New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending August 21, 2015:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Aug. 21, 2015
* NYNY1508.21

- Birds mentioned
FEA'S PETREL+
LEACH'S STORM-PETREL+
BRIDLED TERN+
SANDWICH TERN+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Cory's Shearwater
Wilson's Storm-Petrel
AMERICAN AVOCET
Solitary Sandpiper
WHIMBREL
Red Knot
Western Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Black Tern
Royal Tern
Black-billed Cuckoo
Olive-sided Flycatcher
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Worm-eating Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Wilson's Warbler

- 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, August 21st 2015 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are far offshore FEA'S PETREL, LEACH'S STORM-PETREL, BRIDLED TERN and onshore SANDWICH TERN, AMERICAN AVOCET, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, WHIMBREL and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER.

A fishing boat venturing out Tuesday to about 76 nautical miles south southeast of Shinnecock had the good fortune of encountering a FEA'S PETREL which circled the boat close enough for some very nice photographs to be taken. Also noted well offshore were CORY'S SHEARWATER, 4 LEACH'S and 30 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS and a BRIDLED TERN. Back onshore a SANDWICH TERN was spotted at Shinnecock Thursday morning during the rising tide, the bird seen from Road K sitting on flats on the western side of the island that is west of the Ponquogue Bridge. A WHIMBREL was also at Tiana Beach with 5 BLACK TERNS in Shinnecock Inlet.

At Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge the AMERICAN AVOCET found on the East Pond back on the 12th was still present around the north end today. Other shorebirds utilizing the pond especially during the higher tide cycle have included a small number of STILT, PECTORAL, WHITE-RUMPED and more recently WESTERN SANDPIPERS. A SOLITARY SANDPIPER and RED KNOT have also been noted this week. Single adult and immature GULL-BILLED TERNS continue to feed over the pond daily and 3 BLACK TERNS were there today.

A surprising Kinkajou spotted at the bay a few times since last Thursday presumably released there was captured in Broad Channel Wednesday and hopefully will now be properly cared for.

A BAIRD'S SANDPIPER found Monday in the mostly dried pools between field 2 and the Roosevelt Nature Center at Jones Beach West End was still frequenting that site today among the nice concentration of shorebirds. Also at the West End today a dozen or more BLACK TERNS were present in Jones Inlet with 4 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS on the beach, 4 more LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were at Robert Moses State Park today and 4 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS were spotted offshore there.

A WHIMBREL was among 16 species of shorebirds at Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes last Sunday with a BLACK and 4 ROYAL TERNS also there. Among the birds at Sagg Pond in Bridgehampton Monday afternoon were 4 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and 5 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS.

Recent ROYAL TERNS include 2 at Riis Park Saturday and 2 at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn to Wednesday.

At least one of the breeding YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS was still at Connetquot River State Park in Oakdale on Sunday. Other warblers in the city parks this week featured a MOURNING WARBLER midweek in Central Park along with 20 or so other species mostly still in very low numbers and featuring such less common species as WORM-EATING, HOODED and WILSON'S. A decent variety of flycatchers was also reported in Central including OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER and various empidonax which in the Fall can pose some identification issues. Prospect Park tipped in with a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO on Monday.

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