Rare Bird Alert

Zugunruhe is taking hold among our remaining ABA Area vagrants. Well, zugunruhe or the fact that the sites where they are found are closing due to the COVID-19 outbreak (in the case of the long-staying La Sagra’s Flycatcher in Florida at least). But birders are still keeping tabs on the Siberian Accentor (ABA Code 4) in Washington, however, which remains into this week. The ABA does encourage birding as a way to pass time during this pandemic, but we urge birders to abide by local and state restrictions when doing so. If that means staying home, then please do so. It’s spring anyway, and for many birders the birds will be coming to you.

We begin in Atlantic Canada this week, where a smart male Garganey (4) in Sambro, Nova Scotia, is a very nice find. Most records of Garganey away from Alaska are on the west coast, so this is an excellent bird anywhere but the immediate Pacific coast.

In Delaware, a male Ruff (3) was seen at Bombay Hook NWR.

Minnesota had a pair of California Gulls, one in Scott and a second in Dakota.

And it’s cormorant time in Ohio, as following a Great Cormorant in Cleveland last week we report a pair of Neotropic Cormorants in Franklin, near Columbus, this week.

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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.