SAGE THRASHER in Hatfield!

 

Sage Thrasher, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2020

Sage Thrasher, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2020

Sage Thrasher, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2020

Sage Thrasher, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2020

Sage Thrasher, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2020

Sage Thrasher feeding, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2020

Last evening I got a message from another birder regarding the identification of an species she saw earlier that day that she identified in the field as a Hermit Thrush but once she got home and started looking at the photos she took she knew it was something else but didn't know what.  She sent me the photos and one look at them showed a Sage Thrasher...an incredible rarity for anywhere in the east.  This was quickly followed by a few messages from others regarding the report as her photos were also posted to a bird identification site.  The ID was made rapidly on that site as well and several people posted links to the photos to multiple birding sites on Facebook.  The observer started getting messages regarding the bird in regards to its exact location.  She was nervous about releasing the exact location as the area is private and would not be able to handle a large influx of people.  She reached out to a few local birders (myself included) to follow up on the sighting and guidance on what course of action to take if the bird was relocated.  

I arrived before dawn and was quickly joined by several others and we started looking around the area for the bird.  There were many hedgerows and thickets to check and all looked like good spots for a Sage Thrasher to hang out in.  The forecasted snow started up in earnest a bit before eight and continued moderately for a period quickly dusting the ground.  I initially had to leave around 8:30 to get home to meet a contractor but just as I was set to leave he emailed me and cancelled the work for the day due to the snow so I was able to stay a bit longer looking.  Just as one bout of snow was ending around nine the bird was seen briefly once we all spread out covering more areas.  It disappeared before others could get on it but that observer got some photos. The bird was then seen briefly as it flew to another thicket and then disappeared once again.  A few other birders left after more fruitless searching and the snow picked up once again.  I was just about to give up on it and was heading for my car when the bird was relocated by a couple birders nearby and the bird stayed teed up for a few minutes before diving down into one of the thickets and started eating berries.  Overall the bird seems quite skittish and only seemed to appear once there were almost no people around its favored area.  The observers present agreed the bird seemed stressed by even the small amount of activity of just a few birders.  It was great to finally catch up with it after hours of searching.   I have to say I would never had guessed that I would be looking at a Sage Thrasher in Hampshire County in the middle of December!  Not only is the bird a first Hampshire County record it is the first inland Massachusetts record and only the fifth Massachusetts record...a true rarity!  It becomes species #301 for me in Hampshire County.  There was another report of this species in eastern New York that showed up in early November and then disappeared around the 18th of that month so not sure if it is the same individual or not.

The worst part of this sighting was trying to decide if the report should be broadcast out to the general birding population.  There were several items to consider.  The first and foremost would be the health of the bird and this is no small consideration.  The individual is already stressed to some degree being in this area in December so the additional stress from loads of birders crowding it would not bode well for the bird.  As mentioned earlier the bird seemed to stay away from its preferred feeding location when anyone was nearby.  In addition the entire area is private (although the farm road may indeed be an unmaintained public way).  On the other hand it is a mega rarity for the area and many would love to see it.  The original observer was nervous about a lot of people leading to issues from the start.   I told her we would first see if the bird was still around today and then I would poll several birders for their thoughts on what to do with the report.  Everyone I asked came to the same conclusion that it is not an easy decision and most agreed the final say would rest with the original observer.  There is history with rarities turning into fiascos with birders and photographers being less than ethical and not abiding by rules set by those releasing specific directions to the bird.  There is also some history of birders behaving and allowing many people to see a rare bird so a true conundrum.   In the end we all were glad it was not up to us to make the final decision.  After much back and forth between the original observer and input from several other birders we left it up to her and she decided to keep the report quiet to avoid issues.  I know some people will not be happy about it but I for one will support her decision.  The possibility of an upcoming large snow storm followed by very cold temps may make all the discussion regarding access a moot point.