Chris Ortega

birds, BYU, being irrelevant

[Chris Ortega @yeahyeahchris]

@rleggos That's fine. There are literally thousands of people happy to help others ID a bird if they don't know how. If the requester wants to learn, there are many willing to help with that, too, but if they don't and others still want to help, why get worked up about it?

[Chris Ortega @yeahyeahchris]

@rleggos If it's in a group specifically set up to help people ID birds and doesn't have any group rules about saying what you think or anything, I have absolutely 0 problem with this approach whatsoever. Some people like to know what a particular bird is but don't care about ID skills.

[Chris Ortega @yeahyeahchris]

I just sprinted flat out for 600 m just to add a flyover Bald Eagle to my yard list 🥵

[Chris Ortega @yeahyeahchris]

@baggins_bow Ok last thing on him, then I need to get back to work 😅 he updated his ABA Area life list on ABA's listing central (where he's in 2nd place w/986 species) on 6/12/23. Notably there have been 7 ABA firsts since then, but all either not super chaseable or of uncertain provenance.

[Chris Ortega @yeahyeahchris]

@baggins_bow I should clarify, he's still alive as far as I can tell, but I can't find how to contact him or what he might be up to these days. From what I can see, he seems prominent enough that his passing would likely be noted in some publication, but if he is still here, he's 88.

[Chris Ortega @yeahyeahchris]

@baggins_bow There is an eBird-confirmed 1980 sighting attributes to but not submitted by a guy named Robert W. Guth. He is still alive submitting checklists. https://t.co/hbo58GDFvf
https://t.co/0hzMgnFT7t

[Chris Ortega @yeahyeahchris]

@terrordroma 😔

[Chris Ortega @yeahyeahchris]

@terrordroma I remember feeling this way about many continuing SoCal birds. LIST, TUBG, YHCA, TRPA - all birds I saw months after they were found. Fwiw, my suspicion is the ARLO has been there now 5 or 6 days in a row (4 confirmed), so it may have decided this is the place for summer. 🤞🏼

[Chris Ortega @yeahyeahchris]

Update:

[Chris Ortega @yeahyeahchris]

Me every time I have to work tomorrow but the rarity four counties over seems like it might stay

[Chris Ortega @yeahyeahchris]

@melodybirds_

[Chris Ortega @yeahyeahchris]

@candiburke

[Chris Ortega @yeahyeahchris]

@terrordroma Yup! Love seeing all the megafauna. I am very much in the never-should've-split-Cassia camp even though I got up before 5 multiple times to go see them. Also, a vole population explosion near Mud Lake brought the best raptor spectacle I've ever seen outside of the Serengeti!

[Chris Ortega @yeahyeahchris]

@terrordroma My wife is originally from Idaho, and her parents are still there. Massively underrated state, and while the politics are admittedly awful, there are still good people.

[Chris Ortega @yeahyeahchris]

@birdwarehouse_ Love them! I've never seen a Steller's Sea-Eagle, but I feel like Rickys give a similar muppet vibe with those oversized schnozzes.

[Chris Ortega @yeahyeahchris]

@terrordroma 😲

[Chris Ortega @yeahyeahchris]

@jmattphotos Nice one! I think this was the fifth record in my home county. Richmond, California

[Chris Ortega @yeahyeahchris]

I don't really have the followers for this, but what the hell, pick 1-517 and I'll share the best photo I have of a species I've caught in the frame at least once. Disclaimer: the vast majority of these are 1-2 stars on eBird.

[Andrew Guttenberg @guttenbirder22]

Give me a number between 1-131 and I’ll give you a species of tyrant flycatcher I’ve seen.

[Chris Ortega @yeahyeahchris]

@OriolesMagic32 My first and so far only flight anywhere just for birding was just last autumn. It resulted in 39 lifers in under 24 hours, including this one. Santa Margarita Ranch, Texas