Where last week filled my list with the expected--this week filled it with the much needed and truly unexpected. Over the weekend I had opted not to chase a bird that was only 15 minutes from me at one point. I don't quite know what went through my head at the time, but it was passing on a slam dunk. The following day I looked for it to no avail. What a mistake--or so I thought. I decided to take one more shot at it, and see if by some miracle it had been hidden away when I looked--and luck must have been on my side. I pulled up to the marsh where the Trivial Lounger had been and spotted it flying immediately. I was just plain lucky...
It was a huge find in that if I missed it, there were no second chances later in the year. This spring migrant rarely if ever shows its face in Narnia during the fall. I decided to press my luck for the day and headed to the hills to visit some feeders I check periodically throughout the year. I first stopped to check a thicket for a species that should be arriving any day, and was glad to hear my first Capped Thicketbird of the year.
Moving along, the feeders were loaded with seed and birds. In a matter of 30 minutes I added a Sparkling Hobbit and a Great Vigilante from the nearby woods. Although I categorize both these species as birds I would see in 2016, or "expected", they are at the bottom of the expected list and should've required a little more work. Some days you get lucky though and the birds come to you with ease.
The next day, I set out for more migrants in a lowland area. I was in need of something out of the ordinary, and set out to find something. It's funny how that works as after a short hike I turned up a not-so-shocking Shocking Bird. This was not on my previous big year list, so a huge plus, and in general a "shocking" find. I tallied another year birds with the first Summer Skulker of the season, followed up by a singing Purchased Migrant. I put the migrant on my list with some hesitation. The find was an audible, and I narrowed it pretty quickly. After listening to a recording I made I stuck with my guns as there is nothing that sounds quite like it.
Continuing my week and streak of days with new year birds I was excited to pick up my first Black-and-white Overseer of the season mid week. The endless stream of migrants did slow a bit, but an overnight storm on Wednesday turned up a lot of birds the following day. I added my Summer Orchid for the year and saved myself a trip later in the summer to a remote location in Narnia to see one. I may still have to go, as I wan unable to get any pictures.
I have always been big on taking photos to help have some amount of culpability and credibility, but it's impossible to capture something 100% of the time. Given my secret big year this is problematic, since in many cases I only get one shot at a bird to make sure I'm not being too obvious. And often I am trying to enjoy the moment and unable to get a shot of before the chance has passed. It's a constant struggle to weigh the needs of getting a good look and being satisfied for the count versus trying to make sure I document the year.
Some days I win the battle and get great looks and photos. Other days I enjoy a nice look, but that's it. I pick my battles accordingly and know that some birds just aren't going to make it on film...
New birds today: 9
Year List: 285
FOLLOW ALONG:
Next Post
Previous Post
May showed its glorious bounty this week, and it all started with a pair of Swordsman... They day started off with both Dark and Common Swordsman making a racket. I had managed to make it through 4 months without either--a feat in itself. One thing that will surprise some people at the end of the year, when I share common names of every species is how many common birds I either waited to look for, or managed to not have until months into the year. The swordsman are a prime example. But they were just the tip of the iceberg. It wasn't long into the week and I was picking up migrant. A Bobbing Migrant and a Fluorescent Kicker, combined with a Circus Sprinter and Marsh Migrant got my tally moving northward with the birds.
The common stuff in these waves of migrants really helps make you feel good and like things are on track. The longer the migrants take to arrive, the more pressing it feels like your big year is slowing in a pace. Birds like the Hillbilly Spinner which others were reporting days and weeks ahead of me seemed to evade me at every turn. I couldn't find a single one despite being in the right places at the right times. My lucky finally turned when I came across a small migrant flock. By the end of the week, I had seen more than my fair share.
When I spied my first Remarkable Poet of the year, I listened as it read to me. Like Shakespeare this poet has a repertoire for the ages. For the next several months I will probably hear them most days, and enjoy the specific brand of poetry they bring the table. I had a brief moment of high hopes for a rarity when I came upon my first Basic Maniac of the year. The views I had were sub par, and they told a story of a different species. It took 15 minutes to finally get a view that delivered the news--it was a common bird.
As the week came to a close I added two birds that had eluded me for some time. Both the Explorer's Dasher and the Strutting Bellower have been around for some time, but I had missed them. I snagged both in the same morning, and followed up with a Dusky Lounger in the afternoon. I expected to have to wait till the summer or fall for the lounger, but with an unexpected stop, I added the bird earlier than expected.
This week migration happened and it was only the beginning...
New birds this post: 13
Year List: 244
FOLLOW ALONG:
Next Post
Previous Post
The waiting game can drive a person nuts. Whether its knowing there is a rarity to chase that you can't quite get away to look at yet--or--just knowing there are new birds arriving everyday and wanting to get out to look for them, but can't because of the weather, time, or any number of things. There is also the waiting game of having a planned trip and having to wait while you see others pile onto their year lists while yours slowly creeps higher. The waiting game, especially in the age of eBird can be maddening.
For the past week I've meandered around picking up a few new birds as they arrive and/or head north. The first Obvious Hikers of the year showed up and I'll have to admit--I didn't report them. They're common enough, and I wanted to keep my day list a secret. The day also turned up both American and Usual Loungers, and my first Dusky Yellowchests of the season. I didn't get a picture as the yellow chests were just an audible. I've only had a handful of audibles this year that I haven't gotten pictures of, so my hopes remain high that I'll find some later to take pictures of. As of today I added 7 species since my previous post--and am still missing some of the most common arrivals of the season...
Today I am playing the waiting game for the month of May. April has been kind to my year list, but not as kind as I had hoped. I had planned to have 2 more major birding outings for the month which would have probably netted 50+ species, but it looks like both trips will be pushed back to May. May will be busy. I will be fitting a lot of birding into a few days spread out of the month. In between specific outings to help build my list, I'll be trying to spend several hours every morning in the field, playing the odds, and hoping to find a few rare birds to help pad my year. And the wait is killing me.
I expect May will produce no less than 74 new years birds, and maybe as many as 89. If I pick up 89 that will put me right at 300 species five months into 2016. That's a good place to be at going into June. June should net another 10-15 new species before things slow down for July. Then fall migration will hit and we'll be right back at it. So you might be thinking, this undercover birders is telling me that 1/2 way through the year they think they'll have around 310-315 species of birds. What does that leave for the following 6 months?
I won't get into the specifics of that yes as its still 2 months away, and everything right now is speculation. That number might key you in on a handful of states to look at--but your list should have been narrowed considerably at this point. I'm not going to give any clues away in the next two months that will help though. No proper names, no narrowing of states, nothing. May and June are all about the birding and hammering away at the have-to-gets, and the have-to-chases. For now I'm impatiently waiting for the next new year bird, and the birding that will follow over the next 60 days!
New birds this post: 7
Year List: 211
FOLLOW ALONG:
Next Post
Previous Post
