Rare Bird Alert: November 8, 2019

Sorry for the quick hit with regard to the RBA this week. Much of the ABA staff is down at the Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival this week. Come down and say hi if you’re in South Texas! Further, eBird’s current outage means the visual part of the post is limited. Get well soon, eBird!

Continuing rarities in the ABA Area include Antillean Palm Swift (ABA Code 5) and Thick-billed Vireo (4) in Florida, and Red-footed Booby (4) in California.

Easily one of the most fascinating records of the year came this week with the discovery of a Red-flanked Bluetail (4) in Laramie, Wyoming, a 1st for that state. This species is more or less annual in western Alaska, but records away from that state are extremely infrequent and even then mostly on the Pacific coast. This is the 2nd inland record of Red-flanked Bluetail following a bird in Idaho in 2016.

The funniest part about the Wyoming bluetail is that the next day another Red flanked Bluetail was recorded in the Lower 48, this one a bit less accessible as it was captured by researchers on Southeast Farallon Island in California. Also noteworthy for California was a Rusty Blackbird seen in Santa Barbara.

Even though most visiting birders have left western Alaska for the year, there are still birders who live there year round keeping an eye out for vagrants, including a Dusky Thrush (3) on Gambell this week.

Good for Oregon was an Emperor Goose in Columbia. 

An Ancient Murrelet was picked up by a rehabber in Utah, Utah, this week. Also in the state, a Blue Jay was visiting a feeder in Wasatch. 

In Colorado, a Tufted Duck (3) was picked out of a photo of other species, though not refound, in Morgan. Also in the state, a Gyrfalcon has been seen in Larimer. 

Michigan had a Purple Sandpiper in Iosco. 

Ontario’s 4th record of Black throated Sparrow was seen this week in Hamilton. 

Nova Scotia had a Tropical Kingbird at Port LaTour.

We get to mention both parts of Newfoundland & Labrador this week, as a Purple Gallinule was picker up at Mary’s Harbour in the latter, and yet another Townsend’s Warbler (the 10th this season!) was found on the Avalon Peninsula on the former. And well offshore, a Redwing (4) was perched briefly on a boat in Newfoundland waters.

Rhode Island’s 2nd record of Wood Stork was seen flying over Block Island.

New Jersey’s 13th Bell’s Vireo was discovered in Monmouth. 

An Anna’s Hummingbird at a feeder in Chester, Pennsylvania, represents the state’s 3rd record.

Delaware’s 3rd Tropical Kingbird was found at Cape Henlopen this week.

In Alabama, a Sprague’s Pipit was reported in Baldwin. 

And in Louisiana, a Northern Wheatear was found and photographed near the town of DeRidder.

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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, the richly illustrated journal of ornithological record published by the ABA.

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