Townsend’s Solitaire, Dummerston, VT, December 2015

While away on a business trip in early December I noticed a post on the VT listserve about a Townsend’s Solitaire at a private residence in Dummerston.  By the time I returned a couple days later there were four separate eBird posts of birders seeing the bird – so the location couldn’t be too private.  I sent an e-mail to Cat Abbott who originally posted it, and it turned out the bird was actually being seen in her yard.  She sent me directions, but said the Solitaire was not seen that day.  And when a full-day search the next day was negative as well, the homeowner suggested that the bird was probably gone.  I sent a note back to Cat suggesting that, although it was now a no-show for 2 consecutive days, she might want to keep an eye out for it since Solitaire’s in New England will frequently stick around their adopted winter homes for an extended period of time.

Sure enough, a couple weeks later I got an e-mail from VT birding friend Hector Galbraith that the Solitaire was back.  Hector lives close to the Solitaire spot and he had seen it during its first appearance.  So we made a plan to go together the next morning to give it a try. 

Despite a very warm month of December, a band of lake-effect snow had dumped a quick couple inches of snow on southwestern NH and southeastern VT that morning.  Roads were snow covered and a bit slippery on my drive to our meeting spot.  And since Cat’s home was back the mountains way off the main roads, it was not surprising that the roads were even icier as we headed to the Solitaire spot.  But after a bit of white knuckle driving, Hector successfully navigated us to Cat’s yard.  Good thing Hector was along because I’m not sure I would have found her place with several unmarked lefts and rights on dirt roads back in the woods. 

Cat mentioned that the bird would feed in two small juniper trees, and would perch on fence posts and a crabapple tree nearby.  So we set up in a spot where we could see all these perches, and was also out of the biting wind.  Just a couple minutes later I noticed a bird perched near the top of a deciduous tree in the distance.  I put my binocs on it and it was indeed the Solitaire – that was easy!  A few minutes later the bird dropped down to its favorite perches on the fence posts, and fed in the junipers.  I got these phonescoped photos of this most cooperative bird.

In a 3-day span I had added Townsend’s Solitaire to 2 New England statelists – first CT and now in VT where it was #272 on my list.  I just need it in RI to complete a sweep of the 6 New England states.  And with recent reports of Solitaires in ME, MA, VT, and CT, hopefully one will be spotted in RI later this winter.

Ash-throated Flycatcher and Townsend’s Solitaire in Southwestern CT, along with a Common Murre in NY, December 2015

I don’t often go after rarities in southwestern CT since that part of the state is well beyond my self-imposed 2-hour driving limit for chasing.  So when an Ash-throated Flycatcher was reported from Sherwood Island State Park in Westport (nearly 3 hours away), I didn’t get too excited about it.  But then the bird continued to be reported on a nearly daily basis, and I had a couple trips to New York City coming up.  The bird would have to continue for nearly 3 weeks, but if it did, I could give it a try in route to or from the City.  As my NYC trip neared, the bird was still being reported.  So I reached out to Tina Green who visited the park almost daily, and got excellent micro-directions.  I was all set – assuming the bird continued that is.

The night before I was heading back from NYC on my first trip, I checked the listserve and the bird was indeed seen that day.  And there was also a sighting of Townsend’s Solitaire that day from nearby Cos Cob, CT.  I needed both birds for my CT list, and both were only a couple miles off of I-95, so it would be great to try for both.  But I only had an hour of spare time, and who knew if the Solitaire would be re-found.  So I decided to just try for the reliable Ash-throated.  Plus I had a couple more trips to NYC in the next 2 weeks, so maybe I could still try for the Solitaire on one of those trips if it continued.

I arrived at Sherwood Island State Park and took the short walk to the spot where the Flycatcher had been reported.  I quickly found the cork tree which was the bird’s favorite perch, but the tree was empty.  Then just a minute later I noticed some movement in the trees a short distance away – it was the Ash-throated Flycatcher.  The bird continued to fly-catch in those trees over the next several minutes.  I got these passable phone-scoped photos of the bird during my brief stay. 

I now have Ash-throated in 5 New England states as a rarity (just need it in VT), along with 8 states in its regular range in the southwest (see my statebird map below).

That was easy!  Although I had just an hour to look for the bird, I only needed 10 minutes.  And just as I was leaving the park I got a text that the Solitaire was re-found in Cos Cob.  Did I have enough time to try for that one too?  Maybe if I had gotten the word earlier I could have stopped at Cos Cob first, then headed east to Sherwood Island while heading home.  But now I didn’t have enough time to double back to the west and still get home in time.  So I would have to be content with just getting the Flycatcher for my CT list.

Then again, with 2 more trips to NYC in the next 10 days, maybe I could try for the Solitaire after all.  I kept watching the listserve and the Solitaire did continue from the same suburban neighborhood in Cos Cob, so there was hope.  Although the next trip to NYC included a drive down I-95 (within a couple miles of the Solitaire), I had no free time.  And the trip back included a crossing of Long Island Sound on the Orient-New London ferry instead of a drive up I-95.  So no chance to try for the Solitaire on that trip.  Though I did find a rare Common Murre at the Orient, NY dock as #279 for my NY statelist – my 5th northeast state for this species.  (Sure would have rather seen it in CT waters though!)

I only had one more trip to NYC, but at least on the way down I had 2-3 hours of spare time to try for the Solitaire.  I arrived in Cos Cob at 9:15 after enduring some miserable rush hour traffic heading into the City.  Soon after I got out of the car I heard what I thought was the Solitaire.  The bird had been calling quite a bit over the last several days, so I initially thought I had the bird.  But the call wasn’t quite right, so I tracked down the source of the call to be sure.  It turned out to be a Blue Jay giving a very good imitation of the Solitaire’s repeated “whee” call note.  Over the next 30 minutes I heard that Blue Jay give the Solitaire call two more times.  I bet birders had been playing a lot of tape of the Solitaire’s call in the area, and the Blue Jay had added it to its repertoire.

I had now spent 30 minutes in the area where the Solitaire had been seen most often, but the closest I came to getting the Solitaire was to hear a Blue Jay imitate its call.  So I walked a short distance to the south to expand my search area.  Just then I heard a Solitaire call from the original area.  It only called 5 times, though this time it sounded like the real thing.  But could I be sure?  I quickly headed back to where I thought I heard the call, but neither heard nor saw the bird.  A few minutes later I heard the call again – this time repeated non-stop.  And there was the Solitaire, nicely perched near the top of a nearby deciduous tree.  It flew in undetected.  Not sure I would have noticed it if it hadn’t been calling.  I took this phonescoped photo of this most cooperative bird.

CT was my 6th state for Townsend’s Solitaire as a rarity (5 in the northeast plus IL), along with 12 states out west.

The Flycatcher and the Solitaire were #324 and #325 for my CT list – excellent additions to my list from a part of the state where I rarely bird.  Sure was nice for these rarities to hang around long enough for me to see them as part of pre-arranged trips to and from NYC.  (As I write this both birds are still being seen daily - now 37 days for the Flycatcher and 19 days for the Solitaire.)  Unfortunately I wasn’t as successful with a “Western” Flycatcher seen for 2 days in Branford, CT – I was there on the third day.

Townsend’s Solitaire, Florida Lake, Freeport, Maine, November 2014

The excitement of adding Pacific Loon to my ME list had barely faded when a report of a Townsend’s Solitaire in Freeport came across the listserve.  In fact, the Solitaire was first spotted the same day I saw the Loon, though the news didn’t get out till the next day.  I couldn’t get out for a couple days, but was hopeful the bird would stick around for a while as many New England Solitaires tend to do.  Then again, I should say that at least the MA and NH Solitaire’s tend to hang around.  By comparison, there have been many fewer Solitaires reported lately in the other New England states, and many have not been readily chaseable.  But luckily, this bird was still being reported 2 days after the initial sighting, and was being quite reliable. 

On my drive up to Freeport I wondered if the target bird would be difficult to find.  Solitaires can be challenging to find sometimes since they like to sit very still for extended periods of time.  I only had a few hours of free time to try for it, so I hoped that it would be cooperative.  I arrived at the Florida Lake parking lot, and started the short walk down the trail to head to the winterberry bushes which were the Solitaire’s preferred feeding area.  I hadn’t quite reached this key spot when I noticed a thrush-like bird flying up ahead which landed at the top of a maple tree just a short distance away.  Although my first thought was that it was a Robin, I quickly wondered if this was the Solitaire.  I put my binocs on it, and sure enough it was the Townsend’s Solitaire.  It was the first bird I saw after getting out of my car!  If only they were all this easy.  A bit later it flew lower down to the brush and afforded excellent views.  I was able to get these two pretty nice phone-scoped photos.

The Solitaire was my fourth New England statebird for November 2014.  Once again November has turned out to be the month for rarities here.  And it was #335 for me in ME, giving me 1,990 in New England – just 10 more to go!  Townsend’s Solitaire is known for its vagrancy, and not surprisingly I’ve seen it in 5 states as a vagrant (ME, NH, MA, NJ, IL) along with 12 states out west in its normal range.