How to find rare birds

Finding a rare bird is one of the most challenging and rewarding parts of birding. This video will equip you with the skills you need and covers all considerations to account for before heading out and finding your own rare bird.

[ronmccluskey]

My birding buddy and I would use humor to dispel disappointment. We picked a common bird in the area. Then pretended it was rare. We would shout with joy when we saw one. Then when something truly rare came along, we enjoyed it even more.

[jimgsewell]

That’s one of the best things about being fairly new to birding. To me, most birds are rare.

[brighteyedbirding]

Love the last message. It's easy to feel dejected when you don't get the rare bird you're looking for, but there are so many birds along the way that should be enjoyed during the journey! Keep up the good work Doug!

[shaynacossette]

Great informative video Doug! I was lucky enough to witness a Red-throated loon a couple of weeks ago. Relatively rare sighting in Northern Saskatchewan Canada but the area is also vastly under-birded.

[naturewithgabe]

Doug this was wonderfully done. Great video clips and analogies to tell the story. I loved it.

[ohiokeller]

Great Video. Always bring your birding gear with you where every you go. That is what I do and tell people.

[jabirustories]

Fantastic stuff, Doug, thank you so much! Really well structured and presented :)
Looking forward to seeing more from you here!

[Christiholmeselliott]

Great tips! If they were easy to find, they wouldn’t be rare!

[RoyceMarcus]

Great video - I think another point to acknowledge is rare birds that in the field might be there due to very unfortunate situations for that bird. Example - here in Raleigh, NC last year we had a Red Footed Booby. That bird had no business being here and I believe is the most furtherest inland report of that species anywhere ever.

It likely got there through a combination of weather and illness. It was seen for ~2 hours on a small inland lake, flew, and then was never seen again. Likely it died within the next 24 hours.

While that was a great day for many birders - it was likely that birds worst day, period. Having balance and respect for these rarity which are under tremendous stress or misfortune is very important to keep in mind.

[pedromiranda]

Hey Doug! Idk if you remember me but I am Pedro Miranda from the very first mountains to sea bird camp. I wanted to tell you thank you! I am a much better birder because of what you taught me.

[gothicgirl]

What is the best resource to use in order to learn birding field markings.

[sdtrekkiegirl]

This is more of a pep talk than a how-to but I did like the quotations.

[paulwilloughby]

Is there a reason you tried to run it over? Was the throttle stuck? Was it a deleted scene from Speed 2?

[dhitchcox]

8:04 typo; should read "thief" 🤦‍♂