New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, July 5, 2019:

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* July 5, 2019
* NYNY1907.05

- Birds Mentioned

BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK+
BRIDLED TERN+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Wilson’s Storm-Petrel
BROWN PELICAN
SANDHILL CRANE
PARASITIC JAEGER
GULL-BILLED TERN
Roseate Tern
Common Tern
Royal Tern
Black Skimmer
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Acadian Flycatcher
Hermit Thrush
Worm-eating Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Northern Parula
Grasshopper Sparrow
BLUE GROSBEAK

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, July 5, 2019 at 8:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are BRIDLED TERN, BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK, SANDHILL CRANE, BROWN PELICAN, PARASITIC JAEGER, GULL-BILLED TERN, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, BLUE GROSBEAK and more.

Of our lingering rarities, the most difficult to see is the BRIDLED TERN still roosting today on the northeast side of Great Gull Island, viewable by boat as it flies about the area. But please remember that boats are not permitted to land on the island, an important COMMON and ROSEATE TERN research station.

At least eight BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS were still visiting the grassy lawns at the western end of Nickerson Beach today. Located on the south side of Lido Boulevard just west of Point Lookout, Nickerson does charge a substantial entry fee between 9 am and 4 pm, but the ducks can often be seen from Lido Boulevard. Up to four GULL-BILLED TERNS also continue to be seen around the COMMON TERN and BLACK SKIMMER colonies there, and last Saturday a BROWN PELICAN was spotted roosting on a red buoy off Nickerson, but it apparently moved on after a short stay.

The SANDHILL CRANE out at Napeague on Long Island’s South Fork was still present yesterday near the old fish factory along Cranberry Hole Road.

A sea watch from Robert Moses State Park Field 2 last Saturday morning did finally produce a PARASITIC JAEGER along with forty-six WILSON’S STORM-PETRELS, but no Shearwaters, as coastal sea flights continue to be fairly slow.

Last Saturday six ROYAL TERNS were counted around Old Inlet in Bellport Bay, this just west of Smith Point County Park, and two more were at Sagg Pond in Bridgehampton.

The situation for RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS locally seems optimistic, with two continuing along the Paumanok Trail off the west side of Schultz Road in Manorville and three noted last week in the restricted Brookhaven National Lab complex, as well as birds previously present in Connetquot River State Park and another still at Muscoot Farm in northern Westchester County.

A couple of ACADIAN FLYCATCHERS and some breeding HERMIT THRUSHES at Hunter’s Garden off Route 51 southwest of Riverhead have been attracting attention lately though presumably a continuation of birds historically present here for some time. This site a while back was best known for a pair or two of Blue Grosbeaks nesting there before they became more widespread locally. Now most birders visit the Calverton grasslands area for the BLUE GROSBEAKS, and three were spotted there today. This site also hosts a healthy population of GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS and other desirable grassland birds.

Among the warblers, a few seasonal floaters mentioned this week included WORM-EATING, LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, NORTHERN PARULA and BLACK-AND-WHITE.

For the next two weeks, the chores of the Rare Bird Alert will gratefully be handled by Shai Mitra. To phone in reports, on Long Island please call Tony Lauro at 631-734-4126 or call Shai Mitra at 631-666-7624.

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

- End transcript