Present, but unaccounted for!

Last September, a family of three Bean Goose showed up at Shemya Island in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.  They've been there ever since.  Unfortunately, it doesn't look like anybody saw them during the GBBC, so we can't count them.  The only birder stationed on the island and likely to have seen them left the island right before the GBBC for a much needed vacation.  The birds were last seen February 10.  So while they were most assuredly still on the island during the GBBC, unfortunately we couldn't get them on the count!

There are other rare birds that were reported during the GBBC, and fortunately we'll be able to get them into the count--since someone actually saw them.  There are other rare birds that have been around lately that we're still trying to determine if anyone saw during the count.  Hopefully, somebody saw the Crescent-chested Warbler and Eared Trogon that have been hanging out in Madera Canyon this winter, though it snowed up that canyon during the count weekend!  We're still missing reports of many resident birds that had to be around during the count as well, including Gunnison Sage-Grouse, Lesser Prairie Chicken, and White-tailed Ptarmigan.  There's also a whole slew of native Hawaiian honeycreepers that are only rarely reported during the count.  If anyone wants to fund an expedition, maybe we can go find those birds in person next year!

It is always fun to see if we can round up sightings of rare or less-often seen birds.  And if we can't, to at least know that they are out there.  Somewhere.  Perhaps waiting to be counted next time!