Tag Archives: rare birds

A Summer Surprise

For various reasons: vacation and a major flood being the primary ones, I haven’t posted for a month. This morning, I was standing in our neighbors’ backyard as the dogs played and suddenly noticed this big white bird at the river. Of course, my camera and binoculars were elsewhere but I retrieved them and photographed this cooperative Great Egret.

Very unusual bird for this part of Vermont – first one I’ve seen.

No sooner had I taken a few shots when in swoops the local Great Blue Heron and both birds flew. Here’s a pre-flood shot I took – it was nice to see him back.

Later, I saw both birds together downstream and chasing one another. Some birder friends and I watched the egret fishing contentedly a little later in the morning.

It was a nice Friday morning surprise and we hope our white friend will stick around for a bit.

Great Gray Owl in Hanover, NH

I noted recently that Great Gray Owls have shown up in the Montreal area and how several of my friends went up and found one.  Now, one of the regal birds has been seen just across the NH border in woods north of Hanover, NH.    I understand that a birder, Steve Mirick, contacted a photographer/birder, Jim Block, who took the first wonderful set of photos.

Yesterday, a hardy core of birders went to the area. One, Len Medlock, saw the bird about 9:00 AM and took this photograph. (Note: he has all rights reserved so I did not use the photo here.)   Then, he and others, braved cold and stiff winds until 5:00 PM to watch the swampy area where it was seen – with no further spottings.  A southern Vermont birder, looking elsewhere, got a quick look just after 5:00.  I expect that dozens of folks will look today and in the days ahead.

To get there:  Take Exit 18 off I-89 and head north, then take the Etna Road to Trescott. Trescott Road runs from Hanover to Etna for 3-4 miles. The owl, according the Jim Block, was first seen about half way along the road near the Water Company Land.  It was a 10 yards off the road when first seen.  Then it was seen in the marsh area.  Jason Lambert and Len Medlock left yellow ribbons at the parking lot entrance to the Appalachian trail (the parking area is across from a 35 mph speed sign on Trescott Rd.)  The trail leads to the area where the owl was seen.  It’s about a 3/4 mile along the trail to a marsh area – they left yellow tape along the way to guide you.  Here is a map the Len posted:

A trail map to the marsh by Len Medlock

A trail map to the marsh by Len Medlock

The best way to keep up with this fast-evolving search is to join the Google Groups “NHBirds” group.  It is easy to join and the fastest way to get updates on the success, or lack of it, from the many birders looking for this great owl.  Good luck.

Thinking About Vagrant Birds

Recently, I was given an old birding book by a friend who was culling her library.  I have a soft spot for bird books so while my overall collection of books is shrinking, my birding books seem to be breeding.

So I have been reading A Year on the Wing by Tim Dee, a Brit with a poetic flair who writes a month-by-month chronicle of birding experiences.  Some of the stories are more interesting than others but the one story that caught my attention and spurred this post had to do with a vagrant yellow-browed warbler.  Dee writes:

Along a fence at the cliff edge at Klinger’s Geo, dancing before my eyes, was a yellow-browed warbler…Yellow-browed warblers breed no nearer than the Siberian taiga. The bird in front of me, almost certainly only a few weeks out of the nest, should have flown in the opposite direction to winter in the open deciduous forests anywhere from Nepal to the Malay Peninsula….

The yellow-browed warbler I saw …  had made a mistake, and it is probable that no amount of nurture on Fair Isle (**where Dee was observing) could truly rescue it.  Vagrancy is a death sentence. Almost all of the rarities that arrive on the island (and almost all vagrants anywhere) will have the same fate.  They are wonderful treasures from far away that we cannot keep and cannot save.  There is very little evidence that vagrant birds reorient themselves and correct their journeys.  It seems likely that the yellow-browed warbler, having gone southwest where it should have gone southeast, would continue this aberrant direction and fly on west out over an ocean that has no refuges, no green skirts, for thousands of miles.  That would be the end of it.  It would soon be homeless.  I was watching a lost child at death’s door.

Vagrants are wonderful treasures from far away that we cannot keep and cannot save. photo of yellow-browed warbler by sussexbirder

Vagrants are wonderful treasures from far away that we cannot keep and cannot save. photo of yellow-browed warbler by sussexbirder

I thought about this yesterday as I traveled to New York state to look (and not find) the rare Common Pochard that was first seen on New Year’s Day on Lake Champlain.  It might be wild, it might be an escapee, but in any case, it’s a long ways from safety.  The other vagrant, which I’ve not chased but tracked by reports, was the Northern Lapwing in Massachusetts.  The finder wrote this post on January 2nd and expresses the mixed emotions of many birders who see rarities:

Despite a four hour vigil in Bridgewater, the Northern Lapwing was NOT seen.  Hopefully it found a warm spot or decided to fly to a more hospitable environment. This would have been the bird’s 53rd day since I found it on November 12th.  It brought many hundreds of people joy in its presence, from as far away as Canada, California, Hawaii.  I know of people from at least a dozen states and I’m sure there were more than that. Anyway, I’m sure we all hope the bird made it to a safe place and who knows, it may turn up again!!

This joy of discovery balanced by the reality of the bird’s situation was aptly described, with humor, by Jim Mead, an active Vermont birder who found a rare Ruby-crowned Kinglet last week:

This tiny bird has already survived 2 nor’easters, many cold days and nights including the night before last with temperatures between -10 to -20 below(F degrees). It was busily feeding while flashing its ruby colored crest the entire time… as I drove off I had a few thoughts.

This bird deserves an all expense paid, First Class, one way ticket to the south! It should be served all of the fresh water that it can drink and bathe in.   An employee of the airline should write a frenetic small bird menu so he can have his choice of desirable cuisine during the flight. I mean, with words like- Ruby, Crown and King in his name, shouldn’t he be treated like Royalty?

 

Two pelicans taken care of by the Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island hang out in a camping tent before being flown to Florida. photo by Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island

Two pelicans taken care of by the Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island hang out in a camping tent before being flown to Florida. photo by Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island

Many of us saw the news reports on the two Brown Pelicans blown north by Hurricane Sandy privately flown to Florida in November.  I think, even though it is impossible to do very often, that’s the way we’d like to help the rare birds many birders chase.  Let folks see them and then FedEx them to their true destination.

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Common Pochard — Yes!

On New Year’s Day, a very rare duck – a Common Pochard — was identified by Vermont birders with help from others.  It was seen on the second and not seen for two days,  until today, January 5th.

Common Pochard taken Jan. 2 by Larry Master

Common Pochard taken Jan. 2 by Larry Master

Here is the alert issued on VTBIRD by Jim Mead.

Leave it to Ted Murin(one of Vermont’s Top Birders) to have the perseverance to try and relocate the Common Pochard for others to get a chance to see it. He called me about 25 minutes ago to tell me that he has in fact seen the Common Pochard this morning at 10:05 a.m. !!! I was close to my house when he called and raced home to get the word out to all of you ASAP. He was on the NY side of the Champlain Bridge when he found it and he just called me again to tell me that he is trying it from the VT side. It is very windy- about 15-20 mph from the NW. The ice edge is closer to the bridge now and the best place to see the duck at this time would be from the bridge. The Pochard is with a large mixed flock of ducks approx. 1/4 to 1/2 mile from shore and approx. 3/4 of a mile from the bridge. When he saw it, it was close to the ice edge. He said that the viewing is good aside from the wind. He also mentioned that there are 16 Bald Eagles there and that they are putting an attack on the ducks and it is quite a show.

I hope that many more of you get a chance to see this rare beauty.

Good luck to all and thank you very much Ted- nice job. Jim Mead