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Ordinary things can lead to extraordinary results. To prove it, here’s a fresh, proven, true story from northern Wisconsin.
Tim Okciuta of Mocha was birding in Ashland on February 14th. There’s nothing unusual there. Okciuta, who is 71 and retired, does it almost every day of the year.
But around 9 a.m. on a trip to Prentice Park this Valentine’s Day, Occciuta noticed a strange-looking bird flying with a flock of blue jays.
“If it was a blue jay, it was unlike any blue jay I’ve ever seen,” Occciuta said. “I had no idea what it was.”
Therefore, Okushiuta decided to record the sighting information. When the bird landed in a tree about 100 meters away, Okciuta grabbed his digital camera and took a photo of it.
Later that day, he emailed the image to his friend Ryan Brady, a conservation biologist and bird expert with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
That wasn’t unusual either.
“Tim often sends me pictures, and sometimes it’s a common species, in bad light, and he says, ‘Can you take a look at this and tell me what you think? ?’” Brady said.
Brady said “all kinds of good things” have been found at Occidenta, including a great black-backed gull (a very rare visitor to Wisconsin) several years ago.
Brady said the Feb. 14 image was a little blurry. However, it was different from anything Okushiuta had ever sent to a friend. From here on, the story takes a turn into something extraordinary.
In fact, no one had ever taken this type of photo in Wisconsin’s history.
Just seconds after Brady reviewed the image, he declared, “This is field fair!”
“I told Tim I had just documented the state records,” Brady said. “What a discovery.”
The Wisconsin Ornithological Society, which officially maintains the state’s birding records, said it is considering field sightings through its normal process, but based on the photographic evidence, there is little doubt it will be accepted. Mark Corducki of WSO said.
Fieldfare is a member of the thrush family. It is native to Europe. Although occasionally recorded in the northeastern United States and Maritime Provinces of Canada, visitors to interior North America are extremely rare. The only other sighting in the Midwest was in Minnesota in 1991, according to the bird database eBird.
The bird has been in the Ashland area for the past week. Bird watchers from across Wisconsin and surrounding areas flock to the area for the chance to “shoot for a life.”
Tom Schultz of Green Lake left his home at 2 a.m. Monday to see the bird. He was joined in the drive north by Campbellsport’s Jeff Bowman, Green Lake’s John Lottie Lottie and Appleton’s Darryl Tessen.
When they arrived in Ashland around 7:30 a.m., the birds had just departed.
Schultz said the group was asking each other why they hadn’t left five minutes earlier.
After an hour, to their delight, the field fair was moved closer. They and about 15 others were able to enjoy a great view of the bird through a spotting scope and take documentary photos of the bird.
On Tuesday morning, the field was seen again by a group of about 20 people, including Okciuta. Similar to his first sighting, sightings in the field were mainly in the morning and in the presence of blue jays.
Brady said the bird has been seen in the same area for about a week, so it’s likely finding a suitable food source and roosting habitat.
“Who knows how long it will last, but it’s definitely a reward,” Brady said. “This bird was in Europe at one point, and now it’s in Ashland. It’s just fascinating.”
Occciuta said he continues his daily bird watching and is now focusing on new and well-known species he has discovered in local parks. Last week’s events proved that birding outings can be unexpected and even record-setting.
“I’m glad other people can see (the field),” Occciuta said. “It’s fun to see their smiles and share their experiences.”
What is a field fair?
Fieldfare is a member of the thrush family of birds. It resembles the American robin but is slightly larger.
What are the field fees?
It has a blue-gray head, a yellow bill with a black tip, brownish-gray wings, spots on the sides of its thorax, and a white abdomen, according to the Woodland Trust, a UK-based conservation organization. Its posture and silhouette resemble the American robin.
Where can I usually find field fees?
Fieldfares are native to Europe, breeding primarily in Scandinavia in the summer and migrating south in the fall. Many people spend their winters in England. Sightings in North America are rare and have historically been concentrated on the East Coast.
What do field fairs eat?
According to the Woodland Trust, this species primarily eats insects and invertebrates in the summer. In winter, the bird’s diet switches to berries and fallen fruits. While in the UK, stray dogs forage for and eat berries from hawthorn, holly, juniper and yew trees.
What is the origin of the bird’s name?
According to the Woodland Trust, the name Fieldfare comes from the Anglo-Saxon word veldware, meaning “field traveler”.
How often are new bird species recorded in Wisconsin?
The birding comes amid a recent surge in state-recorded birds, said Mark Korducchi, a member of the Wisconsin Ornithological Society who writes a monthly rare bird column for the organization’s newsletter Badger Birder. It is said to be the latest one. Four species have been recorded for the first time in Wisconsin in the past eight months. Flame-collared tanagers in Cudahy in April, American flamingos in Port Washington in September, ancient crested murrelets in Ashland in November, and this time it’s still a field fair. Ashland.
Korducki said it’s unusual to see so many new species in the state within a year. However, this trend is being driven by a growing interest in bird watching and the widespread use of digital cameras to help share and record sightings.
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