Rarely does something as epic as a first ever mega rare bird come along and pull the entire US birding community together as quickly as the Rufous-necked Wood Rail did a few days ago. And it would happen 6 hours away(5 if you push it) from Tucson in the beautiful Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Refuge of New Mexico.
Red-tail Hawk nesting
Twitchers, people who chase these mega-rare birds, fly and drive from all over the country to find these rare gems. People doing Big Years join together and rush to the scene to get the "tick" that will possibly give them the edge in the competition. I wanted to experience this event (and possibly see this bird). But to drive all of this in one day and be back by the next day.......well that's something quite different.
Green Heron
This past week the bird has been spotted around the Marsh Loop basking and playing in the sun for hours. Birders spy upon the bird with their scopes and binoculars. The Rufous-neck Wood Rail performed several dances, a couple of songs and taught me a lesson I won't quickly forget.
Western Sandpipers
This bird, common to tropical and subtropical conditions, found its way into New Mexico. It is a US first and driving birders mad! For several days this past week, it has been out in full sight, but as we'd find out quickly, our luck would run out. We left early in the morning from Tucson and arrived at 12:45. And what's the line birders hate to hear the most? Oh yeah....."You just missed it!" But my ears could still hear it. It was still there. And I heard it fly through the reeds away from us. Then far away from us.......
Least Bittern
We spent over 6 hours with many birders searching the reeds. North. South. East. West. Nothing. Wait???!!! Is that a Least Bittern out in the open? Why yes it was!!! A lifebird. I would get distracted by these little surprises and forget about the time. But back to this bird. I've been doing this long enough to get "feelings in my gut". When the bird stopped calling from a far distance, I knew that the honeymoon was over for many of us. I spent a week hemming and hawing over going to this place. Each day the reports would come in with positive observations and I felt drawn to this event. Not drawn.....more like pulled. Eventually, I convinced myself to go with Pat. If I didn't try, I'd regret staying home for what will probably be the biggest show of the year for many birders.
Western Sandpiper-note Rufous-y Colors and patches on wings
And yet I learned a lot about the people behind "twitching". They are addicted to the hunt. One woman said that it was a "bad carbon footprint" to chase rare birds. Another said that she had a disease. I asked her if she was sick. She responded yes......"Sick in the head for chasing birds." Another told me a story about how he left to chase this bird in the middle of a family event. Yet another older woman drove alone from a far away place to find this one single bird out in the middle of nowhere. One man came from work and had a head piece that spoke directly into his head. No scope. No binoculars. Fancy clothes and a head piece. The stories went on and on like this. I discovered a whole new level of birders that I hadn't met before. True dedication.
Least Sandpiper-note yellow legs. Also the smallest of sandpipers
There was one stylish lady with a cowboy hat from Southern Arizona who made me smile on our hot and muggy hunt. She was fun to pass the time with as we waited and listened for "the bird". She had been everywhere during her life. And by no means was she finished! I really liked her. Overall, the experience was a bit overwhelming. Like any community, there are those who are cocky, hilarious, smug, humble, etc. This crowd had them all. They rattled off refuges and wildlife preserves from all around the world. They were world birders.......like me. But not me because they must have had a little money:)
While waiting for this bird, I became antsy and dehydrated. There were so many other things flying around us that captured my attention. How in the world did I stand in one place for 6 and half hours???!!!!! Well the Least Bittern was one of the reasons:)
Desert Spiny Lizard
I began to walk. Pat went to the car and saw a bird that looked like a cross between a turkey and peacock. My brain began racing. What in tarnation was Pat saying??? Big as a turkey.....but not. Like a Peacock.....but not. I pulled up my data and discovered that this peacock may be in fact a "Ring-necked Pheasant"!!! And there were coati, deer, snakes and other critters out there! Why was I wasting my time on this boardwalk??!!!
Monarch Butterfly
The people waited and waited. The sun became brighter and brighter.....hotter. Muggier. The mosquitoes became very bad.
That was it. I walked from the boardwalk and.......got lost in the world around me. I am not a Twitcher. Yes I chase birds but I will not twitch again. And yet....:) Seriously, the whole reason why I bird is because I love the hiking and wildlife photography.
Western Meadowlark
And when I did this, things became clear. No more. I'll hopefully one day see this bird down in Mexico or Central America, but for now, I will not miss out on what is PRESENT.
And that's how we found our Ring-necked Pheasant.
People are currently finding the Rufous-necked Wood Rail from the same location at the Marsh Loop area of Bosque Del Apache. It was a no show last night and this morning, but as of this write, it's back! There are lots of happy birders out there.
Eventually we ate at this place near Socorro
For the latest information on rare birds around the US, the ABA Rare Bird page can be found on Facebook. The ABA Listserv is a also a great place to find out what's going on in your area. I put the video down below from when it was first discovered by Matt Daw. Finding Least Bitterns out in the open is amazing. But having it photobombed by a rare bird? Well now that's epic. More coming up.......
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