Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Life Bird 600-something

Wednesday, July 2, 2008
6 comments

While helping to lead the field trip to Antelope Island State Park in The Great Salt Lake I got my first life bird in a while for North America. It was a chukar (pronounced chuck-er), a Eurasian species (and a member of the partridge family, but not The Partridge Family) introduced to North America by hunters. It's now established and breeding in many parts of the West, and thus is "countable" by those who keep track of such things. As I understand it, Danny Bonaduce is also established and breeding in certain parts of the West.

If I did a better job of keeping track, I'd actually know what number the chukar is on my life list. It's somewhere in the mid-600s I think...

Anyway it was cool to see a bird I'd never seen before. The chukar was a lifer for most of the 26 birders on our bus. No I did not force everyone to do the Life Bird Wiggle. It was too hot in the desert.

6 comments:

On July 3, 2008 at 4:01 AM entoto said...

Whoa! I had one wandering around outside my house about three years ago. Funny, I never saw it past the fall.

On July 3, 2008 at 6:06 AM Kathi said...

According to the new ABA listing rules, a Life Bird is not countable if you do not do the Life Bird wiggle, desert or mountaintop notwithstanding.

~Kathi

On July 3, 2008 at 9:15 AM Anonymous said...

Reading you is always a pleasure...

SF

On July 3, 2008 at 10:10 AM Anonymous said...

I agree with katdoc . . . would like to see a video of your Life Bird wiggle . . . I bet you could come up with a great song to go along with it! Congrats Bill!

On July 4, 2008 at 7:03 PM Mary C said...

Now that is one bird I surely would do a Life Bird Wiggle for. I hope some day to see one.

On July 7, 2008 at 8:58 AM Rondeau Ric said...

Once they are back on the air conditioned bus you should be able to get them to do the wiggle.

I harassed the in ND until they did. Said I'd put them back out in the rain.


[BACK TO TOP]