New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, August 2, 2013:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Aug. 2, 2013
* NYNY1308.02

- Birds mentioned

RUFF+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Great Shearwater
AMERICAN AVOCET
Whimbrel
HUDSONIAN GODWIT
MARBLED GODWIT
Red Knot
Sanderling
Western Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER
GULL-BILLED TERN
Caspian Tern
Black Tern
Roseate Tern
Royal Tern
Louisiana Waterthrush
VESPER SPARROW
Orchard Oriole

- 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 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

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, August 2nd 2013 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are RUFF, AMERICAN AVOCET, MARBLED GODWIT, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, GULL-BILLED TERN and VESPER SPARROW.

Shorebirding on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge continues to be rewarding while the number of birds has been fluctuating recently as the adults continue moving south and we await the arrival of this year's juveniles.

A molting male RUFF was last seen on the pond last Saturday and a female AMERICAN AVOCET was also present up to Saturday on the pond with apparently a different female appearing for a short while on the pond on Tuesday. Other shorebirds have included a breeding plumaged LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER at the pond's north end Saturday and Sunday and another today. A dozen or more STILT SANDPIPERS were there last weekend but today's total reached 93. One or two WESTERN and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS have also been reported along with visits last Sunday by such less common East Pond shorebirds as RED KNOT and SANDERLING. Decent numbers of the regular species continue but are often pushed around by hunting Peregrines so to keep the disturbance on the pond at a minimum please remember to walk as close to the phragmites edge as possible and preceding groups were prudent to lessen the pressure on the foraging shorebirds. Also at Jamaica Bay GULL-BILLED TERN has been visiting the area around the cut at the south end of the former West Pond and was also noted at the north end of the East Pond Sunday.

A MARBLED GODWIT, since at least July 25th through today, has been along the beach at Breezy Point just west of Fort Tilden and yesterday 6 HUDSONIAN GODWITS were also reported flying by. Unfortunately access to this area is somewhat difficult since Fort Tilden is currently closed to the public and parking at Breezy Point requires a day pass or a seasonal fishing permit.

WHIMBREL were present at Cow Meadow in Freeport recently and at least 3 also continue at Cedar Point Beach in Southold on Long Island's north fork both of these sites traditionally productive for this species. Also on the north fork 9 ROYAL TERNS were on Robin's Island a regular site which can be viewed from the end of New Suffolk Avenue in Mattituck.

Single GULL-BILLED and ROYAL TERNS were on the bar off Jones Beach West End on Sunday and so as to not disregard passerines altogether a VESPER SPARROW was spotted Sunday at the Roosevelt Nature Center at Jones Beach West End.

Some single brooded or disrupted landbirds are moving south or at least around locally now and it is a good time to watch for LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH and a few other warblers and ORCHARD ORIOLE for instance.

At Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes last Sunday evening a GREAT SHEARWATER was offshore and terns included a few ROSEATE TERN, ROYAL TERN and BLACK TERN. Two CASPIAN TERNS were at the mouth of the Croton River at Croton Point in Westchester County last Sunday.

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