16 replies to this topic

[Pat B.]

Thanks to Jodie (cabirds) for this idea. What have you chased?

I'm not a serious bird chaser, but I do subscribe to all listservs/alerts in the northern Utah area. If I see something reported somewhat locally that I haven't seen, I do make an effort to go after it.

Last month a Long-tailed Duck (fka Oldsquaw) was reported on the Antelope Island causeway. This is a "good bird" for this area and the lists lit up - people posting GPS coordinates, e-mailing while sighting, etc. Oddly, it was floating quite close to shore, all by itself, and so was very easy to see (if you knew where to look). I made two loooong, slow trips on that causeway, but didn't see the bird. About three hours later, it was reported last seen being carried off by a Northern Harrier. Apparently the poor thing was sick and nature did its thing.

[NatureLady]

That's sad:( Poor Long-tailed Duck.

[cabirds]

I'm sooo sorry Pat! Sorry you didn't see it, but more sorry that I sprayed soda out of my nose just now. I'm soooo sorry I found your story riotously funny. I _did not_ see the "punch line" coming. "[...]it was reported last seen being carried off by a Northern Harrier." THAT is an _awesome_ story!

We spent the day chasing the Falcated-rockstar Duck this winter - but did get some waaaaay distant looks at it. And then today chasing the absent Goldfinches that you read about.

But nothing to compete with your story!

[creeker]

Sucessful chases so far this year include Common Redpoll, Green-tailed Towhee, Reddish Egret, Eurasian Wigeon, and Red-breasted Merganser. Unsucessful chases were Painted Redstart and Harris's Sparrow. I tried three separate days for the Harris's.

[Pat B.]

I _did not_ see the "punch line" coming. "[...]it was reported last seen being carried off by a Northern Harrier." THAT is an _awesome_ story!

We must have similar senses of humor! I also found the situation somewhat funny in a perverted sense. Here are all these people lining the causeway with their high-tech toys, looking for an obviously sick duck to no avail and the Harrier swoops in and says "Ha! Here it is, you fools!"

We could add this situation to our long thread last week about countability. We pretty much agreed that dead birds don't count, but what about a live bird being carried off by another? Would it be a captive bird?

[illin]

My furthest chase was to Indiana to see the Hooded Crane, about a four hour drive each way.

My most frustrating chase is a toss up between Mountain Bluebird and Snowy Owl. I probably dipped on each five times til I finally got them and they were both over an hour away from my house.

Some others on my life list that I got by twitching are Hudsonian Godwit, Eurasian Wigeon, Tundra and Mute Swan, Common Redpoll, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Red-throated Loon, Red-necked Grebe, Purple Sandpiper, Baird's Sandpiper, Northern Saw-whet, Screech, and Long-eared Owl, and I am sure a few more I can't think of. I have chased a bunch of birds here in Illinois.

In all though I really hate chasing birds. The anticipation sucks and there is nothing worse than a long drive home after dipping. But when you do manage to get em it's like .

[horseface]

Does chase mean you went online to see where a specific bird was and went to see it? I don't know that I've ever even done that. But I did "chase" a painted bunting when I was in south carolina for a week in the summer. It was in early july and I got a list of places where one could be seen. First place I tried was some place in southern NC so I went there and they said the last time one had been seen was like 2 weeks ago. So I looked around and thought I heard one so stayed in one place. Then a minute or two later there it was in all its glory. And not some crappy female either it was the male. Not only was it a great bird, it was the first time I ever saw a new songbird by listening to the song and knowing that specific bird was in the area. Not anything super rare or anything. But it's one of my crown jewel sightings for sure, up there with White-tailed Tropicbird.

[BarnSwallow]

Chasing usually refers to traveling to look for a reported rarity, but I've done a lot more of looking for a local specialty than chasing rarities. I think the only bird I've really twitched was the snowy owl I got this past winter. I figured that was the only way I was going to get one and this was the year to do it. I missed the prairie falcon that was in the same area, but picked up a Townsend's warbler that was nearby.

I went to Texas for my brother's wedding a few years ago and planned a side trip to Aransas. I already had whooping cranes - I had seen a pair in Yellowstone a few years before - but thought Aransas would be a good place to go anyway. I got crested caracara on the way down, and got white-tailed hawk there. Oh, I was all excited when I heard I was going to Texas, because I really wanted to see a scissor-tailed flycatcher, but was disappointed when I realized they wouldn't be there in February. I was driving out to Aransas, looked over to a little field, and there was my scissor-tailed FC!!! The only one I saw.

I also saw a lot of javelina, which I'd always wanted to see, and fox squirrels.




I looked for white-tailed ptarmigan a couple of times when I was in the Rockies - missed it, looked for great gray owl in Yellowstone - there was one seen earlier that morning, but I missed it, found my black rosy-finch the second time looking for it, in Glacier, missed the nene after looking 3 times, and I might need to really go looking for a prothonotary warbler this year.

[JimBob]

Did you count Mute Swan? I haven't because I have only seen a pair of them at a little pond that were put there.

[BarnSwallow]

I have mute swan because I've seen them in the "wild". They breed in Long Island, where I saw a lot of wild ones, and they also breed in the Chesapeake Bay. I wouldn't have counted them if I had only seen them as "park swans".

[sandylee]

Mute Swans are pretty much wild here, do breed, and can be seen on Lake Michigan and some of the inland lakes. I've never thought about having to chase a Mute! Tundras also stop by on their way further north, and Trumpeters also breed in the area.

[illin]

Did you count Mute Swan? I haven't because I have only seen a pair of them at a little pond that were put there.

Yeah. Showed up at a preserve, where there a few days and then they were gone. They were wild, there are actually quite a few along the Illinois river. You count the Eurasian Tree Sparrows you see don't you?

[JimBob]

Uh yes I do. I didn't thin about it like that. . .

[illin]

I am pretty sure that our wild Mutes originated from about the same time as European Starlings, Eurasian Tree Sparrows, and Ho. Sparrows. There were societies back in the 1800's dedicated to introducing new species. Really was a bad idea.

[JimBob]

Ditto, a very bad idea! Although Eurasian Tree Sparrows are not mean or invasive. . . I don't mind them at all.

[Bird Whisperer]

I should probably be a more active chaser. In my area, there have been a Harris' Sparrow, a Falcated Duck, a mated pair of Snowy Plovers, and a Common Ringed Plover - none of which I twitched. Ooh, thinking about all those missed birds makes my head hurt.

[NatureLady]

Well me and Simon have been on three chases; two successful! The first was in search of the Common Crane in Nebraska. Well we found the Sandhill Cranes but not Common Code4 ;((( blog entry~ http://bigtruckbigye...mmon-crane.html

Then in early March there was a sighting of a LeConte's Sparrow in Owling Mills, MD we had gotten a ebird rare alert and on our vacation went and got it!! The link below is the blog entry about it! http://bigtruckbigye...everything.html

The last was the Eurasian Tree Sparrow in last March, we were going through Davenport, IA so I did an eBird search and there had been some spotted along the river! So we found a spot to park the truck and had to walk about a mile to see them but we spotted them! Didn't get the greatest pictures and also didn't do a blog entry about those either.