Four Recent Bird “Rares”
I was able to photograph four birds recently that are considered ‘rare/uncommon’ for the Chesapeake Bay area along Maryland’s eastern shores.
My first two birds are species that eBird issued rare bird alerts.
Harlequin Duck (male), Romancoke Pier, Queen Anne’s County
December 23, 2025
(considered eBird first county record on December 21, 2025)
I got so many beautiful photos of this Harlequin; he was feeding right at the end of the pier. I was the only one there in the cold wind, so he wasn’t too skittish. He was first seen on December 21, last seen January 13. He didn’t appear sick and was seen flying, so hopefully no flight injury concerns. He became quite famous with eBirders and bird photographers during his visit!
Another rare bird species was this next gull that also became an eBirder and bird photographer sensation!
Glaucous Gull, Blackwater NWR, Dorchester County
January 13, 2026
Again, I got so many great shots, finding this gull right alongside the refuge wildlife drive; this photo is almost full frame from my car window. It was first reported December 29 and last seen January 17. I had previously looked for it on January 7th at the refuge but couldn’t locate it that day. It’s a lifer for me!
These next two are more of a lucky ‘rare/uncommon’ sighting you happen upon, finding them mixed in with their normal species.
The first, as I was passing by a flock of Canada Geese on a field, I spotted something ‘whitish’.
Leucistic Canada Goose, Blackwater NWR, Dorchester County
January 7, 2026
I have seen a leucistic Canada Goose only once before, so it was a nice treat to spot one again.
This next one was a surprise, as I had never seen an American Wigeon look like this and had to look it up when I got home.
Storm Wigeon, Cambridge, Dorchester County
January 13, 2026
A Storm Wigeon is not a separate species but a rare color variant of the male American Wigeon. It’s characterized by a predominantly creamy-white face and neck, whereas a typical American Wigeon has a grey-speckled face and a white forehead patch. This results from a recessive genetic trait and occurs about 1 in 500–1,000 birds.
Here’s a comparison to the regular American Wigeons.
Bay Photos by Donna 
Wow, this is always a treat when you manage to see new bird species and those were quite nice. (Suzanne)
Thank you, Suzanne!
Wow, those are all great rare sightings! Congrats on the Lifer too!
Thank you, Deborah!
How wonderful!
Thank you, Sheree!
Some wonderful sightings and photos, Donna!
Thank you, Belinda!
It must have been a thrill to spot these rare visitors. You are an excellent birder!
Thank you, Eliza! I have fun with the challenge of the odds…..today I found a Greater White-fronted Goose in a flock of Canada Geese 😁
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Beautiful, the green feathers are special. 🙂
You have some beautiful ducks or duck like species over there Donna. A lovely showcase my friend.
Thank you, Ashley!
I like the glaucous gull.
It does have a pretty pink beak, I like it too!
You certainly were lucky to see and photograph these rare birds Donna. I see a lot of Canada Geese in the bigger parks that I frequent but never have I seen a leucistic Canada Goose. I saw a leucistic American Robin once time.
I’ve never seen a leucistic robin, wow! When a leucistic Canada Goose is in the mix, it seems to ‘stick out’ with the lighter coloring in my glancing while driving and finding one both times. Yesterday, in a large flock of Canada Geese I kept seeing a white head pop up and down, it was a Snow Goose blue morph, so it’s body blended in well, it was just that popping head that caught my eye! 😂
Yes, it was unusual to see a leucistic robin Donna and here in one of the counties north of me, there is a leucistic deer. I have never seen it – this is not near me, but every so often it is sighted and someone takes a photo of it. That was unusual to see a different goose in the flock like that. I follow Detroit Audubon on Facebook and have for years and I may have told you this story before, but I was at Elizabeth Park where there many Canada Geese and I saw one of them which was short and stubby looking and I didn’t take a photo of it, but did think it was odd and this was in the Fall, so it was not a juvenile. Later that day, one of the Detroit Audubon members posted that he saw a Cackling Goose and showed its photo versus an adult Canada Goose for comparison. I realized then my eyes were not deceiving me!
Wonderful 👌👌
Thank you!
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Those are awesome finds and shots Donna. There wasn’t much to chase in south Texas this year – we should have headed out your way ha. I like that Storm Wigeon a lot, never seen that one before.
Thank you! The Storm Wigeon was a cool find, I’d never even heard of one before.