I often think of all the rare birds that land in someone's yard and are seen only by people who don't know the difference between a sparrow and a warbler.
A few days ago a bird wandered about 2700 km (by road) out of its way and landed in a farmyard near Zealandia, Saskatchewan. It was seen by a man who describes himself as an independent birder. However, this time he knew he could not continue his birding in solitude. Independent or not, he realized this bird had to be shared.
A report came through on the birder telegraph Friday afternoon. The farm is only 110 km from our farm (also by road) so we decided to go see it. Saturday morning. We were concerned it might not stick around. A day and a half later it is still there. (I want to go see it again!) The weather was cool, windy and overcast. It would be fun to see it in the sun. If sunshine was to happen any time soon, that is.
This independent birder has now shared his beautifully treed yard with what is likely more than 50 of Saskatchewan's most exuberant birders, as well as a few from Manitoba and Alberta. This is an extraordinary bird to see on the prairies. Our concern is whether it will find a friendly flock with which to travel south or will it stay and likely perish in what is forecast to be an unseasonably cold winter. Phainopeplas are normally found in the desert regions of Mexico and southwest USA.
Here are a couple of photos I took of this female of indeterminate age. (If I went back maybe I'd get better photos. Who knows? She must be getting used to posing for photos by now.)
Because we went to the see this bird, we also met more than a dozen other birders who had also come to see it. Most we'd heard of through online connections but only one we'd met before. (While searching for a Bar-tailed Godwit in 2010.) It would have been great to see these other birders even without finding the Phainopepla. Doing both made for a great day.
Birding is a lot of fun. I am ever grateful for the incredible variety in the bird world.
