We are well into the late winter doldrums, as the numbers and varieties of new rare birds have tailed off across the ABA-Area, though there have been several long-staying rarities that continue to hang around including several previously reported Northern Lapwings on the east coast and the famous Citrine Wagtail in British Columbia.
There is also at least one La Sagra's Flycatcher in Florida and the Crimson-collared Grosbeak mentioned last week in Texas, among others. So don't let this week's relatively sparse report fool you, there are still a lot of good birds out there.
No first records this week, but North Carolina hosted a pair or third records for the best showing of the period. A Northern Lapwing (ABA Code 4) - what else? - was discovered in a field in Person for the first twitchable individual of this species, and an apparent White-faced Ibis turned up at Lake Mattamuskeet NWR in Hyde. A Brown Booby (3) was also reported from Dare for an unusual onshore record.
For Florida, a Pacific Loon in Alachua is a nice find, as is a Western Meadowlark in Escambia.
Interesting reports from Louisiana include a Couch's Kingbird in Caddo and a Shiny Cowbird (3) in Calcasieu.
A Pacific Loon was present on Sabine Lake near Port Arthur, Texas. The lake is right on the border with Louisiana but the bird has not reportedly crossed the state line where it would be one of only a very few for the second state.
And another Pacific Loon was reported on Lake Maumelle in Pulaski, Arkansas.
A female Harlequin Duck in Sullivan, Tennessee, is the 5th for that state.
We don't report Barnacle Goose (4) much anymore around here, but they're still turning up with some regularity in the northeast. It's hard to say whether this is a new individual or a bird that has been wandering in the area, but a new report came this week from Monmouth, New Jersey.
A stunning young Gyrfalcon has been in Suffolk, New York, for just over a week now. Also in New York, a Pink-footed Goose (4) was reported in Orange and the previously reported Tufted Duck (3) in Suffolk was joined by a second bird in the county.
A young Ivory Gull was seen on Topsail Beach in Newfoundland, spurring hopes that predicted inclement weather might push a few down southward.
Another Slaty-backed Gull (3) report comes from the Great Lakes region, this time in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Elsewhere in the state, Great Gray Owls have been seen as far south as Juneau and Superior.
A Golden-crowned Sparrow was part of a 4 Zonotrichia flock in Baca, Colorado, where a Glaucous Gull was also reported from Arapahoe.
Good birds in Utah include a Neotropic Cormorant in Salt Lake and a Lesser Black-backed Gull near Logan.
A Eurasian Wigeon in Curry, New Mexico, is a nice bird so far from the coast.
A White-tailed Kite, not the first this season, was reported near Reno, Nevada.
An nice bird for California, particularly in the southern part of the state, was a Northern Shrike in Los Angeles, this week.
A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was discovered in Douglas, Oregon.
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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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