Hummingbird Trifecta, Plus an Unexpected Rarity, Athens, Georgia, November 28, 2021

One of the first things I do each morning is to turn on my computer and check my Needs Alerts for nearby states.  In the GA Needs Alert I look for records from counties in the northeast corner of the state which are closest to home.  But there are few birders in that part of GA so most days no records pop up.  That was once again the case on the morning of the 27th. 

But then I noticed that there were 3 rare hummingbird species being reported in Clarke County – Black-chinned, Calliope, and Rufous.  I had no idea where Clarke County was, but that would certainly be enough justification for a chase, if it was only close enough.  With a quick search I realized Clarke was the county surrounding Athens, GA – roughly a 2 1/2 hour drive.  That’s a bit farther than my normal 2-hour drive limit, but with 3 rarities in the area, it was certainly worth the try. 

Though the trip would only be worthwhile if I could find information on locations and procedures for seeing the birds.  I first researched the Calliope and found that the bird had actually spent most of last winter at that location as well, so it seemed that this bird might be quite reliable.  I first looked through recent eBird reports but found no details.  So I then looked at the reports from when it first appeared last year and found directions for viewing – text the homeowner in advance and she would unlock the backyard gate to let you in.  So I texted the homeowner and she almost instantly replied and invited me to see her bird the next morning.  But, she mentioned the Calliope was most reliable before 9 AM so she suggested I try for it before the other hummers.

Then it was on to the Black-chinned.  The bird first appeared on 11/10, but had only become a daily visitor starting on the 19th.  Reports came in throughout the day so it seemed pretty reliable.  And with just a bit of hunting I found an eBird post that provided the viewing protocol – no need to contact the owner in advance, and viewing was from the driveway with feeders in the front yard.  That sounded pretty easy.

But the Rufous was more challenging.  Only one eBird post included what was apparently the address, but none provided access details.  So I reached back out to the Calliope homeowner to see if she knew the details on the Rufous.  Luckily she did, and sent me the contact information of the Rufous homeowner, Vince Howard.  I texted Vince and he was very obliging, inviting me to his backyard the next morning.  The complication was that his bird was almost never seen past 8 AM. 

So with quite a bit of effort I had obtained the protocols for seeing each bird, and had gotten the needed permission.  Now I needed to figure out the order to try for them.  Although all 3 are rarities, the Calliope and Black-chinned are certainly much rarer, so those should be my highest priority.  And since the Calliope had been around the longest (both this winter and last), maybe the newcomer Black-chinned should be my first priority.  Now I needed to factor in the most reliable times to see each bird.  The Rufous was only reliably seen before 8, Calliope before 9, and Black-chinned all day.  With all those datapoints I decided to try for the Calliope first, then the Black-chinned, and the Rufous last.  I knew that would greatly reduce my chances for the Rufous, but I figured there could always be other Rufous Hummingbirds I could chase in GA in the future.

The last issue that crossed my mind was how long to wait for each hummer to appear.  With multiple target birds, you never know if waiting longer for an earlier target increases your odds for seeing that one, or just diminishes your odds for seeing later ones.  I decided to cross that bridge when I came to it.

With my strategy all set to try for the 3 rare hummingbirds, I then checked to see if there were other birds I might need that had been seen recently nearby.  With a bit of research it seemed my most likely nearby opportunities could be Vesper and White-crowned Sparrows.  Both species had been seen about 20 minutes to the west of Athens at the Robertson Bridge Road hotspot, though the sightings were about 2 weeks old.  But since I would be in the area, and likely done looking for hummingbirds in the morning (regardless of whether I was successful), it still seemed to be worth the try.  My plans were set!

I was out of the house the next morning at 5 AM – even earlier than I planned.  And with few cars on the road I made great time getting to Athens.  I pulled into the Calliope spot at 7:40, and quickly made my way to the back yard.  The first thing I spotted as I walked into the yard was a beautiful pineapple sage plant covered in red tubular flowers.  Not surprisingly this was reported to be a favorite of the Calliope.  I walked to the area under the deck, the recommended viewing spot, and started my vigil.  Not 2 minutes later I noticed movement and there was the little hummingbird perched in a bush next to the sage.  It was facing me giving great views of his beautiful gorget.  That was easy!

My statebird map for Calliope Hummingbird is inserted below.  The blue states are those where I’ve seen this species in its regular range; the cross-hatched states are those where I still need it.  And the 6 brown states are those where I’ve seen Calliope as a rarity.

 Although I wanted to stay longer, I had other hummingbirds to chase after.  So I only stayed for a couple more minutes before heading back to the car.  And just 10 minutes later, by 8:00, I was at the residence where the immature Black-chinned was being seen.  The protocol here was to stand on the driveway and watch the feeders in the front yard.  Plus the day before the hummer was spotted at the top of the crepe myrtle which apparently was one of its favorite perches.  When I arrived the homeowner was out filling his birdbath.  He said he had already seen it that morning, and said it was really only reliable from 8 to 9.  Good thing I got there early.  I settled in watching a few birds coming and going and then within 5 minutes spotted my target bird fly into the top of the crepe myrtle.  It sat there for at least a minute giving good views of its long and slightly decurved bill, and slightly curved folded wing.  Then if flew off to the north chipping along the way.  GA is now my second state (after CT) seeing Black-chinned as a rarity.

Two down and one to go, though I wasn’t terribly optimistic about the Rufous.  I arrived at 8:20 and was joined by Vince in his backyard to watch for his hummingbird.  He had seen and photographed the Rufous that morning before 8, but true to form had not seen it since then.  There were many birds at his feeding station including 2 nice Orange-crowned Warblers.  But there were no hummingbird visits at the feeder.  Then again at one point I thought I saw a hummingbird fly by - maybe that was just wishful thinking.  It was now 9:15 and I was starting to wonder how much longer I should wait.  And just then I looked back at the feeder and there was the Rufous feeding.  It drank for at least a minute, giving me views of its green back and closed tail.  Then it was off in a flash.  Although I would have liked to have seen its rufous flanks and gorget, I was happy to have just seen it so late in the morning.  Here is one of Vince’s pictures he took that morning through his window.

I’ve now seen Rufous Hummingbird in each southeast state but MS where it is now a regular wintering species.  Along with 7 northeast states where it is still considered a true rarity.

Three for three rare hummingbirds in one county all within 2 hours – a hummingbird trifecta.  And to think just a day earlier I didn’t even realize they were being seen there.  I obviously have to add Clarke County to the list of GA counties in which to search for new GA statebirds.

But my birding day wasn’t over yet.  It was only 9:30 when I left the Rufous location, so that gave me plenty of time to head to Robertson Bridge Road to look for some sparrows.  This hotspot was a narrow dirt road that winds through cattle pastures, with low shrubs along most of the roadsides.  It certainly looked good for sparrows.  I parked my car near the north end and started birding the road on foot.  I soon ran into a White-throat and several Songs, but sparrows were scarce.  Then I noticed a large blackbird flock in one pasture and with a quick view realized they were mostly Rusty’s.  I guessed at least 75 birds, along with 50 Starlings and few Red-wings.  They later perched in nearby trees along Barber Creek and then flew off. 

I then looked back into the pasture and spotted two blackbirds near some cattle.  With binocular views I could see they were all dark, and quite shiny.  Brewer’s perhaps?  I raced back to the car to get the scope, and then with scope views could see they were very iridescent and glossy despite the cloudy weather conditions, with medium length tails.  Brewer’s Blackbirds indeed!  I always think Brewer’s males look like miniature grackles – very glossy but lacking the long tail.  That was an unexpected surprise – not a huge rarity but still requiring details in eBird.  GA is my third southeast state (after NC and SC) where I’ve added this species since moving to the area.

What a great morning!  The hummingbird trifecta plus an unexpected rarity brings my GA statelist to 257.  Certainly made the 4:30 AM wake-up call worthwhile.

Georgia Ornithological Society South Coast Trip Yields 15 New Statebirds, Plus 1 in SC, October 7-11, 2021

On October 8-10, 2021 I attended my first Georgia Ornithological Society (GOS) meeting, based on Jekyll Island on the southern GA coast.  The meeting featured numerous trips over that 3-day weekend.  Plus I would have time to search for possible targets on the 7th and 11th in route to and from Jekyll Island, making it a nice 5-day birding weekend.  And with an agenda like that it was easy to talk Bill and Anita Hooker into going to the meeting as well.

I went into the trip with 238 on my GA statelist.  I’ve birded the GA coast a number of times before, but it had been several decades (yikes!) since my last trip there.  Since that time at least 3 new species have expanded into the region - Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Mottled Duck, and Roseate Spoonbill.  Plus, Sharp-tailed Sparrow has been split since my last trips to the coast, so I still need Nelson’s Sparrow.  Not to mention “Western” Willet as a new subspecies to consider, which someday could be defined as a separate species.  So along with many other gaps in my GA statelist, I came up with a long list of 29 possible new statebird targets for the weekend.  Realistically I hoped for 11 additions, though getting 12 would allow me to reach the nice round number of 250. 

Thursday, October 7 – Travel to Jekyll Island with Two Important Side-Trips

The drive to Jekyll Island would give me the opportunity to bird almost anywhere in SC as well as the coast of GA.  I started watching my SC and GA Needs Alerts a couple weeks before the trip to see what might be around.  By far the most common species I still needed in SC was Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, and they were reported off and on at numerous locations not too far from my route.  But then even better was a pair of Clay-colored Sparrows reported for several days at Fort Moultrie along the coast.  Unfortunately, they were last reported on the 2nd, so I was back to aiming for BBWD.  That is until the 5th when a Heermann’s Gull was reported from Tybee Island, GA.  And since it was seen again on the 6^th, the priority was the Heermann’s.  The regular BBWDs in SC would have to wait, perhaps for the trip back home.

I drove right to North Beach on Tybee Island, arriving at 2 PM, meeting up with Bill and Anita.  We took the short walk to the northern tip of the island where the Heermann’s had been seen mixed in with Laughing Gulls.  We found 2 large mixed flocks of gulls and terns, complete with good numbers of Lesser Black-backs of all ages.  But we could not find our target bird.  While we were there we were joined by another birder who was not only also heading to the GOS meeting but would be our trip leader for our Sunday trip.  It’s a small (birding) world…

As we headed back to the cars I checked the route to my hotel and found that I-95 was really backed up, adding more than an hour to my trip.  Could I do some more birding nearby while I waited for the traffic to clear?  Since I was right on the SC/GA stateline my thoughts went back to BBWDs in SC and remembered that one spot where they seemed to be reliable was just across the line at the Savannah NWR Kingfisher Pond site.  It would mean just a little back-tracking, so it seemed like a good plan. 

Kingfisher Pond is a good-sized body of water, surrounded by a woodland trail.  As I pulled into the parking lot I readied myself for walking the mosquito-infested loop.  But right at the parking lot was a boat ramp and small observation deck.  Might as well give it a try first.  However much of the pond was not visible due to thick vegetation, so I could only scan a couple small areas.  Luckily on my first binocular scan I spotted a group of 5 Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks foraging in the wet brush.  Glad I found them from the observation deck – undoubtedly saved me a lot of mosquito bites.  # 291 for SC statelist. 

Friday, October 8 – Andrews Island Causeway and Disposal Site

The Andrews Island Disposal Site is managed by GA DOT for the disposal of dredge spoils removed from waterways in the area.  It’s well-known as a great spot for shorebirds and wading birds, but is not typically accessible to the public.  So this site was a key priority for me – and likely my best shot for new GA statebirds.  One concern though on the 8th was that there were big thunderstorms predicted to come through during the day, so we needed to be sure to bird all the best spots before the weather closed in.

We started birding along the causeway to the disposal site, and soon had distant views of several Seaside Sparrows in these lush saltmarsh grasses (GA statebird #1). 

GA was the last eastern coastal state where I still needed Seaside Sparrow as a statebird.  This is shown in my statebird map below - states where I’ve seen this species in its regular range are shaded in blue; tan states are those where I’ve seen it as a rarity.

And then numerous Roseate Spoonbills flew by (#2) along with many White Ibis and other waders. 

Next it was on to the disposal site where we first headed to the southeast where recent earth-moving activity created shallow ponds which was good habitat for waders.  It also turned out to be good habitat for Mottled Duck – there was a pair in the first pond we came to (#3).  Then we doubled back to the north end of the impoundment where we hoped for most of our shorebirds.  Our first stop had more waders including the first Black-crowned Night-Herons of the day.  And in the far distance we could see a large flock of shorebirds and waterbirds in the shallow water.  At that distance only American White Pelican was identifiable, but still good for statebird #4.

Our next stop was in the northeast corner of the impoundment with a number of shorebirds, along with Blue-winged Teal and Shovelers.  With scans of nearby shorebirds I picked out a small group of what I thought were Dunlin.  A nearby birder said he thought they were Stilt Sandpipers instead.  And with closer looks I could see astrong white supercilium and some barring on the sides - Stilt Sandpipers indeed (#5).

Our leader had to pull us away from this spot so that we could get closer to the main flock of shorebirds in the northwest portion of the site.  Here’s a picture of the main part of the impoundment loaded with waterbirds in the distance.

The first thing I spotted as we pulled up were hundreds of American Avocets (#6).  Then a scan of the closer shorebirds revealed a couple dozen nearby Dowitchers, some obvious Short-bills but others were their larger Long-billed cousin looking like they had swallowed a football (#7).  I thought I had seen everything there was to see at this spot, when someone mentioned they had Black-necked Stilts.  With a quick scan I found a couple pairs of Stilts not too far out (#8).

Avocets and Stilts are two more species that have expanded their range in GA and elsewhere in the southeast coasts.  Formerly thought of as western species, Avocets and to a lesser extent Stilts are now regular residents on the southeastern coasts, and are rarities to look for in the northeast.  My statebird maps pretty well reflect their current ranges as both regular species and rarities.

Our last couple stops were on the western side of the impoundment providing more good views of the impressive shorebird flocks.  I scanned a bit farther out and found a pair of Wilson’s Phalaropes feeding on the surface (#9) – not one I had expected on the trip.  A bit farther along I found a very distant Godwit which unfortunately was just too far for an ID (Marbled is the expected one here, but Hudsonian has been here in previous years).  Just as we hoped to try to get closer to the Godwit the ominous skies opened and it poured down rain on us.  Luckily the dirt roads around the impoundment were still passable as we made our way out of the site in the torrential rain. 

We ended the trip with 16 species of shorebirds and 9 species of waders.  And most importantly a whopping 9 new statebirds even though the thunderstorm shortened the outing. 

The rain eventually stopped late in the afternoon, so I teamed up with Bill and Anita to head to the south end of Jekyll Island to look for some passerines.  We were just about to give up for the day when we drove by a group of birders with scopes in a small residential neighborhood.  As I always say – “Bird the birders”, so we turned around, parked the car, and walked over to the group to see what they had.  Turns out a birder had earlier found an immature Vermillion Flycatcher, and the news was just getting out.  Unfortunately, the bird was not currently in view, though we had apparently walked right past it before we knew what was up.  Luckily it reappeared a few minutes later and I got this phonescoped photo of this cooperative bird (#10).

Vermillion Flycatcher has really expanded in the southeast in the last couple decades.  And GA is my second state after TN where I've seen it as a rarity.  Not to mention LA, AL, and FL where they were once rarities. 

It’s been quite a while since I had a 10-statebird day.  Nice start to the weekend…

Saturday, October 9 – Altamaha WMA

Saturday’s walk was at the Altamaha WMA which is a large former rice farm managed for waders and shorebirds.  At least it used to be.  When we met up with our leader we found out that recent hurricanes had severely damaged levees and water control systems.  As a result, many of the impoundments had fallen into disrepair, largely covered with thick emergent vegetation.  Not much habitat for shorebirds and waders I’m afraid.  But we were successful seeing the key target for this spot, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, and in good numbers (#11).  Here’s my statebird map for BBWD – I’ve been able to color in NC, SC, and now GA since moving to the region.

We also had close views of another Stilt Sandpiper, earasing any question in my mind about the birds I had seen the day before.  Though it was one of the very few shorebirds we saw.

The Altamaha trip was over by early afternoon giving me time to do some chasing after some local targets.  The first one to try for was Reddish Egret, reported each of the last 2 days and that morning at Gould’s Inlet at the north end of Saint Simons Island.  When I arrived the tide was quite high not providing much habitat for waders.  So I waited a couple hours for the tide to drop but still no Egret.  (The bird was reported again later that day – ugh.)  As a nice consolation, as I was driving through the town heading off the island I spotted this Gray Kingbird perched on overhead wires.  Not a statebird but still a nice rarity.

The last stop of the day was at a saltwater marsh back on Jekyll Island where Virginia Rails had been reported the previous couple of days.  I was a bit surprised that I still needed this species for my GA list, but this is mostly a wintering species in GA which is a season I haven’t birded much locally.  There were no details on the Virginias provided on the checklists, but when I got this first view of the marsh I knew it would be a good spot for rails.

I played some Virginia Rail tape at this first viewpoint and got one to call back almost instantly (#12).  I continued my walk around the marsh and had at least 9 calling Clapper Rails, and perhaps another Virginia Rail.  A good rail spot indeed.

Sunday, October 10 – Sapelo Island

Sunday’s trip was to head to Sapelo Island, a small coastal island accessed by a short passenger ferry ride.  The big attraction on Sapelo Island is an introduced (and countable) population of Chachalaca.  Past reports have also included a few migrant passerines, but by far Chachalaca is the key target on a trip to Sapelo Island.

While making my final preparations for the trip pre-dawn that morning I checked my most recent GA Needs Alert and noticed a report of multiple Gray-cheeked Thrushes right nearby on Jekyll Island.  That is one of my passerine targets though not one I really expected.  I opened the checklist and realized it was a nocturnal count from a birder’s yard.  So I figured rather than sit in my hotel room waiting to head out for the Sapelo trip, why not head outside to see if I could hear anything migrating overhead.  I went out to the parking lot but there was too much air conditioner noise.  So I walked to the road where it was much quieter, and instantly started to hear Swainson’s Thrushes.  And then a couple minutes later heard the distinctive call of a Gray-cheeked (#13).  I ended up with 9 Swainson’s, 1 Gray-cheeked, and 3 unknown passerines in just 20 minutes.  A great start to the day. 

A couple hours later I was at the ferry dock joined by 13 other birders anxiously awaiting our trip to Sapelo Island and our Chachalaca search.  After the short boat ride we piled into the back of a pick-up fitted with metal seats just large enough to fit our group.  As we made our way into the interior of the island we got classic views of stately old live oaks draped with Spanish moss.

We were headed to the dump which is the area where Chachalaca were most likely.  We were optimistic since the field trips on the previous 2 days were successful in finding this elusive bird.  After a short stop looking at a few migrant warblers, our trip leader took us to the best area for Chachalaca.  We quietly lined up on the path and listened while our leader played tape.  After a couple minutes waiting with no response, we moved a bit farther down the trail and played more tape.  But again no response.  We doubled back and took a side trail and once again had no replies.  At that point our leader amazingly gave up - after just 15 minutes of trying at 3 stops!  Despite several of us stressing how important it was to us to find this key target bird.  Apparently, his goal was to show us more of the island and maximize our daily list.  We could have even gone back to the dump area at the end of the day when we finished with some free time before the ferry departed.  But instead we walked around an old plantation house.

Luckily we did have one good bird during the trip.  At one point we headed to a lighthouse, which provided this nice Kodak moment.

And while birding the brush in the area we were lucky enough to find a rare Clay-colored Sparrow (#14), which gave us some nice views.  This species is well-known for vagrancy - GA was my 10th state where I’ve seen it as a rarity, though I still need it in several of its regular states (cross-hatched in my statebird map below).

On the way back to Jekyll Island I once again tried for the Reddish Egret at Gould’s Inlet.  The tide was much lower this time providing lots of habitat.  But despite many scans I couldn’t find the bird.  While I was there a local birder came by and mentioned the Egret is always there.  Oh well, that one will have to wait for a future GA trip.

Monday, October 11 - Travel Home with a Side-Trip Revisited

I had signed up for a walk at Harris Neck NWR on the 11th, but there were few realistic statebird targets for me on that walk.  So my plan all along was to be flexible and instead consider pursuing any nearby rarities that had been reported.  On our way back to the mainland from Sapelo Island on the 10th I checked my GA Needs Alerts – the Heermann’s Gull was re-found at Tybee Island!  So I changed my plans for the 11th and decided to give the Heermann’s a second try. 

The Heermann’s Gull was reported on the 10th just after sunrise at Tybee Island’s South Beach, and then later in the day was reported at the other end of the island at North Beach.  I wondered if it had a routine of roosting overnight at South Beach, but then spending the day feeding in the North Beach area.  Or had it just moved up to North Beach?  I decided to head to North Beach which was the last place it was seen on the 10th.  Besides I couldn’t make it to Tybee Island by sunrise anyway.  And if I didn’t see it at North Beach I could always then give it a try at South Beach. 

I pulled into the North Beach Parking lot and checked my Needs Alert – the Heermann’s had once again been seen at sunrise that morning at South Beach.  I was just getting out of the car when 2 birders came back from North Beach.  They had also just seen the report of the bird at South Beach and had not seen the target gull at North Beach.  So we all decided to head to South Beach and hope it was still there.

Minutes later we arrived at South Beach and were scanning through 2 flocks of gulls on the beach.  But with no luck.  Then farther off to the south we spotted a mixed flock of gulls, terns, and pelicans on a distant sandbar.  And sure enough there was the Heermann’s Gull mixed in, the all gray bird really standing out among the others (#15).  Here’s a distant phonescoped shot of the bird.

Just a few minutes later the entire flock took off from the sandbar, and luckily we were able to re-find the bird nearby roosting on the beach with numerous gulls, terns, and skimmers.  

GA is my third state for this Pacific Ocean species as a rarity in the east.

Quite the ending for the GOS trip, giving me 15 new statebirds in GA and 1 more in SC.  That brings my GA state list to 253, my 25th state with 250 or above.  And I’m already looking forward to the next GOS trip and filling more gaps in my GA state list.