California Condor
In 2005, after my father died, my mom (aka the Playing Grandma) wished to go to Las Vegas one final time and requested if we might go along with her. We figured we needed to take one journey to this grownup playground, though we had no real interest in the casinos. I did my analysis and located that there have been plenty of spots in and round Las Vegas for birding, which I loved visiting whereas my husband loved seeing the desert surroundings. We even met a neighborhood birder, who couldn’t consider we didn’t carry a gun for security, like he did (welcome to America, of us).
I seen a bus tour to the Grand Canyon and we made a reserving. I had learn in regards to the efforts to save lots of and reintroduce the California Condor to the Grand Canyon space. I actually wished to see these magnificent, prehistoric raptors. We arrived on the South Rim. I hurried out to the sting and noticed two researchers, who regarded like they have been monitoring birds. They mentioned I had simply missed a pair and joked that I had spent an excessive amount of time within the reward store. Hmph! I by no means waste time relating to a lifer, and a spectacular one at that.
We walked throughout the realm, having fun with the surroundings, however no condors. Shortly earlier than it was time to go away, we have been standing on the edge one final time earlier than getting again on the bus. All of a sudden, two condors rose up above us. I used to be leaping up and down, excitedly telling a Hispanic household to have a look at these exceptional birds. (I heard them say eagle in Spanish, so I assume they weren’t birders). As shortly because the condors arrived, they then soared towards the North Rim. Our bus driver got here to search out us and drag me away. He requested if I bought their wing-tag numbers, which I missed in my pleasure.
By the best way, the Grand Canyon was fairly magnificent, too (Leslie Kinrys).
Echo Parakeet, Mauritius
Defining a uncommon chook isn’t fairly so simple as it might appear. Right here in Britain, a uncommon chook often refers to a chook that’s hardly ever seen on this nation, however the chook itself could probably not be uncommon in any respect, not less than in world phrases. A basic instance is the Black Kite, an considerable chook all through a lot of Europe, Africa, and Asia, however one which solely hardly ever wanders as far north as Britain. Some years in the past, one flew over my home in Suffolk – my companion was carrying a digicam with a protracted lens, so managed to {photograph} it, giving particular proof of its prevalence.
The rarest birds I’ve ever seen have been each on the Indian-Ocean island of Mauritius: the Mauritius Kestrel and the Echo Parakeet. This was in 1979, and on the time, the world inhabitants of each species was fewer than 10 people, so that they weren’t simply uncommon, they have been critically endangered. To see the birds, I’d taken a taxi from my resort to the Black River Gorges, the place I met up with a Welshman, Carl Jones, who on the time was beginning a conservation mission to save lots of them. I don’t suppose that many individuals thought that he stood a lot probability of success.
Remarkably, he did flip spherical their fortunes, and as we speak each species have populations numbered in a whole bunch. They’ve been faraway from the critically endangered lists, and whereas the kestrel remains to be listed as endangered, the parakeet is now simply susceptible. I nonetheless have fond recollections of my first encounter with these birds (I’ve seen them once more on a more moderen go to to Mauritius), and I additionally recall a splendidly cooling celebratory swim with Carl within the Black River after seeing them. What’s extraordinarily pleasing to notice is that although these birds could have been the rarest on the planet once I noticed them, they’re not anymore (David Tomlinson).
Newton’s Fiscal
With out query, the rarest chook I’ve ever seen was Newton’s Fiscal on the island of São Tomé. In line with 2020 estimations, there are 50-249 mature people within the wild, which makes it a critically endangered chook. I’ve seen 4% of the decrease finish of the estimate. To place that into perspective: in case you see 4% of the chickens within the Netherlands, you should have a whopping 4 million chooks in your binocular sights, whereas I solely noticed two fiscals … (Peter Penning).
Javan Blue-banded Kingfisher
Whereas the Spoon-billed Sandpiper is extraordinarily uncommon, the Javan Blue-banded Kingfisher – seen at Gunung Liman on Java in October 2024 – is even rarer. Seeing one after which studying within the HBW about its inhabitants (“The full variety of mature people is barely 50–240 and even decrease” – even decrease than 50, is that also a constructive quantity then?) makes me shiver even now.
The extra info within the HBW is hardly comforting both: “It’s scarcely seen and the remaining populations are presumed to be extraordinarily small. Categorised as globally Critically Endangered owing to the persevering with lack of lowland forest.” (Kai Pflug)
Golden Nightjar
My interpretation of this immediate was by way of knowledge and frequency of reporting, as eBird is the lens by means of which I view the world. It’s robust to distinguish which species is the “rarest chook” seen, however due to BirdSTAT, it’s simpler to determine… not less than relating to eBird.
BirdSTAT spit out that my rarest chook was the Golden Nightjar, which I noticed alongside the border of Senegal and Mauritania in a fallow farm area. We arrived within the fields simply earlier than 6:00 pm and wandered by means of an empty creek mattress scaring up Namaqua Doves and Village Weavers. Ultimately, the solar began to set, and the visibility was lowering, and eventually, our goal, Golden Nightjar, was flitting round! We spooked it just a few occasions, and it flew round, however sadly, it was too darkish for any images, so we are going to reside with the reminiscence of plodding by means of an uneven farm area with transient glimpses of this beautiful chook.
eBird exhibits 140 observations of this species. Nonetheless, it’s prone to be rather more generally reported on different chook sighting companies. However, eBird data are missing for a lot of West African nations as a result of area being under-birded by eBird’s consumer base. This species is listed as “Least Concern,” which works to point out you that the species themselves will not be the rarest, however the reporting positively is! (Hannah Buschert)
Ruddy Kingfisher
What’s a uncommon chook? Appears odd that I ought to ask this query now.
Is it a chook for which there are just a few remaining? Is it a chook that occupies solely a small space on the map? Is it one that’s primarily inaccessible? Is it a chook that you’ve failed time and again to see after which, lastly, see one or two? Is it a chook for which you have completely no hope of ever seeing once more?
10,000 Birds has revealed a few superb latest items that fall into a number of of the above classes. The Remotest Endemic Birds by James on August 23 is one; one other is Finfoot by Faraaz Abdool on August 21. One in all my favourite essayists and avid birder, Jonathan Franzen, wrote Farther Away about his seek for the Masafuera Rayadito on a distant island off the coast of Chile. He risked his life on this journey however didn’t see the chook.
My rarest chook falls into the final class, one which I’ve no hope of ever seeing once more. True, its vary just isn’t small, but it surely’s not all that massive both, and my chook was considerably inaccessible. And, it’s one the place I used to be in a spot the place I had no plans to go to. It’s also a chook that’s in considered one of my favourite chook households – kingfishers.
On a 2023 birding journey to the Andaman Islands within the Bay of Bengal, there have been no plans for us to go to Swaraj Dweep, previously Havelock Island. However secondary to a coup d’état waged by two non-birders on a birding journey, the tour firm and our area information have been pressured to make two unplanned detours. The opposite unplanned island we visited was Shaheed Dweep, previously Neil Island. Total, this was an entirely disagreeable expertise. I don’t want it on anybody. However our guides (we additionally had a superb native information) did their finest to maintain the birding going, and with this, they did a superb job.
One afternoon, we visited a mangrove forest to search out Ruddy Kingfisher (Halcyon coromanda). Our native information used callback, and if I’m remembering accurately, the Ruddy Kingfisher responded comparatively shortly. I’m not expert at birding in mangrove forests, and to extend the diploma of problem, there was a series hyperlink fence between the place we stood and the mangroves. Although the Ruddy Kingfisher was not perched too deep into the mangroves, it was nonetheless arduous to search out with bins. After all, as soon as seen, we additionally wished images. The chain hyperlink fence turned out to be a focusing barrier.
I used to be utilizing a hybrid zoom. My first three or 4 images have been practically unidentifiable. I regarded for a special angle the place the chook may very well be extra clearly seen. I zoomed in by means of one of many fence hyperlinks and started to get identifiable images and, underneath the circumstances and by my requirements, even good images. This type of birding is thrilling for me and all of the extra valued contemplating that, actually, it mustn’t have occurred.
The Andaman Islands have many endemic species, which we noticed and which might be thought of rarer than the Ruddy Kingfisher. One in all these is a really troublesome chook to see, the Andaman Crake. Whereas I could go to India once more, I cannot go to the Andaman Islands once more. The Ruddy Kingfisher could be present in different South and East Asian international locations, however I’m unlikely to ever go to these international locations. My love of kingfishers, the fantastic thing about the Ruddy Kingfisher, and the in any other case full happenstance of seeing it make it my rarest chook (Catherine Carroll).
Newton’s Fiscal Picture: Licensed underneath Artistic Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 Worldwide
California Condor: “Grand Canyon Nationwide Park: California Condor 87_3462” by Grand Canyon NPS is licensed underneath CC BY 2.0.
“Golden Nightjar Caprimulgus eximius simplicior” by nik.borrow is licensed underneath CC BY-NC 2.0.
