There are a number of maladies that can afflict a birder at various times of the year. “Warbler Neck” is one, which is caused by spending day after day in May looking straight up into the tops of the tallest trees staring at warblers actively foraging from branch to branch. And, at this time of year, some of us also come down with a case of “Rarity Fever.”

Rarity season peaks in late October and early November in Maine, and we are in the thick of it now. Countless work hours (often reported as “some kind of 24 hour flu”) are missed as birders call out sick, struck by debilitating bouts with Rarity Fever. Treatment for such cases usually involves long drives and life birds.

I’ve got “Rarity Fever,” and right now I’ve got it bad! For me, it’s not just about adding a new bird to one of my lists. The thrill of discovery, the element of surprise, the thrill of the chase is all part of it, but for me anyway, I am simply fascinated with the as-yet-not-even-somewhat-understood causes of vagrancy. Why did the Cape Elizabeth Black-throated Gray Warbler fly east instead of south. Why did that Scissor-tailed Flycatcher end up flying north? Weather and geography play a role, but other things are occurring inside a birds head, possibly never to be revealed. The presence of such birds, as the B-T Gray cannot be explained by geography or unusual weather alone. There’s an element of mystery to it that we do not understand, and that fascinates me.

Any peninsula, any island, any patch of distinct habitat, even any well-stocked backyard feeding station could draw something unexpected at this time of year. There is no “bad” place to be birding right now! In just the last 3 or 4 days, Maine has been surrounded by the discovery of a number of great birds: Franklin’s Gull, Black Skimmer, American White Pelican, and MacGillivray’s Warbler in Massachusetts; the continuing Black-tailed Gull in Vermont; Chimney Swifts, Black Skimmer, White-winged Dove, and Cattle Egret in Nova Scotia; Chimney Swifts, Franklin’s Gull, and Rufous Hummingbird in New Brunswick. Let’s go Maine, we’ve got some catching up to do!

A life bird this week (the Black-throated Gray) was invigorating, the big miss (the Scissor-tail) only further fueled the fire, and the current weather pattern (persistent and strong southwesterly winds followed by a series of cold fronts) is encouraging. Now is the time to find the “good ones!” So, why are you still reading this, go out birding!

No rarities this morning at Reid State Park in Georgetown by the way, but I did enjoy a pleasant diversity of birds. Lingering shorebirds included 27 Black-bellied Plovers, 12 Semipalmated Plovers, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, and 97 Sanderling. Seaduck numbers were increasing offshore, as were Common Loons, and both Horned and Red-necked Grebes. One American Tree Sparrow joined the handful of Dark-eyed Juncos, one Swamp Sparrow was present, and 7 Snow Buntings were on the beach. Two migrant immature Northern Harriers passed over Georgetown on my way home as well.