Rare Bird Alert: December 20, 2019

It’s CBC season, which means thousands of birders working areas that typically don’t get the birding coverage they probably deserve the rest of the year. And as is typical this time of year, we see a number of great records coming out of CBCs across the ABA Area. But first, the rare birds that are hopefully hanging out in someone’s CBC circle. Red-footed Booby (ABA Code 4) and Garganey (4) are still being seen in California, while La Sagra’s Flycatcher (4) and Antillean Palm-Swift (5) hang tight in Florida, the latter at least through the beginning of the week.

We don’t always get to hear from Arkansas in this space, so a Tropical Kingbird in Jefferson, which would represent a 1st state record for The Natural State is especially nice. This has been a very good fall/winter for vagrant Tropical Kingbirds throughout the ABA Area, and a couple states have enjoyed their first in 2019.

Elsehwew in the middle of the continent, it was an amazing week for Prairie Falcons, interestingly enough. One found in Wood, Ohio, was followed fairly closely by another that turned up in Jefferson, Kentucky, that state’s 10th.

An apparent Lazuli Bunting was found this week on a CBC in Arlington, Virginia.

New York had a Slaty-backed Gull (3) at Niagara Falls.

It continues to be a banner year for Townsend’s Warbler in the northeast, which the latest coming from Watertown, Massachusetts.

In Ontario, a McCown’s Longspur was seen in Prince Edward’s . 

Colorado had a Pacific Wren in El Paso. 

Utah’s 7th record of Eastern Bluebird was found at the Zion National Park CBC in Washington, Utah.

But it Washington that had the biggest haul this week. An Eastern Phoebe was found on a CBC in Olympia, and a King Eider at one in Bellingham. In Walla Walla, both a Slaty-backed Gull (3) and a Lesser Black-backed Gull (3) were found.

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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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