-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* May 15, 2020
* NYNY2005.15
– Birds Mentioned
WHITE-FACED IBIS+
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)
KING EIDER
HARLEQUIN DUCK
BROWN PELICAN
American Bittern
LEAST BITTERN
Glossy Ibis
Iceland Gull
Red-headed Woodpecker
Willow Flycatcher
SEDGE WREN
Gray-cheeked Thrush
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
Orange-crowned Warbler
Mourning Warbler
KENTUCKY WARBLER
Hooded Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Wilson’s Warbler
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
LARK SPARROW
Grasshopper Sparrow
SUMMER TANAGER
BLUE GROSBEAK
If followed by (+) please submit documentation of your report electronically and use the NYSARC online submission form found at https://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: Gail Benson
[~BEGIN RBA TAPE~]
Greetings! This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, May 15, 2020 at 11:00 pm.
The highlights of today’s tape are BROWN PELICAN, WHITE-FACED IBIS, SEDGE WREN, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, LARK SPARROW, KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, LEAST BITTERN, PROTHONOTARY, YELLOW-THROATED and KENTUCKY WARBLERS, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, BLUE GROSBEAK, SUMMER TANAGER and much more.
Despite a week dominated by strong northwest winds, rain and cold, with even some snow flurries thrown in, decent birding excitement fortunately did take place, with reasonable but not overwhelming numbers of migrants occurring in our region.
Quite unexpected was an immature BROWN PELICAN seen sitting on a rock off Orient Point last Thursday evening, flying off shortly thereafter.
Last Saturday an adult WHITE-FACED IBIS was found among a large gathering of GLOSSY IBIS in the Captree Island marshes, this followed by an adult WHITE-FACED seen again Thursday at Timber Point Golf Course.
The surprise passerine of the week was a SEDGE WREN found mid-day on Monday at Kissena Park in Queens and enjoyed for a few hours thereafter until the wren disappeared. Close behind this was an adult YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD photographed this morning at Breezy Point.
Also notable was an adult LARK SPARROW photographed today at
Brooklyn’s Red Hook Park, spotted at the southeast corner of the park
along Lower Court Street.
A LEAST BITTERN was a nice find today at the Marine Park Salt Marsh Nature Center in Brooklyn.
The female KING EIDER at Orient Point was last noted Sunday, and a drake HARLEQUIN DUCK was still at Smith Point County Park today.
Single ICELAND GULLS were still present last Saturday at Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn and Robert Moses State Park and on Sunday at Mecox and Orient Point.
An AMERICAN BITTERN visited Central Park last Saturday, with another still along Dune Road Tuesday.
Multiple RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were present in Central Park this week, including the long-staying individual in the north end, with another still at Connetquot River State Park today.
Among the well over 30 species of WARBLERS seen locally this week were a PROTHONOTARY in Central Park today and another today at Southard’s Pond Park and a YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER noted in Central Park Monday
and Wednesday. Thursday brought a KENTUCKY WARBLER to Central Park as well as to Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn, where nicely photographed.
Other WARBLER highlights featured an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER at Southard’s Pond Park Thursday, when a CERULEAN WARBLER was found at Hempstead Lake State Park, and a MOURNING WARBLER in Prospect Park today, as well as decent numbers this week of such WARBLERS as HOODED, CAPE MAY, BAY-BREASTED, BLACKBURNIAN, WILSON’S and the like. A
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was present in Central Park at least to Wednesday.
A couple of BLUE GROSBEAKS visited Central Park this week, with another in Prospect Park yesterday and breeding individuals continuing out in Calverton.
Today a SUMMER TANAGER visited Hempstead Lake State Park and another briefly appeared at Sutton Place Park in mid-Manhattan.
A GRASSHOPPER SPARROW was photographed at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday, and among other arrivals here recently have been WILLOW FLYCATCHER and GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH.
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
