Actually a thrush, a far off-course Eurasian Blackbird was documented foraging in a front yard in Cartwright, Labrador, which created a First Provincial Record for Newfoundland and Labrador as well as an impressive Third North American Record! (Photo by Vernon Buckle)

The holiday break provided a 2-week window into rare birds found across North America, augmented by many birders participating in Christmas Bird Counts. Among the rare birds documented was a fantastic Third North American Record Eurasian Blackbird on the Labrador side of Newfoundland and Labrador, which also created a First Provincial Record. A First State Record Common Gull was photographed in Ohio, as was a Second State Record Short-billed Gull in Arkansas, a Second State Record Prairie Falcon in Louisiana, a Second State Record Sage Thrasher in Maine, and a Second Provincial Record Green-tailed Towhee in New Brunswick. And yes, the Steller’s Sea Eagle has crossed the international border again, having been documented at Five Islands in Maine!

NORTH AMERICAN RECORD

Third North American Record Eurasian Blackbird – Cartwright, Labrador

STATE & PROVINCIAL RECORDS

First Provincial Record Eurasian Blackbird – Cartwright, Labrador

First State Record Common Gull – Cleveland, Ohio

Second State Record Prairie Falcon – Holmwood, Louisiana

Second State Record Sage Thrasher – Falmouth, Maine

Second Provincial Record Green-tailed Towhee – Sackville, New Brunswick

Second State Record Short-billed Gull – Dardanelle Dam, Arkansas

Third Provincial Record Ivory Gull – Turtle Lake, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan

Third State Record Common Eider – Pymatuming Lake, Pennsylvania

Third Provincial Record Black-tailed Godwit – Halifax, Nova Scotia

Fourth State Record Wood Sandpiper – Lakeview, California

Fifth Provincial Record Hermit Warbler – St. John’s, Newfoundland

REALLY RARE BIRDS

Red-flanked Bluetail – Santa Cruz, California

Pink-footed Goose – Durham, New Hampshire

Fork-tailed Flycatcher – near Bayview, Texas

Northern Lapwing – Ipswitch, Massachusetts

Ruff – Antelope Island State Park, Utah

Short-billed Gull – Manhattan, New York

Golden-crowned Sparrow – Canso, Nova Scotia

Smith’s Longspur – Hadley, Massachusetts

Red-headed Woodpecker – Avondale, Arizona

Mountain Bluebird – Sackville, New Brunswick

Varied Thrush – Pittsfield, Massachusetts

CONTINUING RARE BIRDS

Steller’s Sea Eagle – Maine

Snowy Owl – California

Pink-footed Goose – Kentucky

Southern Lapwing – Michigan

Curlew Sandpiper – California

Little Stint – California

Social Flycatcher – Texas

For more information, refer to the American Birding Association’s Rare Bird Alert at Rare Bird Alert: December 30, 2022 - American Birding Association (aba.org) 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 info 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/