New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, September 27, 2013:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Sep. 27, 2013
* NYNY1309.27

- Birds mentioned

CORY'S SHEARWATER
GREAT SHEARWATER
Northern Gannet
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
American Golden-Plover
Whimbrel
BLACK-HEADED GULL
CASPIAN TERN
Black Skimmer
PARASITIC JAEGER
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Eastern Whip-poor-will
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
PHILADELPHIA VIREO
Winter Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Tennessee Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
CONNECTICUT WARBLER
Mourning Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
LARK SPARROW
NELSON'S SPARROW
Lincoln's Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
DICKCISSEL
Purple Finch

- 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 27th 2013 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are BLACK-HEADED GULL, CORY'S SHEARWATER, GREAT SHEARWATER, PARASITIC JAEGER, CASPIAN TERN, PHILADELPHIA VIREO, CONNECTICUT WARBLER, LARK SPARROW, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, NELSON'S SPARROW, DICKCISSEL and RED-HEADED WOODPECKER.

In a week of moderate migration and a decent number of sought after birds perhaps the most unexpected was an adult BLACK-HEADED GULL photographed Monday along the Fire Island beach front between Davis Park and Water Island this bird apparently present since the 14th.

A weather disturbance late last week brought a moderate sea flight to Montauk Point last Saturday morning with 5 or so PARASITIC JAEGERS plus good numbers of CORY'S SHEARWATER and a few GREAT SHEARWATERS seen between the point and Camp Hero. Some NORTHERN GANNETS were also noted and a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was at Camp Hero on Monday.

Four CASPIAN TERNS were at Smith Point County Park in Shirley last Saturday with another at Tobay Sunday.

Many of the interesting birds along the beach this week were seen at Robert Moses State Park. A LARK SPARROW was found Monday along the path from the hawkwatch to the lighthouse and was seen daily to Thursday when 2 were present. A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was also at Moses on Thursday and other species there featured GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH, CAPE MAY WARBLER, TENNESSEE WARBLER and other warblers, [...] LINCOLN'S SPARROWS and 2 BALD EAGLES on Monday.

Central Park certainly has exemplified the variety that can now be found regionally. An unusual Fall EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL appeared in the park today and the week has produced YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH, such warblers as TENNESSEE, CAPE MAY, BAY-BREASTED, WORM-EATING, CONNECTICUT, HOODED and WILSON'S and such sparrows as LINCOLN'S and WHITE-CROWNED.

Prospect Park has also produced CONNECTICUT WARBLER as well as MOURNING, HOODED and the like and featured a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER in mid week. Other reports of CONNECTICUT WARBLERS have come from Bryant and Riverside Parks, Randall's Island and from Powell's Cove Park in Queens where CONNECTICUT and MOURNING were both seen on Tuesday.

Floyd Bennett Field chipped in with a DICKCISSEL last Saturday and AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER and a PHILADELPHIA VIREO on Sunday.

Other notable sightings in and around the city limits included OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER in Kissena Park Wednesday, LARK SPARROW at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx on Saturday and NELSON'S SPARROW at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn on Monday.

A WHIMBREL was at Heckscher State Park Monday and 58 BLACK SKIMMERS were counted at Jones Beach West End last Saturday.

The migration has mostly shifted to its later stages as now appearing are such migrants as YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, WINTER WREN, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET and PURPLE FINCH among others.

Local hawkwatches are still going strong though most of the BROAD-WINGEDS have moved through variety is increasing. A brief two hour watch last Sunday at Playland Park in Rye did produce 9 BALD EAGLES and RED-SHOULDERED HAWK as well as a few BROAD-WINGEDS and 7 other species.

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