New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, April 15, 2016:

RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Apr. 15, 2016
* NYNY1604.15

- Birds Mentioned

Blue-winged Teal
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Green Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Broad-winged Hawk
UPLAND SANDPIPER
Pectoral Sandpiper
Bonaparte’s Gull
LITTLE GULL
Forster’s Tern
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
House Wren
Eastern Bluebird
Black-and-white Warbler
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER
Hooded Warbler
Northern Parula
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Louisiana Waterthrush
LARK SPARROW
BLUE GROSBEAK
Rusty Blackbird

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, April 15, 2016 at 7:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are LITTLE GULL, UPLAND SANDPIPER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, BLUE GROSBEAK, YELLOW-THROATED and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, LARK SPARROW and RED-HEADED WOODPECKER.

A little more progress towards spring was highlighted by another LITTLE GULL sighting off Staten Island, this adult moving west passed Lemon Creek Pier with BONAPARTE’S GULLS last Sunday just after noon.

Last week’s UPLAND SANDPIPER was still providing excellent views as it remained along the Ocean Parkway median strip usually just east of the entrance to Oak Beach through today. Best to view the bird from your car.

Not totally unexpected was a BLUE GROSBEAK appearing Sunday at a private home in East Quogue, a good yard bird.

After last week’s appearance of YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER at High Rock Park on Staten Island, where one was still being seen at least to Saturday, others were also uncovered in City Parks; 1 visited Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn from Saturday to Monday, and one was found Thursday in Central Park in the Ramble area and was still present there today. A Long Island YELLOW-THROATED was found today in the Bayard Arboretum in Great River near the carriage house. Also, at least 2 YELLOW-THROATEDS that have bred in recent years in Connequot River State Park in Oakdale were back on territory near the park’s entrance as of last weekend. These birds can be easily enjoyed as they sing and forage around the area between the entrance and the nearby buildings, but please to not use any tape or otherwise disturb these birds—this is one of extremely few nesting sites within the entire state.

The Jones Beach West End LARK SPARROW was still around the outer turnaround on Wednesday. Another LARK SPARROW was present at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn from Saturday to Monday and, belatedly, 1 was also seen back on the 6th at Captree State Park, while the Croton Point Park LARK SPARROW was still present Sunday.

A drake HARLEQUIN DUCK off Great Kills Park on Staten Island at least to Wednesday was somewhat late and rather unusual there.

Two RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were still at Willowbrook Park on Staten Island last Monday, with another continuing at Mashomack Preserve on Shelter Island as of Wednesday.

Among the increasing number of WARBLERS on the move, single ORANGE-CROWNEDS were spotted yesterday, 1 in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and 1 photographed at Oakland Lake in Queens. The HOODED WARBLER found last Friday at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge was still present yesterday, and other early WARBLERS besides the PINES and PALMS have featured a few LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSHES and NORTHERN PARULAS plus BLACK-AND-WHITE since early in the week.

WHITE-EYED and lately BLUE-HEADED VIREOS have also been noted, as have such other passerines as EASTERN KINGBIRD, with 1 at Robert Moses State Park as of yesterday, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, HOUSE WREN in Central Park Tuesday and some scattered RUSTY BLACKBIRDS.

Non-passerines have featured a TRICOLORED HERON at Captree last Saturday, a couple of LITTLE BLUE HERONS and YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS, GREEN HERON in Central Park today, single BROAD-WINGED HAWKS noted locally since Sunday, and some FORSTER’S TERNS arriving coastally.

Last Saturday, a PECTORAL SANDPIPER and 4 BLUE-WINGED TEAL were noted at Tobay, and a PILEATED WOODPECKER was spotted at Riverdale Park in the Bronx.

To phone in reports, on Long Island call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126, or days except Sunday 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