Great birds, Terry, and great memories! Thanks for sharing.
Richard Connors
Nashville
Sent from my iPhone
On Aug 23, 2019, at 2:30 PM, Terry Witt <terrywitt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I started birding seriously in 1983, and was out as usual early this
morning, looking for fall migrants! During those 36 years, I have visited
all the continents at least once, and my world list is approaching 6500.
Unfortunately, my far flung travels are likely at an end, and additions to my
list in the future will come mostly from taxonomic revisions. Here are the
short versions of some of my most memorable birding experiences, some
involving rare or uncommon species, others that just stayed with me for a
variety of reasons. Here are 10 of my favorites, in chronological order:
1. Feb 1986 Pelagic trip out of Ocean City Maryland. We encountered
several fishing boats emptying their nets with hundreds of accompanying
Northern Gannets diving into the ocean feeding on the dead fish. A real
spectacle.
2. Dec 1987 2 friends and I went birding out west including a visit to the
Salton Sea in California. We had hoped to find Yellow-footed Gull, and
finally found a large flock of Western Gulls that were seen at some distance.
We all looked via scope at the birds for some time until my friends lost
interest. I was determined to find our target, and despite the annoying
insects and heat, I finally found our target and was able to share it with
the others.
3. Nov 1988 I got married to my second wife on the 5th, and on the
following day a friend called to report that a Brant was being seen on Lake
Chickamauga, about 120 miles from home. After receiving permission from my
new bride, I raced down to the lake and to a boat ramp where the bird had
been found. I drove up and did not even have to get out of the car to see
this new state bird! Nice to have an understanding spouse.
4. April 1996 Private tour to Tanzania, difficult hike up the Udzungwa
escarpment. On the way back down the hill, the leader mentioned to be sure
and check the many epiphytes for sunbirds. Shortly thereafter, I spotted
several of what turned out to be Rufous-winged Sunbirds buzzing around a
large plant. This was a totally unexpected sighting, a species that had been
seen at the time by very few birders due to its' limited and remote range,
and small world population.
5. April 1998 Birdquest tour to Colombia, shortly after 4 birders were
kidnapped by FARC guerillas. Our group had stopped beside a large marsh, and
on arrival, our leader plus the most experienced participant jumped out of
the vehicle and walked ahead. After the rest of us got out, I spotted a
large Myiarchus flycatcher perched right beside the bus. We all looked at
it, I identified it as Great-crested, and didn't think anything more about
it. At the compilation that night, when I mentioned the sighting, the leader
noted that Great-crested does not occur in that area, and we had seen Apical
Flycatcher, a Colombian endemic and lifer for everybody except the leader. A
few days later, we arrived at the area where we had expected to see Apical
Flycatcher; we all looked for several hours without success. We decided to
split up, and I was lucky enough to find a cooperative pair of the
flycatchers, and then share them with the group.
6. July 2001 VENT tour to Costa Rica with my wife along as well. At the
lunch break one day, I went birding by myself to a botanical garden near our
lodging. I found a Blue-throated Goldentail male, a hummingbird that
appeared to be territorial. Later in the afternoon, we all managed to see it
again, a lifer for one leader, and the first country record for the other.
7. Oct 2002 Another Birdquest to Manu NP, Amazonia Lodge. Another solo
bird walk at the noon break, and I managed this time to find and identify by
song a pair of Band-tailed Antbirds. This was a 3 star bird on our list
(unexpected), and we all went out later in the day and easily relocated the
birds.
8. Nov 2003 Private tour to New Zealand, my wife along again, though she
elected to stay in the hotel while 4 of us went out at night to look for
Great Spotted Kiwi. The males and females have a different vocalization, and
we heard some calling within a large reserve. We finally settled into a
sheltered spot near a dirt road, and soon called in a very agitated male who
put on an unbelievable show (perhaps my favorite birding experience of all
time).
9. May 2006 A friend and I stopped at the Kingston Steam Plant in
Tennessee, to check for migratory shorebirds. I saw an all white bird flying
toward us that turned out to be a Gull-billed Tern, a second state record,
not common anywhere in its' ABA range. I had several second state records
but never managed a first.
10. July 2006 Birdquest to Irian Jaya. An early pre-dawn hike landed 3 of
us in a blind hoping to see a displaying Western Parotia, a spectacular Bird
of Paradise. At first light, a male started his performance within 10 feet
of us, a ballerina like dance with his elongated black plumes circling around
skirt-like, right below the iridescent breast shield. One of my companions
in the blind had seen more than 7000 species, and was the first to see one
bird from each world family; he became so enchanted with the show that tears
were streaming down his cheeks.
I am sure that many of you have had experiences that you might like to share
as well
Cheers
Terry Witt
Bradenton Florida