New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, October 6, 2017:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Oct. 6, 2017
* NYNY1710.06

- Birds mentioned
BROWN BOOBY+
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN+
CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD+
LARK BUNTING+ (last seen on September 29th)
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

EURASIAN WIGEON
Common Eider
Cory's Shearwater
AMERICAN AVOCET
American Golden-Plover
Long-billed Dowitcher
Parasitic Jaeger
Caspian Tern
Royal Tern
Red-headed Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Philadelphia Vireo
American Pipit
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
Vesper Sparrow
LARK SPARROW
Nelson's Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
SUMMER TANAGER
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

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

Transcriber: Ben Cacace

BEGIN TAPE

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, October 6th 2017 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are BROWN BOOBY, CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD, AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, AMERICAN AVOCET, EURASIAN WIGEON, LARK SPARROW, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, DICKCISSEL and SUMMER TANAGER.

The adult BROWN BOOBY first spotted on Lake Montauk on Wednesday September 27th was still present today continuing to roost mainly on the mast of the yacht Maui when not cruising around much of Lake Montauk hunting for food. The Maui can be viewed by looking south from the Star Island entrance road off West Lake Drive. If not there a good vantage point to scan for the BOOBY is from the end of South Lake Drive but it does return regularly to the Maui which can also be seen from strategic points along West Lake Drive. This bird is providing a rather unique opportunity for regional birders to see this species in southern New York State.

Certainly not as accommodating but an excellent local record was an apparent immature male CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD that visited a private feeder in Baiting Hollow back on Sunday October 1st. The bird was decently photographed but has not been seen since.

There's been no sign of the LARK BUNTING at Robert Moses State Park since Friday September 29th.

At Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge an AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN was present at the north end of the East Pond last Saturday but has been absent since nonetheless some good birds on the East Pond have featured the AMERICAN AVOCET continuing around the north end through Thursday. Three CASPIAN TERNS last Saturday and at least 2 yesterday and on Thursday 2 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS at the north end a female type EURASIAN WIGEON with a good variety of other waterfowl on the pond. Both Bald Eagle and Peregrine Falcon also continue to harass the birds on the pond. Five AMERICAN PIPITS were around the south end of the pond Thursday.

Other shorebirds this week have featured an AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER at Jones Beach West End Monday to today and up to 6 or more LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS continuing on Santapogue Creek off Venetian Boulevard in West Babylon.

Birds seen off the Camp Hero overlook at Montauk Point Wednesday included 8 COMMON EIDER, 11 CORY'S SHEARWATERS, a PARASITIC JAEGER and 2 CASPIAN TERNS. Two CASPIAN TERNS were at Mecox Thursday along with 34 ROYAL TERNS and 31 ROYALS were counted at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn Wednesday.

A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was at Robert Moses State Park Saturday and unusual for Long Island was a PILEATED WOODPECKER at Jayne's Hill Woods in Melville last Saturday. A SUMMER TANAGER found at Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn Sunday was nicely photographed and interesting was a YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER report from Clove Lakes Park on Staten Island Wednesday.

The LARK SPARROW was spotted at Jones Beach West End last Sunday with a smattering of CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS included singles Sunday in Prospect Park and Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn as well as out at Tiana Beach and one on Randall's Island on Wednesday. A DICKCISSEL at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Thursday and Friday followed singles last Saturday at Roosevelt Island and at Robert Moses State Park and one Sunday at Pelham Bay Park where a VESPER SPARROW was also reported. Other sparrows noted lately have included NELSON'S, LINCOLN'S and WHITE-CROWNED.

Among the still decent collection of warblers are such as TENNESSEE, BAY-BREASTED, CAPE MAY and HOODED. ORANGE-CROWNED were reported from Central Park and Prospect Parks, Green-wood Cemetery and Calvert Vaux Park. A couple of PHILADELPHIA VIREOS were mentioned in Central Park Saturday and at Camp Hero on Sunday.

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