A red-footed booby, a seabird normally found in the Caribbean, was spotted in Chesapeake Bay off the coast of Maryland — more than 1,200 miles from its usual habitat. The sighting is notable because the species is very seldom seen so far north, making it a striking find for local bird watchers.

Boater Tom Giancola, of Annapolis, encountered the bird on 21 June while out on the water, when it swooped around his boat and landed on the bow, remaining with the group for about an hour before flying off. A science teacher, Anna Arundel, later identified it from photographs as a red-footed booby and confirmed how rare such a sighting was. The bird — possibly tired after travelling from as far away as Cuba, some 1,250 miles distant — was seen again by others in the bay, with a further photo appearing in a bird-watching Facebook group on 28 June. Red-footed boobies have been recorded a handful of times along the US East Coast since 2021, including in New York.