On January 3, a day in which the weather was balmy with almost no snow, a friend and I drove the 2-plus hours to Sackville. Several rare birds including a mega rarity had been reported from there. Our trip down was uneventful for birds with mainly crows and ravens added to the list except for a Gray Jay which flew across the road in front of us.
At Sackville we missed the exit from the highway and went beyond to the first turn around and came back to where we saw a group of cars parked on the side of the road. That was the clue to where the rare Green-tailed Towhee might be. It had been reported from the marsh behind the local high school for about the last 3 weeks. We parked on the side of the big highway, got our gear ready and walked about 100 yards on a very good trail to where three people were gathered. Having someone ahead of you who already knows where the bird is located is a big help.
The habitat was a large fresh water marsh with edges growing up in sedges, rushes, grasses and some bushes including red osier, wild roses and alders. Near where the bird was usually found was a gazebo which was heavily laden with full bird feeders. The bird was obviously being well taken care of. The Green-tailed Towhee was far from home. It would normally spend summers in the interior area of western US and it would winter in Mexico.
Approaching quietly with as little disturbance as possible, we set up our cameras and waited with the other people pointing unobtrusively to where the bird was apparently hiding. We stood there with anticipation waiting for it to appear. After about 20 minutes a beautiful adult Green-tailed Towhee showed itself as it fed in the ditch among the reeds and bushes. What a photographic opportunity! That was the mega-rarity we had come for. We were able to quietly watch it for about 10 minutes before it returned to hiding. On the way out was a beautiful White-throated Sparrow. My friend was able to pick a few rose hips to feed her birds at home while I identified the Speckled Alders we walked past.
The next species on our rare bird list for the trip was a Great Egret that had been hanging around the marshy and pond areas of town for over a month. Checking birding Facebook sites from the day before we knew it had been feeding near St. James Street at the retention pond. As we were searching for the area another friendly birder led us to the proper area and the best place to park. Thanks, Gary!
There was a large pond in that area with a wonderful network of trails. We walked along quietly for 100 metres and I spotted the tall white bird hiding among the cattails. Moving along further gave us a good view as it started wading and feeding. A Great Egret is no longer super rare here but one in winter certainly is. This individual appeared to be doing well but one wonders how long it can survive when the ponds freeze over.
The third rarity was a Yellow-breasted Chat which had been feeding fairly regularly at a feeder in town. The feeders of this house were visible from the street. We sat in our car and watched the feeders three different times during the day but did not see the rare visitor. Also missed that day was a Northern Mockingbird which also was in town. We did not know where it was hanging out so we did not try to see it. We were sorry to miss it though.
After such good birding in town we drove to the ‘official’ marsh, the Tantramar Marsh where we traversed muddy roads looking for whatever birds we could find. That did not disappoint. We saw many Ring-necked Pheasants who were feeding in barn yards, in the yards of houses bordering the marsh and in other border areas. A few Mallard ducks rounded out our list on the marsh. We saw an Iceland Gull along one road.
With time and daylight fleeting we headed for the highway and the long drive home. That ended a very good outing and a great day birding.
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