A First State Record Brown Booby was observed and photographed on the Current River near the town of Doniphan in southeast Missouri – far from an ocean for a classic seabird.

Far from a sea or ocean for a classic seabird, a First State Record Brown Booby was observed and photographed on the Current River near Doniphan in southeast Missouri. Two Second State Records were also recorded, an immature White Ibis in Iowa, and a Clark’s Grebe in Maine. A Third State Record Antillean Nighthawk was also documented at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Other exceptional sightings included another South Polar Skua, a European Storm Petrel, a Lesser Sand Plover, and another Eared Quetzal last week – guess where?

Swallow-tailed Kites continue to be on the move, with one observed in New Hampshire, two in western New York, and another in coastal New Jersey – these after reports from Ontario, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma reported here last week.

STATE & PROVINCIAL RECORDS

First State Record Brown Booby – near Doniphan, Missouri

Second State Record White Ibis – Hawkeye Wildlife Area, Iowa

Second State Record Clark’s Grebe – near Augusta, Maine

Third State Record Antillean Nighthawk – Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

REALLY RARE SIGHTINGS

South Polar Skua – Manhattan, New York

European Storm Petrel – offshore Northampton, Virginia

Eared Quetzal – Barefoot Park, Arizona

Lesser Sand Plover – San Diego, California

Black-faced Grassquit – Big Pine Key, Florida

Crested Caracara – near Halibut Point, Massachusetts

Wood Stork – near Mercer Wildlife Area, Ohio

Wood Stork – Falls of the Ohio Wildlife Area, Kentucky

Black Vulture – Markdale, Ontario

Swallow-tailed Kite – near Webster, New Hampshire

Swallow-tailed Kites (2) – near Kendall, New York

Swallow-tailed Kite – Sandy Hook, New Jersey

CONTINUING RARE BIRDS

The Common Crane continued to be sighted in northeast California last week, and the Little Egret persists near Portland, Maine. The Little Stint continues to be observed along the coast of Rhode Island and a Black-faced Grassquit is still present in the Florida Keys. In addition to the new Eared Quetzal found last week near Paradise, Arizona, the Eared Quetzal found a few weeks ago has been relocated at Cave Creek Canyon. Also in Arizona, the return of the Berylline Hummingbird at the Crystal Cave Trailhead adds to the Plain-capped Starthroat that is still being seen regularly at a hummingbird feeder in Patagonia, Arizona. Considering the exciting variety and numbers of rare birds being found each week, and anticipating even more rare bird sightings as summer yields to fall migration, stay alert for rare birds and enjoy the exciting reports provided in this weekly article.

For more information, see the American Birding Association’s Rare Bird Alert at https://www.aba.org/rare-bird-alert-august-14-2020/ 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/