RARE BIRDS

With Christmas Bird Counts helping to fuel rare bird sightings being reported, the tops must be the First Canadian Record Taiga Flycatcher found in Vancouver, British Columbia, which also established a first for the province! Three new First State Records reported by birders included an Arctic Loon in Montana, a Groove-billed Ani in Georgia, and a Short-billed Gull in New Jersey. Three Second State Records included a Crested Caracara in Nebraska, a Cassin's Finch in Michigan, and a Cassin's Sparrow in New York – and there are many more rare sightings to report! 

With an impressive 18 Record Birds reported, we begin with 2 Third North American Records found on Adak Island in the Aleutians of Alaska – an Asian Rosy Finch and a Eurasian Sparrowhawk! There were also 7 First Records, including a First State Record Pyrrhuloxia in North Dakota, a First Provincial Record Common Shelduck in Nova Scotia, a Common Cuckoo in New Hampshire, a Blue Rock Thrush in Hawaii, a Cooper’s Hawk in Newfoundland, a Limpkin in Massachusetts, and a First State Record Cassin’s Kingbird in Connecticut – and there are many more!

Three First Records were established last week as birders documented a surprising First State Record Yellow-headed Caracara in Delaware, and in the far north a continuing Eurasian Bullfinch established a First Provincial Record in the Yukon, while a significant First State Record Broad-winged Hawk was photographed by birders in Alaska. Every bit as exciting was the Second State Record of an Eastern Yellow Wagtail in Florida – and guess where birders found a Rustic Bunting, Common Crane, and Broad-billed Hummingbird?

Over the past 2 weeks, a First State Record Chihuahuan Meadowlark was documented near Bard, California, close to the borders of Mexico and Arizona. Two new Second State Record birds were documented: a Siberian Stonechat in Texas, and a King Eider in Kansas. Three more new state records were also recorded: a Third State Record Tundra Bean Goose in New York, a Fourth State Record Bell’s Vireo in New Hampshire, and a Fifth State Record White-eyed Vireo in Montana – and there are more exciting rare sightings to share.

During the past 2 weeks, 15 new records were established in states and provinces across North America. Old World species created 3 of the 4 First State or Provincial Records, including a Common Cuckoo in New York, a European Golden Plover in Virginia, and a Little Bunting in British Columbia – along with a First State Record Black Phoebe in northeast Minnesota. An Asian species, an Oriental Greenfinch created a Second State Record in California, as did a Grace’s Warbler photographed in Ontario – and there are more records and rare sightings!

It was an active week with a volume of records established including a First State Record Yellow-green Vireo in Washington AND Oregon! A First State Record Violet-green Swallow was also documented by birders in Louisiana, as were a Second State Record Small-billed Elainia in Florida and a Second State Record Roseate Spoonbill in Massachusetts. That’s not to downplay the rare find in the northern-most town of Utqiagvik, Alaska where an astute birder reported the Ninth North American Record Song Thrush – and there’s more.

Lucky birders on a pelagic birding trip originating from Bodega Bay were treated to close views of the First North American Record Waved Albatross, an impressive seabird that also established a First State Record for California! Birders in Canada documented the First Provincial Record of a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in Nova Scotia and a Third Provincial Record of a Northern Wheatear in Alberta. A Sixth State Record Gray Kingbird was reported in Massachusetts, along with an especially surprising Mexican Violetear photographed in October in Michigan, a Tenth State Record – and there’s more.

Astute birders established 2 continental firsts last week, including the First Canadian Record of an Olive-backed Pipit in British Columbia, along with the First American Record of a Marsh Sandpiper in the Lower 48 States, which was also a First State Record for Ohio. A First State Record Arctic Warbler was documented in New York City, and a Fourth State Record Prothonotary Warbler was photographed in Missoula, Montana. A standout sighting in south Florida was another Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, the second in 2 weeks, and there are more especially rare birds to report.

An exceptional Third North American Record Lesser White-throat was documented last week at Gambell on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. And Canadian birders found 2 First Provincial Records: a Broad-billed Hummingbird in Saskatchewan, the farthest north sighting for this species, and a First Provincial Record Surfbird in southern Ontario. A Second State Record Elegant Tern was photographed in North Carolina, as was a Fourth State Record Bell’s Vireo in Virginia, and there are more exciting birds to report.

Three mega-rare birds were documented last week including 2 Second North American Record birds – a Double-striped Thick-knee in Texas and a Yellow-browed Bunting in Alaska! Both birds also created Second State Records. A surprising First State Record Dark-sided Flycatcher was actually found in the Google parking lot in Mountain View, California; and the Asian flycatcher also represents a first-time record for the Lower 48 States. Two Second Provincial Records included a Broad-winged Hawk observed in Labrador and a Black-tailed Gull in Quebec, and there’s much more to report.

Last week Florida birders found a South American flycatcher – a Small-billed Elaenia – that created a First State Record and a Sixth North American Record! A Second Provincial Record Shiny Cowbird was photographed at a feeder in Quebec, which also established a Second Canadian Record. Another exciting feeder visitor created a Second State Record of a Mexican Violetear in New Jersey, and 2 Fifth State Records were also created when birders documented a Snail Kite in Texas and a Red-footed Booby offshore Washington – and there’s more.

During late August, there were 3 First State Records documented, including a colorful Olive Warbler in Utah (the farthest north sighting to date), a Curlew Sandpiper in Wyoming, and a Little Stint in Pennsylvania. A Second State Record Wood Stork in Colorado was especially significant considering the only other Wood Stork recorded in the state was in 1934! A Yellow-bellied Flycatcher also created a Second State Record after it was documented by Washington birders, and a Third State Record Swallow-tailed Kite was photographed in Nebraska – and there’s more.

Sandpipers of all sizes dominate this week’s rare bird sightings, including a First State Record Little Stint at Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Philadelphia. Birders also photographed a Red-necked Stint photographed on Kure Atoll in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. A Provincial Record Spotted Redshank photographed by wary birders in in Ontario is one of fewer than 10 records for the province, but the first in more than 20 years. Beyond these exciting shorebird sightings, birders documented a second Cattle Tyrant in Galveston, Texas, which also established the Second North American Record!

With the absence of an ABA report this week, we thought you would be interested in seeing an alternative rare bird source – The Rare Bird Alert for Great Britain. British birders were excited to have a chance to observe a Black Stork in Suffolk last week, and there was also a Ferruginous Duck documented in Cambridgeshire last Wednesday, plus sightings of a Black Kite and Zitting Cisticola were outstanding. Some American species observed on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean last week included a Bonaparte’s Gull, 2 Lesser Scaup, a Long-billed Dowitcher, a Lesser Yellowlegs, and 3 White-rumped Sandpipers.

A Tristram’s Storm Petrel photographed during a pelagic birding trip offshore from Bodega Bay established a Fourth State Record for California, as well as the Fourth North American Record for the species. Other recent rare sightings included a Second State Record Royal Tern in Iowa, and a Third State Record Hermit Warbler in Alaska. British Columbia birders were especially lucky, documenting the Third Provincial Record of a Masked Booby and a Fifth Provincial Record Arctic Loon – and there is a memorable list of continuing rare birds too.

A Juan Fernandez Petrel observed off the coast of Gloucester, Massachusetts created the Second North American Record and a First State Record; in fact, it is the first Juan Fernandez Petrel to be documented in the north Atlantic Ocean! Another rare petrel sighting also created a First State Record when birders found a Hawaiian Petrel in Alaska, and another seabird made a rare appearance in southern California, where the sighting of a White-winged Tern created a Third State Record. Another Third State Record was established in North Dakota where a Carolina Wren was documented – and there’s more.

The first rare bird finds of the summer provide an especially impressive list of birds, including a First State Record Mississippi Kite in North Dakota, and much farther north 2 First Territorial Record birds were documented in Northwest Territories – a Burrowing Owl and a Red-necked Stint. There was also a Brown Booby in Colorado and a Crested Caracara in Indiana that established Second State Records, while birders reported 5 Fifth Record birds, including another Yellow Grosbeak in Colorado, Orchard Orioles in Alberta, a Curve-billed Thrasher in Wyoming, and a Plumbeous Vireo in Saskatchewan, and there’s many more rare birds to report.

A lucky birder in Pennsylvania photographed the First State Record White-tailed Kite, while astute Seattle birders found Washington’s Second State Record Crested Auklet. Two more Yellow Grosbeaks were reported in Colorado, creating Fourth & Fifth State Records, and Alberta birders documented the Eighth Provincial Record Garganey. Alaska birders led all states and provinces with an array of Asian species sighted last week, and the Steller’s Sea Eagle continues to be observed near St. Johns, Newfoundland – plus there are more rare birds to report.

The resurfacing of the Steller’s Sea Eagle in Newfoundland is big news this week. There were also 3 exciting new records reported by birders in Nevada, including the Second State Record White-rumped Sandpiper, the Fourth State Record Upland Sandpiper, and the Tenth State Record American Golden Plover. In New England, birders documented a Third State Record Lark Bunting in New Hampshire, and not far from the University of Colorado in Boulder, many birders photographed the Fourth State Record Anhinga – and there’s more.

Two North American Records were established last week in Alaska by birders on St. Paul Island, in the Pribilof Isles in the Bering Sea – a Fourth North American Record Lesser White-fronted Goose and a Fifth North American Record Song Thrush were among a list of Asian bird species being encountered now on St Paul Island. On the mainland, 5 new First State or Provincial Records were documented, including a Grace’s Warbler and Yellow-bellied Flycatcher in Wyoming, an Arctic Tern in Missouri, and a Pine Warbler and House Finch in Labrador – and there’s more.