New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, September 4, 2015:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Sept. 04, 2015
* NYNY1509.04

- Birds Mentioned

BLACK-CAPPED PETREL+
AUDUBON’S SHEARWATER+
LEACH’S STORM-PETREL+
BAND-RUMPED STORM-PETREL+
LONG-TAILED JAEGER+
BRIDLED TERN+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Cory’s Shearwater
Great Shearwater
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel
Sora
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER
Willet (“Western”)
Whimbrel
Stilt Sandpiper
BAIRD’S SANDPIPER
White-rumped Sandpiper
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER
Pectoral Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE
POMARINE JAEGER
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Least Tern
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
Black Tern
Roseate Tern
Royal Tern
Common Nighthawk
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Black-and-white Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Hooded Warbler
American Redstart
Cape May Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
LARK SPARROW
Grasshopper Sparrow
BLUE GROSBEAK
DICKCISSEL
Bobolink

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, September 4, 2015 at 6:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are two sets of pelagic trip results, including BLACK-CAPPED PETREL, AUDUBON’S SHEARWATER, BAND-RUMPED and LEACH’S STORM-PETRELS, LONG-TAILED and POMARINE JAEGERS, BRIDLED TERN and RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, such shorebirds as AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER and BUFF-BREASTED and BAIRD’S SANDPIPERS, and various landbirds featuring BLUE GROSBEAK, LARK SPARROW, DICKCISSEL, and various warblers.

Last Sunday evening a boatload of birders left Sheepshead Bay on the See Life Paulagics trip aboard the Brooklyn VI, and, despite some heavy seas, arrived at the southeastern end of Hudson Canyon before dawn, where water temperatures up to 83 degrees produced a nice assortment of pelagic birds. The trip totals included 5 BLACK-CAPPED PETRELS, 81 CORY’S, 33 GREAT and 18 AUDUBON’S SHEARWATERS, 60 BAND-RUMPED and 260 WILSON’S STORM-PETRELS, 11 POMARINE and 3 LONG-TAILED JAEGERS and 4 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES. Also seen were 12 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS, 2 well offshore LEAST TERNS and BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER and AMERICAN REDSTART.

The 5 BLACK-CAPPED PETRELS would have been a New York State maximum except that a private fishing boat had last Saturday gone out to the 500 fathom line a little east of the Brooklyn boat’s track and recorded at least 11 BLACK-CAPPED PETRELS, possibly more, documenting what seems to be an unprecedented incursion into New York waters, at least to the extent of known occurrences. Other species recorded Saturday included 9 CORY’S, 6 GREAT and 26 AUDUBON’S SHEARWATERS, 9 BAND-RUMPED, 5 LEACH’S and 230 WILSON’S STORM-PETRELS, 5 BRIDLED TERNS, and 3 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES. A couple of great days out on the water!

Shorebird variety has expectedly been increasing recently. The 1st BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER was spotted at Jones Beach West End last Sunday, and during the week 1 or 2 were seen on the dry pools between the West End 2 parking lot and the Roosevelt Nature Center through Thursday. Another was reported from Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes Monday, and on Thursday in Cupsogue on the North Fork on a field along Bridge Lane north of Middle Road 2 BUFF-BREASTEDS were joined by 12 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS and a BAIRD’S SANDPIPER. Other Cupsogue highlights included a LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER last Saturday along with 3 “WESTERN” WILLETS, 4 STILT SANDPIPERS, and 18 BLACK and 24 ROYAL TERNS, while at Jones Beach West End field 2 today there were 33 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS in the lot at high tide.

The East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge continues to be productive—during the week there were counts of up to 33 WESTERN, 9 WHITE-RUMPED, 4 PECTORAL, and 11 STILT SANDPIPERS, with a BAIRD’S also present briefly last Saturday. Also constantly using the East Pond have been up to 3 GULL-BILLED and 5 BLACK TERNS, and a SORA was noted long the edge last Sunday. A MOURNING WARBLER was in the South Garden Saturday.

Two WHIMBREL were at Miller Field on Staten Island last Saturday, another was reported from Jones Beach West End Wednesday, and one was at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn today.

Landbird variety has also been increasing, though flights tapered off this week with the constant humid weather. A BLUE GROSBEAK and some GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS were still present Tuesday at the Calverton Grasslands at the former Grumman Airport. A DICKCISSEL was at Coney Island Creek Park Tuesday, where other highlights included a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, single BLACK and ROSEATE TERNS, such WARBLERS as TENNESSEE, CAPE MAY and BAY-BREASTED, and 69 BOBOLINKS, the latter now moving throughout the region.

Coney Island Creek also was visited by a LARK SPARROW last Saturday, with another reported from Clove Lakes Park on Staten Island Tuesday. Also on Staten Island, a CASPIAN TERN was off Lemon Creek Pier Wednesday.

A MOURNING WARBLER was at Captree State Park Sunday, and 2 HOODED WARBLERS were found at Sunken Meadows State Park Saturday, these among a good selection of Warblers now in the area. FLYCATCHERS recently have featured some YELLOW-BELLIED and ALDER, and watch for COMMON NIGHTHAWKS evenings or in the early morning, as they are moving through the area.

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