A big surprise for Montana birders was the sighting of a First State Record Tundra Bean Goose near Great Falls, while Chicago area birders have been delighted by a series of rare gull sightings in Waukegan, including a First State Record Common Gull and an Eighth State Record Glaucous-winged Gull. A Second State Record Purple Sandpiper was found in New Mexico, and a Third Provincial Record Golden-crowned Sparrow was documented at St. John's, Newfoundland. A Fourth State Record Lazuli Bunting was photographed at a feeding station in North Carolina, and there's more:
STATE & PROVINCIAL RECORDS
First State Record Tundra Bean Goose – Great Falls, Montana
First State Record Common Gull – Waukegan, Illinois
Second State Record Purple Sandpiper – Brantley Lake, New Mexico
Third Provincial Record Golden-crowned Sparrow – St. John's, Newfoundland
Fourth State Record Lazuli Bunting – Jacksonville, North Carolina
Fourth Provincial Record Slaty-backed Gull – Pubnico, Nova Scotia
Eighth State Record Glaucous-winged Gull – Waukegan, Illinois
REALLY RARE BIRDS
Common Cranes (3) – Platte River Valley, Nebraska
Garganey – Woodbury, Pennsylvania
Common Gull – Verplanck, New York
Swainson's Hawk – Brooklyn, New York
Varied Thrush – Temiscamingue, Quebec
Green-tailed Towhee – Brentwood, Tennessee
Harris's Sparrow – Abitibi, Quebec
CONTINUING REALLY RARE BIRDS
Steller's Sea Eagle – Newfoundland
Mottled Owl – Texas
Taiga Bean Geese (2) – British Columbia
Whooper Swan – Washington
Brown Jays – Texas
Cattle Tyrant – Texas
Taiga Flycatcher – British Columbia
European Robin – Quebec
Red-flanked Bluetail – Virginia
Crimson-collared Grosbeak – Texas
For more information, you can refer to the American Birding Association's Rare Bird Alert at Rare Bird Alert: March 6, 2026 - American Birding Association. Special Thanks to the ABA for permitting us to use the Rare Bird Alert as the basis to prepare this replay.
You can often find more information about individual rare bird sightings from the ABA regional and 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.