New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, August 29, 2014:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Aug. 29, 2014
* NYNY1408.29

- Birds mentioned

AUDUBON'S SHEARWATER+
COMMON RINGED PLOVER+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

King Eider
Cory's Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
Wilson's Storm-Petrel
Northern Gannet
Bald Eagle
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER
AMERICAN AVOCET
Solitary Sandpiper
Whimbrel
HUDSONIAN GODWIT
MARBLED GODWIT
Western Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
Royal Tern
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Cape May Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
LARK SPARROW
BLUE GROSBEAK
DICKCISSEL

- 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, August 29th 2014 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are COMMON RINGED PLOVER, AMERICAN AVOCET, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, MARBLED GODWIT, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, AUDUBON'S SHEARWATER, DICKCISSEL, BLUE GROSBEAK and LARK SPARROW.

Last Sunday at Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes a male COMMON RINGED PLOVER was skillfully picked out from among the shorebirds gathered on the mudflats north of the Cupsogue parking lot. The bird was shortly lost as the tide dropped further and the shorebirds spread out. But later in the afternoon as the tide was rising the plover again appeared on the flats where it was nicely photographed. Regrettably the bird did not do the same routine on Monday and has not been relocated since.

Also on the flats at Cupsogue one or two MARBLED GODWITS have been spending time between the flats themselves on the large bar that opens up in the inlet just to the west. Showing very different behavior on Monday an HUDSONIAN GODWIT stopped for less than a minute on the flats before continuing east similar to an earlier WHIMBREL that at least stayed for a few minutes. Other shorebirds there featured two quick visits from an AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER Monday and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER while ROYAL TERN numbers have grown to over 20. Offshore Monday morning were single CORY'S SHEARWATER and NORTHERN GANNET.

At Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge the successful Shorebird Festival last Saturday featured very nice looks at a MARBLED GODWIT on the East Pond with a decent variety of other shorebirds there including several WESTERN SANDPIPERS plus a flyover adult BALD EAGLE. A BAIRD'S SANDPIPER showed up on the East Pond Wednesday and continued at least through Thursday.

An AMERICAN AVOCET was seen today in the tidal marsh at the Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area where SOLITARY SANDPIPERS and juvenile WESTERN SANDPIPER were in the pools along the boardwalk by the ballfields west of Jones Beach field 2 last Saturday.

A young male KING EIDER was spotted today off Plumb Beach in Brooklyn and a WHIMBREL also appeared there. Three AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS were at Floyd Bennett Field today.

A fishing trip to Block Canyon Wednesday noted 3 CORY'S SHEARWATER, one SOOTY SHEARWATER and 20 AUDUBON'S SHEARWATERS plus 71 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS.

Some interesting landbirds this past week began with a DICKCISSEL at the Marine Park Saltmarsh Nature Center in Brooklyn and an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER at Floyd Bennett Field last Saturday these followed by a BLUE GROSBEAK in Brooklyn's Green-wood Cemetery and a LARK SPARROW at Heckscher State Park both on Sunday. An early CAPE MAY WARBLER was spotted at Leeds Pond Preserve in Manhasset last Sunday and a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT appeared at Jones Beach West End today. Other recently reported warblers have included BAY-BREASTED, PRAIRIE and HOODED plus the expected early migration species. Even RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH appeared locally Thursday.

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