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

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

    Clay-colored Sparrow

    Seen in Cape May, NJ Oct 2025/Queen Anne’s County, MD 2 Apr 2022

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  • 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

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  • Neotropic Cormorant

    Seen on Poplar Island, MD 04 Aug 2025

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  • Willow Flycatcher

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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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

    Western Kingbird

    Seen in Dorchester County, MD 14 Nov 2023

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

    Rough-legged Hawk

    Seen in Dorchester County, MD 12 Nov 2023

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  • 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

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

    American Flamingo

    Seen in Franklin County, PA on 09 September 2023

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • A heron standing in shallow water next to rocks.

    Great Blue Heron (Wurdemann's)

    Seen in Anne Arundel County, MD 13 July 2023

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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

    King Eider

    Seen in Sussex County, DE 18 Jan 2023

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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

    Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

    Seen in Middletown, MD 30 Jul 2022

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  • 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

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  • A bird flying in a clear blue sky.

    White-winged Tern

    Seen in Kent County, DE 16 Jul 2022

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  • 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

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  • 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

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

    American Avocet

    Seen at Poplar Island, MD 12 Apr 2022

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  • 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

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

    Thick-billed Murre

    Seen in Ocean City, MD 21 Feb 2022

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 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 Oct 2021, 2022, 2024

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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