I’m impressed someone had the wherewithal not only to notice the red-flanked bluetail (or orange-flanked bush-robin), but also to know what it was. I can’t deny the little flare of delight I feel when I spot the two males waddling along, strangers in a strange land.Īt least at the park I have an idea of what I’m looking for. Whenever I’m there I scan for their reddish heads among the sea of green and brown heads that is the wigeon flock as they all munch their way across the grass. A couple of male Eurasian wigeons-a kind of dabbling duck that is a rare if reliable visitor from eastern Asia-have been hanging out with the resident flock of American wigeons at a nearby park for the past couple of years.
On second thought, there might just be a tiny bit of philosophy undergirding my studied disinterest. I’m just lazy, and the thought of skulking around the suburbs for hours only to stand among the peering hordes just this side of some befuddled schlub’s property line so I can stare at some distant smudge in the bushes is not why I got into birding. I don’t have any profound philosophical reasons for this. I like birds a lot, as people who know me know, but I don’t chase rarities. News of the bluetail left me largely unmoved. More to the point, the species normally ranges throughout Asia and Europe, so in the Seattle area it is quite the rarity. Turns out that the red-flanked bluetail-also known as the orange-flanked bush-robin-is a small songbird with red flanks (or orange flanks, I guess, depending on who’s looking?) and a blue tail (which isn’t always a big deal?). I had to look up what a red-flanked bluetail was. It is insectivorous.A few days ago, a friend texted me that a red-flanked bluetail had been spotted a couple of miles from where I live. The Himalayan bluetail is a short-distance altitudinal migrant species, breeding in the Himalaya in bush layer (dwarf rhododendron in wetter areas, deciduous bushes in drier) of conifer and mixed conifer-oak forest, main species fir (Abies) but sometimes in areas with Picea smithiana or Pinus wallichiana/Cupressus torulosa forest at 3000–4400 m, not penetrating beyond tree-line and in winters found at 1,500–2,500 m typically in broadleaf evergreen forest, dense dark undergrowth and thickets, clearings, treefall gaps with vine tangles, open woodland commonly seen along tracks favours ridges and mountain tops. It is closely related to the red-flanked bluetail and was generally treated as a subspecies of it in the past, but as well as differing in its migratory behaviour (the red-flanked bluetail is a long-distance migrant), it also differs in the more intense blue colour of the adult males and the greyer colour of the females and juveniles. While currently under review, this taxon is not current recognized as a species by BirdLife international. The Himalayan bluetail or Himalayan red-flanked bush-robin also called the Orange-flanked bush-robin (Tarsiger rufilatus) is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher of Muscicapidae. This bird was first found on December 22nd on a Christmas Bird Count By Shayne Tillapaugh and is at Lazo Wildlife Park in Comox on Vancouver Island. Unfortunately, our bird is very camera shy, unlike the confiding Idaho bird! This is also the 7th record for the ABA outside of Alaska and the current Idaho bird is the 8th record. This is the second record for the province of BC and the second record for Canada.
I worked so bloody hard for it that I figured, it's one I really deserved and have to put up no matter how bad it is! haha I have spent 16 hours on this bird and only came away with this poor record shot. The second day, another 6 hrs and yesterday only a short 4 hours! The bird follows no real pattern and is unpredictable and skulky. It was freezing cold and the first day we stood outside for 6 hours straight. It is one expensive ferry ride and a long drive each attempt. The first time on December 30th, I had her in partial view for a total of 2-4 seconds! This was the toughest twitch I've ever been on.
#Orange flanked bluetail full
I had the bird in the open for a full 5 mins! If you knew this bird that is an eternity! LOL. Well this is my third time visiting this mega rarity and my second time seeing it.
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