As a previous Big Year Birder I always have that itch to get out, see as many birds as possible, and possibly give another Big Year a shot. It's a temptation that since my last Big Year I have managed to stave off and let sleeping giants rest. But 2016 is going to be another Big Year. This year will be different though. I plan on telling no one. Not a single soul. Not my significant other, my family, my friends--NO ONE! This after all is my Undercover Big Year.
A little over a year ago, I sat in my basement home office staring at my laptop. On the screen was a blog post from Noah Stryker in the final days of his groundbreaking world big year. It was an incredible story and adventure. It made for great reading, keeping up with his trials and tribulations as he navigated the globe in search of 1,000's of species of birds. It had never been done like this and was setting a new standard for the ultimate big year challenge. My basement was a long ways away from India where Stryker was at the time. And a world big year was the furthest thing from my imagination. However intriguing the idea was, it wasn't realistic for me--and never would be. 33 years old, married, a father, and gainfully employed by a company that had been very good about my work-life balance over the years, I had no grandiose ideas about globe-trotting for birds aside from our annual trips to places near and far. I simply put, wasn't cut from the right kind of cloth for that big year.
Hell, I wasn't cut out for an ABA big year either. I have read the books, watched the movie, read the blogs and followed the conquests of various ABA big year birders. I envy them and their audacity--it's an amazing thing, putting forth that effort, time, and money to traverse the states, and Canada to tally 750 odd species in a year. I had no desire to ever do that (still don't as I write this). I'm envious of their go-get, and willingness to put everything else on hold--but I couldn't, and wouldn't ever be able to do that. You have to be able to do that for that challenge. You look at 2016 and 4 birders crossed 750--a number that 50 years ago seems impossible. Their lives ever consumed by the chase. Alaska to Florida, to California, to Novia Scotia, to Texas, then Oregon, and all over again. It's tiresome just thinking about it. But they are a different breed, and I salute them--all of them.
A while back I had done some writing, where instead of using real bird names, I replaced them with made up names. It made for easy story-telling, without being too factual. It was helpful since other might read it, and relate. I wanted it to be relatable but not obvious if that makes sense. At that moment, the growing urge to do a state big year welled inside me. I had done one in 2006 that was derailed--then followed up in 2007 by doing a state big year like no one had done before. I bested the previous record by 23 species. A record that stood when the clock struck 12:00am on January 1, 2016. I remember that year and all the fun I had doing a state big year. There wasn't the pressure of something like an ABA big year. My borders were much more confined. I could put forth less time. I could do it under the radar. I could do it without telling anyone...
I bounced that thought around for a minute. I could do a big year in "Narnia" without telling a single person I was doing it. I could keep it on the wraps by not submitting all my checklists, and not reporting all my birds. I could avoid the questions from friends and family who would ask, "Why are you doing this again? Don't you already have the record?". It's hard to explain to a non-birder why you're doing a big year. If the point isn't to set a record then why? I mean in all honestly, the point is to set a record--especially if you've already done a big year. But there's more to it than that, and it is hard to explain. And I didn't want to. I just wanted to do a big year, and not tell anyone--sort of.
What if I took my idea of story-telling with fake bird names, and integrated it into a blog. I could write about my big year and keep track of it in a way that had never been done before. It was a stupid idea--but I ran with it, and I'm glad I did. I didn't have 100's of followers who kept up with every twist and turn. I had dozens. I got big boosts every once in a while from links on other blogs, on Twitter, and occasionally forums. But the blog gave me the ability to tell a story without giving too much away--and it allowed me to do a big year, almost unnoticed by anyone.
So if you're an eBird sleuth, or had an idea about who I might have been, you probably figured it out in the last 24 hours. I narrowed the list to 8 states for you, plus you knew how many species I had seen. If you checked the eBird Top 100 yesterday in each of those states, you would not have found my name at the top of the list, and you wouldn't have seen my total count. But if you checked again today, you would nave noticed a pretty conspicuous move on one states Top 100. The species count didn't add up--it came in at 361 because I didn't count 3 species on my year list (Mute Swan, Barnacle Goose, and African Collared-Dove). But still, a jump from 318 to 361 species is a red flag overnight. My name is Tim Avery, and in 2016 I did a Utah Big Year.
Yes, I kept 43 species on 64 checklists till the very last day of the year before I submitted... Some--most--were fairly common. Try getting needs alerts for Bushtit, Northern Shrike, and Pacific Wren for 3 months...
Now, I am sure there will be people who look at this as a big joke. Why not tell anyone? The point was to keep it a secret, and that meant not telling anyone any details. It's that simple. Unfortunately, that meant not sharing a few sightings--which for me is a rare thing. I hadn't done so before this year, and won't after. But that was just part of keeping my anonymity. I don't have a lot else to say today as I am just trying to get this out before the end of the year. I will have more posts explaining bird names, stories I couldn't share during the course of the year--LOTS of photographs, and the final list reveal.
2016 was a great year and what I've shared on this blog is just the surface. I hope you'll check back as I update it several times during January to tell the rest of the story, share some interesting stats, and talk about my Secret Big Year.
TOMORROW, I'll share the actual bird list--real names and all!
If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen couple tweets earlier this week where I lamented that my year was basically over. And it is. Here at the end of day 364 I haven't seen a new bird in 9 days, and I have my doubts that I will add anymore in the last 48 hours. Since I added my last two year birds there has been just 1 report of a bird I don't have for the year. The big CBC push I had hoped to produce a few lingering needs didn't happen, and that's okay. I've had a good year, and this is it--queue the Kenny Loggins:
Tomorrow, the 30th of December, and 365th day of 2016 I will take a couple hours and do some leisurely birding, take a few photos and enjoy the next to last day of the year. No stress. No wandering thoughts about what if. Just me and the birds. Saturday as the year comes to an end, I might make a push for that one last species--I might also reveal who I am...
I don't have a lot to say at the moment, so I'll try to keep this post pretty short. It's a weird feeling when your big year is coming to an end and there are no birds to see. There is a slight feeling of emptiness. A little sadness. And a lot of wonder. I wonder why did I do this? Why did I keep it a secret? Why didn't I put in more effort on a few birds? Why didn't I follow my instincts a couple times when I should have? I wonder what people re going to think when I tell them I did another big year. I think that is the thing that I wonder the most. Most people won't care, but my friends and family will probably have some questions.
And I'll have to answer some of them... Not all but some :)
That emptiness though, its strange. I think that no matter how many birds I saw this year or could've seen, I have this feeling I can't shake. It is so meaningless a thing, but at the same time, when you are doing a big year--whether in your yard, favorite eBird hot spot, county, state, ABA, world, etc--it's important to you. And it's consuming. And it effects you in ways that are hard to explain to others. It's weird. Birders are weird. We are a strange bunch, who do strange things (case in point).
I'll have more to say later. For now, I'll get back to wondering, but not stressing. 2016 was a beautiful year.
To quote one of the greatest bands of our time (or something like that):
It's the final countdown
The final countdown
The final countdown
(Final countdown). Ohhh oh oh ohhhh
The final countdown.
Ohhhhhhhhhh
It's the final countdown
The final countdown
The final countdown
(Final countdown)
Ohhh. It's the final countdown
We're leaving togetherrrr.
(The final countdown)
We'll all miss her so
It's the final countdown (Final countdown)
Ohhh. It's. the. final. countdown
And if you're in need of killing just over 4 minutes of your day, check out Europe's music video for this epic ballad below:
The point is, this is the FINAL COUNTDOWN, t-minus 10 days till 2016 comes to an end. The year is officially 97% complete and the last 3% will probably be over before I know it. With my year list at a place where there won't be much movement in this final stretch I figured it was time to clean up my list, and make sure I get photos of as many species I was missing pictures of for the year. The list isn't huge, and some of the species are just going to go down as opportunity missed. BUT, a few still have a shot--or I should say I have a shot at getting them.
Today I had two targets. One I suspected would be fairly easy, while the other was a long shot almost any time of year--but December in Narnia is about the best time if you really want to try. So off I went to a place I visited many times in the hills this year. It brought me several year firsts, and was a great getaway from the everyday back in civilization. Today was no different as I had the place mostly to myself. At my first stop the habitat wasn't the best, and I wasn't able to find either species. No worries, I had plenty more stops ahead.
At the next pull off from the road I got out and started looking for one species, I imitated it's call, squeezed, squeaked, and pished, and imitated an owl hoping for some type of response. Nothing. I looked up, and I spotted the familiar shape of a Solo Thief gliding into the trees above. Well, that was not the species I expected--but , it was the other species I had hoped to find today. Funny how that worked out... I took some photos--the 333rd species I've photographed or audio recorded this year. That leaves just 25 species without some type of documentation.
I continued on for about another hour and a half trying everything to pick up the other species--the Fiery Flitter. But it wasn't meant to be. No flitters today. So with 10 days left and 25 species without photos or audio, how many more can I expect to get? If I am being honest maybe 3-4. If I'm being optimistic then 6-7. But unless something major and reliable shows up in the next few days, I'm focused on documenting a couple more year birds!
In the waning days of 2016 I have been hyper-focused on trying to track down a handful of remaining species I need for the year. Currently, the best way to do this in lieu of a majority of a community that refuses to share sightings in any type of timely matter if at all, is to check the eBird alerts every morning first thing. As frustrating as the lack of sharing is, it's even more frustrating getting your hopes up when you see 2 species pop up in your needs alert on a Monday morning, only to quickly realize the reports are garbage. You see the name connected, and then read their notes or see their pictures and you want to gouge your eyes out and quit birding altogether. The time wasted sifting through the nonsense has taken its toll on this birder.
You may say, "Hey Mr/Mrs. Secret Big Year Birder, that's pretty harsh!". And to you I say, hold on--hear me out. In this week's case of bad bird reports Monday, the reports both came from the same birder. They claim to be no beginner in their eBird bio, with many years (More than 10? More than 20? Maybe.) of experience that have either made them willfully ignorant to reality or they've just never progressed beyond the skills of a 1-5 year noob. I digress, when I see their name attached to reports I roll my eyes and move on. But that moment of hope when you see a species you need being so quickly dashed becomes frustrating. Time and time again you see the same names on your own eBird alerts and if you aren't lying to yourself, you do the same thing I do.
This morning I thought I had a huge day ahead of me with possibly 2 new years birds that I could track down by nightfall. But alas, anyone with any sense about them can write both off without hesitation. This has become a new normal with the growing popularity of birding, eBird, Facebook birding groups, etc. An ever growing group of birders, equipped with apps, cameras, and eager enthusiasm. But ever lacking in field craft and ability. Groups on Facebook like "What's this bird", and state-level groups have given these "bird watchers" a place to paste their photo and request, "Please ID". With little or know information about the bird, or notes about what the observer actually saw. Photos are often lacking critical details and can even be misleading.
There seems to be little in the way of reward--or better yet a "gold star" at the end of an assignment for improving skills for this generation. With so many willing to help--or try to help ID their quarry through photos, many of these new students will remain students for their entire life. Some will try to extend their skill without a real clear understanding of the birds they see/hear--and report a flyover Smew on what was clearly a Herring Gull. Or a singing Rose-breasted Grosbeak when it was really a Summer Tanager. There are lots of very gifted birders out there, and there are lots that try to be. We all can't be Sibley, Kaufmann, or Lehman. But knowing our boundaries is just as important as trying to stretch them.
This rant isn't meant to discourage new birders. But in the digital age with the need for instant knowledge or gratification, there are a lot of lazy birders out there who aren't eager to really get better. And for the rest of us, that makes a mess of sorting out the good from the bad sightings. I know whose birds I'll chase, and whose birds I'll dismiss before I even read their report. So this Monday morning, I dismiss what I thought was going to be a good day after sifting through the nonsense. Maybe Tuesday will bring better prospects. Or maybe I should just crawl into a hole for the next 12 days and let the year come to an end and forget about all this!
And don't get me wrong--I encourage everyone to get better at birding, including myself. We are all students. Being a great birder doesn't happen overnight, or in some cases ever. But no camera, app, or Facebook group is going to make it happen. It takes a lot of time looking at and listening to birds, and a desire to learn.
Well, that didn't take long--half the month has passed me by already. With just 16 days to go, I am in the midst of yet another slump. Take away the provisional December Freebie from September, and I've only added 2 species this month. Worse, it's been 10 days without a real life in the flesh new year bird. Is this a mid-December Slump? The timing couldn't be worse for another slump--especially coming off the sizzling hot November here in Narnia. If my goal is to just get to 360, then I still need 4 species in the next 16 days, making for a 1 every 4 days rhythm I need to slide into. This will be tough.
I have missed one reported bird in the past 10 that would have been a new year bird. I am hoping that in the coming 10 days I will still pick one up, plus a close relative for 2 of the last year birds I expect to see. Yes, there are still birds I expect to show up based on historical norms. Aside from those 2, I may be done though. With time running out, chases to the extreme corners of Narnia may not be feasible. There is also the chance that with the Holidays right around the corner, I may not be in Narnia for each of those remaining 16 days. My hope really does lay on the shoulders of the CBC's I mentioned in my last post. It should be no secret that some of Narnia's biggest CBC's are happening this weekend since Christmas lands on a Sunday this year, and most chose to avoid conflicts with the holiday weekend.
In fact, 4 major CBC's will be happening Saturday or Sunday, that could all provide a chance for some much-needed end of year love. I am already planning on taking a day during the week after the CBC's to chase down anything I think I can relocate. There is also one more major CBC focused around the holiday weekend. The truth is my only opportunity if something really good shows up, is to chase in the final days of the year. Or there is the chance that nothing will come of these events this year, and 356 is where it ends. I really hope that's not the case, and I can put up a few more birds before it's over.
For now, I sit and wait, no new year birds seen in the last 10 days. Yesterday I managed to spend a few hours trying to turn up something--I don't really know what--it was more of just a nice couple hours birding. I maybe hoped for something random to pop up, but more or less it was revisiting some of my favorites hot spots from the year, where I saw some great birds. I kind of just sat back and remembered how much fun 2016 has been birding wise. Regardless of how the year ends, I had fun.
For a big year birder, December might seem like a barren wasteland. The year is almost over, the birds are mostly seen, and you're just biding your time till the clock strikes midnight. You hope that a small list of possibles will pop up, or that some mega rarity will be found and you can chase. And while this is generally how I feel, and I would imagine others feel as well, December that prankster--that cold, unforgiving, short days, long nights, dwindling species holding end cap of the year--well it still has a few tricks up its sleeve. And who would have ever thought the Audubon Christmas Bird Count was the biggest trick of all?
It's the shining light the last half of the final month. From December 14th till the end of the year the CBC will put hundreds of birders in Narnia in the field scouring small but species-rich areas for birds. And if the results of years past is a catalyst for what 2016 will bring, then the chances are I will pick up a bird or two on the heels of these CBC's with the "Christmas Cleanup". I don't even have to participate (I will though) to take advantage of the hard work that these volunteers will put in. In the past, the CBC's in Narnia have led to some incredible winter rarities. Megas if you will. They have also produced some of the more localized and hard to fins species that winter in Narnia. The potential for a good bird or a few makes the CBC season very important in wrapping up a big year.
At a national level there are hundreds of CBC's happening, and just like here in Narnia, some of those will produce birds that send the ABA Big Year Birders into a frenzied rush to track down the 1, 2, or 3 last birds they'll see in 2016. It's the ultimate Christmas gift for the big year birder. I know I have my eye on 5 species that could be huge finds and have big implications on how I end my year. I will likely be keen to hear from participants, and on eBird about what's found, and if any of my lingering targets emerge. I will also use my time wisely to chase those birds if the chance arrives. It's hard to imagine the year ending without adding any other new species, so I'll sit here with my fingers crossed, waiting--and hoping for a little luck to end 2016 with my CBC Cleanup...
I've talked about what a lonely year it has been at times--or for quite a majority of the time I spent birding. Well, at least I made it feel that way. Yes, there were a lot of solo chases for birds and a lot of daily treks where I was by myself even if just for an hour or two. BUT, there were a lot of times I shared in the joy of birding with other people. Doing a little rough math I birded with 100 other people so far during 2016. This is a combination of birding with friends, family, helping people find birds, taking part in tours and field trips, sitting at a stakeout looking for a rarity, etc, etc. etc. The number adds up quickly and I was surprised when I actually started writing down names. I probably missed a few, and with a couple weeks left I will hopefully spend a few moments or more with a couple more people.
That number really is something I am excited about. Sharing the love of birds with 100 other people in some way or another in the field. Just thinking about it I have a rush of memories, moments, conversations, car rides, scope views, neck cranes, tree pointing, jokes, stories, and birds. Lots of birds. I previously mentioned the fact that a big year is a really personal endeavor--it's a pretty selfish thing. But birding can be such a community centered happening. Birding can bring people together. Birding has the ability to connect people with little or nothing in common with the exception of birds. It's amazing. And I really like that part of it.
A lot of the birds I saw this year were the result of birding with others. A lot of what I saw was in the company of people--probably close to if not more than 300 species were seen when I was birding with others. I actually stopped and counted while writing this, and of the 355 species seen up till now, I was with others who also saw 315 of the species. There were a couple times I saw birds either before or after I birded with others, but didn't see them in the company of those people. I shared looking at 315 species with other birders. And it was a lot of fun.
I can't imagine birding with 100 people next year--not because I wouldn't want to, but because I was out in the wild so much this year that it put me in contact with people I otherwise probably wouldn't have ended up birding with. If I only go birding 1/2 as much next year as I did in 2016 I will inevitably spend less time, with fewer birders than I did this year. Whether alone or with other people, every experience has really made 2016 a memorable year for me.
Currently, of the 355 species I've seen and or heard this year, I have photographed 325. I missed a few... And There are a few I'll still get. There are actually 10 species I've already seen and/or heard this year that I haven't photographed that I think I can track down again in the next few weeks. At a minimum I imagine I will get 4 of those, while the other 6 might prove too much work--but we'll just wait and see. I've also audio recorded 5 other species that I didn't get pictures of--possibly even a 6th and 7th when I finally go back and download and listen to everything. That would bring me to 336 species documented in one physical form or another this year. Not bad. I would like that number to have been higher and really have only myself to blame.
For instance, one family of birds of which I got 5 members--all relatively easy to photograph--I only got photos of one of the species. For two of the species the light was really bad for photos--in another light + distance made for poor conditions, while on the 4th species the bird was too quick for me to get a shot before I lost it in the bushes. I planned on tracking 3 of the 4 species down again for photos after the fact, but time just got the better of me. There are only so many hours in a day, and so much time I can spend birding. This meant I was spread too thin sometimes to be able to make things happen how I otherwise would have liked.
Aside from those 4 birds, I had several audibles I didn't record of birds I didn't see--the audibles are unmistakable and from locations where the species are encountered regularly. With both I again thought I would have another opportunity later--but it never materialized. Next were the 4 common songbirds I failed to put my camera lens on for one reason or another. I saw most of these birds multiple times but failed to take a picture. Throw in the flyovers, short looks, or hard to photograph birds and altogether 22 species will have escaped my lens this year. That's actually only 6%--I'm okay with that, and the years not over so who knows if I might bring that number up to 335--or even 340. Of course, I would expect my year total to increase to the 357 to 363 range for that to happen!
I did my best to document my year for several reasons. First, is that no one knows I am doing this, and I will want to tell a story at some point with those pictures. Second, it's nice to have documentation to support sightings. The more uncommon the birds, the better, but in a big year it is fun to see what you can manage. I'm a birder first and a photographer second. I want to see and identify the bird, then follow up with a photo for good measure. If I don't get the photo that sucks, but at least I got a good look or "hear". As long as this isn't the case with every bird I feel okay with the ones I missed. The third reason is that since I didn't report a number of birds, I am going to need those photos to help with my claims/checklists when I eventually submit them. There are going to be eBird reviewers out there shaking their heads wondering why all the sudden 25-30 checklists spaced out over the year including rare birds, and unreported birds are showing up in their queue.
I'd like to point out I'm not a professional photographer, so while some of my photos turned out pretty good and will make for a great part of my story--a lot are garbage, taken through spotting scopes, binoculars, in low light, in back light, in harsh light, in thick foliage, in waves on water, etc, etc, etc. I
While I could have done a better job, I think I managed to do enough to have a fair percentage of my sightings backed up with evidence. This is something that was basically impossible with big years prior to the 2000's, and may be the future of some big years--the potential for a photo big year being a new normal? Who knows.
At the end of this year, I'll go back to taking fewer pictures of more cooperative birds, and not feel the need to snap snap snap every single bird I see--or to worry about it. I also won't be counting how many I photograph in 2017 which should be a bit of a relief as well.
As of the writing of this post I have visited 86% of Narnia's parishes/counties/districts in 2016--whatever you would like to call them. I should have visited all of them...
The problem with big year birding is you tend to stick to the usual locations, the hot spots, and the areas where you know birds are found. This means not wasting time traveling to every corner of your state just to say you've been. Of the counties I didn't visit, only 1 had a species I didn't get that I should have this year--another blunder that might be a costly error for my total come December 31. The rest simply didn't have anything unique that I couldn't find elsewhere in the state. Still, I covered most of Narnia.
Often times when I posted, I used names of areas from the map of Narnia in the place of the real names of places I was visiting to try and give context. Now my state is not a square, (hint: I don't live in Wyoming or Colorado), but I tried to use the map pretty close to point out things in the north, like the Witch's Castle or Frozen Lake. Just like places in the south included Anvard and Aslan's Camp (I didn't use the word "camp", but you get the idea). In the east was Cair Paravel, a place I have a deep affinity for and one of Narnia's most prominent features.
I visited all the well known birding hotspots in Narnia this year, including the Archenland, the Lamp Post, Owlwood, the Frozen Waterfall, Shuddering Woods, The Stone Table, the Archen River, The Great River, and the Rush River. I never made it to the Cauldron Pool in the western region--in fact, I largely avoided the west central portion of Narnia this year. In past years I would chase vagrants in this part of Narnia, but 2016 didn't provide anything to chase.
While this may all sound like mumbo-jumbo, there is a method to my madness. I drove 1,000's of miles around the state, walked hundreds, and spent hundreds of hours enjoying the endless beauty inside this wardrobe. When the clock strikes midnight in just 4 weeks, I'll emerge. A year will have passed since I entered, and the world will have gone on as if nothing ever happened. I'll never venture back into THIS world, Narnia will still be here to enjoy, but not in some shrouded, strange, game I'm playing...
Okay, I am ready to give up a major family of birds--the migrants. And if you read the title you now know that MIGRANTS = WARBLERS. Now I'll save you the trouble of going through the list and figuring out how many migrants are listed--just 18. This doesn't include 3 species which I called by other names which are included in the list below. So 21 species of warblers in a year. How many states can you eliminate with that information? Quite a few, so I won't do any favors and list them--it's pretty easy. But here are the warblers I saw in 2016:
Bobbing Migrant
Purchased Migrant
Enlisted Migrant
Variable Migrant
Subtle Migrant
Honky-tonk Migrant
Companion's Migrant
Hidden Migrant
Marsh Migrant
Tiger Migrant
Common Migrant
Slapping Migrant
Confusing Migrant
Kinfolk Migrant
Arid Migrant
Trek's Migrant
Castaway Migrant
Northern Migrant
Usual Candle
Septentrional Triller
Late-night Talker
I actually missed 4 species of warblers in Narnia this year. 2 that I absolutely should have gotten, and 2 that I chased and couldn't relocate. The one breeder that I missed was stupid on my part. I kept making excuses that I would get it later, and well, later never came. One of the regular migrants I missed because I thought I could stretch its migration window based on sightings in nearby states. I missed the height of migration and in turn missed it all together. Both of these species I easily picked up in my previous big year which really made them sting.
Of the other two species which are both vagrants, I was at the park where one was seen 3 hours after it had been found. A big storm had come through the night before, and the winds were awful. A friend and I spent an hour scouring the trees, shrubs, etc, and couldn't make it appear. I thought for sure I was going to add this bird as the park was rather small so I figured we would be able to track it down. The wind probably hurt as we couldn't hear if it were singing or calling. In the end, I didn't have it on my expected species list, so it wasn't a huge miss, just a frustrating could have been.
The other warbler I missed that was reported was simply bad timing. I was out of town when it was reported and by the time I was able to go look it had moved on. It was a long shot given the location, but that's birding. I had listed it as a possible for this year as they are almost reported annually in Narnia--and yet it remains a nemesis for me :)
There was also one other species reported that was misidentified. I definitely didn't waste my energy trying to track it down since the pictures showed what species it was.
Three other species of warbler that are reported most years weren't reported at all this year. That's was a pretty big let down as I sort of expected a fall turn out of warbler migrants to help buoy my list. It just never happened. The unexpected combined with my lack of proper planning for two other species left me a bit short on warblers. 25 species should have been a reasonable outcome.
Now let's just hope a meg doesn't show up in Narnia in the next few weeks... Then I might have to make up a whole new name to keep the secret for a couple days!
The last time I did a big year and December hit, I was all but done. I had gotten most of the birds I was going to get for the year, and I slowed down immensely. I still added a handful of species in the last 31 days. I chased pretty much every rarity that popped up (not many). But I didn't go out in search of birds all that much. The fact is by December, you've really done all you can, and are at the mercy of the chase. I certainly helped myself with a little luck and planning--putting myself in the right place at the right time for something to happen. Something I will be doing again this year. That plus chasing anything reported is my best bet... But I don't want to go out with a whimper, and act like just because it's winter again I can relax. I haven't had this mentality at all this year, so I don't want to start now.
This means going out and looking for birds, even when it's not necessarily the right time or place for one of the few remaining targets. I would like at a minimum to try to get out for an hour every day in this final 31. I would also like to try to post as mush as possible--perhaps every day again like I did in January. I won't be able to fill the posts with tales of new birds, but I can surely relate back to some things that happened this year, try to share a little bit more about me, and end this story with a little humor and fun.
Do you know who I am yet? I can tell you now that at least 2 people have correctly ID'd me this year. And it may have been much earlier than anticipated. I was surprised--or maybe not so much. One of the sleuths did a fantastic job of piecing the puzzle together. A little luck may have helped lift their guess to flight, but once they started finding clues, they quickly came to the right conclusion. I was impressed. I didn't let on and denied up and down that they were correct.
Another guessed outright, saying they were sure who I was, but I did my best to misrepresent the facts. Something I've done to help keep my identity more guarded since. I was a little too loose in the beginning with information and perhaps the idea of doing a secret big year on a moment's notice was the reason. Too much information led the folks over at Birdforum too quickly start eliminating states based on some numbers I threw around. Again, I responded in kind by saying well maybe those numbers are correct--but they might be an average, short term, long term, you'll have to figure it out. What a bunch of cry babies some of those guys turned out to be. As interested as they were one moment, they threw a hissy fit when I tossed a wrench into their gears.
It was never supposed to be that easy. It was fun for me none-the-less. Since then guessing has gone quiet. The following I had early on diminished pretty dramatically. That was expected to some degree. I am getting more hits on a blog I haven't posted to in years than this one--yikes. That's okay though. At the end of the day, a big year is about ones personal goals. You don't do a big year for anyone but yourself. It' fun to include others, or make a game out of it--but if really is about self no matter how you hack it.
And I hacked the first day of December way with a big fat zero day. This should be the norm for potentially 20-25 days this month. I hope that won't be too boring. I went birding at a place I hadn't been since January. In fact, the last time I visited was on January 7th at the end of my first week of the year. I tallied 3 new year birds that day. The point of that trip wasn't to find a specialty bird--it was to keep my streak of days seeing new year birds alive. I think every new bird I saw that day I've seen a handful of times since. I haven't been back because there was no reason to go back. It's not much of a hot spot, and the bird list for the area is quite small. Limited habitat, noise, and location all contribute to that.
But I thought that maybe, just maybe a couple species of birds could show up here that I don't have yet. The odds are slim, but if I check the area once or twice a week from here on out who knows. If I were to find one of the birds I imagine that could use the habitat, they would both be location firsts. But today wasn't that day. I got my hour in and spent some time just enjoying being away from a computer. One day down and 30 more to go. It's going to go way too fast...
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.
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.
Here it sits, 19 days since my last post and the big year has not gone so well. To be perfectly honest there was a day I contemplated throwing in the towel. Not because I didn't think I could do it, or because I wanted to stop, but some real life issues took priority and really had me wondering if I would be able to put forth the effort from here on out. I still don't know if I will be able to and am just working on things 1 day at a time. I can't share much now but will reflect upon what I am talking about when the time is right.
Aside from this the birding has been good for me--I've had a blast the past few weeks, but new big year birds have been far and none between. This is turning into a bad drought at a time of year when I need some good things to start popping up. The birding community at large hasn't been much help (no offense to all you Narnians' out there), as not a single rarity has been reported to help on my quest. The lack of rarities being reported this year is odd. There are multiple prongs that seem to resonate with me as to why--but as more and more people start birding, with more information available, and ease of sharing one would expect more rare birds than in the past. But Narnia is a strange place and the birders here seem to be changing in their demographic, skill level, and interests. More on this later as well.
Comparing year over year to my previous quest August has thus far been very different. This worries me. Despite some striking similarities in my two big years, some of the stark contrasts are alarming. With certain species I expected to find completely unfindable at this point, the lack of rarities being reported, and days passing faster and faster the voice in my head has me questioning things. I constantly am running through my list, and looking at where I will/should/need to be at the end of each month and no matter how I look at it--it's going to be close. There are of course the great unknowns. What will show up this fall that I had no expectations of seeing? There are certainly going to be surprises--but will they make up for the missed expectations?
With 3 zero weeks in a row I'm anxious for some new year birds. I hope the coming days turn things upside down and start the count up again. At this point I'm not sure I'll get many birds the rest of the month, but perhaps with some luck I can tick off a few species before the 2nd third of the year comes to an end...
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.
I felt like May moved along at a nice pace, and it was a long month. I was birding so much, and seeing so many new birds that it seemed to last forever. June--not so much. I birded plenty this month, but as the temperatures rose and summer kicked off, the # of species took a sharp decline. Where I added 85 year birds in May, I only added 6 in June--YIKES! I mentioned previously that this was expected. I had hoped to add 10 species on the month so I came up a few short. That would have left only a very short list of possibilities in July. June didn't bring any mega rarities. Some uncommon birds, and one that is occasionally detected here in Narnia. During my previous big year I added 3 rare birds in June--something that would have helped my year nicely in 2016.
How's this for juxtaposition: In my last big year I had by July 1st seen 25 species that I HAVE NOT SEEN THIS YEAR.
25. Think about that.
Now, in 2016, as of July 1st, I have seen 25 species that I HAD NOT SEEN by July 1st during that year.
25. EXACTLY.
That's crazy to think about. The parallels between my last big year, and this one are amazing. I can't share too much because I don't want to give anything away at this point. There have been several birds that I saw on the exact same dates, in the exact same places--some not all that common--just luck. The number of rarities seems pretty close from each year as well. This big year thing is a something else.
Now that 25 number is interesting... In 2016 so far, I have seen 10 birds that I DID NOT SEE in my last big year. So 15 that I have seen I picked up in the final 6 months. An here is that crazy juxtaposition again--while I know anything can happen, there were 10 birds of those 25 I saw in my previous big year by July 1st, that I DON'T THINK I WILL SEE in 2016.
A dead wash. No advantage. What a strange thought.
My plan was that by now I should be far ahead of my previous pace, with an outlandish number of rarities exceeding my previous attempt. But its been less than stellar in terms of others finding great birds this year. There have been a few, but things are lacking.
Now, although technically we have hit the 1/2 way mark in terms of months, its still a few days till the true 1/2 way mark in terms of days. I'm at the literal turning point for the year. The downhill swing; the drive home; the last lap... Whatever you want to call it. I mentioned this last month, but I've crunched the numbers and I know likely where I'll end up come December 31st, and its going to be close. My thoughts wander to what unexpected rarities will pop up this fall during migration that will help buoy my list. At the same time, what expected things might I miss? There is certainly room for things to go very well--and conversely I might end up just short.
Looking forward to the coming 31 days there are exactly 9 birds on my get list for the month. That's the 9 most expected and regularly occurring birds. The remaining breeders. The first fall migrants possibly. And a couple residents that just keep evading my gaze. It's a short list, and will be some work. If I get all 9, I will be in a really good place come August. BUT, what I am really hoping for is some amazing mid-summer rarities. Narnia is no stranger to mid-summer megas. Late July has a rich history of them showing up here and there could be some "year changers". There are also still 3 species I've basically written off. I don't know if I'll get a chance to try for them again, and even if I do finding 2 of the 3 would make for big finds. If for some reason I can manage to get away for a day, I still might try for all 3.
In my world that means that in an ideal world I could end up at 319 by the end of July, or even pass the 320 mark given the right circumstances. If you've followed along with the poll you can pretty much knock the 300-325 pool out of contention since I should be in the 325 range at some point in August at this rate.
June is over. July is here. I put some 2,000 miles on pavement during the month, and traveled an additional 28 miles on foot. I spent just over 100 hours (4 entire days) looking for birds, and as you know added just 6 species to my year list. July might top those numbers--perhaps with less miles driven and more on foot though. July will be very similar to June though--over in a hurry. After that I hope August and September take their time, although I imagine they'll feel fast too. I guess I'll relish the rest of the summer, and just keep birding like I have the past 6 months. It's been a blast.
The past 2 weeks have flown by and Narnia has been rather quiet. Usually the 1st half of June has a small handful of rarities reported. I thought for sure I would be out on 1 or 2 chases as the month progressed, but as of today I have not added a new year bird in June. The 20 day drought of new birds isn't a total surprise--and it might continue for a couple more days! The lack of any rarities certainly is a blow to growing my year list, but rarities can never be expected so it is what it is. I have been getting out trying to track down a few of the remaining local species I don't have for the year. My time in the field divided by the number of species I am looking for seems like I am putting an awful lot of effort in for a few birds at this point.
The drought will eventually end, and my guess is that it will end this week. I have some birding planned to pick up a small portion of the resident breeders I haven't picked up. 6 possible year birds in one day. My trek will take me deep into Narnia, where I will visit Cair Paravel for the first time this year. If you are familiar with the lore of Narnia you'll know that Cair Paravel is the fictional castle where the Kings and Queens of Narnia rule. It is the location of the four thrones of High King Peter the Magnificent, High Queen Susan the Gentle, King Edmund the Just, and Queen Lucy the Valiant. I'll let you interpret what this means for my state, but it is significant.
Cair Paravel is one of Narnia's most notable areas. It is as important to my story as it is to the Chronicles of Narnia series. Anyone who does a big year in Narnia has to visit this bastion of royalty. The royalty is not that of people, but of scenery. There aren't a huge number of species that I will add to my list solely from this region--since I haven't visited yet this year that should be apparent. But for a select list of species there are no better place to look than in the nook and crannies of this "castle".
My busy week will conclude with a visit to an area I've already been a handful of times in 2016. I have some clean up work to do--and my fingers crossed for some great finds. The next 10 days will have some serious impact on where my big year goes from here. I might add as many as a 13 new birds in that span--but I should add no less than 8 regardless of how lucky I am. I would love to get into the 310's before June is over, leaving just a couple birds to find in July.
The drought is on and whilst the lake is almost dry, this summer solstice storm, should rain some new birds and provide enough to keep me filled through the summer heat. At least I hope so...
Quick, get the paddles, we need to resuscitate! With May out of the way, so are most of the new birds I will see in 2016, and it can be days without a tick. Looking at the eBird Top 100 you start to see lists stagnating. Once the major push of migrants is over new birds are generally far and few between for at least a couple weeks. I look at the others I assume are doing big years with intrigue--what will they see next? What have they seen that I haven't? What have I seen that they haven't? It's a game and keeping watch produces some interesting results.
For one individual I noticed a new addition and immediately thought, "how the hell did they barely see one of those?". Which led to, "what else haven't they seen that's common yet???". On another I saw they had successfully chased down a rarity--this led to me chasing the same rarity that I wasn't even aware was still around. So thank you kind eBirder. When I notice someone hasn't added a new bird in 3,4, or 5 days its a good sign for me in that they've likely emptied the tap for right now. I know there are a handful of things I've gotten that could've waited--but I also know I have a handful of really awesome birds that at least some of the others don't have.
While I look at the competition it will be telling in the next 2 months to see where their lists go. It may become apparent that some are just doing there usual birding and had a big 1st half of the year. But their actions will speak largely to their strategy which in turn will tell me a lot about what I need to do.
Yesterday I had a strange thought while driving. How will others react when they find out I was doing a big year? How will the birders that were doing big years react specifically? What if someone sets a new record and is elated with the joy that they've had a great year--but in the end I happen to have a few more birds than them?
It's a strange thing.
At the end of the day its just birding and birds--it doesn't matter at all. But I have to put myself in their shoes. How would I feel in reverse.
Such a strange thing.
Of course I can always hope that I have a record setting big year, and the others fall short of the current record. This makes things easier. And of course there is always the possibility that no one is really doing a big year and I am thinking about scenarios that won't exist.
What a strange thing.
These hypotheticals really don't matter right now. The year is far from over, and in the end I could very well be the one who falls short--either of the current record, or someone else and their new record. It's hard not to focus on the end goal and constantly be thinking about everything that's going to have to fall in to place for it to happen. There are so many unknowns (rare birds) that need to happen at the right time and place for this thing to work itself out. The only thing for certain is it has been one hell of a fun time birding in 2016. With June now disappearing one day at a time my focus is sticking to the strategy and getting the birds I absolutely have to before the summer is over.
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!
