Cameron Eckert, a director with the Yukon Bird Club, says the bird normally spends winters about 6,000 kilometres away — in Japan. "This is the first record for the Yukon and the first record for Canada," said Eckert. The nearest record of a hawfinch near Yukon he could find was when one was seen in Anchorage, Alaska, a few years ago. 'A real team effort'The hawfinch was first seen very briefly in the town of Haines Junction on Dec. 14 by long-time birder Wolf Riedl. "Not only is the bird remarkable but the community kind of all-eyes-out looking for this bird and getting the word out ... [it was] a real team effort."

Source: CBC News January 07, 2021 11:00 UTC