New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, October 16, 2015:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Oct. 16, 2015
* NYNY1510.16

- Birds mentioned

WHITE IBIS+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

EURASIAN WIGEON
Tricolored Heron
Sora
SANDHILL CRANE
Western Sandpiper
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Caspian Tern
Royal Tern
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo
Common Nighthawk
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
WESTERN KINGBIRD
Philadelphia Vireo
Worm-eating Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
Vesper Sparrow
LARK SPARROW
Nelson's Sparrow
BLUE GROSBEAK
DICKCISSEL
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, October 16th 2015 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are WHITE IBIS, SANDHILL CRANE, WESTERN KINGBIRD, LARK SPARROW, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, BLUE GROSBEAK, DICKCISSEL, EURASIAN WIGEON, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER and other migrants.

A decent week with two good but only briefly encountered rarities and a nice assortment of Fall specialties but first a quick note that there is still plenty of room on the See Life Paulagics boat trip departing from Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn next Friday, October 23rd at 10:30pm spending Saturday well offshore before returning Saturday evening. If interested please call (215) 234-6805 < http://www.paulagics.com/site/ >.

Last Sunday evening an adult WHITE IBIS was photographed as it passed over Brooklyn's Prospect Park. Monday morning it was spotted again on a pond at Green-wood Cemetery and documented nicely before it took off apparently for good.

Also reported from Sunday morning was a SANDHILL CRANE seen at distance off Lemon Creek Pier on Staten Island as it headed south towards New Jersey.

A WESTERN KINGBIRD first noted last Sunday was still being seen Thursday at Robert Moses State Park. The KINGBIRD traveling actively around the western end of field 2 on the adjacent golf course and even over to the volleyball courts at the lot's east end yesterday. A second WESTERN KINGBIRD visited Jones Beach West End Wednesday.

A nice variety of sparrows now moving through featured 4 LARK SPARROWS this week all along the south coast of Long Island with one at Gilgo Sunday, 2 at Jones Beach West End lot 2 Wednesday with one there continuing to Friday at the turnaround and one at Fort Tilden on Thursday. A few CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS recently included singles reported from Fort Tilden Saturday, Drier-Offerman Park in Brooklyn Monday, Robert Moses State Park Wednesday and Jones Beach West End Thursday and one today at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The native grassland area at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden has been attracting a nice selection of birds recently including a BLUE GROSBEAK from Tuesday through today and a DICKCISSEL Wednesday that was joined by a second DICKCISSEL Thursday. Other BLUE GROSBEAKS featured one at Lenoir Preserve in Yonkers Sunday and 2 together at Marshlands Conservancy in Rye on Saturday while additional DICKCISSELS were identified at Fort Tilden and Pelham Bay Park last Saturday and at Canarsie Beach Park Sunday and Wednesday with 3 moving by Robert Moses State Park Thursday. Also Thursday VESPER SPARROWS were noted at Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Drier-Offerman Park and NELSON'S SPARROWS continue in decent numbers in local saltmarshes.

A few RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS recently have included an immature at Jones Beach West End Sunday with an adult there today. Others Sunday in Central Park and on Staten Island plus at Robert Moses State Park where another passed by on Wednesday and an immature in Prospect Park yesterday.

A PHILADELPHIA VIREO was spotted at Sunken Meadow State Park Saturday and among the warblers a couple of ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS reported from Prospect Park during the week, Central Park Wednesday and Six Diamonds Park in Brooklyn Thursday. A MOURNING WARBLER was in Rye Wednesday and other species lately many now getting rather scarce have featured WORM-EATING, CAPE MAY, BAY-BREASTED, HOODED and WILSON'S. YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was found at Drier-Offerman Park Monday.

The lingering drake EURASIAN WIGEON was still on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Monday. Also there were 2 WESTERN SANDPIPERS and a TRICOLORED HERON. A SORA was quite unusual at Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1 Saturday.

Other seasonal birds this week, some getting late, included LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, CASPIAN and ROYAL TERNS, both cuckoos Thursday and COMMON NIGHTHAWK while a few scattered PINE SISKINS have occurred in the area recently and a PURPLE FINCH or two have been noted as well.

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