New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, May 31, 2019:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* May 31, 2019
* NYNY1905.31

- Birds Mentioned

BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK+
PACIFIC LOON+
MISSISSIPPI KITE+
ARCTIC TERN+
SAGE THRASHER+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Common Loon
BROWN PELICAN
SANDHILL CRANE
Willet
WHIMBREL
WILSON’S PHALAROPE
Gull-billed Tern
Black Tern
Roseate Tern
Red-headed Woodpecker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Bicknell’s Thrush
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
Mourning Warbler
KENTUCKY WARBLER
Yellow-breasted Chat
Grasshopper Sparrow
SUMMER TANAGER
BLUE GROSBEAK
DICKCISSEL
Pine Siskin


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, May 31, 2019 at 9:00 pm.

The highlights of today's tape are SAGE THRASHER, BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK, MISSISSIPPI KITE, BROWN PELICAN, SANDHILL CRANE, PACIFIC LOON, ARCTIC TERN, WILSON’S PHALAROPE and WHIMBREL, PROTHONOTARY and KENTUCKY WARBLERS, DICKCISSEL, SUMMER TANAGER, BLUE GROSBEAK and more.

This just in – a SAGE THRASHER was photographed today on Fire Island at Watch Hill, which is about at the midpoint of Fire Island and accessible by ferry from Patchogue. Possibly the same bird present at Jamaica Bay May 17 and 18, the THRASHER was described as being near the easternmost ranger house east of Davis Park.

Also this afternoon, following last week’s incursion of BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS, ten were seen flying into the Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area and landing in the marsh. Earlier this week at least two were still at the Meadowbrook and Ocean Parkway cloverleaf at Jones Beach Monday and Tuesday, so these ducks are hanging around.

Last Monday an immature MISSISSIPPI KITE was photographed as it flew over Rockefeller State Park in Westchester County. Then on Wednesday an immature was also seen heading south at the State Line Lookout off the Palisades Parkway in New Jersey just below the New York State line. Others are likely around.

A BROWN PELICAN was spotted Monday morning by a fishing boat captain off Northport in Long Island Sound and then early Tuesday morning was noted flying fairly high west towards Eaton’s Neck – worth watching for if you are in that area.

Following a reasonable number of recent SANDHILL CRANE reports a little north of New York City, one was found Monday out at Napeague on Eastern Long Island. It was still present today off of Cranberry Hole Road, often near the old fish factory before the intersection with Napeague Meadow Road.

A PACIFIC LOON in breeding plumage was spotted yesterday sitting on the ocean with COMMON LOONS off Robert Moses State Park field 2 but could not be relocated today.

Nickerson Beach has hosted a couple of unusual birds this week, starting with a WILSON’S PHALAROPE last Saturday followed by an adult ARCTIC TERN found Monday around the tern colony and still present there today. Also there have been one or two BLACK and ROSEATE TERNS and a couple of pairs of GULL-BILLED TERNS. A “WESTERN” WILLET was photographed there today.

A WHIMBREL visited Breezy Point Sunday.

RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were noted this week at Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx and off the Paumanok Trail by Jones Pond off Schultz Road in Manorville.

With another week punctuated by some bad weather and migration nearing its end, it’s nice to see some good passerines hanging around. A singing PROTHONOTARY WARBLER found Tuesday in Central Park was still near Oak Bridge today, and a KENTUCKY WARBLER appeared in Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery last Saturday. A YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT visited Central Park Sunday, and a decent number of MOURNING WARBLERS have been seen this week.

A SUMMER TANAGER on Staten Island Monday was followed by one in Brookville Park, Queens, yesterday, while a BLUE GROSBEAK was at Calvert Vaux Park Monday and a pair or two are on territory around the Calverton Grasslands, where numbers of GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS also breed.

A DICKCISSEL was photographed at Jones Beach West End by the Coast Guard Station last Saturday.

It has been a good week for FLYCATCHERS, with OLIVE-SIDED, ACADIAN, ALDER and YELLOW-BELLIED all noted, and a BICKNELL’S THRUSH or two have also been heard singing in city parks.

Single PINE SISKINS at Breezy Point Sunday and in Central Park to Wednesday were late.

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