Rare Bird Alert: July 19, 2013

This past week saw exceptional temperatures across most of the continent, with only the Pacific coast experiencing anything approaching comfortable. That didn't stop birders though, and the slow patch we saw in June seems to be ebbing. Despite the heat there was an increase in the number and quality of vagrants seen across the ABA Area.

First things first, the potential ABA first Rufous-necked Wood Rail, first reported last week in New Mexico, has been continuing through the period. The bird continues in much the same area as before, though it has been less regular of late, no doubt inducing a great deal of consternation in the birders still coming to see it.

We got another potential first record this week, yet another for the state of Colorado (the third in the last two months!) with the report of a subadult Cave Swallow in Washington county. The cup runneth over in the Rocky Mountain State this summer.

A repositioning cruise passing offshore of British Columbia near Vancouver Island had a Hawaiian Petrel (ABA Code 4), of which there are fewer than 5 records for Canada.

In Washington, a Horned Puffin was seen over the course of several days near Lopez Island, San Juan, and a Brown Booby (3) was spotted on a pelagic off Westport.

Birders in Los Angeles, California, had a near-breeding plumage Red-necked Stint (3), and subsequent observers also found a Ruff (3) in the vicinity. A Blue-footed Booby (3) was seen offshore in Orange waters.

The first reports from the increasingly near-annual post-breeding dispersal of Neotropic Cormorants north of their normal range comes from Cache, Utah.

Another Neotropic Cormorant report comes from Douglas, Nebraska.

One of only a few records for Texas, a Western Gull was found near Austin.

A Fork-tailed Flycatcher turned up at Lake Apopka, in Florida, for what appears to be the third consecutive summer. A Brown Booby (3), hardly notable this year it seems, was reported from Pinellas.

In Virginia, a Black-bellied Whistling Duck was in Frederick.

Increasingly regular up the Atlantic coast but still notable in New England, a White-winged Dove was photographed in Stratford, Connecticut. 

In Maine, a Brown Booby (3) was seen at Eastern Egg Rock.

Very good in Quebec was a Roseate Tern found at Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was found in Alger, Michigan.

In Wisconsin, a White Ibis flew over an observer in Brown and was apparently not redisovered. 

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Omissions and errors are not intended, but if you find any please message blog AT aba.org and I'll 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 <aba.org/nab>, the richly illustrated journal of ornithological record published by the ABA

 

Comments

[Jesse Ellis]

For completeness, he L.A. county Arctic Loon is still present. It's probably injured.

[Law Tyler]

Just spotted Black-Bellied Whistling ducks in South Austin, in a holding pond at 6900 Brodie Lane, cross street William Cannon. There were 13 of them at 2pm on 7/23/13. Maybe not that rare, but it was my first sighting of them.