THE CALL GOES OUT
On July 29, 2024 at 1:13 pm, the notification broadcast on the CALBIRDS listserve simply said, “Slate-throated Redstart San Francisco. 37.73686, -122.49034 Seen from here about 20 minutes ago. Details and pics to follow on eBird. Dominik Mosur San Francisco”
This simple and concise communication quickly put into motion a migration of bird watchers from all over the state and country with hopes of seeing it. For this lone bird was the first ever recorded observation of this species in California. The Slate-throated Redstart is in fact, a tropical species that regularly ranges from northern Mexico, south through Middle and South America all the way to Bolivia. Not usually prone to wander far from its normal range, it has been found in the US only at locations near the border in Arizona and Texas, a good 750 miles away as the redstart flies.
PATCH BIRDING, WITH A FOCUS
Dominik Mosur, finder of said redstart, commented to me via email, that as thrilled as he was to find such a rarity in his local patch, he had concerns about how much of an impact the expected sudden influx of birders might have. Dominik is an animal care specialist at the Randall Museum and enjoys working as a volunteer with local groups mentoring new birders and naturalists. He especially likes to focus on the breeding status of the birds at his local patches in San Francisco where he lives and works. In fact, it was his intention on the morning of the “Great Find”, to check on the status of the recently fledged Wilson’s Warblers and Pied-billed Grebes at Pine Lake Park, when something with a distinctly rose-red belly flitted through the brambles of the willows right in front of him. The rest is history, as they say. Over the course of the next three weeks, over 1,000 birders and nature lovers from across the country have successfully twitched this lovely bird and added it on their eBird checklist.
IS IT COUNTABLE?
There are many reasons why people watch birds. A 2022 study by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) identified about 96 million people who observed, fed, or photographed birds; visited public parks to view birds, or maintained plantings and natural areas around their homes for the benefit of birds. The act of bird watching can fulfill many personal needs that may include a combination of Zen (being in the moment), Art (sketching and photography) and Science (listing).
Very much analygous to the parable of the blind men and an elephant, humans watch birds with an individual purpose, focus and bias. The one aspect that the vast majority of chasers of this Slate-throated Redstart share, is the science-based desire to document the rare sighting on their “lists.” This listing is likely going to involve use of eBird. eBird is a free, online database of bird observations that allows birders to track their sightings and contribute to scientific research, education, and conservation. Of this group of birders keeping lists, the one question looming in the near future is whether or not this cute little warbler-type bird is going to be countable on their lists.
WHAT IS A “COUNTABLE” BIRD?
While the identification of this bird is clearly not in question, its method of arrival is. The closest resident population is over a thousand miles distant. According to Birds of the World however, there is a small, disjunct, and apparently migratory breeding population in northeastern Mexico. The eBird Regional Reviewers can decide whether a species is kept as a “new species” or demoted to an “Escaped Exotic” category, they generally defer to the decisions of the California Rare Birds Committee.
In an email dated 8/14/2024 from Kimball Garrett, CBRC Chair, he states that they are currently in the process of determing its status. To include a new species such as this to the California Official Bird List, the committee must come to agreement that the bird arrived here naturally as a lost vagrant and that it is not an escaped caged pet bird or has not arrived as a stowaway on a ship in the Bay. From the CBRC bylaws, “If a record of a species not on the State List is not accepted on the grounds of questionable natural occurrence, but all members agree that the bird’s identity was established, then any member may move to add the species to the Supplemental List.”
DON’T MISS YOUR OPPORTUNITY!
Don’t wait for the CBRC decision, get out there and enjoy this delightful natural wonder that happens to find itself lost and a long ways from home!
PHOTO GALLERY
Reflections of the Natural World 