Rarities continuing in the ABA Area this week include Northern Lapwings (ABA Code 4) in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the amazing Yellow Grosbeak (4) in Arkansas is still visiting the feeder. And Cattle Tyrant (5), Brown Jay (4), and Mottled Owl (5) were recorded this week in Texas.
What a year so far for Arkansas. The state has hosted a Yellow Grosbeak in the northern part of the state for the last couple weeks. This week saw another state 1st arrive in the form of a Clark’s Grebe in Pulaski Co.
From California comes a bizarre potential 1st record as a wrecked Pterodroma specimen, which is tentatively being identified as a Bonin Petrel (3) was discovered on Pismo Beach. The dead bird was reported to iNaturalist and unfortunately the record consists of one, somewhat inconclusive, photo. Bonin Petrel breeds in huge numbers in the western Hawaiian Islands, and thus is an ABA Area breeder, but disperses mostly westward and is most commonly encountered in the waters south of Japan.
And in Michigan, a pair of Old World waterfowl highlight the current birding landscape. A Tufted Duck (3) is present in Ottawa Co, and what could be the state’s 1st record of Barnacle Goose was photographed nearby in Allegan Co. Provenance is always an issue when it comes to these sorts of records, but apparently “good” Barnacle Geese have been spreading westward in the last decade, with a couple recent records coming from nearby southwest Ontario.
Slaty-backed Gull (3) is an increasingly regular vagrant to the ABA Area east of the Great Lakes, but a bird as far east as St. John’s, Newfoundland, is still quite noteworthy.
And in Arizona, the state’s 2nd record of American Woodcock has been seen by many at Patagonia in Santa Cruz Co.
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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