Rare Bird Alert

Because of COVID-19 related Stay-at-Home orders in many states and provinces, the purpose of this report is to keep homebound birders caught up rare bird sightings across the ABA Area during spring migration. The ABA urges readers to respect state, provincial, and local restrictions on non-essential travel. The ABA’s Recording Standards and Ethics Committee has released guidelines on how birders should approach this unusual time and we urge birders, whether they are members of not, to consider them when deciding whether to travel to see a rare bird. Stay safe and healthy. everyone.

Shockingly, we have no continuing rarities this week, though that may have more to do with the fact that many of the places where they birds we had been tracking have been closed due to COVID-19 concerns.

But from Newfoundland comes an exciting continental rarity! A Eurasian Oystercatcher (5) was found in Ellison. This is the second individual of this species in as many years in Newfoundland. It is the island’s 5th and the 6th for the ABA Area.

That wasn’t the only Euro rarity to turn up on the The Rock this week. In St. John’s, a Yellow-legged Gull (4) was seen and well-photographed at the famous Quidi Vidi Lake.

We have one 1st record to report this week. From North Carolina, where a long-expected Neotropic Cormorant was seen at Jordan Lake in Chatham. This is North Carolina’s second 1st record of the still young year. Thankfully the bird has been seen at a place where local birders can observe it while practicing responsible social distancing.

The same cannot be said, unfortunately, for Maryland’s 2nd Burrowing Owl in St. Mary’s. Birders report that the owl is rather skittish and hard to track. Birders should be urged to stay in their cars if chasing this bird, and even then it may not be worth it.

Good for California was a Black-headed Gull (3) inVentura. 

And Nevada had a nice male Eurasian Wigeon in Washoe. 

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Omissions and errors are not intended, but if you find any please message blog AT aba.org and I will try to fix them as soon as possible. This post is meant to be an account of the most recently reported birds. Continuing birds not mentioned are likely included in previous editions listed here. Place names written in italics refer to counties/parishes.

Readers should note that none of these reports has yet been vetted by a records committee. All birders are urged to submit documentation of rare sightings to the appropriate state or provincial committees. For full analysis of these and other bird observations, subscribe to North American Birds, the richly illustrated journal of ornithological record published by the ABA.