[nysbirds-l] NYC Area RBA: 6 May 2016

[Gail Benson]

-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* May 06, 2016
* NYNY1605.06

- Birds Mentioned

CURLEW SANDPIPER+
HERMIT WARBLER+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

KING EIDER
Horned Grebe
Cattle Egret
Semipalmated Plover
UPLAND SANDPIPER
WHIMBREL
Ruddy Turnstone
Red Knot
Dunlin
Least Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Least Tern
CASPIAN TERN
Common Tern
SNOWY OWL
Whip-poor-will
Red-headed Woodpecker
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Swainson’s Thrush
Worm-eating Warbler
Golden-winged Warbler
Blue-winged Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Prairie Warbler
Canada Warbler
Grasshopper Sparrow
Nelson’s Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow
SUMMER TANAGER

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 6, 2016 at
6:00 pm.

The highlights of today’s tape are HERMIT WARBLER, CURLEW SANDPIPER, KING
EIDER, SNOWY OWL, UPLAND SANDPIPER, WHIMBREL, CASPIAN TERN, SUMMER TANAGER,
YELLOW-THROATED and other WARBLERS and spring migrants.

Not a great week for migration locally.  Continued northerly and easterly
winds are, at best, pushing a majority of our migrants to the west of us,
while holding up others, but many regional breeders are making their way to
their nesting grounds.

Nonetheless, some interesting birds have occurred, certainly the best of
which was the apparent HERMIT WARBLER enjoyed by three birders tolerating
very distasteful weather in Central Park last Sunday morning.  Though
singing a somewhat aberrant song for a HERMIT, more reminiscent of a
Black-throated Green’s song, the few photos and descriptions certainly seem
to point to a pure HERMIT.  Unfortunately the bird was never relocated
after the initial sighting.

Though generally in sparse numbers, besides the Hermit and last week’s
Swainson’s, about 29 other species of WARBLERS were seen locally this
week.  New arrivals have included a GOLDEN-WINGED reported at Clove Lakes
Park on Staten Island Thursday, CERULEANS noted at Inwood Hill Park Sunday,
Prospect Park Monday and Willowbrook Park on Staten Island Thursday, and a
CANADA in Rye Monday.  A YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER continued in Central Park
to Saturday, with another in Prospect Park Monday, and 1 was still singing
at Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River Saturday.  An ORANGE-CROWNED
WARBLER was at Central Park’s north end Saturday, and another visited
Hempstead Lake State Park Monday and Tuesday.  Other of the currently less
common WARBLERS have featured a few WORM-EATING, BLUE-WINGED, NASHVILLE,
HOODED, CAPE MAY, MAGNOLIA, BLACKBURNIAN, CHESTNUT-SIDED, BLACKPOLL and
PRAIRIE.

Another passerine of note was a SUMMER TANAGER at Greenwood Cemetery in
Brooklyn Saturday.

The week’s other exceptional report involved a CURLEW SANDPIPER in good
plumage at Big Egg Marsh in Broad Channel Wednesday morning, noted by a
single observer in a large flock of DUNLIN that also included a few hundred
RED KNOTS as well as SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, RUDDY TURNSTONES, LEAST and
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS and other expected
species.  A CATTLE EGRET was reported there today.

An interesting movement of CASPIAN TERNS through the region recently,
mostly along the Hudson River, has also produced one at Plumb Beach in
Brooklyn Monday and 1 at Montauk Point Tuesday, with Wednesday finding 1 at
Prospect Park Lake and 1 on Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge’s East Pond.  On
Thursday 2 were noted visiting Prospect Park, 1 today, and singles were
spotted Thursday at Quogue Wildlife Refuge and in Milton Harbor in Rye,
with 1 again at Southard’s Pond Park in Babylon today.

Other migrants of interest this week included a WHIMBREL along Dune Road
west of Shinnecock Inlet Monday along with a few NELSON’S SPARROWS, an
UPLAND SANDPIPER nicely photographed in the swale at Jones Beach West End
Wednesday, a WHIP-POOR-WILL singing in Mamaroneck Wednesday, and CLIFF and
BANK SWALLOWS at Hempstead Lake State Park Thursday.

A GRASSHOPPER SPARROW continued at Dreier-Offerman Park in Brooklyn to
Saturday, and another was photographed at the Great Hill in Central Park
Wednesday.

Two 

Re: [nysbirds-l] RFI Gray Kingbird/ No sightings

[Andy Guthrie]

Sean & all - there is a positive report from noon today:

Conesus Lake Inlet parking lot at Sliker Hill and West Swamp Rds. Trail to
right, viewed at noon, in snags from second black culvert pipe after wooden
pier. David Suggs

Good luck!

Cheers,
Andy Guthrie
Hamlin, NY

On Fri, May 6, 2016 at 12:17 PM, Sean Sime  wrote:

> As we approach the first weekend since the arrival of the Conesus Marsh
> Gray Kingbird on May 2nd I'm sure many people are waiting eagerly to hear a
> positive or negative report from today. The bird was reported throughout
> the day yesterday.
>
> Acknowledging the many different platforms bird reports can go out on,
> this post is in essence an "ask" that people receiving reports on less used
> platforms (twitter/facebook) cross post to the state list.
>
> Good birding,
>
> Sean Sime
> Brooklyn, NY
>
>
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[nysbirds-l] Cattle Egret at Big Egg Marsh in Queens

[Isaac Grant]

Just had a cattle Egret in full plumage in the marsh during high wind and rain. 

Numbers of semipalmated plover and short-billed dowitchers up quite a bit. 

Isaac Grant
Senior Loan Officer
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[nysbirds-l] RFI Gray Kingbird/ No sightings

[Sean Sime]

As we approach the first weekend since the arrival of the Conesus Marsh
Gray Kingbird on May 2nd I'm sure many people are waiting eagerly to hear a
positive or negative report from today. The bird was reported throughout
the day yesterday.

Acknowledging the many different platforms bird reports can go out on, this
post is in essence an "ask" that people receiving reports on less used
platforms (twitter/facebook) cross post to the state list.

Good birding,

Sean Sime
Brooklyn, NY

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[nysbirds-l] Central Park NYC - Thursday May 5, 2016

[Deborah Allen]

Central Park NYC 
Thursday May 5, 2016
OBS: Deborah Allen, Robert DeCandido, PhD, m.ob. - Bird walk led by Deb Allen 
starting from Turtle Pond at 9am until around noon, plus birds seen by Bob & 
Deb before and after the walk. Bob spent the morning with a film crew from AARP 
working on an upcoming segment. 

Many thanks to Jeff Ward for the excellent bird spotting today including many 
of the vireos & warblers & the flyover Turkey Vulture & Green Heron. 

Canada Goose - Reservoir, Turtle Pond, and Lake - no sign of goslings yet
Gadwall - pair at Reservoir, pair at Turtle Pond
Mallard - Reservoir, Lake, Turtle Pond
Ruddy Duck - 14 Reservoir
Horned Grebe - Reservoir - before & after walk
Double-crested Cormorant - more than 30 Reservoir
Great Egret - perched & 2 flyovers Reservoir
Green Heron - flyover Willow Rock
Black-crowned Night-Heron - adult & 2nd-year Turtle Pond (Emmett Logan)
Turkey Vulture - over the Point
Red-tailed Hawk - Reservoir
Herring Gull - at least 6 Reservoir
Great Black-backed Gull - at least 14 Reservoir
Mourning Dove - many locations
Chimney Swift - flock of around 20 seen from the Point and later at the 
Reservoir
Red-bellied Woodpecker- mouth of Gill, big snag top of the Oven
Downy Woodpecker - female feeding on aphids Armando's Place & others
Northern Flicker - south of Evodia Field
Peregrine Falcon - chased by Red-tailed Hawk over Turtle Pond at around 5pm 
(Bob)
Least Flycatcher - Captain's Bench/Balancing Rock (Bob)
White-eyed Vireo - Maintenance Field (6:45am Bob)
Blue-headed Vireo - Upper Lobe (Noa Cruz), 2 mouth of Gill, Mugger's Woods
Warbling Vireo - heard Reservoir, singing north end Maintenance Field
Crow - flyover Boathouse, American Crow heard later
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 2 to 4 Reservoir
Barn Swallow - at least 5 Reservoir, Turtle Pond
Black-capped Chickadee - pair at Oven, Mugger's Woods
Tufted Titmouse - heard in Ramble
White-breasted Nuthatch - possible nest
House Wren - singing Mugger's Woods
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - the Point (Chinara), Upper Lobe
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Gill Source & elsewhere
Veery - Gill, south of Evodia, Oven (Tom Walsh)
Hermit Thrush - Triplet's Bridge (Noa Cruz), Stone Arch, Tupelo Field, Summer 
House, Walrbler Rock
Wood Thrush - Oven (heard), Summer House
Gray Catbird - Locust Grove, Upper Lobe, Stone Arch, Tupelo Field, Iphigene's 
Walk
Ovenbird - 2 Stone Arch, Mugger's Woods, Tupelo Field, Iphigene's Walk, Gill 
Source, Summer House, Warbler Rock
Louisiana Waterthrush - Upper Lobe
Northern Waterthrush - Upper Lobe, 2 or 3 Triplet's Bridge, Laupot Bridge, 
singing Azalea Pond
Blue-winged Warbler - singing male (Emmett Logan & Peter Haskel)
Common Yellowthroat - the Point (Peter Kaskel)
Northern Parula - singing Willow Rock, 2 on the Point
Black-and-white Warbler  - 2 Upper Lobe, Mugger's Woods (Peter Haskel), mouth 
of the Gill, 2 the Point
Blackburnian Warbler - Captain's Bench/Balancing Rock 4:30pm (Bob)
Yellow Warbler - singing Willow Rock
Black-throated Blue Warbler - singing willow Rock
Palm Warbler - Reservoir, Mugger's Woods, Willow Rock
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 5 Reservoir, mouth of Gill (Patty Pike), the Point
Prairie Warbler - singing males Willow Rock, Oven, the Point
Black-throated Green Warbler
Eastern Towhee - several locations - 2 Reservoir, female Tupelo Field, a 
singing male at Maintenance Field (Chinara), heard Azalea Pond
Song Sparrow - singing Reservoir
Swamp Sparrow - Summer House Meadow/Swampy Pin Oak, Azalea Pond
White-crowned Sparrow - adults Locust Grove & Armando's Place 
White-throated Sparrow - many locations
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - male Laupot Bridge, male Gill Source, female in oak on 
the Point
Red-winged Blackbird - singing male Turtle Pond, singing male feeders, singing 
male Willow Rock
Common Grackle - many locations
Brown-headed Cowbird - male Armando's Place
Orchard Oriole - second-year male (Jeff Ward only) the Point few toward Oven
House Finch - 3 males in cypress Turtle Pond
American Goldfinch - Summer House Meadow

Jeffrey Ward reported a Spotted Sandpiper at the Reservoir and a White-crowned 
Sparrow at the Locust Grove before the walk.

Deb Allen


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[nysbirds-l] swifts, not swallows. Bridgehampton

[Bruce Horwith]

Apologies. I don't know why I had cliff swallows on the mind, but I meant
to post the sighting of 75-100 swifts over Bridgehampton HS. As I
originally ended that first posting, it would be nice if they used the
swift box that SoFo installed a few years ago -- it would have been even
better and more noteworthy if cliff swallows used them!


*Bruce Horwith*
*16 Salt Marsh Path*
*East Hampton, NY 11937*
*(631) 599-0040*

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[nysbirds-l] Town of Hempstead conservation funding

[brien . weiner]

The Town of Hempstead has cut its budget for all departments, including 
conservation.
The Marine Nature Study Area has had its funding for staff reduced; many of you 
are aware MNSA has not been open on Sundays and has only one full-time employee 
to oversee its many valuable services to birders, photographers, researchers, 
students, and local residents.

The Department of Conservation and Waterways has also been limited to part-time 
staff for its summer monitoring of piping plovers, least and common terns, 
black skimmers, and American oystercatchers. Given the distance from Lido to 
Point Lookout, the time from dawn to dusk seven days a week, and the numerous 
threats the nesting birds face from feral cats, gulls, crows, and vehicles on 
the beach, the limited staff is not sufficient to protect them.

Please join the South Shore Audubon Society and the Nassau Hiking and Outdoors 
Club in urging Town Supervisor Anthony J. Santino and Communications Director 
Michael Deery to restore funding for conservation staff at MNSA and the 
beaches. Their e-mail addresses are:

asant...@tohmail.org
mde...@tohmail.org

Thank you for your help.

Brien Weiner

Sent from my iPad
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[nysbirds-l] (4) Seaside Sparrows, Manhattan NYC 5/6 (Friday)

[Tom Fiore]

Friday, 6 May, 2016 -As first found & reported by Adrian Burke yesterday (Thurs. 5/5), at least 3 Seaside Sparrows continue this rainy Friday morning at the Hudson river "greenway" path, just in from that path when seen & photo'd by me (& as observed by A. Collection a short while earlier to my arrival) immediately north of West 55 St. but on the pathway's meagre green strip, with few shrubs, trees & plantings. The 3 were more or less in same area, & also in the vicinity were at least a couple of Chipping, a Song or 2, and White-throated Sparrow[s], as well as more ubiquitous House Sparrow generally.  I was observing around 7:30 a.m. just ahead of heavier showers. Shortly before that, I also saw (but failed to photo) a Seaside Sparrow (good views of) at approx. W. 65 St. along the same greenway trail by the Hudson river, that first sighting (a 4th bird, being a good nearly 1/2 mile north of the trio of same sp.) was really along the river's edge, the Seaside there going along rocks & then disappearing into some thick grasses & scrub.These birds are almost certain to stay the day in the vicinity, and the 3 near W. 55 St. were not much flustered at various human activities: joggers, a cyclist or three, & a fellow doing trash pick-up in a small motor cart.  Good luck to any birders trying, & surely the group of 3 are the best bet as to having luck, at least for this day.Tom FioreManhattan
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[nysbirds-l] Request for assistance - recordings of migrating Mourning Warbler songs

[Jay Pitocchelli]

I am writing once again to post an opportunity to participate in a Citizens
Science Project that involves recording migrating Mourning Warbler songs.  I
am interested in whether different song populations of Mourning Warblers
(Western, Eastern, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland) migrate together or
separately to their respective areas of the species’ breeding range.   All
you need is a smartphone with a voice recording app and some luck.  The web
page link below describes the project and how to make recordings on your
Smartphone in more detail.   There is also a link to the map with last
year’s results based on recordings from many volunteers.



http://www.anselm.edu/homepage/jpitocch/ornithology/MOWAmapper/MOWASongmapper.html



Please send song recordings to the Mourning Warbler Sound Lab
(jpitocchATanselm.edu).



I would really appreciate your help and contributions to this Citizens
Science Project.



Dr. Jay Pitocchelli

Biology Department

Saint Anselm College

Manchester, NH 03102

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[nysbirds-l] cliff swallows: Bridgehampton

[Bruce Horwith]

En route to work on Wednesday morning, I encountered a flock of some 75-100
cliff swallows above the high school. There used to be a colony in
Bridgehampton, but I haven't seen or heard about it for years, so I was
pleased to see this large a group. Not sure where they may settle, but
hoping that they can put the South Fork Museum swift nest box to use.

*Bruce Horwith*
*16 Salt Marsh Path*
*East Hampton, NY 11937*
*(631) 599-0040*

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[nysbirds-l] Fwd: NYC Central Park Hermit Warbler (1 May 2016): Updated Photo Gallery

[Karen Fung]

All, FYI.

-- Forwarded message --
From: Karen Fung
Date: Fri, May 6, 2016 at 7:32 AM
Subject: NYC Central Park Hermit Warbler (1 May 2016): Updated Photo Gallery
To: ID-FRONTIERS 


Many thanks to all who responded earlier to my queries, both on- and
off-line. Comments from those who have spent time on the west coast and
have direct experience studying the Hermit/Townsend's species complex were
extremely helpful, since I have never seen a Hermit or Townsend's Warbler
(or Golden-cheeked, for that matter...).  It was especially useful to hear
that adult male Hermit Warblers with complete black bibs can sometimes have
dusky auriculars (one reader sent me a photo of such a specimen from a
museum collection, showing this feature), and that the species in this
complex can copy other warblers' songs fairly often.

I reviewed all my photos again after reading the NYSARC guidelines for
submitting a good report.  The goal was to see if I could come up with
better representations of the bird's plumage, specifically the dusky
auriculars and the underside.  The results are in a separate gallery:

http://www.birdsiviews.com/Birds/Hermit-Warbler/

The photos are more heavily cropped and may not reveal anything new, but
I'm just trying to be as thorough as possible with my documentation of  the
bird's appearance.  There is one additional photo, along with some
descriptive commentary.

The new photos will be added to my eBird checklist (which was posted with
the old photos, but not reviewed yet) and will be submitted to NYSARC along
with a report.

Feel free to share your thoughts if you feel so inclined, either on- or
off-list.

Thanks again,
Karen Fung
NYC
http://www.birdsiviews.com

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

[Thomas Fiore]

Thursday, 5 May 2016
Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City

Lots & lots of birders out again, never mind temp's again 10-20  
degrees below typical norms for the date, damp easterly winds &  
overcast skies all day long.  Over the past week, folks in points  
south / southwest (of N.Y. City) have been finding various spp. of  
Ammodramus [genus] sparrows. Thus not a big surprise that some are  
dropping in around NYC, too - and to have 3 Seaside on the w. side of  
Manhattan is an esp. nice find for the area. Of a reported Grasshopper  
Sparrow (from 5/4) at the Great Hill of Central Park, while it may  
have stuck, no birders I know of who were in the immediate area  
reported coming up with that species today. It is somewhat  
interesting, whether coincidental or not that of the multiple times  
that species has dropped into Central in the last 20 years or so, a  
preponderance have been at that particular location, or within about  
1/4-mile. As far as we know, it's the most-regular of the Ammodramus  
to stop off on the island of Manhattan (that is, not including the  
islands in the East river which may be politically a part of N.Y.  
County, but are not geographically Manhattan island).  Information on  
Wednesday's sighting at Central was provided word-of-mouth & my  
understanding is that only 1 person has reported the sparrow, and for  
that day only.


Again today, a minimum of 18 Warbler species were seen in the park,  
with a Cape May at the Point lingering for a longer-than-typical  
length of time now, as well as a few other individuals that were  
pretty clearly lingering, yet also a modest number that may have  
arrived this or most recent days, despite the seemingly contrary  
winds.  (there was migration last night, even if not that huge locally  
as could be for this date.)


With respect to Evan Cutler, I made a slight detour within a standard  
route of my "big loop" of the park entire, such that I walked thru the  
area known as The Dene, located nearest Fifth Ave. & the mid-upper  
60's of cross-streets within the park; one nice surprise there for me  
is that I will now know precisely where to seek spring breeding- 
plumaged dickcissels. (to understand this reference, one would have to  
be out there, & read new signage in place...)  But I won't hold my  
breath for that...


Other sightings today included:

Horned Grebe (same breeding plumaged individual on the reservoir,  
missed my 1st 2 passes there today, as well as yesterday, but then  
seen again later on)

Double-crested Cormorant (plenty at the reservoir & various fly-overs)
Great Blue Heron (fly-over)
Great Egret (several in the park & multiple n. end fly-overs)
Snowy Egret (modest no. of n. end fly-overs)
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Gadwall (multiple pairs)
Mallard
Bufflehead (at least 4 at the reservoir)
Ruddy Duck (minimum of 16 counted & photographed in 1 group at  
reservoir)

Osprey (fly-over)
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon (close fly-bys)
Solitary Sandpiper (1 very early at the Meer, which was scared off by  
passing jogger, & flew towards the west)
Spotted Sandpiper (multiples including at the Pond, the Lake, and  
several today around the reservoir)

Laughing Gull (a few fly-overs seen from reservoir path)
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull (mainly at the reservoir, or as fly-overs)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift (25+, mostly found over the reservoir with many  
swallows, by walking the full reservoir loop)

Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (a few continuing, not too unusual yet, still  
early May)

Downy Woodpecker
Yellow-shafted Flicker
Least Flycatcher (heard as well)
Eastern Phoebe (1 which I saw)
Great Crested Flycatcher (several, Ramble & N. end)
Eastern Kingbird (a few lingering)
White-eyed Vireo (seen by many in same place as prior recent sightings)
Blue-headed Vireo (multiple, many singing)
Yellow-throated Vireo (few)
Warbling Vireo (multiple, in many areas, a number of them on  
territories)

Red-eyed Vireo (still just a few)
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow (not than many, most are over reservoir lately)
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (multiple, esp. at reservoir)
Bank Swallow (1 or 2, reservoir, in late p.m. swallow-watch)
Barn Swallow (many, esp. over reservoir)
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren (at least 1)
House Wren (multiple)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (rather few, but not 'rare' at all yet)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (a few)
Veery (multiple and starting to ease out Hermit as most numerous)
Gray-cheeked Thrush (1, singing typical song for this n. breeder,  
still an unusually early date)
Swainson's Thrush (several, and 1 singing well, at Hallett Sanctuary,  
a.m.)

Hermit Thrush (still fairly common, scattered all thru the park)
Wood Thrush (several in various locations, some breed in Central, with  
much difficulty)

American Robin
Gray Catbird (