New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, October 18, 2013:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Oct. 18, 2013
* NYNY1310.18

- Birds mentioned

Blue-winged Teal
RED-NECKED GREBE
Tricolored Heron
SORA
Western Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER
Wilson's Snipe
Royal Tern
Common Nighthawk
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Orange-crowned Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Hooded Warbler
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
Vesper Sparrow
LARK SPARROW
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)
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, October 18th 2013 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER, BLUE GROSBEAK, LARK SPARROW, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, RED-NECKED GREBE, SORA and more RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS.

A fairly lackluster week was highlighted by a BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER last Monday on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. The bird ultimately pushed off due to falcon harassment. Other shorebirds on the East Pond and the now reopened refuge have included WESTERN SANDPIPER and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS and TRICOLORED HERON was still at the bay Tuesday.

At Kissena Park in Queens a BLUE GROSBEAK was present in the corridor from Sunday to at least Wednesday with an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER also there Wednesday. A mature RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was noted in that park Tuesday and Thursday this species continuing its excellent run locally this Fall. Other RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS during the week featured an increasing number at Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx with at least 4 there Tuesday and later near Turtle Cove and another in Central Park Sunday. Two were also at Inwood Hill Park in northern Manhattan today.

Other recent sightings in Central Park have included 4 BLUE-WINGED TEAL on the lake Tuesday, WILSON'S SNIPE Tuesday, a late COMMON NIGHTHAWK still present Wednesday evening, a small number of lingering CAPE MAY WARBLERS frequenting sapsucker drillings on the west side of the Great Hill and elsewhere. Two VESPER SPARROWS last Sunday at the Pinetum and north end and CLAY-COLORED SPARROW found today. [Editor's note: ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was seen late in the afternoon on Friday in Central Park's Wildflower Meadow.]

A SORA in the swamp along Prospect Park Lake last weekend, apparently a different bird from the one present a week earlier, was not as unexpected by location as the one frequenting flower beds in Bryant Park in Manhattan from last Friday through yesterday. A HOODED WARBLER was also in Prospect Park from Sunday to at least Thursday.

Drier Offerman Park (Calvert Vaux Park) in Brooklyn has had a nice run of birds recently. RED-NECKED GREBE was present in Coney Island Creek there from Saturday to Monday and Saturday also added ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and LARK SPARROW with a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW there Monday. Another ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was reported on Staten Island Monday and another CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was at Zach's Bay at Jones Beach last Saturday and 3 ROYAL TERNS were at Jones Beach West End.

NELSON'S SPARROWS continue in fairly good numbers along coastal marshes some recent locations including Plumb Beach in Brooklyn, Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx, Marshlands Conservancy in Westchester and Gardiner's County Park in Bay Shore as well as Cupsogue County Park and presumably all along Dune Road for instance on eastern Long Island.

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