New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, September 19, 2014:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Sep. 19, 2014
* NYNY1409.19

- Birds mentioned

SABINE'S GULL+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Northern Gannet
Bald Eagle
Broad-winged Hawk
American Golden-Plover
Whimbrel
HUDSONIAN GODWIT
MARBLED GODWIT
Wilson's Snipe
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Caspian Tern
Black Tern
Royal Tern
Parasitic Jaeger
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo
Common Nighthawk
Red-headed Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER
Cape May Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
Worm-eating Warbler
CONNECTICUT WARBLER
Mourning Warbler
LARK SPARROW
Lincoln's Sparrow
Purple Finch

- 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, September 19th 2014 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are SABINE'S GULL, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, MARBLED GODWIT, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, PROTHONOTARY WARBLER, CONNECTICUT WARBLER and LARK SPARROW.

Certainly this week's highlight was a juvenile SABINE'S GULL spotted moving east off Montauk Point early last Saturday morning. A two and a half hour seawatch also produced 6 PARASITIC JAEGERS, a BLACK TERN and 5 NORTHERN GANNETS while Sunday contributed 3 PARASITIC JAEGERS. This is a good spot to see Parasitics in the Fall especially when terns and Laughing Gulls are present in high numbers off the point.

Shorebird numbers have been declining recently especially at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge where Peregrine and Merlin harassment on the East Pond has been part of the problem. A CASPIAN TERN has been visiting the East Pond periodically and another has been seen several times at Jones Beach West End where 8 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were present in the West End 2 parking lot last Saturday. A West End shorebird gathering on the bar off the Coast Guard Station at high tide has recently featured both HUDSONIAN and MARBLED GODWITS with the latter still there Wednesday. An AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER was also on the bar last Saturday and 2 put down briefly at Brooklyn's Plumb Beach on Saturday.

Interesting and unexpected was a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE at Nickerson Beach just west of Point Lookout in the rain last Saturday. Also on Saturday a WHIMBREL was spotted at Fort Tilden where an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was also seen. Another ORANGE-CROWNED was among the moderate number of warblers at Alley Pond Park last Saturday while a couple of PHILADELPHIA VIREOS were reported there Sunday and a CONNECTICUT WARBLER was found there today.

A nice Fall find was a PROTHONOTARY WARBLER in Brooklyn's Prospect Park Wednesday and Thursday. Only a moderate number of warblers has been noted in Prospect mirroring the situation in much of the region. The migration generally being slow to quite disappointing depending on where you are. Other reports from Prospect Thursday included ACADIAN FLYCATCHER and PHILADELPHIA VIREO while in Central Park recent highlights featured a WILSON'S SNIPE last Saturday and a continuing immature RED-HEADED WOODPECKER to Tuesday. An adult RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was spotted at Riis Park today. A MOURNING WARBLER was in Queens Sunday morning and other more unusual warblers recently have included WORM-EATING, BAY-BREASTED and CAPE MAY. PHILADELPHIA VIREOS have been noted at several sites during the week and other interesting landbirds have included BLACK-BILLED and YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOOS, YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, various thrushes, YELLOW-THROATED and BLUE-HEADED VIREOS, LINCOLN'S SPARROW and PURPLE FINCH.

Farther east on Long Island a LARK SPARROW was found Thursday at Shirley Marina County Park. A CASPIAN TERN joined two ROYAL TERNS at Mecox on Sunday.

Some decent BROAD-WINGED HAWK flights have taken place at local hawk sites recently but no huge numbers have come through locally. Some BALD EAGLES have also joined these flights and should continue especially on days with good northwest winds. And now most of the COMMON NIGHTHAWKS have pushed through our area by now. Some do remain including 121 that were counted Monday evening over Lattingtown near the border with Glen Cove.

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