As a previous Big Year Birder I always have that itch to get out, see as many birds as possible, and possibly give another Big Year a shot. It's a temptation that since my last Big Year I have managed to stave off and let sleeping giants rest. But 2016 is going to be another Big Year. This year will be different though. I plan on telling no one. Not a single soul. Not my significant other, my family, my friends--NO ONE! This after all is my Undercover Big Year.
If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen couple tweets earlier this week where I lamented that my year was basically over. And it is. Here at the end of day 364 I haven't seen a new bird in 9 days, and I have my doubts that I will add anymore in the last 48 hours. Since I added my last two year birds there has been just 1 report of a bird I don't have for the year. The big CBC push I had hoped to produce a few lingering needs didn't happen, and that's okay. I've had a good year, and this is it--queue the Kenny Loggins:
Tomorrow, the 30th of December, and 365th day of 2016 I will take a couple hours and do some leisurely birding, take a few photos and enjoy the next to last day of the year. No stress. No wandering thoughts about what if. Just me and the birds. Saturday as the year comes to an end, I might make a push for that one last species--I might also reveal who I am...
I don't have a lot to say at the moment, so I'll try to keep this post pretty short. It's a weird feeling when your big year is coming to an end and there are no birds to see. There is a slight feeling of emptiness. A little sadness. And a lot of wonder. I wonder why did I do this? Why did I keep it a secret? Why didn't I put in more effort on a few birds? Why didn't I follow my instincts a couple times when I should have? I wonder what people re going to think when I tell them I did another big year. I think that is the thing that I wonder the most. Most people won't care, but my friends and family will probably have some questions.
And I'll have to answer some of them... Not all but some :)
That emptiness though, its strange. I think that no matter how many birds I saw this year or could've seen, I have this feeling I can't shake. It is so meaningless a thing, but at the same time, when you are doing a big year--whether in your yard, favorite eBird hot spot, county, state, ABA, world, etc--it's important to you. And it's consuming. And it effects you in ways that are hard to explain to others. It's weird. Birders are weird. We are a strange bunch, who do strange things (case in point).
I'll have more to say later. For now, I'll get back to wondering, but not stressing. 2016 was a beautiful year.
Well, that didn't take long--half the month has passed me by already. With just 16 days to go, I am in the midst of yet another slump. Take away the provisional December Freebie from September, and I've only added 2 species this month. Worse, it's been 10 days without a real life in the flesh new year bird. Is this a mid-December Slump? The timing couldn't be worse for another slump--especially coming off the sizzling hot November here in Narnia. If my goal is to just get to 360, then I still need 4 species in the next 16 days, making for a 1 every 4 days rhythm I need to slide into. This will be tough.
I have missed one reported bird in the past 10 that would have been a new year bird. I am hoping that in the coming 10 days I will still pick one up, plus a close relative for 2 of the last year birds I expect to see. Yes, there are still birds I expect to show up based on historical norms. Aside from those 2, I may be done though. With time running out, chases to the extreme corners of Narnia may not be feasible. There is also the chance that with the Holidays right around the corner, I may not be in Narnia for each of those remaining 16 days. My hope really does lay on the shoulders of the CBC's I mentioned in my last post. It should be no secret that some of Narnia's biggest CBC's are happening this weekend since Christmas lands on a Sunday this year, and most chose to avoid conflicts with the holiday weekend.
In fact, 4 major CBC's will be happening Saturday or Sunday, that could all provide a chance for some much-needed end of year love. I am already planning on taking a day during the week after the CBC's to chase down anything I think I can relocate. There is also one more major CBC focused around the holiday weekend. The truth is my only opportunity if something really good shows up, is to chase in the final days of the year. Or there is the chance that nothing will come of these events this year, and 356 is where it ends. I really hope that's not the case, and I can put up a few more birds before it's over.
For now, I sit and wait, no new year birds seen in the last 10 days. Yesterday I managed to spend a few hours trying to turn up something--I don't really know what--it was more of just a nice couple hours birding. I maybe hoped for something random to pop up, but more or less it was revisiting some of my favorites hot spots from the year, where I saw some great birds. I kind of just sat back and remembered how much fun 2016 has been birding wise. Regardless of how the year ends, I had fun.
This is the final stretch. The last 50 days of 2016. The beginning of the end (maybe figuratively and literally given the election results here in the states). A mix of nervousness and relief share time tumbling around in side my head. I'm nervous about finding a good chunk of birds to ride the year out on (and about the future of this great land in the hands of a mad man). I'm relieved to finally be able to stop with the nonsense that this endeavor has become (and that the election is over). It's a weird collision of feelings and thoughts (birds, big years, politics, and life). I've been nervous for most of the year. Every time I chased a bird, or found a bird, or was even out thinking that I might find a bird. And every time I had a successful chase or find, I was washed over with a sea of relief--only to have the nerves come roaring back soon after when the whole process would repeat itself. The literal end of the year, and the potential end of times all rolled into one... That's the end of my post election rant and the only mention of the election all year--despite it being a centerpiece of Americana in 2016.
I spent a great deal of this year so far birding by myself. I've always birded by myself a lot, but I think this year I had a lot more alone time than usual. There were numerous chases that no one knows about, where I sat sometimes for hours or entire days in a car by myself. Combine those with all the quick outings or daily jaunts and the hours alone add up. Here's a quick stat for you. Thus far in 2016 I have spent just over 761 hours birding--or roughly 31 entire days. That's 1/10th of my year so far doing nothing but looking for or at birds. In addition, if I were to get on average 8 hours of sleep a night, then so far this year I have slept 105 days--or just over 3 entire months of the year. So out of 10 months if we take away the 3 months I spent sleeping, then I have spent 1/7th of my time awake looking for or at birds.
When you spend a lot of time alone, you have a lot of time to think about things, and in particular birds. That was what a great deal of my time alone was spent thinking about. The next chase, the next find, the list of birds I had to get. There were times this fall when I would be walking reciting the list of upcoming birds I would need. I could tell you exactly what birds I expected to see each month and needed by the end of the year. The list got smaller and smaller as we got into November, but it was still right there running laps around my head constantly.
I often speculated what rarities might show up in the coming days or weeks, or what major misses I would have for the year. The internal and sometimes external dialogue (yes I talked to myself on occasion) often left me jittery. And there was no one I could talk to about any of it, well except for myself. Now I did do plenty of birding with others during the year--I'm not sure the exact amount of time, I'll calculate that later--so it wasn't all alone time. I actually had plenty of great conversations with friends, and other birders throughout the year. I think none were the wiser to my shenanigans.
So here it is the start to the final 50, and I'd still like to add a bird for every 3 days if possible. That might be overreach, but a kid can dream right? As my journey has progressed I've spent some time also following the pursuits of several national and world big years as they progress. Records fell this year including the North American and World Big Year records. Will the Narnia Big Year record fall as well? Or has it already been topped? I'll let you know in maybe 51 days or so.
Over a month ago, when September hit, it came roaring in like the bulls in Pamplona. Here I am almost 1/2 way through October and I don't have a year bird to show for it. How abysmal. My list of needs for the month is short, and truthfully it is mostly end loaded looking at historical arrivals and expectations. BUT, I still thought I would carve out a species or two by now. It's that point in the year where every species is crucial. I passed on one chase already because of the distance to see the bird. The odds of another being reported closer to home in the next 2 months is pretty high, so it was worth saving the effort. I'm going to need the time for a longer chase for something crucial in the next 80 days. By my math that's about how much time is left (give or take a day).
I chased another species that I wasn't sure I would get a shot at the rest of the year--and I missed it. I waited maybe a couple hours too long to go when I should have gone immediately. I wrestled with the idea of chasing, but thought the bird would likely still be around... Oops. This might be a costly miscue on my part as the bird was close enough to get to in 30 minutes. My hopes are that it is reported again in the coming days and I can still track it down.
How do things so suddenly come to a halt like they have these past 2 weeks? I've had plenty of streaks like this during the year where there just aren't any birds to see. But as the days grow shorter and the number of birds I need gets smaller, I rely heavily on rarities and reports from others to start tacking on those birds I need. There will be a point where if I don't start seeing a new bird here and there I will truly be in trouble. It's probably not going to be in October as I could realistically go the next 18 days without adding a new year bird and still end my year on a high note. November will be more telling...
If I were to strikeout the remainder of the month, I would expect a big first couple weeks in November to make up for it. BUT, I don't think it will come to that. I am predicting 2-3 new year birds in the next 10 days. Whether I find something, or I chase other birders finds. I will see new birds. After that the last week of the month will bring a couple more. I still think my 5-6 new birds for the month are plausible, and with some luck I might tack on an extra 1 or 2 to that. I have my fingers crossed that things will pick up, and this abysmal start will turn into an amazing end.
Here it sits, 19 days since my last post and the big year has not gone so well. To be perfectly honest there was a day I contemplated throwing in the towel. Not because I didn't think I could do it, or because I wanted to stop, but some real life issues took priority and really had me wondering if I would be able to put forth the effort from here on out. I still don't know if I will be able to and am just working on things 1 day at a time. I can't share much now but will reflect upon what I am talking about when the time is right.
Aside from this the birding has been good for me--I've had a blast the past few weeks, but new big year birds have been far and none between. This is turning into a bad drought at a time of year when I need some good things to start popping up. The birding community at large hasn't been much help (no offense to all you Narnians' out there), as not a single rarity has been reported to help on my quest. The lack of rarities being reported this year is odd. There are multiple prongs that seem to resonate with me as to why--but as more and more people start birding, with more information available, and ease of sharing one would expect more rare birds than in the past. But Narnia is a strange place and the birders here seem to be changing in their demographic, skill level, and interests. More on this later as well.
Comparing year over year to my previous quest August has thus far been very different. This worries me. Despite some striking similarities in my two big years, some of the stark contrasts are alarming. With certain species I expected to find completely unfindable at this point, the lack of rarities being reported, and days passing faster and faster the voice in my head has me questioning things. I constantly am running through my list, and looking at where I will/should/need to be at the end of each month and no matter how I look at it--it's going to be close. There are of course the great unknowns. What will show up this fall that I had no expectations of seeing? There are certainly going to be surprises--but will they make up for the missed expectations?
With 3 zero weeks in a row I'm anxious for some new year birds. I hope the coming days turn things upside down and start the count up again. At this point I'm not sure I'll get many birds the rest of the month, but perhaps with some luck I can tick off a few species before the 2nd third of the year comes to an end...
Here we are again, talking about how slow things seem to be going. 13 days through July and despite my best efforts I am yet to add a single year bird this month. Frustration runs high some days. As I scuttle through the forest in search of a specific bird this past week I keep thinking I will come across it just around the next bend, or over the next rise. It's out there and today I will see it. But no such luck. I feel like I am repeating this process almost every time I venture into the field. The specificity of the birds I need right now makes my birding rather focused. I have to go to place A and look for Bird B in order to make this year successful. At times it is just agonizing...
The past 7 days seem to be filled with this repetitious moment. I look down at my list of July targets and think something has got to give. When is one of these just going to fall in my lap. The next 2 weeks hold a lot of value if some dominoes tip the right direction. This weekend could be fortuitous with 3-4 year birds in my sights. Several of which I just can't seem to get a grasp on this year...
The summer slog is real. Long, hot, dry, and no new birds. I think with the coming days and the possibilities at hand, I might actually hit 310 soon. Any new birds would again breathe life into things. A new birds helps drive me to get out and look for something else. At this point I've narrowed my July list down to 9 possibilities. And being perfectly honest, I could miss all of them this month and still add them in the next couple. I think the thing about a big year for most is that you want to get where your going as fast as possible This means if you are setting out to break a record your goal isn't to get there on day 366--you want to get there by day 300 and be able to squeeze anything you can out of those last 66 (65 most years) days.
Take for instance something happening right now. This year Olaf Danielson is attempting to break the ABA Big Year record. And by attempt, I should say in all likelihood the record will fall in the next week.Danielson is sitting at 747 species on July 13th. That's just insane seeing as how the current record is 749. If the record falls before July is over that leaves 5 months to pick up pretty much anything. Olaf certainly seems focused on his year. The lengths he has gone to for some birds is impressive. He hasn't tried to keep at a pace of anyone that has come before him, instead setting a pace that seems impossible to break. 800 species for the year doesn't seem that far fetched given the amount of time left
He's also 50+ birds ahead of the guy in 2nd place. It's insane. And I would be lying if I said I wasn't envious of that type of pace. I would love to set a ridiculous pace, and break the record in August or October. But realistically with what I know November of December is looking more on target. State big years are inherently harder in that sense. There are far more limited #'s of birds in a state each year, than in the ABA area. Getting the birds is somewhat easier, and the travel isn't anywhere as extreme. But it's near impossible to break a record this early. Here's a slice of big year data for you--there have been fewer species reported thus far this year in Narnia than the previous big year record. So let's make that impossible instead of just near impossible.
The point is, I have to get what I can get, while I can get it. That means 1 bird here, 2 birds there, and if I have a really good day this fall maybe 3 birds way over there. Before you know it, those 1's, 2's, and 3's start adding up. That's my strategy as of right now--if only I was getting those 1's and 2's...
I'll leave this right here for the moment and come back in a few days--hopefully a few birds richer... Hopefully.
