New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, June 23, 2017:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Jun. 23, 2017
* NYNY1706.23

- Birds mentioned
PACIFIC LOON+
BROWN BOOBY+
FRANKLIN'S GULL+
ARCTIC TERN+
WHITE-WINGED DOVE+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

CORY'S SHEARWATER
GREAT SHEARWATER
SOOTY SHEARWATER
MANX SHEARWATER
Wilson's Storm-Petrel
Least Bittern
Tricolored Heron
Marbled Godwit
Parasitic Jaeger
Iceland Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
Black Tern
Royal Tern
Acadian Flycatcher
American Pipit
Henslow's Sparrow
DICKCISSEL

- 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

Compiler: Tom Burke
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County

Transcriber: Ben Cacace

BEGIN TAPE

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, June 23rd 2017 at 8pm. The highlights of today's tape are BROWN BOOBY, FRANKLIN'S GULL, WHITE-WINGED DOVE, PACIFIC LOON, ARCTIC TERN, DICKCISSEL and the shearwater enigma.

A very exciting and yet somewhat distressing week began last Saturday with the discovery of a female BROWN BOOBY ashore by the tern colony at Nickerson Beach and Lido Beach, Nassau County. Not looking very well the booby perched on top of a Piping Plover enclosure for the overnight and was sound deceased at that spot early Sunday morning. The body was recovered for museum use. As the fog slowly rose at Nickerson early Sunday morning it became evident that there was a fairly strong continuation of the seabird flight first noted last Friday with mostly GREAT SHEARWATERS moving by, many fairly close to shore. This flight seemed to be mainly concentrated off western Long Island from around the Nickerson area east to Robert Moses State Park with sites farther east producing significantly fewer birds contrary to general Long Island flight expectations. A composite count for the day Sunday from Robert Moses State Park conducted at field 2 provided the most significant totals with 669 GREAT, 48 CORY'S, 9 SOOTY and 8 MANX SHEARWATERS, 6 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS and 1 PARASITIC JAEGER. Jones Beach West End totals were about a quarter of that but still quite impressive with fewer still off Nickerson but at all sites GREAT SHEARWATER was easily the predominant species. The unfortunate aftermath of this was the stranding and mortality of many GREAT SHEARWATERS appearing to be suffering mainly from exhaustion. The reasons for such a high amount of mortality may never be fully known but a combination of a long flight with less than suitable feeding opportunities and prolonged difficult conditions at sea may have been contributing factors.

A seawatch Sunday at Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes produced low total of seabirds but did include a breeding plumaged PACIFIC LOON moving west in the morning and on Monday 7 PARASITIC JAEGERS were noted off Tiana Beach west of Shinnecock Inlet.

Last Sunday evening an adult FRANKLIN'S GULL was seen with Laughing Gulls at Crab Meadow Beach in Northport and was relocated there again early this morning on the east side of the outflow. There is a fee charge at this site if the booths are open.

On Wednesday a WHITE-WINGED DOVE was spotted along a path adjacent to the south garden at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and remained in that area though rather elusive into the evening but could not be relocated Thursday.

ARCTIC TERNS during the week included one at Cupsogue County Park Wednesday and one at Democrat Point at Robert Moses State Park Tuesday. There were also one or two earlier reports from Nickerson Beach for this species that does require some diligent identification as they mingle amongst the Common Terns.

Joining into what is an impressive incursion of DICKCISSELS recently in the New York and northeast region was one spotted Saturday and still present Wednesday at Caumsett State Park. One also continues on the Shawangunk Grasslands in Ulster County along with a HENSLOW'S SPARROW.

One or two LEAST BITTERNS have been present since Sunday at Prospect Park near the lake.

A MARBLED GODWIT was reported today west of Smith Point County Park where an ICELAND GULL continues and a CASPIAN TERN was noted Monday and Tuesday.

A couple of BLACK TERNS were present along the south shore this week along with a few more ROYAL TERNS, a GULL-BILLED TERN and a TRICOLORED HERON were noted at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Thursday.

Interesting landbirds Wednesday featured ACADIAN FLYCATCHER singing at Hempstead Lake State Park and an AMERICAN PIPIT reported from Nickerson Beach.

To phone in reports call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922.

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

- End transcript