Rare Bird Alert

Continuing rarities in the ABA Area include the ABA 1st Gray Gull (ABA Code 5) in Florida. We also get the news that at least one of the Large-billed Terns (5) is still hanging on in the state through the recent storm. American Flamingos (4) are still being seen in North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Florida. A Berylline Hummingbird is regular in southeast Arizona and has been for several weeks now.

Fall rarity season is starting to get started in Texas, where a Golden-crowned Warbler (4) was seen this week in Cameron Co. This species has been almost annual in recent years with many birds sticking around for quite some time.

North Carolina adds a 1st record for the period, with the discovery of a long-anticipated Elegant Tern in Dare Co. The bird was unfortunately flushed and disappeared into the hundreds of Royals Terns on site and has not, yet, been refound.

New Mexico also gets a 1st among an excellent week for warblers. A Connecticut Warbler in Sierra is a state 1st for one of the more infrequent eastern warblers in the west. Also, the state’s 2nd record of Tropical Parula was photographed in De Baca Co.

Almost annual for Arizona these days but still a noteworthy ABA Area rarity, a Tufted Flycatcher (4) was seen in Cochise Co this week.

Oregon’s 6th record of Wilson’s Storm-Petrel was seen on a pelagic out of Lincoln Co.

Washington had a nice run of eastern songbirds with the state’s 7th Philadelphia Vireo seen in La Push and the 3rd Canada Warbler in Walla Walla Co. Also a “black-backed” White Wagtail was seen in Klickitat Co.

We’re coming up on prime vagrant season for western Alaska, and a Baikal Teal (4) on St Paul Island this week, along with “regular” rarities like Jack Snipe and Long-toed Stint, hopefully foretell a great season.

It’s getting hard to keep track of all the extralimital Limpkin records these days, but one in Clay Co, Minnesota, might be the farthest north yet.

Michigan’s 2nd record of Townsend’s Warbler was seen this week in Grand Rapids.

Ontario had a bizarre pair of records this week in the form of a Roseate Spoonbill in Elgin Co, and the province’s 3rd record of Manx Shearwater in Lake Ontario near Hamilton.

The fabled Patagonia Picnic Table Effect was working in Pennsylvania, where a Brown Booby (3) flew over a crowd of flamingo watchers in Franklin Co.

And in Nunavut, several hundred Short-tailed Shearwaters near Victoria Island make up the 4th record for the territory.

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.