Day 335 - November in the Books

The clock just struck 11:00 PM on 2016... So mathematically speaking it actually just hit 10:00 PM, but if we are going for symbolism, 11/12, then it sounds better to say 11:00 PM right? Let's not get lost in the details and just stick to the premise that it's the final hour, and there are still birds to be seen. But first, I have to regale you with the last few days of November and catch you up where we left off with me hinting at a possible 10th new year bird for November. I would be lying if I told you I didn't like Marauders. As a family, they are one of my favorites. A lot of birders and people, in general, have very little appreciation for this widespread, wandering, gregarious, and truly interesting group of birds.

I have all but tapped out the marauder keg barring a mega showing up in December, with the exception of one of the rare, but seemingly annual species that had only been seen once so far this year. So as I mentioned in my previous post, after multiple reliable reports surfaced and it appeared said bird would be sticking around at least through the weekend, I took off with one of my birding buddies to see if we could track it down. They have no idea about this secret big year, so it was just birding as usual. It was a great day to be out in the wilds looking at all things wild. The marauder wasn't difficult to find--year bird #353 the Glacial Marauder was quickly added to the list. This also made for 10 new year birds in the month of November, a number I am more than happy with.

10 new year birds. That's only one less than October and August combined. It is tied with March for the 5th biggest month total for new birds after January (145), May (85), April (56), and September (17). It wasn't completely inconceivable that November would be a big month given the October doldrums... In fact, if you take a loot at my October Recap, I might have saw this coming...

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.

It wasn't hard to imagine the holdovers I expected in October, popping up in November. In fact from day 1 they started to show up. In all, there were only 2 species I had listed for October or November that I didn't end up getting--yet. Numbers wise I didn't spend all that much time birding in this month, just over 40 hours, but I didn't go birding 10 of the days. One surprising number is the mileage I turned out this month as I put over 1,500 miles on my car chasing birds. I can see that number getting passed in December, knowing that I will be on the tail of almost every reported species that seems like I have a reasonable shot at getting.

So what exactly does December hold in terms of chances for new birds? To be frank, there is a very short list of possibles left. I list 12 species that I "might" have a shot at. That's assuming Narnia has the winter of a lifetime and the birding gods send in the rarities on an unprecedented scale. Realistically, I imagine if I add 5 more year birds in December that would be a success. Let's shoot for 7 though, with a couple of the less expected species, plus 5 somewhat expected winter birds. That would put me at an even 360 for the year, a nice round number that divides into 12 months nicely.

But there are no guarantees. I might still be sitting at 353 in 31 days when the last seconds of this year drift away into 2017. It's hard to believe it's almost over, hopefully things don't flyby to fast here in the end...

New birds this post: 1
Year List: 353

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Day 333 - Three Little Birds

A week ago I was elated to have picked up a pair of year birds bringing my grand total in 2016 to 350 species. It was a great milestone to hit, but hopefully not where I would end up. Truth is, it only took one day before I was off on a chase to add another species. Recently a report surfaced of a bird that is rarely encountered in Narnia. It had been several years since the last one was seen, and it just so happened to be one of my nemesis birds for the state. Based on the report there seemed to be a chance that this bird may hang around for a little bit. This meant an immediate chase wasn't necessarily warranted. Last time one was seen, I waited 3 days until the weekend to give chase--I missed the bird by one day.

This time around, I wasn't sure what to do--until I got word the bird was seen multiple times on Monday. It was a short week with Thanksgiving, and I thought I could wait till the weekend and take off for it then. It was in a far off part of Narnia we've talked about several times this year--near Aslan's lair. This meant it wasn't a simple few hours of my time, it was likely an all day event and would be one of a handful of chases like this I've made this year. But could I wait? There were things to consider like holiday traffic, weather, and what if the bird left? Monday night I bounced the idea around in my head until I set my alarm to get up early and chase the bird. It would be a terrible night of sleep as I wrestled with the secrets surrounding chases like this. Not telling a soul what I was doing. It had elements of danger associated with it--but mostly it was just a big farce to everyone else...

My alarm never even had to beep--I was already awake in the dark staring at the ceiling 30 minutes early. I crept from my bed, gathered myself then slunk off to my car. I was off. While I drove I listed to music, a little talk radio, talked to myself a bit about what a lunatic I was being. It felt exactly like the previous 2 times I had done this in 2016. I slipped into the far reaches of Narnia without telling a soul and came back to society later in the day as if it were nothing. Like my other chases I nervously anticipated the sighting--if it were to be at all. I might make this drive, take this day, spend the money on gas and food, and come away empty handed. I might show up to a stakeout full of birders who I have to make up a story to fit the narrative, "I'm just a lister, you know me!".

But none of this would be the case. I arrived at the stakeout all alone. A brisk fall chill was in the air as I crept towards the viewing area. Would the bird be here? I rounded a corner and immediately heard the unique chatter of the aptly named Chattering Hobbit. It flew into view and provided a great look before disappearing into the nearby brush. That was way too easy. I wanted a picture, so I waited and watched. It wasn't long before I spotted the hobbit and was able to take some pictures. I spent a little time trying for better angels and closer shots but kept checking the time. I didn't want to be here too long and risk someone else finding me, I had found the bird, got a photo, and was now sitting at 351 species as undercover as I could be.

I waited a little longer as the light was perfect, but the bird didn't return and some nearby noise was likely the cause. So back to my car I walked, calmly loading my gear, and driving off as if I was never there. Another successful chase. I had a couple hours to burn before I would need to turn around and head back to reality, so I opted for some light birding, followed up by a half-hearted search for one of the few missing breeders in Narnia on my year list. No luck. I left the area, but not before I was seen by another birder. Potentially, one of the other Narnians doing their own big year? I acted as if I hadn't seen them and left quickly, making my way home. My need to try for one bird had yet again put me in an awkward position where someone I know saw me.

Trying not to focus on what had happened I was just glad to have the bird for my Narnia life list, and my year list. The following day I found a report of yet another new year bird. It was the first report of the year and I wasn't going to wait for another. I fought the pre-Thanksgiving traffic, and some questionable weather to spend the last few hours of daylight before the holiday looking for a Dark Flocker. I found it in a sea of other birds, for year bird #352. It was one of the most miserable birding experiences of my year, but one of the highlights given some photos and video I took of other birds.

I had added 2 more birds before Thanksgiving landing me at 9 new year birds in November. What a boost. Thanksgiving came and went, and I didn't go birding--the same for Black Friday. Normally I spend at least a better part of those two days looking for birds, but this year I relaxed. I had done enough chasing during the previous 7 days to take a few off. That didn't mean I wasn't itching to chase yet another rarity that popped up in that time frame. I waited until Saturday before finally sneaking away to look for one of the last members of one of my favorite families of birds that I hadn't seen this year in Narnia. Could I make it 10 new year birds in November? Three little birds in the 4th week of November?

I'll let you know in my next post...

New birds this post: 2
Year List: 352

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Day 326 - 350th Species... And Counting

When we last talked my goal was to hopefully add 2 more species by Thanksgiving. You've seen the title of this post so let's start off by saying, "mission accomplished". Almost immediately after my last post, a flurry of rare bird reports popped up on local listservs, facebook groups, and eBird. There were a handful of new year birds present--with photos--including 2 species that I did not get on my last big year attempt. I was itching for the opportunity to chase but was tied up with responsibilities and prior engagements that kept me from being able to do anything until the weekend. I almost folded and ditched out on being an adult on Friday, but decided I would save the skip for something more important, or urgent in the home stretch. I had wild ideas in my head about what that could be, but for now just wanted to make sure I had a viable excuse when I really needed it.

I also knew that two of the birds I planned to chase should stick around at least through the weekend. The third bird was a little more puzzling in how reliable it was, and if it was worth the time. It was a good bird for Narnia, but required a little more information I didn't yet have. It was also a bit further away, and would require most of a day to make it happen. In any event, once the weekend arrived it was off to the chases. I won't get too specific, but to say that upon arriving at the first stakeout, I promptly located the Not-so-basic Top-side within a matter of minutes. It was an easy spot, and #349 was quickly tucked away on my year list.

What are the odds I could make it another year-bird day in November? I did it 3 weeks ago, and however unexpected that was, it would be even more so in the latter half of the month right? With #349 safely stowed away, I had time to burn and headed out to a nearby neighborhood where I reliable report told me I could potentially tie down number 350 before the day was over. So I sat, waited, watched, drove around, walked around, and was skunked. I figured I could come back later, but even for the day, I was limited for time. I decided to take a drive through the neighborhood one last time on my way out.

As I pulled back to where I almost started I heard the call--the Eastern Reviewer, with it's typical reviewing call. It was clear as day! Year bird #350.

I hopped from my car and made my way in the direction of the call, snapping a couple crummy shots before it disappeared. I decided to lay in wait figuring it would be back--I was right. About 10 minutes later it came back, perched up nicely letting me bask in its glory, and then flew right over me providing great looks at what will be the last major milestone species for the year. Three hundred and Fifty species is a big year in Narnia. I won't make it to 400, so this is the last major number to pass.

If I talked to other birders on this day, they wouldn't have known that this bird was anything special for my year. Just another check mark and a good Narnia bird. But 350 was a lofty goal that I wasn't certain I would make it too this year. I set out to pass this mark, but so many factors play into whether or not I would get there. But here I am, having emerged on the other side with 40 days to go. If I keep up with my goal of a new year bird every 3-4 days, that means I could still add an additional 10-13 birds. Quite a lofty goal on top of that 350.

350. I could talk about this number a lot. A long time ago, I had a goal of seeing this many species in Narnia in a single year. I wasn't sure it could be done, without devoting your time to the endeavor in full. A state big year is such a silly thing to begin with--setting out for a goal--whether lofty, a record, or just a personal best means nothing in the grand scheme of things. A bunch of birds in a man's predefined borders. That's literally all it is. How different a state big year in any given state could be if a certain river ran a different course, if the result of a certain war had been different, if the border had been 10, 20, or 50 miles in another direction, etc. This goes for just about any big year. For the foreseeable future, we're going to have to listen to past big year birders whine about Hawaii being added to the ABA area now. Like other birders won't understand when the switch happened--and what that means for listers and big years. There will undoubtedly be two categories with a mainland big year, and a +Hawaii Big Year. Or at least those of us who pay attention to these things will understand that difference.

But I digress, again this is just our little game, and it is meaningless to anyone but ourselves. It's fun though--and that is why I do it. With a state big year you have a very limited range of places to go to. You know generally, what, when, and where to look for things, and you have an idea of what is possible. It's the intangibles (the mega-rarities) you don't plan for that make or break how big of a year you can have--along with how much time and effort you are willing to put into it. So here we are with 40 days to go and my effort is net 350. Will 355, 360, or 365 be feasible? I sure hope so--I am pleased at 350, but won't stop till there are no more birds to see this year--and frankly there are still a few out there I can work for!

New birds this post: 2
Year List: 350

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Day 320 - Such was the Case with my Latest Chase

With my goal of adding a new bird every 3 or so days the remainder of the year I was a bit worried during my first 3 days when I hadn't added anything new. In fact I was in a week drought from my last new year bird. There had been 3 reports since then of what would be new year birds but none were really feasible or worth the effort given the odds of tracking down the culprits. So I waited. This waiting game is perhaps the hardest. I need people with more time and wider ranges to find good birds from here on out as I don't have the time and can't put forth the effort to track down a new species every 3 days. Everyone else birding in Narnia is my only chance to keep that total climbing.

I've mentioned the reality that there generally isn't a great amount of information sharing in a timely manner happening in Narnia. And since I haven't asked anyone to keep their ear to the ground for me, every new bird that gets reported becomes a game time decision for me. Do I chase right now? Do I chase today? Do I wait till tomorrow? Do I wait and see if someone else relocates it first? Do I skip it? Is it even a reliable report? I run through these questions and have to decide how it will impact my year. For instance if a Siberian Accentor were to show up in Narnia and were 100 miles away, and seen by a reputable birder, I would drop everything and go immediately. That's a no brainer.

But if a more expected arrival--some type of annually occurring songbird, were reported at a backyard feeder 40 miles away, by an unknown--I would probably wait for others to relocate it, or for pictures before taking the time to track it down. The truth is every single bird requires a different action. Some are easy to answer while others leave me agonizing for hours and sometimes days wondering if I made the right choice or made a big mistake.

Such was the case with my latest chase... A report came out in the morning of a bird I needed for the year. It was a reasonably close chase of a bird that is reported several times a year. It was only the 2nd report in 2016 and the other was no chase-able. I could make the argument that it might stick around for a couple days, BUT was it worth it to wait? As the day wore on I decided to go for it. My biggest worry was running into other birders who might be out looking, because there was legitimately no reason for me to go look for this bird. However, plenty of Narnians would probably love to see one.

I slunk out of my responsibilities in the middle of the afternoon and sped my way to the stakeout. I was nervous as I arrived, expecting others to be on the lookout. There was no one. I quickly left my car and started looking. Almost immediately I had my year Velvet Flocker in my binoculars, year bird #348. I snapped a few shots and spent a few minutes hoping for a better image, but eventually I decided I shouldn't press my luck. I had truly been undercover and could keep my anonymity by leaving before others surely showed up. I bid the flocker adieu and was on my way.

Later I learned that within 15 minutes other birders arrived on scene, so my choice to get out of dodge was the smart one.

Now in reality I think a new bird every 4 days might be a better strategy. Every 3 days would be a better number, but 4 may be more realistic--however unrealistic my goal is not-withstanding. With day 4 coming and going, I either have 2 more days for my next addition, or 4 if I choose the latter route. Either way, it's almost like a mini challenge within the bigger challenge. The clock starts ticking on the next bird at midnight tonight. And based off this "clock" I should hope to be sitting at 350 by the time Turkey Day rolls around in just over a week.

Fingers crossed and prayers to the birding gods for a little luck in the coming weeks!

New birds this post: 1
Year List: 348

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Day 316 - T-Minus 50 Days

This is the final stretch. The last 50 days of 2016. The beginning of the end (maybe figuratively and literally given the election results here in the states). A mix of nervousness and relief share time tumbling around in side my head. I'm nervous about finding a good chunk of birds to ride the year out on (and about the future of this great land in the hands of a mad man). I'm relieved to finally be able to stop with the nonsense that this endeavor has become (and that the election is over). It's a weird collision of feelings and thoughts (birds, big years, politics, and life). I've been nervous for most of the year. Every time I chased a bird, or found a bird, or was even out thinking that I might find a bird. And every time I had a successful chase or find, I was washed over with a sea of relief--only to have the nerves come roaring back soon after when the whole process would repeat itself. The literal end of the year, and the potential end of times all rolled into one... That's the end of my post election rant and the only mention of the election all year--despite it being a centerpiece of Americana in 2016.

I spent a great deal of this year so far birding by myself. I've always birded by myself a lot, but I think this year I had a lot more alone time than usual. There were numerous chases that no one knows about, where I sat sometimes for hours or entire days in a car by myself. Combine those with all the quick outings or daily jaunts and the hours alone add up. Here's a quick stat for you. Thus far in 2016 I have spent just over 761 hours birding--or roughly 31 entire days. That's 1/10th of my year so far doing nothing but looking for or at birds. In addition, if I were to get on average 8 hours of sleep a night, then so far this year I have slept 105 days--or just over 3 entire months of the year. So out of 10 months if we take away the 3 months I spent sleeping, then I have spent 1/7th of my time awake looking for or at birds.

When you spend a lot of time alone, you have a lot of time to think about things, and in particular birds. That was what a great deal of my time alone was spent thinking about. The next chase, the next find, the list of birds I had to get. There were times this fall when I would be walking reciting the list of upcoming birds I would need. I could tell you exactly what birds I expected to see each month and needed by the end of the year. The list got smaller and smaller as we got into November, but it was still right there running laps around my head constantly.

I often speculated what rarities might show up in the coming days or weeks, or what major misses I would have for the year. The internal and sometimes external dialogue (yes I talked to myself on occasion) often left me jittery. And there was no one I could talk to about any of it, well except for myself. Now I did do plenty of birding with others during the year--I'm not sure the exact amount of time, I'll calculate that later--so it wasn't all alone time. I actually had plenty of great conversations with friends, and other birders throughout the year. I think none were the wiser to my shenanigans.

So here it is the start to the final 50, and I'd still like to add a bird for every 3 days if possible. That might be overreach, but a kid can dream right? As my journey has progressed I've spent some time also following the pursuits of several national and world big years as they progress. Records fell this year including the North American and World Big Year records. Will the Narnia Big Year record fall as well? Or has it already been topped? I'll let you know in maybe 51 days or so.

New birds this post: 0
Year List: 347

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Day 312 - On the Top-side? Berry-swell Then...

Last time we talked I was a little worried. October had been much slower than I anticipated, and I was nervous that November might not pan out as planned. I was in for a surprise. I decided that I needed to get out and do some serious birding on the 1st of the month. I had been taking things rather easy for most of the past 10 days and hadn't stepped outside my normal routine of stops. I wanted to make something happen, but things had been so slow I knew I had to stretch a little further. So I set out on a 150-mile drive visiting a number of destinations along the way.

The first park I visited turned out to be the treasure trove and actually produced 2 new year birds in less than an hour. I first spotted a Menacing Top-side which I fully expected to see at some point in the next month. I just didn't think I would be the one to find one and on the first day of the month. Year bird number 344. After a little more searching I noticed a bird that stood out amongst its peers--it was obvious even without optics that the bird was a Massive Top-side, which I had no expectations of seeing at this point. There had been one seen a few days before the start to 2016, but it was never relocated after the calendar turned to 2016. I had written it off as a not likely going into the home stretch, but instead added it as year bird number 345.

I visited a couple more parks over the following hours, and although I saw 100's of birds, nothing too out of the ordinary popped up. None-the-less, 2 new year birds in a single day in November!!! That was fantastic and had matched half my October total in just the first 24 hours of the month. After dark, I scanned the local lists, eBird, and Facebook, catching wind of one of my October misses still being seen. It would be huge if I ticked this bird off for the year as well--I just had to make another 150-mile drive in order to make it happen.

No problem right? I woke up early the next morning and took off in the dark--I had a little bit of a drive to reach my destination but had a good feeling the bird would still be around. I was pretty limited in how long I could search, and in fact only had 30-45 minutes to really put forth effort before I would have to leave. I wasn't worried. I arrived right as it was getting light enough to look for birds and pulled up to the stakeout--nothing.

I spent the next 15-20 minutes looking without any luck. I decided to spread my search area out and made my way to a few nearby spots where I thought it might be but still was without the bird. I headed back to the original stakeout and after 15 more minutes had given up. The bird wasn't present and I had dipped... Being focused I decided to make one more pass through the area and as I scanned the habitat the bird appeared as if it had dropped out of thin air. Year bird number 346, a Restricted Dasher.

I couldn't believe my luck. I snapped a handful of pictures and saw headlights coming down the road in the distance. Time to go before anyone sees me. What initially looked like a flop turned into a great success. I was thrilled as I drove down the road and made my way back to society. If rare birds kept popping up and managed to stick around, and I was able to get after them despite the lack of efforts to share from others, I might just keep adding new year birds in the remaining 60 or so days.

As I mentioned previously I hoped for 17-20 more new birds this year. Going for the high end if I got 20 birds, I would hope for a new year bird every 3 days. 3 new birds in 2 days certainly gave me some wiggle room for the next week. It was the high time in Narnia for a very specific group of birds including Flockers, Jesters, and Colonizers. A handful of species from these families were possible in the coming 3-4 weeks and I would be on high alert to chase them down.

My angst with the slowing down in October had passed and I was back in Big Year mode. All it took was 3 good birds in 2 days and I felt a fresh sense of urgency and excitement. I knew it wouldn't be like this every day, but having a little bit of good fortune certainly changes ones perception.  As the week wore on I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when a report crossed the local list about the Artsy Swell-bird. I wasn't sure if I would see any this year but this was promising.  I decided to wait and see if others relocated the species the following day--they did.  I decided to head out the next afternoon and see if I could add them for the year.

I went birding with a  friend, but wasn't to worried about blowing my cover.  After arriving at the location in the hills we were surprised to find there was no Artsy Swell-bird where it had been reported. After about 20 minutes, I heard the familiar call and quickly tracked it down.  Year bird number 347, the Artsy Swell-bird.  Not as easy as expected, but still not too difficult, and not a miss!

7 days into November and 4 new year birds--matching my October total in the first week of the month.  Excellent!  I knew that it wouldn't be 4 birds every week from here out, but a great start to the end of the year here in Narnia!

New birds this post: 4
Year List: 347

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