Rarities you just don‘t get excited for (1 Viewer)

[David_]

Excuse me if this has already been discussed in another thread. I tried the search and could not find something similar (but might have used the wrong keywords).

I thought about this on Sunday as I couldn’t bring myself to go to see Pallas‘ Leaf Warbler and Hume‘s Leaf Warbler. Both would have been lifers and it would haven been easily doable to see both in one day going by train (important as I don’t own a car).

But while having breakfast I realized that I would only go to get the ticks but that I don’t really care about seeing the birds. Somehow all those „greenish“ Leaf warblers just don‘t get me excited. I am not the biggest twitcher but will regularly do trips like that to see a bird I haven’t seen yet, so it was not laziness that stopped me from going but being somewhat uninterested in the birds.

So are there rarities you don‘t really care to see?

 

[Steve Lister]

If I have seen a species elsewhere in the world, and especially in the Western Palearctic, I have little interest in seeing it in the UK beyond my local area.

 

[Original PaulE]

Excuse me if this has already been discussed in another thread. I tried the search and could not find something similar (but might have used the wrong keywords).

I thought about this on Sunday as I couldn’t bring myself to go to see Pallas‘ Leaf Warbler and Hume‘s Leaf Warbler. Both would have been lifers and it would haven been easily doable to see both in one day going by train (important as I don’t own a car).

But while having breakfast I realized that I would only go to get the ticks but that I don’t really care about seeing the birds. Somehow all those „greenish“ Leaf warblers just don‘t get me excited. I am not the biggest twitcher but will regularly do trips like that to see a bird I haven’t seen yet, so it was not laziness that stopped me from going but being somewhat uninterested in the birds.

So are there rarities you don‘t really care to see?

Pretty much the same, though have seen both Humes and Pallas's warblers but would not travel.far to see them specifically again. For me if its a lifer I would have gone in your scenario. However will travel a reasonable distance,2 maybe 3 hrs to see a Shrike or a Diver showing well despite seeing them numerous times before!

 

[lgonz1008]

Any winter "rarity" or Caribbean vagrant that shows up on a yearly basis in South Florida. I've seen more Tropical Kingbirds in South Florida than anywhere in their normal range and that's without even trying, just casually walking in the right habitat and finding one.

On the vagrant side, I'd say La Sagra's Flycatcher is one I've seen and photographed enough that unless someone asks me to show them the bird, I'd be fine without seeing it for a while.

 

[Farnboro John]

I used to say Blyth's Reed Warbler, the only function of which was to fill a gap in my list, but that's not considered a rarity any more: the same applies to Great White and Cattle Egrets - the former of which I've had over my house so would perhaps still hope to get one without getting out of bed....

On the plus side I still don't mind travelling (maybe not far though) for drake Ring-necked Ducks or Red-footed Falcons though I've seen quite a few - they're cracking - but also not rarities.

Neither are Black-winged Stilts, American Golden Plovers, Semipalmated Sandpipers or Long-billed Dowitchers, none of which would get me driving far. Red-flanked Bluetail? Meh. Fine if I'm in the neighbourhood. Rosy Starling yawn.

Most others I actually still enjoy (or perhaps haven't got the definitive photo yet, that gets me out of bed.)

John

 

[DMW]

I've never seen the point of Buff-bellied Pipit.

 

[Andy Lakin]

Anything that is going to require a DNA test to clinch the i.d. Also.birds that require interpreting wing formulae tail feathers or similar, that's out of my league but obviously many people enjoy the challenge . I think an apt term for these people may be ornithosadists😀

 

[Jon Turner]

A friend once said he wouldn't go to the end of his road for Double-crested Cormorant...

 

[lockbreeze926]

Quite a few of the above.

And Gulls.

 

[opisska]

For me it's often more about the site and the environment. There is a yellow-billed loon 3 hours away, but it's on a huge reservoir, which is the most annoying kind of birding - something floating in the distance. So I don't feel like going, even if it would be a lifer. In general anything that would almost surely be very far in a distance only doesn't excite me that much. I actually like leaf warblers, they are seen in nice places, you hunt them across bushes ... and IDing the is an interesting challenge.

 

[Strontium Dog]

If I have seen a species elsewhere in the world, and especially in the Western Palearctic, I have little interest in seeing it in the UK beyond my local area.

This is exactly my stance! I just want to see the birds, I don't care if they've wandered out of their normal range.

If a Canvasback or a Sora or anything else I've seen in North America turned up locally, I'd probably make the effort to see it. Otherwise I'm not bothered.

 

[Mysticete]

If I have seen a species elsewhere in the world, and especially in the Western Palearctic, I have little interest in seeing it in the UK beyond my local area.

This is me, only revised into "If I have a species elsewhere in the world, and especially within the ABA area, I have little interest in seeing it in Wisconsin beyond my local area"

Also, I am with Opisska. If a cool rare bird shows up in a cool birding spot, especially one with unique habitats and other cool birds/verts, I am more inclined to go for it. If it shows up in a urban dirty city park...ehhh.

 

[David_]

Interesting to see how different aspects are important to people and what species are seen as unexcitin.

For example, not having seen one yet, I would definitely travel for a Red-flanked Bluetail and don‘t think that would be different even if I had seen a couple.

Fully agree with Opisska about the environment. I would travel to see a gull but will not go of it‘s at landfill. But actually I like watching birds at reservoirs and bigger lakes (especially watching with a scope in winter while having something hot to drink).

And talking about gulls I wouldn’t travel to see a bird I am not sure I can ID. So I agree with Andy on DNA test, wing formula etc.

 

[Nohatch]

If I have seen a species elsewhere in the world, and especially in the Western Palearctic, I have little interest in seeing it in the UK beyond my local area.

Same here, Steve.
I've only done a "proper" year list once, and driving around chasing rarities started to annoy me towards the end.
Switching back to patching in 2023, and using travel opportunities for work to see things I haven't seen before.

 

[Xenospiza]

I did not go for the Eastern Yellow Wagtail on Texel earlier this year because it is unrecognisable to taxon/subspecies level in winter plumage: I couldn't face a 4½ hour trip (one-way) for it. I could not go for the second one (in northern Friesland) because of work: I might have gone for that one otherwise, as it was quite a bit closer. The local Kittiwakes still sounded more tempting (couldn't go for those either...).

On the other hand, I think Pallas's and Hume's Leaf Warbler are great birds and I would have gone for them if I hadn't seen them in NRW before. This weekend the weather was so gloomy that they might not have given nice views though.
I cycled to a possible Lesser Scaup last week which turned out to be a (more expected) Greater. Lesser Scaup is probably the vagrant I get least excited about, but it was a good reason to get out of the door.

 

[opisska]

Oh yeah eastern yellow wagtail, I skipped on that as well, couldn't ID it really.

 

[Farnboro John]

Interesting to see how different aspects are important to people and what species are seen as unexcitin.

For example, not having seen one yet, I would definitely travel for a Red-flanked Bluetail and don‘t think that would be different even if I had seen a couple.

Fully agree with Opisska about the environment. I would travel to see a gull but will not go of it‘s at landfill. But actually I like watching birds at reservoirs and bigger lakes (especially watching with a scope in winter while having something hot to drink).

And talking about gulls I wouldn’t travel to see a bird I am not sure I can ID. So I agree with Andy on DNA test, wing formula etc.

I've now seen eight in Britain, most of them well (and photographed): so perhaps you can understand why, on Whalsay a couple of years ago, I more or less ran past one going "oh yeah" when someone pointed it out at the top of a quarry, before again gaining speed to get to the plantation with a Blue Tit in it for a Shetland tick....

John

 

[KenM]

If it shows up in a urban dirty city park...ehhh.

For me they’re the best!…unexpected-incongruous and shouldn’t be there…there in lies the magic! 😮👍

 

[Andy Lakin]

I think a lot of people will not bother with the current Stejneger"s Scoter in Lothian. It's gor so much going against it, despite it being a first. Travel time, viewing distance, weather, costs involved etc. Having said that I'm hoping to get up over Christmas if it hangs around! Also a large percentage of people nowadays can't be arsed to.put the effort in looking. A lot of these rare Scoter are a real pain and only show sporadically so you need to put some serious effort in often just for a few seconds view.

 

[lockbreeze926]

I think that's very true, although there's a tension between making the effort and the reward you get for it.

Qualitatively speaking, it's often a dismal experience to be shown a rarity which turns out to be a distant dark blob. That underwhelming outcome is part of the game, of course, but is less of an issue in your local park than if you've travelled for a day to a miserable windblown headland.

That said, I've never travelled more than twenty minutes or so and that turned out okay.