Continuing rarities in the ABA Area include Tufted Flycatcher (ABA Code 4) in Arizona, and the seemingly ever-present Steller’s Sea-Eagle (4) in Newfoundland and Yellow-headed Caracara (5) in Florida.
August 2026 has turned out to be a banner year for Common Ringed Plover in the ABA Area, with several birds seen across the continent, representing 1st records in a least a couple spots, notably Anoka Co., Minnesota. This species does breed in the ABA Area, primarily on Baffin Island in Nunavut. Those birds, however, migrate southeast across the Atlantic Ocean to winter in southern Europe and Africa. Some almost certainly end up going the wrong way every fall, but the species is very similar to the common Semipalmated Plover, which makes identification fairly tricky. It does seem like North American birders are getting a better handle on that challenge in recent years, as records of Common Ringed Plover are increasing.
Also worth noting in Minnesota, the state’s 5th Fork-tailed Flycatcher (3) was seen in Pope Co.
Arizona also gets to boast its 1st record of Common Ringed Plover this week, a well-documented individual in Cochise Co. that was the highlight of the recent Southeast Arizona Birding Festival.
Next door in New Mexico, a South Polar Skua (3), discovered at a high-elevation lake in Lincoln Co., is a surprising state 1st. This primarily pelagic species does have a few oddball records in the interior of the continent, however, including those from North Dakota and Oklahoma, and a few storm-driven birds in the Southeast.
Late summer is a great time to look for wandering warblers, as Alabama birders highlight with that state’s 1st record of Golden-cheeked Warbler, in Baldwin Co. This species breeds in the Texas Hill Country, but postbreeding wanderers have shown up in coastal Texas and the Gulf Coast of Florida, suggesting some movement eastward along the Gulf of Mexico.
Perhaps the weirdest record this month, however, comes from Tennessee (or possibly Kentucky), where the ABA Area’s 5th record of Spotted Rail (5) was of a bird discovered and brought to a wildlife rehabilitation center. This elusive freshwater rail occurs erratically from southern Mexico through South America to northern Argentina and Uruguay. Previous records of this species in the ABA Area include two dead individuals in Pennsylvania (1976) and southern Texas (1977), a third that was also taken to a rehabber near Houston (2015), and, at long last, a live and wild individual in McMullen Co., Texas, in 2020 that was seen by birders for about a month. While this individual was taken to Tennessee, there is some talk that it was actually found in southern Kentucky.
Back to the Common Ringed Plover story, at least three have been present this week on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula, a spot where the species has been fairly regular over the years.
Eastern Canada and the northeastern US are experiencing a huge influx of Crested Caracara this month, with one bird seen at Pugwash, Nova Scotia.
A further two individual Crested Caracaras have been seen lately at Aéroport de Gaspé, in Quebec.
Maine is also getting into the fun, with a Crested Caracara currently being seen in York Co.
And in Ontario, two individual Crested Caracaras have been seen about 50 km from each other in the Thunder Bay district.
Swallow-tailed Kite is yet another late summer wanderer that is having a moment in August 2022. A bird was found in Summit Co, Ohio, earlier this month.
Illinois also boasted a Swallow-tailed Kite this week, the first chasuble bird in Cook Co in several years.
Story Co, Iowa, has been the site of a pair of great vagrants, a Clark’s Nutcracker at a feeder and the state’s 5th Groove-billed Ani.
Nebraska also had a Swallow-tailed Kite this month, in Washington Co.
In Colorado, a Phainopepla in Baca Co is one of fewer than 15 records for the state.
Washington’s 3rd record of Common Ringed Plover was seen in Pacific Co. This is the second individual in the state this summer.
Notable for British Columbia, an Acorn Woodpecker was photographed in Comox.
And in Alaska, the ABA Area’s 4th record of Chinese Pond-Heron (5) was seen in Utqiakvik this week. All previous records have come from the Bering Sea Islands or Attu, making this the first mainland record. Also, an Eurasian Hobby (4) was seen on St George Island in the Pribilofs.
Omissions and errors are not intended, but if you find any, please message blog AT aba.org and we 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 installments of the ABA Rare Bird Alert. Readers should note that most of these reports have not yet been vetted by a records committee. All birders are urged to submit documentation of rare sightings to the appropriate state or provincial records 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.
