Hi Aidan, Thank-you for organizing this. And also for putting rarities and vagrants on everyone’s mind this weekend. Adam and Jo Fasciolo > On Nov 20, 2023, at 9:50 PM, Aidan Kiley via CTBirds <ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote: > > Hello CT Birders: > > We are in rarity season. James Purcell's fantastic find of a MacGillivray's > Warbler in Fairfield is a great reminder of what can show up! > > In the past few years I have organized a very informal "Rarity Roundup", > which is an event in which birders commit to search locations specifically > to turn up vagrants. The goal is to get people out searching a variety of > areas, especially those that are rarely or never covered. > > There are countless rarities that have shown up at very very random spots > so any beach, thicket, meadow, etc. has some potential! > > To organize this, I have created a Google Sheet (the Google Drive version > of Excel). > > I am organizing it for November 22nd through November 26th (Wednesday > before Thanksgiving through the Sunday after) but the > ideas/strategies/birding should not end there! > > If you are interested in participating (even if you only have the time to > check a quick spot or two!) I encourage anyone to click the link and add > your name, locations you’re planning to visit, and if known/desired, dates > you’ll check the areas and specific targets you may have in mind! > > Some species to keep in mind: Ash-throated Flycatcher, Painted Bunting, > Western Kingbird and other western kingbird species, Harris’ Sparrow, > Spotted Towhee, Western Tanager, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Audubon’s > Yellow-rumped Warbler, Townsend’s Warbler, Sedge Wren, Sage Thrasher, > Limpkin, and Western Flycatcher. > > I went into the eBird species map and counted 16 (yes you read that > right!!) records of Ash-throated Fly in the Northeast this fall. Surely a > handful around the state. > > If you find anything interesting, please document with photos or audio (if > possible) and report to all and any appropriate communication outlets! Good > luck! > > https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rTKzEXK2WbaRfRi5f5qwYiVg9-ZH5PMSY3O2GD9X0Vw/edit?usp=sharing > > Best, > > Aidan Kiley > Fairfield > > CTBirds, a service of Connecticut Ornithological Association - Bringing birders together statewide. Please support COA: https://www.ctbirding.org/join-us/ > CTBirds is for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. For list rules and subscription information visit: https://www.ctbirding.org/birds-birding/ct-birds-email-list/