Thursday, December 2, 2010

My First Rarity

On November 18, CT Audubon posted on their blog about a rare sighting in CT; a Fork-Tailed Flycatcher was seen in Stamford, CT, and was only the third of this species ever recorded in this state. Usually a southern bird, it is said to be spotted annually up along the East Coast.

While I have recently been following the rare bird sightings on the CT Ornithological Association website, I hadn't gone so far as to actually go see one of the rarities listed... until this one. I had seen many Scissor-Tailed Flycatchers when I was working down in Texas, and found them quite beautiful. Since these are similar species, I was anxious to get a look at this one.

I was unable to get down there until Sunday, so until then, I crossed my fingers that the Flycatcher would remain. Checking the website before I left, I was happy to see it was still in sight. I had no doubt that I would be able to find it when I got there; remember, look for the people with binoculars! Sure enough, there were about 10 or so birders gathered watching, and I got a great look before he flew down into a small grove of trees, obscuring my view.

Awesome!

Photo courtesy of Flickr user campylopterus.

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