Birders flock as one very lost bird lands in Santa Cruz - Santa...

big mistake? did anybody bring a gun to shoot it?

where is sarah and her big guns when you need her?

this bird in my yard before.

It may be that it is similar looking to this bird, but it really rings a bell.

It probably drowned in one of the pools at Seymore Aquatic Life Facility.

Why are you all so snide? This is a sweet story, that all these people would flock to see a wee bird. Birders are their own species, and are wonderfully quirky. They have their own uniforms (plumage)-- check out the styling on hats an vests in the photo -- their own lingo (calls), their own bonding rituals (because they are largely past the age of mating), and they are fiercely competitive. They tend to carry around large, expensive ocular equipment. They travel in flocks. But they are also pretty fun to hang around with. And with all that's going on in the world, it's nice to know that someone cares about "collecting" something you can't own -- views of birds.

I don't get the big deal. I just did a search and find this bird resides on the central coast/monterey bay year round.

LOL Coulrophobia, you are SO right! I remember camping when I was in my early twenties and seeing a flock of birders walk by. I thought: what nuts those people are. As I got older and wiser,(thank my lucky stars!) I, too, begin to hang out with people I never cared to as a young woman. What fun it is to learn from and talk to people with so many interests!
I wish on any young person the ability to see in other species of human a chance to learn and enjoy. If only I had known this and not been so hung up on being cool and looking good.
Well, making up for lost time now. I listen to people talk and how rich I feel afterwards, wow!
Cheers!

westside wrote:

I don't get the big deal. I just did a search and find this bird resides on the central coast/monterey bay year round.

"Dusky Warbler: Native of Asia; casual on islands off western Alaska, and in fall off south coastal Alaska and in California. Preferred habitats include mountain thickets and forests..."

"Casual" means just that. So not year-round in California.

This bird is difficult to observe in the field, due to it's "skulking" behavior, and difficult to differentiate from similar species, hence:

"The distinctive whitish streak on its back proved that this was not some other species, Dodder said."

The goal of birders is to accrue as many birds as possible on their life lists. Some birds count for more -- the more rare or difficult to observe. It's a hobby with arcane rules. Don't judge.

Bodega Bay is an excellent place to watch birds. By the time I got home, the flesh around my eyes ached from whipper-snappering the binos to my eyes to catch the next cool bird.
I kept sighing "so many birds, so little time". It used to be "so many men, so little time."

Hope we don't catch the birdflu from Asia. I may have to take a walk down at natural bridges to see what is out there.

Past the age of mating?? Who says!!

And, unlike most Wall Street Execs, this bird can still make a deposit on a new Mercedes.

The "Casual" ones come to California. The "uptight" ones stay in Asia.

i thought my life was dull.

jennifer jane wrote:

i thought my life was dull.

Jen, ha ha! Now that was a h(owl)!

Your life IS dull, Miss jennifer jane :) Thank you for telling us.
Now, run along and eat more tacos, ice cream, Burger King and finish it all up with Hostess Twinkies.

Sister Sue wrote:

Your life IS dull, Miss jennifer jane :) Thank you for telling us.
Now, run along and eat more tacos, ice cream, Burger King and finish it all up with Hostess Twinkies.

sounds kinda good

fyi: don't eat that junk.
QUOTE who=Sister SueYour life IS dull, Miss jennifer jane :) Thank you for telling us.
Now, run along and eat more tacos, ice cream, Burger King and finish it all up with Hostess Twinkies.

I like this story because it shows people with a passion. Some birders are quirky, but what is wrong with that?
By the way Sister Sue:

Sister Sue wrote:

Now, run along and eat more tacos, ice cream, Burger King and finish it all up with Hostess Twinkies.

What is wrong with tacos and ice cream? No comment on the BK and Twinkies.

jennifer jane wrote:

i thought my life was dull.

"Eccentricity is not, as dull people would have us believe, a form of madness. It is often a kind of innocent pride, and the man of genius and the aristocrat are frequently regarded as eccentrics because genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd."

-- Edith Sitwell, Taken Care Of ,1965
English biographer, critic, novelist, & poet (1887 - 1964)

"Life is dull only to dull people."

--attributed to lost of folks

"Fun is where you find it."

--Me