It's near peak fall migration now, and there have been many new record bird sightings, starting with the First Canadian Record Juan Fernandez Petrel photographed from Haida Gwaii Island, British Columbia! There were also 9 First State Records and 2 First Provincial Records established, including a Piratic Flycatcher in Colorado, a Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher in North Carolina, and a White Wagtail in Montana. There were also 3 First State Record Common Ringed Plovers documented in New Hampshire, Virginia, and New Jersey, and a First State Record Solitary Sandpiper on the Big Island of Hawaii, and that's just a few of the exciting rare birds reported.
CANADIAN RECORD
First Canadian Record Juan Fernandez Petrel – Haida Gwaii, British Columbia
STATE & PROVINCIAL RECORDS
First Provincial Record Juan Fernandez Petrel – Haida Gwaii, British Columbia
First State Record Piratic Flycatcher – Stalker Lake, Colorado
First State Record Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher – Duck, North Carolina
First State Record White Wagtail – near Warm Springs, Montana
First State Record Common Ringed Plover – Odiorne Point, New Hampshire
First State Record Common Ringed Plover – Magothy Bay, Virginia
First State Record Common Ringed Plover – Cape May, New Jersey
First State Record Vega Gull – Pawnee Lake, Nebraska
First State Record Solitary Sandpiper – Hilo, Hawaii
First State Record MacGillivray's Warbler – Patuxent Refuge, Maryland
First Provincial Record Cassin's Sparrow – Delta, British Columbia
Fourth State Record Fork-tailed Flycatcher – near Millersburg, Indiana
Fourth State Record Common Ringed Plover – Wells Reserve, Maine
Fifth State Record Piratic Flycatcher – Sawgrass Lake Park, Florida
Seventh State Record Ruby-throated Hummingbird (3) – Cheyenne, Wyoming
Eighth State Record Philadelphia Vireo (3) – La Grange, Wyoming
Eighth State Record Philadelphia Vireo – near Reno, Nevada
Nineth State Record Little Blue Heron – Bateman Island, Washington
REALLY RARE BIRDS
Common Crane – near Delta Junction, Alaska
Song Thrush – St. Paul Island, Pribilofs, Alaska
Green Sandpiper – St. Paul Island, Pribilofs, Alaska
Eastern Yellow Wagtail – Haida Gwaii, British Columbia
Fork-tailed Flycatcher – Lyndhurst, New Jersey
Kirtland's Warbler – Sherrills Ford, North Carolina
Vermilion Flycatcher – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Clark's Nutcracker – Jamestown, North Dakota
Limpkin – Mendon, Ohio
Red-headed Woodpecker – Market Lake, Idaho
Great Shearwater – Stratford Point, Connecticut
Leach's Storm Petrel – Stratford Point, Connecticut
Elegant Tern – San Carlos Bay, Florida
Lark Bunting – Elms Beach, Maryland
Chestnut-sided Warbler – St. Geoge, Utah
CONTINUING REALLY RARE BIRDS
Steller's Sea Eagle – Newfoundland
Mottled Owl – Texas
Baikal Teal – Alaska
Far Eastern Curlew – Quebec
Brown Jays – Texas
For more information, you can refer to the American Birding Association's Rare Bird Alert at Rare Bird Alert: October 2, 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.