It's really nice to have
the opportunity to enjoy your favorite pastime. One of my favorites is
birdwatching.
As an avid birder, I try
my best to add a new species to my "life list" as well my Pennsylvania
and even county list. Sounds a bit obsessive? I'm afraid so.
There's a mess of
listers and chasers out there. I guess it's the thrill of the chase when in
pursuit of a reported rarity or possible new county record.
Just last week, a fellow
birder, Jim Hoyson, called and informed me of a rare rufous hummingbird
visiting a hummingbird feeder in Luzerne County.
"I'll pick you up
in a few minutes, so we can get a new Luzerne County bird." was Jim's
delightful early-morning wake-up call.
"Darn, I have to
lead a nature walk this morning and if I go with you to see the hummer, I might
not get back in time. Unfortunately, I have to pass, but thanks for the notice.
I hope you see it, so keep me posted."
A few hours later Jim's
text read, "Got it! Really easy bird."
If you recall, last
November I wrote a "Pocono Outdoors" column about two sightings of
rufous hummingbirds in Northampton County; one at Jacobsburg State Park, the
other visiting a feeder in Plainfield Township. Jim and I both chased these
Pocono rarities and were successful.
The rufous hummingbird,
Selasphorus rufus, is a species from the Pacific Northwest and winters 2,000
miles south into Mexico, not in northeastern Pennsylvania. They are
wide-ranging hummingbirds and the most northern breeders, even up into Alaska.
It's one tough, feisty
hummingbird and, might I add, a remarkable wanderer. Their annual southward
migration typically ventures through the Rocky Mountains up to elevations of
12,000 feet. Not the most balmy conditions, so it's no wonder they are showing
up in Pocono backyards.
That Sunday afternoon I
chased with high hopes to locate that new Luzerne County visitor, which was
visiting a hummingbird feeder in Slocum Township, Luzerne County. When I
arrived at the location, I was greeted with a warm smile by Bernice Ziniewicz.
Read on:
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