This is New Hampshire Audubon’s Rare Bird Alert for Monday, August 10, 2026.
Birders on a whale watch on the Granite State out of Rye Harbor tallied 22 bird species. Highlights: 36 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, 238 WILSON’S STORM-PETRELS, 2 CORY’S SHEARWATERS, and 14 GREAT SHEARWATERS.
An AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER was seen at the Isles of Shoals on August 10th.
A HUDSONIAN GODWIT was seen in the Parson’s Creek salt marsh located west of Route 1A and across from Wallis Sands State Beach on August 8th.
A MARBLED GODWIT was seen at the Hampton Salt Marsh Conservation Area on August 8th.
A “WESTERN” WILLET was seen in Hampton Harbor on August 9th.
A BLACK TERN was seen at Old Scantum on August 8th, and an ARCTIC TERN was reported from Rye Harbor on the 9th.
There was an unconfirmed report of a LAUGHING GULL from Dover on August 8th.
A GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL was seen in Manchester on August 6th.
A YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was seen at the Lafayette Road Bridge in Portsmouth on August 4th.
A juvenile BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was seen at the Oxbow Pond in Mine Falls Park in Nashua on August 7th.
8 LITTLE BLUE HERONS were seen in the Parson’s Creek salt marsh located west of Route 1A and across from Wallis Sands State Beach on August 9th.
3 GREEN HERONS (2 adults and 1 juvenile) were seen at the Upper Coos Recreational Trail in Colebrook on August 10th.
A SNOWY EGRET was seen at Adams Point WMA in Durham on August 7th, 1 was seen on the Ammonoosuc River in Landaff on the 6th, and 1 was seen at Pickering Ponds in Rochester on August 7th.
There was an unconfirmed report of a WESTERN CATTLE EGRET from the Ammonoosuc River in Lisbon on August 9th.
A LONG-TAILED DUCK was seen in Hampton Harbor on August 9th.
2 SANDHILL CRANES were seen in fields along Plains Road in Monroe on August 4th, 3 were seen in fields in East Conway on August 4th, and 1 was seen at Eaton Pond in Pittsfield on August 9th.
A BLACK VULTURE was seen in Hooksett on August 7th.
3 GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS were seen at the Concord Airport on August 4th.
A CERULEAN WARBLER was seen on the Cheshire Rail Trail in Troy on August 5th.
A BLUE-WINGED WARBLER was seen in Wilton on August 2nd.
A BAY-BREASTED WARBLER was seen at the “Maggie Terninko Conservation Area” in Nottingham on August 8th.
2 ORCHARD ORIOLES were seen on Salt Marsh Lane in Greenland on August 5th.
2 FISH CROWS were heard and seen at the UNH Campus in Durham on August 8th.
An archive of rare bird alerts is available at nhaudubon.org/rba. If you have seen any rare birds recently you can leave a voicemail at (603) 224-9909, following the prompts on how to report a rare bird. You can also send your sightings via email to birdsetc@nhaudubon.org. Please put “Rare Bird” in the subject line and include the location of the sighting and your phone number.
What is the Rare Bird Alert?
The New Hampshire Rare Bird Alert is a list of birds that is posted, usually on a weekly basis on NH Audubon’s website, and several public websites. The primary goal of the list is to help bird watchers find uncommon or rare birds that occur within the geographical boundaries of NH.
What makes a bird rare?
A bird may be considered rare if it’s outside its usual range, present at an unusual time of year, or found in an unexpected part of the state. For example, a Red-bellied Woodpecker in southern NH is expected, but one in Coos County would be unusual. A Black-throated Blue Warbler in summer is normal but in winter it would be rare. While a Roseate Spoonbill would be rare in any season. To learn more, read “So You Think You Found a Rare Bird? A Quick Guide to What Counts and How to Report It” on the Joy of Birding.
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Thanks very much and good birding.