An unforgettable experience

Abstract

As a young girl growing up on a farm in Franklin, New Jersey, I was intrigued by the natural world around me and used to regularly feed and watch the birds in our yard. After taking a birding course at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (CLO), my sister, Janet, inspired me to really learn about the birds visiting my yard. At the time, I had no idea that watching and learning about birds would also be of interest to others. The concept of “citizen science” was foreign to me. That changed, however, after I joined Project FeederWatch (PFW; www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/) and made an exciting discovery. On Sunday March 4, 2012, while doing my regular PFW count, an unusual bird caught my eye. It was like no other bird that had visited my feeders or that I had observed while out birding. The gray crown, the pink on the wings, and the pink tinge on its body attracted my attention. I quickly took its photograph, and Janet suggested that I post the picture on CLO's Facebook page. Within 15 minutes it was identified as a gray-crowned rosy finch (Leucosticte tephrocotis) that was clearly out of its typical range. Normally found in the mountainous Pacific Northwest and up into Alaska, I was very surprised to find this bird at my feeder in Boonville, New York. Once birders found out about my discovery, we were inundated with requests from dedicated enthusiasts who wanted to come and see “Rosy”, and we did our best to accommodate them. Each day, Rosy would show up around 6:30 in the morning and was gone by 4:30 in the afternoon; he was last seen around 9:30 am on March 9th. Watching him during those 5 days was the birding experience of a lifetime. Participating in PFW has expanded my knowledge of the natural world; for example, I have learned about the importance of plants as food sources and nesting spots for birds. Becoming a citizen scientist has encouraged me to be even more vigilant while making observations of my surroundings, but spotting Rosy in my yard was a fantastic experience that I will never forget.