[nysbirds-l] NYC Area RBA: 16 May 2014

[Gail Benson]

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
*May 16, 2014
* NYNY1405.16

- Birds Mentioned

WHITE-FACED IBIS+
MISSISSIPPI KITE+
BLACK-NECKED STILT+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

“Black” Brant
MANX SHEARWATER
Glossy Ibis
Virginia Rail
Sora
Common Gallinule
Stilt Sandpiper
WILSON’S PLOVER
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE
Gull-billed Tern
Roseate Tern
Black Skimmer
Parasitic Jaeger
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo
Red-headed Woodpecker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Orange-crowned Warbler
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
KENTUCKY WARBLER
Mourning Warbler
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
SUMMER TANAGER
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
Savannah Sparrow
GRASSHOPPER SPARROW
Saltmarsh Sparrow

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
nysarc44nybirdsorg

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, 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 16 at 6:00
pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are MISSISSIPPI KITE, WILSON’S PLOVER,
BLACK-NECKED STILT, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, MANX SHEARWATER, PROTHONOTARY and
KENTUCKY WARBLERS, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, SUMMER TANAGER, and CLAY-COLORED
and GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS and more.

An immature MISSISSIPPI KITE spotted and recognizably photographed over
Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn last Saturday morning was perhaps the same
bird spotted there Sunday morning and possibly over Forest Park, Queens
early Sunday, but would not have been the adult reported from Montauk
Pointon Monday.
 Without large concentrations of cicadas this year, the Kites will be back
to their normal regimen and could reappear anywhere.

A WHITE-FACED IBIS was found with GLOSSY IBIS today in Captree Marsh on the
north side of Captree Island, a private island west of the Robert Moses
Causeway.  A STILT SANDPIPER was also noted there.  Also on Friday a
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE was seen along the shore at Old Inlet on Fire Island,
with one also later at Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes.  Sea-watching
Friday morning produced decent general movement on the ocean plus a MANX
SHEARWATER and two PARASITIC JAEGERS off Robert Moses State Park, with
additional single Parasitics also off Smith Point County Park and at
Captree.

The BLACK-NECKED STILT recently residing on Goethels Bridge Pond in
northwestern Staten Island was still being recorded at least to Sunday, and
the WILSON’S PLOVER was reported again from Cupsogue County Park last
Saturday.

Five GULL-BILLED TERNS along with arriving BLACK SKIMMERS were at Nickerson
Beach west of Point Lookout last Saturday, and three Gull-billeds were at
Jones Beach West End Sunday and Monday.

To finalize the non-passerines, RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were spotted at
Kissena Park, Queens Monday and at Jones Beach West End Tuesday, a “BLACK”
BRANT was seen and photographed with some “ATLANTIC” BRANT at Marshlands
Conservancy in Rye Wednesday and Thursday, but not relocated Friday, and
numbers of both CUCKOOS are slowly increasing.

With a variety of passerines present this week, perhaps most unusual among
them was an influx of GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS last Saturday; single birds were
seen at Inwood Hill Park in Manhattan, at Jones Beach West End, and at
Playland Park in Rye, with two reported from Van Cortland Park in the
Bronx—all were with migrating SAVANNAH SPARROWS and none were relocated the
following day.  Also interesting were two CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS in Central
Park on Monday.

Most regional parks enjoyed a good variety of land birds this week, at
least until the weather messed things up again.  Among the Warblers,
MOURNING began showing up last weekend, and a KENTUCKY was in Greenwood
Cemetery in Brooklyn Monday, that same day finding a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
and a PROTHONOTARY WARBLER in Central Park, where the ORANGE-CROWNED
WARBLER lingered to Sunday, these among the 35 species of warblers enjoyed
in our region, including several specialties already on territory.

A SUMMER TANAGER was seen in Central Park through last weekend, with other
singles at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Saturday, in Forest Park near the
waterhole last weekend, at Alley Pond Park Saturday, and at Uplands Park
Preserve in Cold Spring Harbor, Tuesday.

Various Flycatchers have also been reported recently, these including
OLIVE-SIDED, ACADIAN, ALDER, and YELLOW-BELLIED.  Other arrivals have
included VIRGINIA RAIL, SORA, COMMON GALLINULE, ROSEATE TERN, and SALTMARSH

[nysbirds-l] White-faced Ibis...finally !

[robert adamo]

Responding to Shai Mitra's posting, I quickly left the house, promising my
wife to finish the chores I was involved in (without fail), upon my return.
She is quite aware of how serious I am, when the bird in question, would be
an addition to my state list, and therefore, stepped aside and wished me
good luck !

There were ~ 15 Ibises on the marsh when I arrived, all glossy. For ~ 1/2
hour, some of the them left the marsh, while others replaced them - the max
count getting to ~ 30-35 birds (combining both those on the ground and in
the air at the same time). The white-faced was not there upon arrival, but
just seemed to appear at ~ 1315. I managed to see all the field marks Shai
mentioned, with it's red legs and uniformly brown body (without any of the
breeding "sheen" of the adult glossy's) the marks that stood out the most,
allowing me to re-find the bird, after it went out of sight temporarily. I
also learned something today ! When I called Shai to share my joy with him,
as well as to thank him for the FOS (the "S" standing for "state", in
addition to "season", in this application, I let him know that I never saw
the "red ankles', but did notice the red legs. He then, very gently, let me
know, that anatomically, the knobby part of the bird's leg is known as the
"ankle".

Cheers to Ken & Sue for finding the bird (only the 2nd record for Suffolk
County) , and to Doug, who along with Shai, re-found it ! I've looked for
this species in NYS for quite awhile (the Grace Estate in E.Hampton and
JBWR come to mind re: recent attempts) so my getting real excited is
something you can probably understand. However, I must confess to going
overboard, by becoming so excited I forgot to look for the Stilt
Sandpiper...and it in full breeding plumage to boot !

Cheers,
Bob

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[nysbirds-l] Plainview Turkey Vultures

[Steve Williams]

Spotted one today flying low over Plainview Road at NW Corner of Bethpage
State Park.  This is the third time in the past 30 days or so I have seen a
TV at this same location.  
 
Steve 

 
 

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[nysbirds-l] Central Park, NYC 5/14-15

[Thomas Fiore]

But first, a Newfoundland (Canada) compilation - May, 2014 -

European Golden Plover - 225+ (2nd highest spring total ever)
Black-tailed Godwit - 12 (record-smashing, beating previous record of  
two, maybe three in a spring)
Common Redshank - 2 (falling short of the five in 1995 but brings the  
total individuals seen in Newfoundland / N. America to just eight)
Northern Wheatear - three dozen, four dozen, more? I lost track.  
Biggest influx ever. [You never get tired of seeing the bright  
Greenland/Iceland/eastern North American race of Northern Wheatear.]
European Whimbrel - 1 (low)
European Dunlin - 1 (the first)

And a rare bird there, Sun. May 11: Eastern Phoebe!

as reported from the photo-blog: http://brucemactavish1.blogspot.com/


Wed.-Thurs.-Friday, 14, 15, & 16 May, 2014 - Central Park, Manhattan,  
N.Y. City

At least 20 species of warblers were noted in the park on Wednesday;  
there were also a few intriguing additional reports. Overall however,  
migrant diversity was down quite a bit from the preceding week's  
reports of so many.  By Friday, numbers were down a bit farther  
overall, for most migrants.

This weather is most interesting and appears to be contributing to  
some migrants turning up well north of usual breeding areas, as well  
as the inland or onshore occurrences of some species mostly known as  
pelagics in SE NY.

Good birding,

Tom Fiore
Manhattan



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[nysbirds-l] Hempstead Lake SP

[syschiff]

Hempstead Lake SP 14 May

A slow birding morning with few migrants. There were singing White-eyed, 
Warbling and Red-eyed Vireos, Gray Catbird, Northern Cardinal, Baltimore 
Oriole, calling Great-crested Flycatcher and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. It seemed 
more like early Summer than Mid May.

NEWS ALERT: The Boy Scouts will arrive this afternoon and stay the weekend for 
their annual Jamboree. Not going to be a birding weekend. On a better note, 
refurbishing work within the park, depending on the weather, should be complete 
by mid week. At that point, all parking fields will be open. Repaving of Eagle 
Ave will take a bit longer.  The entrance from Peninsula Blvd is still closed. 
Go to Southern State Exit 18.

Sy Schiff

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[nysbirds-l] White-faced ibis and Parasitic Jaeger Photos at Captree Island (Suffolk County)

[ken feustel]

To add to Shai's description of the mornings birding at  Captree Island, 
shortly after Shai and Doug left a Parasitic Jaeger flew over Captree Island 
(photos on my flickr site). I have also put up a few photos of the White-face 
Ibis in comparison with adjacent Glossy Ibis. The Ibis disappeared for at least 
a half hour but flew back in at about 10:30AM further west on the Captree 
Island marsh. Birders in the second shift enjoyed some good looks as the bird 
was fairly near the road. Please do not park anywhere near the homes on the 
island. We are tolerated by the residents to the extent that we do not 
inconvenience them in their comings and goings. 

Ken & Sue Feustel
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kfeustel/


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[nysbirds-l] Another (or the same) Red-necked Phalarope, Cupsogue Beach County Park

[Justin LeClaire]

Hey again!

The crew and I stumbled upon another (or the same) Red-necked Phalarope at 
approximately 10:45 today, attempting to feed through the crashing surf just 
20-30 feet off the beach at Cupsogue. I did not get a good enough look to 
determine the sex of the earlier bird, but this one was clearly a female. The 
area of beach that we found it at was just west of where the grassy dunes 
become more like sandy rows of snow fencing. After completing our surveying in 
the park, I walked east along the beach back to the parking lot from slightly 
west of where we saw the Phalarope an hour before, but I didn't have any luck. 
Luckily this time I was able to obtain a photo: 

https://flic.kr/p/nmh9LW

Additionally, there was at least one White-rumped Sandpiper roosting with a 
good sized flock of Semipalmated Plovers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, and 
Sanderling amongst the rocks on the bay side of the park. Numbers of 
Semipalmated Sandpipers are certainly on the rise.

Justin LeClaire

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[nysbirds-l] Seawatch - FINS Tower, Smith Point

[Michael Scheibel]

As per Derek Rogers' earlier post I conducted a seawatch for about 1 1/2
hrs. starting at 6:45 am, Northern Gannets streamed by in groups of from
3-25 adding up to over 200, Black Scoters mostly in large flocks added up
to over 600, the Common Tern flight noted by Derek amounted to only two
small flocks of about 20 birds.  The highlight came right at the end of my
watch around 0815 when a Parasitic Jaeger approached from the NW (when
first seen it was over the barrier beach giving the impression that it had
flown in over the bay), the bird flew low over the dunes and then easterly
along the ocean front angling out to the SE.  The bird was very dark with
no obvious flashes of white in the primaries leading me to believe it was a
dark morph adult in breeding plumage.
Mike Scheibel
Brookhaven

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[nysbirds-l] White-faced Ibis & Stilt Sandpiper Captree Marsh, Suffolk, LI

[Shaibal Mitra]

As Doug Futuyma and I were leaving Fire Island, Ken Feustel called with news 
that he'd found a probable White-faced Ibis at nearby Captree Marsh, north of 
Captree Rd. and west of the Robert Moses Parkway (this area is north of Captree 
SP). We headed over immediately and reached Ken two minutes after the bird had 
flown out to the south with a Glossy Ibis. Given the fog, Ken couldn't be sure 
that the birds hadn't returned a little to the west, and a search of this area 
produced both the ibis and another novelty for spring on LI, a Stilt Sandpiper 
in partial breeding plumage.

The White-faced Ibis could be readily distinguished from the 25 or so Glossies 
present because it was the only immature/non-breeding plumaged individual 
present, and because it was slightly larger than the others. Fog, distance, and 
Phragmites were obstacles to close study, but we could readily see the bird's 
bright red ankles, reddish face and eye, and a vaguely defined but complete 
band of white feathering behind the eye. Given the bird's non-breeding 
condition and the constraints on our views, we might not be able to rule out a 
hybrid with certainty, but I think it looked good for a White-faced.

Some very marginal record shots are at the end of this album:

https://picasaweb.google.com/109808209543611018404/LongIslandMiscellany2014

This location has limited public access, with a small lot for fishing permit 
holders on the south side of the loop road. We local birders depend on each 
other's discretion when visiting the area, in terms of avoiding conflict with 
the residents and gendarmerie, and we would ask anyone chasing these birds to 
act accordingly.

Shai Mitra
Bay Shore


CSI Represents NY in Nationwide State Rankings. Learn 
more>>>

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[nysbirds-l] Robert Moses S.P. (Suffolk)

[Derek Rogers]

Given the strong SSE winds I decided to head over to Robert Moses State Park 
this morning to test my luck with a seawatch.

Beginning at 0700, there was a moderate inshore movement of birds all heading 
east which was dominated by terns, loons and gannets. All three scoter species 
were represented with Black Scoter far outnumbering a few singles of 
White-winged and Surf Scoters. I compared notes with Mike Scheibel, who was 
seawatching from the FINS tower at Smith Point, and noted similar movements and 
numbers. 

The hour that I spent was highlighted by 2 PARASITIC JAEGERS, both of which 
were trailing behind a small group of Northern Gannets heading east and quite 
close to shore. A single MANX SHEARWATER also made a very brief appearance 
before it disappeared behind the surf and into the offshore haze. Four LESSER 
BLACK-BACKED GULLS were seen in and around the beach/parking area, courtesy of 
Shai Mitra who was also able to dig up 3 ROSEATE TERNS as they migrated east 
along the sea. 

Best,

Derek Rogers
Sayville



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[nysbirds-l] Red-necked Phalarope, fire island

[Justin LeClaire]

Hey all,

The PIPL crew and I just had a Red-necked Phalarope resting on the water just 
inside of Old Inlet on Fire Island. It took off toward the open ocean when our 
boat spooked it unfortunately. Keep your eyes open though!

Justin LeClaire
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[nysbirds-l] Black-legged Kittiwake, Myers Point

[Jay McGowan]

A 1st summer type BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, found by Bob McGuire, is
currently sitting on the spit at Myers Point, Lansing, Tompkins Co.

Jay McGowan

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[nysbirds-l] Yesterday's birding...late and not great !

[robert adamo]

Met Linda Sullivan at 1100 in the Wildwood State Park's parking lot. We
birded the the n/e section of the park, and while there weren't many birds
to look at, we did find a pair of Scarlet Tanagers who treated us to a
great "photo op" ! The female (at times ~ 10' from us on the ground) had
nesting material in it's mouth, with the male (near the female, but ~ 10'
up) seeming to be on guard duty. These fortuitous moments   continued for ~
5 minutes, during which the near-perfect lighting never waned, resulting in
my best Scarlet pictures ever !

Linda then had chores to do, so I decided to try the Nature Conservancy
property  (the old Kemp Estate) in Wading River, It too was very quiet.

En-route home, I stopped at the Calverton Grasslands, where I had 2
Kestrels and a FOS Grasshopper Sparrow.

Cheers,
Bob

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[nysbirds-l] Black-legged Kittiwake, Myers Point

[Jay McGowan]

A 1st summer type BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, found by Bob McGuire, is
currently sitting on the spit at Myers Point, Lansing, Tompkins Co.

Jay McGowan

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[nysbirds-l] Red-necked Phalarope, fire island

[Justin LeClaire]

Hey all,

The PIPL crew and I just had a Red-necked Phalarope resting on the water just 
inside of Old Inlet on Fire Island. It took off toward the open ocean when our 
boat spooked it unfortunately. Keep your eyes open though!

Justin LeClaire
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[nysbirds-l] Robert Moses S.P. (Suffolk)

[Derek Rogers]

Given the strong SSE winds I decided to head over to Robert Moses State Park 
this morning to test my luck with a seawatch.

Beginning at 0700, there was a moderate inshore movement of birds all heading 
east which was dominated by terns, loons and gannets. All three scoter species 
were represented with Black Scoter far outnumbering a few singles of 
White-winged and Surf Scoters. I compared notes with Mike Scheibel, who was 
seawatching from the FINS tower at Smith Point, and noted similar movements and 
numbers. 

The hour that I spent was highlighted by 2 PARASITIC JAEGERS, both of which 
were trailing behind a small group of Northern Gannets heading east and quite 
close to shore. A single MANX SHEARWATER also made a very brief appearance 
before it disappeared behind the surf and into the offshore haze. Four LESSER 
BLACK-BACKED GULLS were seen in and around the beach/parking area, courtesy of 
Shai Mitra who was also able to dig up 3 ROSEATE TERNS as they migrated east 
along the sea. 

Best,

Derek Rogers
Sayville



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[nysbirds-l] White-faced Ibis Stilt Sandpiper Captree Marsh, Suffolk, LI

[Shaibal Mitra]

As Doug Futuyma and I were leaving Fire Island, Ken Feustel called with news 
that he'd found a probable White-faced Ibis at nearby Captree Marsh, north of 
Captree Rd. and west of the Robert Moses Parkway (this area is north of Captree 
SP). We headed over immediately and reached Ken two minutes after the bird had 
flown out to the south with a Glossy Ibis. Given the fog, Ken couldn't be sure 
that the birds hadn't returned a little to the west, and a search of this area 
produced both the ibis and another novelty for spring on LI, a Stilt Sandpiper 
in partial breeding plumage.

The White-faced Ibis could be readily distinguished from the 25 or so Glossies 
present because it was the only immature/non-breeding plumaged individual 
present, and because it was slightly larger than the others. Fog, distance, and 
Phragmites were obstacles to close study, but we could readily see the bird's 
bright red ankles, reddish face and eye, and a vaguely defined but complete 
band of white feathering behind the eye. Given the bird's non-breeding 
condition and the constraints on our views, we might not be able to rule out a 
hybrid with certainty, but I think it looked good for a White-faced.

Some very marginal record shots are at the end of this album:

https://picasaweb.google.com/109808209543611018404/LongIslandMiscellany2014

This location has limited public access, with a small lot for fishing permit 
holders on the south side of the loop road. We local birders depend on each 
other's discretion when visiting the area, in terms of avoiding conflict with 
the residents and gendarmerie, and we would ask anyone chasing these birds to 
act accordingly.

Shai Mitra
Bay Shore


CSI Represents NY in Nationwide State Rankings. Learn 
morehttp://csitoday.com/2014/04/csi-represents-ny-in-nationwide-state-rankings/

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[nysbirds-l] Seawatch - FINS Tower, Smith Point

[Michael Scheibel]

As per Derek Rogers' earlier post I conducted a seawatch for about 1 1/2
hrs. starting at 6:45 am, Northern Gannets streamed by in groups of from
3-25 adding up to over 200, Black Scoters mostly in large flocks added up
to over 600, the Common Tern flight noted by Derek amounted to only two
small flocks of about 20 birds.  The highlight came right at the end of my
watch around 0815 when a Parasitic Jaeger approached from the NW (when
first seen it was over the barrier beach giving the impression that it had
flown in over the bay), the bird flew low over the dunes and then easterly
along the ocean front angling out to the SE.  The bird was very dark with
no obvious flashes of white in the primaries leading me to believe it was a
dark morph adult in breeding plumage.
Mike Scheibel
Brookhaven

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[nysbirds-l] White-faced ibis and Parasitic Jaeger Photos at Captree Island (Suffolk County)

[ken feustel]

To add to Shai's description of the mornings birding at  Captree Island, 
shortly after Shai and Doug left a Parasitic Jaeger flew over Captree Island 
(photos on my flickr site). I have also put up a few photos of the White-face 
Ibis in comparison with adjacent Glossy Ibis. The Ibis disappeared for at least 
a half hour but flew back in at about 10:30AM further west on the Captree 
Island marsh. Birders in the second shift enjoyed some good looks as the bird 
was fairly near the road. Please do not park anywhere near the homes on the 
island. We are tolerated by the residents to the extent that we do not 
inconvenience them in their comings and goings. 

Ken  Sue Feustel
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kfeustel/


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[nysbirds-l] Another (or the same) Red-necked Phalarope, Cupsogue Beach County Park

[Justin LeClaire]

Hey again!

The crew and I stumbled upon another (or the same) Red-necked Phalarope at 
approximately 10:45 today, attempting to feed through the crashing surf just 
20-30 feet off the beach at Cupsogue. I did not get a good enough look to 
determine the sex of the earlier bird, but this one was clearly a female. The 
area of beach that we found it at was just west of where the grassy dunes 
become more like sandy rows of snow fencing. After completing our surveying in 
the park, I walked east along the beach back to the parking lot from slightly 
west of where we saw the Phalarope an hour before, but I didn't have any luck. 
Luckily this time I was able to obtain a photo: 

https://flic.kr/p/nmh9LW

Additionally, there was at least one White-rumped Sandpiper roosting with a 
good sized flock of Semipalmated Plovers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, and 
Sanderling amongst the rocks on the bay side of the park. Numbers of 
Semipalmated Sandpipers are certainly on the rise.

Justin LeClaire

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[nysbirds-l] Hempstead Lake SP

[syschiff]

Hempstead Lake SP 14 May

A slow birding morning with few migrants. There were singing White-eyed, 
Warbling and Red-eyed Vireos, Gray Catbird, Northern Cardinal, Baltimore 
Oriole, calling Great-crested Flycatcher and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. It seemed 
more like early Summer than Mid May.

NEWS ALERT: The Boy Scouts will arrive this afternoon and stay the weekend for 
their annual Jamboree. Not going to be a birding weekend. On a better note, 
refurbishing work within the park, depending on the weather, should be complete 
by mid week. At that point, all parking fields will be open. Repaving of Eagle 
Ave will take a bit longer.  The entrance from Peninsula Blvd is still closed. 
Go to Southern State Exit 18.

Sy Schiff

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[nysbirds-l] Central Park, NYC 5/14-15

[Thomas Fiore]

But first, a Newfoundland (Canada) compilation - May, 2014 -

European Golden Plover - 225+ (2nd highest spring total ever)
Black-tailed Godwit - 12 (record-smashing, beating previous record of  
two, maybe three in a spring)
Common Redshank - 2 (falling short of the five in 1995 but brings the  
total individuals seen in Newfoundland / N. America to just eight)
Northern Wheatear - three dozen, four dozen, more? I lost track.  
Biggest influx ever. [You never get tired of seeing the bright  
Greenland/Iceland/eastern North American race of Northern Wheatear.]
European Whimbrel - 1 (low)
European Dunlin - 1 (the first)

And a rare bird there, Sun. May 11: Eastern Phoebe!

as reported from the photo-blog: http://brucemactavish1.blogspot.com/


Wed.-Thurs.-Friday, 14, 15,  16 May, 2014 - Central Park, Manhattan,  
N.Y. City

At least 20 species of warblers were noted in the park on Wednesday;  
there were also a few intriguing additional reports. Overall however,  
migrant diversity was down quite a bit from the preceding week's  
reports of so many.  By Friday, numbers were down a bit farther  
overall, for most migrants.

This weather is most interesting and appears to be contributing to  
some migrants turning up well north of usual breeding areas, as well  
as the inland or onshore occurrences of some species mostly known as  
pelagics in SE NY.

Good birding,

Tom Fiore
Manhattan



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[nysbirds-l] Plainview Turkey Vultures

[Steve Williams]

Spotted one today flying low over Plainview Road at NW Corner of Bethpage
State Park.  This is the third time in the past 30 days or so I have seen a
TV at this same location.  
 
Steve 

 
 

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[nysbirds-l] White-faced Ibis...finally !

[robert adamo]

Responding to Shai Mitra's posting, I quickly left the house, promising my
wife to finish the chores I was involved in (without fail), upon my return.
She is quite aware of how serious I am, when the bird in question, would be
an addition to my state list, and therefore, stepped aside and wished me
good luck !

There were ~ 15 Ibises on the marsh when I arrived, all glossy. For ~ 1/2
hour, some of the them left the marsh, while others replaced them - the max
count getting to ~ 30-35 birds (combining both those on the ground and in
the air at the same time). The white-faced was not there upon arrival, but
just seemed to appear at ~ 1315. I managed to see all the field marks Shai
mentioned, with it's red legs and uniformly brown body (without any of the
breeding sheen of the adult glossy's) the marks that stood out the most,
allowing me to re-find the bird, after it went out of sight temporarily. I
also learned something today ! When I called Shai to share my joy with him,
as well as to thank him for the FOS (the S standing for state, in
addition to season, in this application, I let him know that I never saw
the red ankles', but did notice the red legs. He then, very gently, let me
know, that anatomically, the knobby part of the bird's leg is known as the
ankle.

Cheers to Ken  Sue for finding the bird (only the 2nd record for Suffolk
County) , and to Doug, who along with Shai, re-found it ! I've looked for
this species in NYS for quite awhile (the Grace Estate in E.Hampton and
JBWR come to mind re: recent attempts) so my getting real excited is
something you can probably understand. However, I must confess to going
overboard, by becoming so excited I forgot to look for the Stilt
Sandpiper...and it in full breeding plumage to boot !

Cheers,
Bob

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[nysbirds-l] NYC Area RBA: 16 May 2014

[Gail Benson]

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
*May 16, 2014
* NYNY1405.16

- Birds Mentioned

WHITE-FACED IBIS+
MISSISSIPPI KITE+
BLACK-NECKED STILT+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

“Black” Brant
MANX SHEARWATER
Glossy Ibis
Virginia Rail
Sora
Common Gallinule
Stilt Sandpiper
WILSON’S PLOVER
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE
Gull-billed Tern
Roseate Tern
Black Skimmer
Parasitic Jaeger
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo
Red-headed Woodpecker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Orange-crowned Warbler
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
KENTUCKY WARBLER
Mourning Warbler
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
SUMMER TANAGER
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
Savannah Sparrow
GRASSHOPPER SPARROW
Saltmarsh Sparrow

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
nysarc44atnybirdsdotorg

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, 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 16 at 6:00
pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are MISSISSIPPI KITE, WILSON’S PLOVER,
BLACK-NECKED STILT, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, MANX SHEARWATER, PROTHONOTARY and
KENTUCKY WARBLERS, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, SUMMER TANAGER, and CLAY-COLORED
and GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS and more.

An immature MISSISSIPPI KITE spotted and recognizably photographed over
Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn last Saturday morning was perhaps the same
bird spotted there Sunday morning and possibly over Forest Park, Queens
early Sunday, but would not have been the adult reported from Montauk
Pointon Monday.
 Without large concentrations of cicadas this year, the Kites will be back
to their normal regimen and could reappear anywhere.

A WHITE-FACED IBIS was found with GLOSSY IBIS today in Captree Marsh on the
north side of Captree Island, a private island west of the Robert Moses
Causeway.  A STILT SANDPIPER was also noted there.  Also on Friday a
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE was seen along the shore at Old Inlet on Fire Island,
with one also later at Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Dunes.  Sea-watching
Friday morning produced decent general movement on the ocean plus a MANX
SHEARWATER and two PARASITIC JAEGERS off Robert Moses State Park, with
additional single Parasitics also off Smith Point County Park and at
Captree.

The BLACK-NECKED STILT recently residing on Goethels Bridge Pond in
northwestern Staten Island was still being recorded at least to Sunday, and
the WILSON’S PLOVER was reported again from Cupsogue County Park last
Saturday.

Five GULL-BILLED TERNS along with arriving BLACK SKIMMERS were at Nickerson
Beach west of Point Lookout last Saturday, and three Gull-billeds were at
Jones Beach West End Sunday and Monday.

To finalize the non-passerines, RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were spotted at
Kissena Park, Queens Monday and at Jones Beach West End Tuesday, a “BLACK”
BRANT was seen and photographed with some “ATLANTIC” BRANT at Marshlands
Conservancy in Rye Wednesday and Thursday, but not relocated Friday, and
numbers of both CUCKOOS are slowly increasing.

With a variety of passerines present this week, perhaps most unusual among
them was an influx of GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS last Saturday; single birds were
seen at Inwood Hill Park in Manhattan, at Jones Beach West End, and at
Playland Park in Rye, with two reported from Van Cortland Park in the
Bronx—all were with migrating SAVANNAH SPARROWS and none were relocated the
following day.  Also interesting were two CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS in Central
Park on Monday.

Most regional parks enjoyed a good variety of land birds this week, at
least until the weather messed things up again.  Among the Warblers,
MOURNING began showing up last weekend, and a KENTUCKY was in Greenwood
Cemetery in Brooklyn Monday, that same day finding a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
and a PROTHONOTARY WARBLER in Central Park, where the ORANGE-CROWNED
WARBLER lingered to Sunday, these among the 35 species of warblers enjoyed
in our region, including several specialties already on territory.

A SUMMER TANAGER was seen in Central Park through last weekend, with other
singles at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Saturday, in Forest Park near the
waterhole last weekend, at Alley Pond Park Saturday, and at Uplands Park
Preserve in Cold Spring Harbor, Tuesday.

Various Flycatchers have also been reported recently, these including
OLIVE-SIDED, ACADIAN, ALDER, and YELLOW-BELLIED.  Other arrivals have
included VIRGINIA RAIL, SORA, COMMON GALLINULE, ROSEATE TERN, and