Rare Bird Alert

Notable birds continuing in the ABA Area into this week include Berylline Hummingbird (ABA Code 4) in Arizona, Little Egret (4) in Maine, and Bahama Mockingbird (4) in Florida.

While it’s not uncommon for southern birds to move northward as the temperature warms, this summer has seemed unprecedented in terms of numbers and species represented. And this week’s rarity outlook continues this trend. Ohio’s 2nd record of White-tailed Kite was seen in Harrison this week. Notably it was not that long ago that Ohio had its first record of this southern southern plains raptor.

And Ohio was not alone in seeing a vagrant kite this week. In Wisconsin, a White-tailed Kite in Burnett represents that state’s 6th record. The presence of these two birds suggests that states across the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys should be on the look out.

There was one 1st to report this week, sort of. A small flock of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks in Atholville, New Brunswick, is the 1st confirmed for the province. An unconfirmed report of a single individual of this species was noted in 2014. The birds this week, though, are well-photographed no doubters, which certainly counts for something.

Up to Nunavut, where a pair of Bank Swallows at Arctic Bay are good birds for the tundra.

Vermont had a Northern Wheatear at North Shaftsbury, notably the same site that one was spotted one year ago.

It’s not only Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks on the move, as in Tennessee, a Fulvous Whistling-Duck was seen in Shelby. 

At Lake Yankton, on the border of Nebraska and South Dakota, a pair of Mute Swans represent the 3rd record for the former and the 4th for the latter.

Good birds in Washington this week include a Snowy Egret in Walla Walla and a Costa’s Hummingbird in Kittitas. 

And to Alaska, where the latest Asian vagrant of note is an Oriental Greenfinch (4) in Ketchikan.

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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.