 Confirmed Rare Bird Reports
Notable Unconfirmed Bird Sightings
Notable Sightings of Aberrant Birds |
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 Dickcissel in Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina
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 For seven days in December 1999, FeederWatcher Sharon Turner of Myrtle Beach,
South Carolina, hosted a crowd of birders who toured through her yard to observe a special
rare visitor, a Dickcissel. She sent us the photo at right so that we can all enjoy
this delightful bird. Although the Dickcissel winters primarily in South America, it
is an occasional winter visitor on both coasts of North America. Every year, for
some reason, a few Dickcissels decide to stay north for the winter. |
Baltimore Oriole in Shippenville,
Pennsylvania
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Photo
taken by Lillian Pfaff |
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FeederWatcher Margaret
Buckwalter, of Shippenville, PA, spotted this Baltimore Oriole at her neighbor's
feeder area. The oriole arrived at a feeder in Shippenville, PA on January 24, 2000
and was still there as of February 17. It was a record sighting for Margaret's county in
January. The Baltimore Oriole usually winters in southern Mexico and points south. |
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| Carolina Wren in Boulder, Colorado |
 This Carolina Wren has been enjoying sunflower
chips in the yard of FeederWatcher Beverly Gholson in Boulder, CO. The wren arrived
on November 21, 1999 and was still there as of March, 2000. With spring upon us,
Beverly reports that her wren is singing his heart out hoping to attract a mate, but with
her wren being the only one reported in all of Colorado on this year's Christmas Bird
Count, his chances are pretty slim. During the 1989 Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas,
there was only one confirmed breeding pair of Carolina Wrens in Colorado. Several
local birders have been to Beverly's yard to catch a glimpse of this rarity, but "he
is so quick at stealing sunflower chips from the feeder that they have not seen him." |
Lucy's Warbler in Oakland,
California
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  This Lucy's Warbler was
first spotted in Sheila Dickie's garden on December 26, 1999 and was last seen on February
19, 2000. The sighting was confirmed by several local birders. Sheila reported
that the warbler was feeding on insects that were attracted by eucalyptus flowers.
The bird was often seen in the top third of a large fig tree located next to the
eucalyptus. Occasionally, the warbler was chased off by a yellow-rumped warbler, but
it was persistent and kept coming back. Sheila reported that although nearby San
Francisco had two Lucy's Warblers last year, the Lucy's Warbler in her yard is just the
second ever reported in Alameda County and the first one since 1953! This sighting
is part of a growing phenomenon of rare warblers showing up along the coast of California
in the winter. The Lucy's Warbler is common in a small area in the southwest during the
summer, but usually winters along the coast of Mexico. |
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