New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, August 1, 2014:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Aug. 1, 2014
* NYNY1408.01

- Birds mentioned

RED-NECKED GREBE
BROWN PELICAN
LEAST BITTERN
Merlin
AMERICAN AVOCET
UPLAND SANDPIPER
WHIMBREL
HUDSONIAN GODWIT
WESTERN SANDPIPER
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER
WILSON'S PHALAROPE
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Black Tern
Royal Tern
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Blue-winged Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush

- 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

(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, August 1st 2014 at 6pm. The highlights of today's tape are BROWN PELICAN, AMERICAN AVOCET, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, BAIRD'S, WESTERN, UPLAND SANDPIPERS, WHIMBREL, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, LEAST BITTERN and RED-NECKED GREBE.

A decent variety of shorebirds highlighted this week's regional activity with AMERICAN AVOCET appearing in three separate locations. On Monday two were found at the north end of the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge this total increasing to three on Tuesday but dropping down to one Wednesday through today. Another AVOCET was found Monday in an impoundment off the beach at Smith Point County Park about 3.5 miles east of the main parking area and was still present there today and a fifth AVOCET was seen at low tide Wednesday morning in the creek at Sunken Meadow State Park but not seen since.

Other highlights on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge during the week featured a WILSON'S PHALAROPE Tuesday plus one or two LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS and WESTERN and PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, a few STILT SANDPIPERS and some other more expected shorebirds. A GULL-BILLED TERN has also been seen on the East Pond unusually at the south end.

Out at Jones Beach West End an adult BAIRD'S SANDPIPER found last Saturday in one of the pools between the Roosevelt Nature Center and the West End 2 parking lot was still present there at least to Wednesday often seen in the grassy areas in the pool in front of the bird blind. Also at West End 14 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were counted in the West End 2 parking lot last Sunday and 3 WHIMBREL flew over that location on Monday.

Noted late last week a BROWN PELICAN was spotted off the Lemon Creek Pier on Staten Island last Friday.

Also out on the flats at Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes last Friday birders were treated to brief visits from an HUDSONIAN GODWIT and then a WHIMBREL, a PECTORAL SANDPIPER and 2 ROYAL TERNS were also there. On the large mudflat found by boaters in Moriches Bay Wednesday was covered with many shorebirds so they are out there.

Three UPLAND SANDPIPERS were heard and then seen moving over Rocky Point on Wednesday morning.

At the Mecox flats there was a WHIMBREL Monday and two BLACK TERNS Wednesday and a RED-NECKED GREBE has been residing there in the bay for awhile now and was still present yesterday.

WHIMBREL have again this year been visiting Cedar Point Park in Southold on Long Island's north fork. Also on the north fork a LEAST BITTERN was still being seen as of last Saturday from the observation tower at Arshamomaque Preserve off Chapel Lane just west of Greenport.

Landbird migration recently has featured a MERLIN or two, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and various generally regionally breeding warblers including BLUE-WINGED WARBLER, CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER and NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH and LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSHES with others also present or expected.

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