OK. Not the real Mothman. Not even a hominid. But I needed an eye-catching title for my photo of a bird that is well off his patch.
Firstly, a bigtime thank you to Rebecca Marschall, who found this bird.
"Today I found a Red-Flanked Bluetail on the grounds of the Clark Library in West Adams (2520 Cimarron Street, 90018). I believe this bird (an immature/female type) has actually been at the Clark since December 21, when I only got brief looks and didn't see the bird's tail, so wrote it off as an aberrant Hermit Thrush with a weird white throat." Posted on LACoBirds
Jerry took W9 and me to see the bird a week ago Saturday. I was not surprised to see a sizable flock of polite birdwatchers with the full spectrum of gear, from cell phones to huge prime lenses on cameras I've never heard of.
I typically have to rely on the kindness of strangers to spot the birds. Thankfully a few folks had spotting scopes and were willing to share. I got a brief solid look through a scope at the little fart, er, celebrity sitting high up in a tall tree with dense foliage. We did our best to track the bird over the next few hours. W9 got ID shots while I was in the bathroom.
I did the best I could to console myself. And question myself. I read Dalai Lama quotes and lines from It's a Wonderful Life. What would I say to another birder who missed out?
Today was the same but different. We had a short window of time. My hero, Rebecca, had the grounds opened to birders even though the library was closed for the MLK holiday. I walked ahead and joined a much smaller crowd looking for the bird. Was it seen? Had he left? And I struck up a conversation with a complete stranger. He's stuck in LA because flights back to Boston have been cancelled due to weather. He's not even a birdwatcher. He has white hair and piercing blue eyes. I give him the briefest explanation of bird watching etiquette. Then recommend scanning the crowd as well as the ground and trees. Watch for someone to point or gesture. There's a screaming toddler ... (who brings a crying baby to find a mega-rarity?) I was about to offer my powerbar to the frazzled mother but the baby quieted down.
A loud whisper goes up. Someone points. I do my fastest calm walk and look into the shadows. "There he is" someone says. The crowd murmers in agreement. The one spotting scope is being set in place and all I see is a chubby Hermit Thrush in bad light. "He's right there on the left" and the crowd makes agreeable noises. I don't see it and wherever it is it's not holding still. Someone offers to show me the photo they just took as proof. I dismiss them as politely as I can.
I know at some point the grounds will close. Until then I'll keep my eyes peeled.
A quiet shout goes up. Finally I have something to actually see. And photograph. Ha!
"A usually shy and retiring summer migrant to vast mature taiga forests, especially ancient mossy spruce forests with lots of dead trees." ebird
"Red-flanked Bluetail: Breeds in mixed coniferous forests in Asia, Europe, from Finland across Siberia to Kamchatka and Japan. Winters in Asia, in the Indian Subcontinent, the Himalayas, Taiwan, and Indochina. Breeding range expanding through Finland; rare but increasing vagrant to Europe, mainly to Great Britain. Been a few records in westernmost North America, mostly in western Alaska." whatbird.com
ebird.org/view/checklist/S55571271
