• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Birds You've Only Seen Once (1 Viewer)

chowchilla said:
I think this serves to illustrate how tricky some of the warblers must be in North America. I've only been to the New World once (Costa Rica) and yet saw heaps of Yellow, Chestnut-sided and Black and White Warblers. A birder I was with for part of the trip said many of them are much harder to see on their breeding grounds. Is this true?
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. Here in Michigan we have lots of breeding warblers, and if you go to the right areas they can be fairly easily seen, if somewhat secretive. For example, Yellow-Rumped, Pine, and Black-Throated Green Warblers are easily seen April/May-September near my area. It helps if you have an ear for them too. I've seen Palm and Blackburnian Warblers only once.

(Just noticed that was over 4 years ago ;))
 
Last edited:
Best of the single sightings for me is African blue tit on Lanzarote a couple of years ago, only id'd from the photo I took, at the time i just registered the blue tit and didn't pick up the cap colour.

In the UK got a few from Yorkshire - Isabelline shrike, King eider, Brown flycatcher, Masked shrike, Pacific diver
from a recent trip to Scotland managed single sightings of crested tit and ptarmigan but did manage multiple non sightings of capercaillie
Outside the Uk - have only managed to connect with short-toed lark once, same with red-knobbed coot Majorca, moustached warbler Majorca, Griffon vulture Majorca
 
Last edited:
I haven't got a large total has I only watch birds in Autumn/Winter the rest of the year I record nests for the BTO, Nest Record Scheme (NRS) and the only birds I've seen once is has follows.
(1) BTD but there was 3.
(2) GND but in winter plumage.
(3) And I'm embarrassed to say this, Yellow Wagtail
And that's it off the top of my head. May be more but its early and my head isn't in gear yet

Damian
 
Yes, it was I who got this thread going again! I could not let that Ivory Gull be added to my list without noting that it was a "once only seen" bird! ;)
 
Probably far too many to mention globally, but a quick look through my UK list makes me realise there's only a handful that I have seen only once in the UK, and nowhere else at all: yellow-browed warbler, tree pipit, lesser grey shrike, ruddy duck and jack snipe.
 
Many, many abroad, but in the UK, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - yesterday in the New Forest. I was so surprised it took me a couple of seconds to realise what it was.
 
Just had a quick check through my UK list, here are some stats.

I've seen 94 species just once in the UK (from Little Whimbrel 30 years ago to Buff-bellied Pipit Christmas before last), which is around 1 in 5 species on the list. Pallid Swift, Red-eyed Vireo, Purple Heron and Subalpine Warbler probably the commonest birds in that lot.

53 of the 94 I've seen abroad, leaving 41.

Broadening the net, I've seen 196 species 10 times or fewer in the UK, representing around 44% of my UK list.

Cheers

James
 
There are quite a few birds I have seen only once in Florida (and not again on any of my travels elsewhere around the world), including Harlequin Duck, Cuban Pewee, Kirtland's Warbler, and Harris's Sparrow.
 
Birds I have seen only one individual in Germany (sometimes on consecutive days) and nowhere else on the world are:
Lesser Spotted Eagle
Sabine's Gull
Oriental Turtle Dove
Northern Hawk Owl
Eurasian Pygmy Owl
Three-toed Woodpecker
Wallcreeper
Pallas Warbler
Green Warbler
Radde's Warbler
Richard's Pipit
Little Bunting
 
Because I don't twitch or even leave Yorkshire much the "one off" birds are mostly nothing special. Some are common even but are birds I happen across.
White-winged black tern, pectoral sandpiper, black redstart, great grey shrike, great white egret, lesser spotted woodpecker (have tried a few times for it though), great skua, whiskered tern, collared pratincole, caspian gull, red necked grebe and black throated diver. I can't think of any more and I'd welcome seeing these for a second time but won't rush around to do it.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 9 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

SueO
Bird List for Western Mexico April 23-May 12, 2023
Replies
0
Views
558
SueO
SueO
Andrew Whitehouse
Most misidentified birds in your area
2 3 4
Replies
73
Views
6K
hookem2010
hookem2010
M
Bird You Have Taken for Granted
Replies
15
Views
1K
maplekong
M
ClarkWGriswold
Top 5 of 2023
3 4 5
Replies
87
Views
5K
lammergeier05
L
dak
Climate change and birds in your area
Replies
18
Views
1K
dak
dak

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top