-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* July 30, 2021
* NYNY2107.30
– Birds Mentioned
BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK+
ROSEATE SPOONBILL+
SWALLOW-TAILED KITE+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)
AMERICAN AVOCET
Stilt Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
Solitary Sandpiper
Lesser Black-backed Gull
GULL-BILLED TERN
CASPIAN TERN
ARCTIC TERN
BROWN PELICAN
American Bittern
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Louisiana Waterthrush
Northern Waterthrush
BLUE GROSBEAK
DICKCISSEL
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, July 30, 2021 at 7:00 pm.
The highlights of today’s tape are ROSEATE SPOONBILL, SWALLOW-TAILED KITE, BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK, BROWN PELICAN, AMERICAN AVOCET and other shorebirds, ARCTIC, GULL-BILLED and CASPIAN TERNS, BLUE GROSBEAK, DICKCISSEL, and more.
As hoped for, last Sunday ROSEATE SPOONBILL not unexpectedly appeared on Long Island. A marsh survey of islands around Island Park in the Town of Hempstead uncovered an immature shortly after another immature was spotted in Cold Spring Harbor. Nicely, the Cold Spring individual has remained in that area through today, providing birders the opportunity to see it in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties as it moves, generally as a result of tidal conditions, between sites on both sides of the inner portions of Cold Spring Harbor at lower tides and over to roost on St. John’s Pond on the south side of Route 25A at higher tides. Harbor Road on the east side of the harbor provides some vantage points, as does the observation deck on the north side of St. John’s Pond.
A SWALLOW-TAILED KITE was seen briefly Sunday afternoon as it cruised over the Town of Oyster Bay Golf Course in Syosset, just south of the Cold Spring Spoonbill site.
The BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK continues at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, usually seen around the cove at the southwestern corner of the East Pond, though it apparently may roost overnight at the north end of the pond. The East Pond has also been hosting a nice variety of shorebirds, though many of the earlier migrating adults have been moving on. Among the less common species lately have been a colorful adult LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER and decent numbers of STILT SANDPIPERS, plus the occasional PECTORAL, WHITE-RUMPED, WESTERN and SOLITARY SANDPIPERS. Two or more GULL-BILLED TERNS have been appearing regularly around the pond’s south end, and a CASPIAN TERN was reported there last Saturday.
A small incursion of BROWN PELICANS produced 7 off Davis Point on Fire Island on Tuesday, followed by 1 at Smith Point County Park Wednesday, 2 off Robert Moses State Park Thursday, and 6 off Blue Point Beach on Fire Island today, these presumably included in the 8 moving west off Robert Moses Park a little later in the morning. Two were also sitting on a sandbar off Cupsogue County Park today.
The AMERICAN AVOCET was last reported at Nickerson Beach last Saturday, while a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER was spotted at Plumb Beach Wednesday and a LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER was reported from Bloomfield on Staten Island Tuesday.
A total of 42 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were gathered at Breezy Point today, and an immature ARCTIC TERN was observed briefly as it flew by Robert Moses State Park last Saturday morning. An AMERICAN BITTERN was photographed at Watch Hill on Fire Island last Saturday.
Among various migrating land birds recently have been some CLIFF and BANK SWALLOWS and LOUISIANA and NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES.
BLUE GROSBEAKS continue at the Calverton Grasslands, and DICKCISSELS have been confirmed nesting at Croton Point Park in Westchester, a nice record.
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
