Rare Bird Alert: January 15, 2016

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this first couple weeks of 2016 is the fact that so many of the rarities found in the last part of last year have hung around into January. Big Year birders looking to crack Neil Hayward’s record have a lot of ground right off the bat to make sure none of these birds slip away. Fortunately, all the continuing ABA rarities are concentrated in four places, which ought to make traveling just a bit easier.

Texas hosts the motherload, with continuing Crimson-collared Grosbeak (4) and Northern Jacana (4) in the lower valley, and Golden-crowned Warbler (4), along with another biggie we’ll mention below, just up the coast. In southwest British Columbia, both the Siberian Accentor (4) and the Redwing (4) are hanging on. The Ivory Gull  lasted in Duluth, Minnesota, up until the beginning of the week, then disappeared (it, or perhaps another bird, was seen 2 hours north in Ely being harassed by ravens). In Ohio, both the Kelp Gull (4) and the Brambling (3) are in the northern part of the state. And in Arizona, the Streak-backed Oriole (4) remains in the north and the Sinaloa Wren (5) was seen again this week in the south.

New and exciting this week, a Black-tailed Gull (4) was discovered amongst a gull flock feeding around the dam in Carlyle, Illinois, in the southern part of the state. This is Illinois’s 2nd or 3rd record (there have definitely been at least two, and a third is questionable upon re-evaluation).

There were four 1st records this week, the strangest of which was easily in New Brunswick, where a provincial 1st Virginia’s Warbler was identified from photographs as the prey item for a local Northern Shrike. How odd that the shrike managed to find and kill the what could be the only Virginia’s Warbler on the east coast.

In Ohio, a Eurasian Tree Sparrow photographed at a feeder in Portage is a potential state 1st. Also in Ohio, a Western Tanager was found in Montgomery and a Mew Gull in Lorain.

In Louisiana, a Mew Gull well-photographed in Caddo would be a state first down there. Also in the state this week, a Couch’s/Tropical Kingbird in Plaquemines.

And the fourth 1st comes from South Carolina, where a Thayer’s Gull at a Horry landfill is a first documented record for that state.

Sticking in the southeast, the Buff-bellied Hummingbird in Miami-Dade was evidently joined by a second individual at the same feeder.

In Alabama, a Western Tanager was seen in Clay.

Tennessee had a Common Redpoll visiting a feeder near Clarksville.

A Spotted Towhee was found in Putnam, Indiana.

Birders seeking the state 1st Iceland Gull at Lake Dardanelle in northern Arkansas managed to find a Royal Tern , which is the state’s 8t.

As mentioned above, the same site that has hosted a long-staying Golden-crowned Warbler in Refugia, Texas, produced a female Flame-colored Tanager (4) as well.

In New Mexico, a Eurasian Wigeon was notable in Curry.

Arizona once again hosted a Yellow-billed Loon at Lake Meade.

A late report of a Brambling (3) in East Hailey, Idaho, chalks up yet another Asian vagrant in the northwest. Evidently the bird has been present since December but is very difficult to pin down.

Sad news out of Washington, where a noteworthy Northern Hawk-Owl in Okanogan was killed by a land-owner evidently because he did not like birders observing it from a public road. It was on reservation land, so native law enforcement is involved at last update.

And in Alaska, a Common Pochard (3) was on Kodiak.

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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 aba.org/nab>, the richly illustrated journal of ornithological record published by the ABA.

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