New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, October 10, 2014:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Oct. 10, 2014
* NYNY1410.10

- Birds Mentioned

SAY’S PHOEBE+
NORTHERN WHEATEAR+
BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

EURASIAN WIGEON
Red-necked Grebe
Black-bellied Plover
American Golden-Plover
American Oystercatcher
Whimbrel
HUDSONIAN GODWIT
MARBLED GODWIT
BAIRD’S SANDPIPER
Caspian Tern
Royal Tern
Black Skimmer
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
PHILADELPHIA VIREO
Common Raven
American Pipit
CONNECTICUT WARBLER
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
GRASSHOPPER SPARROW
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Rusty Blackbird
Purple Finch
Pine Siskin

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, October 10th at
6:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are NORTHERN WHEATEAR, SAY’S PHOEBE, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, EURASIAN WIGEON, MARBLED and HUDSONIAN GODWITS, BAIRD’S SANDPIPER, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, PHILADELPHIA VIREO, CONNECTICUT WARBLER, and CLAY-COLORED and GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS.

Happily, the NORTHERN WHEATEAR found Wednesday October 1 at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn continued at that site through the weekend, but unfortunately it could be very difficult to locate at times as it ranged around the eastern tip of the park. It was actually easier to find Saturday in the driving wind and rain than on much improved Sunday, when seen only briefly. It posed nicely for photographs Tuesday, but just a single e-bird report from Wednesday might have marked its departure, though its reclusive habits at times give some hope it may still linger there.

Another very nice find was a SAY’S PHOEBE spotted Sunday at the Edgemere Landfill, now also known as Rockaway Community Park, in Far Rockaway. This capped landfill, covered with fairly dense low vegetation but providing numerous perches, many used by the Phoebe, is reached from the northern terminus of Beach 51st Street. A very narrow gravel road encircles and crosses over the landfill, so be careful if using it. The Phoebe was not seen after Sunday, when other birds present included numerous hunting hawks, including three species of falcons.

Perhaps the most intriguing report of the week was a BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK at Heckscher State Park on Wednesday morning. Subsequent searches for this bird had uncertain results, and the key would be to separate this bird from what can be an extremely similar plumage in 1st fall male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. The Heckscher bird was initially heard calling, a slightly different note than that of Rose-breasted, and the darker upper mandible was noted, a field mark for Black-Headed but perhaps not as consistent among 1st fall birds. Unfortunately the color of the wing linings was not seen, this a more positive point of separation. Photographs of this bird would be much desired.

At Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge the drake EURASIAN WIGEON was still on the East Pond Wednesday, and a BAIRD’S SANDPIPER found on the pond Sunday was joined by a 2nd as of Wednesday. Other birds noted on Wednesday included CASPIAN TERN, COMMON RAVEN and AMERICAN PIPIT, and an HUDSONIAN GODWIT was spotted flying by the former West Pond last Saturday, that area apparently in too poor a condition to induce it to land.

Other shorebirds locally featured an AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER at Floyd Bennett Field with BLACK-BELLIEDS on Saturday, 2 MARBLED GODWITS flying over Plumb Beach Saturday morning, and a WHIMBREL at Jones Beach West End Tuesday. Other birds at Jones Beach West End included the large gatherings of AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS, and BLACK SKIMMERS, and ROYAL TERN.

Two RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were noted Thursday at Robert Moses State Park, these among a decent coastal flight that also featured a good number of PINE SISKINS and PURPLE FINCHES, plus a few RUSTY BLACKBIRDS. A larger flight Friday morning along the coast featured many hundred PINE SISKINS and a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER again at Moses.

One or two PHILADELPHIA VIREOS and a decent variety of warblers continue to be seen, a CONNECTICUT WARBLER was reported at Hoyt Farm Park in Commack, today and a large influx of sparrows Thursday and today included a GRASSHOPPER at Jamaica Bay yesterday, a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW in Brookhaven today, and several LINCOLN’S.

The RED-NECKED GREBE was still at Mecox Saturday.

To phone in reports, on Long Island call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126, or weekdays call Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483 <%28212%29%20372-1483>.

This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.

- End transcript