New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, May 3, 2013

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* May. 3, 2013
* NYNY1305.03

- Birds mentioned

RUFF+
SAY'S PHOEBE+
SMITH'S LONGSPUR+ (Ulster County, New York)
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Northern Gannet
Black Vulture
Semipalmated Plover
Upland Sandpiper
WHIMBREL
Red Knot
Short-billed Dowitcher
GULL-BILLED TERN
PARASITIC JAEGER
Razorbill
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Red-eyed Vireo
Common Raven
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
Nashville Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Prairie Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
KENTUCKY WARBLER
Hooded Warbler
SUMMER TANAGER
Grasshopper Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Bobolink
Boat-tailed Grackle
Orchard Oriole
White-winged Crossbill
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, May 3rd 2013 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are SAY'S PHOEBE, SMITH'S LONGSPUR, SUMMER TANAGER, PROTHONOTARY WARBLER, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, KENTUCKY WARBLER, PARASITIC JAEGER, GULL-BILLED TERN, WHIMBREL and RED-HEADED WOODPECKER.

Two great Spring rarities showed up last weekend. On Saturday a SAY'S PHOEBE was identified in Prospect Park and for much of the day it stayed in a Sumac stand on the north side of the Peninsula Meadow to the enjoyment of many gathered birders. Apparently a first year bird the Say's was nicely documented photographically and was subsequently rumored to have been present the day before. It was not seen after Saturday.

Then on Sunday north of the city at the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge north of Wallkill in Ulster County a male SMITH'S LONGSPUR in nice plumage was spotted in the afternoon. A rather elusive bird it was finally relocated Monday afternoon and then on Tuesday providing birders with much more accommodating views. Some excellent photos were taken Tuesday but the Longspur, New York's third record and first for the Spring, was not relocated after Tuesday. UPLAND SANDPIPER, BOBOLINK and GRASSHOPPER SPARROW were among the other birds at the grasslands.

Despite the continued abysmal winds for migration that we've been having some interesting Spring migrants have been arriving. The season's first PROTHONOTARY WARBLER was found last Friday, April 26th, at Cranberry Bog County Park in Riverhead and this was followed by reports of PROTHONOTARY from Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn on Tuesday and then from Muttontown Preserve yesterday but not today.

Meanwhile the good run of YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS continues one was seen in Prospect Park in Brooklyn Sunday along with such other warblers as KENTUCKY WARBLER, HOODED WARBLER, BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER, PRAIRIE WARBLER and the Prospect YELLOW-THROATED was noted again on Tuesday. Another YELLOW-THROATED was spotted last Saturday at Inwood Hill Park in northern Manhattan with a third at Clove Lakes Park on Staten Island on Tuesday. Another welcome Spring arrival was a SUMMER TANAGER at Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn last Sunday.

The 2 RUFFS at Timberpoint Golf Course East Marina Marsh were reported as recently as Tuesday but we have no subsequent information. Enter the golf course from Great River Road and follow the signs to the East Marina to view the marsh.

A WHIMBREL was seen in Big Egg Marsh south of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge on Thursday.

Out at Jones Beach the adult RED-HEADED WOODPECKER along Bay Parkway was still near the field 10 entrance on Tuesday and 2 GULL-BILLED TERNS have been appearing with some regularity on the bar off the West End Coast Guard Station. Shorebirds off field 10 Saturday included RED KNOT and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER and 3 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS were at Jamaica Bay on Sunday.

Out east sea watches off Amagansett produced a PARASITIC JAEGER last Sunday and a RAZORBILL Monday along with lots of NORTHERN GANNETS, scoters and loons. Five BOAT-TAILED GRACKLES at Napeague on Sunday were very unusual that far east.

Among the other recent arrivals have been WOOD THRUSH, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, RED-EYED VIREO, a CAPE MAY WARBLER at Clove Lakes Park on Staten Island Saturday, NASHVILLE WARBLER, CERULEAN WARBLER at Doodletown Road Monday, BOBOLINK, ORCHARD ORIOLE and LINCOLN'S SPARROW.

Lingering WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS include 2 still at the Bronx Zoo Tuesday, 1 in Prospect Park along with 5 PINE SISKINS Wednesday and at least 6 WHITE-WINGEDS at Marshlands Conservancy in Rye to Thursday including a couple of interesting fairly heavily streaked individuals.

Also still noteworthy are the increasing numbers of local COMMON RAVENS and BLACK VULTURES. The Ravens settling into various nesting areas and the Vultures still moving through.

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