Rarities continuing in the ABA Area this week include Mottled Owl (ABA Code 5), Brown Jay (4), and Cattle Tyrant (5) in Texas, and the ever-present Steller’s Sea-Eagle (4) in Newfoundland.
Only a few years ago, the thought of multiple Yellow-headed Caracaras in the ABA Area would have made any birder in the US and Canada scoff, but we continue to rack up the numbers of these evidently vagrant-prone raptors in the ABA Area. Even the first generally accepted records followed unaccepted sightings of the species from California and North Carolina, but those birds could plausibly be seen in a new light now. They may credibly be the vanguard of what might be the most unexpected “invasion” of the last few decades.
Because this week in Wilmington, Delaware, comes the report of yet another Yellow-headed Caracara in the ABA Area, and this time not the well-worn vagrant hotbeds of Texas and Florida, but well up the coast, representing a 1st record for Delaware. It’s not clear yet what this means for the vagrancy potential of this mostly South American species, but this record seems like the first that really emphasizes the potential of this species to end up just about anywhere in the ABA Area.
A bit more expected, in as much as any 1st record can be, a Eurasian Bullfinch (4) in Watson Lake, Yukon, this week is a 1st record for the territory and for all of Canada. Eurasian Bullfinch has come quite close in the past, there are two records from Alaska’s panhandle, not far from British Columbia.
And speaking of Alaska, the Last Frontier welcomes a new bird to the state lists in the form of a Broad-winged Hawk in Valdez, apparently a misoriented migrant. The species has wandered to far northwestern Canada in the past, but as a mid-summer bird and not in the fall.
Continuing down the west coast to British Columbia, where a Painted Bunting at Williams Lake and a Black-throated Blue Warbler in Prince George are notable finds for the period.
Washington’s 8th record of Rustic Bunting (3) was seen on the grounds of the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.
In Oregon, a Cocos Booby has been delighting birders well inland on the Columbia River near Portland. The bird has also been seen on the Washington side of the river.
in Texas, a Red-footed Booby has been hanging out at the Texas State Aquarium in Nueces Co.
In Quebec, a Black-throated Gray Warbler in Montreal is a nice bird for the province.
And Florida had a bounty of rare birds this week with a nice Broad-billed Hummingbird at a feeder in Flagler Co, a Chestnut-collared Longspur, the state’s 4th, in Franklin Co, and the state’s 2nd Eastern Yellow Wagtail in at Merritt Island NWR in Brevard Co.
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.
