Day 31 - January in the Books

Just like that the 1st month of 2016 is gone.  Every year it seems to go faster and faster, just like I'm sure this year will be over before I know it.  I can't dwell on time, since I can't control it, so let's talk about January.  It was a good month.  I saw a lot of birds including 3 species I did not see on my previous big year attempt.  That's notable because the of the birds I saw in my previous attempt that I did not see this January, I fully expect to see all at some point this year.  That's a major win.

I ended the month 5 short of my goal of 150--I didn't end up getting out to look for much today, but figured I could only add 3-4 species legitimately, and none will make or break the year.  So I took it easy and let January come to an end.  The 145 species I tallied this month bested my previous big years January tally by a few and might have been one of my better Januaries in Narnia.

I did however miss 6 chased species.  Notably 1 species that was statistically the 2nd rarest bird so far this year in Narnia.  1 other missed species might also be a wash for the year--spring will be the judge of that.  The other 4 species I missed I think I will pick up at some point so I'm not to worried.
 
During January I spent at least 15 minutes birding every day, and in all spent 70.5 hours birding--or just under 3 entire days.  I traveled 23.63 miles on foot while birding this month, but I won't share my car mileage until years end.  I spent roughly $266 on food, gas, entry fees, and other birding related expenses.  I'm keeping track of this to compare to my previous big year, but also for the interest of knowing exactly what the cost of my year was financially and environmentally.  I hope to do over 500 miles on foot as the year goes on, while I'd like to keep total miles under 20,000.   I will also be happy if I can spend less than $2,500 on birding related expenses.

This will be my last daily post on the blog going forward until later in the spring.  For now I will write as things come to mind, and as I find new species.  This may be a few times a week, or as little as a weekly update.  My goal for February is going to be to add 15 species to put me at 160 by March.  It's a reasonable goal, and consists of some special interest birds for my year--including 2 more species I didn't get last time that I think I can track down this year.

The last thing I will mention is that it being the end of a month I will remove 4 states from the options of where I live.  To some these will be obvious, but at least now you can without a doubt say I am not doing a big year in:


That leaves 44 options to choose from.  My January Poll was which area of the country am I doing my big year in.  66 votes were tallied with 36% voting for the northeast, 32% for the northeast, 18% for the west, and 14% for the south:



Not that any of that is necessarily helpful at this point, but if you're doing your detective work, every piece of evidence will help make your case! So the big year goes.

New birds today: 0
Year List: 145

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Post

Previous Day

Day 30 - Scoping out the Competition

The eBird Top 100 is both fascinating and annoying at the same time. It has to be a double edged sword for eBird because it drives a sense of competition, but with no real moderation. For instance an observers total in the Top 100 is what they've entered in eBird, not what has been validated. It's easily gamed, and there are without a doubt birders who see their number rise, and either fluff their number up, or almost innocently string sightings along to keep building. A big year is similar in that their is no one saying nay or yay to what you put on your list. At the end of the day its the honor system and even the most honorable sometimes string things along because they get caught up in the frenzy.


I like the concept of the Top 100, but it needs some work. If you want to play by the rules, I think it is completely fair to show the number of validated species as well as the number of species each person has entered. I don't see this happening, because the powers that be don't want to scare away users by exposing the fact that birders make mistakes. I know I have numerous invalid sightings in eBird, but it doesn't bother me. It's the system that is in place and I'm okay with it.

The point I am getting at with the Top 100 that really fascinates me is the rise in the Big Year Birder. 20 years ago if someone did a big year it was something you found out about through word of mouth. There was no way to track someones total, people weren't blogging their years, and in general few birders actually tried. The leg work involved in planning a big year before the digital age is one major reason. You can manage a pretty big year in 2016 just by keeping online and up-to-date with sightings. That wasn't the case back in the day.

Today if you hop on the eBird Top 100 you'll notice names that stick out as seemingly obvious big year attempts. Some sit right at the top of the Top 100 insistent on holding the top spot all year round, making it known that they are #1 and not to be challenged. These are Alpha Big Year Birders. Some are at the top of the list year in and year out, because like I said it's a game. Then there are the less obvious names. The Beta Big Year Birders are the ones that fly a little under the radar--the slow and steady birders who understand that what's important is quality over quantity. You can have both, but it's not necessary and they'll pick up the quantity as the days roll on.

The dead giveaways on these guys/gals is that often their most recent addition is the same across multiple people. And on the daily rarity report you see the same 2-3 names chasing the same rarities. If you've done a big year and you pay attention to the other birders in your state you can usually guess who's doing a big year. I am fairly certain there are no less than 4 others doing big years in Narnia in 2016. There may even be 5 or 6. There are two birders I am on the fence about because they tend to get a lot of birds every year and like to stick near the top of the list. Fascinating.

I know the competition so I know how and when they'll bird--what they're willing to chase and how much heart is in it. When it comes to making a big year truly big you have to ask yourself, "what will I sacrifice to do this?". There are some birders I know won't, or can't make the tough decisions on when to chase certain birds. Big Years are tough because of the what-ifs of chasing. There is no right or wrong way to make the decisions, but you have to make the right decision enough times. By the end of May I'll have a pretty good grasp on where the competition is at--I've already come face to face in the field in 2016 with 3 of the individuals I suspect are at it. But this will have almost no bearing on my choices. It doesn't matter what they do, it interests me, but their number for 2016 is only important if they are all in and chasing the record--which should be obvious as the year progresses. For now I stick to my plan, and focus on the strategy I have set forth from day 1.

I have very intentionally as I mentioned made sure to stay away from the Top of the list. If I sat at the very top all the time it would be easy to say that's the Undercover Big Year Birder! On the flip side if I had my sharing turned off and wasn't showing up on the Top 100 that would seem obvious too. Needless to say some days I might be 20 back, and others I could be at number 1. In this game I am making sure that if I do break my previous Big Year record, I won't end up firmly planted at #1 until December 31st. I don't care about the Top 100 ranking year in and out or on a daily basis, but for the purpose of a Big Year all that matters is what your total is on day 365 (or 366 in 2016).

New birds today: 0
Year List: 145

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 29 - Last Minute Decisions

I had a blog post written for today already--I expected a ZERO day after a fruitless morning and wrote a post to get it taken care of and free up my evening.  But then I made a last minute decision to keep driving past civilization to a nearby reserve to see what I might turn up this afternoon.  Turns out it was a good decision...

So the other blog post is on hold for now.  There was something in the air--maybe the sun, maybe it was clouds, snow, rain, hail, fog, dust, moisture.  I can't be sure, it was probably at least one of those things, but I had a feeling that I needed to Sprechen Reserve before heading home for the day.  Sprechen always provides an interesting bird list.  Depending on the time of year you never know what might show up and over the last decade it has built a respectable 200 + species list.  I had a specific set of targets that I knew were around--at least some.  I hoped to be the first finder of a couple of birds for 2016 in Narnia, and this was as good of a place as any to check.

When I arrived things didn't seem so good.  The birds that generally flock to this oasis on the edge of civilization were scattered.  It took a few minutes to find the culprit--a Cliff Slayer flew past my vehicle and flushed everything several more times keeping the air constantly filled with various species of birds.  This was my first Cliff Slayer of the year, and one I had missed on my previous two trips to Sprechen this year.  Eventually the Slayer disappeared and things started to settle.  I was just about to leave when I spotted a Ghostly Marauder enter the fray.  It was beautiful--and as it fluttered past I admired its ghostly appearance. Tick number two for the day.


I decided to spend the next little bit seeing if anything else interesting joined the party.  I did a double take when I noticed what looked to be a Monster Marauder--I shook my head a couple times and confirmed it was indeed this rarity.  A new year bird and a great way to end things off.  I called it a day and headed home with 2 new year bird.  A last minute decision to go a little out of my way paid off with a pair of nice additions!

New birds today: 3
Year List: 145

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 28 - Birding Light

I didn't go birding today.  For all intents and purposes I really didn't even try to look at a bird.  Happen chance put a flock of Rock Pigeons in front of my car while out at lunch, and a flock of House Sparrows foraging along a ditch where I parked to eat lunch and just zone out for a bit.  I didn't have time to put in any serious birding today.  Life's other responsibilities and obligations take precedent from time to time.  I thought about trying to go somewhere, but after looking at my options there was nothing worth putting in the effort.  So today was Birding Light.


I've heard the phrase "always be birding" time and time again for years.  It is a mantra that many birders live.  I would be lying if I said that I'm not always looking--I am.  But some days when the routine is there and there is nothing to draw you away from it, I at least tend to turn it down a notch.  This is good for birders to do from time to time.  There are times when it's not appropriate to be birding, and then there's the monotonous times when you don't want to wade through every pigeon, starling, and sparrow because that's all you see.

I do plan to make it out tomorrow--at least for a few hours.  I have a handful of targets I'd like to get before the weekend comes on full swing.  My shot at 150 for January is waning, and without a little blessing from the birding gods, the 140's will be where I'm left come February 1.

New birds today: 0
Year List: 142

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 27 - A Harlequin Singer

Another ZERO day streak busted at 3 days.


I wasn't sure I would be able to break the cycle today, as I had no plans for birding outside of my local patch. But in a big year, last minute decisions change everything; sometimes they are a bust, and other times everything falls into place.  Today was the latter.  I keep an eye on the eBird rarity report every day here in Narnia--not because I want to but, its the best way to get rarity info.  Too many people don't use rare bird alerts, listservers, or in general share their sightings, out side of the world of eBird.  Narnia is an interesting state with a large and ever growing community of birders that are seemingly disconnected in a day and age when it is easier than ever to be connected.  I guess that's part of the unique profile that fits many birders: loners, introverts, shy, not social... Even the most outgoing of birders fits these in some way or at some time in their birding.

I'd been keeping an eye on a report of a Harlequin Singer for a while now, and when I finally saw a photo of the bird I decided it was worth a shot.  Then I saw several others had seen it in the past 24 hours and it made for an easy decision to chase it down.  And there is no great story for the chase--the drive was uneventful, I got out of my car and heard a familiar call from a patch of trees nearby and bang. Tick mark.  Just like that #142, a Harlequin Singer out of the way for the year.  This species is always a tough call for a chase.  They tend to stick around for a while, but have become more sporadic in recent years.  I feel like a decade ago there were always a handful of reliable long staying individuals each year--I guess with the digital age we've lost some of that person to person connectivity we used to have, and maybe folks just aren't sharing like they used to.

Chasing the Harlequin worked out perfectly though, and despite the way birding has changed, there is something to be said about the speed an accuracy that technology helps in a big year.

I took a couple shots and spent probably too long trying to relocate it for a better photo so I didn't have time to try for anything else nearby. And that was all there was to today's birding.  No exciting huge list of species, and nothing extraordinary to talk about.  But slowly chipping away at the end goal is important and every bird from here out is a difference maker!

New birds today: 1
Year List: 142

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 26 - The Name Game

I thought I would try to end a couple of zero days with a little luck perhaps.  Things didn't pan out and I spent an hour wandering country roads in hopes that I might turn up one of the residents or overwintering birds I haven't seen yet.  All was quiet though.  I made a few stops to try for another species of Maniac that is spread out sporadically in Narnia.  I've got a reliable location I can go to any time in the next few months, but thought maybe I could find my own at a location they haven't been found before.  Not today.  

Finally I called it and headed back towards civilization.  Although I doubt this zero streak will stretch beyond a day or two more at the most, I can see February bringing a 5+ day stretch unless we get some vagrants to mix things up.  I have no plans to travel to the ends of Narnia in search of the generous bird list still available this time of year.  There are almost no birds I won't have an opportunity to see later.

I decided to dive back into the bird list and see if I could finish naming all of the most likely species to occur here during a year.  Thus far I have done a little bit of name as I go, with a few families, and similar species named ahead of time when I've had an interest too look.  So I played the name game and came up with a few fantastic names.  Here in no particular order are some of my favorites yet to come this year:

Influential Poet, Holy-crap Bird, Superb Candle, Dazzling Endurant, Adorned Bootlegger, Accidental Mystery, American Lounger, Dark Swordsman, Long Whistle, Cookie-bird, Disguised Colorful, and my two favorite but simple names, the Do-you-count-it Bird, and the Worst-bird-ever. 


I'll leave you with those to think on. Happy sleuthing!

New birds today: 0
Year List: 141

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 25 - Take it Easy

I woke up this morning feeling a little under the weather so I took it easy today.  Lighten up while you still can, don't even try to understand, just find a place to make your stand and take it easy.  No chasing, no scheming for at least 1 new year bird--just taking it easy.  Besides hopefully feeling a bit better tomorrow these days are a nice reset to take a step away from big year birding and focus on other things in life.  Health is important, and obviously a cold, the flue, or some other bug making the rounds isn't going to put the nail in the coffin for the year.  If I rest today it makes the coming days easier.  Given current events, I feel this is fitting...


So what about those coming days? Well there are a few things I am planning the remainder of the week after thinking about it today.  I have a pretty good shot at one new year bird within 15 minutes of home.  If I get that, it leaves 8 more to hit 150 for the year.  There is one vagrant that I will probably take a stab at this weekend.  It been hanging around since 2015 and has been pretty regular in "The North".  There aren't many other birds in The North for me right now, so after that it will be a little hopping around for a bird here and there if I can luck it out.

As January comes to a close I'm already looking ahead to March. I have a feeling February will be slow--I may not do much seeking out, and stick to chasing most of the month.  I do have one planned outing to try for a resident bird that is hard to find any time of year--so if I start early, hopefully I will have many opportunities to pick it up; or I'll just get lucky and get it on the 1st try :)

The last thing I want to reiterate is this is a game.  I am deliberately leaving some information out, and trying to keep things vague.  I received an angry email today and was quite surprised that someone could have so much anger about what I'm doing:

"It's disgusting that you feel the need to lie, when you're already hiding your identity behind this blog.  I for one am done wasting my time, if that is how you're playing!"

Well okay.  Its not for everyone--but a few sleuths out there have done so pretty handy work so far, and I'm excited to see what others come up with as the year goes on!  I'm not going to dwell on the negativity anymore--bird on, and take it easy!

New birds today: 0
Year List: 141

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 24 - Playing it by Ear

Straight to the point--it was a ZERO day.  I've been trying to decide going forward how often I will update the blog.  If I post everyday there will be lots of days where I have to find things to talk about.  I don't mind this, I love the chance to use this as an outlet and talk about birds, birding, and the outdoors in general.  But if I have 200 zero days in 2016 it could get old really fast.  I think the solution I have come up with is that I will post every day in January since there is just 1 week left.  Thereafter I will post a weekly update on slow weeks, and always post on days I get new year birds.  I guess I'll just kind of play it by ear.


One thing that posting daily forces me to do, is staying focused on the big year even on the slow days.  Today for instance I only left my house for a quick drive to the local market.  I still put in an eBird checklist for the day as I noticed several Confusing Migrants in the yard, and could hear Berry Swell-birds in my neighbors yard.  With a big year you are literally always birding--even when you're not, you are.  The odds of a new year bird at home the rest of the winter are slim.  Once spring gets things moving again that might change.

Looking ahead to the last week of January I have a personal goal.  I want to see if I can end the month with 150 species.  This is a good goal, and certainly attainable if I plan accordingly in the coming days.  If I was really eager I could add quite a few more--but then February might be a tad slow.  I guess I'll just kind of play it by ear :)

New birds today: 0
Year List: 141

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 23 - Jumping to Conclusions

This morning I was surprised to see a sharp increase in page hits on my blog this weekend.  I thought maybe the east-coasters who are bogged down at home during snow-pocalypse were taking a keen interest in my big year.  But that idea was quickly dissuaded when I found a neat tool on my blogger dashboard that lets me know where people are visiting from.  To my surprise somebody on a birding forum I will not mention by name started talking about my big year.  I had tried to join this forum earlier in the year, but my account was deleted since I mentioned that I had another account on the service--and this was strictly against their rules.  Bah hum bug.  Needless to say, it was interesting to see my year brought up, and how in less than 48 hours the detective/birders there had sliced and diced their way through various states, and birds to try and determine who and where I am.

It was fun to read their comments and see what they had come up with.  Some conclusions were well put together and spot on.  Others were expectedly off  as intended through the ambiguity in my posts, and species names.  But reading through these posts, and some of the comments I've received via my contact page, I thought I would clarify one main point that several people have jumped on.  In my initial post I said the following:

On an annual basis between 350-400 species are recorded in this state providing plenty of targets to chase.

Several detective have taken this very literally and used eBird to narrow the options.  The problem is eBird is useless for long term averages, and most birders seem to only look at the last decade.  But looking at a 50 year history of my state, the average # of birds recorded annually falls in this range--some years it may be higher, other years lower. The reason is that in the last 10 years the numbers of birds generally seen in any state trends higher than the 10 before that, and the 10 before that.  I did some math to come up with my total based on a cumulative history that takes into account a great deal of years with "less than" average combined with a recent history of "higher" than average.  350-400 might mean that over the last 50 years, total ranges anywhere from 250 to 450 species reported in any given year.

This means that narrowing things down to a handful of states doesn't necessarily rule out the outliers with higher or lower seemingly annual totals.  Confusing?  Damn right. :) It's supposed to be.  Guessing who I am in the 1st month and getting it right would be in my opinion a leap of faith, combined with sheer luck. That's not to say the clues aren't there to do it.


But at this stage in the year, it might just be a game of jumping to conclusions.  Wait, follow, and see what clues I provide as the months drag on.  Is it more fun to know who I am in the first 30 days, or to be on the edge of your seat wondering?  That was one of the main reasons I did this--a state big year generally doesn't intrigue a lot of people.  Mainly the folks who know you're doing it, and have an interest in your states listing.  But if it could be any one of 48 states (or 45, or 40 if you've already ruled out a few) it becomes more interesting.  The possibility that I might be one of your friends, or someone you see from time to time while birding certainly adds to the plot.

I hope this keeps everyone interested at some level.  I will help narrow things down as the year goes on, but won't fully reveal myself till the time is right.

I did manage to get in some birding today.  Some weekends aren't meant for birding--whether its because of the weather, or other obligations I won't get out every weekend.  So a couple hours today was a nice way to add 2 more birds to my year list.  The Diminutive Jerk and a wonderful Camouflaged Marauder were today's reward for taking the time to look carefully at every bird I could find.  The Jerk saves me a longer trip later in the year, or a chase when one shows up closer to home than usual.  Neither species are all that uncommon, but every new bird seen makes the path to a new big year record more clear.

New birds today: 2
Year List: 141

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 22 - A Trill, a Whistle, and a Glide

After yesterday's missteps I needed some good karma to come my direction.  I clasped my hands and asked the birding gods for mercy.  Let today be a good day.  I opted not to set out first thing in search of year birds, instead I took some time and did some eBirding.  I ran a few queries, looked at some maps, and decided I had 3-4 potential year birds with a 20 mile drive to the Edge of the Conifers.  This quaint village leads into a forest where several specialty birds dwell.  Even in mid-winter I felt that I could squeeze at least one out for sure.

I made the drive and found a spot that looked ideal.  All was quiet--deathly quiet.  I stood out in the clean air taking in the gorgeous scenery around me.  Narnia is a spectacular place to live, and on any given day you can have an amazing view that was different from the last.  I decided to take a stroll up an old road and see if anything sprung up.  Then I heard the trill of the villainous bird I was here for.  I quickly burst into my best owl imitation and the creature fluttered into view--posting on a limb just 10' away.  I took the best photos I ever have of the Repeating Signaler before it retreated into the forest.

Unfortunately, I can't show you those photos today--luckily you only have to wait about 340 days to see them :)

As I started to walk away I heard a familiar whistle.  I turned and there peering down at me was my second target bird of the day, a Lonely Rambler.  We stared at each other for a few seconds before it lifted off and disappeared into the trees.  A moment later, I heard it burst into its spectacular song; 3-4 times it repeated the jovial tune.  Then all was quiet again.  My trip to The Edge had been successful.  There was one other species I might come across heading out of the area, but it didn't show.

The 4th possibility was possible the entire drive back to civilization.  I had all but given up hope when over a hill I saw a wonderful Miner's Pilot glide along the horizon, before dipping out of view.  24 hours earlier I had been in a state of disbelief that my targets were all coming up as misses.  What a different a day makes.  With a trill, a whistle, and a glide I added 3 new year birds and felt like things were back on track.  I don't have to add new year birds every day to feel this way, but when I make an excursion for a target, it feels a lot better coming home knowing you got your bird!

New birds today: 3
Year List: 139

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 21 - Keep Calm and Bird On

As a birder there are few things more frustrating than a missed chase.  It doesn't matter if its a 10 mile drive, or100 miles.  Whether you spend 15 minutes looking, or 15 hours.  A missed chase is usually a huge let down and leaves you wondering "what if?".  What if I had left an hour earlier?  What if I had tried yesterday?  What if the light would have been better?  What if I just missed it because I didn't look hard enough?  What if, what if, what if?

Today was a day full of what ifs?  I put together a plan to seek out 5 targets that had been reported in the last week.  3 were birds I have to get that are regular but rare here in Narnia.  The other 2 are residents that usually require a little work to find.  The reports provided plenty of details, and several seemed like slam dunks.  I planned on no-less than 3 year birds when I started the journey into the out lands--I shouldn't have planned on anything...

The first stop was actually a success;  I pulled up to the location and after 15 minutes of looking I finally found the Clown Curler right where it was supposed to be.  I was positive that this was a good sign.  I took off for my next target which required scanning through fields full of birds.  I spent an hour and just couldn't pick out my target.  Using my time tested method of risk v.s. reward, I decided that I could risk leaving and probably find this bird later in the year.  The reward being that I had other targets that would be easier to find right?

After a little bit of a drive I pulled up to my next target where I expected to find a roosting Surprised Thief.  Surprise surprise, no thief.  I was flabbergasted.  This was supposed to be the slam dunk and I had driven a bit out of the way to look for it.  I will see one eventually this year, but when there is a slam dunk you typically take it.  I spent an hour searching the area but nothing... The hour here wasn't the frustrating part, but the trip there and back added another 90 minutes.  Two-and-a-half hours I could have put towards something else!

Knowing my time was limited I rushed to my last target, completely skipping one bird on my list since it was a long shot.  I arrived as it was starting to get dark and everything was quiet.  The songbird I was searching for was nowhere to be found.  I finally gave up and went home...

Days like today are a drag on your spirit during a big year.  The best laid plans don't matter if the birds just aren't there.  What if I had done this yesterday? Most of the drive back to civilization was silent contemplation listening to the radio and asking a barrage of what ifs in my head.  At the end of the day nothing I missed will make or break my year--I will see everything at one point or another.  So instead of dwelling on what could have been, just keep calm, and bird on.

New birds today: 1
Year List: 136

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 20 - To Chase of Not To Chase?

That is the question... For the 3rd day in a row I am posting a ZERO day.  I had planned on making an excursion at first light with 3-4 possible year birds.  2 of which rank as 3's on my ranking system.  I assume these species will show up again later in the year so when I made the decision not to try for them today it was due to the odds I will be able to see them later. I did eventually make it out and try to track down a much needed Thief for the year, but after an hour and 2 miles trudging through the forest I called it quits.

Having to weigh the risk v.s. reward on a chase can be difficult.  If you have a sure thing why not go get it?  There are various reasons why--distance, time required, accessibility, weather, "stayability" of the bird, the list could go on.  Usually some combination of one of these and the odds of me being able to find the same species later are what finalizes my decision making.

It gets more difficult with 4's and 5's though.  When the odds are not in my favor, it's usually a must go scenario.  But those same reasons mentioned above have weight here too.  If a bird is 150 miles away and I can't make a 300 mile round trip drive until Saturday; then it has to wait until Saturday.  In some cases when the bird has a high likelihood of sticking around I Will wait till it is more convenient.  I've already missed a 5 this year, because I thought it would continue--oops.

A missed chase could be the difference between a big year record and a slight miss.  It's pretty damn near impossible to get 100% of the species seen and reported in any state in a given year.  You would have to do nothing but go birding--be able to drop what you're doing at a moments notice time and time again. and have the financial means to do this.  You also have to have an extreme amount of luck.  Sometimes 15 minutes is all it takes to miss a year bird.  A flyover, flyby. mist-netted, window-killed, whatever.

I have no expectations of seeing 100% of the reported species in Narnia this year.  I can't even fathom what percent I' will get.  I know generally what I'll need, but at the end of the day what shows up, is reported, and I am able to take a legitimate shot at will determine my total.  All of this goes through my head every time I have to decide to chase or not to chase... And I won't know for another 346 days if some of these NOTs were a mistake!

New birds today: 0
Year List: 135

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 19 - Ranking Your Possibilities

When I did my first big year eBird wasn't as useful as a tool as it is in 2016 for helping plan and conduct a big year.  Thinking back to just the 90's and the prevalence of the RBA's (rare bird alerts), phone trees, and the importance of a well connected birding community; it was a different beast.  IF you were doing a big year in 1998 you were at a disadvantage versus someone doing a big year in 2016.  That's not an opinion, but a fact.  Technology has made it so that information travels so much faster nowadays--but there is a huge down side.  Despite all this information, and the fact that more people are into birding, communities are now disconnected, and in a sense the ratio of great field birders to birders has to be much lower.

What does this mean? It means that even though you get information quicker, it's not always the right information, or all that useful.  One example is locations of a rare sighting.  Go back to 1998 and when a rare bird was reported, people would take a GPS coordinate (maybe), but more importantly they would give turn by turn directions exactly where to go.  Just think about the ABA birding guides to places like Southeast Arizona... Now, you are lucky if you get a "dropped pin".  The art of sharing information, and providing details is for the most part a thing of the past in the digital world.  And that can be frustrating.

But I would be lying if I said those same digital tools didn't have some great advantages.  Like being able to pull up that "dropped pin" on a map in my smart phone while in the field.  Or being able to go find an email with details about a sighting (even if they are scant).  Or being able to get directions quickly.  OR finding out about a rare bird the minute its found via an email, eBird alert, etc.  Instead of finding out hours or days later when you get cell service (or worse off when you get home because you didn't have a cell phone in 1998!). It's a double-edged sword, and you have to take the bad with the good.

So how does this play into planning a big year?  When I did my first big year there was a lot of information out there about timing, locations, etc, for various species.  I relied on this, plus others big years before me as a guide to what I would do.  But I also had a well connected group of friends, and other birders who kept me in the loop and helped at every corner.  This was the bread and butter that helped me have a big year.  This year is different.  I can't rely as much on my friends for making sure I chase a bird, or know about something.  I almost entirely have to use eBird, and other online sources to help keep me on track, and in the know.

One thing that I did exactly the same as last time is keeping to a schedule (strategy) of when to go where, and what I need to see when and where.  Creating a target list and then ranking the birds from 1 to 5 is also a concept I used then and now.  I take the entire state list and rank them like so:

1: Most Common Birds; will absolutely see these this year
2: Annual but rare migrants or residents; should get most this year
3: Rare: A few reported each year; should chase and get most this year
4: Occasional: Sometimes annual, sometimes not; hope to get 1/3 to 1/2 of reported
5: Accidental: High Value Targets; must get 25% of these at a minimum

Let's pretend my state has a list of 500 species.  If I were to break those down and say something like :

1: 294 species
2: 65 species
3: 32 species
4: 19 species
5: 100 species

From this list I would hope I get all the 1-3's for 391 species.  I would then hope I also get 7 #4's, and 25 #5's for a grand total of 423 species.  You might be thinking 25% of the 5's is a high percentage--but in reality it just means that you chase down every #5 that is reported.  It will likely be somewhere in the region of 25% of all accidentals on a state list based of the calculations I've run.

Out of my 135 species as of today I have 3 #5's so far.  That's an important number of high value targets.  but I don't think I can sustain 3 each month.  There will be up months and down months, and January is usually an up month since its the beginning of the year and there are a lot of people reporting birds.  May, August, and September are typically good months for 5's as well.

The math I used last go around actually played out pretty close to true, and I hope that my math this year will help me hit my goal of 3## species... :)

New birds today: 0
Year List: 135

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 18 - 20 Days Out of State...

A ZERO day means there isn't much to talk about today... 

So instead the topic for this evening is: leave.

There will be at a minimum 3 times this year that I leave my state for various reasons.  Personal vacations? Work Trips? Birding trips?  A little bit of each maybe?  At a minimum I will be missing 2-3 weeks of birding days at home.  Plus you never know what comes up.  There have been years where I have traveled upwards of 2 weeks for work.  Combine that with personal trips, and I could potentially miss a month of birding. Yikes!


Luckily I plan well, and I knew of the 3 planned trips going into 2016.    I will miss a few days this winter, a few days this summer, and at some other point I will miss 2 solid weeks of big year birding.  Those 2 weeks fall at an interesting time.  Odds are that something unexpected will show up during that stretch--aside from a rarity or two though, none of my leaves should have an negative impact on my year.  To the contrary these trips should add vigor and excitement to the year--especially when things get slow.  Of course on the flip side if something really good shows up while I'm away it could be nerve-wracking while I bide my time to get back!

During my last big year, I believe I was out of the state for around 20 days.  Most of which was during the winter months, and didn't hurt my year.

2016 has thus far been a great year for me, and hopefully this holds true through my meanderings at home and away.

New birds today: 0
Year List: 135

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 17 - A Spectrum of Colors

Just like that I've exhausted my big days for the year.  My first day and yesterday will probably total close to 1/4 of my birds for the year. Now is when strategy kicks in full time and I pace myself.  Don't spend hours upon hours hoping to come across a rarity right now--but instead focus on chasing down specific targets.  This won't happen every day it will be based on convenience, necessity, and overall value of the chase.  Whenever a high value target pops onto my radar I will try to tackle those immediately.  More on this later.

Today was an easy birding day, spending a slow morning exploring a few places my friends and I avoided on a busy Saturday on a holiday weekend.  The birding was slower than yesterday as well as I only added 4 new year birds to my list.  One was a high quality bird in a stunning Vibrant Hustler.  This species used to be fairly hard to track down, but in recent years it has been more reliable at a number of locations.  We actually tried for it yesterday but missed out.  A second check this morning rewarded us with great looks.

Tree Curlers seemed to be everywhere today,  I think we saw around 20 which made for a fun morning as we hopped from stop to stop.  There was a whole spectrum of colors on the birds today which always make birding exciting.  The last new year bird for the day was a beautiful little Hillside Singer that played hide and seek with us while we tried to get a good look.  I'll see more later in the year this singer is in Celine Dion mode.

Just like that the quick trip to this less birded corner of Narnia is over and I'm not how going through my list and taking a look at what I missed.  I'll make several more trips to this are during the year.  Each season brings a select group of interesting species that I need and can only find here.  There may even been a winter trip or two at the tail end of 2016 if I need it! 

New birds today: 4
Year List: 135

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 16 - 100th Species

It had to happen at some point; my first big milestone for the year... Species #100.  And it happened before lunch today.  It wasn't anything super unique, an expected bird for the year.  A pair of Elevated Streakers flew over calling providing a lackluster #100 in some respects.  No glowing bird on a branch to drool over.  But it was okay--today was about birding and bird we did.  By lunch time my year list had jumped to 118 species, and before the day was over I would be sitting at 131 year birds. A massive jump for a mid-winter day in Narnia.  There were some major highs today, as well as a few unexpected misses.  In fact several species that I thought would be home runs never showed.

I had 2 unexpected finds for the year, and although I want to share more apparently someone calling themselves the Undercover Big Year Detective claims to know who I am and basically everything about my year.  Ironically they claim to have looked at my eBird checklists from today, which is odd, because I haven't submitted any of this weekends checklists at this moment.  In any event, I hope "The Detective" will write me back and let me know who they think I am!

With my 2nd biggest day of the year behind me, these massive days are now over for good.  If I get 10 new species in any single day the rest of the year, it will literally be a miracle!

At the end of a long day of birding, I went to sleep knowing that regardless of how the rest of the weekend went, today was a success.  Check out the bird list to see some of the wild and crazy things we saw today!

New birds today: 37
Year List: 131

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 15 - Friends

After yesterdays leaps and bounds I knew today would be a slow down.  I had to take care of a few things during the day and didn't get a chance to make it out till the afternoon.  Even then there weren't any easy targets.  For the first time this year I birded with friends--this is where it gets hard.  How do I go about posting about my birding experiences with my cohorts, on the off chance they read this.

For the most part, most of the people I go birding with are tech-savvy so if they were to come across this blog via Twitter, Facebook, or something else there is a possibility they could figure me out.  Especially when it comes to days birding together and birds seen.  If I go to Dr. Seuss State Park and see 7 new birds for the year, and 3 are common enough that I share the names; while the other 4 names are digestible enough to figure out--then my cover could be blown. It's a balancing act...

So the key is to balance what information I provide about the birding together and how I present it.  Like everything else this year, I will cloak my birding with friends in mystery, and under the guise of Non-fiction Fiction.  So here goes. This weekend I'll be birding with my good friends: Monica, Joey, and Chandler (see what I did there?). When we're not getting coffee at Central Perk, or up to 90's shenanigans, we go birding.


We are making a short trip to another part of Narnia as I mentioned previously, and will see lots of birds.  So today started off with the 4 of us getting together, packing up the Mystery Machine (henceforth my vehicle), and heading out while birding en route.  We made a few stops on our drive, but no new birds were added.

Shortly after we arrived at our destination for the weekend's adventure--Aslan's Federal Protected Area.  Settled in for the night, I anxiously waited for morning and new year birds.  Aslan's FPA is one of go to locations in Narnia, and should add a bevvy of year birds now, and later!

New birds today: 0
Year List: 94

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 14 - Leaps and Bounds and Fever-birds

The slow process of seeking out the first 100 species for 2016 might seem drawn out.  But in reality, I will strike 100 this weekend--probably sometime early on Saturday to be exact.  How do I know this?  Well, I love it when a plan comes together.  This weekend is looking like a perfect storm of birds available, combined with my time for birding.  I'm going to be birding a little way from home this weekend.  Let's just say I'm going to the southeast northwest  part of Narnia for a little bit.  Looking at the possibilities I'm guessing I'll add between 40-50 year birds over the holiday weekend.  That's a big chunk.

Saturday will likely be my 2nd biggest day of the year in terms of adding new birds.  After Day 1, it's impossible to have another 40+ day unless I were to crawl under a rock until May and try to pull out a magical day of birding. Even then it would be a long shot. After this weekend, things will slow dramatically, and then I'll be dreaming about days of 2 and 3 new year birds.

As for today I had planned to drive out to a a nearby forest and try to scare up just one bird for the day.  It would have kept me ZERO day free for the week.  But a strange set of circumstances changed that and I was able to try my hand trying to track down a few birds closer to home.  Things started off slow as I stopped at three locations and birds were scant.  I was beginning to worry when I came over a hill and in the distance spotted a small flock of Trawlers.  Both Usual Trawler and Secret Trawler were present and new for the year.  I expected both this weekend, so now I don't have to wait.  I made a quick jump over to one of my favorite local eBird hot spots where I found a not so regular Fierce Marauder amongst about 25 other species of birds.  I noticed another bird that was roosting behind a pretty mangled tree.  After I put my eyes on it, I was surprised to find an out of season Toasty Newspaper-bird.  4 New year birds in about a 20 minute span.

I thought my birding was done for the day and would have been happy with 4 new year birds.  But something told me to take a break at lunch and head for The Hills.  I only had about an hour so I made a bee-line to an area I knew would be active.  It didn't disappoint.  In 30 minutes I cleaned up with 5 new year birds.  Namely I picked up 3 species of Fever-birds!  Far-and-wide Fever-bird, Favorite Fever-bird, and Isolated Fever-bird were all new year birds and save me potentially a lot of trips back-and-forth to look for them later.


I also saw a handful of one of my favorite species, the Gorgeous Tree-gem.  Spectacular at any time of year, I enjoyed watching them move about.  During my time I also add a Smaller-billed Conquistador for the year.  9 new year birds on January 14th--leaps and bounds on a day when it wasn't expected.  All within about 20 miles of my house. I won't be able to pull that off again.

It was an exciting day and actually means things will slow down more so after this weekend.  I won't head back to The Hills till later in the spring and now have narrowed my list to just a few more targets for January.  I could range further and wider from my home patch and possibly add another 80-90 species this month.  But I won't.  I have a long road ahead, and after this weekend I'll have a better idea of what the next 50-60 days will look like.

The plus side with picking up your targets is that it leaves time open to chase down the unexpected--the birds that really help make a big year big.

New birds today: 9
Year List: 94

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 13 - The Triathlete

 
No, I did not swim, bike, and run today.  The triathlete I speak of is not a person, and isn't in a race.  It's a bird, and today's goal was to track one down for the year.  This species is fairly common year round here in Narnia (I've decided to start referring to my state this way from now on), as long as you are in the right habitat, and know what to look for.  Easily overlooked and often an afterthought for birders the Triathlete is a stunning bird and one I should be able to pickup with little effort on my part.

I easily could have waited till later in the year when I would visit their habitat often; but a short drive during a mid-day break could also provide my bounty and help me try to get through this week without a ZERO day.I made two or three stops once I arrived at Willy Wonka Country Club (a magical golf club).  I finally left my vehicle and took a short walk where I spotted a Triathlete perched on a rock in the middle of a river.  It saw me and immediately took flight--1/3 of its repertoire of triathlete moves.  Success!

Named due to its aptitude in the water, air, and on land, the Triathlete is a favorite of mine, and one I'll encounter plenty of as the year goes on.

It was the only target I had.  Other things might have popped up here, but not today.  Instead I took some time to admire a group of game animals I don't see all that often.  In fact the last time I saw one might have been 15 years ago, so it was fortuitous that I came to this location today.  I took some shots, which again will have to wait till 2017 to be revealed.  Such is the way of the secret big year.
New birds today: 1
Year List: 85

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 12 - Go Big or Go Home

I had an itch last night.  It was brought on by a post on a local bird list about a vagrant that was seemingly being harassed.  I had not gone to see said vagrant yet, not because I thought there would be another one later (which is certainly possible), but because the bird had been long staying.  And unless an act of nature prematurely ended its winter visit, it will likely continue through February and potentially into March.  But I know a lot of birders have gone and seen said bird, and with a holiday weekend looming, I decided to take action and make sure I got it before it was too late.


Birding ethics are something that I take very seriously.  Every birder at some time or another makes a poor decision that isn't in the best interest of the birds we enjoy.  But some birders behavior is so atrocious, it makes other birders not want to share their sightings or take part in the shenanigans.  Even me chasing this bird was likely putting undue stress on a an out of range bird.  The circus that sometimes surrounds vagrants has turned birders against photographers, and even worse one another.  With a shared interest in birds, it's surprising that not all birders think of birds and their well being in the same manor.  One of my pillars for ethical birding is taking pride in not harassing the birds I watch.  Whether with overuse of tape; pressure with photography; or getting too close--every birder has a choice in their interactions.  And those interactions leave a lasting impression on other birders.

Now that I've gotten my soap box stored for the week, let's talk birds.  I was out the door in the dark this morning for a bit of a drive, which went smoothly.  I was visiting a state park and after waltzing through the entry station I was focused.  It wasn't long before a glorious American Patriot soared overhead.  I admired it as it sailed past and lit on pile of rocks in the distance. The first of a handful of new year birds on this impromptu outing.

I spent the next 20 minutes waiting for the sun to break the horizon as twilight slowly gave way.  I snuck to a roost I've had luck with in previous years and sure enough found a pair of Pale Thief's hiding out of the public view.  Soon enough the sun was up, things warmed ever so slightly, and I was on foot hiking through the forest in search of my quarry.  Stunning Pessimists seemed to be flushing from every brush pile; new year birds and always a joy to see. I continued, checking several places where the cagrant had been reported but wasn't having much luck.

Eventually I wandered to an area that is particularly birdy most of the year and pished.  I looked up and the Fantastic Skulker glided by landing out of sight.  Success! This was the target bird--the vagrant I was looking for.  I slowly backed up and around the tangle where the bird was and spotted it sitting mid-canopy. I raised my camera to get a shot for the year but it quickly fluttered away.  I walked back to where I originally saw the bird and stood waiting.  It was only 2 or 3 minutes when out of the tangle the skulker glided in to the trees right above me.  I snapped a few obscured pictures, but still captured the reason its called Fantastic!

I was relieved, and wanted to leave the bird in peace, so I slowly headed away from the area.  I only made it about 100' when I froze at the sight of an animal I had never seen in my dozens of years on this planet. I was shocked--it was a creature of exquisite beauty and I struggled to get my camera up and focused.  It was almost like a mythical creature.  I know they exist (not just in Narnia) but had never before seen a Bamboozler... Sorry I can't tell you what it is, or show you the photos.  I want to share these ones badly as it was an amazing animal.  But it isn't found in probably 1/3 to 1/2 of the lower 48.  That would rule out a lot of territory and it's too early for that. Needless to say I enjoyed the show, and if you follow along through the end of the year, I will share tons of photos in early 2017 while I recap my year and tell the stories behind the stories I'm 1/2 telling now.

After the mythical beast disappeared I hurried back to my car for the drive back to society.  I still had targets to look for and scanned the road edges as I drove.  I came around a bend and in a distant tree I spotted a familiar shape. I raised my glasses and found a Menacing Cleaver perched surveying its surroundings. Another new year bird.  I had to cross a bridge before leaving and stopped to look at what was below.  A Bulky Cruiser accompanied a variety of yolk-sacs, and green-rumps. The cruiser was a nice find for the day--I expected to add one this weekend, but now it was a done deal.

I wasn't done yet.  I headed back to civilization and took off through some neighborhoods till I eventually found a Murdering Boaster in someones yard.  This species frequents the area and I knew it would be an easy pick up.  I still had a bit of a drive through the city and as I neared home I took a side trip. I was close enough to a couple ponds that I could check for anything random.  I had marauders on my mind but the first pond was void of anything out of the ordinary.  My second stop yielded just one Common Marauder; my 8th and final new bird for the day.  I checked a nearby lake as I wandered the last few miles but the only marauders were way to far off to get a good look at.

The morning was over.  I had traveled about 150 miles and killed 4 hours.  More importantly I picked up 2 good year birds that I don't have to worry about going forward.  Some days on a Big Year you have to throw caution to the wind and go big or go home.  Today I went big and it paid off.  Next time, I might strike out!

New birds today: 8
Year List: 84

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 11 - Sometimes I Take Pictures

There is no doubt--I am a birder before a photographer.  That's not to say I don't love photography.  It's absolutely fascinating.  I take some good shots from time to time--and I take a lot of really bad photos.  One thing during a Big Year that can help with the monotony is taking lots of pictures.  Or after you've pretty much seen the stuff you know you're going to see; try to get an interesting picture of it.  Today I had a plan but it got derailed.  Thinks inevitably will come up time and time again, and force a change of plans.So I improvised and got to take some pictures.

Today's journey was supposed to be a 20 mile round trip outing for just 1 bird.  Instead I took an 8 mile side trip this evening as the sun started dropping in the west.  I had 2 targets with my new route, and both were like shooting fish in a barrel.  I didn't even have to get out of my car at the lake I visited to spot my some how first of year (FOY) Stocky Curler (and there were a fair number of them); as well as my first Ginger of the year.  This one is tougher to get this time of year, but I had seen them here before in the winter and thought I might have a shot.  The female bird was alone so it was a little more work to pick her out of the crowd.

With my targets acquired I turned to photography.  The lighting was divine... The subjects however were lackluster.  I took a really cool shot of a helicopter that I was going to share today, but then I thought that for the hardcore detectives out there it might be a giveaway and help narrow down my location.  So no helicopter...


Instead I leave you with this American Coot.  No shortage of these birds will be seen in 2016, but getting one in full stride sure makes for a neat photo!  Sometimes I take pictures, and someday I'll share more!  For now you get the vanilla stuff!

New birds today: 2
Year List: 76

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 10 - Breaking the Yolk-sac

Sweet and short today's post will be!  I got back on track by breaking the Yolk-sac--that is to say I saw my second and final species of Yolk-sac for the year when a pair of Cold Yolk-sacs meandered past me on a short hike this morning.  I wanted to get back on track after yesterdays "off day" and figured I could tick this species off my year list with minimal effort, after a warm breakfast of real eggs, bacon, and potatoes.  The effort was a 2 mile round trip outing that took just 40 minutes and and netted me a handful of Yolk-sacs for the year.

As I made my way back to my car a flyover Killdeer (the real thing; no secret code) was my 74th year bird.  One more species and I'm 1/4 of the way to 300 on the year.  I expect if things go swimmingly for the next few months that could come as early as the end of May.  We'll see I guess.

New birds today: 2
Year List: 74

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 9 - The Royal Goose Egg

Zero days.  They are the days that will actually dominate 2016 for me.  I will see fewer total birds than number of days this year in all likelihood, and getting through the zero days while staying on strategy is important.  A ZERO day isn't a bad thing.  It doesn't mean I didn't look for birds that day, and it doesn't mean things are going poorly.  In my previous big year for instance more than half of January were ZERO days.  And twice during the year I had stretches of 20+ days without new year birds.  Keep that in mind and understand that not every post is going to be gushing about the new year birds I found.  I will try to keep it interesting in other ways.  I will talk about strategy a lot, and share some tidbits from my previous big year. I want this blog to be interesting even when things slow down.

So why bring this up today? Well today was my first ZERO day of the year.  The Royal goose Egg if you will. I have strategically been pursuing at least one new year bird each day, and planned on doing so until it didn't make sense.  This is no way to keep my year a float though so it's good to finally get this out of the way. 


And don't get me wrong, it's fun to have a streak, and I planned on picking up a few birds today, but when push came to shove the extent of my Saturday birding was peering out the windows at my feeders. I have no grand plans for tomorrow as of right now either, so another possible ZERO day looms unless I wake up and decide to make a morning of things.

If the rest of January goes according to plan then I actually expect to have at least 200 ZERO days this year.  I hope I didn't just lose you. That's right I expect 200 days this year where I see no new birds...  That's a lot to swallow; and that number may be higher depending on how efficient and lucky I am. But that is the way of the state big year.  There are only so many birds to see.

New birds today: 0
Year List: 72

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 8 - I love it when a plan comes together!

Do you remember George Peppard leading the A-Team? Or maybe you're a millennial and had your first dose of "Hannibal" Smith with Liam Neeson?  Either way, you should be familiar with his catch  phrase.  Often jovially spewed while a cigar hung off his lips, Hannibal always (almost) had a plan. You knew this while you watched but you never quite knew all the details till his schemes were being executed.  I feel like this is how birding is--and a big year on a grander scheme is a drawn out plan.  And boy do I love it when a plan comes together!



Last night I schemed up my plans for birding today.  I was out the door and headed to a local watering hole where I found exactly ZERO of the birds I had hoped to check off for the morning. I decided to check out a nearby park  and come back to the water later to see if things had turned over.

The park was quiet at first but soon I started hearing Chickadees calling; followed by a few flyover American Robins; and lastly a couple of calling American Goldfinch.  Nothing new, but birds none-the-less.  Then I heard the shrill cry of a Smokescreen! Year bird #70.  There were actually 2 or 3 around but they were staying high up in the trees out of sight.


I thought I heard the call notes of a Fiery Elitist, but wasn't sure if it was my mind playing tricks on me.  That was until a small flock came zipping past, followed by a few pairs moving around calling all the while.  I don't know if they had just arrived, or just woken up, but for the remainder of my walk, I could hear them as they moved form tree to tree in search of breakfast.  I didn't find any of my other targets, but these two were definitely worth the stop.

I headed back to where I started my day and found that a few birds had moved in, but my target birds weren't there.  Just as I was about to leave a flock of Bobbers came winging past.  As I scanned them I picked out one of my targets--a lingering Wandering Bobber! This was at the top of my list of must-gets today so I was thrilled.  I wrapped things up shortly after the excitement passed and called it a morning.  My plan had come together for the day, and I simply love that.

New birds today: 3
Year List: 72

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 7 - One Week Down

After yesterdays shenanigans and almost having a zero day I decided to go for a slam dunk this morning by visiting an owl roost I've had luck with in the past.  But the weather was less than ideal for a couple miles on foot, so I opted to skip the roost and save it for another time.  Instead I waited till around lunch time and planned out a quick drive through a nearby park (less than 10 miles round trip) where I had 4 target birds.  I was almost certain that I could find one of the four with little work.  The Grassland Fiddler despite being a common find year round had managed to evade me for 6 days.  Keeping my no zero days streak going I figured this was the easiest year bird within 10 miles.

The other 3 birds I had picked were all regular finds in the area--a bluff if you will, dominated by a mix of grassland (hence the fiddler), small cliffs, and mostly open habitat.  The drive in was quiet, as has been the routine lately.  But at the first bend in the road I spotted a distant bird that I presumed was a Slayer.  I got my optics on the beast and it was indeed a Field Slayer, 1 of the 3 others I hoped to find.  Although I have infrequently seen them here over the years, this was really the least likely of the possibilities, so I was happy with the find.

I'd only gone another hundred yards when I heard the call of a Cliff Statue from my passenger window.  I stopped and saw a small flock moving through the shrubs and grass on the hillside. Although I certainly would have added these birds in the near future, I was happy to find the 2nd of the 3 others I had hoped for.

I dipped on the 3rd bird; I scanned the bluff and every nook and cranny where I thought one might be. But it was fruitless.  I started working my way back to the entrance of the park and was almost all they way back when I caught the shapes of what looked like 2 Grassland Fiddlers in a bush about 100 yards away.  A quick look through the glasses confirmed it.  3/4 ain't a bad at all!  All in less than an hour and without having to rack up lots of miles on the black top.


And just like that the first week of 2016 comes to an end. For sake of putting some statistics out there, that means the year is almost 2% complete.  As of tonight I have added 69 species to my year list.  If my goal was 300 species this year I have effectively seen 23% off all the birds I will encounter in the next 98% of the counting period.   If my goal was 325, then it's 21% off the birds. And if it were 350 that would be 19% of the birds.

No matter how you look at it there are far more days left in the year than birds to see.  As the days roll on my strategy will become more calculated and many of my trips (especially during the fall and spring) will simply be to test my luck at adding completely unexpected birds to the list.  But January is far from over and I still have a lot of birds around here to find so tomorrow it's back to the grind and figuring out what I will find.
New birds today: 3
Year List: 69

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day

Day 6 - A Clairvoyant Told Me So

I'm not overly superstitious.  I've never had my fortune told, I don't read horoscopes, and I think "Mediums" are out of their minds... Sorry to any mediums reading this.  Occasionally I will check the same spot at the same time of year each year because a certain bird might be there.  This isn't anything super-natural; it's natural in fact.  If a Great Horned Owl for instance uses a roost one year, there is a high probability it will use the same next year.  Odds and chance along with patterns make birds some what predictable.  Today a little bird in my head told me to look for 3 birds that wouldn't take more than an hour.  So I obliged.

Today's targets were two birds that often frequent the ponds behind a local shop and I figured this would be an easy way to keep my "No-Zero" streak alive.

But the ponds were void of almost any birds.  No waterfowl, no songbirds, no waders, shorebirds, etc.  There were a small group of American Coots bobbing around, and several Variegated Dashers moved about with ease.  But that was it.  So I moved on.  I knew of another body of water close and thought to check it, but there were slim pickings there.  A pair of Compass Stripes were the best birds.  That left one species I thought I could check for, and after spending 15 minutes trying to find said Maniac (maniacs are a family of new world song birds) I moved on and was 0 for 3.  Desperation sank in.

I headed to a nearby park along a river where I thought I might be able to find an American Patriot.  This is a freebie folks--it's January, and I called a bird an American Patriot.  You can put two and two together and figure this one out.  After driving the perimeter of the park and checking every snag, limb, pole, and possible perch I shrugged to leave.  I stopped at a patch of trees and pished to see if anything would come to the edge. But it wasn't meant to be.  I started to drive off and caught a shape in the tangle! Great Horned Owl! And just like that my ZERO day turned into a plus one!


The owl was deep in the trees and would have been unseen unless you were looking closely.  With a new found burst of positive feelings I started to head back from my outing.  I found a flock of Marauders. I scanned them to look for anything out of place.  I stopped as a slightly smaller bird popped out from the group.  I stared for a second looking over its features; it was a juvenile Thin-billed Marauder!  This species is never guaranteed year in and out so it was a relief to find one now and not have to worry about it later

I was now satisfied with my two newbies and headed home when I caught a shape on a distant power pole. I slammed on my breaks--Clairvoyant! The shape was obvious and it looked to be feasting.  I flipped around and drove to a better vantage point then got it in my glasses. Success!  Ironically as the Clairvoyant flies this was about 2/3 of a mile from where I had my false-Clairvoyant yesterday.  I have seen them numerous times here in the past so I shouldn't have been all that surprised. A valid food source, the right habitat, and a usual place were the right mix of natural things to nail down this stunning bird.

New birds today: 3
Year List: 66

FOLLOW ALONG:

Next Day

Previous Day