November 22, 2024
Continuing birds in the ABA Area include the Large-billed Tern (ABA Code 5) and the Yellow-headed Caracara (5) in Florida, and the Mottled Owl (5) and Brown Jays (4) in Texas.
Alaska has boasted a pretty great fall season in the Bering Sea and the Aleutians, but the topper came late in the season with a well-documented Eurasian Sparrowhawk (5) on Adak Island. Further, the bird was seen in the company of two Sharp-shinned Hawks, themselves first records for the western Aleutians. This is the 2nd record for this species in the ABA Area, following a bird photographed on Adak in 2016, but there have been a small handful of previous sight records that were not accepted by the local bird records committee. This is the first unquestionable record of this Old World raptor.
Last week we reported the exceptional discovery of a Short-tailed Shearwater in northern Wisconsin, on the back of susyained northwinds out of Hudson Bay. This week that record was bolstered by another Short-tailed Shearwater, this one at Wasaga Beach on the Lake Huron shore in Ontario, where it represents a 1st provincial record and the third record for the Great Lakes.
Vermont added Hammond’s Flycatcher to its state list this week, following one photographed in Windham Co. This is yet another record of this species in the east this fall.
In Quebec, a Eurasian Curlew (5) was seen at Pointe Paradis on the north side of the St Lawrence River, a provincial 1st and the second in the ABA Area this year following a bird seen this summer in Newfoundland. All previous records of this impressive shorebird in the ABA Area come from decades ago.
Elsewhere in Atlantic Canada, Newfoundland has been the recipient of a large low pressure system blowing from Europe that has brought multiple Northern Lapwings (4) and one Common Shelduck (5) to the Avalon Peninsula this week.
St Pierre et Miquelon also had a Northern Lapwing (4) this week, along with a Little Egret(3).
Nova Scotia, alternately, has seen its rare birds coming from the opposite direction, with a stunning Varied Thrush at Great Pubnico Lake, and the province’s 3rd Western Flycatcher at Grand Pre.
Massachusetts’s 6th record of Spotted Towhee was discovered in Provincetown.
Connecticut’s 3rd Black-chinned Humminbird was visiting a feeder in Fairfield, and a Swainson’s Hawk was seen at a hawkwatch in Branford.
In New Jersey, a flyby Red-billed Tropicbird see at the Cape May seawatch is the state’s 3rd.
In Pennsylvania, the state’s 3rd Crested Caracara was seen in Bucks Co, quite possibly the same bird that was photographed in nearby New Jersey last week.
Florida and the ABA Area’s 2nd record of Antillean Palm Swift was photographed in Key West this week. It’s surprising how few records of this species there are in the ABA Area considering how abundant they are over the Florida Straits in Cuba.
Tennessee’s 2nd record of Cassin’s Kingbird was seen by many birders in Davidson Co.
Northern Wisconsin continues to produce with the state’s 1oth Vermilion Flycatcher seen this week in Bayfield Co.
New Mexico had a Streak-backed Oriole (4) in Santa Fe Co.
And Idaho’s 10th Vermilion Flycatcher was seen this week in Twin Falls.
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.
