"What the hell's that doing here?"

 As a beginning birder, I rely heavily on the expertise of others as I am checking species off my list. I have two methods of finding birds, either going on a guided walk with an expert or, the far more unsure but exciting method, chasing a rarity. So far in 2023, I've chased after 3 rare birds in New England, but have yet to find any of them.

The first hunt was for the pink footed goose, appropriate as that was the species that eluded Jack Black's character in 'The Big Year' until the very end of his quest. It's actually becoming a bit more common in the United States, being occasionally seen tucked into flocks of Canada geese, but typically it's a cold weather bird that prefers Eastern Canada and Greenland. While the weather is chilly here, I'll be taking more road trips to where it's been seen around Ellington, CT.

Pink Footed Goose - Photo credit - Connecticut Audubon

The second bird is a bit harder to spot. The yellow breasted chat is about the size of a sparrow and likes to hide in thick brambles, but it has a bright yellow chest to help it stand apart. Normally seen in areas to the south and west of New England, there have been recent sightings at Harkness State Park in Waterford, Connecticut. I joined a guided walk led by the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center of Mystic, and while we saw various sparrows and waterfowl, the chat proved to be elusive. I'll keep this one on my day trip list as well.

Yellow Breasted Chat - Photo credit - Connecticut Audubon

The third and most spectacular of my target species this month was the incredibly rare Steller's Sea-Eagle that has been spotted on the coast of Maine over the last few weeks. There are estimated to be only about 5,000 of these birds in existence, primarily living in Southern Siberia and Northern Japan, but in 2021, a lone SSE was seen in the United States for the first time. With brief appearances in Alaska and Texas, it took up a temporary residence near Bath, Maine at the end of the year and was seen there until the beginning of March 2022, when it migrated up to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland for the summer. The birding world became very excited when 'Stella' returned to Maine this month. Since it was only a 4 hour drive from home, I made the trek, staying over one night in Portland and spending two chilly days outdoors on the hunt. Sadly, while the magnificent bird was spotted, it was never in my view. This my prove to be the most difficult rarity for my Big Year list, but I have hope for some summer trips to Canada so it's not out of the question.

Steller's Sea-Eagle - Photo credit - Matt Felperin

My hunt for rarities may not have been fruitful regarding the target species, but I've seen quite a few common residents with the assistance of experienced birders on their own quests. And that leads me to one of the best parts of birding, which is documented in the film 'The Big Year' - the camaraderie. Sure, there are the occasional arrogant loners who barely speak to others and won't share information, but those are few and far between. The majority of my fellow bird enthusiasts have been friendly, warm and generous. Case in point, the area in which the Steller's Sea-Eagle has been seen most frequently is reached by a narrow dirt road, which became very heavily traveled over the last few weeks. Unseasonably warm temperatures have thawed the area and turned the road into a deeply tracked mud track that eventually was closed to the public to stop the damage. At the suggestion of other birders on Facebook, I started to GoFundMe page to raise money to send to the town in hopes of offsetting some of the road repair expenses that we created in our fervor. I raised over $1500 in three days, with more donations being sent by check straight to the town. It's this type of attitude that gives me hope for our community and makes me glad to be part of it. I hope my Big Year leads me to more wonderful people like this, and perhaps even some deeper friendships, initially created by a shared love of birds.

Species spotted while looking for rarities:

    Mourning Dove

    Northern Cardinal

    Brant

    Canada Goose

    Gadwall

    American Black Duck

    Bufflehead

    Great Cormorant

    Northern Mockingbird

    White-throated Sparrow

    American Crow

    Mallard

    Hooded Merganser

    Common Goldeneye

    Bald Eagle

    Red-tailed Hawk