Try to find the "true Waldo" on this page. He's the one missing a shoe. If you find him, congratulations! I was not successful. If so, you are quite capable of finding a rare look-alike bird in a crowd of hundreds.
Now, try to find the Bonaparte's Gull that is different. Find it? There might be a different one in there but this game was actually to give you the idea of what it is like searching for a nearly identical bird in a huge group. Not easy, right?
We arrived at the Salton Sea for the second time in a month with high hopes of finding a rare Alaskan female Garganey duck. The challenge was to pick her out from the hundreds of Blue-winged teals that she chose to hang out with this winter. Ducks are either in constant motion foraging or resting with their heads tucked in. Checking out the subtle differences in the facial pattern of a Garganey vs a Blue-winged teal was not going to be easy. Luck was on our side the second time around. We found her briefly as she frantically foraged with her wintering buddies but no luck on a photo for me.
It's not always so hard finding a rare bird. In fact, it is quite easy if you find the birders first - The ones with their eyes glued behind their scopes or their binoculars intensely searching for the rare bird.
That is exactly how we found the Purple Sandpiper. This bird is normally found on the east coast of Canada or Greenland in the winter. How in the world did it find the desert Salton Sea?
Two "life birds" in one day. Not bad! In fact, it is quite excellent! For the uninitiated, a "life bird" is a new bird that you have never seen.
Besides two new birds to my list, I actually got a photo of a posing Jack Rabbit. That's a first as well. For many more reasons than my little success, January is off to a great start!
I hope you are enjoying the hope of a bright new year!
Photos and content by Robin Roberts.
Click on photos to enlarge.
