New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, November 9, 2018:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Nov. 09, 2018
* NYNY1811.09

- Birds Mentioned

SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER+
VARIED THRUSH+
HARRIS'S SPARROW+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

EURASIAN WIGEON
Common Eider
HARLEQUIN DUCK
Red-necked Grebe
Great Shearwater
MANX SHEARWATER
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel
Northern Gannet
Cattle Egret
Piping Plover
HUDSONIAN GODWIT
MARBLED GODWIT
Parasitic Jaeger
Razorbill
Black-legged Kittiwake
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Royal Tern
Downy Woodpecker
WESTERN KINGBIRD
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Winter Wren
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Orange-crowned Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Vesper Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
DICKCISSEL
Purple Finch
RED CROSSBILL
Pine Siskin
EVENING GROSBEAK

(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

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 nysarc44nybirdsorg

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: Gail Benson

[~BEGIN RBA TAPE~]

Greetings! This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, November 9, 2018 at 9:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are HARRIS’S SPARROW, VARIED THRUSH, SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER, WESTERN KINGBIRD, pelagic trip results including MANX SHEARWATER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, EURASIAN WIGEON, MARBLED and HUDSONIAN GODWITS, DICKCISSEL, EVENING GROSBEAK, RED CROSSBILL and more.

Perhaps the best of the exceptional birds this week was Central Park's first HARRIS'S SPARROW, an immature found last Sunday by the North Meadow in the northern part of the park; nicely photographed, the Sparrow could not be relocated on Monday or following days.

Also very noteworthy was a VARIED THRUSH found Sunday at 57th Street and 8th Avenue in central Manhattan, apparently a window strike victim; taken to the Wild Bird Fund for rehabilitation, the Thrush was released later in the week at an undisclosed location.

Presumably due to its remote location and lack of seekers, the SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER at the Deep Hollow Ranch east of the town of Montauk has only been reported on the initial weekend of October 20th and 21st, then not until Sunday the 28th, and now again on Sunday November 4th. Look for the bird along the fences on the south side of route 27 - it may still be around.

Another notable flycatcher, a WESTERN KINGBIRD, was seen as a fly-by during last Sunday’s morning flight at Robert Moses State Park.

A pelagic trip last Sunday aboard the Brooklyn VI, sponsored by See Life Paulagics, went out about 70 miles along Hudson Canyon. Seabirds encountered included 3 PARASITIC JAEGERS, 5 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES, 2 MANX and about two dozen GREAT SHEARWATERS, 4 WILSON’S STORM-PETRELS, a few LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS, an apparent distant RAZORBILL, and over 1,000 NORTHERN GANNETS, most of the latter around a spectacular feeding frenzy stirred up by active Fin and Humpback Whales and several dozen Common Dolphins. Notable among about 14 species of land birds appearing around the boat way out in the Canyon were DOWNY WOODPECKER, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, MARSH and WINTER WRENS, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, PURPLE FINCH and PINE SISKIN, as well as a DARK-EYED JUNCO clever enough to stay with the ship, taking advantage of seed and a roosting plant brought on board for just such an occasion.

A EURASIAN WIGEON was still on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Saturday, and two HARLEQUIN DUCKS were around the Point Lookout jetties Wednesday. Some local COMMON EIDER included 110 at Shinnecock Inlet today.

Of the up to 5 MARBLED GODWITS visiting the bar off the Jones Beach West End Coast Guard Station, at least 4 were there today, and an HUDSONIAN GODWIT was at Georgica Cove in East Hampton Wednesday.

The 2 CATTLE EGRETS still at Timber Point Golf Club Saturday were likely the same 2 at Bellport Country Club on Sunday.

Two RED-NECKED GREBES were off the Mount Loretto Unique Area on Staten Island last Sunday, a PARASITIC JAEGER was off Fort Tilden Monday, 7 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were still visiting Jones Beach West End Field 2 to Thursday, 5 ROYAL TERNS were still at Floyd Bennett Field Saturday, and 2 PIPING PLOVERS Wednesday were among the many shorebirds lingering at Jones Beach West End.

A DICKCISSEL flew by Robert Moses State Park along with 130 PURPLE FINCHES and 225 PINE SISKINS last Sunday. Other winter Finches featured 6 RED CROSSBILLS photographed at Jones Beach West End Wednesday, while EVENING GROSBEAKS included about a dozen moving over Central Park’s Shakespeare Garden yesterday and singles at Hempstead Lake State Park Thursday and in northern Westchester County today.

A YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was seen again in Manhattan’s Madison Square Park Monday, and among the various late WARBLERS were a few more seasonal ORANGE-CROWNEDS as well as NORTHERN PARULA, CAPE MAY, MAGNOLIA, and others.

VESPER SPARROWS were seen at Floyd Bennett Field and Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn last weekend.

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