New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, September 25, 2015:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Sept. 25, 2015
* NYNY1509.25

- Birds Mentioned

Red-necked Grebe
Bald Eagle
Broad-winged Hawk
Virginia Rail
Greater Yellowlegs
Caspian Tern
Black Tern
Forster’s Tern
Royal Tern
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
PHILADELPHIA VIREO
Worm-eating Warbler
Blue-winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
CONNECTICUT WARBLER
Hooded Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Clay-colored Sparrow
BLUE GROSBEAK
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 Friday, September 25, 2015 at 7:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are fall migrants, including CONNECTICUT WARBLER, DICKCISSEL, BLUE GROSBEAK, PHILADELPHIA VIREO and RED-HEADED WOODPECKER.

As we continue to experience less than ideal conditions for migration through our area, the winds usually with an easterly component even when from the north, migration has tended to be somewhat slow lately. Even at the regional hawk watches, the number of BROAD-WINGED HAWKS has barely reached the 2500-3000 level even on the best days, though BALD EAGLE numbers have been reasonable. The bad news is that the Zone-tailed Hawk seen in New Haven, Connecticut, back on the 20th apparently got through New York undetected, passing by hawk watches at Cape May and in Virginia on Wednesday.

Possibly this week’s top highlight was the CONNECTICUT WARBLER enjoyed by many as it walked around the garden plots on the north side of Trinity Church in Lower Manhattan last Monday and Tuesday, offering nice views as it joined a pleasant little gathering of Warblers in that compact area.

Reduced numbers of WARBLERS in the city parks still have included such species as WORM-EATING, TENNESSEE, BLUE-WINGED, BAY-BREASTED, CAPE MAY, HOODED and WILSON’S.

Single BLUE GROSBEAKS were found last Saturday in Kissena Park corridor in Queens and at Dreier-Offerman Park in Brooklyn. A DICKCISSEL has continued along the fisherman’s access road at Jones Beach West End at least to Thursday, and another along with a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was in the picnic area at the west end of parking field 2 at Robert Moses State Park last weekend. Other CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS included one at Jones Beach West End last Sunday and another in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn on Monday and Tuesday.

Other notable passerines have featured single PHILADELPHIA VIREOS reported Saturday in Prospect Park and Thursday at Greenwood Cemetery. An immature RED-HEADED WOODPECKER appeared Thursday in Central Park, and a VIRGINIA RAIL was an unexpected lunchtime sighting in Rockefeller Center last Monday.

On the coast a RED-NECKED GREBE was spotted moving by Shinnecock last Sunday, and some other more wintery water birds have been arriving recently, including a reasonable variety of ducks.

Among the Terns, 2 CASPIAN TERNS were spotted at Robert Moses State Park Sunday, with another at Mecox Bay Wednesday, while the more prevalent ROYAL TERNS included 4 at Mecox Wednesday, when 2 were also seen at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn.

Some lingering BLACK TERNS included 3 in Jones Inlet Sunday and another at Coney Island Creek in Brooklyn Thursday, where another interesting phenomenon seen that morning was an estimated 225 GREATER YELLOWLEGS dropping down from high altitude as they continued moving to the southwest. Another impressive flock was that of 500+ FORSTER’S TERNS gathering around the Gilgo boat docks 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.

- End transcript