Date: 4/8/24 4:30 am From: Susan Treesh <sktreesh...> Subject: [JERSEYBI] Farewell to the red-flanked bluetail
Our long-staying RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL was last reported on ebird on March 31. As we all remember, the next four days were mostly rain, and the bird was not seen at all during that period, either by the homeowners who hosted it or anyone else. So it is likely gone, perhaps making its way back north, maybe to Finland, in which case Massachusetts and Newfoundland should keep an eye out, or maybe northwest to Siberia - the UP of Michigan? Alberta? on its route.
What a treat to have had this bird so accessible for so long! It was first photographed on December 5, 2023. It stayed in the same Pinelands backyard patch in Crestwood Village in Ocean County for nearly 4 months and 1,818 ebird reports. Shy and furtive at first, it gradually became bolder and more confident (and more enamored of the bottomless bowl of mealworms sitting on the ground.) And so many birders came to see! I don't think there is an exact record, but on any given day there were observers from many states, and I'm sure some from abroad as well, since a direct flight to Philadelphia International Airport and a short drive on good roads to Whiting, NJ is an easier trek than to Finland ... or Siberia. And good looks and photographs for nearly all.
And let's give ourselves some credit too. NJ often gets a bad rap. But foremostly to the homeowners, who welcomed the bluetail with food and space, and visiting birders with invariable kindness, coffee, and cookies - for months! And to the residents of Crestwood Village, a private, over-55 community which could have closed itself at any point to birders, but chose to tolerate a couple thousand strangers and allow access throughout the whole period. And finally, to we birders who mostly - not entirely, but mostly - behaved, cooperated, and helped each other get good looks at the bluetail. Scopes were shared, along with snacks and directions to the nearest Wawa and the next good bird.
The winter of 2023-24 was brightened by this visitor.
