Upon seeing the Terek Sandpiper earlier this week in Rhode Island, I realized I had no list of the Mega Rarities I have seen in the United States/ABA area. I have been birding 28 years and had the opportunity to see some of the rarest birds to have occurred in this area. I thought it might be of interest to some of you to hear of some of the birds and when I have seen them. All of the birds in the list below can be found in Steven N. G. Howell’s “Rare Birds of North America”. The European Storm-petrel I had the privilege of seeing with Steve on a great pelagic out of Cape Hatteras. Early in my birding years I didn’t have a camera, so many of the birds have no photos. I’ve included photos of birds that I was able to photograph once I started taking photos. Birds with an asterisk after their name I have seen more than once, and the photo may be of the second sighting. I hope you enjoy this page.
- Bananaquit – Hugh Taylor Birch Park Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 11/8/99
- Kelp Gull – Sandgates, Maryland 12/10/00
- Long-billed Murrelet – Stewart Park Ithaca, New York 12/19/01
- Blue Mockingbird – Frontera Audubon Sanctuary Weslaco, Texas 3/5/03
- Golden-crowned Warbler – Edinberg, Texas 3/6/03
- Red-footed Falcon – Martha’s Vineyard Massachusetts’s 8/21/04
- Crimson-collared Grosbeak* – Frontera Audubon Weslaco, Texas 2/14/05
- White-throated Thrush – Frontera Audubon Weslaco, Texas 2/16/05
- Streak-backed Oriole – Brazos Bend, Texas 2/24/05
- Pink-footed Goose *- Enfield, Connecticut 2/7/05
- Black-tailed Gull -Lake Champlain, Vermont 10/23/05
- Gray-crowned Yellowthroat – Sabal Palm, Texas 2/17/06
- Fork-tailed Flycatcher* – Mooresville, Pennsylvania 6/5/06
- Masked Duck – Viera Wetlands, Florida 11/10/06
- Flame-colored Tanager – Madera Canyon, Arizona 6/29/07
- Berylline Hummingbird – Ramsey Canyon, Arizona 7/1/07
- Western Reef Heron* – New Castle, New Hampshire 8/19/07
- Little Egret* – Bombay Hook, Delaware 6/11/08
- Gray-hooded Gull – Coney Island, New York 8/3/11
- European Storm-petrel – Cape Hatteras Pelagic, North Carolina 5/31/12
- Northern Lapwing *- Montauk Long Island, New York 11/14/12
- Fieldfare – Carlisle, Massachusetts 3/21/13
- Garganey* – Ethan Allen Homestead, Vermont 5/1/14
- Whiskered Tern – Cape May, New Jersey 9/15/14
- Redwing – Hollis High School, New Hampshire 3/15/16
- Cuban Vireo – Key West, Florida 4/21/16
- White-winged Tern – Nessmuk Lake, Pennsylvania 8/12/17
- Corn Crake – Gilgo Beach, Long Island, New York 11/8/17
- Antillean Palm-swift – Sombrero Key, Florida 11/12/19
- Terek Sandpiper – Napatree Point, Rhode Island 6/30/20
- Little Stint – Ninigrit NWR, Rhode Island 7/8/20
32. Wood Sandpiper – DeKorte Sanctuary, New Jersey 9/21/00 (bird on right, facing left).
33. Common Cuckoo – Snake Den Farm Rhode Island 11/5/2020
34. Tundra Bean-Goose – Media, Pennsylvania 12/19/20
35. Gray-breasted Martin – Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York 4/3/21
36. Common Ringed Plover – Fire Island Old Inlet, Suffolk County, New York 8/28/23
37. Red-flanked Bluetail – Manchester Township Ocean County, New Jersey 12/9/23 This bird was my 760th ABA bird!
Fork-tailed Flycatcher – this bird was actually the third I have seen.