Back in late October, a rare visitor dropped into Madison—a black-throated gray warbler, normally found west of the Rockies. Everyone thought he would be a one-day-wonder, stopping for a quick pit-stop before continuing to ride the winds south on his journey to Mexico. But he stayed. And he stayed. And he stayed.
Against all odds, he is still here. It’s hard to not be concerned about this little guy’s choices. He likely ended up here after being blown off course by some strong winds, but why he’s not continuing south to his wintering grounds in Mexico is a mystery. Birds often do things we can’t explain.
For a new birder, seeing a rare bird like this can feel like a rite of passage. But unless you’re the one to stumble across a rarity, how would you even know it’s out there? How can you hear about these cool sightings, much less learn how to track them down? This week’s Entryway to Birding blog brings you the inside scoop on rarities, so you too can experience that special birding thrill.
This black-throated gray warbler has been hanging out at Olin-Turville Conservation Park in Madison, WI. He’s been here over three weeks, feasting on bugs and hammin’ it up for the camera. When he first arrived, he was foraging high in tree tops. Now he is foraging low in the brush along the path, which makes finding and seeing him a lot easier. Read tips about how to find this rare bird at the end of today’s post. Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
The Power of a Rarity
A rare bird captures our imaginations. There’s wonder and intrigue surrounding their origin stories. How did they get here? Were they blown off course? Are they a species that’s known to wander? Is this a small sign of their range expanding? Add to that the thrill of seeing something unusual for your area—a species that you might not ever otherwise see! You’ve got the excitement of gaining a lifer and the memorable experience of tracking them down in a place close to home.
But my favorite thing about rarities is the deep feeling of connectedness, of shared joy, of community amongst birders that results from a very rare bird sighting. It brings birders together, yes, but it also highlights how much the birding community is just that—a community. No single birder can find everything on their own. It takes a team effort. It takes sharing knowledge, tips, advice, or even just driving directions!
I have found that rarities highlight the selflessness and generosity of the birding community. Everyone wants everyone else to be able to experience the joy of a special bird sighting, because we all know what it means to care about birds.
Case in point: Many updates went out, day after day, to confirm that this extremely rare red phalarope being seen Lake Mendota was still present for more birders to find. While the bird has now moved on, it luckily stayed most of the week and was very tolerating of visitors. This species breeds in the far Arctic regions and migrates down eastern and western coastlines along the ocean. It is very rarely found inland, yet here it was, less than 10 ft from the shore at the Warner Park boat launch. According to eBird records, it is the second red phalarope reported in Dane County, with the first record being back in 1899. Crazy! Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
What Makes a Rare Bird “Rare”?
Rare can mean different things depending on the context. You should understand that there are not only different levels of rarities, but also many reasons why a bird might be considered rare. Let’s look at a few of them.
Out of range. A bird may be flagged as rare when it’s seen outside of its usual range. This sometimes happens during migration as birds get blown off course by storms or strong winds. If there are repeated sightings over many years of a bird being found in an area adjacent to its range, it could be a sign that the range is expanding. That’s why it’s particularly important to document such sightings on platforms like eBird so scientists are able to study these cases.
This is heavily cropped, zoomed in picture of two golden eagles perched on the east bluff of Devil’s Lake. Golden eagles generally don’t venture this far east, but the frequency of their sightings in Wisconsin has been increasing over the years. If you’d like to see these golden eagles, you’ve still got the chance! As of writing this, they’re still being seen at Devil’s Lake. Your best chance to see them is to visit the section of the Ice Age Trail that traverses the meadow on the east side of the park. From the parking lot, scan north of the meadow and west towards the east bluff to maybe catch them soaring. Afternoons are best, when there are more thermals for them to ride. After I watched them from the parking lot, I walked the Ice Age Trail path and got very, very lucky to see one fly into a tree and join the other. Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
Early or late in the season. A bird that is seen out of season may also be considered rare. Even though you may have seen an eastern phoebe in the summer and know that this bird can be found in your area, the eastern phoebe you spot in the middle of winter would be considered rare. These sightings are also worth documenting on eBird, so scientists can learn more about why some species choose to overwinter or migrate off-schedule.
Endangered or threatened species. There are some species whose numbers are so low that they are considered endangered or threatened. These birds are considered rare even if you are seeing them in an appropriate season. Depending on how sensitive the status of the species is, their records may be hidden from public output on eBird. For example, you cannot see whooping crane sightings on eBird to protect these endangered birds from potential threats.
I felt very lucky to witness this distant whooping crane family in Dodge County. I had to zoom in really far to get this photo, and then wait patiently while these three took their sweet time crossing the road. (I didn’t mind in the slightest!) Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
These are just a few of the reasons that a bird may be considered rare—and sometimes these situations can overlap. Madison’s black-throated gray warbler, for instance, is not only far out of range but also very late in the season.
For more information on rare birds in Wisconsin, check out the Wisconsin Society of Ornithology’s state review list. This is a list of rare birds that have been documented in Wisconsin as of 2018 but aren’t typically found here. These species are higher up on the rarity scale than an early or late resident bird. A sighting of one of these birds is bound trigger a rare bird alert, which we’ll talk about next.
The more you learn about rarities, the more you’ll start to form your own understanding of this figurative rarity scale. It may range from a “Huh, that’s unexpected” sighting all the way to “Gotta go!” as you mad dash out the door on an early lunch break, binoculars in hand.
Navigating the World of Rare Bird Alerts
Your chances of stumbling across a rarity on your own are pretty slim—though of course it’s not unheard of! This is why you should always be birding every bird you see, as you never know what you might find. In my own experience, though, I often feel too inexperienced to recognize a rarity on my own, especially if it looks similar to a bird that is more common in our area. The finer, detailed points that often distinguish rarities are something that birders with several years of experience are better at picking out.
This is why I’m often “chasing” rare birds that others have reported via rare bird alerts. (Don’t worry, I’m not actually chasing them. This is some birder lingo for specifically seeking out a target species.) I remain hopeful that one day, in the distant future, I might experience the joyous thrill of stumbling across my own rarity … but for now, I’ll take what I can get!
This red-throated loon, left, was spotted far out on Lake Monona this fall. Had I scoped this bird on my own, I might have called it a common loon. But I went looking after a rare bird alert went out, and some more experienced birders helped me learn its unique field marks. It miraculously made its way closer and posed next to this common loon, right, for a great comparison shot. Note its smaller size, smaller head, and thinner bill that it holds at a slightly upturned angle. Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
How do I know what rarities are out there, you ask? There are a few ways that you can monitor rare sightings in your region, and the options you choose can depend on how invested you are in your effort. Let’s take a look at how you can get the “inside scoop” on your area’s rare birds.
eBird’s Rare Bird Alerts
If you’re invested enough in birding as a hobby that you’re out seeking rarities, I’m guessing that you’re already using eBird on a regular basis. (Am I wrong? Have you not yet made your eBird account? Get thee to our “7 Reasons Why You Should be on eBird” article!)
One feature of eBird that you might not have on your radar yet are eBird’s email alerts. You can sign up for Rare Bird Alerts, sent either daily or hourly, to straight to your email inbox. These alerts are set by county or state, so you can choose the county, counties, or state you’re interested in and sign up for the daily or hourly report. Then you’ll get an email report listing what species have been seen (if any have been reported), with the birder’s comments and a link to the location and checklist.
This is one of the easiest ways to stay up-to-date on the rare birds that your fellow eBirders are reporting in the area. Test it out! Even if you don’t go looking for these birds, you might find that reading through reported observations is a learning experience. I have learned a lot about notable field marks from reading the descriptions that more experienced birders write up in their rare bird comments.
eBird’s Rare Bird Alert emails are a great way to keep track of where the scoters are being seen lately! Several black scoter, white-winged scoter, and surf scoter are scattered around our chain of four lakes. Pictured here are three black scoter hanging out near Tenney Park. This was taken a few weeks ago, but this species is still regularly being reported at other parks in the area. Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
A few notes about rarities and eBird:
Species may be flagged as Rare on eBird for a number of reasons, but it may not always be clear to you why. A bird might be early or late or out of range, but you won’t know unless you do some research. Sometimes reviewers will set a flag on certain species that are particularly hard to identify or have a close-look alike, where one species is very common and the other more infrequent, but not necessarily rare. Flagging the more “infrequent” bird as rare would be a sign to an eBirder to give that bird a closer look. In short, just because something is flagged as rare on eBird doesn’t always mean it is always going to be a super notable rare sighting. Is it still important data and a really cool sighting? Absolutely! Is it worth sharing to a Rare Bird Alert group? Probably not, but do some research to check!
Be prepared to describe your sighting. When you report a rare bird on eBird, it will prompt for a description. If you’re viewing a bird that you know many other people have reported and documented well, you can use something as simple as “Continuing” to mark that the bird is continuing at this location. But if that’s not the case, you should include a description of the bird’s plumage and behavior, describe how you might have eliminated similar species, and if possible, upload a photo. Check out eBird’s guide to writing up a rarity description here.
Facebook Rare Bird Groups
For some reason, Facebook is the social media network of birding communities across the country. I’m pretty sure my Facebook account only exists these days so that I can keep track of a myriad of birding groups. Check out a few of these recommendations below. Even if you don’t actively contribute to them, following discussions and reading about other people’s sightings can teach you a lot.
Wisconsin Rare Bird Alert. This page is for the reporting of rare bird species found in Wisconsin that are on the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology’s Review List, or birds that would require documentation in order to be accepted into state records. The “real big” rarities get posted here, so it can be a fun page to follow simply to see what rare birds are showing up elsewhere in the state too.
Birding Wisconsin and Wisconsin Birding Reports. So, neither of these are rare bird alert pages, but I recommend following them anyway. If you’re a new birder, you can see and hear about a lot of cool sightings that may not qualify as “rare” enough for the Wisconsin Rare Bird Alert page, but would still be pretty darn neat to see. It’s also a great place to learn more about what other birders in Wisconsin are seeing, so you can get a better handle on the seasonal changes throughout the birding year.
Dane County Notable Birds. This is a Facebook page specifically for rare or notable sightings in Dane County. A bird doesn’t necessarily have to be rare to be posted here, but it should be a sighting that you know would be of interest to several other birders. This group is practical and focused on sharing information or updates on local notable sightings that other birders in the area may be trying to find.
I love following this page purely for amazing stories like this. Go young birders, go! Screenshot from ABA Rare Bird Alert
ABA Rare Bird Alert. This page is managed by the American Birding Association. It’s not local at all so it won’t help you find any birds in our area (unless a really crazy rarity shows up!) but it will help you better understand what makes a rare bird rare. I’ve learned a lot about “first records” and “state review lists” and “rarity codes” and “records committees” simply by casually following this page. It’s also really fun to see folks get excited about some really cool birds. My favorite situations are when a new birder or even a non-birder posts photos of a mystery bird on the ABA’s “What’s This Bird?” page, and it turns out to be something insanely rare, and ends up crossposted here. It happens more often than you think!
Other Options
Not on social media? Not on eBird? Not all hope is lost.
You can join the Wisconsin Birding Network listserv (WISBIRDN) to get email updates about birding reports, including rare or unusual sightings in Wisconsin. This listserv isn’t as frequently updated as other pages and the range is more of a “catch-all” instead of just rare sightings, but notable and rare bird reports do show up on here too.
There are likely many other ways to hear about rare bird sightings. Sometimes it just happens through word of mouth! Don’t be afraid to ask around. A fellow birder may have a suggestion for a group or page to follow.
To Chase or Not to Chase?
When it comes to deciding whether or not you’ll actually venture out in search of rare bird, there are some things to consider. Remember, there are no guarantees in birding, so just because that rare bird is being reported does not mean it will still be there when you arrive or that you’ll be able to find it. It’s all a gamble.
I often weigh the pros and cons. Here are some questions I ask myself:
What are my chances of seeing this bird again, or rather “How rare on the rare scale are we talking?” If you aren’t sure about this, eBird is useful to look up the number of records a species has in the county or state, and this can tell you how frequently this species tends to show up.
What’s the likelihood that the bird will stick? At peak times of spring and fall migration, chances are high that some rare birds may move on quickly. An overnight storm or rain may prevent them from traveling, though, whereas favorable winds may give them good reason to hitch a ride out of here. Take a peek at the weather report when you think about this question. (Also be prepared to be proven entirely wrong. Birds are unpredictable.)
How far do I have to travel? Is the amount of resources I’m putting into seeing this bird worth it? With the pandemic adding a new layer of challenge to the travel scenario, I find that I won’t travel far. That’s why I’ve been very pleased that Madison has had some nice, chaseable, easy-access rarities lately. (Thanks, birds!)
If you’re looking for a rare bird that you know we regularly get each season, but in a limited window of time, you can use eBird’s bar charts to get an idea of how long that species has stuck around in past years. Knowing that you potentially have a week or two in October to catch a Nelson’s sparrow (pictured here) vs. a single day can definitely influence your plans. Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
Rarity Etiquette
If you do decide to chase a rarity, be on your best behavior. You’re out looking for a bird that may be far from home and very tired from its journey. Do not do anything that might potentially stress out the bird. Don’t confuse it with playback. Don’t try to get too close for that perfect photo.
Enjoy the bird from respectful distance—unless it for some reason flies to you or is unavoidably close. The aforementioned red phalarope seemed to care little about birders on the shore, as it continually chose to swim within a few feet of the shoreline, and that black-throated gray seems to just flit all over the place with it’s frenzied foraging. It’s one thing if the birds venture to you—it’s another if you invade their space.
You should always—rarity or not—be following the Code of Birding Ethics. Birds and their well-being are more important than any of the good looks we get at them. Be an advocate for birds and don’t be afraid to call out disrespectful behavior.
Does this week’s post have you ready to go look for a rare bird or two? You might start with the black-throated gray warbler—who as of my writing this on November 21st is still being reported along the path south of the point at Olin-Turville Conservation Park! Follow the trail highlighted in yellow on this map until you reach the area with the red X. Along that stretch of path is where the warbler has often been found, so wander in the general vicinity of that intersection and listen for a flat sounding “chup” call (the third sound listed here), which can clue you in to its whereabouts.
UPDATE 11/24: This bird is still being seen, but he’s moved quite far from the red X and was found along the stretch of yellow path very close to the parking lot. He could head anywhere, so keep your eyes peeled!
Follow the yellow highlighted trail from the parking lot to reach the path that runs south along the point. The warbler has been favoring this sheltered area. Map from Friends of Olin-Turville
But birder beware … you might not find him. This little guy could resume his southward journey any day now.
Anytime you chase a rarity, there’s always the possibility that you won’t find what you’re looking for. It can be disappointing—especially so when you’re new and excited and raring to see all the rarities! But do not, I repeat, do not let it get you down. If seeing a rare bird is a birding rite of passage, then dipping on a rare bird is one too.
All that said … good luck!!! You got this!
P.S. If you missed it, deer gun season has started and will be running through November 29th. Choose your birding locations wisely, read about safe birding during hunting season, and stick to hunting-free conservation parks or city areas this week.
P.P.S. I hope everyone reading has a safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving. I don’t know about you, but I’m sure thankful for birds this year.
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Caitlyn is the Communications and Outreach Assistant at Madison Audubon. She’s crazy for birds because they changed her life. She’ll be back next Monday with some tips and tools for birders, new and experienced! Between now and then, she’d love to hear about the birds you’re seeing and hearing. Leave a comment below or email to drop her a line!
