I chase after some rare birds, but not all that I hear about. I mostly like to hunt for unusual birds that fascinate me that I haven't seen before, or fairly common birds that I feel like I should have seen but somehow haven't yet. If there is an unusual bird that isn't too far away I will go look for it too (such as the Burrowing Owl or the Palm Warblers in Renton, and the Painted Bunting that was near Capitol Hill).

For examples of the first type, I spent several years trying to find a Northern Goshawk, and finally scored with a trip to Vancouver BC (and then found 3 more later that year, including a close flyover while I was riding my bike over Wauconda Pass). The goshawk seemed (and still seems) like such a great bird that I really wanted to see for myself.
Similarly, I made a trip up near Hart's Pass to find a Northern Hawk Owl (which was truly a beautiful bird, and a thrilling sighting). And I am still looking to find a Black-backed Woodpecker.

For examples of the second type, I'm still trying to find an Olive-sided Flycatcher, a Lark Sparrow, and a Tri-colored Blackbird. I made several trips up Mt. Rainier before I finally found some Gray-crowned Rosy Finches and some White-tailed Ptarmigans (I happened to run into Khanh Tranh, who seems to have an affinity for what he calls "fancy chickens" and we found the ptarmigans together.) And it took me a while before I had a nice look at a Heerman's Gull in breeding plumage.

I don't spend a lot of time and energy to see a bird that is unusual in the ABA area if I've already seen several where it normally lives. For example, I looked briefly in Teller, ouside of Nome, for the White Wagtail, but I'd seen lots of them in the Lakes District in England.

But some rarities are just too wonderful not to hunt for: I couldn't get enough looks at the dozen or so beautiful Bluethroats we found sitting up in the sunlight, north of Nome. And I will always remember the cinnamon-colored patches on the tail of a Bristle-thighed Curlew as it flew up from the tundra, after hours of nothing but Whimbrels.

Birding in other states or countries is also a very pleasant way to have a vacation. My wife and I originally went to Costa Rica on our honeymoon but have gone back to see more of the amazing flora and fauna. Watching a Three-wattled Bellbird get ready to "bonk", or eating and then regurgitating an avocado is better than most other tourist activities.

Another reason I might go after an unusual bird is to show it to someone else. I've made several trips with my wife to show her birds I've found, like the American Three-toed Woodpeckers above Roger Lake. I am a teacher by profession and I get a vicarious pleasure out of demonstrating new things to other people and watching their excitement. I hope that I will be able to lead birding trips some day for that reason.

Gary Kelsberg
Seattle
kelsberg at u.washington.edu