I’ve seen locally rare birds before, like the Snowy Owls that occasionally make their way south to the mid-Atlantic area. But megas are another level. The American Birding Association (ABA) classifies birds in six levels, or codes, of rarity for the U.S. and Canada.
- Codes 1 and 2: Regularly occurring North American birds.
- Code 1 species are widespread and usually numerous.
- Code 2 species are harder to find because their range is restricted, there are fewer of them, or they are very secretive.
- Code 3: Rare. These species occur in very low number, but show up annually in the ABA checklist area. Some are visitors, others are year-round residents.
- Code 4: Casual. These species are usually not observed every year, but have been recorded six or more times, including three or more in the past 30 years. That way a pattern can be discerned.
- Code 5: Accidental. These are species that have been recorded five or fewer times in the ABA area, or have fewer than three records in the past 30 years. Because of the infrequency of sightings, birds in this group don’t seem to have a pattern of when/why they show up in our area.
- Code 6: Cannot be found. Species in this group are probably or actually extinct or extirpated from the ABA area, or else all survivors are in captivity.
Of course, each bird species has its own range and preferred habitat, and that may not include all of the ABA territory. So a lot of code 1 or code 2 birds would be exceedingly rare outside of their normal territory, for example finding a code 1 Juniper Titmouse here in suburban Maryland. Generally, though, the higher code birds are harder to find.
The bird that put me at 150 species for the year, a Great Black Hawk (Buteogallus urubitinga), is in the coveted code 5 group. The first time one was seen in the US was in April, 2018, on South Padre Island in Texas. After that, one was found in Maine in August, then seen sporadically until it showed up in Portland in late November. At that point it settled into Deering Oaks Park, a small city park with a multitude of very well-fed squirrels. It even turns out that the Texas and Maine birds are the same individual, with an identical pattern of flecks on the underside of the bird’s wings, as described in BirdWatching. Now that’s one far-traveling bird—from its normal range in central or South America to Texas, and then all the way up to Maine!
I know several birders who drove from my area all the way to Maine just for the chance to see this hawk. Seeing the bird wasn’t my primary reason for going to Portland this winter, though—I was heading up to visit family for Christmas.
Our trip almost didn’t happen, though. A week before we were supposed to drive up, I developed an extremely painful kidney infection. Ow! I had to go to urgent care while visiting my mom in Florida, and got put on some heavy-duty antibiotics. They couldn’t work fast enough for our next trip to Maine, though, I still wasn’t well enough a week later, when we had planned to drive up. I knew I was truly sick when even the thought of seeing such a rare bird wasn’t tempting.
But we did make it to Maine, only a few days late. I owe a huge thanks to my wonderful husband for doing all of the driving. Thanks, hon!
Anyway, we were busy with family celebrations all day on Christmas, but I kept checking the Cumberland county rare bird alerts, following other birders’ accounts of their sightings and hoping the hawk would still be there the next day.
My first try for the bird was not successful. Victor, my sister Cory, and I drove over to Deering Oaks about 10:00 am, late by most birding standards. We wandered the park, peering up into every tree and shrub, but no luck. A few other groups of birders were there too, some with really high-powered scopes and cameras. One birder pointed out a Red-tailed Hawk in some nearby trees, but nobody had found the Great Black Hawk. We decided to go elsewhere, and maybe try for the hawk again later.
 |
| I love that the city posted these signs all over the park, helping ensure folks treated the bird respectfully. The numbers to call in case you observed the hawk in distress are a nice touch too. |
The second time we looked for the bird, after some lunch with my dad, luck was finally in our favor. The hawk had been found by others by the time we got to the park. It was easy to spot, by the huge cluster of birders admiring it from a short distance away. The hawk was perched in a tree beside the main road, and seemed totally unfazed by cars driving past mere feet away. A jogger even ran right under its perch, and the hawk seemed only barely curious. It probably had just eaten, and was still feeling the food coma. (Who knew birds got food comas like we do?)
Unfortunately, I had left my camera at home in Maryland. Arrgh! However, a very kind birder who was allowing passersby to look at the bird through his scope, also let me take a hasty digiscoped photo with my cell phone. It’s not the greatest, but hopefully good enough for proof.
 |
| The famous Great Black Hawk, perched about 15 feet above the sidewalk. |
What a cool experience. Nobody knows how long the Great Black Hawk will stick around. Will Maine’s frigid winter weather be too much for this bird? If it decides to move on, where will it show up next? So much mystery still surrounds it.
If you want to see uncommon birds like the Great Black Hawk, you can sign up for rare bird alerts on eBird-- either for the whole ABA range, or just for a particular county, state or province. You'll need a free eBird account, easy to create if you don't have one already. Then eBird will email you daily or hourly (your choice) about any reported rarities in the area(s) you select. Although I’d never chased a rarity before, I had such fun seeing this one I set myself a goal to see two more rarities this year. Wish me luck!
By the way, I finished my antibiotics a few days after seeing the Great Black Hawk, and am back to 100 percent.
No comments:
Post a Comment