New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, October 19, 2018

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Oct. 19, 2018
* NYNY1810.19

- Birds mentioned
PURPLE GALLINULE+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

TUNDRA SWAN
EURASIAN WIGEON
HARLEQUIN DUCK
GOLDEN EAGLE
SANDHILL CRANE
HUDSONIAN GODWIT
MARBLED GODWIT
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE
Caspian Tern
Royal Tern
Parasitic Jaeger
Red-headed Woodpecker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Orange-crowned Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
SUMMER TANAGER
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
Vesper Sparrow
LARK SPARROW
Nelson's Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Blue Grosbeak
DICKCISSEL
Purple Finch
Pine Siskin

- 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 19th 2018 at 11pm. The highlights of today's tape are PURPLE GALLINULE, SANDHILL CRANE, MARBLED GODWIT, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, TUNDRA SWAN, EURASIAN WIGEON, HARLEQUIN DUCK, GOLDEN EAGLE, BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, LARK SPARROW, DICKCISSEL, SUMMER TANAGER and more.

Late this afternoon an immature PURPLE GALLINULE was spotted along the edge of the peninsula on Prospect Park Lake in Brooklyn. Hopefully it will remain for the weekend.

A SANDHILL CRANE was reported flying over Inwood Hill Park in northern Manhattan Tuesday heading southwest just before noon. Occurring more regularly in our area now another two SANDHILLS were seen heading into Westchester County as they passed over the Greenwich Audubon Hawkwatch in northwestern Greenwich Thursday morning.

Just as shorebird and warbler seasons give way to the incoming waterfowl most interesting among the arriving species, all spotted today, were a TUNDRA SWAN at Coney Island Creek in Brooklyn, a drake EURASIAN WIGEON at the Marine Park Salt Marsh Nature Center and the drake HARLEQUIN DUCK at Orient Point.

Among the later shorebirds a group of MARBLED GODWITS, with usually 4 to 6 individuals noted, continues at Jones Beach West End the birds usually seen with a large American Oystercatcher flock around the island off the Coast Guard Station near high tide. Two HUDSONIAN GODWITS were seen at Miller Field on Staten Island today with STILT SANDPIPER also reported there and small groups of PECTORAL SANDPIPERS included 17 at Calvert Vaux Park in Brooklyn yesterday.

Interesting was a flock of 9 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES spotted among numerous other gulls and terns off Fort Tilden last Saturday. That melee also producing a PARASITIC JAEGER Saturday with 3 off Breezy Point Monday. Two CASPIAN and 18 ROYAL TERNS were at the now open Mecox Inlet today and 5 more ROYALS were at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn yesterday.

The hawk season is currently going strong with the first of the GOLDEN EAGLES appearing over Hook Mountain in Rockland County and at the Greenwich Audubon watch on Thursday.

An adult RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was spotted in Central Park Thursday following an immature at Shore Road Park off the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn from Monday.

Unusual among this week's passerines were single BLUE GROSBEAKS at Floyd Bennett Field Sunday and at Central Park Tuesday while DICKCISSELS were found in Brooklyn's Green-wood Cemetery and at Sunken Meadow State Park Sunday and at Calvert Vaux Park Tuesday. A LARK SPARROW found at Jones Beach West End last Saturday was still around the hedgerow by the Coast Guard Station Thursday and a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW also there Saturday was not relocated. Other CLAY-COLOREDS featured 2 at Robert Moses State Park and one at Floyd Bennett Field Saturday and on Sunday singles at Bush Terminal Piers Park and Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. VESPER SPARROWS were spotted at Green-wood Cemetery Sunday, Calvert Vaux Park Wednesday and at the Salt Marsh Nature Center today while other sparrows include some coastal NELSON'S and a FOX arriving in Central Park Thursday.

A YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT visited Gilgo from Saturday to Tuesday and various species of warblers continue to visit local parks including scattered ORANGE-CROWNEDS and such quickly diminishing species as CAPE MAY, BAY-BREASTED, PRAIRIE and WILSON'S.

A late OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER was at Salt Marsh Nature Center Sunday and interesting was a report of a SUMMER TANAGER at Clove Lakes Park on Staten Island today.

Decent flights last weekend and on Thursday have brought promising numbers of PINE SISKINS and PURPLE FINCHES to our area with other winter finches hopefully to follow.

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