Last week birders found a rare Variegated Flycatcher near Toronto, only the 8th record of this species in North America, and the second record for Ontario. This interesting species’ normal range is in northern and central South America.
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This week we report 20 new state and provincial records of rare birds reported by astute birders across the United States and Canada. The high total of 20 records is actually due to the combination of two weeks of Rare Bird Alert sightings including the American Birding Association’s November 13 and November 20 rare bird reports. It’s an exciting mix of birds from Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, along with a variety of birds found far outside their normal species range, sometimes on opposite ends of the continent. Some are found beyond the end of the last road, others at backyard feeders. You never know when or where a rare bird might show up next – maybe even within your own binocular view.
STATE & PROVINCIAL RECORDS – November 13 Report
First State Record Gray Heron – near Cheriton, Virginia
Third State Record Mountain Bluebird – near Aberdeen, Maryland
Third State Record Magnificent Frigatebird – Cherry Creek Park, Colorado
Fourth State Record Yellow-billed Loon – Ocean Lake, Wyoming
Fourth State Record Ancient Murrelet – Cape Race, Massachusetts
Fourth State Record Common Ground Dove – Forsythe Refuge, New Jersey
Sixth Provincial Record Ash-throated Flycatcher – Shelbourne, Nova Scotia
STATE & PROVINCIAL RECORDS – November 20 Report
First State Record European Crane – near Fairfield, Idaho
First Provincial Record Common Pochard – Victoria, British Columbia
First State Record Black-chinned Hummingbird – near Columbus, Ohio
First Provincial Record Vermillion Flycatcher – Stephenville, Newfoundland
Second Provincial Record Variegated Flycatcher – near Toronto, Ontario
Second State Record American Pipit – Midway Island, Hawaii
Second State Record Fork-tailed Flycatcher – Boggy Bayou, Arkansas
Third State Record Brewer’s Sparrow – Bar Harbor, Maine
Fourth State Record Cassin’s Sparrow – Montrose Beach, Illinois
Fourth State Record Field Sparrow – Portal, Arizona
Fourth State Record Sora – Kukio Beach, Hawaii
Seventh State Record Yellow-billed Loon – Wilson Lake, Kansas
Seventh State Record Bullock’s Oriole – Ledyard, Connecticut
REALLY RARE SIGHTINGS – November 13 Report
Yellow-nosed Albatross – offshore Virginia Beach, Virginia
Magnificent Frigatebird – Port aux Basques, Newfoundland
Streak-backed Oriole – Montana de Oro Park, California
Tropical Kingbird – Thessalon, Ontario
Tufted Duck – Bemidji, Colorado
King Eider – Bemidji, Minnesota
Painted Bunting – Cow Bay, Nova Scotia
Lesser Goldfinch – Madison, Wisconsin
Pacific Slope Flycatchers (3) – Falls City, Texas
REALLY RARE SIGHTINGS – November 20 Report
Garganey – Kona, Hawaii
Tundra Bean Goose – Cosumnes River Preserve, California
Northern Lapwing – Maugerville, New Brunswick
Cuban Pewee – Big Pine Key, Florida
Ruddy Ground Dove – Bentsen State Park, Texas
Allen’s Hummingbird – Clinton, Tennessee
Buff-bellied Hummingbirds (3) – South Carolina
Black-headed Grosbeak – Ellsworth, Maine
Sage Thrasher – near Ypsilante, Michigan
CONTINUING RARE BIRDS
Common Cuckoo – Rhode Island
Red-legged Thrush – Florida Keys
Black-faced Grassquit – Florida Keys
Garganey – Salton Sea, California
Northern Jacana – southern Arizona
Eared Quetzals (2) – southeast Arizona
For more information, see the American Birding Association’s Rare Bird Alert at https://www.aba.org/rare-bird-alert-november-20-2020/ and https://www.aba.org/rare-bird-alert-november-13-2020/ 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/