From: Christina W To: NYSBIRDS-L ; Ben Cacace Subject: NYC RBA 9/8/00 Date: Friday, September 08, 2000 8:28 PM -RBA * New York * New York City * September 8, 2000 *- Transcript hotline: New York City RBA date: September 8, 2000 number: 1-212-979-3070 to report: 1-631-734-4126 (Long Island) 1-212-697-0606 (NYC) compiler: Tom Burke transcriber: Christina Wilkinson (nutrichris@prodigy.net) Greetings, this is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, September 8th at 10am. The highlights of today's tape are fall shorebirds including: AMERICAN AVOCET, BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER, AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, WILSON'S PHALAROPE and MARBLED and HUDSONIAN GODWITS, GULL-BILLED and CASPIAN TERNS, and fall land birds, with reports of ASH- THROATED FLYCATCHER, GOLDEN-WINGED, and MOURNING WARBLERS, PHILADEPHIA VIREO, DICKCISSEL and LARK SPARROW. Shorebirds continued through Monday to provide the bulk of the fall migrants. An AMERICAN AVOCET appeared at Mecox last Saturday only but a MARBLED GODWIT has been present there at least through Tuesday along with CASPIAN and 75 FORSTER'S TERNS and a good mix of shorebirds. The numbers of BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS north of Riverhead went from 17 on Sunday to 34 Monday and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER numbers there had risen to 20 by Monday. But the frontal passage Tuesday apparently pushed all of these birds south. These sod fields lie between Doctor's Path to the west, Route 105 on the east, with Sound Avenue to the north and Northville Turnpike the southern border. Please remember not to drive out onto these fields. Also on Monday, 11 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS were off Oregon Road in Cutchogue, and the Route 51 fields southwest of Riverhead and just east of Route 111 through Monday had 8 BUFF- BREASTED SANDPIPERS and an AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER among the many BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS there. Shorebirds at Jamaica Bay Refuge included a WILSON'S PHALAROPE there Saturday on the East Pond, 2 HUDSONIAN GODWITS Monday on the West Pond and continuing fall numbers of STILT, WESTERN, WHITE- RUMPED, and PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS and plenty of other shorebirds. An immature BALD EAGLE also visited the Bay Sunday and Monday and on Monday, 2 GULL-BILLED TERNS appeared at the south end of the West Pond and a CASPIAN TERN was north of the East Pond. However, showing the change over to landbirds as a result of the Tuesday cold front arrival, in the bird log at Jamaica Bay, an ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER was reported Wednesday near bench 8 on the West Pond. We have no details on this sighting. But other interesting land birds have also begun appearing. Yesterday, a LARK SPARROW was seen around the western turnaround at Jones Beach West End and a DICKCISSEL appeared at Zach's Bay east of the underpass. Van Cortlandt Park on Monday produced a LEAST BITTERN, PHILADELPHIA VIREO and MOURNING WARBLER, and on Tuesday, at the Rye Nature Center GOLDEN-WINGED and HOODED WARBLERS and YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER were followed Thursday and Friday by a PHILADELPHIA VIREO. Prospect Park has tallied 17 species of warblers during the last week including such northern breeders as NASHVILLE and TENNESSEE. Forest Park provided YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER and TENNESSEE WARBLER Wednesday. There were 16 species of warblers at Jones Beach on Tuesday, along with such other migrants as YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, various flycatchers and some BOBOLINKS. Warblers in Hunter's Garden along Route 51 southwest of Riverhead recently have included BAY-BREASTED and WORM-EATING WARBLERS and LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH. Also on Tuesday, there were 2 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS a summering COMMON EIDER and an AMERICAN PIPIT at Montauk Point. Two CASPIAN TERNS at Democrat Point at the western tip of Fire Island and an adult BALD EAGLE over Rye. The Butler Sanctuary Hawk Watch in Mount Kisco counted 3 BALD EAGLES on Wednesday and other early migrant hawks have been appearing recently. To phone in reports, on Long Island call Tony Lauro at 631-734-4126. Or weekdays call Tom Burke at 212-697-0606. This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling. END TAPE END TRANSCRIPT