New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, June 2, 2017:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* June 2, 2017
* NYNY1706.02

- Birds Mentioned

BLACK-NECKED STILT+
WHITE-FACED IBIS+

(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Northern Gannet
CATTLE EGRET
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Least Tern
GULL-BILLED TERN
Caspian Tern
Common Tern
Black Skimmer
Sooty Shearwater
MANX SHEARWATER
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Gray-cheeked Thrush
BICKNELL’S THRUSH
Swainson’s Thrush
Mourning Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
SUMMER TANAGER
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
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, June 2, 2017 at 8:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are BLACK-NECKED STILT, WHITE-FACED IBIS, MANX SHEARWATER, CATTLE EGRET, GULL-BILLED TERN, BICKNELL’S THRUSH, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, SUMMER TANAGER and BLUE GROSBEAK.

Two BLACK-NECKED STILTS last Monday morning were seen briefly in the swale at Jones Beach West End Field 2 but could not be relocated until Tuesday morning, when they were seen in flight off the Roosevelt Nature Center a little to the east. While a search strategy was being organized, the pair of STILTS fortunately flew into the swale, using that as their main location until disappearing unseen in mid-afternoon. They have not been noted in that area since.

Examination of photographs taken Tuesday at Cow Meadow Park in Freeport revealed that one of the IBISES reported at the pond was a WHITE-FACED, our first local report this year. It has not been seen since but could easily still be in the area. Also at Cow Meadow, a CATTLE EGRET first spotted Monday was still feeding on the lawns around the picnic area just west of the parking lot at least to Wednesday.

Coastal sea-watching along Long Island’s south shore has not been hugely productive so far this season, but late Monday afternoon off Robert Moses State Park Field 2 there were single MANX and SOOTY SHEARWATERS and about 25 NORTHERN GANNETS, and the next afternoon provided two more SOOTY SHEARWATERS. A few LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS, continuing but in reduced numbers along the south shore, were also noted at Moses as well as at Jones Beach.

An immature GLAUCOUS GULL was at Mecox Inlet Saturday, and again this year GULL-BILLED TERN can be seen in the COMMON and LEAST TERN and BLACK SKIMMER nesting colony at Nickerson Beach in Long Beach. An entrance fee is charged at Nickerson.

Those scouring the Midwood at Prospect Park last Saturday morning for the Swainson’s Warbler, unfortunately not seen since last Friday, were however treated to a wonderful THRUSH chorus, featuring several GRAY-CHEEKED and SWAINSON’S and at least one BICKNELL’S. A pair of ACADIAN FLYCATCHERS also frequented the same area.

A YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER on territory at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum has been singing near the parking lot and hopefully will have a successful season there, as it seems the small colony at Connetquot River State Park the last few years did not stick around in the usual location this year.

Two different SUMMER TANAGERS were noted in Central Park Tuesday and Thursday, while the one at Laurel Lake on the North Fork last Sunday could be nesting in that area. BLUE GROSBEAKS around the Calverton grasslands, and possibly even the one at the Oceanside landfill today, are likely all nesting birds, and these, as well as the colonizing YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS and SUMMER TANAGERS, should not be interfered with in any way during this crucial time in their nesting cycle.

Otherwise spring migration has quickly wound down, with a small assortment of WARBLERS and other late migrants still moving through – among these are some MOURNING WARBLERS and an assortment of FLYCATCHERS, including OLIVE-SIDED, YELLOW-BELLIED, ALDER and ACADIAN.

Unusual for Westchester County, a BLACK SKIMMER and a CASPIAN TERN have recently been around Croton Point at the Hudson and Croton Rivers confluence by the train station.

To phone in reports, please call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922 and leave a message.

This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.

- End transcript