10 crazy crazy rare birds I thought would occur in Ontario before Yellow-nosed Albatross

Opposite of the recent "top 20 predictions' - a great example of how really really unexpected things can happen: 

---------------------

A bit of a strange and unusual blog post.  I keep a list of ~100 species that I predict could occur in Ontario, with most obviously being really crazy and very unlikley. One species I never actually bothered to add was Yellow-nosed Albatross.. Which was seen and eventually grabbed (2 weeks later, undetected) near Kingston.... So here's a fun list of 10 species that I actually had on my list (before the albatross), that seem really crazy in their own right. 

(THEE Albatross from Ontario.. My photo of the specimen taken at the ROM)

Fea's Petrel --- With the rash of Black-capped Petrels that have occurred during "hurricanes" in Ontario, is it really tooo crazy to predict that one of the "big 3" rare Pterodroma petrels could occur in Ontario? (Trindade, Fea's or Bermuda?) --- I think Trindade is the most likely, and Bermuda would be the craziest, so for this article I took the mid-road and suggest Fea's. Sure seemed more likely than a Yellow-nosed Albatross.


Magnificent Hummingbird --- There are a number of Hummingbirds that Ontario could add to the list, but it may surprise you that Magnificent Hummer actually has a bit of a vagrancy pattern northwards. YES, it is still REALLY unexpected, but more unexpected than YNAL? no way.

(from Wikipedia)

Gray Vireo --- Records closer to Ontario than you'd think, and heck Ontario already has some crazy southern vagrants like Varied Bunting, so someday we may see the post on Ontbirds.

Large-billed Tern --- one of those mega-rarities you won't find in the Sibley, but records as close as Ohio made this bird a better candidate (than YNAL) in my mind.....

(from Wikipedia)

Grace's Warbler --- a recent record on Lake Michigan in Illinois says it's only a matter of time before this species gets found on Lake Erie (or banded at Thunder Cape.........) seems outlandish, but nothing compared to YNAL in my opinion!

Stellar's Eider --- records from MA, and possibly a candidate to someday be found on James/Hudson Bay (or heck, even Lake Ontario?) I know this one is way out in left-field, but it was at least on the radar (unlike YNAL)

(from Wikipedia)

Limpkin -- the world-famous snail muncher has wandered northwards towards to Tenesee, and anything that wanders (from the Gulf) to Tenesee, clearly doesn't want to stay there and could very easily end up in Ontario waters (Holiday Beach, Pelee, Pelee Island, Long Point etc etc)

(actually my photo)

Arctic Loon --- Pacific Loon may seem hard enough to find in Ontario, but if any location is primed to find it "in the east" - it's us. Long shorelines of 4 great lakes, James and Hudson bay could easily catch one.. We just need to find it.

White-tailed Tropicbird --- another striking seabird, I sure had this one on the list of "possibles" way ahead of YNAL..... Hurricane Hazel, which smashed Ontario in the 50's - brought 2 White-tailed Tropicbirds into inland Pennsylvania ....

(actually mine too!)

Pinyon Jay--- yeah yea, you get the point.. Just like the others, this species has more of a pattern of vagrancy (and is/was probably a better candidate to occur in Ontario than YNAL) .... But seriously, no one ever expects Pinyon Jay to occur... (not really)..... but it makes the Albatross record look that much more spectacular.