New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, October 9, 2020:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Oct. 9, 2020
* NYNY2010.09

- Birds mentioned
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Caspian Tern
WILSON'S PHALAROPE
AMERICAN AVOCET
Long-billed Dowitcher
Stilt Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER
Whimbrel
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER
WESTERN KINGBIRD
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD
Rusty Blackbird
PINE SISKIN
LAPLAND LONGSPUR
VESPER SPARROW
GRASSHOPPER SPARROW
HENSLOW'S SPARROW
LARK SPARROW
White-crowned Sparrow
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
Lincoln's Sparrow
BLUE GROSBEAK
DICKCISSEL
Philadelphia Vireo
Orange-crowned Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
CONNECTICUT WARBLER
Mourning Warbler
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
Hooded Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
SEDGE WREN

- 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

(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, October 9th 2020 at 10pm. The highlights of today's tape are HENSLOW'S SPARROW, WESTERN KINGBIRD, SEDGE WREN, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, AMERICAN AVOCET, BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, LARK SPARROW, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, GRASSHOPPER SPARROW, VESPER SPARROW, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, CONNECTICUT WARBLER, BLUE GROSBEAK, DICKCISSEL, a PINE SISKIN invasion and more.

Last weekend's highlights began with a discovery Saturday of a HENSLOW'S SPARROW at Sparrow Rock in Central Park seen one day only and then on Sunday the finding of a WESTERN KINGBIRD on Governors Island, perhaps the bird from the week prior, this also present on Monday. The SEDGE WREN was seen again Sunday at Freshkills Park on Staten Island and the male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was also noted over the weekend still foraging along the east shore of Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park just south of the boathouse.

Excitement among the shorebirds included a report of the AMERICAN AVOCET in flight Tuesday over the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge while one or two WILSON'S PHALAROPES were seen both Wednesday and Thursday at the south end of the pond. Other shorebirds still using the pond, despite constant harassment by Peregrines, include some PECTORAL and STILT SANDPIPERS and a LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER. An immature AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER appeared today on Randall's Island. A WHIMBREL was out in Springs on the south fork last Sunday. A BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER visited Smith Point County Park Monday and a LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER was at Gilgo Monday with one or more also still at Santapogue Creek in West Babylon this week. Forty LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were estimated at Smith Point County Park Monday and CASPIAN TERNS included one at Mecox Saturday and two at Captree Sunday with 2 at Sagg Pond yesterday.

A nice selection of sparrows this week featured the LARK SPARROW staying in Central Park's north end to Tuesday and single CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS in Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn Saturday and Governors Island Wednesday and at Read Sanctuary at Playland Park in Rye today. Also notable were single GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS at Brooklyn's Calvert Vaux Park Saturday, Planting Fields Arboretum Sunday and Kissena Park Monday and some VESPER SPARROWS included singles in Central Park and Floyd Bennett Field today. Good numbers of LINCOLN'S SPARROWS continue and more WHITE-CROWNEDS are arriving. Single LAPLAND LONGSPURS were noted today at Robert Moses State Park and at Sagg Pond while other continuing migrants have included some flycatchers including YELLOW-BELLIED, a few PHILADELPHIA VIREOS and some RUSTY BLACKBIRDS. A YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT visited Central Park Saturday.

Among the warblers a few CONNECTICUTS continue to be seen in what has been a productive fall for them and early ORANGE-CROWNEDS included one at Owl's Head Park Sunday and one in Green-wood Cemetery yesterday. Many other species of warblers continue to pass through most now in low numbers these including MOURNING, HOODED, CAPE MAY, BAY-BREASTED and WILSON'S.

A BLUE GROSBEAK stayed in Central Park's north end to Tuesday with one also at the Lido Beach Preserve Monday and another in Queens Tuesday.

DICKCISSELS this week started last Saturday with 2 at Fort Tilden and one at Calvert Vaux Park with a couple during the week ending with 2 at Moses Park and one at Read Sanctuary in Rye today and after teasing us a bit with some scattered flocks PINE SISKINS made a huge push today with over four thousand estimated moving by Moses Park this morning.

[Editor's note: A DICKCISSEL was photographed on Governors Island last Saturday at the Urban Farm. The image was found on iNaturalist < https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/61617615 >.]

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