A dramatically colored Red-legged Thrush sighted at Sebastian Inlet State Park, near Micco, Florida established a Fifth State Record (photo by Will Johnson).

Excited birders documented a Tropical Parula in central Kansas, which established a First State Record as the rare visitor also showed some unusual behavior when began building a nest. Wyoming birders documented 2 record-breaking birds, including a Second State Record Common Crane and a Fourth State Record Black-legged Kittiwake. Colorado birders also found a pair of record birds, including a Second State Record Lawrence’s Goldfinch and a Third State Record Yellow Grosbeak! And then there is the stunning Fifth State Record Red-legged Thrush that originated in the Bahamas and was appreciated by a number of Florida birders, and there’s more:

STATE & PROVINCIAL RECORDS

First State Record Tropical Parula – Hutchinson, Kansas

Second State Record Common Crane – near Dayton, Wyoming

Second State Record Lawrence’s Goldfinch – near Colorado City, Colorado

Third State Record Yellow Grosbeak – near Bennett, Colorado

Fourth State Record Black-legged Kittiwake – Washakie County, Wyoming

Fifth State Record Red-legged Thrush – near Micco, Florida

REALLY RARE BIRDS

Short-tailed Albatross – offshore Monterey, California

Short-tailed Albatross – offshore Mendocino, California

Fork-tailed Flycatcher – Horseshoe Lake State Park, Illinois (near St. Louis, Missouri)

Ruff – Wellington, Florida

Ruff – Cole Harbor, Nova Scotia

Willow Ptarmigan – near Montreal, Quebec

Tricolored Heron – near Russell, Illinois

Black-headed Grosbeak – Stanley County, North Carolina

Snowy Plover – Cape Hatteras Seashore, North Carolina

CONTINUING REALLY RARE BIRDS

Mottled Owl – Texas

Yellow-headed Caracara – Texas

Berylline Hummingbird – Arizona

Cattle Tyrant – Texas

Brown Jays – Texas

For more information, you can refer to the American Birding Association’s Rare Bird Alert at Rare Bird Alert: May 9, 2025 - American Birding Association (aba.org) Special Thanks to the ABA for permitting us to use the ABA’s Rare Bird Alert as the basis to prepare this weekly or bi-weekly replay.

You can often find more information about individual rare bird sightings from the ABA state rare bird alert listserves that you can access at Birding News brought to you by American Birding Association - (aba.org) or at ABA Rare Bird Alert | Facebook