Continuing rarities in the ABA Area include both Brown Jay (ABA Code 4) and Mottled Owl (5) in Texas, lingering Northern Lapwings (4) in both Massachusetts and Newfoundland, and the long-staying Yellow-headed Caracara (5) and Large-billed Tern (5) in Florida.
The Short-tailed Shearwater invasion into this Great Lakes continues this week, and is approaching ridiculous status. The latest comes from Illinois, where a Short-tailed Shearwater flying past famous Montrose Point in Cook Co represents both a 1st record for the state and for Lake Michigan, but also the record-breaking bird for Chicago birder Tarik Shazhad’s Cook County Big Year.
In the wake of the Illinois bird, we found out that an unidentified shearwater (but let’s be honest, it’s almost certainly a Short-tailed) was seen in Hudson Bay from Churchill, Manitoba, where it would represent a 1st provincial record.
Georgia jumps into the fray just as this piece it ready to publish with the discovery of a Hooded Oriole At Centennial Park in downtown Atlanta, a 1st for the state but hardly the first great bird to show up at that site.
Down to Texas, where the mystery of last year’s Cattle Tyrant gets even more interesting as the bird seems to have returned to its spot in Corpus Christi this week. The bird was last seen in April of 2024, and was subsequently not accepted by the Texas bird records committee because of concerns about provenance. Those concerns may well be founded, but the bird’s return does make things a bit less cut and dried.
In Nova Scotia, a Townsend’s Warbler was seen in Pictou Co.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s 2nd record of Carolina Wren was photographed at English Point on the mainland. There are no records for the island part of the province.
Vermont’s 3rd Bullock’s Oriole was visiting a feeder in Brattleboro.
Notable for Florida was a Snow Bunting in Volusia Co, but the real mystery in the state this week was an unusual Progne sp swallow at Lake Apopka that is likely to be either Grey-breasted Martin (a 1st for Florida) or Cuban Martin (a 2nd for Florida and the ABA Area after a specimen from 1895).
Washington’s 4th Whooper Swan was seen in Whatcom Co, though it might be an individual bird returning from a previous stay in the state.
And Oregon’s 7th Scarlet Tanager was seen in Lincoln Co, and a Bean-Goose sp (consensus seems to be trending towards Tundra) on the other side of the state in Baker City.
Omissions and errors are not intended, but if you find any please message blog AT aba.org and I will try to fix them as soon as possible. This post is meant to be an account of the most recently reported birds. Continuing birds not mentioned are likely included in previous editions listed here. Place names written in italics refer to counties/parishes.
Readers should note that none of these reports has yet been vetted by a records committee. All birders are urged to submit documentation of rare sightings to the appropriate state or provincial committees. For full analysis of these and other bird observations, subscribe to North American Birds, the richly illustrated journal of ornithological record published by the ABA.
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