Local San Francisco birder Dominick Mosur got quite the surprise last week when he was birding a local patch near Stern Grove called Pine Lake. A bird never before seen in California popped up and said hello. The Slate-throated Redstart is a small warbler of Central and South America and only occasionally makes an appearance in the US, usually in southeast Arizona. This of course has caused a firestorm of interest in the birding world with people coming from all over the country to see it.
Here is an article from the SF Chronicle about the sighting.
I noticed the postings about this bird last week and thinking that it wouldn't stick around did not chase it. However, after several days of sightings I felt I had to give it a try so foregoing my usual Sunday morning bike ride I headed for southwest San Francisco.
I arrived at 7:45 and happened to run into Dominick as he was leaving. He was kind enough to give us directions to the spot where a few minutes later I joined a group of about 20 birders surrounding a willow thicket at the southeast end of Pine Lake. Over the course of my two hours at the spot I had two brief but good looks at the bird. Some of the other birders with large camera rigs were able to get good photos but I was not.
An excellent start to the fall season. Makes you wonder what else is out there!
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| Slate-throated Redstart (from Bird of the World) |
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