Continuing rarities in the ABA Area week include Mottled Owl (ABA Code 5) in Texas, Far Eastern Curlew (4) in Québec, and the ever-present Steller’s Sea-Eagle (4) still in Newfoundland.
September has been a banner month for rarities all across the ABA Area. We start in New Hampshire, which is not a place that we get to talk about much here. This may be especially true of New Hampshire pelagic birding, as by the closest point of land rule, New Hampshire is cut out of the best offshore spots by Maine and Massachusetts. However, a trip offshore last week turned up two new species for that state, one of which, if accepted, would be a first for the ABA Area.
We’ll start with the more expected bird. It is surprising that New Hampshire did not have a record of Great Skua (3) , given that the species breeds in Iceland, and is easily the most expected skua species in the North Atlantic winter, but that is likely a result of New Hampshire’s tiny little pelagic territory.
But that was not the only skua seen on this boat. A bird photographed on the same trip looks fairly conclusively to be the ABA Area’s first record of Chilean Skua, The bird was seen apparently on two occasions on the boat trip, and well photographed to show the black cap, overall warmer ruddy tones, and appropriate molt, traits that distinguish this species from the expected South Polar Skua.
Chilean Skua breeds around the southern tip of South America and usually does not come farther north in the Atlantic than Uruguay, so this is not only a first ABA Area record but a first for the Northern Hemisphere. And certainly one of the most unexpected birds seen in the ABA Area in some time. This individual skua was apparently seen in Maine waters as well, so it will likely also represent a first there.
And one of the more bizarre and mysterious records in the ABA Area in several years, what appeared to be a young Baillon’s Crake was picked up by a non-birder in Hampton, Virginia, who then attempted to take it to a rehabber. Photos were fortunately taken, but the bird unfortunately died before it received help, and the body was disposed of by the observer. As of the time of this dispatch, no one knows what happened to it, aside from the pseudonymous finder.
Baillon’s Crake is a widespread central Asian rail species. There are several subspecies, including a highly migratory one that breeds from eastern Europe across Eurasia, winters in south Asia and Australasia. There is a previous, unphotographed but reasonably well documented, sighting of this species in the ABA Area, from Attu, Alaska, in 2000. That bird was not accepted by the Alaska rarity committee and thus, not by the ABA Area Checklist Committee. So this is a potential ABA Area first, although the lack of information about the circumstances of the discovery are concerning.
Moving to Oklahoma, which boasts two state first records in quick succession, both from the panhandle. The first is a young Western Gull in Texas Co., which is the middle of the three panhandle counties, and the latter, an American Three-toed Woodpecker of the Rocky mountain subspecies in Cimarron Co, the westernmost of the panhandle counties. A third notable record, a Cactus Wren, also in Cimarron Co, is the state’s second.
Those were not the only first records we get to celebrate this month. Arizona’s first Piratic Flycatcher (4) was enjoyed by many birders in Maricopa County this week. This Neotropical flycatcher has a tendency to show up in weird spots in the ABA Area, but multiple records in Texas and New Mexico presaged this Arizona sighting.
Florida also gets to enjoy a new flycatcher for the state this week, as a well-documented Gray Flycatcher in Leon Co. is the farthest east record on the Gulf coast for this species that has turned up in the Southeast a few times before.
Up to Georgia, where a female Garganey (4) was discovered in a hunter’s bag near Augusta, representing a state first.
And Alberta welcomed Laughing Gull to its provincial list this week, with a bird seen at the Fort McMurray landfill. Also noteworthy for the province, a Little Blue Heron in Elk Island N.P. is Alberta’s seventh record.
Vagrant season in Alaska is heating up, with a grab bag of Old World warblers, including a Common Chiffchaff (4) off the Dalton Highway representing only the second mainland record in North America. At Gambell on St. Lawrence Island, birders enjoyed Middendorf’s Grasshopper-Warbler (4), Willow Warbler (4), and Dusky Warbler (4), along with non-warblers like Siberian House-Martin (4) and Pechora Pipit (4).
Also in the vein of East Asian vagrants, Oregon’s second record of Blue Rock Thrush (5) was seen along the Columbia River in Portland. The first record, only a couple years ago, was a one-observer record. This bird could not be more different, and has been enjoyed by countless birders during its stay.
Notable birds in Washington include the state’s third Golden-winged Warbler in Clallam Co., and the state’s fourth Wedge-tailed Shearwater from Seattle.
British Columbia’s second provincial record of Red-footed Booby (3) was a nice find at Race Rocks near Vancouver.
In southern California, a Siberian Sand-Plover (3) in San Diego Co is a second for the county.
Colorado’s 4th Nelson’s Sparrow was well-photographed in Arapahoe Co.
Kansas becomes the latest state to host a Clark’s Nutcracker, in Sherman Co.
In Illinois, a Purple Sandpiper was present for a period in Cook Co. before it was injured by a Cooper’s Hawk and removed to a rehabber.
A young Brown Pelican in Indianapolis is a great find for Indiana.
And North Carolina’s fourth record of Smith’s Longspur was found this week in Currituck 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.
