New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is an early, holiday edition of the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Wednesday, November 26, 2014:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Nov. 26, 2014
* NYNY1411.26

- Birds Mentioned

COMMON GROUND-DOVE+
CASSIN’S KINGBIRD+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

TUNDRA SWAN
EURASIAN WIGEON
American Bittern
Marbled Godwit
Purple Sandpiper
Horned Lark
Eastern Bluebird
LAPLAND LONGSPUR
Snow Bunting
Wilson’s Warbler
HENSLOW’S SPARROW
DICKCISSEL


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 Wednesday,
November 26th at 6:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are CASSIN’S KINGBIRD, COMMON GROUND-DOVE, HENSLOW’S SPARROW, TUNDRA SWAN, EURASIAN WIGEON, DICKCISSEL, and LAPLAND LONGSPUR.

Now that’s like it should be! Last Saturday word of the rediscovery of the CASSIN’S KINGBIRD at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn spread very quickly by phone, internet and texts, and by mid-afternoon dozens of birders were enjoying this 2nd New York State record. Many more arrived on Sunday, and the Kingbird very obligingly spent much of its time in the picnic area south of the Community Garden off the west side of Aviation Blvd. First seen briefly at Floyd Bennett on Saturday the 15th, the bird remained undetected through the entire cold week only to be re-found in the same general area it was initially seen in. Both Saturday and Sunday it did wander about a bit but returned to the Community Garden area, even spending some time on Tuesday in the Community Garden itself. Based on some excellent photos taken, one of its main food items seems to be Yellowjackets, so this current weather event will probably have an adverse impact on its stay. For those unfamiliar with Floyd Bennett Field, the entrance is off Flatbush Avenue just north of the Marine Parkway Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge; take the first left off the entrance road onto Aviation Boulevard and proceed a short distance to the Community Garden on the left.

This weather change will also presumably impact New York’s second COMMON GROUND-DOVE, still being seen Tuesday but recently becoming much more elusive at Jones Beach West End. Last Saturday the bird spent much of its time along the northern edge of the West End 2 parking lot between the center exit and the eastern end, whereas previously it had been more inclined to feed in the vegetation near the eastern entrance and exit roads.

A bonus find on Sunday was a richly colored HENSLOW’S SPARROW nicely spotted at Riis Park along its border with Fort Tilden. The Sparrow frequented a goldenrod patch and the adjacent shorter vegetation in a field just south of the SW corner of the golf course on the east side of the dead end road separating the two parks. Often very hard to find or see as it ran around like a vole in the grasses, the Henslow’s was nevertheless also enjoyed by a number of birders Monday, and some decent photos were obtained, though certainly not of the caliber of those of the Ground-Dove and Kingbird.

Other birds at Floyd Bennett included a LAPLAND LONGSPUR Saturday on the cricket field and a decent number of EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, down from the previous week but still frequenting various open areas, including the field south of the Community Garden. Riis Park on Sunday also provided a flyby LAPLAND LONGSPUR and an AMERICAN BITTERN hiding in vegetation around the Henslow’s field.

At Jones Beach West End up to five LAPLAND LONGSPURS were present Saturday in the swale in front of the West End 2 pavilion, joining some HORNED LARKS and a flock of 40 or so SNOW BUNTINGS, while on Sunday a DICKCISSEL was photographed along the western edge of Lot 2. The MARBLED GODWIT was present again Tuesday morning on the bar off the Coast Guard Station after having been seen on a bar out in Jones Inlet Monday afternoon, and PURPLE SANDPIPERS are back on the West End jetty.

The Brooklyn EURASIAN WIGEON was seen again Sunday at Bush Terminal Piers Park west of 1st Avenue between 44th and 50th Streets.

Among the lingering landbirds, a WILSON’S WARBLER was still at Kissena Park in Queens Tuesday.

With all the birding effort concentrated on western Long Island, our only report of note from out east involves two TUNDRA SWANS on Hook Pond in East Hampton last Saturday.

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 and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

- End transcript