New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, June 7, 2013:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Jun. 7, 2013
* NYNY1306.07

- Birds mentioned

MISSISSIPPI KITE+
ARCTIC TERN+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Sooty Shearwater
CATTLE EGRET
Willet (subspecies "Western Willet")
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE
Black Tern
Roseate Tern
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo
Red-headed Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Gray-cheeked Thrush
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Mourning Warbler
SUMMER TANAGER
Nelson's Sparrow
Blue Grosbeak

- 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, June 7th 2013 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are MISSISSIPPI KITE, ARCTIC TERN, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, CATTLE EGRET, SUMMER TANAGER, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER and late Spring migrants.

As hoped for in this year of the 17 year cicada a couple of MISSISSIPPI KITES have appeared this week nicely timed with the local emergence of the cicadas. A KITE visited central Putnam County east of the Hudson River last Sunday just as colonies of cicadas were emerging at various sites along the Hudson Valley and then yesterday a MISSISSIPPI KITE was spotted on Staten Island spending the morning hours around the Cemetery of the Resurrection. This site is off Sharrott Avenue just north of its intersection with Hylan Boulevard just east of the Mount Loretto Unique Area. Two cicada emergences ago back in 1979 2 MISSISSIPPI KITES spent a week or more on Staten Island for the first New York State record.

Out at Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes another adult like ARCTIC TERN visited the flats north of the parking lot last Saturday when a "Western" WILLET appeared among the shorebirds gathering there and at nearby Pike's Beach. A few ROSEATE TERNS can usually be found among the terns loafing on the Cupsogue flats and a BLACK TERN was spotted there on Sunday. Additional ARCTIC TERN reports include an immature Wednesday and an adult type on Thursday.

Offshore pelagics only featured a few SOOTY SHEARWATERS during the past week but this storm could bring more.

A female RED-NECKED PHALAROPE was noted at Shinnecock Inlet last Saturday.

Two CATTLE EGRETS, perhaps post-breeding dispersals from more southerly colonies, appeared locally this week with one seen Tuesday around Gerritsen's Creek at Marine Park in Brooklyn. Another was spotted Tuesday off David White's Lane in Southampton. This individual possibly the one seen Wednesday at a traditionally reliable site for CATTLE EGRET in Bridgehampton this at the Mecox Dairy around the intersection of Halsey Lane and Mecox Road.

Otherwise, Spring migration, somewhat disappointing this year has reached its final stage with the anticipated late migrants for the most part continuing to move through. Late May to early June usually produces decent numbers of empidonax flycatchers and ACADIAN FLYCATCHER, ALDER FLYCATCHER and YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER have all been reported from Central Park this week. MOURNING WARBLER, the most sought after of the late warblers, has also appeared at several locations as have some cuckoos mostly YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH. An adult RED-HEADED WOODPECKER remained around the Central Park Ramble at least to Monday.

Other notable sightings featured a male SUMMER TANAGER near the waterhole in Forest Park on Tuesday and a continuing territorial YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER near the entrance to Connetquot River State Park. As a potential nester the latter bird of course should not be harassed with tape recordings.

In Westchester a BLUE GROSBEAK and a singing NELSON'S SPARROW were at Marshlands Conservancy in Rye on Wednesday.

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 transcript