April 2026

Hot Birds: April 2026

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:14 GMT

Pacific Loons were reliable as usual off Race Point, Provincetown, during the winter of 2025–2026. The first appeared at the end of October, and from one to four individuals were reported at various times through mid-March when we went to press. Paul Lalumiere took the photograph.

Massachusetts’s first Pink-footed Goose of 2026 was a one-day wonder in Longmeadow on January 19. Keigan Case found a more cooperative individual in Sheffield on March 11, which has remained at least through our press deadline of March 15. Michele Keane-Moore took the photograph.

Fifteenth Report of the Maine Bird Records Committee

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:11 GMT

This Bell’s Vireo was on Monhegan Island September 27–28, 2025. Photograph September 28 by Bill Thompson.

The Fifteenth Report of the Maine Bird Records Committee (hereafter ME-BRC or the committee) summarizes 42 reports involving 33 species and one subspecies that were evaluated and decided during 2025. The committee accepted 41 records for an acceptance rate of 98%. Although most reports were recent, the years of occurrences ranged from 1977 to 2025.

No new species were added to the state list, and the total number of documented species remains at 475. The official list of bird species recorded in Maine, our review procedures, and the list of members can be found at the committee’s website.

Records in this report are grouped by species; records accepted and those not accepted are listed within the same species account. Each record provides the location, county (italicized), date(s) of occurrence, names of observers or contributors, and committee record number. Documentation was provided by the observers listed or, in some cases, was obtained from publicly published websites. All reviewed materials and member comments are archived. If known, the names of finders are listed first and separated from other names by a semicolon. Photographic, video, or audio evidence reviewed is denoted by a dagger (†); written notes are denoted by an asterisk (*). As always, the committee strongly encourages written submissions even when there are photographs. Species accounts follow the current taxonomic classification and sequence adopted as of 2025 by the American Ornithological Society.

About Books: Bright Lights, Big City, Lots of Birds

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:08 GMT

Bird City: Adventures in New York’s Urban Wilds.

Ryan Goldberg. 2025. New York, New York: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill/Little Brown and Company.

“People think the birds are out in the country,” Peter said. “No, the best birding is actually in the cities.” More accurately: a coastal city. Excluding escapees from zoos and the pet trade, around 430 species have been seen in New York, which represents more than a third of the species in the entire US. They’re packed in just like us, shoulder to shoulder, fighting for their place here. (p. 7)

Some people are surprised that you can have a great birding day in a city. It seems so counterintuitive. After all, cities are filled with concrete, steel, noise, pollution, cars, and crowds of people. There seems to be so little to attract birds. And although this might be true for breeding species—with the exception of species such as pigeons, starlings, and the Peregrine Falcon—during spring and fall migration an argument can be made that cities are the best place to bird. Most cities have a collection of green spaces such as parks and cemeteries that, to the tired migrant, look like green havens in the midst of a concrete sea. Migrants gravitate to these areas to rest and feed before continuing their journey.

It is amazing what birds I have seen in Boston over the decades. These urban birds include a Boreal Owl roosting in the greenery in front of a row of apartments and a Gyrfalcon perched across from a parking garage. Even in landlocked Worcester I have seen Nelson’s Sparrow, Yellow-breasted Chat, Connecticut Warbler, a drake King Eider, and an adult Yellow-crowned Night Heron foraging on a lawn, to mention just a few sightings. One of my favorite places to see a Screech Owl is in Swan Point Cemetery in Providence. I won’t even begin to list the numerous species I have seen in that city.

Many birders live in cities, and for them birding in their favorite urban green spot is simply convenient. You can take a bus or a taxi or even walk to where there is a chance for some good birding. I often bird in the forests and fields in the Ware River and Quabbin watersheds. This large area has lots of great habitat and plenty of breeding birds. But sometimes it seems that there is so much good habitat that migrants can be anywhere, and migrant flocks seem to disperse quickly into the surrounding woods. But in cities, birds have a tendency to hang around in the green oasis at least for a day.

Certain urban hot spots have long birding histories, including Central Park in New York City and Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge. These spots are recognized nationally as great places to go birding. Though a number of books have been published about birding in and around cities, Bird City is one of the best because it is not just about the birds.

Bird Observer Staff Retirements

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:07 GMT

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At a Glance

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:03 GMT

WAYNE R. PETERSEN

Can you identify the bird in this photograph?

Volunteer Staff Opening: Proofreader

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:02 GMT

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Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:01 GMT