February 10, 2023
It’s back! From Maine comes the report that the Steller’s Sea-Eagle (ABA Code 4), now in eastern North America for its third calendar year, has been seen again on the central coast. Who knows where it will go from here, but farther south isn’t out of the realm of possibility. In Florida, both Bahama Mockingbird (4) and La Sagra’s Flycatcher (4) continue into this week. California continues to host a Red-flanked Bluetail (4), and the Pennsylvania Common Shelduck (5) is still being seen and debated.
The wide-ranging rarity de jour has changed over the last few years, but Illinois experiences a throwback of sorts with their 1st documented record of Crested Caracara from Fulton this week. This species saw something of an irruption throughout the continent a decade ago, but movements have slowed in recent years. Who knows what this bird could portend as the continent eases into spring.
Following a record in Oklahoma, Texas gets on the Slaty-backed Gull (3) train with an adult bird seen in Travis.Â
A haggard looking Red Phalarope was seen this week on a beach in Waveland, Mississippi.
Georgia’s 2nd record of Smith’s Longspur was seen by a number of birders this week on the coast in Glynn.
From New Jersey comes photos of a Gyrfalcon in Warren.Â
New York hosts an apparent Common Gull (3) in Essex.Â
And New Hampshire’s 4th record of Mountain Bluebird was seen in Hillsborough this week.
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.
Jed Hertz documented a Crested Caracara from Illinois back in the day, when he saw one along the Kankakee River. I remember because I chased it from the Indiana side hoping it would fly our way. The rare bird committee rejected it as questionable origin and even tried to substantiate that fact by proving that the species exists in Zoo collections.
Yes, April 15, 2006. The Committee felt that the possibility of this bird being an escape from captivity was too high to accept it as a first state record.
https://www.illinoisbirds.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/IORC-report-13.pdf .