Day 91 - March in the Books

Oh where, oh where has the secret big year birder gone. Needless to say I have been MIA the past couple of weeks. I left off telling you about an upcoming trek that would bloat my bird list for the month. It never came to fruition, and it doesn't hurt my year. I also skipped out on any unnecessary birding, trying to preserve that time for when I need it. I did add 2 species of the previous 15 days though. The first was a Forest Thief. I will have numerous more throughout the year, but came across one while I was searching for something else. This was my only vested birding over the stretch. I also added a Turkey Vulture for the year just a few days ago. This puts me at an even 160 leaving March. This is behind my previous big year pace, but nothing to be alarmed at.

So what happened to March? Besides a cancelled weekend excursion that would have undoubtedly pushed me past 175, there just weren't that many things I needed to make March a big deal. March like February in Narnia is a slower month. The money I saved on gas, and the time I didn't put forth in hopes of finding something unexpected will be put to better use down the road. To be honest, there weren't any fantastic reports this month either. This combination of things led to an even slower than expected March. But the slowdown will officially come to an end with April. Things will speed up, birds will be arriving in wild numbers, and for the next 90 or so days, I will add about as many birds as I have up to now.

You might be thinking, what does the Secret Big Year Birder mean when they say, "put their time to better use down the road"? It's simple, I have things going on outside of birding in my life that take up a great deal of time. Be it a job, multiple jobs, retirement hobbies, family, kids, parents, friends, all of the above, or none of the above (okay, some of the above); time is money so to speak. If a rare Spot-winged Doppelganger shows up in July and I have used up too much time early on chasing superfluous species, then I didn't put my time to good use. I want to make sure that when I need to go, and find something special I can--and hopefully few, or no one will notice.

I won't be sharing any states this month--I've already narrowed it enough for you to start whittling the list down further. Nor will I be sharing species names. There were only 11 new year birds this month, which doesn't help me for trying to keep things broad. And although March was better than February in terms of total species, it still was slow. Thank goodness April is here. April. When things literally take off again. Let's hope things really take off, some good birds show up, and I can keep my identity a secret for another 30 days...

New birds the past 15 days: 2
Year List: 160

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Day 75 - 1/5th of the Way There

Beware! Beware! A little dramatic flair--today's image has nothing to do with the birding, just the date.  Technically we are past the 1/5th point but it has been a less than stellar week of birding since my two good days last week, and I failed to get this post up 2 days ago.  But that's okay.  With the Ides of March passing it is one step closer to April and things really picking up.  April is when things change in a  grand fashion across the lower 48, and Narnia is no exception.  I will see more species in the month of March than I saw in the first 3 combined.  May will be even better.

With 16 days left in March there is still a big chunk of time to get through.  And I might be able to punch out a big chunk of those 17 year birds I want before the end of the month this weekend.  Pending the weather, I am going to slip out of town and see if I can track down one of the last over wintering species I missed this year.  It hasn't been reported in over a month, but the fact is a lot of birders aren't looking for it.  Besides this songbird (subtle clue) there are a handful of spring arrivals that I should be able to add.  AS of right now there are 15 species I know I can get.  That just means I need a little Irish luck and perhaps I can pick up 2 unexpected birds and hit my target.

Even if I don't grab 17 with my weekend birding, I plan to get 4-5 more birds closer to home before the end of the month.  Which means 175-180 should be right where I end up by April 1.  

As the year winds on, I think I've narrowed my competition down to two birders who are basically openly doing big years based on their birding habits.  One is a serious contender, while the other will likely fizzle out by summer.  I say this base don past experiences watching big years unfold in Narnia.  There is at least one other birder who I am almost sure is doing a big year as well, but seems to definitely be keeping it on the wraps.  I've ran into them on several occasions this year at chase birds, begging the obvious question--do they think I am doing a big year as well?  They have kept a low profile on eBird but I think its just for show.

I've narrowed my list from previously as I watch the watchers.  At the end of the day though this is a futile thing to do in big years.  The only thing it can make me do is make sure I chase everything, and try to do so without being seen each time. They'll see what they see, and I will see what I do.  And when the clock strikes midnight at the end of December, all I can hope is that my effort was enough to stay ahead of these other souls!

New birds today: 0
Year List: 158

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Day 69 - The Unexpected Wave

Well today certainly turned into something interesting. I had no intentions of making it a new bird day. I decided I could make a short drive just to see what birds were on the move thinking I might add one species if luck was on my side. I pulled onto a back road I often drive and bird that is paid little attention by most birders. That makes it no surprise that on this lonely stretch of road I have found a handful of really great birds.

As I pulled along I noticed a distant flock of birds and approached slowly. Immediately I got excited because I knew it was a mixed flock of Sombre-chaps. Right away a Gilded Sombre-chap popped out at me--then 3, 4, 5 and finally a 6th one. First of the season. While I was scanning I suspected I would add my first Worst-bird-ever for the year. Moments later I spotted one hopping amongst the flock. Rats. In reality this species isn't all that bad. It has some habits frowned upon by many birders, but truly is an interesting species.

I continued scanning when the prize of the day popped out--an Corrupt Sombre-chap. Year birds number 3 and one I wasn't sure I would add in 2016. I always look for this species and have found my fair share over the years, so it was nice to have it pay off today.

I continued about my business wondering how many more could I add. I headed to nearby wetland where as I came to a stop I spotted my first Miniature Hood of the season. 4 new year birds in less than 20 minutes. I decided to take a short walk to see if I could turn up another bird. 5 new years birds on a short outing in mid-March certainly seemed odd. And it would be odd. No other new year birds surfaced.

Here it is 9 days into March and I have 8 new year birds. That is roughly 1/3 of the 25 I hoped to turn up this month and just under 1/3 of the way through the month. I went through my expected bird list and narrowed 14 birds down to species I know I will see this month. That still leaves me 3 short of my goal meaning there will need to be a few unexpected birds showing up. And with migration squarely underway I suspect that's a real possibility!

New birds today: 4
Year List: 158

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Day 65 - Keeping Secrets

The first week of March came and went in a hurry.  I was able to get out birding and actually add 4 year birds during the week.  None of the 4 were anything that would make or break the year.  All were birds I expected to see at some point this spring.  It just so happened that I got them this week.  My first new species of March was a Dancing Bellower that I heard, but couldn't manage to get a good look.  I'll see some later in the spring, and probably in the year, but was a little disappointed in the audible only.  The 2nd new bird made up for it with incredible visuals.  My first Angry Thief of the year turned into several Angry Thieves.  What a show they put on as I watched in both amusement and awe.  These creatures simply make birding a joy.

At least 2 other possibilities slipped by on the morning of the bellower and thief outing.  One will require a few trips to make sure I nail it down, while the other should be arriving any day now in small numbers and remain into the fall.  The 3rd new species of the month wasn't anything out of this world either.  A flyby group of Lower Stirrers made a couple passes while I scoped for other birds.  These will be a constant most of the year, and it was just a fluke it took this long to track some down.

The 4th and final new bird of the month and year was a half unexpected Steppe Singer.  It showed up during an expected migration window at a location where they do pop up form time to time--but I had no expectations of seeing one when I did.  It was an exciting find, because I had missed this species previously this winter.  Yes--said species can be found year round in Narnia, sometimes in the same places year round, while in others it inexplicably leaves depending on the season.

4 birds down and 21 to go to reach my end of March goal.  I am looking at trying to track down 2 birds this week that have been around most of the winter, that I've missed while hoping to find them on my own.  At some point you have to throw in the towel and admit defeat--in this case it means chasing.  That's the least of my worries at the moment.  There are two birds I badly need for my year list.  1 is found most winters, but in such small numbers and long distances from the shire (new name for my home) that if you miss it when you're near it, you might be out of luck.  The other used to be a winter only find here--but in recent years has been found year round.  However, I've missed it thus far.  Do I simply let it go for now and hope for the best in November and December?  Or do I do the unthinkable--tell everyone in my life different stories about what I am doing one day and go try to find them?

Keeping some secrets on an undercover big year doesn't bother me.  But if I take a day and just disappear to go look for birds in a remote area of Narnia, I have to get all my preverbal ducks in a row to make sure my stories line up.  I may not have to worry about making the decision though.  I might be making a weekend trip with family and/or friends to the area these birds are found--if that happens and I don't find the birds, I will probably let it go.  But if for some reason we don't make the journey, then I might put weight on my back up plan.  All the what ifs start running through my head, and I wonder is this the right chase to do this on?  Are there going to better birds later that I need to do this for?  What if I do this and miss the birds? So many questions, decisions, and choices...

New birds today: 4
Year List: 154

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