Day 213 - July in the Books

The summer giveth, the summer taketh away.  July came and went without a single report of anything noteworthy for me to chase.  No birder in Narnia found anything big this month, or if they did, they didn't share.  This is a rather spectacular happening.  I fully expected something huge to get reported especially in the last couple weeks--something to help  build up the list.  But alas, nada.  July is the beginning of fall migration and usually the first big rarities start popping up--looking back I can't remember a year where something really great hasn't shown up.  I'm sure there have been doldrum July's like this, but it is a bit disappointing that July 2016 was one of them.

After my big week mid month things slowed down again.  Not for lack of trying though.  I again hit the hills in anticipation of tracking down some of the 3 species I felt were still possible.  One morning I put over 5 miles in on foot in search of just one bird.  This was try number 3 this summer, and again I swung and missed.  During the course of my search I could hear the distant cacophony of call from an Elevated Reviewer though--this was another one of the 3 so all was not lost.  I had actually made 5 trips for that species this summer, but figured I would have one easy in September.  Now I just need a photo, and I'll be good to go.

The last few days of the month I decided it was do or die time for one species that if I didn't get now I might end up missing all together.  This species was one that typically I have seen 4-5 times but this point in the year.  But this year one of my favorite locations to look was inaccessible when the birds are easiest to find and ID.  That hadn't stopped me from checking for them every chance I got.  The lack of reports by others made it near impossible to chase so it was going to be either sheer luck, or just a miss.

Someone had sent me a photo the previous week asking for help ID'ing a bird--it was from the location I couldn't access earlier in the year, so I decided to take a drive and see what I could find.  Almost immediately the first stop I made there were birds to look at.  I took my time checking for the missing species but couldn't find one so I moved on.  As I rounded a bend I looked to my left and there were even more birds than my previous stop and some were just  a few feet away for easy viewing.  As I stopped my car and put my binoculars up to look at the first bird I saw I almost had to shake my head--it was my first Overlooked Sweeper of the year.  Almost too easy.  I had left my camera at home but managed to digiscope a few shots just to make sure I had them.  And I didn't something I normally don't do--I didn't eBird it.

Why?  There are two reasons--one is selfish, the other is strategic.  Since I know there haven't been many seen this year, I didn't want to give any other big year birder a freebie.  I've done plenty of that, and this one I was going to keep.  Yes, that is my selfish reason--I am 99.99% of the time selfless in sharing what I find, but I figured this would be a secret until the end of the year.  The more strategic reason would be the possible giving away in eBird for any locals who might be following the blog. That's it.

With the sweeper swept away I headed to a nearby pond to see if any shorebirds were around--there weren't any.  But a couple birds flew in and I looked at them with intrigue.  I realized pretty quickly that one was unlike the other and looking closely it appeared I had a a Tropical Thinker--mark that one off the list as yet another year bird! I had added 2 year birds in one day, something that from here on out won't be all that common.

After that the new birds dried up and July came to a close. It had not been quite the month I expected with only 8 new year birds added. This was a few less than I had hoped and I was still missing a few birds.  I basically have come to terms with the fact there will be 3 birds I won't see this year that I saw in my previous big year--that I had fully expected to have in 2016.  When you are doing the math and trying to plan a year like this, these are the birds that hurt the most.  There is no way to make up for targets that seem unmissable.

I cute down my driving just a little for July, keeping it under 2,000 miles.  I kept my numbers on foot up, putting on over 28 miles for the month.  And I spent just under 100 hours looking for birds.  I have mixed feeling for how August will be as of right now.  I certainly would love to add 10 more species but am not sure how doable that is given what I've already seen and what I know will be showing up.  Migration certainly will be picking up and that brings a potential abundance of possibilities.  I think September is going to be the month where I do the most damage though, and while I mentioned 10 new birds, I am guessing 5 is more reasonable for the coming 31 days...

New birds this post: 3
Year List: 315

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Day 204 - Reality Check

A week ago I was reeling from the July slog. Summer is moving along at a pace that isn't becoming of a big year. On the flip side I mentioned Olaf Danielson and his big year, while I failed to note there was actually another birder just 4 birds behind him at the time. This is perhaps because the #2 guy, isn't using eBird--shame on you. It's hard to take any birder seriously in 2016 who doesn't use eBird, especially if you are in the public eye in a major listing competition--like a big year. For eBirders, Olaf is the clear year leader--but as it turns out, he hasn't broken the record yet--while the guy who was at #2 is actually sitting at number one, with 754 year birds and a new ABA record. John Weigel ticked off 750 over the weekend and has added 4 more this week, putting him 5 past the previous record already. Where Danielson had been vocal and the name in the public sphere, Weigel, had quietly on his blog been cataloging his ridiculous year as well.

With 5 months left to go will it be a neck and neck race with these two? Will Weigel continue to pull away? Or will Danielson have a big push to regain the lead? And will one of them top 800 species in a year in the ABA? I personally can't imagine wasting the time, money, and energy for this arbitrary record. The most birds in the continental U.S., as well as Canada and Alaska in a year. It's really a strange border, considering we allow the counting of birds in the Aleutians--islands closer to Russia than the mainland U.S., but we don't allow birds form Mexico, or the Caribbean... An arbitrary boundary... It's a feat none-the-less, and pretty incredible. But it's not my cup of tea.

In any event, back to my secret big year. Also rather arbitrary when you mention it. This person is quietly doing a big year in their state, while using made up names to hide their state and identity along the way. And for what? State borders are just as arbitrary. Set by men for political reasons. Habitat doesn't stop at the border, and birds don't either. But alas, I am doing this, because it's fun for me. It also doesn't require, the time, money, or effort as an ABA big year. A more feasible big year for your average person. So here I am doing my arbitrary, feasible secret big year with July 2/3 of the way over--and yes, I did see some new birds this week!

I actually ticked off 5 new year birds in the past 9 days, and not all of them were species I expected for the week. Things started off with the expected. I knew there was a Dribbling Conquistador frequenting a patch of trees in a public forest. I had actually already visited this summer and spent some time scouring the trees with no luck. As it were, I actually heard the bird early on in my second search, and finally tracked it down a short time later, breathing a big sigh of relief for a bird that was turning into 1 of 2 year nemesis. I had put on countless miles on foot looking for this species this summer and was starting to wonder what I was going to do to get it. But it all worked out!

About an hour later while walking through the forest just a few miles away in hopes of a flyover of another year bird I had a flyby--of a different species, I hadn't intended to see this day. My year Defensive Hobbit flew by--and although it was a first for the year, by the end of the week I had seen almost 20. Almost too easy. But I had again missed 2 species I had hoped for on this outing. I would have to come back again later, because I still needed to must get year birds from the area.

The following day was a hot one and I spent a great deal of time in search of birds. I needed photos of a few, so I used the time to track down and get pictures of several birds I needed for the year. I have no idea ho many of them I have actually photographed at this point, but I do know that in the afternoon I added year bird #310, a Upper Stirrer, and managed a picture. I had this stirrer on my list for the last 2 weeks of July, so it was right on time. The end of the day brought one more year bird--a surprise find, and a good year bird in a Northern Thief. I have tried several times for this Thief in 2016 but thus far had come up empty on each occasion. The best part of find it was this was a bird I did not get last time--something I need for the 2nd half of the year!

The last year bird of the week came and went in a hurry. While walking along a path taking in some amazing Narnia scenery, I noticed some movement in a nearby bush. I found the bird and was surprised to see an Enlisted Migrant. A good bird and one I wasn't expecting this summer. I had already looked for one this year unsuccessfully, so this was another win for the year.

But not all things are looking up. I can do math and I know where I want to be, need to be, and should be. I won't divulge where I actually fit in to those 3 numbers, but based off this, you can assume I am falling behind. As it happens some of my misses this summer will cancel out by some other great things I find. But some will just be holes in my list. Of my original list of wants for July I only have 6 logical, and realistic species remaining. And being perfectly honest, I don't know if I can even get 3 of those. All 6 are possible for months to come, so it's not perilous--yet.

But it is hard looking at a list and knowing that you've tired 6,7, or 8 times for a single bird and are yet to have one. Yet you've seen them on 10 other eBird checklists this summer. Then there are the issues of the species that for some reason just aren't being reported. In specific two resident species that are normally summer staples have been under reported this summer, and for one species there is only one possible report. If you miss the things you guarantee for yourself, then you're really in trouble. I think I will get all these species, and probably all 6 on my list of wants--but it will probably be into September to clear them all off my list.

This is where the math comes into play, time for a reality check. While earlier I mentioned that I was within 10 species either way, you might have taken that as up to 10 species short. A possibility, As I keep running through the birds I absolutely expect for the rest of the year, and a handful of birds I think will likely show up,  it's possible I am 5 short of the record. Yikes. It's a stressful proposition--all this work to keep secret and put in a big effort and I am not all that sure that I can overcome those 5 birds. This is pessimistic me. Now time for optimistic me. Getting to that number 5 short is plausible--and that doesn't include a bunch of mega rarities, only a few. If fall migration brings in some really good birds, then 5 more really isn't that many to make up--in fact running numbers a little differently, I might pass the record by 5. Optimistic me thinks that if I keep to my strategy and just make sure to chase everything that shows up I should be able to do it. There's no telling how things will go.

Imagine having these thoughts run through your head every day and tell me that even a state big year doesn't cause a little stress. Luckily I don't have to fly 3,000 miles tomorrow to chase a rarity on some coast, then turn right around for another on the other side of the states. At most I have to drive a little bit--maybe tell a fib or two about where I am, and just keep on pushing through the slog. I like the sound of that...

New birds this post: 5
Year List: 312

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Day 195 - The Summer Slog

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.

New birds this post: 0
Year List: 307

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