Sharing Birding With Others Led To 2 Rare Birds

I've been interested in birdwatching for many years. It started when I borrowed my grandfather's world war 2 binoculars to watch birds around his yard and at the feeders. That was 50 years ago and my interest in birding increased over the years until it became a regular pastime for me. 

Over the years I have tried to share the wonders of birding with others. Some people are mildly interested, some very interested, and others not much at all.

 Last year I ran into someone out on a hiking trail while I was birding. I shared a little information about birding and within one year he was all in as a birder. He already had photography experience and within a few months he became one the top birders in the area! Some people just have a knack for these sorts of things. 

That brings me to the top photo of an Olive-sided Flycatcher. The tuxedo-like markings on the chest and a call described  as quick!-3 beers are 2 things that help with identifying them. They are very uncommon and hard to find around here. The birder that I introduced to birding was able to lead me to this bird and show it to me. That's what I call a small investment of time paying dividends!

I introduced another person, my cousin, to birding about 10 years ago. He was slow to get hooked on the hobby. For the first 5 years he would describe birds in general terms: big, small, red, noisy, etc. He would carry his partly broken binoculars around on his car floor wiping the lenses clean with his shirt a couple of times a year. He did not really start identifying birds seriously until recently when he surprised me by naming a few different types of warblers he had seen. 

A couple of weeks ago he told me about a spot he found near some powerlines where he encountered a medium-sized, noisy bird that he thought might be something interesting. I had heard stories like this from him before but hadn't been compelled to follow up on them. Then a week later he told me the same bird was still there and that he noticed it had an eye ring. Once I heard that I was there early the next morning. 

It turned out to be a Yellow-breasted Chat which is another rare bird not often seen in this area. As its name indicates it makes a lot of chatty noise. It also has a bright yellow breast and a prominent eye-ring. That is another example of how introducing someone to birding can pay dividends later. Then there is the most important dividend of all. The privilege of being able to pass on the joys of birdwatching to someone new! 

After identifying the chat I was able to share the sighting with other birders who were interested in seeing it. That is another fun part of birding. Being able to share a bird you found with other birders!