April 28, 2023
Continuing rarities in the ABA Area include the flock of Brown Jays (ABA Code 4) in south Texas, Bahama Mockingbird (4) in Florida, and the long-staying Little Stint (4) in California.
It’s been a great week for White Wagtails in the ABA Area, and one in Angus, Ontario, represents that province’s 3rd record. This looks to be the wide-ranging ocularis subspecies, which breeds across northern Asia into northern Alaska and is the most common subspecies recorded in the ABA Area.
Arizona also recorded an ocularis White Wagtail this week, and it also happened to be a 2rd record. The bird was seen in Cochise, which also hosted the state’s 2nd White-tipped Dove this week in a fascinating birding odd couple episode.
Out to California, where a Wood Stork in San Diego is suspected of being an individual that has been seen on and odd for the last couple years.
Notable for Colorado was a Reddish Egret in Mesa.
Alberta’s 6th record of Brambling was seen this week in Lake Louise.
And North Dakota also got in this spring’s excellent Brambling run with the state’s 3rd in NewTown.
Minnesota’s 6th record of Curve-billed Thrasher was seen this week in Big Stone.
Next door in Wisconsin, the rarity scene also has a southwestern flair with the state’s 6th Band-tailed Pigeon in Marathon and 3rd Painted Redstart in Sauk.
Arkansas’s 4th record of Crested Caracara was seen in Washington.
Limpkins continue to be a vagrancy story of note with multiple birds in Tennessee this week, one in Shelby and a pair in Haywood.
Good for West Virginia was a stunning male Painted Bunting in Pipestem.
Florida’s 2nd Great-tailed Grackle was seen in Monroe, as the state’s 1st continues in Pinellas.
New York had a pair of Anhingas this week, the state’s 6th in Rome followed closely by the 7th in Kings.
And European Golden-Plover (4) begins in Newfoundland, with what could be the first of many this year in Gould.
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.
You said “New York had a pair of Anhingas this week, the state’s 6th in Rome”.
There were 22 and even 25 Anhingas reported in Rome, New York, on the afternoon/evening of April 20 https://ebird.org/checklist/S134667474. Numbers declined in subsequent days. As I write this, the last sighting (of 5) in eBird was from the 26th.
The Rome, NY Anhinga sighting was actually of a flock which contained 22 birds when first discovered. https://ebird.org/checklist/S134650210
The Arizona White Wagtail looks like M. a. lugens Bklack backed wagtail because it has a black and not gray back?
http://abc.azfo.org/reports/50(3)-p150-p175.pdf . The spring date is better for lugens.
Looks to me like the back is gray and the chin black, suggesting ocularis.
https://ebird.org/checklist/S135204619
Correct
Happy to be wrong but fairly certain the White Wagtail in Ontario is only the 2nd, the first being a bird only identified by a photograph after the fact—so no other birders had ever seen one in the province until now!
You are right.
2017 – one, definitive basic male, yarellii, 16 April, Port Colborne, Only second Pied Wagtail for North America.
http://www.ofo.ca/ofo-docs/OBRCAnnualReports/2017OBRCreport.pdf .
The Motacilla alba in Arizona is a first for Cochise County. The other record is for Pima County (Ajo) in 2017.
There is also one hypothetical record for Leptotila verreauxi in Arizona prior to this sighting and that of the first sighting in Scheelite Canyon last year. It was allegedly observed near Arivaca Lake in 1993 (Pima County); see Arizona Bird Committee submitted reports.