discovered at Alley Pond Park last Sunday, was still being seen in the vicinity of Little Alley Pond on Wednesday. A second was reported from Massapequa Preserve on Wednesday near the stream, in from Pittsburgh Avenue, and another was spotted Thursday at Hempstead Lake State Park in the usual birding area adjacent to parking lot 3, this where a Yellow-throated had also been seen on the 8th.

A good variety of other spring migrants also appeared or became more widespread during the week. GREEN HERON and LITTLE BLUE HERON were both noted, and a VIRGINIA RAIL was found huddled in a flower pot at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden on Wednesday, while today, a large rail, perhaps a dull female King Rail or a Clapper x King hybrid, was picked up at 9th Avenue and 55th Street in Manhattan and later released in appropriate habitat. FORSTER'S TERNS were noted around Jones Beach and at Jamaica Bay last weekend. Early arrivals included an EASTERN KINGBIRD reported Tuesday, BROWN THRASHER, some HOUSE WRENS, and at Prospect Park, a YELLOW-THROATED VIREO last Saturday, followed by a WHITE-EYED VIREO yesterday joining some regional BLUE-HEADED VIREOS.

Among the roughly 17 species of warblers so far reported, the more unusual included a few NORTHERN PARULA, YELLOW WARBLER, BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, OVENBIRD, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, and COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, plus a BLUE-WINGED WARBLER in Central Park on Wednesday, a CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER today at Oakland Lake in Queens, joining a HOODED WARBLER found there yesterday, a WORM-EATING WARBLER in Prospect Park Wednesday, and a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge's North Garden last Saturday. BALTIMORE ORIOLE, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, and SALTMARSH SPARROW have also been observed, and a VESPER SPARROW was in Central Park on Wednesday.

A PILEATED WOODPECKER spotted at Inwood Hill Park today is unusual for Manhattan. Three Western WILLETS were photographed at the Levy Preserve off the Meadowbrook Parkway last Sunday, and the unhappy-looking RED-NECKED GREBE was still in the Captree State Park boat basin on Sunday.

EURASIAN WIGEON was reported from Massapequa Preserve today, but we are not sure how many individuals are involved.

A flock of RED CROSSBILLS continues at Maple Swamp County Park in Flanders, this off Pleasure Drive, while one or two WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS remain in Prospect Park, with up to 20 seen at Marshlands Conservancy in Rye this week.

Sea watches off East Hampton had lots of loons and gannets early in the week, as well as some RAZORBILLS: 67 counted Saturday, and 99 on Tuesday. NORTHERN GANNETS have again this spring entered western Long Island Sound, with good numbers off Westchester and northern Long Island.

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 ~