New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, May 20, 2016:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* May. 20, 2016
* NYNY1605.20

- Birds mentioned
Bicknell's Thrush +
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Least Bittern
Stilt Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Wilson's Phalarope
Chuck-will's-widow
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Red-headed Woodpecker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Philadelphia Vireo
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Worm-eating Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Golden-winged Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Kentucky Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Palm Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Summer Tanager
Blue Grosbeak

- 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, May 20th 2016 at 10pm. The highlights of today's tape are WILSON'S PHALAROPE, CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW, LEAST BITTERN, SUMMER TANAGER, BLUE GROSBEAK, PROTHONOTARY WARBLER, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER, MOURNING WARBLER, PHILADELPHIA VIREO, BICKNELL'S THRUSH and RED-HEADED WOODPECKER.

A good week with very good variety but no exceptional rarities. Among the non-passerines probably the most excitement surrounded the LEAST BITTERN that remained in decent view perched in a tree last Sunday in Prospect Park Brooklyn and last Sunday a male WILSON'S PHALAROPE, the less colorful sex in Phalaropes, was spotted in the Captree marsh west of the Robert Moses Causeway. Also present there among the fairly large assemblage of shorebirds were 4 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS and 2 STILT SANDPIPERS were seen there again Tuesday. Last Saturday at Jones Beach West End a CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW was flushed a few times before disappearing and interestingly an EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL was found singing there Monday evening. Finishing the non-passerines last Sunday single RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were seen at Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn and on the north fork at the Ruth Aleva Preserve in East Marion and 2 continue at Willowbrook Park on Staten Island.

Last Saturday single SUMMER TANAGERS were found at Jones Beach West End at Marcy Woods south of Belmont Lake State Park and at Long Gardens in Stony Brook and in the days following at Kissena Park in Queens Sunday and then on Wednesday in Central Park and at the Rye Nature Center in Westchester. The Marcy Woods bird was still there today. A BLUE GROSBEAK was spotted at Connetquot River State Park last Sunday but could not later be relocated.

A PROTHONOTARY WARBLER was found at the Bronx Zoo last Saturday and another appeared at Clove Lakes Park on Staten Island Sunday and Monday and today one was reported appearing briefly at the Forest Park waterhole. A female GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER visited Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn last Saturday and a female CERULEAN WARBLER was spotted in Central Park yesterday. A MOURNING WARBLER in Forest Park last Saturday and Sunday was followed by others in Central Park from Sunday on, at Green-wood Cemetery Sunday, at Prospect Park Tuesday and Wednesday and at Southards Pond Park in Babylon yesterday. KENTUCKY WARBLERS appeared suddenly on Thursday with 2 in Prospect Park and another in Central Park and one was at Valley Stream Park today. YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS continue in Connetquot River State Park and at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum. Otherwise among the 33 species of warblers in the region have been some WORM-EATING, TENNESSEE, HOODED, CAPE MAY, BAY-BREASTED, BLACKBURNIAN and WILSON'S as well as the more common species at this point in the migration plus one or two late lingering species like LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH and PALM.

Among the vireos 6 species occurred this week including a rather uncommon Spring visit by a PHILADELPHIA noted in Central Park at least to Wednesday. Flycatcher variety has increased thanks to the arrival of some late season empidonax species starting with ACADIAN in Green-wood Cemetery last Saturday, ALDER mostly north of the city and a YELLOW-BELLIED at the Rye Nature Center since Monday. OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER appeared this week in Central and Prospect Parks as well as at Southards Pond in Babylon and the Upland Farm Preserve in Cold Spring Harbor. Among the thrushes some GRAY-CHEEKEDS have joined the mix in low but widespread numbers and a BICKNELL'S was identified by song in Prospect Park starting Tuesday. This species distinction is tricky but doable under the right circumstances.

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