New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, May 28, 2021:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* May. 28, 2021
* NYNY2105.28


- Birds mentioned
BROWN BOOBY+
SWALLOW-TAILED KITE+
BICKNELL'S THRUSH+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

King Eider
Harlequin Duck
Whimbrel
Wilson's Phalarope
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Sooty Shearwater
Tricolored Heron
Red-headed Woodpecker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Philadelphia Vireo
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Mourning Warbler
Kentucky Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Blue Grosbeak

- 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, May 28th 2021* at 10pm. The highlights of today's tape are BROWN BOOBY, a very slightly extralimital SWALLOW-TAILED KITE, KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, WHIMBREL, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, PHILADELPHIA VIREO, BICKNELL'S THRUSH, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, KENTUCKY WARBLER, BLUE GROSBEAK and more.

Interesting yesterday afternoon was an adult BROWN BOOBY flying around Newark Bay in New York and New Jersey waters off the north side of Staten Island near Richmond Terrace Park but we've seen no reports from today.

Tuesday afternoon a SWALLOW-TAILED KITE was spotted over the Greenwich Audubon Center in northwestern Greenwich heading quickly into Westchester County. Not unusual though for this species but there have been no subsequent sightings.

On Monday a female KING EIDER was still in a small flock of Common Eider at Jones Beach West End and a drake HARLEQUIN DUCK was spotted Thursday at Cupsogue County Park.

Among the increasing numbers and variety of shorebirds were 2 WHIMBREL photographed on an island off Rye yesterday and a WILSON'S PHALAROPE visiting a private farm pool in Mattituck on Wednesday.

A seawatch Tuesday afternoon from Jacob Riis Park produced 3 SOOTY SHEARWATERS with another seen Tuesday in lower New York Bay these hopefully signaling the beginning of a good seawatching season. For watching, earlier morning and later afternoon are usually the more productive times and winds are best with a southerly component. Generally too, the farther east you go on Long Island's south shore the better the results.

Among some occurring along the coast were 3 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS at Nickerson Beach Wednesday.

Single TRICOLORED HERONS were noted at Captree Island marsh Sunday and at Timber Point Golf Course yesterday and Thursday also produced sightings of RED-HEADED WOODPECKER at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn and at the Spring Lake Golf Course in Middle Island.

Recent migrant flycatchers have featured a few OLIVE-SIDED including in both Central Park and Prospect Parks and various empidonax species including singing ALDER, ACADIAN and YELLOW-BELLIED while thrushes have featured some GRAY-CHEEKED and a BICKNELL'S singing in Forest Park Monday. Other BICKNELL'S should be passing through though identifying non-singing birds can be a challenge not everyone is up to.

A PHILADELPHIA VIREO was photographed in Central Park last Sunday while among decreasing numbers of warblers have been the expected late season push of MOURNING and BLACKPOLL and the recent influx of KENTUCKYS including in Central Park and Forest Park today. A YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER continues in the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River while BLUE GROSBEAKS also remain around the Calverton Grasslands and please remember not to disturb nesting birds in any way. This season is absolutely crucial to their survival.

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