My Birding World

My current nemesis bird is the Chestnut-sided Warbler. Each fall, at least one visits the Bay Area when it gets lost from its normal migration route. Despite my best efforts and multiple outings, I seem to keep on missing this one. Then I have to wait another full year before the narrow window of opportunity presents itself again the following fall.

Warblers are usually prized sightings in the spring when their plumage is colorful and vibrant. By the fall, many shed their spring feathers in favor of a duller appearance more conducive to winter activities. Despite that, I’ve really wanted to see this particular warbler in its fall plumage. It doesn’t sport its namesake chestnut sides in the winter, but it has a lovely bright green that spills from the back of its head down its back. Combined with a sharp white eye ring, it’s a fall warbler that looks very unique to me and I have been wanting to witness it in person for years.

Fall migration has been underway and the rare bird alerts and listserv emails have overwhelmed my inbox after a notable summer lull. I’ve been keeping a close look for any signs of a Chestnut-sided Warbler in the notifications, as well as proactively seeking out areas where I think it might pop up. Would 2020 be the year?

Yes – I hope! One was spotted nearby! It was at a new park we’ve never been to. I love chasing after rare birds because it so often introduces me to new local birding spots. This warbler was spotted at a little city park in a nearby city.

After pulling into the parking lot, I was a little skeptical about the prospects of finding the bird. There were no other birders to be spotted (usually identified with binoculars hanging around their necks and poking around the bushes and trees). We got out of the car and searched around a bridge where it was said to be located. My husband and I split up and I stayed near the parking lot while he walked down the bridge to explore. There were lots of other birds around –European Starlings and American Robins filling the air with songs, but no Chestnut-sided Warbler.

After a moment, my husband came back across the bridge and motioned me to join him. Another birder was in fact on the other side and had seen the warbler some time ago. She left, leaving my husband and I to search on our own. I followed every warbler chip I heard, yielding a Yellow Warbler, Townsend’s Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, and several Wilson’s Warblers, but none were our target bird.

My husband was the one to finally see it. What a beauty! It sported the lime green head and back with a bold eye ring. What surprised me was how cooperative it was. The warbler allowed us to observe it feeding and got unusually close allowing for great looks. We watched it pluck insects from the air, on branches, and under fallen leaves on the ground. It was completely focused on gorging on food. We watched the warbler until my legs started to burn from the sun and we left, feeling joyous.

Pushing our luck, we continued to two additional birding spots. We spotted the rare Northern Waterthrush (this one was not cooperative, only allowing a 15 second look before magically disappearing into the brush), and later came across a very friendly Hermit Warbler. The latter is not rare here, but I’ve only seen one once, rather I heard it way up in a tree in the Sierras. This was my first really good look at a Hermit Warbler, and it was foraging in a similar pattern as the Chestnut-sided Warbler.

I love looking for local and rare warblers in the fall, and what a day this was!

There is no “right” way to go birding.  You can take a short stroll, relax on your porch, hike, drive (but don’t get too distracted by the birds!), bike, boat, kayak, you name it. Personally, I enjoy slower-paced walks or hikes that allow me to not only look for birds, but also listen for their vocalizations and observe their behaviors in more depth. An added bonus is that I get to enjoy general nature more – flowers, butterflies, fallen leaves, insects, spiders, and tree bark patterns all command my attention while birding.

It’s worth taking a moment to pause and take in your surroundings. For those of us living in a bustling city, it helps to counteract urban frenzy by lingering in one location and letting your senses take over. I’ve had several birding trips where this led to finding rare birds or observing interesting behaviors with the usual suspects. One story in particular comes to mind to illustrate this point.

This week, my husband and I were slowly walking through one of my favorite parks down a paved trail. I’ve walked this trail countless times and have a good idea of where certain birds hang out. On this particular day, we noticed a flurry of activity in the redwoods. Instead of conducting our usual quick scan before moving on, we stopped and examined each and every bird that popped into our vision. The majority of the birds were the energetic Townsend’s warblers and chestnut-backed chickadees. Brown creepers emerged and I watched them spiral up trunks digging for insects on the bark. After about 15 minutes of observing, I noticed a bird that upon first glance I thought was yet another brown creeper, except it seemed more boldly patterned. Focusing my binoculars onto the bird, I realized it was covered in heavy black-and-white stripes all over its head and body – an aptly-named black-and-white warbler! Quick, take pictures, this is a rarity for this area! We stayed in this spot for nearly an hour excited to watch a bird that does not live around here. Patience and careful scanning sure paid off.