MacGillivray's Warbler
Most of us who have been birding for a while have a short list of nemesis species - species that we should have, or almost have seen, but remain on our wish list to be a life bird. One my top five nemesis avian species is the MacGillivray's Warbler. This western species is tough to find even when it might be close by, and I searched for this species three times in the greater Seattle, Washington area, and at least twice in southern Arizona. Even though reported the day before I looked for one, I never got lucky.
I had some surgery the day before Thanksgiving, and after spending the night in the hospital, came home late on Thanksgiving afternoon. I knew that I had a few weeks of recovery, but thought that after a few days would be out birding, at least locally. But that changed.
On November 29th, I found myself in the emergency room, diagnosed with Covid-19 and some pneumonia. The ER doctor put me on a five day course of Paxlovid, and said that after isolating for five days, I could go out if wearing a mask. Stuck at home and not feeling so great, I checked the various list servers and saw that a MacGillivray's Warbler had been spotted at Lake Shenandoah in Rockingham County. It was less than an hour's drive away, but I was in no condition to go birding. The was only the 4th record of this species in Virginia, and it was "eating my heart out" that I would miss it.
About 95% of the time, such rarities are only seen for a day or two. Very infrequently, rarities like this might stick around until the weather changes, and I only know of twice in my 16 years of birding, that a rarity like this stayed in central Virginia for an entire season.
After five days on Paxlovid, I saw yesterday that this MacGillivray's Warbler was still being seen, and that starting tomorrow, there would be rain the rest of the week. So it was today or weep and forget about it. I didn't have the strength to make the drive both ways, so I called my birding buddy, Tink Moyer, and asked him if he would like to go with me if I wore an N-95 mask the entire time. Tink agreed to meet me in Waynesboro, and he drove us from there.
We weren't at Lake Shenandoah very long when I got my life bird # 791, and my # 53 New World warbler species photographed.
MacGillivray's Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
THANK YOU, TINK!