#ABArare - Northern Lapwing - Maine and New Jersey

This past week has seen two additional reports of Northern Lapwings (Code 4), one in Maine on Nov 3 and one in New Jersey on Nov 8.  These come on the heels of one in Newfoundland and three in Massachusetts. Whether this represents a mini-invasion of six different birds or if the same individual has been involved with multiple sightings is unknown as only the three in Massachusetts were seen concurrently.

The lapwing in Maine [which initially escaped my notice – sorry about that!] was discovered at the Tuckahoe Sod Farm in Berwick, ME by Andy Aldrich and Ken James.  It was seen only on Nov 3. This is just the second record for Maine. The first was in 1927. A photo of the recent one can be seen here.

On Nov 8 while looking through a large number of killdeer, Sam Galick found a lapwing at the Mercer Corporate Park in Allentown, NJ when he noticed one of the birds had a crest. The lapwing flushed with the Killdeer, flying off to the east. It has not refound but could still be in the area. Mercer Coporate Park is located off of I-195’s Exit 7.

Photos by Sam Galick

There are records of Northern Lapwings on the East Coast from as far south as Florida. Regardless of whether the recent spate involves just three birds or as many as six, eastern birders should keep an eye out.