New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, May 30, 2014:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* May. 30, 2014
* NYNY1405.30

- Birds mentioned
LEACH'S STORM-PETREL+
WHITE-FACED IBIS+
RUFF+
ATLANTIC PUFFIN+
BICKNELL'S THRUSH+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

NORTHERN FULMAR
Cory's Shearwater
Great Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
Manx Shearwater
Wilson's Storm-Petrel
Red Knot
Red-necked Phalarope
RED PHALAROPE
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Black Tern
Roseate Tern
ARCTIC TERN
Royal Tern
Pomarine Jaeger
Parasitic Jaeger
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo
Common Nighthawk
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Gray-cheeked Thrush
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Mourning Warbler
LARK SPARROW
Lincoln'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 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, May 30th 2014 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are WHITE-FACED IBIS, RUFF, pelagic trip results including NORTHERN FULMAR, LEACH'S STORM-PETREL, RED PHALAROPE and ATLANTIC PUFFIN; ARCTIC TERN, LARK SPARROW, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER and more.

An adult WHITE-FACED IBIS spotted Wednesday morning at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge was seen again there Thursday morning. Look for the WHITE-FACED in the marsh south of the former West Pond in the vicinity of the Osprey platform where it cycles in and out of the marsh with the Glossy Ibis. WHITE-FACED has become an annual visitor to the bay in recent years and in the past has also occurred in the north marsh and at both the East and Big John's Ponds. Two GULL-BILLED TERNS and various herons have also been around the south marsh with the expected shorebirds including some RED KNOTS also using the tidal flats there and when at the bay please insist at the visitors center that they fill the West Pond breach and restore the freshwater pond.

A female RUFF appeared at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn Thursday morning but has not been relocated since the initial sightings.

This season's first ARCTIC TERN was identified at Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes Thursday occurring on the flats with a gathering of Common and other terns. ARCTIC TERN has been so well documented at this location in recent years that NYSARC no longer reviews records of this species from that specific location.

Seawatching along the south shore of Long Island produced one MANX and two SOOTY SHEARWATERS off Shinnecock Inlet last Saturday afternoon and one CORY'S and 11 SOOTY SHEARWATERS off Robert Moses State Park Wednesday morning. While on Friday morning a watch off Moses lot 2 produced two CORY'S and 20 SOOTY SHEARWATERS, 4 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS and a PARASITIC JAEGER. These however were only the tip of the iceberg as a private fishing boat last Sunday ventured out as far as the continental shelf south of Shinnecock and recorded 45 NORTHERN FULMARS, two MANX, one CORY'S, 14 GREAT and 383 SOOTY SHEARWATERS, one LEACH'S and 937 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS, one RED and 6 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, 3 POMARINE and 3 PARASITIC JAEGERS, 3 ATLANTIC PUFFINS and single BLACK and ROSEATE TERNS plus some nice cetaceans.

In the local parks the water drip at Riverside Park in northern Manhattan paid off this week with MOURNING WARBLER there Wednesday to Friday and a YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER first noted Tuesday at the drip and still singing near there on Thursday. To view the drip enter Riverside Park at 120th Street and Riverside Drive and go just south of the tennis courts.

A LARK SPARROW was found in Green-wood Cemetery Brooklyn last Saturday and a BLUE GROSBEAK was reported again in Prospect Park on Sunday.

This week the later appearing migrants featured a decent number of MOURNING WARBLERS and a good assortment of flycatchers including OLIVE-SIDED, ALDER, ACADIAN and YELLOW-BELLIED. Also noted were various thrushes including some GRAY-CHEEKED and a report or two of BICKNELL'S plus both cuckoos in better numbers than earlier.

A LINCOLN'S SPARROW was a Bryant Park highlight Wednesday and a COMMON NIGHTHAWK was roosting at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Saturday.

Three LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were at Robert Moses State Park this morning and an early ROYAL TERN appeared at Cupsogue last Monday.

With breeding season now upon us please remember to take extra care not to disturb nesting or territorial birds during this crucial period of their lives.

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