New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, September 23, 2016:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Sept. 23, 2016
* NYNY1609.23

- Birds Mentioned

AUDUBON’S SHEARWATER+
MISSISSIPPI KITE+
LONG-TAILED JAEGER+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Great Shearwater
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel
Broad-winged Hawk
Peregrine Falcon
Virginia Rail
Sora
Common Gallinule
MARBLED GODWIT
Red Knot
Stilt Sandpiper
Dunlin
White-rumped Sandpiper
BAIRD’S SANDPIPER
Pectoral Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Caspian Tern
Royal Tern
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo
Common Nighthawk
Red-headed Woodpecker
Philadelphia Vireo
Cape May Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
CONNECTICUT WARBLER
Wilson’s Warbler
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
LARK SPARROW
BLUE GROSBEAK

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, September 23, 2016 at 7:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are pelagics including AUDUBON’S SHEARWATER, LONG-TAILED JAEGER and RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, plus MISSISSIPPI KITE, BAIRD’S SANDPIPER, MARBLED GODWIT, CONNECTICUT WARBLER, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, BLUE GROSBEAK and LARK SPARROW.

Last Saturday a private fishing boat ventured out well south of Shinnecock, and partial results of the birds encountered included single GREAT and AUDUBON’S SHEARWATERS, 12 WILSON’S STORM-PETRELS, 6 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, and 3 LONG-TAILED JAEGERS.

Closer to home the most unusual report involved an adult MISSISSIPPI KITE flying west over the Bronx Zoo mid-day on Wednesday. A NYSARC report would be welcomed.

Among the lingering shorebirds, last Saturday 3 MARBLED GODWITS were seen in Jamaica Bay south of the Wildlife Refuge around Big Egg Marsh and another was spotted mid-day west of Oak Beach on a mud flat along the bay edges.

At Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge itself a BAIRD’S SANDPIPER with physical issues, including a missing left eye, was last Saturday no match for a pair of PEREGRINE FALCONS cruising the East Pond. After the first passed over, the flushed Sandpiper was easily picked off by the 2nd Peregrine, which climbed up to 30 feet and dropped the Sandpiper, the other Peregrine catching it deftly and carrying it off as both birds vocalized in unison. Other shorebirds on the East Pond this week included 1 or 2 WESTERN, PECTORAL and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS, up to 4 STILT SANDPIPERS, and a couple of juvenile DUNLINS, 1 quite richly colored. CASPIAN TERNS, seen regularly on the pond, peaked with 4 Tuesday, while 3 ROYAL TERNS and a decent group of RED KNOTS were among the birds out in the Bay south of the former West Pond.

PEAKS of LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS, now gathering along the coast, include 8 at Robert Moses State Park Saturday and 10 Tuesday in parking lot 2 at Jones Beach West End.

Ninety-six ROYAL TERNS were at Cupsogue County Park Saturday.

A VIRGINIA RAIL has continued in Prospect Park at least to Thursday, a SORA was seen Sunday along Dune Road near Dolphin Lane, and 2 COMMON GALLINULES have been present recently at Massapequa Preserve on Massapequa Lake north of Merritt Road.

An adult RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was still around the Ramble in Central Park last weekend.

Among the passerines, as the Warblers continue to diminish in numbers, Sparrows have slowly been increasing, including a LARK SPARROW continuing near the hawk watch at Robert Moses State Park at least to Thursday, with another in Brooklyn’s Greenwood Cemetery last Saturday.

A BLUE GROSBEAK was found at Robert Moses State Park last Sunday.

Following last week’s push, PHILADELPHIA VIREOS included 2 in Prospect Park Saturday, 1 at Hempstead Lake State Park last weekend, 1 at Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River Wednesday, and reports from Central Park this week.

Among the Warblers, CONNECTICUTS seen this week have included singles in Central Park Tuesday and Wednesday, 1 near the Pelham Bay landfill Wednesday, and 1 in southern Manhattan by the World Trade Center Memorial Thursday.

A YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was out on Long Island last Saturday on the North Fork, and other WARBLERS noted this week have included CAPE MAY, BAY-BREASTED and WILSON’S.

Other migrants still include a few BLACK-BILLED and YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOOS and COMMON NIGHTHAWKS.

At the local hawk watches, if BROAD-WINGED HAWKS are to make any sort of major push this year, they will do it soon.

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