-RBA * New York * New York City, Long Island, Westchester County * Oct. 09, 2026 * NYNY2610.09
- Birds Mentioned: SAY’S PHOEBE+ LECONTE’S SPARROW+ (+ Details requested by NYSARC) EARED GREBE Sora American Golden-Plover Hudsonian Whimbrel Hudsonian Godwit Long-billed Dowitcher Wilson’s Phalarope Caspian Tern Royal Tern Lesser Black-backed Gull American Bittern WESTERN CATTLE-EGRET Red-headed Woodpecker ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER CLAY-COLORED SPARROW LARK SPARROW Vesper Sparrow Yellow-breasted Chat YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD Orange-crowned Warbler Connecticut Warbler YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER BLUE GROSBEAK DICKCISSEL 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 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, October 9, 2026 at 11:00 pm.The highlights of today’s tape are SAY’S PHOEBE, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, LECONTE’S SPARROW, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, EARED GREBE, WESTERN CATTLE-EGRET, LARK and CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, BLUE GROSBEAK, DICKCISSEL and more. A week without a major storm still was able to produce some great birds, topped nicely by the SAY’S PHOEBE found last Saturday at Tibbetts Brook Park in Yonkers, this accommodating individual nicely viewed during its stay there through Monday. This was in contrast to the ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER spotted in Inwood Hill Park on Monday and followed with some difficulty as it moved around the park into the later afternoon but not seen thereafter. Another nice find was the LECONTE’S SPARROW seen Wednesday and Thursday as it skulked within the vegetation in Kissena Park in Queens. An adult male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was observed a few times Sunday and Monday when it would occasionally perch in trees visible from the hawk watch site at Robert Moses State Park on Fire Island. The EARED GREBE, a long-lingering visitor to the West Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, was seen there over last weekend and again yesterday. Two WESTERN CATTLE-EGRETS seen this morning at Jacob Riis Park in Queens ultimately flew southwest, and other species on the beach there included 10 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS and 110 ROYAL TERNS. Notable shorebirds this week included 2 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS last Saturday at Plumb Beach, 3 at Mecox Inlet today, and 1 Thursday and Friday along the Hudson River shoreline in Dobbs Ferry, an HUDSONIAN WHIMBREL Tuesday at Robert Moses State Park, an HUDSONIAN GODWIT Wednesday and today at Mecox Inlet, and at Jamaica Bay on the East Pond, up to 4 or more LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS plus a WILSON’S PHALAROPE to Monday. CASPIAN TERNS included 1 at Plumb Beach Sunday and 2 at Mecox today, while an AMERICAN BITTERN was in Central Park yesterday and today, and a SORA was hanging on in Bryant Park in Manhattan through today. Single RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were seen at at least 5 separate locations during the week. A LARK SPARROW was at Moses Park Field 2 on Tuesday, and a few CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS included singles in Green-Wood Cemetery Saturday to Thursday, on Randalls Island Monday, in Prospect Park Tuesday and in Piermont Thursday, while last Saturday VESPER SPARROW was found in both Inwood Hill Park and Kissena Park. A YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was at Croton Point Park last Saturday, while most unexpected among the WARBLERS was a YELLOW-THROATED found Wednesday at Montauk Point along the Seal Haulout Trail. Also notable were the few ORANGE-CROWNEDS found and CONNECTICUT uncovered in Prospect, Bush Terminal Piers and Pelham Bay Parks. BLUE GROSBEAKS were reported at Planting Fields Arboretum last Saturday and Sunken Meadow State Park Wednesday, with 2 today at East Farm Preserve in Head of the Harbor south of Stony Brook. Dickcissels included 1 at The Battery in Manhattan Thursday and Friday and 1 in Prospect Park today. 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 -- NYSbirds-L List Info: More information about this list here: http://www.northeastbirding.com Login to change your subscription settings here: http://LISTS.cornell.edu Posting Address: [email protected] Archives: The Mail Archive: https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html Sightings: Please submit your observations to eBird at http://www.ebird.org --
