In an article posted on Alaska Public Media on January 19, it was revealed that an extremely rare hawfinch had been spotted in Canada’s Yukon Territory. The bird usually spends winter in Japan, making this sighting a first for Canada. 

Cameron Eckert, the director of the Yukon Bird Club said: “Any individual sighting might just seem kind of fun, and, you know, somewhat inconsequential. But over time, paying attention to patterns, we can see changes and shifts in bird populations as they occur over the course of weeks, months, years and even decades.”