Birders on a Cape Sea Excursions pelagic trip appreciated an all too quick view of a First State Record Bermuda Petrel offshore from Cape May, New Jersey (photo by Tom Johnson).

Rare birds are on the move, as evidenced by 7 new state and provincial records last week, the most outstanding being the First State Record Bermuda Petrel photographed offshore Cape May, New Jersey. Similarly rare was the sighting of a Second State Record Golden-cheeked Warbler in the Tampa area of Florida. A Third State Record Yellow-crowned Night Heron surprised birders in urban Seattle, Washington, and a Eurasian shorebird sighting established a Fourth State Record for a Curlew Sandpiper in Tennessee – and there’s more.

STATE & PROVINCIAL RECORDS

First State Record Bermuda Petrel – offshore Cape May, New Jersey

Second State Record Golden-cheeked Warbler – Largo, Florida

Third State Record Yellow-crowned Night Heron – Seattle, Washington

Fourth State Record Curlew Sandpiper – Kentucky Lake, Tennessee

Seventh Provincial Record Wood Storks (flock) – Point Pelee, Ontario

Tenth State Record Scarlet Tanager – near Wells, Nevada

Tenth State Record White Ibis – Shiawassee Refuge, Michigan

REALLY RARE BIRDS

Ruff – near Craigton, Ohio

Fork-tailed Swift – Gambell, Alaska

Common House Martin – St. Paul Island, the Pribilofs, Alaska

Black-capped Petrel – offshore Hyannis, Massachusetts

Masked Booby – offshore Brunswick, Georgia

Western Meadowlark – Anchorage, Alaska

Townsend’s Warbler – Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Piping Plovers (2) – Les Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec

CONTINUING RARE BIRDS

Steller’s Sea Eagle – Newfoundland

Southern Lapwing – Michigan

Gray Heron – Prince Edward Island

Berylline Hummingbird – Arizona

For more information, refer to the American Birding Association’s Rare Bird Alert at Rare Bird Alert: August 26, 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/