A White-faced Ibis that birders found at Green Bottom Wildlife Area in West Virginia turned out to be the Second State Record. It’s also interesting to note that the location is just across the Ohio River from the state of Ohio.

The last week of April provided many rare bird sightings, including a First State Record Black Phoebe in Nebraska. Four new Second State or Provincial Records were also reported: a Second State Record White-faced Ibis in West Virginia, a Second Provincial Record Worm-eating Warbler in Manitoba, a Second State Record Bell’s Vireo in Virginia, and a Second State Record Hooded Oriole in Michigan. And would you believe that three Crescent-chested Warblers are being seen in southern Arizona?

STATE & PROVINCIAL RECORDS

First State Record Black Phoebe – Morrill, Nebraska

Second State Record Hooded Oriole – Ann Arbor, Michigan

Second Provincial Record Worm-eating Warbler – Winnipeg, Manitoba

Second State Record Bell’s Vireo – Blacksburg, Virginia

Second State Record White-faced Ibis – Green Bottom Wildlife Area, West Virginia

Seventh State Record Townsend’s Warbler – North St. Paul, Minnesota

REALLY RARE SIGHTINGS

Crescent-chested Warblers (3) – near Portal, Arizona

Black-whiskered Vireo – Duck, North Carolina

Black-whiskered Vireo – Sabine Woods, Texas

Yellow-Green Vireo – Okaloosa Island, Florida

Ruff – near Caledonia, Michigan

Little Egret – Cumberland, Maine

Berylline Hummingbird – Madera Canyon, Arizona

Yellow-throated Warbler – San Francisco, California

Black-necked Stilt – Hawkeye Wildlife Area, Iowa

Tricolored Heron – near Sikorsky, Connecticut

Black Phoebe – Nelson, British Columbia

Louisiana Waterthrush – Mount Desert Island, Maine

CONTINUING RARE BIRDS

The Tufted Duck continues to be observed in Calgary, Alberta, a Ruff continues in Wisconsin near the border of Illinois, and a singing male Black-faced Grassquit continues to be observed at Everglades National Park in Florida. Keep alert for more off-course birds throughout spring migration!

For more information, see the American Birding Association’s Rare Bird Alert at https://www.aba.org/rare-bird-alert-may-1-2020/ 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 information 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/