Rare Bird Alert

One notable rare bird of Code 4 or higher is continuing in the ABA Area, the extraordinarily long-staying Social Flycatcher (ABA Code 5) in Texas, now in its 13th month.

It’s been pretty great year for vagrant waterfowl, and Newfoundland comes to the fore in the last week with a Graylag Goose (5) in Harricott on the Avalon Peninsula, the 3rd for the province. This species was only added to the ABA Checklist in the last decade largely due to questions of provenance. But for a Greylag Goose in this part of the continent at this time of year it’s hard to argue against wild origin.

A couple 1sts for this week including one in Maine, where a female-type Broad-tailed Hummingbird is visiting a feeder in Cumberland. 

And to Washington, where an Eastern Bluebird in Benton, is a long-expected 1st record, made all the more fun by the fact that both Mountain and Western Bluebirds are present at the same site.

British Columbia hosts a pair of great birds this week, the province’s 11th Prothonotary Warbler in Vancouver, and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in Sechelt.

Always a nice find in the Lower 48, a Yellow-billed Loon has been seen in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

And Iowa’s 3rd record of Common Ground Dove was seen this week in Polk. 

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.