New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, October 4, 2019:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Oct. 4, 2019
* NYNY1910.04

- Birds mentioned
MASKED BOOBY+
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
EURASIAN WIGEON
KING EIDER
Virginia Rail
Sora
WILSON'S PHALAROPE
AMERICAN AVOCET
Long-billed Dowitcher
Stilt Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
MARBLED GODWIT
HUDSONIAN GODWIT
Whimbrel
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER
Red-headed Woodpecker
Eastern Whip-poor-will
LARK SPARROW
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
BLUE GROSBEAK
DICKCISSEL
SUMMER TANAGER
CONNECTICUT WARBLER
Yellow-breasted Chat

- 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

Compiler: Tom Burke
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 4th 2019 at 9pm. The highlights of today's tape are possible MASKED BOOBY, KING EIDER, EURASIAN WIGEON, AMERICAN AVOCET, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, MARBLED GODWIT, AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER and other shorebirds, LARK SPARROW, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, SUMMER TANAGER, BLUE GROSBEAK, DICKCISSEL, CONNECTICUT WARBLER and more.

A week of good variety but certainly not overwhelming numbers was actually highlighted by a possible but unfortunately not confirmable new New York State record when a sulid fitting the description of an adult like MASKED BOOBY was spotted by a single observer flying west off Robert Moses State Park field 2 around 2pm on Thursday afternoon. Under the conditions photos could not be obtained and the bird could not be relocated farther down the coast but it is unexpected opportunities like this that make seawatching so exciting. It should be noted that for new New York State records NYSARC does require that single observer records be accompanied by a photo or other such evidence to be added to the official state list.

Among the increasing numbers of waterfowl a EURASIAN WIGEON was still on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge at least to Tuesday and a female KING EIDER found on Sunday off Orient Point was still present with some Common Eiders and White-winged Scoters today.

Shorebirds on Jamaica Bay's still too high East Pond this week featured up to 3 AMERICAN AVOCETS at least to Tuesday, an HUDSONIAN GODWIT last Sunday and SORA along the pond edge. Another HUDSONIAN GODWIT was at Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area last Saturday with two seen there Wednesday while up to 5 MARBLED GODWITS were present on the bars off Jones Beach West End earlier in the week with another at Oak Beach last Saturday along with an AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER. Another GOLDEN-PLOVER flew over Hillview Reservoir on Yonkers Wednesday. Single WHIMBREL were at Rockaway Beach Saturday and Smith Point County Park yesterday and a WILSON'S PHALAROPE was spotted at Cupsogue County Park in West Hampton Dunes on Monday. Three or four LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS remain at Santapogue Creek in West Babylon with a STILT SANDPIPER there last weekend and birds at Mecox Bay last Saturday featured one BAIRD'S and 2 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS and 3 CASPIAN TERNS. Other CASPIAN TERNS were noted this week from Brooklyn and Pelham Bay Park along the coast out to Cupsogue and Orient Point and a GULL-BILLED TERN was still at Jones Beach West End last Saturday.

Unusual for Manhattan were a SORA in Madison Square Park Sunday to Tuesday, a VIRGINIA RAIL in Abingdon Square Park Saturday to Thursday and an EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL in Central Park on Monday.

RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were spotted in Central Park last weekend, at Lenoir Preserve in Yonkers last Saturday and at Jones Beach West End Monday. Single YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS were found in Manhattan's Washington Square Park Monday, at Oceanside Wednesday and on Randall's Island on Thursday. Brooklyn's Green-wood Cemetery attracted a DICKCISSEL last Monday, a LARK SPARROW Sunday and Monday, a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW Monday and Tuesday and CONNECTICUT WARBLER Wednesday with a SUMMER TANAGER there Monday. Another DICKCISSEL was in Central Park's north end on Tuesday and Wednesday with a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW also in the park on Sunday. A SUMMER TANAGER also visited Central Park Tuesday and Wednesday with another in Yonkers Tuesday. Another DICKCISSEL visited Brooklyn's Shore Road Park to Wednesday and a BLUE GROSBEAK appeared at Ridgewood Reservoir in Queens Tuesday. A CONNECTICUT WARBLER was found at Tudor City Greens last Saturday and a few NELSON'S SPARROWS have arrived at various coastal saltmarshes this week.

To phone in reports 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