[cobirds] What's the deal on this rare Red-flanked Bluetail in nearby Wyoming?

Several of you have asked me for information about this "way lost" bird, found 

yesterday by Cody Porter, a savvy birder in nearby Laramie, Wyoming. 

Kudos to Cody for getting "the word" out promptly!

That Bluetail has become known as the "Laramie Rarity". (Say in fast three times).

A few Colorado birders made it up to the Equality State yesterday, Nov 4, and many 

more are on the scene or en route at this very moment.

Honestly, I had never even heard of this species, so I studied up on it a bit, using

eBird maps and other on-line sources. Might as well share what I learned.

Any of this can be amended or corrected by more knowledgable birders or 

those who have actually seen the bird.

The Red-flanked Bluetail is an old world flycatcher (formerly thought to be

a kind of thrush) that breeds in cooler climates of Northern Europe and Asia, 

eg, Scandinavia, Russia, northern China and south into more temperate parts of 

southern China, Japan, etc.

The Scandinavian population migrates southwest to England, France, etc, with 

some straying further to Mediterranean countries, but NOT to the eastern US, as many

other "overshoot" species have done.

The Asiatic breeding Buetails migrate pretty much due south to spend the

winter in southern China and Japan, with records as far south as Vietnam.

And a few individuals, perhaps with a faulty GPS in their brains, migrate east and southeast,

showing up to winter in Alaska and the US west coast, as far south as Los Angeles. 

These vagrants have stayed for months, attracting hundreds of eager birders from all over the US. The

closest one ever got to Colorado was the Bluetail that spent the winter of 2016-17 in far western Idaho,

where some intrepid Colorado birders were able to see it.

BUT there are no US records of Red-flanked Bluetail for any points east of Idaho until yesterday, when 

the Laramie rarity (kind of rhymes) was found and photographed.

Why drive that far to see this Bluetail? Check out the airfare to other places you could find one, 

like Sweden,Finland or that other popular Bluetail breeding site near Lake Baikal, Дорога до Теплых озер (Tepli Ozera access track).

Will it survive the cool Wyoming winter? Only if it has a consistent food supply and is carrying

a lucky rabbit's foot, BUT the bird is sure to arrive in Colorado soon if it continues on its apparent southeasterwardly

journey.

So keep those mealworms handy, and watch your feeder continuously. You too could enjoy 500 birders crowding into

your kitchen for a glimpse of this year's rarity, Red-flanked Bluetail!

Thanks and good birding!

Joe Roller, Denver

PS

IF you plan to seek out the Bluetail, work up a carload, pack up, and go the alley near this address:

658 1/2 North 9th Street, Laramie, WY.    

The homeowner, Cody Porter, has welcomed birders so far, but of course that could change,

based on the historic observation that "life happens".

The exact site is pinpointed on the eBird hotspot map, labelled:

"stakeout Red-flanked Bluetail, Laramie, 2019"

That hotspot can be used even if the bird has moved a few blocks.

 

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAJpZcUCCrzbFK2%3DwxbJbET3yVRcKC-DV%3D9uFCs2aCCqDa0%3DNJw%40mail.gmail.com.