Bay-Breasted Warbler — Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park
Connecticut Warbler — Newbrook area
As birding increased in popularity , many sought to outdo one another in the listing stakes , and thus the need “ to twitch ” was born . Twitchers frequently travel long distances on short notice in order to see a rarity . eBird provides tools to notify users when rare birds are reported for their area . Alberta Birds on Facebook is another source of rare bird information .
At its worst , twitching has led to birders experiencing financial ruin , marriage breakdowns , and strained relationships with family members . Obsessive twitching can put a birder ’ s job on the line , especially if they continuously phone in sick or fail to keep important appointments .
I am fighting hard not to become a twitcher , but , in June , after sitting for over eight hours , hoping for a rare bird to appear , I began to wonder about the fine line between perseverance and Einstein ’ s definition of insanity .
In a previous article , “ Birding a Local Hotspot ” in news & views ( spring 2023 ), Chris Rees introduced eBird as a tool to support birding . His early career was as a chemist , researcher , and environmental , health , and safety specialist in industry before becoming an instructor at NAIT — and competitive birder .
Virginia Rail — Bittern Lake area
Black-Throated Green Warbler — Long Lake Provincial Park news & views WINTER 2023 | 43