I am not a compulsive “Lister” chasing every unusual bird sighting. But I do keep a list of interesting sightings and on occasion go looking for a specific bird. That can be a very frustrating experience. This is where serendipity sometimes supplies a completely unexpected sighting.
Although Common Redpolls are not considered rare in our state, I had never seen one. When a flock was reported roaming the Skagit Flats, I went with a group to try to locate them. After a day of frustration, no such bird was seen. A few weeks later I was sitting in my living room when a Common Redpoll landed on our back fence and sat there long enough for me to get a camera and take its picture. It had apparently been feeding in our neighbors’ yard. So far as I know, none have been reported in Trilogy since.
On a fishing trip to Key West, I had made up a list of birds I hoped to see. One was a Black-Throated Blue Warbler. After two trips a year apart, we had not located that bird. On the last day on the island, we were parked in a large concrete parking lot with one small island of plants right in the center of the lot. We parked next to that green spot. While my partner went inside, I sat in the car waiting. I looked up and there, not five feet from me, was a Black-Throated Blue Warbler busily foraging.
A few years back, I had the privilege of spending four weeks over a two-year period on Guam. As you may know, there are no birds on the island. The Brown Tree Snakes have decimated the entire bird population. Somehow a few Yellow Bitterns have managed to survive. I was told where to go to see them. I went to that spot at least a dozen times during those four visits. No Yellow Bitterns! Once again, however, serendipity stepped in. I was sitting in the departure lounge at the Guam airport awaiting my flight back home. Just outside the window was a grassy area. Just before the departure call, three Yellow Bitterns landed on the grass and began foraging for food.
One final example… I had never seen a Great Gray Owl. When one was reported just east of I-5 south of Mount Vernon, I went with a group to see if we could find it. After two hours of walking backroads and driving around the area, we loaded up and headed for home. Just a few moments in the car, we rounded a curve in the road and there, sitting on a fence post not 20 feet from us, was the Great Gray Owl. A stunning bird. We watched it drop down, grab a vole, swallow it, and return to the fencepost.
If there is a moral to these stories, it is “Expect the Unexpected When Birding and Hope for Serendipity.”
