Continuing rarities in the ABA Area include Tufted Flycatcher (ABA Code 4) in Arizona and Steller’s Sea-Eagle (4) in Newfoundland.  

September is a great month for rare shorebirds and huge surprises are always possible. One of those surprises came to Quebec this week, when a Far Eastern Curlew (4) was discovered at Carleton-sur-mer. This is a 1st record for Quebec and the first record of this species in the east of North America. 

Far Eastern Curlew is the world’s largest sandpiper, and a long distance migrant that breeds in northeast Asia and winters across coastal Southeast Asia and Australia. Most ABA Area records are unsurprisingly from Alaska, where the species is an infrequent visitor to the western Aleutians and the Pribilofs.  Additional records come from the northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Yukon Territory, and British Columbia. The last of which, a bird on Vancouver Island in 1984, was the last chaseable record of this species. 

Funnily, the species name, madagacariensis, is a the result of a typographical error by taxonomist Mathurin Jacque Buffon. Far Eastern Curlew has never been recorded in Madagascar, but regularly winters in the Makassar Province of Indonesia. 

In Arizona, a White-throated Thrush (4) in Pima Co, the state’s 3rd, is a noteworthy record especially because of the time of year. Most, if not all, other ABA Area records of this species are from the winter months. Additionally in Arizona, a White Wagtail was seen in Coconino Co. 

Alberta’s 8th provincial record of Yellow-billed Cuckoo was seen this week in a park in Calgary. 

Minnesota is the latest outpost where Swallow-tailed Kite is present, following one photographed in Stearns Co. 

In New York, a pair of White-tailed Tropicbirds (3) discovered offshore are only the second and third in the state’s pelagic zone, despite there being nearly 10 records for the state. Most of those were seen in the wake of Hurricane Irene in 2011. 

A trio of Eared Grebes in Hampton Harbor, New Hampshire, are an exciting find. The state has, surprisingly, hosted fewer than 10 records.

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.