Hurricane Sally made landfall this week, bringing Mississippi's 1st record of Red-footed Booby with it. Oregon also gets a 1st with Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. And Black-throated Gray Warblers and Neotropic Cormorants continue to turn up across the east.

A bunch of 1st records to report this week - Brewer's Sparrow in PA, Common Ringed Plover in VT, and Bell's Vireo in BC. But the highlight is Massachusetts's (and the Lower 48's) 1st record of Gray Heron near Nantucket Island.

Hurricane Laura brought multiple Band-rumped Storm-Petrels into the Midwest, including Indiana's 1st. But the bird of the week was a stunning adult Steller's Sea Eagle (ABA Code 4) at Denali NP in Alaska.

Brown Boobys are all over the midwest, with birds in Tennessee, Ontario, and Ohio, the latter representing the state's 1st. But bird of the week comes from Florida where Thick-billed Vireos have evidently nested for a second straight year.

There aren't as many birders in Alaska this fall but there are still plenty of birds, like three Oriental Greenfinches in Unalaska. Also Utah and Washington boast state 1sts this week.

Swallow-tailed Kites continue to make a major push into the northeast and Great Lakes, but the discovery of a Brown Booby on the Current River of Missouri, a state 1st, takes the cake as the bird of the week.

August means vagrant kites and wandering waders, but an Alabama state 1st South Polar Skua is a fantastic highlight of a weather-full week in the ABA Area.

Because of COVID-19 related Stay-at-Home orders in many states and provinces, the purpose of this report is to keep homebound birders caught up rare bird sightings across the ABA Area during read more >>

Because of COVID-19 related Stay-at-Home orders in many states and provinces, the purpose of this report is to keep homebound birders caught up rare bird sightings across the ABA Area during read more >>

Because of COVID-19 related Stay-at-Home orders in many states and provinces, the purpose of this report is to keep homebound birders caught up rare bird sightings across the ABA Area during read more >>

Because of COVID-19 related Stay-at-Home orders in many states and provinces, the purpose of this report is to keep homebound birders caught up rare bird sightings across the ABA Area during read more >>

Because of COVID-19 related Stay-at-Home orders in many states and provinces, the purpose of this report is to keep homebound birders caught up rare bird sightings across the ABA Area during read more >>

Because of COVID-19 related Stay-at-Home orders in many states and provinces, the purpose of this report is to keep homebound birders caught up rare bird sightings across the ABA Area during read more >>

Because of COVID-19 related Stay-at-Home orders in many states and provinces, the purpose of this report is to keep homebound birders caught up rare bird sightings across the ABA Area during spring read more >>

Because of COVID-19 related Stay-at-Home orders in many states and provinces, the purpose of this report is to keep homebound birders caught up rare bird sightings across the ABA Area during read more >>

Because of COVID-19 related Stay-at-Home orders in many states and provinces, the purpose of this report is to keep homebound birders caught up rare bird sightings across the ABA Area during read more >>

Because of COVID-19 related Stay-at-Home orders in many states and provinces, the purpose of this report is to keep homebound birders caught up rare bird sightings across the ABA Area during read more >>

Because of COVID-19 related Stay-at-Home orders in many states and provinces, the purpose of this report is to keep homebound birders caught up rare bird sightings across the ABA Area during read more >>

Because of COVID-19 related Stay-at-Home orders in many states and provinces, the purpose of this report is to keep homebound birders caught up rare bird sightings across the ABA Area during read more >>

Because of COVID-19 related Stay-at-Home orders in many states and provinces, the purpose of this report is to keep homebound birders caught up rare bird sightings across the ABA Area during read more >>

Because of COVID-19 related Stay-at-Home orders in many states and provinces, the purpose of this report is to keep homebound birders caught up rare bird sightings across the ABA Area during read more >>

Because of COVID-19 related Stay-at-Home orders in many states and provinces, the purpose of this report is to keep homebound birders caught up rare bird sightings across the ABA Area during read more >>

We're still going to continue doing this weekly feature even while COVID-19 is making birding and, especially, rarity chasing more difficult. Please abide by state and local restrictions on movement and read more >>

Zugunruhe is taking hold among our remaining ABA Area vagrants. Well, zugunruhe or the fact that the sites where they are found are closing due to the COVID-19 outbreak (in the case of the long-staying La Sagra's Flycatcher in Florida at least).

Birders are self-isolating but that doesn't yet mean we can't go out birding provided we take proper precautions. You may as well take advantage of this time to find some interesting birds. read more >>

Noteworthy birds in the ABA Area not practicing social distancing from ABA Area birders this week (I'm so sorry), include the the Siberian Accentor (ABA Code 4) in Washington, the Garganey read more >>

Still continuing into the first week of spring, at least meteorologically speaking, Garganey (ABA Code 4) in California, and the Caribbean pair of La Sagra's Flycatcher (4) and Thick-billed Vireo (4) read more >>

Washington continues to host a Siberian Accentor (4) into this week, and Florida birders are continuing to keep track of a pair of Caribbean specialities in the south of the state in the form of a Thick-billed Vireo (4) and a La Sagra’s Flycatcher (4).

Rare birds continuing into the third week of February include the stunning Siberian Accentor (ABA Code 4) in Washington, plus of familiars La Sagra's Flycatcher (4) in Florida and Garganey (4) read more >>

IVORY GULL in Montana! SIBERIAN ACCENTOR in Washington! Late winter is producing some interesting rare birds across the ABA Area. Get caught up at the ABA's Rare Bird Alert.

As with last week, a La Sagra's Flycatcher (ABA Code 4) in Florida and a Garganey (4) in California represent the continuing continental rarities. Newfoundland has had an excellent winter for read more >>

Exciting for Oregon this week was a Mountain Plover discovered in Clatsop. The bird is quite close, as the plover flies, from an individual in extreme southwestern Washington a few weeks ago, and birders have speculated that this might be the same bird having relocated across the mouth of the Columbia River.

Continuing rare birds in the ABA Area include the La Sagra’s Flycatcher (ABA Code 4) in Florida and a female Garganey (4) in California.

Continuing rarities in the ABA Area include a Garganey (ABA Code 4) in California, both La Sagra’s Flycatcher (4) and Antillean Palm-Swift (5) in Florida, and a Streak-backed Oriole (4) continuing to visit a feeder in Arizona.

Welcome to 2020! As is typically the case, we ease into the rare bird world  at the top of the year. But there are a couple nice state firsts for those birders looking to get their year lists off right.