New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, September 20, 2013:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Sep. 20, 2013
* NYNY1309.20

- Birds mentioned

SAY'S PHOEBE+
BELL'S VIREO+
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

MARBLED GODWIT
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo
Red-headed Woodpecker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
WESTERN KINGBIRD
Philadelphia Vireo
American Pipit
Golden-winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Connecticut Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Clay-colored Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Blue Grosbeak
Dickcissel

- 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)
125 Pine Springs Drive
Ticonderoga, NY 12883

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, September 20th 2013 at 8pm. The highlights of today's tape are BELL'S VIREO, SAY'S PHOEBE, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, WESTERN KINGBIRD, MARBLED GODWIT, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER and more.

Some excellent landbirds appeared this week but none stayed around very long. These were certainly topped by the "Eastern" BELL'S VIREO found and nicely photographed late in the day last Monday at Kissena Park in Queens. So a number of birders gathered there early Tuesday morning only one reported a brief sighting and the bird was not otherwise encountered then or on subsequent days.

Another highlight was the SAY'S PHOEBE seen Wednesday morning near the hawkwatch site at Robert Moses State Park this bird quickly disappearing to the west. The hawkwatch is located at the eastern end of the Moses Parkway with parking available on field 5. A female type YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was also photographed near the hawkwatch at Robert Moses on Monday morning but did not linger however a birder looking for it found a second similarly plumaged YELLOW-HEADED at nearby Captree State Park this bird stayed a little longer into late Monday afternoon and analysis of photos seems to indicate these were two separate birds. Last Saturday produced two WESTERN KINGBIRDS at about the same time in the morning one at Robert Moses State Park field 2 and the other at Smith Point County Park in Shirley neither one was relocated after it continued moving to the west.

Reviewing the other unusual though expected landbirds were some coastal DICKCISSELS included one at Riis Park Saturday when two were noted at Robert Moses State Park with one there Monday plus one at Jones Beach West End Sunday and another at Staten Island's Mount Loretto Park on Tuesday. Single BLUE GROSBEAKS were at Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn Saturday, East Hampton on Sunday and visiting Prospect Park Wednesday and Thursday.

A nice push of RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS last weekend included singles at Inwood Hill Park in northern Manhattan, Van Cortlandt Park in The Bronx and Connetquot River State Park all on Saturday while Sunday provided one at Jones Beach West End and another at Owl's Head Park in Brooklyn. Over a dozen PHILADELPHIA VIREOS were seen with multiples at Sands Point on Saturday and in Prospect Park Sunday. Other locations with a PHILADELPHIA from Saturday to Wednesday included well visited areas like Central Park, Alley Pond Park in Queens, Jones Beach West End and Floyd Bennett Field as well as Rocky Point, Fort Totten and two Staten Island sites. A single CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was at Jones Beach West End field 2 on Sunday.

Among the warblers a GOLDEN-WINGED was at Strack Pond in Forest Park Queens Thursday and a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was spotted in Central Park Sunday and Thursday. Three reports of CONNECTICUT WARBLER included Central Park and Bryant Park Saturday and Rocky Point Preserve Monday while MOURNING WARBLER sites included Prospect Park and Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Other warblers that were more widespread included TENNESSEE, decent numbers of CAPE MAYS, BAY-BREASTED, WORM-EATING, WILSON'S and even a few HOODED.

Both cuckoos (YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO) were seen in small numbers and OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER was at Sands Point Saturday and other sightings featured YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, AMERICAN PIPIT and LINCOLN'S SPARROW.

The East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge featured MARBLED GODWIT and BAIRD'S SANDPIPER Wednesday and after. Four MARBLED GODWITS were still at Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes Saturday with another at Shinnecock yesterday.

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