My Proudest Moment in Birding!

          October 30th, 2011 (a year ago), marked the day of my greatest birding discovery. My father and I went birding at this local park called Lake Elizabeth. This park is in Fremont, in the East Bay. After all the research I had done, this park seemed like a birder's paradise. However, I was greatly disappointed once we had actually arrived. The park was full of rowdy and boisterous picnickers, that made enormous messes, and didn't even bother cleaning them up. I was just about ready to leave, but then I saw several Ruddy Ducks swimming around in the lake. These ducks gave me hope that I might perhaps find some interesting birds, despite the myriad dog-walkers and runners. As we walked down the path, we saw birds such as Double-crested Cormorants, American White Pelicans, and even an exposed Sora near some reeds! Suddenly, I looked up and noticed the tall and bare branch erupting from the trees. This bizarre branch had a little bird perched atop. I was about to call it a Say's Phoebe and move on with my day, but then I noticed that it was much lighter than a Say's Phoebe. Curious as to what it may be, I put my binoculars up. What I found made my jaw drop. I was looking at an immature male Vermilion Flycatcher! I was elated once I made this discovery. We finished walking around the lake, and headed home. Once we were at home, I posted my sighting on eBird.org. I almost immediately received a response from a local volunteer that checks to validate odd sightings of birds in the East Bay. She asked me if I was positive about my identification. I sent her the photos I took of the bird, her jaw dropped as well. Not only was it a rarity for the Bay Area, it was also Alameda County's first-ever record of this species. When I found this out, I became even more excited than I already was!

Immature male Vermilion Flycatcher
(notice the the line that goes across the eye, the whitish chest,
and the red vents.)

      The Vermilion Flycatcher is a species of tyrant-flycatcher that inhabits the southwest of the United States, and is found all the way down to South America (there are even some on the Galapagos Islands!). Though it is far from being restricted range-wise, this bird is rarely seen outside of this regular range. As all flycatchers do, this species feeds mainly on little, flying insects, and hunts by flycatching. Flycatching is when a bird is on a perch and looks around for prey. Once it has spotted its prey, it will fly off to snatch it, and return to its initial perch. This bird was doing that so frequently, that it was difficult to get decent shots of it.

       This bird has become my favorite bird, and not only because it's the first rarity I have ever found, but also because it is absolutely stunning once it reaches its adult plumage. The photo above does not do justice to the sheer beauty of this passerine. My mother took this photo while we were visiting Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, in Southern California (in its regular range).

Adult male Vermilion Flycatcher
(notice the small and pointed black bill, the black band across the eye,
the red head, chest and underbelly, and the black back.)

       I couldn't post this on the actual one-year anniversary of this amazing find, for I was visiting a university in Northern California, but I nonetheless celebrated while I was up there. Every birder loves finding rarities, and every birder dreams of finding a county first. Having done this makes me feel fulfilled and proud of myself. Now I can't wait to find my second county-first, and perhaps maybe even a state-first!