-RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* July 10, 2020
* NYNY2007.10
BROWN BOOBY+
SOUTH POLAR SKUA+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel
Great Shearwater
BROWN PELICAN
LEAST BITTERN
Osprey
Solitary Sandpiper
WHIMBREL
Lesser Black-backed Gull
GULL-BILLED TERN
Royal Tern
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
BLUE GROSBEAK
If followed by (+) please submit documentation of your report electronically and use the NYSARC online submission form found athttps://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 10, 2020 at 8:00 pm.
The highlights of today’s tape are SOUTH POLAR SKUA, BROWN BOOBY, BROWN PELICAN, WHIMBREL, LEAST BITTERN, GULL-BILLED TERN, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER and BLUE GROSBEAK.
Coastal sea watching this week certainly has paid dividends so far, with other possible surprises perhaps accompanying this currenttropical storm.
Out at Robert Moses State Park this morning a bird moving east off Field 2 was identified as a dark form SOUTH POLAR SKUA, the bird actually attacking a fish-carrying OSPREY as it flew by not too far offshore. The several land-based observations of this species in New York have all occurred during this general summer time period. Twenty-one GREAT SHEARWATERS and a WILSON’S STORM-PETREL were also noted off Moses today, and forty-two LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were counted there today as well.
At Moses Park off Field 2 last Saturday morning sea watchers were rewarded with an immature BROWN BOOBY flying leisurely to the east. Then on Sunday a group of six BROWN PELICANS cruised by Breezy Point, with likely four of these making up the birds appearing at Jones Beach State Park Field 6 over an hour later.
We want to also mention that a possible BRONZED COWBIRD spotted at Nickerson Beach last Friday was looked for over the weekend but unfortunately could not be relocated.
Though the first wave of adult shorebirds has been moving through the northeast recently, with some excellent rarities showing up in Rhode Island, our highlights have only included a WHIMBREL moving east over Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Tuesday morning and an early SOLITARY SANDPIPER on Staten Island Monday, these joining only moderate numbers of expected species. Sadly, the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Refuge is nowhere near the appropriate water level to accommodate shorebirds and
birders, so please call the Bay to prompt them to get the outflow fixed and address the pond’s continuing problems. A LEAST BITTERN was still at Big John’s Pond in the Jamaica Bay Refuge last Saturday.
A GULL-BILLED TERN was spotted at Great Kills Park on Staten Island on Wednesday, and among some ROYAL TERNS were six at Jacob Riis Park Monday.
Continuing have been two RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS near Jones Pond along the Paumanok Trail off Schultz Road in Manorville and another at Rockefeller State Park Preserve in central Westchester.
A YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER remains at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River, and a BLUE GROSBEAK was a surprise find last Sunday at the St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale.
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
