\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This week the bird hot-lines were hotter than usual all over the country.\u00a0 A South Dakota birder working on the South Dakota Breeding Bird Atlas Survey was parked by a stream running through Spearfish Canyon in South Dakota. As he worked on his survey he heard a bird song that he knew was different from the South Dakota birds whose songs he\u00a0readily recognized.\u00a0\u00a0 He began a search\u00a0for the reclusive singer, got good views and\u00a0adequate photos,\u00a0and ultimately determined that it was an Orange-billed Nightingale Thrush.\u00a0 He published his finding on the internet, and the Black Hills Bird Rush began.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Without the photos, I don’t suppose\u00a0the birding powers that be\u00a0would have believed him, notwithstanding his\u00a0solid birding\u00a0reputation.\u00a0 This Thrush is a South and Central American bird which has, to the best of my knowledge,\u00a0only been identified twice before in North America.\u00a0 Both of the prior sightings were several years ago, near the Rio Grande.\u00a0 When\u00a0he posted his finding, members of the birding community “flocked” to Spearfish from all over the country to try to add this real rarity to\u00a0their\u00a0North American Life Lists.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When I arrived in mid-afternoon at the well described site, there was no one else there so I sat by the stream, ears tuned, to try to hear the bird.\u00a0 Shortly after I arrived, Jennifer Fowler pulled into the parking area. Jennifer is a local birder, a South Dakota Bird Atlassing field worker, and a science teacher.\u00a0 She had undertaken the role of keeping track of the bird and the visiting birders, and helping out all the birders who\u00a0had and were continuing to come to find\u00a0it.\u00a0 Her list of birders was at least 150 names long, including some of the nation’s best recognized, and she was certain that she had missed some.\u00a0 The list included a good representation of local birders, as well as many\u00a0from\u00a0far away places, such as California, Arizona and Florida.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Soon after she arrived she cocked her ear toward up-stream,\u00a0and summoned me to follow her, which I readily did.\u00a0 We continued to hear, but not see, the bird, as it moved about quickly in the heavy understory of leaves in the trees along the stream.\u00a0 Several more searchers arrived, and as the evening approached we were all thrilled to get good views of the long-singing Thrush.\u00a0 ( I suppose the name “Nightingale” may be a clue as to its proclivity to proclaim).\u00a0 Many thanks to Jennifer.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The next morning I returned to the site and was rewarded with an excellent scope view of the bird as it sunned itself briefly on an open branch.\u00a0 I should add that I saw several Orange-billed Nightingale Thrushes in Costa Rica when I was birding there in 2002.\u00a0 Mission accomplished, however; it is now on my North American Life List as # 682.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This week the bird hot-lines were hotter than usual all over the country.\u00a0 A South Dakota birder working on the South Dakota Breeding Bird Atlas Survey was parked by a stream running through Spearfish Canyon in South Dakota. As … Continue reading