Rare Bird Alert

Another great week for 1st records across the ABA Area. November is typically the best month of the year for interesting vagrants, but it will have to be exceptional to best what was a pretty phenomenal October.

We’ll start in Minnesota, where a Phainopepla in Duluth represents a 1st record for that state. One might expect a desert southwest species to be unheard of in the middle of the continent, but there are a handful of Phainopepla records nearby, in Ontario, Illinois, and Saskatchewan.

In Kentucky, not one, but two individual American Oystercatchers were found in Barren, a unexpected 1st for that state given that this species rarely comes far inland even in states where it breeds.

It was quite a week for vagrant flycatchers in New Jersey, where both a Tropical Kingbird in Cape May and a Hammond’s Flycatcher in Monmouth are new birds for that state.

And up to Alaska, where a Blackburnian Warbler in Ketchikan is the 8th 1st record for the Last Frontier in 2022, a fascinating mix of birds from both Eurasia and North America.

And the Steller’s Sea-Eagle (4) is once again on the move, this time to St Pierre et Miquelon, where it represents a 1st for the territory and perhaps a 1st for France?

A Say’s Phoebe in Northwest River, Labrador, is the 6th record for that province.

New York’s 3rd record of Tropical Kingbird was seen this week in Queens. 

In Maryland, a Black-throated Gray Warbler in Prince George’s is that state’s 9th record.

Delaware also had a Tropical/Couch’s Kingbird in the ABA’s backyard of Delaware City this week.

Notable for Florida and perhaps a sign of things to come this winter, a Dovekie was seen from Palm Beach. 

Wild scenes from Alabama, where a Flammulated Owl was photographed sitting on a beach chair at Orange Beach. Also a Hammond’s Flycatcher at Dauphin Island is the state’s 2nd.

Good for Texas was an Evening Grosbeak this week in Lubbock.

Indiana had a Fork-tailed Flycatcher (ABA Code 3) in Porter.  

Iowa’s 5th Limpkin was found this week in Lee, only a week after the state’s 4th record.

From Colorado come photographs of a Brambling (3) in Prowers. 

Nevada’s 6th Bay-breasted Warbler and its 8th Ruddy Ground Dove (3) were both seen in Clark this week.

Good for British Columbia, a Black-throated Blue Warbler turned up at Fort St. John.

Washington’s 11th Blackburnian Warbler was found this week in  Clallam. 

And from California come a host of good birds. A Brambling (3) was netted on SE Farallon Island. The ABA Area’s 5th record of Swallow-tailed Gull (5) was reported from San Diego though photographs have yet to come out. And in Los Angeles, a Field Sparrow and a Catalina Island Cerulean Warbler were excellent finds.

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.