A First State Record Tricolored Heron was photographed in northeast Montana.

Two First State Records were recorded last week, a first Tricolored Heron was photographed in northeast Montana, and a first Swainson’s Warbler was literally recorded in Vermont. The Swainson’s Warbler was not seen, and was only recorded singing – an auditory First State Record. Call it strange, but only one Hooded Oriole was sighted in Wisconsin before 2019; however, a Fourth State Record Hooded Oriole was observed last week in Green Bay, Wisconsin – the third Hooded Oriole reported in the state this spring! The western islands of Alaska continue to provide exciting rare sightings of Asian species, and spring’s rare bird parade continues across North America, so read on.

STATE & PROVINCIAL RECORDS

First State Record Tricolored Heron – Opheim, Montana

First State Record Swainson’s Warbler – Conte Refuge, Vermont

Fourth State Record Hooded Oriole – Green Bay, Wisconsin

Fifth State Record Yellow-green Vireo – Carlsbad Caverns Park, New Mexico

Fifth State Record Mourning Warbler – Cactus Springs, Nevada

Sixth State Record Yellow-green Vireo – near Billings, Montana

Sixth Provincial Record Turkey Vulture – La Manche Park, Newfoundland

Sixth State Record Limpkin – Chelsea, Alabama

Ninth State Record Black-tailed Gull – Gazos Creek Beach, California

REALLY RARE FAR-WEST ALASKA SIGHTINGS

Eyebrowed Thrush, Hawfinch, and Common Greenshank – Adak Island, Alaska

Common Greenshank – Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska

Eyebrowed Thrush and Lesser Sand Plover – St. Paul Island, Alaska

REALLY RARE SIGHTINGS

Ruff – Winnipeg, Manitoba

Little Egret – Bombay Hook Refuge, Delaware

Black-headed Gull – Tawas State Park, Michigan

Northern Parula – Deer Flat Refuge, Idaho

Western Tanager – Saguenay, Quebec

Lark Bunting – Seal Island, Nova Scotia

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher – near Easton, Connecticut

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher – Goose Lake, California

Yellow-throated Warbler – Monteregie, Quebec

Red-necked Phalarope – Apple Grove, West Virginia

Red Phalarope – Houston, Texas

Heermann’s Gull – San Carlos Lake, Arizona

Great-tailed Grackle – Portland, Oregon

Limpkin – Beidler Forest Audubon Center, South Carolina

Black Phoebe – Anahim Lake, British Columbia

REALLY RARE DUCK SIGHTINGS

Black-bellied Whistling Duck – Blockhouse, Nova Scotia

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks – Oceanside and Wantagh, New York

Black-bellied Whistling Duck – Baltimore, Maryland

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks – Lake Frederick, Virginia

Some especially exciting rare birds that were reported during past weeks continue to be monitored by birders, including the White-tailed Eagle and Red-flanked Bluetail on St. Paul Island, Alaska; the Common Crane in Arizona, the pair of Slate-throated Redstarts reported in Big Bend National Park in west Texas, the Red-footed Booby in coastal California, the Little Egrets in southern Maine, and the Zenaida Dove in south Florida. As spring blends to summer, rare bird sightings continue to proliferate. Birders are active, and they are finding many surprising birds each week – you may even find the next rare bird!

For more information, see the American Birding Association’s Rare Bird Alert at http://blog.aba.org/2019/06/rare-bird-alert-june-7-2019.html Special Thanks to the ABA, and Nate Swick, who does such a great job of compiling the ABA’s Rare Bird Alert, which we use to prepare this weekly replay.

You can often find more information about individual rare bird sightings from the state rare bird alert listserves that you can access at http://birding.aba.org/ or at https://www.facebook.com/groups/ABArare/