New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending April 11, 2014:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Apr. 11, 2014
* NYNY1404.11

- Birds mentioned

Blue-winged Teal
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Little Blue Heron
Green Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Glossy Ibis
Black Vulture
American Kestrel
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Wilson's Snipe
Laughing Gull
Iceland Gull
CASPIAN TERN
SNOWY OWL
Chimney Swift
Red-headed Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
NORTHERN SHRIKE
Blue-headed Vireo
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Northern Parula
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Pine Warbler
Palm Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Rusty Blackbird

- 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 nysarc44(at)nybirds{dot}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, April 11th 2014 at 8pm. The highlights of today's tape are Winter holdovers and Spring migrants including SNOWY OWL, NORTHERN SHRIKE, CASPIAN TERN and more.

The Spring season is evolving slowly with hints of more to come.

At Jones Beach West End both a SNOWY OWL and the over wintering NORTHERN SHRIKE were still present last Sunday. The shrike still west of field 2.

In addition ICELAND GULLS were noted during the week in Prospect Park on Tuesday as well as at Orient Point earlier in the week and at Shoreham today.

RED-NECKED GREBES also remain at some coastal sites but 9 in Jamaica Bay as seen from Floyd Bennett Field on Monday plus up to 3 on Prospect Park Lake this week and another on Central Park reservoir. Many HORNED GREBES also continue. Some of both grebes in nice plumage now.

Three nice Spring counts featured the lingering flock of PECTORAL SANDPIPERS at Sunken Meadow State Park with up to 24 reported, 36 AMERICAN KESTRELS counted at Floyd Bennett Field on Monday and 30 EASTERN PHOEBES in Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn Monday. A couple of CASPIAN TERNS were noted along the Hudson River on Tuesday.

BLUE-WINGED TEAL are now appearing at several appropriate locations and other arriving non-passerines have included GLOSSY IBIS, LITTLE BLUE and GREEN HERONS, YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, LAUGHING GULL, LEAST SANDPIPER and CHIMNEY SWIFT.

A WILSON'S SNIPE was present in Central Park Wednesday and Thursday and a BLACK VULTURE was a flyover there on Sunday. Other singles also seen locally during the week.

Arriving swallows joining widespread TREES and less common NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGEDS have been a small number of BARNS and a CLIFF SWALLOW or two starting with one at Hempstead Lake State Park Sunday. PURPLE MARTINS have also appeared on Long Island since last Saturday.

Other reports included HOUSE WREN, BLUE-HEADED VIREO with one in Central Park Thursday and a decent number of BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS arriving Thursday.

Among the warblers joining the fairly widespread PINE, PALM, YELLOW-RUMPED and LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSHES have been a pair of NORTHERN PARULAS in Calverton Monday, a WORM-EATING in Prospect Park Thursday and a couple of BLACK-AND-WHITES starting Thursday.

Other birds of note have been the lingering RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS at a few locations and some RUSTY BLACKBIRDS at various appropriate sites.

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