Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Hermit Thrush In Tempe!

Prairie Warbler is super rare to the state of AZ.  Currently, it's been showing well at Saguaro Lake near Phoenix, AZ.  State bird!
People always wonder how I find rare birds.  Well, it's a little bit of me and it's a whole lot of birders working together reporting their findings around the state, country and world. We are all a big part of the "network". On a daily or hourly basis, we can receive an email with rarity reports from the AZ Listserv or ebird. 

During a rain event, we targeted the grasslands for a Short-eared Owl and we got our sights on TWO!  They are difficult birds for Arizona.  Another state bird and Arizona nemesis NO MORE!
Anyone who subscribes to the AZ listserv will recognize the title of this post. Everyone has at least one of these birders in their community. While it is significant to their backyard patch, it is not significant to the overall community.  It's a tiny piece of a larger puzzle that we, as individual birders monitor in our own worlds.

Arizona Song Sparrow has unique rufousy tones when compared to the other subspecies of Song Sparrow
I'll get a buzz on my phone. Ooooo!  What is it?  A Trumpeter Swan in Tucson?  An Eared Quetzal on the Carrie Nation Trail?  A Prairie Warbler at Saguaro Lake? Nope. Just a Hermit Thrush on private property in Tempe.  WTF!  Even if that were a rare bird for this time of year, it's on private property!  So why even post it?


It's not a Louisiana Waterthrush.  That's rare. 

I finally have excellent views of a beautiful Louisiana Waterthrush
It's not a Red-breasted Sapsucker.  That's significant. 


A Hermit Thrush is up there with a Ladder-backed Woodpecker(at least in AZ). It's one of our most common birds found around the state.

Ladder-backed Woodpecker
If it were an American Bittern at Sweetwater, one should probably mention it. That's a rarity. 

An American Bittern holds still in the reeds at Sweetwater Wetlands. 
But do you know what's not a rarity?  A Pied-billed Grebe. Or Hermit Thrush. 

A Pied-billed Grebe out of water
When an email is sent out about the Hermit Thrush in their backyard, birders give each other the look and ask the question in a most cynical tone, "Are you going to chase that Hermit Thrush in Tempe?" We have a laugh.  Don't they know that a Hermit Thrush isn't rare?  Hasn't anyone told them? S/he seems like a nice person. And I do love their excitement.  But still.......

Rufous-winged Sparrow at my work site
If it were a Red-breasted Nuthatch at Reid Park in Tucson, THAT is newsworthy. 

A rare wintering Red-breasted Nuthatch at Reid Park in Tucson
A wintering Zone-tailed Hawk in Tucson is worth a chase!

A wintering Zone-tailed Hawk hangs out at Reid Park in Tucson
Even the casual, yet still rare, Northern Parula is worthy of a shout out. 

A Northern Parula
A Gila Woodpecker in Arizona, however, is not a rare bird and should never be reported on the listerv for Tucson or Phoenix.  Now if one was found in Florida, then birders should absolutely, without a doubt, report that miraculous sighting. 

A male Gila Woodpecker feeds from pecans
And while Pyrrhuloxias are cool, they are not rare for several parts of the state.  If it was found outside of its habitat range, then THAT is news worthy. 

The Desert Cardinal or Pyrrhuloxia
A Rufous-backed Robin should always be reported. Because it's rare ANYWHERE!

Rufous-backed Robin
And while a Hermit Thrush is NOT rare in Tempe during the winter months, it *might* be a significant find during our hot summer months.  One summer, I remember finding American Robins on a green patch in Phoenix, AZ. That was rare. And do you know what else I found?  A Hermit Thrush. Unusual.  But not rare:) 


A Prairie Falcon
Now this person has been doing this for years.  I don't know if they are a man or woman.  I just know that if I see that post, HERMIT THRUSH IN TEMPE! one more time, I will scream. If you are new to an area, observe what local birders are posting as "rare".  


A Hermit Thrush NOT in Tempe
The whole purpose of this write?  Well, it makes me more conscious about what I should and should NOT post when reporting birds to the community.  Very rarely is it appropriate to report a rare bird if it's on private property UNLESS birders can legally chase the bird from the road or have permission to enter the property.  Currently, a homeowner in Tucson is ok with birders coming to her house and looking at her rare Streak-backed Oriole. On a side note, don't post your exact sightings of owls. I've watched people go crazy over owls and they do some inappropriate things. However, it's okay to post your sightings of a Hermit Thrush:)  Most people wouldn't chase it. Until next time......

19 comments:

  1. I hope you'll have a birds' dictionary published one day.

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    1. Oh my gosh.....do you know how many birds there are??!!! Over 10,000 species....10, 2oo+ to be a little more precise. Can you imagine?!

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  2. Hello, wonderful variety of birds and gorgeous photos. I love the scenic views and pretty skies too. I have noticed some battles going on about birders or are they photographers trespassing on private land to get their bird/owl shots. These people make it hard for the people who are following the rules. Happy birding, enjoy your day!

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    1. I agree. It frustrates us over here as well. And everyone knows who the trespassers are over here and it gets us a little hot under the collar. One guy trespassed and a whole ranch area was shutdown to birders for the guy's careless act. Not cool.

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  3. You bring up a point that has bristled me, a LeConte's Sparrow Reported on Private Property here in SC gave me angst! What is the sense to even post it! Only a hand full of people gloating... that they got to see it I presume! Access is the main reason this State (SC) is so under birded.

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    1. They're gloating. Put it on ebird. Don't post it to the community if you aren't going to open your home up to see the bird. I feel your pain!

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  4. Your post made me chuckle repeatedly! Great shots of the rare and not-rare! :-)

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    1. Thanks:) Birds are cool. People make the experiences....unforgettable:)

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  5. WOW is all I can think of to say. Such a wonderful assortment of birds. I would be afraid to go on private property to chase a bird. I'm afraid I would end up getting arrested. Happy Wednesday!

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    1. And here in Arizona, I'd be afraid to get shot! Happy Wednesday to you!!!

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  6. I saw an albino robin at our house. I took a photo too. That's my most exciting robin. In other news, it was a great birding year in Guatemala last month.

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    1. An albino robin is awesome. You don't see those everday. I think the bird nerds call the white bird anomaly a leucistic bird. And I'd say...yeah....albino. They'd just shake their heads at me:)

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  7. I would like to see at least a small part of the birds that you have seen. I admire your passion. Regards.

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  8. Hi Chris. I can understand your frustration at people posting information on non-twitchable birds that are relatively common, but I think we all need to be somewhat careful to not be too dismissive of 'beginners' who do not fully understand the rules or the rarity factor of specific species. I can remember, with some embarrassment, in my very early birding days when visiting the café of a well-known birding reserve, standing up and exclaiming that there was a woodpecker on the feeders outside the window. For the sake of the planet, we should do all we can to encourage novice nature lovers and the younger generation, and this often requires a certain level of tolerance and understanding. - However, if this same person has been exclaiming 'Hermit Thrush in Tempe' for some years, it might indicate a mental condition that requires a different sort of understanding!

    My best wishes to you both - - - Richard

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  9. Hello! I do agree with you. They are passionate about their birds. For the chasers, it has been something that has been stated time and time again. So I approached this topic that always surfaces with a little bit of info for others who post rarities. In Arizona, we have a lot of photographers who are not birders and like to post random birds on rare alert sites for attention to their photography. They get booted off the rare alert sites, but it's never ending here:) Several people have created a "love of nature" site for those people so that they can share their work because as you say, it's important that we all share our love for nature. As this post was written, another sighting of the thrush went up and got people going again so this is a reaction from the community:) However, I can tell you that they do not have a mental condition. They're just a nice elderly couple who love birds and post them on the rare bird alert:) I am forever fascinated by people and their interactions/reactions in the birding community.

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  10. Lol! Someone pushed your buttons! You are a hoot! Just don't let it send you over the edge! Besides, that Prairie Warbler makes up for it. I didn't even get one last year in Maine. That is a sweet photo of the pied-billed grebe.

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    1. You could say that:) I am writing for all of the state chasers who follow the listserv. The Hermit Thrush postings always seem to come up during our treks. As for the Prairie Warbler, it was a happy day for us. That is one precious state bird. The addition of eastern warblers on the state list are like rare gems! The birds on the after 400 list are pretty amazing! I am still 60 away from hitting 500 birds. Not an easy task.

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  11. I have several little Red Breasted Nuthatches living near my house...winter and summer...so cute.... The white breasted ones seem to go away in the winter ...and, who can blame them? today it is snowing yet again... we now have 4 feet on the ground at least and I can hardly throw a shovel full high enough for it not to come back in my face... and, it is -13C.....

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