The one that got away. (1 Viewer)

[albanpc]

Slightly different spin on this one. The Burnley YB Warbler [yes there are some of us for which this would still be a tick!] earlier this month had been showing well for a few days, but I'd been too busy at work to get over. It was still reported at about 2.30 in the afternoon and I managed to get over by 5.30 on a gloomy day and it was beginning to go dark.

Out of the car and into this little car park in the midst of suburbia. A tall tree with what appeared to be a very small warbler type flitting around in the upper branches [seen against the fading light and only momentary glimpses]. A few calls which I subsequently determined [thanks Ipod] could well have been YBW. Into the bag to get the bins out, but being a work day they weren't automatically there! I set up the scope but there was little chance of getting on whatever was flitting around the branches.

Then no more movement and no more calls. By 6.15 it was too dark to see anything and I gave up.

There were no further sightings of the YBW in Burnley.

Of course, totally untickable. But was the "sighting" the result of a mad drive from Preston and a wish for a tick or possibly the last sighting of the YBW in Burnley?

I'll never know.

Alban

 

[gerdwichers8]

Their song flight (which I witnessed in Kazakhstan) was quite funny though. Shiny black birds were the only reason I went to South Stack.

Red Siskin in Venezuela (American Redstart?), Rustic Bunting in the Netherlands (fly-over), Lapland Bunting in Herts (didn't call) and just this weekend I overlooked a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in a close, small but dense, flock of mixed waders in the Netherlands...

imagine 120 haystacks, 1 needle in it, dare to say you found it? Y'are dead!!

Last saturday, I was doing the buzzards in strong North easterly wind, combined with a lot of rain. Meanwhile, we considered possible mimicry in Lark migration calls, because we twisted a very distant Woodlark into a Crested, considered the result of such an undetected mistake to the ordered birding mind: perversion in the initial state.
During migration of dwindeling numbers of Sky lark, had positive 1 to 1 match, during one ocasion, on a species that does not belong to the Netherlands: I responded consequently "You are getting instable, get a grip to yourself and cut this crap!"
Next day in the internet, my mouth fell wide open : "NOOOOH, I ll loose every gained credential, if I open my mouth about this!"
Honest, I have the proof that continental Europe is a very deep sucker to us Dutch, but Asian stuff does come through!\

I lost my credentials telling so. Do NOT believe me ( I don't)

 

[Perry Smale]

Not a bird one this, but last year, in September, I went on Birdfinders' California trip. On the second day we departed from Ventura bound for Santa Cruz island for the day to see the specialities. Obviously the sensible thing to do on a crossing like this is to scan for seabirds and cetaceans en route so I positioned myself right up at the bow of the ferry. It was quite crowded on board, not least because we were joined by Chumash Indians who were going to the island for some kind of festival or religious ceremony.
Anyway, about halfway across, I was scanning ahead as usual (the crossing had been remarkably quiet for birds and mammals, and remained so for the duration) when I heard a loud churning of the water just under the bow of the ship and had just enough time to look down and see a large shape under the surface heading into the depths. The Chumash Indian lady next to me was exclaiming loudly that "a huge shark" had been visible before I had had a chance to see anything. I think you will all see what I am alluding to here. One of my all-time "must-sees", a Great White Shark, had been just under my nose and I had missed it because I was looking ahead. Sometimes it pays not to look too far away for the real prizes. This one really hurts, more than any bird dip.

 

[gerdwichers8]

Well, yes, this is the kind of excentricity I was looking for for a relief: Missing out on Great White Sharks being a true pain.
Thanks.

 

[Jane Turner]

As I was creating my RR list from deleting entries in my Cheshire list, I remembered another one!

1984... can't recall the exact date, but I was walking along the board walk at Red Rocks, in the morning, when a small-medium sized wader flew past me rather low. I've never seen and wader species, not even Snipe take this line before or since.

My brain was slow to get into gear, but I really couldn't identify it on what I saw (all from behind). White rump, grey tail, trailing legs that looked greeny yellow, no wing bar. Jizz-wise it reminded me of a Dowitcher, but there was no white v up the back. I briefly toyed with the idea of Wood Sandpiper - which would have been an amazing record - but aside from the jizz, the tail was wrong.

I was left with Wilson's Phalarope as my lead contender and I didn't have enough to submit it and anyway I wasn't overly happy with the diagnosis. Then about a week later I suddenly thought of bugger - I wonder what Stilt Sand looks like in flight. My angst at discovering this was not helped by discovering that the long staying Frodsham bird has gone awol that day and returned the day after.

 

[Tiraya]

I don't recall having missed any super-rare birds. But there was a time when my parents got a hire car for the day and we drove off to a place where Red-capped Robins were supposed to be very common. Needless to say I never saw one. A few weeks later my mother tells me about this "red-breasted bird" hanging around the car park with a funny red cap. She just figured it was a "male" Flame Robin which we had seen many times.

Always remind your parents what you go looking for....