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Ben Franklin is credited with saying, “Fish and visitors
stink after three days.”
This does not apply to birds who pay us a visit, of course. Some of my fondest birdwatching recollections involve birds
that stop to rest at a certain place and remain for days on end. I will visit daily in hopes that the bird will still be there.
I am happy when I find it and bummed out when it is no longer there. The disappointment is temporary, however, as I
realize the bird has to move on.
I’m not talking about the common birds that are reliable sightings throughout
the year, such as the cardinals that visit feeders every day. And I’m not talking about seasonably common birds, such
as herons in the summer or certain ducks in the winter.
I’m talking about birds that are seen only a handful of
times a year, or even once every couple of years. That’s what makes it so special to see them day after day.
An
American kestrel found an area park to its liking earlier this fall. I noticed it one day while taking a casual stroll with
my son Andrew. The small falcon appeared out of nowhere and perched on the stalk of a bulky wildflower about 30 feet away
from us.
I returned daily for the next five days and easily found the kestrel each visit — not that kestrels
are terribly difficult to spot when one is around. They are usually on an obvious perch or hovering over prey.
It was
interesting to see the bird day after day. It was a good opportunity to study the bird’s behaviors and habits. I certainly
know more about kestrels now after that bird’s extended visit than I would have if it was here and gone in one day.
Owls are good for similar extended visits, especially in the winter. The trick, of course, is to find the them. Different
species of owls — short-eared, long-eared and snowy to name a few — visit southern New England in the winter.
I was led to a saw-whet owl last winter. I visited again two days later and it looked as if the bird hadn’t moved at
all. It was on the same branch, camouflaged exquisitely in an evergreen.
I am hoping another red-breasted nuthatch visits
my neighborhood this winter. A lone red-breasted nuthatch visited the feeders last year and hung around for weeks. Again,
I learned quite a bit about the bird and its habits from its extended visit.
I knew exactly where to find an American
bittern along a road in Peterborough a few years ago. I drove by and did a little birdwatching from the driver’s seat
every day.
A snowy plover has been being seen at Sandy Point in West Haven, Conn., for the past several weeks. Scores
of birdwatchers have been visiting to catch a glimpse of the plover, which resembles a piping plover. The attraction is that
snowy plovers are western birds and this is the first one ever documented in the state. It has remained in West Haven for
weeks, giving plenty of birdwatchers to chance to see it.
Aside from the common winter waterfowl migrants we’re
already starting to see, less common ducks will be seen this winter as well. The great thing about birding is that we won’t
know what that will be until it (or they) arrive. A few years ago it was a redhead that stayed for several days. Last year,
red-necked grebes and Eurasian wigeons were more common than usual.
Whatever it is, we’ll welcome the visits. But,
unlike fish and visitors, we’ll want them to stay longer than three days.
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