The documentation of a Piratic Flycatcher in Key West established a Fourth State Record for Florida (photo by Matthew Jolley).

Another pirate was located in Florida last week; that is, another Piratic Flycatcher was found in Key West to establish a Fourth State Record for the species, just a week after the Third State Record Piratic Flycatcher was found farther north in Clearwater. To the north, 2 Third State Record birds were documented in the Carolinas, a Snail Kite in North Carolina, and a Townsend’s Solitaire in South Carolina. A Seventh State Record Brown Booby was also photographed in Oklahoma, and to top off the list of continuing really rare birds, the Steller’s Sea Eagle was sighted in Nova Scotia.

STATE & PROVINCIAL RECORDS

Third State Record Snail Kite – Harkers Island, North Carolina

Third State Record Townsend’s Solitaire – near Kershaw, South Carolina

Fourth State Record Piratic Flycatcher – Key West, Florida

Seventh State Record Brown Booby – Red Slough Wildlife Area, Oklahoma

REALLY RARE BIRDS

Whooper Swan – Bonavista, Newfoundland

Oriental Turtle Dove – Vancouver, British Columbia

Gray Kingbird – Alligator River Refuge, North Carolina

White-tailed Kite – Limestone Park, Alabama

Townsend’s Warbler – Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania

Painted Bunting – Klingston, Massachusetts

Loggerhead Shrike – near Lanconia, Massachusetts

Burrowing Owl – Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary, Illinois

Sage Thrasher – McKee Marsh, Illinois

CONTINUING REALLY RARE BIRDS

Steller’s Sea Eagle – Nova Scotia

Yellow-headed Caracara – Florida

Gray Gull – Alabama

Pearly-eyed Thrasher – Florida

Southern Lapwing – Texas

Mottled Owl – Texas

Cattle Tyrant – Texas

Mexican Violetear –Texas

Berylline Hummingbird – Arizona

Common Shelduck – Newfoundland

American Flamingos – Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas

Eurasian Oystercatcher – Newfoundland

Brown Jays – Texas

Fan-tailed Warbler – Texas

Crimson-collared Grosbeak – Texas

Blue Bunting – Texas

Flame-colored Tanager – Texas

Fieldfare – Quebec

For more information, you can refer to the American Birding Association’s Rare Bird Alert at Rare Bird Alert: April 19, 2024 - American Birding Association (aba.org) 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 ABA 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