New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, July 20, 2018

NYC Area-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* July 20, 2018
* LINY 1807.20

- BIRDS Mentioned

BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK+
WHITE-FACED IBIS+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Cory's Shearwater
Great Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
Wilson's Storm-Petrel
LEACH'S STORM-PETREL
BROWN PELICAN
Tricolored Heron
Lesser Yellowlegs
WHIMBREL
Least Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
POMARINE JAEGER
Parasitic Jaeger
LONG-TAILED JAEGER
Black Tern
Red-breasted Nuthatch

Greetings, this is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, July 20th, at 9:00 p.m.

The highlights of this week's tape are Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, White-faced Ibis, an incursion of Brown Pelicans, Leach's Storm-Petrel, Pomarine and Long-tailed Jaegers, and the ongoing shorebird migration.

The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck at Nissequogue River SP was last reported on Saturday the 14th but may very well still be present. Reports would be welcome, as we try to determine whether the second bird that has gone missing might be nesting.

Brown Pelican reports continue from all along the outer coast, including 2 at Old Inlet on several dates; 3 at Robert Moses SP on Saturday, plus singles there on Sunday, Tuesday, and today; and 8 at Breezy Point on Monday.

An adult White-faced Ibis in fading breeding plumage was seen at Captree Island on Saturday but has not been reported since. A Tricolored Heron was seen there on Sunday.

Seawatching has been generally slow with a few Cory's Shearwaters being regularly reported, as well as a few Great and Sooty Shearwaters. A three-hour effort at Robert Moses State Park today produced 16 Cory's and one Sooty Shearwater, as well as a Parasitic Jaeger.

Other reports from Robert Moses include a single Wilson's Storm-Petrel on Sunday, very scarce from land this summer.

A trip offshore on Saturday yielded Leach's Storm-Petrel and Pomarine and Long-tailed Jaegers.

Southbound shorebird migration is underway, with adults of all the regular early species being seen in many places. Whimbrels were widely reported in small numbers all along the outer coast during rainy weather on Sunday morning, as was a breeding-plumaged Black Tern, at Cupsogue County Park. A count of 12 Stilt Sandpipers at Jamaica Bay on Tuesday was lower than last week but still notable. Further east, at Heckscher State Park 3 Pectoral and 3 Stilt Sandpipers dropped in after Tuesday's heavy rainfall, along with the more numerous Lesser Yellowlegs and Least Sandpipers.

Passerine migration has commenced, with a nice swallow flight on Wednesday, following a cold front, and Red-breasted Nuthatches appearing early at several sites, perhaps portending a good fall flight.

To send in reports this week, while Tom Burke is away, email Shai Mitra or call him at 631-666-7624.

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