New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, August 26, 2016

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Aug. 26, 2016
* NYNY1608.26

- Birds Mentioned

BLACK-CAPPED PETREL+
WHITE-FACED STORM-PETREL+
BAND-RUMPED STORM-PETREL+
LONG-TAILED JAEGER+
BRIDLED TERN+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Blue-winged Teal
Cory’s Shearwater
Great Shearwater
AUDUBON’S SHEARWATER
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel
Leach’s Storm-Petrel
Virginia Rail
Sora
Piping Plover
Whimbrel
MARBLED GODWIT
Stilt Sandpiper
BAIRD’S SANDPIPER
White-rumped Sandpiper
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER
Pectoral Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
“Western” Willet
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
Black Tern
Royal Tern
Common Nighthawk
Red-breasted Nuthatch
GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER
Tennessee Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler

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, August 26, 2016 at 7:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are pelagic trip results including BLACK-CAPPED PETREL, WHITE-FACED and BAND-RUMPED STORM-PETRELS, BRIDLED TERN, LONG-TAILED JAEGER, AUDUBON SHEARWATER, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, plus BUFF-BREASTED and BAIRD’S SANDPIPERS, MARBLED GODWIT, GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER and more.

But firstly, we sadly mention the recent passing of Jeff Nulle, former President and Director of the Linnaean Society and a strong advocate for Riverside Park and conservation in general. Jeff’s activism in New York City will definitely be missed and his contributions to the birding community will be remembered gratefully.

Participants in a fishing tournament that took them 70 miles or so south of Shinnecock last Friday did luckily take the time to enjoy some great deep water birds. Tallied that day were a BLACK-CAPPED PETREL, 2 WHITE-FACED, 7 BAND-RUMPED, 1 LEACH’S and 285 WILSON’S STORM-PETRELS, 10 AUDUBON’S and 2 CORY’S SHEARWATERS, 4 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, a LONG-TAILED JAEGER and a BRIDLED TERN. Previous trips out there had also encountered a WHITE-FACED STORM-PETREL on the 15th and 2 on the 18th along with 6 AUDUBON’S SHEARWATERS.

A whale-watching trip off Montauk last Sunday also noted 12 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES along with 1 GREAT and 3 CORY’S SHEARWATERS and 46 WILSON’S STORM-PETRELS.

The recently quite productive pools in the dunes at Jones Beach West End between parking field 2 and the Roosevelt Sanctuary provided another report of RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, the 8 there late Wednesday afternoon apparently not staying long. Nonetheless Thursday morning did find 4 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS visiting the shoreline of the eastern pool by the blind. The activity there during the week has also provided a SORA and 2-3 VIRGINIA RAILS along the edges of the ponds, some BLUE-WINGED TEAL among other waterfowl, and a variety of other shorebirds including up to 5 STILT, 3 PECTORAL, 12 WHITE-RUMPED and 1 or 2 WESTERN SANDPIPERS. Please do not enter the pools, but stay in the dunes to reduce disturbance.

Another BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER was on Staten Island at Miller Field at the end of New Dorp Avenue Wednesday and Thursday.

At Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge the east pond has been providing the usual assortment of shorebirds, including some STILT, PECTORAL, WHITE-RUMPED and WESTERN SANDPIPERS, and 2 CASPIAN TERNS were still there at least to Sunday. While on the East Pond, stay close to the phragmites edge and the birds will permit much closer approach

At Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes last Sunday the 20 species of shorebirds counted featured 3 WHIMBREL, 2 WHITE-RUMPED, a WESTERN and 3 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and 2 “Western” WILLETS as well as a BLACK TERN, and 2 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were on the beach there.

Last Friday a BAIRD’S SANDPIPER was at Georgica Pond in East Hampton, and now would be a good time to start checking the sod fields north and east of Riverhead.

Two GULL-BILLED TERNS were at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn Monday, with 2 ROYAL TERNS there Tuesday, and a PIPING PLOVER has also been lingering there, and a MARBLED GODWIT paid a brief visit there this morning before flying off.

Landbird activity has slowly been building up, with modest recent flights followed by days of dropping numbers. Warbler variety for August has been decent though numbers generally have been low. Highlights have included a male GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER Wednesday on Staten Island at the Cemetery of the Resurrection, a few MOURNING WARBLERS including at Floyd Bennett Field Saturday, Dreier Offerman Park Wednesday and in Central Park, CAPE MAYS Tuesday at Coney Island Creek and Owl’s Head Park and Thursday in Prospect Park, some HOODED and a few arriving TENNESSEE, BLACKPOLL and WILSON’S, along with the other species already moving through. These are being joined by other seasonal flycatchers, vireos, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, swallows and the like. Watch for COMMON NIGHTHAWKS in the evenings now and hawks on the ridges.

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