Golden Crowned Sparrow - The Foolishness of a Driven Birder

 

It was in February 2026. If you spent any part of Winter in Newfoundland last season, you know there was a never-ending supply of snow, rain, ice, fog and gales of wind.  Not "fit" to venture out.  However, there are appointments to be kept, errands to be run and the strong desire to NOT become a recluse.

Well, this was the time a Golden Crowned Sparrow came to Newfoundland for a visit.  I have been birding here for 16 years and have never seen one. Grrrr. In no time, I began to rationalize if I could go out for appointments and errands, why can't I manage a short jaunt across town to see this rarity. Think something long enough and you ultimately act on it.

No sweat cleaning my car because it has been stored in a garage. The roads were clear and I was feeling empowered!  I was on my way. No turning back now!

When I arrived in front of a fellow birder's house, I could see plenty of birds flitting around the back yard.  Oh good!  Maybe I would just park, sit in my car and eventually catch of glimpse of my target bird.  I sat and sat and sat and strained to upgrade the image showing up in my binoculars.  A big blur, that's all I could get at that distance.😕

I really didn't want to get out of my warm car, but a crew of birders ascended the incline alongside the house after seeing the sparrow multiple times.  "It was there," they said. Oh my, oh my, oh my.  I was going to have to get out and take on the icy glaze that coated every inch of the sloped sidewalk toward the back of the house.  I waited until others left and opened my car door. At that moment I realized I should have tried to make the walk when there was someone to steady me.

How long does it take an aging, weak person to get a grip strong enough to start the walk?  Long enough.  Add the weight of my camera and the fear of falling down breaking a bone or smashing my lens and I was literally trembling.  Was it the cold or the fear?  Both, I think.

I made it up to the lawn, then to the walkway where I could grasp the brick on the side of the house That was comforting except for the fact the sidewalk was sloped, and I was beginning to slide down the path.  Now, I was in a mess. No going back up, only gliding downward faster than I wanted. Alas, I reached the backyard. I hugged a 4' x 4' that was supporting the deck above. Breathe. Breathe.  I made it. Now the bird.  That sparrow was nowhere to be seen.

Given all of the bird activity, I was pretty confident it would return. There I was gripping the 4" x 4" tightly to prevent sliding down the ice.  The longer I stood, the more the warmth of my shoes melted the ice underneath my feet. I constantly adjusted to land on a safe spot.

Then, there is was - the Golden Crown Sparrow! The conditions were pitiful for getting a good picture so I just had to settle.  Now that I had seen "my" bird, I had to figure how I was going to ascend the sloping sidewalk back to my car. I will spare you all of my trials, but just know it took me nearly 7 minute to move about twenty feet. There lay another 15 feet between me and my car.  The good thing is the ice had melted some and road was flat. I had to hold myself back from running to the car. I made it and settled into my still-warm seat and blasted the heater.

At last I felt safe, safe enough to allow a little grin of self-satisfaction settle in on my face. Even though in my heart I knew how foolish what I had just done really was.

Take a Look at This

 I have not done much birding over the last two years or so.  It was very easy to fill up my time with other things.  Little by little, I spent less time roaming around the city and trekking through the woods. Despite that, I have birded a few out-of-the way places with some luck, but I found nothing like the rarities that have shown up here this year.

Many times, I opted not to go see some birds I have never seen before, but there were some I just couldn't ignore.

Among these were six great birds that I have not seen in Newfoundland or never seen at all.

Reaching back in my memory, I think the first of these was a Redwing that showed up in early 2021 in the backyard of a birder.  It stayed around for several days so I was able to see and enjoy it leisurely. 

Thinking this was my treat for the year, I settled in to making the most of winter by snowshoeing and cross country skiing.  Birding was out of my mind.  Then....boom! Another great bird arrived.

A Fieldfare appeared in the crown jewel of the city's parks, Bowring Park.  I had only heard stories of this species being around.  I even made an attempt to see one in Central Newfoundland several years ago, but dipped.  That made this a must-see bird.  I only stayed long enough for the Fieldfare to put in a brief appearance.  This has been the year of record shots, no real photography going on here.

I was really surprised and pleased to see these two great birds. My winter gift!

I believe it was in April that a White-breasted Nuthatch showed up in a yard in Pouch Cove.  I couldn't believe it.  I made a quick trip (about 20 minutes north) to see this little bird. I didn't stay very long so I was happy to have this record shot of this great little bird, but the best images are in my mind's eye.

This had to be it for the year. Three great birds, very accessible, just dropped out of the sky. But... this was not the end of the parade of good birds.

Fall migration sent us a Green Heron less than 20 minutes away in another direction.  This one was nice to see.  Last one I saw was in Arkansas, and I really never imagined I would see another.  This one was found in an out-of-the way location, not frequented by many birders.

Then, even closer to home came two extremely rare-for-our-area western species.  Close in proximity and in days of arrival were a Long-billed Dowitcher and a Western Tanager.

These rarities are only the ones I have seen. There were other great birds that showed up around the province.  What is causing this influx of lost birds? There is no doubt the cycle of weather played a huge hand in bringing them here.  Is this a result of climate change?  Who knows for sure, but tracking patterns over the years to come will provide enough data to enable more accurate speculation.

Since it has been a long time since my last post, I would like to thank those who have continued to visit this blog and message me.  The blog crossed the half a million mark of visitors from around the world. I never imagined that when I started this many years ago.

Brown Booby Delight!

 Every now and then a bird that is so good shows up that the "all call" via Google Groups, Facebook, phone calls and private sharing goes out to summons birders to the location. The bird this time was a great Brown Booby.

 Recently, there had been a couple of off-shore reports of a Brown Booby landing on vessels. Hope was high  one of these birds would make its way to the island. This one did, hitching a ride with a ship from the Grand Banks. The ship came to shore to avoid the Dorian effect. Lucky us.

 The ship docked in St. John's Harbour at 2 a.m. September 7. When the crew awoke the next morning, they found this guy sitting atop a light. Once I heard the "call," I rushed to the harbourfront somewhat sceptical the bird would still be there.

 To my surprise and delight, there it sat, one of the easiest "twitches" of all time. Numerous birders gathered on the dock to marvel at our latest arrival.

 During the short time I was present, the bird hardly opened its eyes. It must have been trying to recover a bit from its long trip. I was only able to capture three shots with its small eyes open. However, as the morning wore on, I did see some photos with its eyes wide open, gathering steam for its departure, perhaps.

 It is interesting its reactions to its surroundings must have been based on its auditory senses. It seemed awake turning its head frequently, just too tired to open its eyes. I have had mornings like that ;).

 For information about previous records of the Brown Booby in Newfoundland, I encourage you to visit Jared Clarke's site at:  https://birdtherock.com/brown-booby/

This is the second extremely rare bird that has shown up within the last week. The Rosette Tern was the other. Who knows what else might be driven in by Dorian? Eyes wide open.

Recent Sightings

 To me, this is the best time of the year to walk and explore. With an open mind and open eyes scanning up and down and all around...  all at the same time, any sighting is possible.  Bruce M. reported seeing some Cliff Swallows offshore. When I went out last week, I had that in mind. To my delight, I saw two swallows fly over the trail at Virginia River. Fortunately, one of them gave me three chances to get a photo.

 A close look at the picture showed I had very unexpectedly snagged a Cliff Swallow. I assume the other one was the same, but I have no proof of that.

 I typically begin my migratory search by checking the trails in town to watch for activity. At Quidi Vidi Lake, there were 16 Yellow Warblers and five Song Sparrows, but the special bird seen on this walk was a common Sharp-shinned Hawk.

 While on the boardwalk, I spotted a bird sitting on a rail. I stopped and looked to determine the species. Lighting was not good for a picture. That was no problem. This little hawk hopped to the other side of the railing and had a good look at me.

 

 Over the next ten minutes, we got very comfortable with each other. That was surprising, but what was even more surprising was the absence of foot traffic around the trail during this time. I was able to get within ten feet of this bird producing nearly full-frame pictures.

 He was keeping an eye on me, the Yellow Warblers behind him and some mystery bird flicking the branches in front of him. It eventually was a walker that spooked the hawk into flight.

 A few days later, I happened upon this little Prairie Warbler in Blackhead. I believe it was around the 26th. Seemed early to me.

 Now today, I had a great encounter with an immature Goshawk. This huge bird must have been sitting on a tree top just 15 feet from me. I was trying to take a picture of a distant bird to get an ID. When finished, I noticed the hawk so close to me.

 The very moment my eyes landed on it, the bird flew. There are the only two pictures I was able to get before it was gone.

 Once the hawk left, a few warblers began to show themselves.

 Best among them was this Canada Warbler. Again, it seems early for this species. Nevertheless, I am now convinced there are numerous migrating birds hiding away in the woods.

While warbler sightings are few in number, there have been some good ones to enjoy.

 What next I wonder!