New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, September 5, 2014:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Sept. 5, 2014
* NYNY1409.05

- Birds Mentioned

BROWN BOOBY+
SANDWICH TERN+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

KING EIDER
Red-necked Grebe
Peregrine Falcon
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER
Piping Plover
Whimbrel
HUDSONIAN GODWIT
MARBLED GODWIT
Red Knot
Sanderling
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
BAIRD’S SANDPIPER
White-rumped Sandpiper
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER
Western Sandpiper
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Royal Tern
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo
Philadelphia Vireo
Veery
Swainson’s Thrush
Golden-winged Warbler
CONNECTICUT WARBLER
Scarlet Tanager
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Bobolink
Purple Finch


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 nysarc44nybirdsorg

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

Compiler: Tom Burke, Tony Lauro
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County

Transcriber: Gail Benson

[~BEGIN RBA TAPE~]
Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, September 5 at 6:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are shorebirds including AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, BAIRD’S and BUFFED-BREASTED SANDPIPERS, HUDSONIAN and MARBLED GODWITS, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, SANDWICH TERN, KING EIDER and CONNECTICUT WARBLER.

A fine week for shorebirds, the good variety including some of the more sought after species.

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge’s east pond continues to provide decent numbers and wonderful views, especially during the high tide cycle. Last Saturday, six HUDSONIAN GODWITS dropped in at the pond’s north end and one or two HUDSONIANS have remained there through today. Also on Saturday two BAIRD’S SANDPIPERS were seen, with at least one continuing to Thursday. Other unusual visitors featured an AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER Sunday, a PIPING PLOVER on Monday and a BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER Wednesday, with two there Thursday and today. There were also six PECTORAL SANDPIPERS found Monday and decent numbers of WESTERN, WHITE-RUMPED and STILT SANDPIPERS plus the occasional RED KNOT and SANDERLINGS among the more numerous visitors. PEREGRINE FALCONS do continue to harass the shorebirds on the pond.

Another very productive shorebird site has been Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes, birds using both the lower tide flats north of the parking lot and the large bar in the inlet viewable at distance from the beach along the inlet’s east side. A RED-NECKED PHALAROPE was seen on that bar Tuesday. Two WHIMBRELS on Sunday increased to three Monday, that day also producing an AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, a BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER and six HUDSONIAN GODWITS. Over twenty ROYAL TERNS have also been present at Cupsogue as well as at Tiana Beach to the east along Dune Road.

The flats at Mecox, where there are parking issues during the day, have also been rewarding. A MARBLED GODWIT was there Sunday to Tuesday, and among the other shorebirds there Monday were single AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, BAIRD’S SANDPIPER and WHIMBREL, plus eleven PECTORAL SANDPIPERS. A RED-NECKED GREBE also continues at Mecox.

A SANDWICH TERN was reported from Sagg Pond in Bridgehampton Tuesday, this another spot to check for shorebirds.

And, there are the sod fields north of Riverhead. The fields along the west side of Route 105 just south of Sound Avenue have featured a BAIRD’S SANDPIPER Sunday and still reported today, two BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS Thursday, PECTORAL SANDPIPER and a varying small number of AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS. Also in that area, 71 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS were counted Monday on the DeLea Sod Farm off Sound Avenue, and other surrounding fields could also be attractive to these grassland sandpipers.

Other shorebirds have featured MARBLED GODWIT and BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER Sunday and BAIRD’S SANDPIPER Monday at Plum Beach in Brooklyn, where the immature male KING EIDER was again spotted last Sunday, and an AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER and two WHIMBRELS in the swale at Jones Beach West End in front of Field 2 Monday. A GULL-BILLED TERN was still on the West End bar today, and six LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS continue on the beach in front of field 2.

An interesting report from August 29th of a probable BROWN BOOBY moving south past Fort Tilden at a distance reminds us to keep an eye on the ocean.

For land birds, a CONNECTICUT WARBLER was being seen occasionally in Prospect Park Wednesday through today near the Upper and Lower Pools, and other sparsely seen migrants have included BLACK-BILLED and YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOOS and PHILADELPHIA VIREO. An immature GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER was reported in Alley Pond Park Monday and a male GOLDEN-WINGED was there this afternoon. In all, over 20 species of warblers have been moving through, generally in fairly low numbers, as have many of the other seasonal migrants, including VEERY, SWAINSON’S THRUSH, various flycatchers and vireos, SCARLET TANAGER, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, BOBOLINK and even PURPLE FINCH.

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