Part 1 (posted a while ago) of this was about a local Celeb, this is about Big Year Celebs. When the Terek Sandpiper graced Westerly it was only the third time that bird has visited the US (see Circus for the Birds).
I was tempted to hang out in the Watch Hill Parking lot like a fan-girl. There were two big year winners there.
Neil Hayward 2013 is kind of expected. He lives in the Boston area and it’s only a little over an hour drive – well worth it for a lifer (a new bird on your list) when your US list is already 863. He also wrote a book – Lost Among the Birds. It is an engaging account of his “Accidental” Big Year. I highly recommend it. He found the bird.
Ruben Stoll 2017 was not, his US list is 867. He came from Tennessee and didn’t see the bird. Thanks to recommendations from a neighbor of mind he did find a few other birds that don’t get to Tennessee. Still it’s a long way to go to not find the bird.
Birders with a list that long, must have some kind of rationalization for traveling that far and not finding what they are looking for.
Often it was there 10 minutes before they arrived or came back 10 minutes after they left.
Frustrating.
Zen birding lesson of the day: You won’t always find what you are looking for – wait that was one of my lessons before. Maybe it is actually the Zen birding lesson of the year.
Comentarios