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A fourth and fantastic option is to talk with other birders while your birding. I find many are more open to word of mouth recommendations rather than internet posts so as to avoid large groups of people from crowding rare bird locations.
Great E-Bird tips! I have the alerts set to get the rare birds in my county and the surrounding counties hourly, that way I can almost always glance through my email and see if there's anything super rare that I might want to go find... I didn't know about the Year Needs option though, I'll definitely go turn those on, thanks for the advice!
I was in Fond du Lac yesterday at Lakefront Park on Lake Winnebago. Wasn’t necessarily birdwatching but did bring my binoculars. I saw a dark bird swimming near the shore. At first I thought it was just a cormorant, but after watching it for a few minutes I noticed a few things. One, it’s body was below the surface. Only it’s neck and head were above water. Cormorants don’t swim like that. Another is that it’s beak had a sharp point. I put two and two together and realized it was an Anhinga. I know it’s way north of their usual range, but they have been spotted in Wisconsin before. It was swimming near the lighthouse.
Unfortunately, no. The only camera I had with me was my cellphone. It wasn’t close enough for me to get a good picture. I watched it for quite awhile and am pretty sure it was an Anhinga. I was born and raised in Madison but live in Palm Springs, California now. Up here visiting family.
Finally saw the very elusive sora rail last spring in our marsh! Been hearing their cackle for several years, but so hard to find. I found a spot where I could sit still for a while and played their call from a video on TH-cam and suddenly they showed themselves. It was the most incredible experience.
If you enjoyed this video please help us out by subscribing to our channel (and hitting the notification bell), leaving a comment, liking the video, and/or sharing on social media. Thanks so much for watching! :)
I saw a Hooded Merganser this weekend at my pond!
Awesome!
Great tips - especially in the map options from eBird - I didn't know about those points rather than using the purple squares. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Neil!
Merlin bird ID is a good app, you can sound ID, it is vary good
Learned new ways, thanks
A fourth and fantastic option is to talk with other birders while your birding. I find many are more open to word of mouth recommendations rather than internet posts so as to avoid large groups of people from crowding rare bird locations.
That’s true, good point 👍
Great E-Bird tips! I have the alerts set to get the rare birds in my county and the surrounding counties hourly, that way I can almost always glance through my email and see if there's anything super rare that I might want to go find... I didn't know about the Year Needs option though, I'll definitely go turn those on, thanks for the advice!
Sure thing! Thanks for watching!
I was in Fond du Lac yesterday at Lakefront Park on Lake Winnebago. Wasn’t necessarily birdwatching but did bring my binoculars. I saw a dark bird swimming near the shore. At first I thought it was just a cormorant, but after watching it for a few minutes I noticed a few things. One, it’s body was below the surface. Only it’s neck and head were above water. Cormorants don’t swim like that. Another is that it’s beak had a sharp point. I put two and two together and realized it was an Anhinga. I know it’s way north of their usual range, but they have been spotted in Wisconsin before. It was swimming near the lighthouse.
Awesome! Do you happen to have any photos?
Unfortunately, no. The only camera I had with me was my cellphone. It wasn’t close enough for me to get a good picture. I watched it for quite awhile and am pretty sure it was an Anhinga. I was born and raised in Madison but live in Palm Springs, California now. Up here visiting family.
Being a college student can make it to where you rely on retired birders to find rare birds😂
Definitely! A great additional resource 😂
Helpful!
Live in a desert and visit migrant traps like ponds or riparian areas often-not just during traditional migration periods. Amazing birds can show up.
Finally saw the very elusive sora rail last spring in our marsh! Been hearing their cackle for several years, but so hard to find.
I found a spot where I could sit still for a while and played their call from a video on TH-cam and suddenly they showed themselves. It was the most incredible experience.
Glad you were finally able to see them! They can be quite elusive.