A First North American Record Icterine Warbler was photographed near Gambell, on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea of northwest Alaska by Rodney Ungwiluck Jr. Also creating a First State Record for Alaska, the species’ was a remarkable find considering its normal nesting range is northern Europe with its winter range in southern Africa.

It was a monumental week for rare Old World birds found in the far reaches of western Alaska: The First North American Record Icterine Warbler was well documented near Gambell, on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea, also creating a First State Record for Alaska. Birders also found a Third North American Record Red-backed Shrike and an Eighth North American Record Yellow-breasted Bunting on Shemya Island, Alaska; plus a Fourth North American Record Citrine Wagtail was photographed in Seward, Alaska! And there are plenty of exciting mainland sightings of rare birds in the Lower 48 too!

NORTH AMERICAN RECORDS

First North American Record Icterine Warbler – Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska

Third North American Record Red-backed Shrike – Shemya Island, Alaska

Fourth North American Record Citrine Wagtail – Seward, Alaska

Eighth North American Record Yellow-breasted Bunting – Shemya Island, Alaska

STATE & PROVINCIAL RECORDS

First State Record Icterine Warbler – Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska

First State Record Citrine Wagtail – Seward, Alaska

Fourth State Record Thick-billed Kingbird – near Mack, Colorado

Fifth State Record Pacific Slope Flycatcher – Cape May, New Jersey

WESTERN ALASKA’S REALLY RARE BIRDS

Middendorf’s Grasshopper Warbler – St. Paul Island, the Pribilofs, Alaska

Taiga Flycatcher – St. Paul Island, the Pribilofs, Alaska

Garganey – St. Paul Island, the Pribilofs, Alaska

Garganey – Shemya Island, the Aleutians, Alaska

Tree Pipit – Shemya Island, the Aleutians, Alaska

REALLY RARE BIRDS

Fork-tailed Flycatcher – Duluth, Minnesota

Fork-tailed Flycatcher – near Red Hook, New York

Northern Jacana – Laughlin Airforce Base, Texas

Rock Wren – Jester Park, Iowa

Black Vulture – Hitchcock, Iowa

Limpkin – Sippo Lake, Ohio

Black-throated Gray Warbler – Wilson Park Farm, Pennsylvania

CONTINUING RARE BIRDS

Baikal Teal – Alaska

Eurasian Bullfinch – Alaska

Little Stint – Alaska

Little Stint – California

Gray Heron – Prince Edward Island

Thick-billed Vireo – Florida

Social Flycather – Texas

For more information, refer to the American Birding Association’s Rare Bird Alert at Rare Bird Alert: September 23, 2022 - American Birding Association (aba.org) Special Thanks to the ABA, and Nate Swick, who does such a great job of compiling the ABA’s Rare Bird Alert, which we use to prepare this weekly replay.

You can often find more info about individual rare bird sightings from the state rare bird alert listserves that you can access at http://birding.aba.org/ or at https://www.facebook.com/groups/ABArare/