New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, October 23, 2015:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Oct. 23, 2015
* NYNY1510.23

- Birds Mentioned

WHITE IBIS+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

TUNDRA SWAN
EURASIAN WIGEON
Horned Grebe
Bald Eagle
Sora
American Golden-Plover
Caspian Tern
Royal Tern
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
WESTERN KINGBIRD
Eastern Bluebird
American Pipit
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Chipping Sparrow
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
Vesper Sparrow
LARK SPARROW
Grasshopper Sparrow
Nelson’s Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
White-Crowned Sparrow
BLUE GROSBEAK
DICKCISSEL
Eastern Meadowlark
Rusty Blackbird
Purple Finch
Pine Siskin

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, October 23, 2015 at 6:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are WHITE IBIS, TUNDRA SWAN, WESTERN KINGBIRD, EURASIAN WIGEON, LARK and CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS, BLUE GROSBEAK, DICKCISSEL, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER and more.

A WHITE IBIS, perhaps the adult photographed in Brooklyn back on the 11th and 12th, was spotted Sunday off River Road in northwestern Staten Island, the bird eventually seen flying off to the southeast and not subsequently relocated.

An immature TUNDRA SWAN, unexpectedly appearing at Brooklyn Bridge Park on Monday morning, was noted later that day in the East River off the South Street Seaport but not thereafter.

A WESTERN KINGBIRD was still present last Saturday at the west end of Robert Moses State Park.

Among the few drake EURASIAN WIGEONS arriving recently, besides the one continuing on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, were two on the Patchogue Mill Pond Monday and singles on the upper pond at Frank Melville Park in Setauket Monday and on the Centerport Pond off Route 25A on Tuesday.

Two CASPIAN and up to nine ROYAL TERNS were present at Zach’s Bay at Jones Beach Tuesday, and an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was also uncovered Tuesday.

An AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER was still at Great Kills Park on Staten Island Monday.

With northwest winds finally occurring in the area starting late last week, activity along the coast thankfully has reached more desirable levels - Sparrows are now quite numerous and widespread, but Warbler variety has expectedly decreased, though YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER is the most numerous species now present.

At Jones Beach West End last weekend, where a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT at times very obligingly sunned itself in the hedgerow by the Coast Guard Station, there were also two LARK SPARROWS, a bright one at the hedgerow and a dull immature at the outer turnaround. A VESPER SPARROW was also present at the hedgerow, and a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was reported there too - with the presence of many sometimes very similar immature CHIPPING SPARROWS, be sure to check the lores. The CHAT and one LARK SPARROW were also reported Tuesday, and an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was noted there Saturday and Tuesday.

Among the other birds at West End were a striking adult RED-HEADED WOODPECKER and various other SPARROWS including LINCOLN’S and WHITE-CROWNED. An immature RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was also at Robert Moses State Park over the weekend, with others at Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn Thursday and at Fort Tilden today.

Other notable Sparrows featured another LARK SPARROW at Six Diamonds Park in Brooklyn Monday, joined by an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, two GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS at Kissena Park in Queens Sunday, and a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW at Oakland Lake in Queens Tuesday and Wednesday, while Prospect Park provided a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW last weekend and a LARK SPARROW Saturday to Monday. Another VESPER SPARROW was in Manhattan’s Inwood Hill Park Sunday, and NELSON’S SPARROWS remain common in various salt marshes.

A DICKCISSEL flew by Robert Moses State Park Saturday, when a BLUE GROSBEAK was still at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

An adult SORA, with an apparently injured left wing, has been at the Loch at the northern end of Central Park since Monday, with a VESPER SPARROW also up there to Tuesday.

Two BALD EAGLES were together at Leeds Pond Preserve in Manhasset today.

Duck variety continues to increase, and HORNED GREBE has been noted recently, while among the landbirds, recent migrants moving on the more favorable winds have included AMERICAN PIPIT, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, EASTERN MEADOWLARK, RUSTY BLACKBIRD, PURPLE FINCH and PINE SISKIN.

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