Different = Rare ?

A valuable lesson I once learned about this birding game, is that learning the common species in your area will help you prepare to recognize when a bird is different, and potentially find a "rarity".


It really does work, but there's serious danger in that method as well! Different doesn't always equal rare!


I can't say how many times I'm shocked to find a rare subspecies, morph, aberrant plumage (leucsitic, melanistic) hybrid, backcross, abnormal molt, or just downright "messed up" bird, before finding a bonafide "rare bird"... The biggest case of this for me is every year at the Niagara River, looking at Gulls. I spend days and days down there searching, and find dozens of oddball gulls, multiple hybrids, yet never find the real deal (still waiting for a Slaty-backed Gull!!!!!) Whereas someone finds (or reports) a wide variety of rarities down there every year.


I don't usually mention these birds, but I managed a photograph of one at Pelee Island this spring that I was compelled to share:

The expected birding crew was at the Tip of Fish Point (the Burrells, Dad, Jenn) when we had this Common Loon fly directly over our heads. It was pretty obvious that the bird had a very pale (dare I say, Yellow) bill. Despite this, none of us really got all that excited .I managed a few photos as the bird flew past just for fun, but it became pretty clear to us that the bird looked like a Common Loon, other than the slightly funny bill colour. 

Looking at the photos later, I also noticed the bird has a lot of pink on the feet! (A quick look in the Sibley guide etc. shows Loons with dark/black feet). So even more proof that just because this bird is different, doesn't mean it's the mega-rare Yellow-billed Loon, just a silly Common Loon...


Just a little fun on a mid June day. A recent discussion of a photographed bird brought this topic to the front of my mind, which I won't mention here, but thought it'd be fun to do a post that different doesn't always equal rare!