Dollar Bird - 706!

November 14th

The last day of the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival was wrapping up, and I was feeling fairly relieved to have my final day be guiding three beginning birders at South Padre Island with my friend Michael. 

We had a great morning, spending four hours at South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center, with all three of our participants full of really great questions about birds, birding, eBird, and various other things. A highlight was watching two Least Bitterns feeding at close range for over 20 minutes. On our way back, our participants were sleeping or near sleeping, so Michael and I chatted about my remaining needs for my Big Year, and I commented about the common birds I still need - seven of which are winter birds in New England - and that Barnacle Goose, Pink-footed Goose, and Slaty-backed Gull are all likely, and that a Fork-tailed Flycatcher sure would be nice. 

We got back to the Harlingen Convention Center and said farewell to our participants. Michael returned the van, and I went to the guide room to eat lunch. I finished my lunch, chatted with some fellow guides for a few minutes, and my friend Jim made a passing statement about being tired and that he was probably not going to chase any rare birds that have been around (Golden-crowned Warbler, Crimson-collared Grosbeak, to name a few - which I'd seen in January). 

I left the room and dropped my gear off at my car, heading to the Swarovski trailer and talking with Sharon. After about five minutes, my phone dinged - it was a notification that a Fork-tailed Flycatcher had been seen about an hour ago at San Benito Wetlands, about fifteen minutes away. I looked at Sharon in mild panic, reading the text. She said, "You need to go!" I replied with confirmation of her statement, and ran to my car, racing to the bird. I got stuck behind a man going 30 in a 40 mph zone, very clearly texting or surfing the web on his cell phone while he drove. 

I finally made it the 15 minutes / 9.9 miles to the site. As I was pulling up, there was a small white building to the right side of the road. I'd driven about 20 feet past it and parked...and as I was parking, a very obvious flycatcher with a black cap was spooked up off of the adjacent fence line about thirty meters away. Naked eye - that was it. I'd not even gotten bins on it! 

I was literally physically shaking from adrenaline when I got out of the car. The very first thing I did was to text that the bird was still present...but I spent the next five minutes or so unable to relocate it. I was terrified I might be the only one to resight it, and feared being called a stringer. Alas, the worry soon disappeared when it alighted back on the same fenceline. 

Others started to trickle in, and it was fun to help others get on the bird as it flew from fenceline, to treetop, to power line. More people came and went, and a new group came, and a van driving from the opposite side of the road flushed it as it came through. 

The bird disappeared and there were about fifteen people there who hadn't seen the bird when I left the site to go back to the Swarovski booth to help tear down and pack up. 

I'd driven 20.8 miles round trip to see this bird - taking about half a tank of gas. A $1.50 bird sure felt amazing after spending about $600 per bird on each of my two recent plane chase trips! 

I'm guiding a private group here in the Rio Grande Valley for the next three days. I have a plane ticket to Boston for Barnacle Goose for Thursday - but a Blue Mockingbird just showed up in New Mexico, so I may end up flying or driving there first if it sticks around until Wednesday! 

Year List: 706