Rare Bird Alert: June 8, 2018

Notable ABA Area rarities continuing into this week include the Little Egret (ABA Code 4) in Maine, one of the Bahama Mockingbirds (4) that were seen in Florida earlier this spring, and the Tufted Flycatcher (4) in Arizona.

The ABA’s 3rd record of Stygian Owl was a surprise one-day wonder in Monroe, Florida, early in the period. The two previous records of this mysterious species came from Texas and were most likely of the northern Mexican subspecies. This 1st record for Florida is almost certainly of the Caribbean population, which some authorities suggest might be a good species in its own right should the taxonomy of this unusual bird every be worked out. In any case, it was truly a shocker of the sort we’ve been enjoying quite a bit lately.