near misses in twitching (1 Viewer)

[earlytorise]

Here's an opportunity to recount some of your most memorable near misses in your twitching experience.

Mine would be the Rose-breasted Grosbeak on St Martin's in October 2019. As soon as word got out, I stopped looking for the Blue Rock Thrush on St Mary's and went straight to the pier to hop aboard the boat. Of course, there was no sign of it when we got there, so after waiting around in vain the twitchers spread out. It would get reported here and there, but was always elusive. Sometime in mid-afternoon (I don't remember the exact time) I decided to take the boat back to St Mary's, because I got tired of chasing it. As the boat was leaving the quay, the Grosbeak was spotted in a tree next to the quay, and from the boat we could see people gathering there! Pity the boat didn't turn around, or I might have clinched the tick!

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

There was a Redwing found about 40 miles from me about 20 years ago. Thanks to traffic on the way I arrived just before it flew off never to be seen again.

 

[Lisa W]

There was a Sinaloa Wren in AZ in the early 2010’s, can’t remember the exact year. I usually don’t go for rarities, but it was only about an hour away. The bird stayed for a couple of months, I went 3 times and missed it all three. The third time I had been patiently waiting when a bus of out of state birders arrived. Gave up my spot, about 5 minutes later as I was packing up they spotted it, I would have had a front row seat! Went back and looked until dusk, no luck.

 

[Scott98]

We had a Stellar's Sea Eagle show up here in Massachusetts last year, he caused quite a stir. He appeared on the southeastern Massachusetts coast, nearly a 2-hour drive from my town. It was all over the news media, but it was rainy, so I waited a couple days to go down. Unfortunately he moved on with the clear weather, to the Maine coast, which is a bunch of peninsulas, and he kept moving around, so it became super-difficult to find him by car.

Stellar's Sea Eagle is 1/3rd larger than the Bald Eagle. I learned my lesson about rarities - go right away! I can now buy a Stellar's Sea Eagle T-shirt at the local bird shop but he's long gone, I think he was spotted in Newfoundland last??? Maybe he'll turn up in Western Europe

 

[JWN Andrewes]

A good lesson to learn Scott, but a tough way to learn it.

 

[Original PaulE]

American Bittern at Carlton Marshes couple of years ago, stood there for 5 hours,.bird finally flew up and made a.loop of the site, all the birders around me got on it and gave exact directions as to where it was and where it was heading, pointing out landmarks it was coming up to,just past etc, me ? Didn't get on it 😪

 

[foresttwitcher]

American Bittern at Carlton Marshes couple of years ago, stood there for 5 hours,.bird finally flew up and made a.loop of the site, all the birders around me got on it and gave exact directions as to where it was and where it was heading, pointing out landmarks it was coming up to,just past etc, me ? Didn't get on it 😪

Sounds just like my day with that one...