New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, July 7, 2017:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* July 7, 2017
* NYNY1707.07

- Birds Mentioned

SOUTH POLAR SKUA+
SANDWICH TERN+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Semipalmated Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Greater Yellowlegs
“Western” Willet
Lesser Yellowlegs
Red Knot
Stilt Sandpiper
Dunlin
Least Sandpiper
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Black Tern
Roseate Tern
ARCTIC TERN
Royal Tern
Cory’s Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
Great Shearwater
MANX SHEARWATER
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel
BROWN PELICAN
LEAST BITTERN
Cattle Egret
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Blue-headed Vireo
Magnolia Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED 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

Compilers: Tom Burke and 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, July 7, 2017 at 8:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are BROWN PELICAN, SOUTH POLAR SKUA, MANX SHEARWATER, SANDWICH and ARCTIC TERNS, LEAST BITTERN, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER and RED-HEADED WOODPECKER.

On July 4th two birders on Fire Island had something extra to celebrate when they spotted 2 BROWN PELICANS moving west along the ocean not too far offshore.

The regularly scheduled whale-watching boat from Montauk last Sunday went about 30 miles south of the Point – besides Fin and Minke Whales, birds seen included about 80 CORY’S, 40 GREAT, 25 SOOTY, and 4 MANX SHEARWATERS, 120 WILSON’S STORM-PETRELS and an apparent SOUTH POLAR SKUA.

The flats at Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes continue to produce interesting water-related birds – the young SANDWICH TERN found there June 29th was still around the mussel beds by the inlet Saturday, while ARCTIC TERNS during the past week included 1 Saturday and Monday and 2 on Tuesday, all immatures. Other TERNS at Cupsogue included 2-3 BLACK and up to 6 each of ROSEATE and ROYAL, with a GULL-BILLED reported there Sunday. On Saturday a peak of 7 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS was noted there. Among the shorebirds, most interesting was a STILT SANDPIPER last Saturday as the shorebird variety continues to increase, these also including a “WESTERN” WILLET, both LESSER and GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LEAST and SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, a few DUNLIN and varying numbers of RED KNOTS, and flocks of SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS, included some of the “hendersoni” interior race.

Another SANDWICH TERN, or perhaps the same one moving east, was noted on Mecox Bay Wednesday along with a BLACK and 3 ROSEATE TERNS.

TERNS at Nickerson Beach Park in Lido Beach last Saturday included 2 GULL-BILLED, 1 ROSEATE and 1 ROYAL.

An ICELAND GULL was noted again in the Smith Point County Park area last Saturday.

A LEAST BITTERN was still being seen around Prospect Park Lake yesterday, and a CATTLE EGRET was reported over Staten Island Wednesday flying southwest towards Great Kills Park.

A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was still present at Connetquot River State Park Wednesday, and most interesting was an adult RED-HEADED seen with an immature bird at Muscoot Farm near Somers in northern Westchester County last Monday.

A YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER was still singing at Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River yesterday, and a singing but wandering male was spotted again Tuesday at Connetquot River State Park.

Among the few seasonal floaters noted this week were a BLUE-HEADED VIREO and a MAGNOLIA WARBLER at Dreier-Offerman Park in Brooklyn Tuesday.

For the next 2 weeks we are happy to note that Tony Lauro will be doing the RBA; please call Tony with reports at 631-734-4216.

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

- End transcript