I saw reports of this rare bird being seen in Ashland County for about a week. The Fieldfare, a super rare bird for Wisconsin, a 1st state record is native to Europe. I obviously need it for my state life list. It was being seen all week, but not everyday which made it a hard decision to drive 6 hours one way to try for it. I finally decided, I might as well try for it and made the run up to Ashland leaving the house at midnight to get there when the sun comes up. After everyone, 40 birders and I were wandering around for over an hour the bird suddenly appeared and put on a very brief appearance for the 40 birders and I, some from as far away as Montana and Maine, at Prentice Park in Ashland Co. When this bird has been seen during the week, it is only giving looks from roughly 7-8:30 am daily, then disappearing for the rest of the day. I walked away with a very distant shot at about 500 feet as the bird perched on the other side of a large field. A big thank you to the finders of this bird and getting the word out for others to see it. Life Bird for Wisconsin #377. It was a cool morning to start with temps around 26 degrees, a slight breeze and mostly cloudy skies. Image was taken on February 21, 2024.
I read about this bird on a blog I follow from a MN birder. Soon as I did I thought about you and just knew you would attempt to get some photos! Such a lovely bird it is.
Your lifelist is growing, growing !!
Mission Accomplished!