Crested Caracara

Florida birders were thrilled last week when the national bird of Anguilla, a Zenaida Dove, appeared near Miami. Zenaida Doves range throughout much of the Caribbean and the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, and usually show up in the Florida Keys when they appear in the United States. White-winged Doves and Mourning Doves were also present at the site.

Birders near Laramie, Wyoming, spotted a young California Condor! The condor’s wing tags revealed that it was released earlier this spring in northern Arizona, where conservationists are re-introducing condors to establish a wild population in northern Arizona and southern Utah that numbers more than 80 condors.

Bikers headed for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally should keep a sharp eye peeled for a Crested Caracara reported in Meade County, South Dakota, near Sturgis. This was actually the second caracara record for the state.

As if the Guadalupe Murrelet reported last week wasn’t enough for British Columbia birders (it was the Province’s second record), a Curve-billed Thrasher, also a second Provincial record, was observed this week. Curve-bills are much more likely to be viewed in dry habitats of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. To top things off for BC, a Manx Shearwater was seen off the coast.

For more information, refer to the American Birding Association’s website at https://www.aba.org/