New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, April 26, 2013:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* April 26, 2013
* NYNY1304.26

- Birds Mentioned:

WHITE-FACED IBIS+
SWALLOW-TAILED KITE+
RUFF+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

BRANT (subspecies "Black Brant")
Harlequin Duck
Red-necked Grebe
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Glossy Ibis
Sora
SANDHILL CRANE
Solitary Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
Razorbill
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-headed Woodpecker
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Blue-winged Warbler
"Lawrence's" Warbler
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Prairie Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
American Redstart
Worm-eating Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Saltmarsh Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
BLUE GROSBEAK
Indigo Bunting
Boat-tailed Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
White-winged Crossbill
Evening Grosbeak

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 26th, at 8:00pm. The highlights of today's tape are SWALLOW-TAILED KITE, WHITE-FACED IBIS, SANDHILL CRANE, RUFF, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, BLACK BRANT, BLUE GROSBEAK, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER and Spring Migrants.

This year's winner of the "Who will spot the SWALLOW-TAILED KITE?" contest was standing in Van Cortlandt Park Thursday morning when one flew over the Parade Grounds, heading west. This species seems very reluctant to hang out in New York for very long. The award may need to be shared, though, as a SWALLOW-TAILED was also reported flying over Hartsdale, Westchester County, on Thursday evening.

Last Sunday morning an adult WHITE-FACED IBIS was found roosting with 20+ Glossy Ibis in the cove just north of the southwest corner of the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. A SORA also came out of the phragmites briefly in the same area. After the ibis departed, it could not be relocated. With the West Pond corrupted by a bad tidal breach, it is not likely the White-faced will visit the north end there as regularly as in past years, so determining its new habits will be challenging. Large trenches at the south end of the East Pond will also make traversing that area impossible, so please address these concerns with Jamaica Bay personnel.

The two RUFFS at the East Marina at the Timber Point Golf Club have been quite reliable through today, in the marsh, though patience may be necessary until they come into view. Enter the Timber Point Golf Club from Great River Road and follow the sign to the East Marina, which has a parking lot and a dock from which the marsh can be scanned. Also watch for the Black Brant among the few hundred Atlantic Brant, these sometimes in the cove off the boat dock, but more likely on the golf course, where birders should not go.

A female RED-NECKED PHALAROPE was spotted last Sunday off Dune Road, west of Shinnecock Inlet, initially staying just off Road J, west of the Ponquogue Bridge. By Wednesday it had moved east of the bridge, near the boat docks, but we have no word since.

We also have a belated report of a SANDHILL CRANE at Croton Point Park in Westchester County on Thursday the 18th.

Among the nice variety of passerines now trickling in (and is anyone tired of these northwest winds yet??), a couple of BLUE GROSBEAKS have shown up: one at Fort Hero in Montauk last Sunday, and one on Shelter Island Monday.

A YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, somewhat elusive, was seen at Hempstead Lake State Park last Saturday and again today, this near McDonald Pond.

Today two GULL-BILLED TERNS showed up on the bar off the Coast Guard Station at Jones Beach West End, and along Bay Parkway an adult RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was found near the entrance to Jones Beach field
10.

Unusual birds in Prospect Park have featured a WORM-EATING WARBLER last weekend, a female EVENING GROSBEAK and a hybrid "LAWRENCE'S" WARBLER yesterday and a BLACKPOLL WARBLER today. HOODED WARBLER has visited Central Park, Alley Pond Park, and Oakland Lake in Queens, and a growing list of other warbler arrivals has included BLUE-WINGED WARBLER, NORTHERN PARULA, MAGNOLIA WARBLER, BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER, PRAIRIE WARBLER, and AMERICAN REDSTART.

Other passerines have featured EASTERN KINGBIRD, GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER, YELLOW-THROATED VIREO, WARBLING VIREO, BALTIMORE ORIOLE, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, INDIGO BUNTING, SALTMARSH SPARROW and SEASIDE SPARROW. Both LITTLE BLUE HERON and TRICOLORED HERON are back at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. New shorebirds include SOLITARY SANDPIPER, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, and LEAST SANDPIPER, and three CASPIAN TERNS were at Sagg Pond today, with two more at Mecox. Also noted have been a few RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS.

Otherwise, a female HARLEQUIN DUCK was at Point Lookout last Sunday, when a RED-NECKED GREBE was still at Captree State Park, and 48 RAZORBILLS were counted off Main Beach in East Hampton last Saturday.

Some WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS still around include nine today at Marshlands Conservancy in Rye, where there was also a BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE in the marsh.

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 ~