It was in September, about a dozen years ago, when a message came to me indirectly
that someone had an Arizona Woodpecker visiting her Wheat Ridge feeder. She described it as "a woodpecker, overall brown, with spots. It matches the illustration in my field guide!"
Wow, I thought! A possible First State Record! I got over there in a jiffy, enjoyed the bucolic back yard, watched various birds come and go, and finally the homeowner exclaimed, "There it is! That woodpecker!"
I soaked in the details of the young European Starling she pointed at, then politely thanked her and
decided that chasing rare birds was often a thrill - but this time - not so much.
Joe Roller, Denver