The New Jersey Bird Records Committee (NJBRC) collects records of rare birds reported in the state of New Jersey, and maintains a State List of all species seen in the state.

Our goals are summarized by Richard Crossley. In this context, “rare bird” means a species which has never appeared in the state before, or has appeared only a few times. Typically, these birds are not in normal range or habitat and are not present for a long period. In this usage “rare” does not mean endangered species with a wide continental range, or threatened breeding birds. Such species are not monitored by NJBRC, and should be reported to the appropriate governmental or conservation organizations.

What’s New:

The year 2022 was an amazing one for the birds of New Jersey. January saw the first accepted record of Common Gull (Larus canus), although the previous sightings of Mew Gull (Common Gull/Short-billed Gull) probably refer to this recently split taxon. The second half of the year saw a bonanza of new birds. An August pelagic trip turn up the state’s first Bermuda Petrel. September 29 saw the arrival of not one, but two Kirtland’s Warblers, a species long anticipated to show up here. A Brewer’s Sparrow was found in Hudson County in early October, followed by our first Hammond’s Flycatcher later in the month. November began with one-day visit of a Tropical Kingbird to Cape May and the unexpected appearance of a Broad-tailed Hummingbird in Cumberland County. Rounding out the new state records for the year was a Eurasian Marsh-Harrier iin Morris County. This bird was previously seen in Maine in August 2022 and represents the first accepted record for North America. Unfortunately, it met its demise in a collision with an airplane at Newark Airport on November 19.