Rare Bird Sightings*

The quality of some of the pictures may not be very good, but for a rare sighting you have to get what you can get.

*Rare for the area and/or time of year

  • A solitary bird, possibly a type of duck, swimming in a calm body of water with a mirror-like reflection, surrounded by blurred green foliage.

    Red-necked Phalarope

    Seen on Poplar Island, MD 4 Aug 2025/Talbot County, MD 25 Jul 2023 & Queen Anne’s County, MD 26 Aug 2022

    Click Here

  • Neotropical Cormorant

    Seen on Poplar Island, MD 04 Aug 2025

  • Willow Flycatcher

    Seen in Queen Anne's County, MD 28 Jun 2025

    Click Here
  • A duck standing on a patch of ice by the water with a brown head, gray and black body, and yellow-orange legs.

    Barrow's Goldeneye

    Seen in Calvert County, MD 24 Feb 2025

    Click Here
  • A black-capped chickadee bird perched on a weathered wooden post with a blurred brown background.

    Loggerhead Shrike

    Seen in Caroline County, MD 21 Dec 2024

    Click Here
  • Small bird standing on green bushes near water with rocks in the background.

    Buff-breasted Sandpiper

    Seen in Anne Arundel County, MD 28 Sep 2024

    Click Here
  • A small bird standing on a grassy bank by a body of water.

    American Golden-Plover

    Seen in Anne Arundel County, MD 28 Sep 2024

    Click Here
  • A red bird feeder hanging outside with two birds, a yellow one and a brown one, perched on it.

    Western Tanager

    Seen in Anne Arundel County, MD 8 Mar 2024

    Click Here
  • A small black, white, and yellow-striped bird perched among green shrubbery.

    Black-throated Gray Warbler

    Seen in Prince George’s County, MD 21 Feb 2024

    Click Here
  • A small bird perched on a branch with red berries, against a background of leafless trees and blue sky.

    Ash-throated Flycatcher

    Seen in Baltimore County, MD 5 Jan 2024

    Click Here
  • A small green and yellow bird perched on a metal bar next to a bird feeder, with dark green leaves in the background.

    Painted Bunting (female)

    Seen in Anne Arundel County, MD 02 Jan 2024

    Click Here
  • A small bird perched on a thick wire against a bright blue sky.

    Western Kingbird

    Seen in Dorchester County, MD 14 Nov 2023

    Click Here
  • Bird of prey flying in clear blue sky with its wings spread out.

    Rough-legged Hawk

    Seen in Dorchester County, MD 12 Nov 2023

    Click Here
  • A small yellow and brown bird perched among dry, brown plant stems and seed pods.

    LeConte's Sparrow

    Seen in Queen Anne’s County, MD 30 Oct - 8 Nov 2023

    Click Here
  • Two flamingos standing in water, with reflections visible beneath them.

    American Flamingo

    Seen in Franklin County, PA on 09 September 2023

    Click Here
  • A black and white seabird walking on a sandy beach near the water.

    Franklin's Gull

    Seen in Anne Arundel County, MD 24 August 2023

    Click Here
  • A pink and white pelican standing near the edge of a body of water with a background of branches and green foliage.

    Roseate Spoonbill

    Seen on Poplar Island, MD 36 July 2023

    Click Here
  • A heron standing in shallow water next to rocks.

    Great Blue Heron (Wurdemann's)

    Seen in Anne Arundel County, MD 13 July 2023

    Click Here
  • A small bird with brown and yellow feathers perched on a leafless tree branch, with a dark green background.

    Say's Phoebe

    Seen in Kent County, MD 13 Apr 2023

    Click Here
  • A small brown bird with streaked feathers perched on a dark rock among light-colored rocks, with a blurred green and beige background.

    Vesper Sparrow

    Seen in Anne Arundel County, MD 31 Mar 2023

    Click Here
  • Four ducks near a waterbank, with three of them on the bank and one in the water.

    Greater White-fronted Goose

    Seen in Queen Anne’s County, MD 27 Jan 2023

    Click Here
  • A small brown and white bird on the ground, pecking at scattered seeds and grains in a natural outdoor setting.

    Lark Sparrow

    Seen in Sussex County, DE 18 Jan 2023

    Click Here
  • A brown and white duck swimming in a body of blue water.

    King Eider

    Seen in Sussex County, DE 18 Jan 2023

    Click Here
  • A small bird with beige, black, and white feathers perched on a thin, leafless tree branch.

    Harris's Sparrow

    Seen in Kent County, MD 10 Jan 2023

    Click Here
  • A small bird with brown, black, and white feathers perched on a dark rock near water.

    Snow Bunting

    Seen at Hooper’s Island (MD), Cat Cove, 29 Nov 2022

    Click Here
  • Two shorebirds standing in shallow water, with their reflections visible on the surface.

    Wilson's Phalarope

    Seen in Queen Anne’s County, MD, 12 Sep 2022 & Cape May, NJ - 13 Oct 2021

    Click Here
  • A large heron with a red crown and long beak standing in a shallow water area near a sandy bank, with two smaller birds in the background.

    Sandhill Crane

    Last seen in Kent County, DE on 03 Aug 2022

    Click Here
  • A bird perched on a tree branch against a clear blue sky.

    Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

    Seen in Middletown, MD 30 Jul 2022

    Click Here
  • A bird perched on a thin tree branch with green leaves and small purple berries against a light blue sky background.

    Mississippi Kite

    Seen in Glen Burnie, MD on 18/21 Jul and in Rockville, MD - 08/09 Aug 2021

    Click Here
  • A bird flying in a clear blue sky.

    White-winged Tern

    Seen in Kent County, DE 16 Jul 2022

    Click Here
  • A duck with a pink bill and reddish-brown and white feathers stands on grass near water.

    Black-bellied Whistling Duck

    Seen in Kent County, DE 10 Jul 2022

    Click Here
  • A bird perched on a branch in front of leafy bushes, with dark feathers and a distinctive beak.

    Yellow-crowned Night Heron

    Seen in Anne Arundel County, MD, 5 Jun 2022 and Kent County, DE, 10 Jul 2022

    Click Here
  • Two American Avocets wading in shallow water feeding with their beaks submerged.

    American Avocet

    Seen at Poplar Island, MD 12 Apr 2022

    Click Here
  • Small bird with brown and white feathers sitting on green grassy ground.

    Clay-colored Sparrow

    Seen in Queen Anne’s County, MD 2 Apr 2022

    Click Here
  • A bird with yellow and black feathers perched on a wooden log covered with sunflower seeds.

    Yellow-billed Blackbird

    Seen at Mariner Point Park, MD 6 Mar 2022

    Click Here
  • A duck swimming in a body of water with gentle waves.

    Thick-billed Murre

    Seen in Ocean City, MD 21 Feb 2022

    Click Here
  • Snowy owl with bird face, yellow eyes, and white and brown feathers, perched outdoors with blurred tree branches in the background.

    Snowy Owl

    Seen in Cambridge, MD 21 Jan 2022

    Click Here
  • A bird standing on grassy land near a body of water with dried plants in the background.

    Northern Lapwing

    Seen in Queen Anne’s County, MD 22 Dec 2021

    Click Here
  • A group of ducks swimming in a body of water, with one orange-brown duck in the center and several brown and gray ducks surrounding it.

    Eurasian Wigeon

    Seen in Cape May, NJ 15 Oct 2021

    Click Here
  • A small yellow and gray bird perched on a thin branch against a clear blue sky, with dried leaves and twigs in the foreground.

    Tropical Kingbird

    Seen at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, MD 31 Oct 2021

    Click Here
  • A small bird with yellow and black streaked breast on gravel ground, beneath green leafy bushes.

    Kirtland's Warbler

    Seen in Baltimore, MD 7 Oct 2021

    Click Here
  • A white bird with black wing tips flying in a clear blue sky, with tree tops visible below.

    Swallow-tailed Kite

    Seen in Stevensville (Kent Island), MD 03-11 Aug 2021

    Click Here