Bird rarely seen in the United States sends people flocking to Virginia

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Bird rarely seen in the United States sends people flocking to Virginia

The red-flanked bluetail has appeared at a park near the Potomac River, marking only the second time the species has been seen east of the Rockies.

March 8, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. EDT


A red-flanked bluetail, seen Thursday, from Asia has shown up since early January in Great Falls Park in Virginia. (Photos by John McDonnell/For The Washington Post)

By Dana Hedgpeth

Barbara Saffir clipped a camouflage vest around her chest, hung her heavy, long-lens camera and binoculars around her neck, and stepped in her knee-high, red galoshes through wet leaves and mud under a dense early morning fog on the edge of the Potomac River.

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