New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, August 11, 2017:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Aug. 11, 2017
* NYNY1708.11

- Birds mentioned
Cory's Shearwater
Wilson's Storm-Petrel
LEAST BITTERN
WHIMBREL
Red Knot
Stilt Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
WILSON'S PHALAROPE
Lesser Black-backed Gull
GULL-BILLED TERN
CASPIAN TERN
Black Tern
Royal Tern
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Cliff Swallow
Ovenbird
Worm-eating Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Northern Waterthrush
Blue-winged Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Bay-breasted Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Canada Warbler

- 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

Compilers: Tom Burke and Tony Lauro
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County

Transcriber: Ben Cacace

BEGIN TAPE

(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, August 11th 2017 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are shorebirds including WILSON'S PHALAROPE and WHIMBREL, GULL-BILLED TERN & CASPIAN TERN, LEAST BITTERN and RED-HEADED WOODPECKER.

At Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, the East Pond, still impacted by higher water levels undesired at this point in the shorebird migration has nevertheless been pulling in birds mostly during the high tide cycle in the surrounding bay.

Today a juvenile WILSON'S PHALAROPE visited the north end of the pond around Dead Man's Cove and among the 2,000 or so shorebirds on the pond were 3 STILT, 4 PECTORAL and 7 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS plus a group of about 300 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS almost all juveniles. A young GULL-BILLED TERN was also spotted there. On Sunday 2 CASPIAN TERNS flew over the north end. Those visiting the East Pond and especially the north end should wear boots and be very careful especially near the north entrance at around Dead Man's Cove. There's a reason it is named that. If at the south end walk around the ridiculous chain-link fence that's been put up there.

At the Cupsogue flats last weekend a WILSON'S PHALAROPE joined a decent number of expected shorebirds including some RED KNOTS plus 33 ROYAL TERNS and a single BLACK TERN.

Jones Beach West End has also been attracting a variety of shorebirds and a WESTERN SANDPIPER was reported there Sunday.

A WHIMBREL was reported as a flyby past Wolfe's Pond Park on Staten Island last Tuesday.

A GULL-BILLED TERN visited Plumb Beach in Brooklyn last weekend with a ROYAL TERN also there Saturday.

LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS can still be found along Long Island's south shore.

A LEAST BITTERN has been present recently at Arshamomaque Preserve west of Greenport on the north fork located north of Route 25.

A fishing boat near Gardiners Island Sunday noted 3 CORY'S SHEARWATERS and a WILSON'S STORM-PETREL. Other pelagics should be out there on the ocean but we have no additional reports.

A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was noted Thursday at Hunter's Island in Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx where some CLIFF SWALLOWS continue.

Among the landbirds a sparse showing of migrant warblers has included OVENBIRD, both LOUISIANA and NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES, WORM-EATING, NORTHERN PARULA, BLUE-WINGED, AMERICAN REDSTART, BLACK-AND-WHITE, YELLOW, CANADA and a rather early BAY-BREASTED in Central Park.

To phone in reports on Long Island call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126 or 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