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Showing posts with label milestone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label milestone. Show all posts

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 153 - 300th Species, Part Deux


Sorry to leave you hanging on 300 in my last post.  I felt it was a good way to build up to a rather benign #300.  I have to keep those of you still hanging on hooked right?

Where I left off I was taking a mid-day stroll near what has become one of my daily stops during migration when I looked up above the trees and saw a pair of Usual Gloom-Specters circling.  I just smiled.  It was ironically 1 of the 3 I figured on seeing in the evening if I stuck around.  Instead here it was mid-day and the bird came to me.  #300...

I looked around and I was all by myself.  Birds were singing in the trees above me, a light breeze cooled the warm air and I had a peaceful sensation envelop me.  For a couple minutes I just stood there admiring everything about this scene.  It was so simple.  In the complication that has become a angels web of keeping stories straight and making sure I keep my secret, a moment of sheer simplicity brought me so much joy.  You would have thought I had found a first state record by the grin I had as I kept walking, enjoying the moment.

There was no pressure for May anymore.  I had hit a good number and could get back to my strategy game.  Chase when you need.  Get the species when they are expected.  And of course spend some time hoping you find something rare.

As the afternoon wore on I did a little eBirding.  The weekend misses had nagged me.  Especially Bird B (if you recall form Billabong...).  So I now had a night free, I could basically go birding where I wanted to see whatever I wanted.  And truthfully I wanted Bird B.  But I didn't want the drive that came with it.  So I did some searching and remembered a location closer to home I had all but forgotten about.  It was a shorter drive that would take less time to get too and to make things better there were a handful of recent reports.  It was settled, I was headed to River Shribble and the Northern Marsh.

As with any drive this year I was nervous the entire way.  I would have about 70 minutes of light once I got to the Northern Marsh, but the bird should be easy to find right?  It seemed to take forever to get there, when I pulled onto the main road through the marsh.  I drove scanning and listening for anything.  The birdlife was incredible.  It had been years since I had been here and where Billabong was a sad sight, this was magnificent.  As the first 40 minutes passed I was beginning to get worried.  I had covered the route through the marsh twice and had still not spotted my target.  Was this how tonight was going to go?

I sat watching a canal thinking about how I would write this post.  A wasted drive.  A missed target. Why was I doing this big year? Was this a mistake?  Then the familiar call of the Striped Cloak and a quick scan with my binoculars had 2 sitting just 150' from my car.  All the anxiety and questions floated out of my head.  Success.

I spent a while just watching the cloaks as they did their thing.  An elegant bird that is oft under appreciated for its simple ways. If the scene from earlier in the day was perfect simplicity--tonight was sheer beauty.  Again, I found myself alone, this time tucked away in a corner of Narnia where birders or anyone else seldom goes.  I watched as the sun dropped below the horizon and the chorus of frogs and birds filled the air.  For all the secrets I have to keep this year, these moments are the hardest not to share.  The world seems so endlessly perfect in a place like this.  But it's a facade.

While I relish in finding the birds and having the moments, I want to share it with others.  I still have 7 more months of experience like this to gloss over. I will share plenty of moments with others in that time--but the way its perceived for me and them will be different.  The secret big year goes on...

New birds today: 2
Year List: 301

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Day 152 - 300th Species


300. 

  A major milestone in my 2016 secret big year, and I got there quick. Quicker than I anticipated, and quicker than my previous big year. I planned on a June tick for #300, but wasn't quite sure exactly when or where--or what it would be. What I didn't expect was for the dominoes to fall so quickly and 300 to come when it did. I actually started writing this while I was sitting on 292 year birds and with 8 days left in May. The thought crossed my mind that if I simply add 1 species each day for the next 8 days, I would hit 300 on May 31st.

So what follows is the final week of May 2016, and each bird that led up to 300...

On the 24th I noticed that a rarity that popped up over the weekend had been seen the previous morning again and by a multitude of birders--yet had gone unreported to the general public.  I surely would have chased had I known it was still there.  I threw caution to the wind and went for it.  I made a stop en route to try my 2nd attempt at a bird I missed last week--I struck out again leaving me anxious about the chase.  When I arrived at Telmar River the wind was whipping up, and in a matter of minutes dust was blowing. I couldn't hear anything and the dust made looking around awful. To make matters more complicated I ran into someone I knew and they knew why I was there.

Luckily they aren't a risk for blowing my secret.  I drove the Telmar and saw quite a few other birds as the winds slowed and rain subsided.  I headed back to look for the chase bird.  I had all but given up and was pishing when I looked up and noticed the lovely Septentrional Triller sitting a few feet above me checking out the noise.  Check! #293 and a good bird for my big year.  I had one on my previous year and had already missed one this spring.  There likely wouldn't be another chance so getting this bird was a huge win.

The following day #294 called its way on to my year list.  A couple single call notes from a Solo Thief left me itching to hear more, but given that it took till August on my previous Big Year to snag one, I was happy to have it out of the way.  I should have a few more as the year continues, but as I've learned nothing is guaranteed, so 1 now is better than none later!

#295 might actually change.  I heard a bird this week that I couldn't identify.  This drives me crazy.  I heard a bird singing and knew it wasn't a familiar song.  I knew the type of song belonged to a certain family of birds but there was not a single species I could connect it too.  Even as I write this I am still stumped.  I am going to seek out an expert or two and see if they can help.  My hope is that I will be able to go back and add this in.  Until then bird number two-hundred and ninety-five for 2016 was an expected Deliberate Barreler.  I say expected as they have been a mainstay in Narnia the past few years after more than a 20 years of scant and questionable sightings.  In fact I missed this barreled on my previous big year despite looking several times.  This morning I headed to the nearest known location and set out to find one.  My wait was only a few minutes before I spotted the bird and was able to add it to my list.  I won't eBird this one till later this year simply because someone else will report it any day now.  They can have the accolades, while I enjoy the find!

A few hours later I was out checking a local forest when some movement from a bush pile caught my eye.  At first I dismissed the bird on the twigs as a usual suspect.  But something was off so I stared and was amazed at what I saw looking back at me.  Bird #296 for the year was a Temperate Overseer and it was totally unexpected.  I was pretty far off so started getting closer but my presence didn't co-mingle well with the bird--and well, it didn't stay put.  This was a good find for my year and one I almost looked right past.  One thing every birder should always work on is giving even the most common expected birds a second glance.  You never know what you might find--or miss if you don't.

As Memorial Day weekend hit I had it all planned out.  I would see A, B, and C and be sitting at 299 by Memorial Day.  That would give me 2 days to track down #300 before the end of May and hit a major milestone for the year.  It's funny how when you plan things they don't come to fruition some times.  A bit a of a drive had me coming up empty handed on Bird A.  That was okay, it had shown up during the week and wasn't expected. Missing it doesn't help, but it's not the end of the world.  Bird B however stings.  It is a MUST GET.  And normally a sure thing at Billabong Beach River Forest and Wetlands (Say that 3 times fast). I spent nearly 2 hours in search and came up empty handed.  The habitat was trash this year and even though I normally can find Bird B with ease it didn't happen.  I now have the tough decision of returning one night or morning in the next couple weeks, or waiting till the fall and testing my luck... It also leaves me another short of my goal.  Bird C however was exactly where it was supposed to be and I had added #297 to my year list with little fan fare in a tiny city park.  The Typical Iridescent had eluded me on 3 previous occasions this year, but I finally tracked one down to at least go one for three on the weekend.

What a precarious place to be in though.  I thought I'd be at two hundred and ninety-nine, when instead I am sitting two short.  It left me needing 3 year birds to reach 300 before the end of May instead of 1.  This was kind of a nonsensical goal. There was no rhyme, reason, or need.  I had already ticked past 290 which was where I needed to be.  Just getting so close made it seem like something to get excited about though.

On Memorial Day I knew there were 2 potential year birds I could pick up.  I drove through a "canyon" close to the city and listened as I went, hoping I might hear something that piqued my interest.  Nothing.  After stopping and setting out on foot I hadn't made it a couple hundred feet when I heard the familiar whining of a Fiery Flitter. Bird #298 out of the way and almost too easy...

What could be easier though was the quick flash out the corner of my eye--then another.  I heard the notes flying out of the woods and knew that I had just ticked off #299 for the year with a Coastal Maniac. Way. Too. Easy. I was almost in disbelief that I had added both of the birds I was hoping for in less than a minute.  That was it, there were no more new birds to be had in this particular spot as I had cleaned up the few species I was missing.  And now I was really one away from 300.

With Memorial Day weekend coming to an end and one day left in May, I was also left with a decision to make if I wanted to hit 300.  There was the option to take Tuesday and bolt back to Billabong Beach River Forest and Wetlands.  I could certainly put forth a better effort in the area and track down my missing need.  I might also come across something rare.  But this would be another day spent in the outlands of Narnia not telling a soul.  I could also stay close to home and risk trying to pick up 1 of 3 possible birds I know are around and findable.  The three will all be seen at some point in the coming month, but I could put forth the effort to nail one down for May and this utterly ridiculous chase I've succumb to.

I decided to see how the day started and make a decision for an afternoon or early evening departure.  But I never had to make the decision, a rather unceremonious flyover mid-morning and I had my 300th species...

New birds this post: 7
Year List: 299

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Day 109 - The Perfect Storm (& 200th Species)

“Meteorologist see perfect in strange things, and the meshing of three completely independent weather systems to form a hundred-year event is one of them. My God, thought Case, this is the perfect storm.”

― Sebastian Junger, The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea 


Sometimes all your ducks line up in a row--or to quote Sebastian Junger, "this is the perfect storm".  Although his verison of the perfect storm was an ominous and unforgiving force of nature wreaking havoc on the open ocean, my version is more of the stars aligning type storm.  If you follow birding, migration, and weather in the United States, you know that the middle part of April has been wild.  Hot temperatures, freezing temperatures.  More than a foot of snow in Colorado.  More than a foot of rain in Houston.  Huge winds in the west. Mega-migration in the midwest.  High Island getting its annual inundation of birders and migrants.  This April is turning into the perfect storm for birding--and the weather is a key to it.

Some will blame El Nino, while others will just look at history and see patterns that generally April shapes up to be an interesting month anyways.  And it's no different here in Narnia.  After the early boom, things slowed down for a bit, I was becoming increasingly anxious waiting for new migrants.  I made daily excursions to expected locales for expected arrivals--and nada.  Then the perfect storm crept across the nation so to speak and I got a mi-April wave of migrants.  I can't get to specific--as with most of my posts, but it all started with a Speckled Probe.  That first probe of the season quickly led to finding The Crook, and several Striking-wings.  3 new year birds in one morning.  I decided to press my luck and turn up the pressure on a local breeder--I headed to the Edge of the Conifers and drove a lonely stretch of road.  It wasn't long before the Savory Whistlebirds started popping up.  4 new year birds and the big year rolled on.

It's no secret that big years survive and thrive not on the every day species, but the unexpected, or the least expected.  Mathematically speaking if the average year list for birders in Narnia were 400 species, and the big year record was 450, then one could assume that more than 50 species would have to be the least expected sorts.  The under-400's are going to see a few unexpected, while the over-400's are going to consist of listers who typically chase a number of unexpected.  So if 75 species are of the least expected, we can assume a small percentage of those are completely unexpected as well.  These 75 are the must-gets.  You will miss birds, but these 75 are absolutely integral to a big year.  I've already had a handful of these least and unexpected--and I've also missed a few.  Those hurt.

April has already had its fair share of unexpected birds in Narnia--and I've tracked them down.  I can't share their names here--that might be a clue.  Remaining vague at this point is my best weapon for anonymity.  I've been lucky, I've been persistent, and I've stayed on course. And through it I've kept ticking of birds.  My first Bulky Loungers showed up as well as the False Anglers, and a Lowly Follower.  Arid Migrants, Summer Ornaments, and Camouflaged Hikers all added to my excitement as my Year lest crept towards a milestone--200 species.  The lucky bird was a Trivial Sprinter.  And then a few more species rolled in capping off a sometimes excellent and at other times slow 10 days of birding.

The perfect storm has been brewing and my secret big year continues 1 bird at a time as I look towards 250, then 300.  It might only be a matter of weeks--and 50 days from now I could easily be past 300...

New birds week: 15
Year List: 203

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Day 59 - 150th Species

 The loon playing the "5" is not a clue... It was from a Canada 150th Anniversary logo.

The slow going of February has continued. Tomorrow I'll write my monthly recap for February, and mostly focus on the slow month it was.  Not a bad thing though.  But before that lets talk about today.  In the past month there have been a handful of species that escaped me.  And this winter we didn't have a single report of a species I have come to expect annually.  This kind of throws a wrench into the gears when you plan and things don't line up.  In the past 10 days though 2 species that became must gets popped up on my radar and eluded me on my first attempt to find them.  So this morning with fingers crossed, and a tank full of gas I set out to see if I could bring them in before they were gone for the year, with no guarantees for the winter that's now just 9 months away.

It didn't take long to track down both--cutting right to the chase in less than 3 hours I had my targets, and as luck would have it I only ran into one birder I knew.  I'm almost hesitant to talk about it, because what if they follow this blog?  I doubt they do, but what if?  Eek.  I guess if this person found out, I actually wouldn't care, I really like them, and I think they would keep my secret for the upcoming 10 months.  So I shared my finds with them, but then, I didn't report them to the local lists or put them in eBird.  It would be too obvious at the moment, and I'm fairly certain several Narnian's are following the blog.  So I apologize for not sharing my sightings, but at the same time, others have reported them in the last week, so I am just a chaser at this point.

One of the birds that had eluded me up till now was the Unscrupulous Marauder.  This darn bird had popped up 3 or 4 times in the past 58 days, and I had tried 3 or 4 times to find it--without luck!  Today I found it lounging right out in the open like it hadn't a care in the world.  I followed this up with a Loud Dancer.  There must have been 7 or 8 reports this winter, and I just hadn't been able to pick one up--until today.  Mission accomplished, with these two birds, I technically don't need to chase any other regular winter visitors to Narnia.  There are still 2 birds I could try to get in the next week.  If that happens the winter was basically a great success.

I'll talk more about misses tomorrow, and the plan for the coming month.  Tomorrow is my extra day for 2016--Leap Day. Can I add a bird on this day that might just be the key to breaking a big year record?  We'll see...

New birds today: 2
Year List: 150

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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

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