Rarity Chasing: It's a Gamble

The title says it all. Chasing rarities is a complete gamble. Today, I made a probably not-so-smart choice of going to Sandy Hook, over an hour away, after school to try and find a Le Conte's Sparrow that was being seen (I mentioned it in my post yesterday). Well, my mom and I left at around 2:30, and the sun sets at 4:30. By the time we actually got to the Hook, the sun was nearly set. However, with high spirits, we gave it our best shot. After a lot of searching and listening and what not, we were unsuccessful. Although I was highly disappointed, my mom, as usual, managed to lift my spirits during the ride home.

Many people make chasing rarities look easy when they find the bird within minutes of showing up on site. In reality, it can actually be really hard. First off, you have to take the usually long drive to see the bird. Then, you have to get on the bird...which can be very annoying because, well, they're birds. People will tell you "The bird was just there," but they have wings...and legs...so they move. And, although it's nice when someone is already on the bird, it's an even better feeling when you're the one who gets to call out, "I got it!" I know some people who don't even chase rarities simply because they want to find their own. I really admire birders like that, because they are the kinds who just go out and enjoy the birds. If they get a rare one, great, if not, no problem. As much as I tell myself I'm going to start being like this, it never happens...

As my mom told me, we'd be better off buying a lottery ticket than going after a tiny sparrow on a massive dune at dusk. So moral of the story, never chase rarities (kidding).

Good birding, I hope you find something rare!

- Mike

Although we didn't find the sparrow, we did

find ourselves in this lovely rush hour 

traffic jam!