Rare Bird Alert: December 16, 2011

The most remarkable bird report from an otherwise unremarkable (at least weather-wise) week comes from Miegs County, Tennessee, where a Hooded Crane, a species that has not been accepted on any checklist in North America, was discovered with a flock of Sandhill Cranes at Hiwassee NWR. 

The concensus seems to be that the bird is potentially the same Hooded Crane that was part of a small flock that escaped from a breeder in Idaho several years ago, and has been reported previously, notably last year in Nebraska.  Given the wide-ranging Sandhills the bird is associating with, that explanation seems as likely as the chance that this individual is a legitimate stray. 

Outside of the mystery of the Hooded Crane, the big story this week seems to be the incredible influx of Barnacle Geese across the Maritime Provinces and New England.  It almost seems more notable to list the provinces and states without Barnacle Geese this week. 

In Massachusetts, both a Pink-footed Goose (ABA Code 4) and a Barnacle Goose (4)were photographed in Canada Geese flocks in Essex County. 

A Barnacle Goose (4) in Rollinsford, New Hampshire, is the 3rd for the state, and not more than a mile from the border with Maine, where the same bird has been seen near Berwick and is that state's 3rd as well.

In Connecticut, a Barnacle Goose is present near Windsor. 

And in New Brunswick, a pair of Barnacle Geese (4) are present near Miramichi, and elsewhere in the province, the 3rd record of Bullock's Oriole has been reported near Hampton.

Not a goose, but notable nonetheless, a Common Gallinule was discovered near Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. 

Also in eastern Canada, a Black-throated Gray Warbler was photographed among an assortment of lingering migrants in Hamilton, Ontario. 

In New Jersey, an adult Thayer's Gull has been alternately wowing and confusing birders in Monmouth County.

A Say's Phoebe in Bucks County and a pair of Black-headed Gulls (3) in Butler County, are notable for Pennsylvania. 

In North Carolina, an Ash-throated Flycatcher was discovered in rural Washington County. 

An apparent 'Eurasian' Barn Swallow in Augusta, Georgia, is an excellent bird for the east coast of North America. 

The third Green-tailed Towhee of the season in Florida was found in Pinellas County, and a Vermilion Flycatcher is present in Wakulla County. 

Notable so far south, a Black-headed Gull (3) was found in Grenada County in northern Mississippi. 

Not one, but two vagrant hummingbirds are visiting feeders in Iberville Parish.  An Anna's Hummingbird and a Broad-tailed Hummingbird, both in St. Gabriel. 

A first year male Vermilion Flycatcher is present at the airport in Stuttgart, Arkansas County, Arkansas.

A pair of Smith's Longspurs were discovered in Lucas County, Ohio. 

An adult Slaty-backed Gull (4) is attending a landfill in Bay County, Michigan. 

Indiana hosts a Say's Phoebe in Vigo County. 

A Spotted Towhee was discovered in Wausau, Marathon County, Wisconsin. 

A female Mountain Bluebird is present in Madison County, Illinois, in the south of the state. 

The farthest south recorded incidence of Snowy Owl thus far this year comes from near Marland, in Noble County, Oklahoma. 

The parade of rarities in the Valley of Texas rolls on, the latest being a Crimson-collared Grosbeak (4) at Sabel Palm Sanctuary in Cameron County. 

Notable for the southern mountains, a Glaucous Gull is present in Dona Ana County, New Mexico. 

Remarkably only the 7th record since 1990, a Rusty Blackbird was photographed in Maricopa County, Arizona. 

For Colorado, a Pine Warbler wintering at a feeder in Arapahoe County is an excellent bird.

Excellent so far south, is the report of a Common Redpoll near Apex, Nevada. 

A Red-bellied Woodpecker visiting a feeder in High River, Alberta, is only the 2nd ever recorded for the province. 

Also a surprise from parts far to the south, a Northern Mockingbird has been present for the last few days in Victoria, British Columbia. 

In Alaska, a Dusky Thrush (4) is visiting a feeder with some regularity in Anchorage. 

A Tufted Duck (3) is present in Skamania County, Washington. 

Though California has slowed down on continent level rarities this week, a Harris's Sparrow in San Diego County is still an excellent bird for the west coast. 

Comments

[Rick Wright]

There's an eye-opening note at NEBirds this week about the Hooded Crane: apparently, according to the chairman of the Nebraska OU Records Committee, the Idaho birds were ALL PINIONED! If that's true, then the NE and now the TN bird are much more likely to be "wild." All said, of course, their origin matters less than their presence.

[Ted Floyd]

A wise man* wrote, of the NE occurrence this past spring:

"A Common Crane was in Buffalo, NE 3/24; this species is more frequently detected in NE than in any other state or province in North America. An 'uncountable' Hooded Crane was, if anything, even more impressive; the bird escaped from a facility in ID and got all the way to NE."

(*Michael Retter, in "Sightings," Birding, May 2011, p. 21.)

[Ted Floyd]

On a more general note, I'm intrigued by all the gyrations and contortions people will go through, just for the sake of supposedly disproving the "wild" origin of rare birds.

Here's more on the matter:

http://blog.aba.org/2011/05/a-worthy-bird.html

[Derek]

Does anyone know if the supposedly pinioned Hooded Cranes from Idaho were also sterile?

On a general note, I'm intrigued by all the gyrations and contortions people will go through just for the sake of supposedly proving the "countable" status of escaped birds: http://blog.aba.org/2010/12/fuzzy-math.html

[Wayne Weber]

Thanks for the RBA update, Nate. However, a locality correction: Grenada County (locality for BLACK-HEADED GULL sighting) is not in coastal Mississippi. It is in northern Mississippi, at least 3 times as far from the Mississippi coast as it is from the Tennessee border. A good bird, nonetheless. (I lived in Mississippi for 4 years!)

[Nate Swick]

Thanks for the clarification, Wayne. Google apparently led me astray...

[Lamarr Eddings]

Happy New Year all!
The Hooded Crane is only about 40 miles from my home and I have been up to see it many times now. Stunning bird.
I am a little confused as to the dynamic at work deciding if this bird is wild i.e. countable. There appears to be no evidence that this bird is an escape but the popular concensus seems to be "it must be". Given that we can't prove a negative, Why is it left to an observer to prove that it is NOT an escape? Somebody had to be brave enough to call the first sighting of EVERY specie we list.