New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, October 9, 2015:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Oct. 9, 2015
* NYNY1510.09

- Birds mentioned

SANDWICH TERN+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

American Bittern
Semipalmated Plover
Whimbrel
HUDSONIAN GODWIT
Red Knot
White-rumped Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Wilson's Snipe
RED PHALAROPE
POMARINE JAEGER
Parasitic Jaeger
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Caspian Tern
Black Tern
Royal Tern
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
WESTERN KINGBIRD
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Kentucky Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Vesper Sparrow
LARK SPARROW
GRASSHOPPER SPARROW
Nelson's Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
DICKCISSEL

- 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, October 9th 2015 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are a seaflight reporting SANDWICH TERN, RED PHALAROPE, POMARINE JAEGER, WESTERN KINGBIRD, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, LARK SPARROW, GRASSHOPPER SPARROW and DICKCISSEL.

A surprisingly productive seawatch early last Saturday morning from the eastern end of Riis Park reported a SANDWICH TERN and 2 RED PHALAROPES as well as a POMARINE and a few PARASITIC JAEGERS among the good volume of birds moving east past that site these also including as many as 200 ROYAL TERNS a high number for the date. Unfortunately this flight was not duplicated anywhere else along Long Island's south shore and wouldn't really be expected given the strong northeast winds accompanying the nor'easter that day. Perhaps a product of the storm though may've been the 7 HUDSONIAN GODWITS noted flying east along the north shore of Great South Bay off Venetian Shores Park in Lindenhurst on Saturday.

Another nice find Saturday was a WESTERN KINGBIRD at the Edgemere Landfill now a part of Rockaway Town Park. The KINGBIRD was also present Sunday morning but not noted after that.

Other notable shorebirds for the week featured a WHIMBREL at Jones Beach West End Monday, a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn from Monday on, one SEMIPALMATED and 3 WESTERN SANDPIPERS and 3 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS at Nickerson Beach last Saturday, 12 RED KNOTS roosting with other shorebirds on the pilings at the boat docks at the Point Lookout waterworks Saturday, up to 7 or more PECTORAL SANDPIPERS at Miller Field on Staten Island during the week and a WILSON'S SNIPE in Central Park yesterday.

Always nice to see, an immature RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was spotted Tuesday at Stuyvesant Square in lower Manhattan.

Various sparrows are now replacing the warblers as the predominant local migrants with WHITE-THROATED, SWAMP and SONG occurring in large numbers. Also appearing have been some WHITE-CROWNED and LINCOLN'S as well as a LARK SPARROW at the Cemetery of the Evergreens off Central Avenue in Brooklyn Monday, a GRASSHOPPER SPARROW at Hillview Reservoir in the Bronx Tuesday and a VESPER SPARROW in Central Park this week with 2 VESPERS at Croton Point in Westchester Tuesday. Some NELSON'S SPARROWS can also now be found in local saltmarshes. The one in Bryant Park yesterday more unexpected. Single DICKCISSELS were noted at the Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area Wednesday and at Heckscher State Park on Thursday.

As the season progresses it is becoming time for ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and one was spotted Thursday at Coney Island Creek in Brooklyn. Other notable warblers this week featured a HOODED WARBLER in Prospect Park to Monday with another at Jones Beach West End today, a KENTUCKY reported without details from Central Park today and such species as TENNESSEE, CAPE MAY, BAY-BREASTED and others.

LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS continue to utilize certain locations in decent numbers the most productive continuing to be the parking lot #2 at Jones Beach West End at high tide the birds usually gathering on the eastern half of the lot with at least 27 there Saturday and 18 on Sunday. Another 11 were counted on the lot at Tobay Saturday. They have also been seen in lower numbers at a few other coastal locations.

Two CASPIAN TERNS were still at Mecox Sunday, one Tuesday and lingering ROYAL TERNS have included 5 at Jones Beach West End Wednesday and up to 11 at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn. A BLACK TERN was still at Jones Beach West End Sunday.

Single AMERICAN BITTERNS were noted at Croton Point Tuesday and Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes Wednesday and Thursday.

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