New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, May 1, 2015:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* May. 1, 2015
* NYNY1505.01

- Birds mentioned

Virginia Rail
Wilson's Snipe
Glaucous Gull
GULL-BILLED TERN
CASPIAN TERN
Common Tern
Least Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Marsh Wren
Veery
Blue-winged Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Prairie Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
American Redstart
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
Worm-eating Warbler
Ovenbird
Louisiana Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Savannah Sparrow
GRASSHOPPER SPARROW
Lincoln's Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
BLUE GROSBEAK
Indigo Bunting
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Purple Finch
Pine Siskin

- 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, May 1st 2015 at 6pm. The highlights of today's tape are Spring migrants including GULL-BILLED TERN, CASPIAN TERN, PROTHONOTARY WARBLER, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, BLUE GROSBEAK and GRASSHOPPER SPARROW.

If the winds would ever swing around to the southwest we could get a good influx of migrants but even as it is a reasonable number of northbound birds have made it to the city parks and beyond.

Two more BLUE GROSBEAKS were spotted on Long Island Thursday these at Robert Moses State Park where they continue today along the roadside a little west of the water tower. These followed another found at Jones Beach West End by the turnaround last Sunday.

A PROTHONOTARY WARBLER released in Central Park last Monday afternoon disappeared after zipping around the park on Tuesday seeming to be in good health while less encumbered PROTHONOTARIES featured one Sunday at Glenwoods Lake in Pelham Westchester County and one in Eastport Long Island last Friday and Saturday. A YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER was still at Hempstead Lake State Park Saturday. I can only ask again that birders and photographers please not disturb the YELLOW-THROATEDS at Connetquot River State Park currently our only known local breeding site.

Among the more unusual earlier migrants up to 7 CASPIAN TERNS have been counted on the Mecox flats this high count on Tuesday and once again the very consistent first appearance of a GULL-BILLED TERN in the region took place on the bar off the Coast Guard Station at Jones Beach West End this happening today. Often in early Spring a few GULL-BILLEDS will gather here before dispersing elsewhere. A few COMMON TERNS are also now appearing with 4 at Mecox last Saturday.

A good sign was a GRASSHOPPER SPARROW seen Monday with a SAVANNAH SPARROW in Crocheron Park in Queens with a first of now several YELLOW-THROATED VIREOS was also spotted. Monday also produced the first LINCOLN'S SPARROW in Prospect Park while nearby Green-wood Cemetery hosted an apparently injured VIRGINIA RAIL Saturday through Monday.

Among the warblers a surprise was a CERULEAN heard singing in Prospect Park Thursday while others arriving this week have featured BLUE-WINGED as of Wednesday and MAGNOLIA and BLACK-THROATED BLUE on Tuesday. Warblers appearing in increasing numbers include NASHVILLE, NORTHERN PARULA, BLACK-THROATED GREEN, PRAIRIE, AMERICAN REDSTART, OVENBIRD and COMMON YELLOWTHROAT while YELLOWS are now very widespread. A few LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSHES continue to be reported and pleasant finds have included a CAPE MAY in Central Park last Saturday and a HOODED at Central Park's north end today and a small number of WORM-EATING WARBLERS while an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was spotted north of Southampton on Long Island yesterday.

Among the flycatchers Central Park added GREAT CRESTED Monday and LEAST as of Wednesday with a few more EASTERN KINGBIRDS also being seen regionally.

Unexpected in Central Park were 3 WILSON'S SNIPE together at Turtle Pond on Wednesday and Central has also featured a MARSH WREN to last Saturday and VEERY as of today.

Other species appearing in slightly increased numbers have included SCARLET TANAGER, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, INDIGO BUNTING and BALTIMORE and ORCHARD ORIOLES while also moving through lately have been some PURPLE FINCHES and PINE SISKINS.

A GLAUCOUS GULL was spotted at Inwood Hill Park in northern Manhattan Monday and the drip at Riverside Park is now dripping and hopefully will attract some goodies this month.

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