Periods of showers, high 70s
One of the more exciting aspects of birding is the "chase". Chasing or "twitching" as it is known in Europe, involves traveling to see a bird you need for your life-list or year-list. The bird is generally a rare or endangered species that has been found outside its normal range. Today, Sharon and I joined several friends to chase after a Vermillion flycatcher, a bird normally found in the deep southwest from California to Texas. Why the bird is here in central Florida, no one really knows. Could it have been blown off course by a storm. Could its "navigation" system have gone awry. Perhaps some of the "navigational aids" such as the celestial sky was obscured by cloudy weather. For whatever reason, to get this bird in Florida is a real treat. And so, after reports of the rarity were made public on the birding hotline (which all serious birders are plugged into), we set out for Orlando Wetlands Park, a trip of about 1 hour. One hour is a short trip for chasing a bird, and if you happen to miss the bird, well, it's really not a big deal. It's when you chase a bird that is many hours away that you really feel frustrated by missing it. In any even, we got the bird. A distant view, but a definitive look. It was too far for the camera, but not so far that I couldn't get a shot which is good enough to show the characteristics of the bird that make it a Vermillion flycatcher.
Now, going after a target bird is different. In this case, the bird is often found where you are going to look for it. The bird ay be rare because it is only found in a certain localized habitat. Or it could be common in an area, but it is not common to you because you do not live in the area. So a bird like a Florida Scrub jay is not something you have to "chase". That bird will be there tomorrow, the next day, next week, more than likely nest year. We are with two birders who hail from Alaska and are here visiting family. For them, the birds will be "lifers". For those of us who live in the area, they are birds we are happy to have on our life-list, but they are birds we can go see anytime. We had several target birds for our friends today.....the Painted bunting, the Great horned owl, the Florida scrub jay, and the Great white pelican. Well, three our of four ain't bad.
We bagged all but the Great horned who for some reason was not at it's normal roost today. All but the White pelican were found in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The pelicans were found in their normal winter environs on the Indian River in Oak Hill.
Tomorrow morning, we will head down to our weekly walk along the Indian River Lagoon to see what the warming temps and longer days have brought in. We'll let you know how we made out in our next entry.
 |
| Vermillion flycatcher |
Now, going after a target bird is different. In this case, the bird is often found where you are going to look for it. The bird ay be rare because it is only found in a certain localized habitat. Or it could be common in an area, but it is not common to you because you do not live in the area. So a bird like a Florida Scrub jay is not something you have to "chase". That bird will be there tomorrow, the next day, next week, more than likely nest year. We are with two birders who hail from Alaska and are here visiting family. For them, the birds will be "lifers". For those of us who live in the area, they are birds we are happy to have on our life-list, but they are birds we can go see anytime. We had several target birds for our friends today.....the Painted bunting, the Great horned owl, the Florida scrub jay, and the Great white pelican. Well, three our of four ain't bad.
We bagged all but the Great horned who for some reason was not at it's normal roost today. All but the White pelican were found in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The pelicans were found in their normal winter environs on the Indian River in Oak Hill.
No comments:
Post a Comment