Day 305 - October's Over, Where'd The Wild Things Go?

The slowdown continued for the last 10 days of the month. Just as fast as things got hot mid-month, they slowed back to a crawl for the remainder of October. I also have to admit that I failed to include one species on my previous post that was seen the day before I published. I had already written and scheduled the post for the 21st before that date and didn't add in a bird I saw on the 20th. The bird on the 20th was the last new bird I saw for the month...

One thing that has become overtly apparent this year is the lack of sharing going on in the community. The shift to Facebook from local listservs, and to eBird have greatly diminished the number of shared up-to-the-minute sightings. It is awful. I missed at least 2 birds in October because of this. Both are birds I readily would have dropped everything to chase had I gotten an email when reported. Both may be complete misses for the year now--which would make this sting even more. The worst part is that some of it comes from a place of selfishness, that is incomprehensible in an activity like birding. It isn't a case of new birders not knowing any better--it is the case of people who have decided they have no desire to share.

I for my part have also kept several things off the radar this year. My reasons are just as selfish. But, I can honestly say that what I share far outweighs what I don't. Which is why I don't feel bad about my latest secret find. Now, to be honest the bird was on private property not accessible to the public. I had received the owner's permission to take a look around the property a few times this year and have taken advantage. When I walked up to a patch of trees and began to pish I didn't expect the Tiger Migrant to flutter out onto a branch--but I sure was excited about the find.

I tucked the sighting away on my spreadsheet of birds found this year, submitted a checklist without the bird, and left it at that. As far as anyone else was concerned the Tiger Migrant was never seen. No one could've chased it without trespassing, and I didn't want to share. I was fed up with the way others were acting, and given the big years others were having in Narnia it was hard to trust some people to stay away given some events that had happened earlier in the year.

I had expected another pickup or two in the waning days, but here it is October 31st and nada. 4 new year birds in a 31-day span. While I hoped for more species, all is not lost. For starters, of the birds I hoped for in the last half of October, almost every species is still possible the remainder of the year. All is not lost. What this could mean is that I have an exceptionally great November with perhaps as many as 10 new year birds. It's certainly possible. But oh, where did those wild things go?

The bulk of the regular passerine migration is all but over here in Narnia. There will still be winter songbirds that haven't arrived yet, but the big push is done. That means warblers are all but out of the question from here on out. So let's talk a little bit about warblers and what I saw this year. I can't give you specifics on exactly how many I saw, but I saw all but 2 regularly occurring species in 2016. I should have gotten both as I did in my previous big year. Outside of the regulars, I saw an additional 5 species that aren't seen regularly or require a chase most years when reported. Of all the warbler species reported in Narnia this year I missed 4 species.

From here on out if I add any species of wood warblers they will all be unexpected and a bonus for the year. And usually, every winter brings at least one surprise like this to Narnia. But as October progressed, and migration slowed, the warbler flight diminished too. The wild things left, and I was a species or two short of expectations I had...

There are officially 61 days left in 2016. I would really like to see another 17-20 species of birds this year. I don't want to settle for much less--and really need to get just about everything reported from here on out. There will probably be more of others not sharing, and potentially more of me doing the same. For every bird I haven't shared this year--there are 20-30 I have (literally). Really, I just want these 61 days to pass quickly so I can be done with this ridiculous endeavor. No matter how it ends, it will be a relief to not constantly be thinking about this stuff any more...

New birds this post: 1
Year List: 343

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Day 295 - My goodness how the time has flewn

"How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?"

- Dr Suess.

As predicted in my previous post things took a turn for the better in the 3rd week of the month. After the abysmal 2 weeks that kicked off this October I picked up 3 years birds in quick succession. Two were expected fall arrivals here in Narnia, but both were perhaps a moment sooner than expected. I had both slated for November finds in my outlook for the remainder of the year, so picking both up in mid-October was both a surprise and a relief. The 3rd was what I call a "freebie", it was on my list of possibles, but I had no expectation of seeing one.  The first new species came as I lazily birded an afternoon away. I wasn't taking things all to serious, and had almost vacated the location I was birding when a rather basic looking Ripple Flocker was brought to my attention. Number 340 for the year.

The flocker is somewhat regular in Narnia during the winter months but it had been a poor previous winter for them so I missed finding one at the onset of the year. Although I was excited to tack another species onto my growing total, I was disappointed that my time was running out for a couple birds, and despite concerted efforts I had missed 2-3 species I hoped to wrangle in by October 15th. Every day that passes I look over the list of possible species remaining and it slowly shrinks. A new year bird that is expected in November but seen in mid-October is always a positive but if I don't chip away at the October needs, the month can pass and I will be missing a handful of birds I expected.

The truth is I have some big holes that I expected to fill this year and just managed to miss the ball. Going into a big year you generally know when and where you need to be to maximize your species count. I knew these things. And yet I managed to let a couple species slip through my grip by not providing enough time, or opportunities to make sure I had them. I have missed at a minimum 3 regularly occurring migrants in Narnia this year. They are by no means common, but they are reported, and with some frequency annually. I thought I would grab all 3--I messed up.

So here I am mid-October now and I know those 3 are forever lost to time. What could have been? If I focus on those I will miss out on the opportunities ahead like in the middle of week 3 when I headed out and tracked down a Wandering Top-side that was reported the previous day. I had skipped this chase several weeks ago knowing more were on the way. And with some good fortune, 1 showed up close enough to home to track it down and save a real chase for later. Another November regular I had no complaints about removing from the needs list 1/2 way through the month of October. Year bird number 341.

After nabbing the Top-side in the morning I thought I was done birding for the day, but got an itch to head out in the afternoon in search of anything.  Really I had 2 targets in mind, and I quickly found neither of them.  Not wanting to throw in the towel, I headed to what has become my go to rarity magnet this year and started looking through fields, trees, water, and the birds. I caught some commotion out the corner of my view and saw what I knew was a Mercenary! It had been months since I'd seen one but I knew this was a different species than the previous just off the initial look and how it was acting. I watched the bird and took some photos to try and have some evidence for later. The bird briefly lit, giving the appearance I was hoping for--it took to the air again and after a short display and some more commotion I lost it in the distance. I was fairly certain the bird was a Jim Beam Mercenary, and it was new bird #342 fore the year.

Decision time again--do I share the sighting, or do I sit on it? I spent a few minutes and didn't see the bird again. I could share the sighting and give others an opportunity to perhaps seek it out. I could not report it, which would give me some animosity, as this species might be one that can be figured out. I was torn and not sure how to handle the situation. I had a feeling the bird might not be relocated even if I shared it--so I wasn't worried about giving someone else the upper hand. At this point I was more concerned about giving up my identity here, to the small following who could probably put two and two together with a little eBirding, or listserv sleuthing in combination with the blog. I really didn't know what to do, and I won't tell you, so it's even more confusing...

So here it is October 21st and only 10 days left in the month. Every month slips into oblivion faster than the previous, and before I know it the clock will strike midnight on 2016. I added 3 species in the previous week which in all fairness is about right. I still have 5 possible targets that I could add to my bag before October fades away and I will put forth as much effort as is reasonable to do so. My goodness how the time has flewn...

New birds this post: 3
Year List: 342

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Day 287 - An Abysmal October

Over a month ago, when September hit, it came roaring in like the bulls in Pamplona. Here I am almost 1/2 way through October and I don't have a year bird to show for it. How abysmal. My list of needs for the month is short, and truthfully it is mostly end loaded looking at historical arrivals and expectations. BUT, I still thought I would carve out a species or two by now. It's that point in the year where every species is crucial. I passed on one chase already because of the distance to see the bird. The odds of another being reported closer to home in the next 2 months is pretty high, so it was worth saving the effort. I'm going to need the time for a longer chase for something crucial in the next 80 days. By my math that's about how much time is left (give or take a day).

I chased another species that I wasn't sure I would get a shot at the rest of the year--and I missed it.  I waited maybe a couple hours too long to go when I should have gone immediately.  I wrestled with the idea of chasing, but thought the bird would likely still be around... Oops.  This might be a costly miscue on my part as the bird was close enough to get to in 30 minutes.  My hopes are that it is reported again in the coming days and I can still track it down.

How do things so suddenly come to a halt like they have these past 2 weeks? I've had plenty of streaks like this during the year where there just aren't any birds to see. But as the days grow shorter and the number of birds I need gets smaller, I rely heavily on rarities and reports from others to start tacking on those birds I need. There will be a point where if I don't start seeing a new bird here and there I will truly be in trouble. It's probably not going to be in October as I could realistically go the next 18 days without adding a new year bird and still end my year on a high note. November will be more telling...

If I were to strikeout the remainder of the month, I would expect a big first couple weeks in November to make up for it. BUT, I don't think it will come to that. I am predicting 2-3 new year birds in the next 10 days. Whether I find something, or I chase other birders finds. I will see new birds. After that the last week of the month will bring a couple more. I still think my 5-6 new birds for the month are plausible, and with some luck I might tack on an extra 1 or 2 to that. I have my fingers crossed that things will pick up, and this abysmal start will turn into an amazing end.

New birds this post: 0
Year List: 339

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