New York City Rare Bird Alert

Bekow is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending August 31, 2018:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Aug. 31, 2018
* NYNY1808.31

- Birds Mentioned

KING EIDER
Common Eider
Black-bellied Plover
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER
Whimbrel
HUDSONIAN GODWIT
MARBLED GODWIT
Stilt Sandpiper
BAIRD’S SANDPIPER
White-rumped Sandpiper
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER
Pectoral Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Parasitic Jaeger
Lesser Black-backed Gull
CASPIAN TERN
BLACK TERN
Cory’s Shearwater
Great Shearwater
Common Nighthawk
Red-headed Woodpecker
Mourning Warbler
Hooded Warbler
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
LARK SPARROW
BLUE GROSBEAK
Pine Siskin

Greetings! This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, August 31, 2018 at 9 pm.

The highlights of today's tape are shorebirds including BUFF-BREASTED and BAIRD’S SANDPIPERS, HUDSONIAN and MARBLED GODWITS, AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER and many others, KING EIDER, CASPIAN and BLACK TERNS, LARK SPARROW, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, BLUE GROSBEAK and more.

This past unpleasantly hot and humid week did produce a good variety of shorebirds, including an HUDSONIAN GODWIT found last Friday that did hang around the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge for Saturday’s Shorebird Festival and into the week through today, the Godwit usually ranging between the Raunt and the mostly submerged north end. The East Pond, despite its high water condition, also featured WESTERN SANDPIPER as of last Saturday plus a couple of PECTORAL and several WHITE-RUMPED and STILT SANDPIPERS along with more expected shorebirds, as well as one or two CASPIAN TERNS during the week and an increasing variety of waterfowl.

A MARBLED GODWIT was still visiting the flats at Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes as of last weekend, where a seawatch Saturday reported 120 CORY’S and five GREAT SHEARWATERS, with a CASPIAN TERN also noted there Sunday among a nice assemblage of birds.

Another MARBLED GODWIT was photographed at Jones Beach West End today, this following a report of an HUDSONIAN GODWIT there yesterday morning. Five LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were also counted at the West End today.

A BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER visited the puddles at Field 7 in Heckscher State Park yesterday, this following one on the flats at now open Mecox inlet on Wednesday. These extensive flats on Wednesday also produced one BAIRD’S, two WESTERN and 34 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS among a substantial gathering of shorebirds and two BLACK TERNS in a large Tern congregation. There are unfortunately parking issues around Mecox.

The same is true for Sagg Pond in Bridgehampton, where Wednesday provided a WESTERN SANDPIPER and three CASPIAN TERNS.

A very accommodating BAIRD’S SANDPIPER was frequenting two different wet areas at Floyd Bennett Field from last Saturday at least through Tuesday.

Two more BAIRD’S SANDPIPERS were noted last Saturday out at Cedar Beach County Park in Southold on the North Fork, with two WHIMBREL also present there. Two more WHIMBRELS were at Accabonac Harbor on the South Fork Monday, while another was noted again at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn last Saturday.

An AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER in good plumage was with BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS and other shorebirds on a sod field along Route 51 in Eastport just east of Route 111.

An eclipse male KING EIDER was still with some COMMON EIDERS on the east side of Shinnecock Inlet yesterday.

Among the land birds, a LARK SPARROW was spotted today on Randall’s Island, this following another photographed from a kayak in Accabonac harbor last Monday.

Out on Great Gull Island a Wednesday visit by a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was followed Thursday by a WESTERN SANDPIPER and two PARASITIC JAEGERS.

A BLUE GROSBEAK was reported Saturday from the Yaphank sod farm off Yaphank Avenue, and three adult RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were spotted Thursday in the restricted access Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Among the unusual migrants this week were a PINE SISKIN reported from Central Park last Saturday and an assortment of WARBLERS, including HOODEDS in Prospect Park and Clove Lakes Park on Staten Island, plus a MOURNING WARBLER at Marshlands Conservancy in Rye today.

And COMMON NIGHTHAWKS are also peaking around this time, a daily count in Setauket noting decent numbers from last Saturday on.

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