California boasted just two previous records, both from places closed to the public. Red-flanked Bluetail is a casual, annual visitor to the islands off Alaska, so they’re not accessible to most people. birders, seldom see these gorgeous birds on the continent. This family also includes the Wheatears, the Siberian Rubythroat, and the Bluethroat. Why do birders go crazy over a bird like this? Red-flanked Bluetail is an Asian bird, a member of an Old World family, Musicapidae. One thing was for sure: these disappointing views made the assembled crowd crazy! What’s All The Fuss About? We spent a frustrating hour as the bird appeared sporadically, flying around, rarely lingering anywhere, and always staying deep in shadow. The call is virtually useless for locating the bird, but it at least provides confirmation that it?s still around. Occasionally, they give a soft call – a brief, quiet, musical phrase, up-slurred in pitch. While they usually stay close to the ground, Bluetails will also perch high, usually remaining nearly motionless. If this female bird’s behavior typical, Bluetails hate being in the open and seldom linger there for long. Red-flanked Bluetails are skulkers: they hide in dense cover or sit in the shadows. The grounds were beautiful: lush, with mature lawns, dense hedges, and concrete walkways shaded by huge ficus and magnolia trees. Promptly at 9:00 am, the gates opened and people started speed-walking towards the opposite end of the property. A crowd of about 100 local birders milled around by the library gate, mixing with visitors from further afield. Fortunately, the bird hung around, so we drove to Los Angeles to chase it. This whole working-for-a-living thing really puts a damper on birding! We spent an anguished week watching the reports verifying the bird was still present. The news wasn?t good: the facility only opened during the week when most of us are working instead of birding. We scrambled for our field guides to see what one even looked like, and then looked up the library hours of operation. When word broke on a Monday of a Red-flanked Bluetail found at the William Andrews Clark Library, it caused a panic.
Red-flanked Bluetail at the William Clark Library in Los Angeles, California
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