Listening To Birds

The Debi Shearwater Journey pelagic bird trip was perfect; sunny with calm seas.  We left from Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey working the wharf area seeing Sea Otters, Sea Lions and Harbor Seals.  There were hundreds of Common Murre, daddy’s & juveniles, Gulls, Gulls, Gulls, with Western Gull juveniles still begging for food, Elegant Terns, and Black Turnstones.  But the real adventure was further out.  We watched a Heerman’s Gull surf on a Mola (Sunfish), added 9 new birds and learned quite a bit since the Shearwater boat guides did such a good job spotting and educating. We were able to see both the Laysan and Black-footed Albatross as they soared dramatically up the boat wake, lured in by excited gulls following the chum trail.  We were able to see Black Vented, Pink-footed and Sooty Shearwaters, and even caught sight of a Buller’s.  In addition, we were able to see Least, Fork-tailed and Ashy Storm-Petrels, even catching a quick view of a Cassin’s Auklet.  A great deal of birding time was spent watching Whales tail and fin slap, yawn after the first few, but it was very cool to watch Humpbacks as they baled, filter feeding fish and crustaceans into their mouths.  We were quite happy with how well everything turned out.

From Monterey, we made a couple stops in 100 degree temperatures to catch a Yellow-billed Magpie (I was so glad that we did since they are quite unique looking) before heading up to Yosemite National Park to cool off.  It was here that we thought about the fact that we have been chasing more than birds, we have also been chasing smoke and fires. California, Alaska, Saskatchewan; much of the west has been enveloped in smoke this year. In Yosemite, though the fires impeded pretty views, the falls had quit flowing for the year, and we did not add any new birds, we did see this cute Marmot basking in the sun.

California’s Mono Lake is a very unique basin lake which is actually “saltier” than the sea, has no fish, but does have an abundance of brine shrimp which attracts migrating birds.  Over hundreds of thousands of years, precipitation of the lake’s salts and minerals caused these beautiful tufa sculptures to form. We didn’t add any new water birds here (although it is always fun to watch Phalaropes swim is quick little circles), we did add the Sagebrush Sparrow and Sage Thrasher who were taking advantage of the super dry sage habitat surrounding the lake.

Next stop… UP!  We went looking for species that prefer a much more elevated habitat.  In the Lee Vining area, we found the Mountain Bluebird and the Pinyon Jay.  Then we took a ski lift ride up Mammoth Mountain to catch site of Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches.  I was pretty sure that we wouldn’t really find them, but at least we could at least enjoy lunch at 11,000 feet without having to hike that high.  As a pleasant surprise, just when the lift was nearing the top, we actually saw a pair on the ground below.  More were seen as they flew back and forth over our heads while hiking the trail at the top!

Between California and Arizona, we stopped at a desert spot where both the Crissal and Le Conte’s Thrasher were reported.  We have not done well with Thrashers this year, and are embarrassed to say that we did not even see a California Thrasher in spite of the fact that it was reported as being seen almost everywhere we birded.  Sad.  But here at the Desert NWR in a scrubby mesquite area near the creek, we heard the tell-tale scratching in the underbrush, and were finally able to spot and identify the Crissal Thrasher; what a curved bill!  This National Wildlife Refuge near Las Vegas is a beautiful facility where the water features draw a variety of species, and is well worth a stop if you want to see a refuge that is something other than the typical Dikes and Ducks.

Our last stop before tag team driving 33 hours home, was a repeat visit to Hunter Canyon in Arizona, where we were hoping for views of the Rufus-capped Warbler (we had previously only identified by song) and the rare Slate-throated Redstart.  This is the same spot that we took our fist hike after my ankle break, and although we had been hiking for almost a month since then, the climb didn’t seem any easier.  As flat landers who spend most of our lives at sea level, these elevations really kick our tails.  Yet up we went, only to scratch on both birds after 6 hours of watching, wishing, and waiting.  Alas, we had to leave for home without hitting the next goal of 600 birds, but we didn’t leave this site with nothing!  We left with additional knowledge which was shared with us by two very knowledgeable birders, Wendy & Mike Schackwitz, who are also doing a husband & wife big year.  They are very experienced birders who generously shared tricks and information about the eBird site data, including tools to better plan a big year (since we now consider this our practice big year) and also showed us how they knew our names after chatting just a few minutes but before we even introduced ourselves! It seems that eBird has a top 100 eBirders list for the American Birding Association (ABA) area and we were on it!!  Mike and Wendy list the same birds they jointly see separately, and are currently #1 and #2 in the country with 657 species, while we are currently number #6 with 599 species.  We are proud to be in the top 10 considering this is my first year birding more than a token number of times, and the first time either of us have birded the ABA area outside of Florida.

Sunset on our last evening in Arizona

Three months to go… do we continue to add birds or relax at home?  We shall see if we have it in us to take another trip west after this next 12 day trip south to the Keys, back up to New Smyrna for their Marine Science Center Pelagic Birding Trip, and then over to the west coast of Florida to add (hopefully) even more new birds to our list.

Just inside California, on our way to the Salton Sea, we passed through an area called Glamis Dunes, which looked so much like movies of the Sahara Desert, I expected to see Lawrence riding in from Arabia.  Not what I pictured for California, but this year has driven home how little I know about most of the United States.  The temperature was HOT.

The Salton Sea

While making plans from home, I was thinking that we would spend some time checking out all of the birds in this area as opposed to just ticking the target bird off the list, and then find a camping site nearby.  Ignorance again!  No way could we camp in this area! After driving to a few dead ends, we found where the Yellow-footed Gull was hanging out, ticked it off the list, and got off the 110 degree lava and obsidian strewn sand to head for the mountains.

The beautiful Cayamaca State Park Campground just West of San Diego was only 3-4 hours from the miserably hot Salton Sea but we slept two nights in comfort at 66 degrees with the sliding door open.  Waking to a dawn chorus of bird song is usually such a wonderful way to start the day.  The cacophony of Acorn Woodpeckers which was the first bird to greet the dawn, was jolting, and I understand why one of the mnemonics for their call is “wake-up, wake-up”. 
It was in this area that we added Nuttall’s Woodpecker,Oak Titmouse and California Towhee.  Wild Turkey were successfully re-introduced here in the 90’s and many could be seen roaming in groups through the grassland areas.

We used some of our Disney time share points to stay for two days at Disneyland.  On the way there, we made stops to find both the Wrentit and the Tricolored Blackbird.  The Tricolored Blackbird proved much harder to find than we expected due to the drought conditions which caused most of its typical marshy habitat to dry up.  Our two days at Disney was planned as a no birding time, but we just couldn’t help ourselves.  Their flower gardens were abuzz and we were able to add the Allen’s Hummingbird.

We left Disney for a day in Los Angeles trying to pick up some of the exotic species.  Chuck was only willing to do this on a Sunday since congestion would be minimal.  Even so, the driving was miserable as we were constantly jumping back and forth between freeways and highways and city streets.  We drove to pocket neighborhoods, city parks and nature preserves.  We added California Gnatcatcher, Ridgeway Rail (a localized bird which has been split off from the Clapper Rail), Northern Red Bishop, Indian Peafowl (Peacock), Red-whiskered Bulbul, and the Yellow-chevroned Parakeet. The Scaly-Breasted Munia were reported all over the area, but we couldn’t find any.  In the beautiful LA Arboretum, we enjoyed walks through the trees, flowers and sculpture, but only added yard ideas in case I ever decide to settle down and pull our landscaping together. In October, we have a field trip scheduled as part of a birding festival where their tour van drives a group around in search of Miami specialties- I feel certain this will be a much preferable way to pick up a few extra exotics.

Next stop was Ritzy Malibu Beach.  One would think that the Malibu area campgrounds, especially at the ridiculous prices (the highest we have paid to date-public or private), would be nice.  Instead they were barely decent.  Dirty bathrooms and trashy park grounds, poorly working pay showers, lousy water, and no electricity sites. Seems a shame, but it explains why so few people were camping here.  It was in this area that we discovered how beautiful the velvety gray Heerman’s Gull is, and how elegant the Elegant Tern looks with its rosy breast in spite of his punky hair-do.  It was also this area that we finally found our first Black Turnstone and Surfbird; we had unsuccessfully looked for these two throughout Alaska.

Our Santa Cruz Island trip was really designed as a day trip out to the island, but the 1.5 hour ride each way gave us an opportunity to see two new pelagic birds, the Black-vented and the Pink-footed Shearwaters.  I am always amazed that with our limited experience with pelagic birds that we can learn to tell the difference since they seem to soar by so quickly as opposed to sitting patiently on a branch for study.  The main purpose of this trip was actually to see the Island Scrub Jay since this is the only place in the world to find one (it differs from the Florida and Western Scrub Jays).  And as you can see by the picture we did!  The Island naturalist explained that isolation of species in areas like this island, which is three times the size of Manhattan and houses over 60 endemic species, causes gigantism and dwarfism for species survival which allowed this Jay to evolve 30% larger than other Jay species, and forced this cute Island Fox to evolve smaller.

After claiming that we left nothing in Los Angeles to ever come back for, we were forced to do so.  We left Malibu headed up to the Angeles National Forest, however after several hours of driving the winding mountain roads, our check engine light came on.  Not willing to take chances with mountain driving we headed back down to the closest Mercedes shop.  They checked the error codes, referred us to the closest dealer, who had to refer us to the closest dealer who worked on Sprinters, who told us that the codes had been erased by the first shop!  Hours of waiting rooms and driving around in the Los Angeles area meant that we were really appreciative of the mountains once we got back up to them.  In the Angeles Mountains, among the many other birds here, we were able to see both Lesser and Laurence’s Gold Finch, and both the California and Mountain Quail; two pair of species that we could enjoy seeing nearly side-by-side to allow us to contrast and compare them.

For Labor Day Weekend we were registered at a campground on the Kern River in the Sequoia National Forest.  Campers packed the campground and riverbanks partying until late into the night.  Driving in the forest twisted us through the mountains up and down from 3,000 up to 9,000 feet.  At the Trail of 100 Giants we learned to differentiate between the Giant Sequoia (ok, that was easy), the Sugar Pine, the White Fir, the Ponderosa Pine, and the Incense Cedar.  We also learned that Sequoia is the only word that contains all five vowels- I’ve got to remember that one for scrabble especially since it has a “q” in it too!  Because we were one of the first groups on the Giants trail that morning, we found it quite birdy with warblers, nuthatches, creepers, jays, juncos, flickers, and a white headed woodpecker.  Nothing new for us here bird-wise, but the trees were impressive and the trail was pleasant.

Since we found no new species in the Sequoia area, we are hopeful that we come up with more in phase II of California, which will start with a bona fide pelagic trip on a Debi Shearwater Journeys boat, led by the world renowned Debi Shearwater herself.  Hopefully Chuck will enjoy the trip without getting seasick!

“That Old Second Wind Comes Around”

After picking up a few last minute supplies at Bay Leaf Market (THE best business in Crawfordville) we headed west at last!  There are not enough bird list “needs” between home and S.E. Arizona (other than S. Texas- no fun this time of year) so we drove directly to Arizona.  Straight through.  1785 miles, 33 hours of driving time, all in 39 hours.  And with no cast- I helped (a little)!  We arrived at our campground with enough time to fix a rice cooker meal, shower, and hit the bed.  Before leaving I decided to get crafty (channeling my daughter Danielle) and devised a screen for the van’s sliding side door, which allowed us to drop the screen, leave the door open, and enjoy a cool 67 degree Arizona desert night.  We slept like the dead and woke to watch the sunrise in advance of a full day of birding; a great start.  We were excited to get out and bird again- that old second wind did kick in!

To start this round of birding, we chose the Ramsey Canyon Preserve.  We were here earlier in the year and loved it, but the great options of new birds for our list was the compelling reason to return. While loading ourselves like pack mules in the parking lot, we watched one of our target birds, the Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, hawking for insects from tree tops above our heads.  A pair of Tufted Flycatchers (ABA Code 5 rare bird) was being seen 2+ miles up from the Visitor Center, so up we went. It turned out to be quite a day for new warblers and flycatchers. On our way up, we added the Greater Pewee, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Olive Warbler, Hermit Warbler, Red-faced Warbler and… the Tufted Flycatchers!  The Tufted Flycatchers were in the area exactly where they were reported to hang out, and were very easy to see.  We enjoyed watching just one for a while, and were thrilled when it was joined by the second.  As you can see here they are quite photogenic little flirts.
On the way back down, we caught this Red Faced Warbler taking a bath- Chuck took great pictures of him both wet and dry.  Traveling down a rocky trail always seems easier, but is actually riskier for a weak ankle, yet we got down safely. The second wind may have been back, but after 8 weeks of little exercise, too much eating, and living at sea level, we certainly were ‘winded’ by the end of our 4+++ mile rocky mountain trail hike.

That same evening we made a second try for the Lucifer Hummingbird, knowing that we would be sitting at the Ash Canyon B&B hummingbird feeder viewing area, expending very little energy.  Unlike our spring visit here, we were able to watch several of these beautiful magenta gorgeted hummers with long curved bills.  Thankfully hummingbirds were much more plentiful this fall than they were in the spring.

The next day, we decided on a fourth try for the Sinaloa Wren, another rare ABA Code 5 bird.  We had tried three times for this species in the spring, at two different sites, but missed each time.  The Fort Huachuca Army base, where it was being seen again, was a bit more complicated than earlier in the year since it now requires a background check to get on base.  Thankfully we both passed.  Joined by a pair of excellent birders, one of which was Ron Beck who originally discovered this rare bird at this location, was very fortunate for us; he brought good luck and confirmation that what we heard and saw was the Sinaloa and not the Bewick’s which could be somewhat easy to mistake. The bird called intermittently several times and we got a glimpse as he went for cover along the creek, but just a few minutes later we were able to see him climb up the side of a tree, sing (as opposed to just call), and watched until he was chased into the woods by a hummingbird. Leaving that site, we headed to a site suggested by Ron where he had seen both the Rufous-capped Warbler and the Slate-throated Redstart.  Another successful ascent and descent of very rocky terrain, but like the other birders there before us that day, we didn’t see either bird.  HOWEVER- we did see 3 juvenile Elegant Trogons!  Usually a difficult bird to find, and here three were hanging out with us for hours! From there to the Beatty’s Guest Ranch, another bird feeder site (this one with grandstands!), in hopes of finding the White-Eared Hummingbird (ABA Code 3 rare bird).  Success! With these great birds under our belt, we headed to the Patagonia Lake State Park to camp for the night.

We hiked the Patagonia Lake trails the following morning hoping for a Black-capped Gnat Catcher, but we were only able to add the fairly common Botteri’s Sparrow. This Patagonia trail is very birdy but yukky, since birders have to share the trails with cattle, making dodging the cow patties while looking up for birds quite challenging.

Our route to the last planned stop in Arizona, the Santa Rita Lodge, was strategically designed to catch both the Thick-billed Kingbird and Varied Bunting. After stopping a few times only to be teased by Western Kingbirds, we became apprehensive about telling the difference between the two, but the size of his bill and black-ish cap turned out easy to differentiate once we caught up to this Thick-billed Kingbird.  The Varied Buntings we found were uniquely colored and beautiful, but Chuck was disappointed that he didn’t get descent pictures. After locating our campsite in Madera Canyon we had to sit through a downpour, delaying our look for the Plain-capped Starthroat, (ABA Code 4 hummingbird).  Twenty minutes after it stopped raining, we risked the quickly flowing wash-out areas to get to the Santa Rita Lodge.  After a 15 minutes of sitting in wet chairs, watching the birds return to the feeders, we spied the bird we were hoping for; a good tradeoff for wet bottoms.

Arizona turned out to be a very successful stop bird-wise on our way to California, and it reinforced our earlier positive impressions of the Sierra Vista area.  At this point, of all the places that we have visited, we think this would be the one we would consider moving to for year round living.  A summer only home (if we could afford it)?  I think the Ingle’s have the right idea- Newfoundland would be my choice too!

From Alaska to Jasper/Banff, Banff to Montreal, Montreal to Newfoundland, Newfoundland to Crawfordville; 8400 miles in 24 days, and all driven by Chuck.  But wait… that’s not all!  Since I was on crutches, and unable to handle much in the way of ANY camp duties, Chuck had to slice, dice, cook, clean, and help me get set up in each campground’s shower as well.  What fun for him.

On our way from Alaska, for a long overdue visit with family in Montreal, we made just a few quick stops.  The first was a 2-day stop in Jasper/ Banff.  This area netted us one bird, the Clark’s Nutcracker, and provided enough of an area overview to insure that we will return for a much longer visit. One highlight of the drive included watching an American Dipper doing his thing-they swim! We were able to add Chestnut-collared Longspur, Upland Sandpiper, and Black Tern to our list from roadside sightings. We also made targeted stops at Prentice Park WI to see their Mute Swan, and Hayden Park, Ottawa to add the rare Little Egret to our list.

Montreal allowed us to spend much needed R&R time with Chuck’s sister Salinda and her husband Jacques.  It was so easy to settle into their home for a few days because it strikes that balance of being both beautiful and comfortable.  The “car wash” sized shower for two was not bad either!  Having driven Taxi in his early years, Jacque’s skill zipping around the skinny European style streets of Montreal while describing its culture and history was brilliant! Area food specialties and the cooking at Salinda’s was inspired!  All in all, our retreat from birding was a treat.

From Montreal we drove to the Newfoundland ferry terminal in Nova Scotia. To get as full a flavor of Newfoundland as possible, and maximize our chances at seeing pelagic birds, we took the 6 hour ferry to Port aux Basques circling around the island to take the 16 hour ferry from Argentia back to Nova Scotia a week later.  We were able to add the Greater Shearwater and Black Guillemot on the way over, and on the way back we added Greater Cormorant, Manx Shearwater, Northern Fulmar, and were able to compare the Wilsons and Leaches Storm Petrels (just as described in the field guides, the Wilsons flight is direct and steady with shallow wing beats while the Leach’s bounds like a nighthawk).

Our time in between ferry rides was magic with only one demonic event at the very beginning- my first experience with merciless, vicious, vampire like black flies. We found Newfoundland both quaint and beautiful as we drove the fairly unpopulated Western coastal countryside to Cheeseman Provincial Park, up to Gros Morne National Park, Bonavista and then around to Champney’s West. This is where our friends the Ingle’s have built the perfect summer home and are called “Come From Aways” buy the full time residents.  And what a place to come from away- a vibrant Outport community (think quaint fishing village where the roadside weeds are lupine!) with truly remarkable restaurants. The Ingle’s toured us around the area, including a trip to Elliston for the Atlantic Puffins, and gave us the excellent advice to make the time to see the Gannets at Cape St. Mary’s. The Puffin and Gannet sites were close to overwhelming (sight, sound & smell) since they were both teeming with thousands of birds.

On the ferry from Newfoundland we made our final decision to head home as fast as possible. Although our visits with family and friends were wonderful, the combined pressures of the extra work for Chuck, and the hard push to get from Alaska to Newfoundland coupled with the fact that I couldn’t hike to bird was leaching joy from our adventure.  We did none of the areas we visited justice with the short amount of time spent at each, and vow to return to Jasper/Banff, Montreal, and Newfoundland when we can do so at a much more leisurely pace. We hoped that time at home would help us refresh until- as Billy Joel sings “that old second wind comes around”.

So, we were told that mosquitoes are the Alaska state bird but, I have heard that of Canada, Minnesota, and other Northern states as well.  Actually, we found them slower and dumber. Seward is the first area in AK that we ran into any quantity. The advantage of the northern version is that they land and sit without biting for a count of 5, giving a fair chance to swat them, and with a bite that is much less bothersome if they do get lucky. Our Florida mosquitos seem to hit, bleed ‘ya, and run, leaving bites that itch for a day.  When we left the van door cracked for fresh air they weren’t even smart enough to take advantage easy prey.

On the way to Kenai Fjords National Park, we stopped at a stream on Bear Lake Road in Seward, a spot targeted to catch site of an American Dipper. Walking the stream, we watched an incredible number of salmon jostling each other as they fought their way upstream to spawn.  Finding no Dippers we headed across the bridge curious about all the activity at a fisheries co-op. Talking with one of the staff, we discovered that the co-op was responsible for stopping all but 6,000 male and 6,000 female salmon from going up-river, and harvesting the balance.  Limiting the number making it upstream is thought to maximize reproduction by keeping them from interfering with each other; counterintuitive.  When I mentioned that we were actually drawn here by the sighting of an American Dipper, we were shown their nest under the co-op roof overhang.  We were able to see one fly across the bridge but unfortunately, we were not able to watch it perform any typical Dipper antics.

Our next adventure turned out to be one of our favorites- the Northwestern Fiord tour in the Kenai Fjords National Park.  If you go to Alaska, this is a must!  The boat took us as far into this stunningly beautiful park as anyone is allowed to go, right up to the Northwestern glacier, where we could watch and hear the booming of calving-sheets of ice falling into the water.  Along the way we were able to see Dall porpoise, sea otters, killer whales, and sea lions. We watched humpback whales ‘bubble net’ feed by blowing bubbles as they traveled around in a circle, herding the fish/plankton for easier feeding.  And we saw birds!  We added six new species, the Sooty Shearwater, Kittlitz’s and Ancient Murrelets, Horned and Tufted Puffins, and the Red-faced Cormorant.  We counted ourselves lucky to see the Ref-faced Cormorant and Kittlitz’s Murrelets; the puffins were a given, but still such a treat!  I also found it interesting to watch the three different “species” of passengers.  Those inside eating and playing cards “The My ______ (fill in the blank with wife, mom, dad) Made Me Comes”, “The Birders” (who got bored after a few whale tail slaps), and “The Whalers” (who said: oh, it’s just another bird). The narrator/captain did a marvelous job educating and balancing viewing opportunities for his on board species, and although it was a job he had been doing for 20+ years, he still came across as sincere and reverent of the awe inspiring place he gets to work.

It was now time to chase the call of “Beer”.  The Olive Sided Fly Catcher had been coming up on our “needs list” for weeks.  We had been listening for their “Quick- Three Beers” call without success.  Changing the pneumonic to “Quick FREE Beer” seemed better luck, even for a teetotaler like Chuck!  Only then did we hear the call, and found our bird just where the field guides suggested- at the top of the tallest snag.  Hearing it call over and over while Chuck attempted to get its picture made me thirsty enough to quit and head for the local brewery.  But alas, we still had one target bird for the day, the Three-Toed Woodpecker.  This same area had been burned in the last year or two making it perfect habitat for a species who prefers burnt coniferous forests.  After hiking another hour without hearing woodpecker calls or activity, we assumed that we had started too late in the day, and headed to the van.  Only after giving up did we hear a suspicious call, followed it, and located an adult.  Luck was on our side as we continued down the trail and heard the annoying and constant begging call of a juvenile.  Easily locating the nest we enjoyed watching the adult feed its greedy little chick.

Now believe it or not, I didn’t actually have a beer to celebrate, and it was not the cause of my broken ankle.  I didn’t fall while protecting Chuck from a bear, or while running from a charging moose protecting her calf.  Getting out of the van the next morning I simply came off its high step wrong, twisted and fell on top of my right ankle.  So simple, so careless, and just before heading into Denali National Park!  After an emergency room visit, splint, and follow-up appointment with an orthopedic specialist set for a week later, we decided to continue on to Denali National Park to see how well we could manage.

Fortunately, the road to Denali was not closed due to the fires working through that area, though we could see the burn still smoldering at the road edge as we drove by.  Fire fighters, Hot Shot teams, and helicopters were everywhere, and sadly the smoke was too. Mt. Denali (McKinley) was completely shrouded.  We kept our Wildlife Nature Tour reservation, and although we saw no new birds, we were fortunate to have wonderful views of large mammals.  One of the 52 Wolves in the park chose to pose for the bus load of us.  There are only 52 Wolves in the 6 million acres of protected National Park, with no hunting allowed, and yet folks feel that Wolves are of such concern that they should be killed in unprotected areas? Really?
We saw Caribou, Moose, Dall Sheep, and yes… a Grizzly Bear.  Truth be told, the Grizzly was sleeping, looking just  like a breathing yellow rock.

Our time in Denali was restful (for me) since I could do very little and the next day Chuck parked me at a picnic table while he hiked. His photographer’s patience was rewarded after 20 minutes of watching a Dall sheep’s bottom, when it finally chose to stand up and pose for him.  Classic shot.   We spent a good deal of time discussing whether we should continue with Chuck taking on all of the camp duties. Should we turn home, skipping Canada including our long overdue visit to his sister in Montreal, and our visit with the Tom and Christie Ingle in Newfoundland?  Our goal of walking 6 miles per day was certainly down the drain!  Until the actual cast was put on, and I got more practice with the crutches, we expected that we would need to head home.  However, after seeing no new birds in Denali, the site of our first bird, post ankle break, was restorative and timely.  Chuck spotted a bird silhouetted against a dreary sky, and after he repositioned the van, I too was able to identify a Bohemian Waxwing.  A stately grey underbelly with red, white, and yellow on its wings gives him a snappier look than his relative the cedar wax wing.  This was a desperately needed “fix” of a bird after the leg break dry spell, and it helped confirm that by continuing we could still add birds to our list, though more slowly.

From Haines AK we drove into Yukon Territory where, while stopped at a rest area, we lucked into a tough bird to see- a Northern Goshawk who we watched fly across the road from his roost, and into the woods.  We stayed at the beautiful and well maintained Cottonwood Park Campground on the shores of a truly tropical colored Kluane Lake and walked its pebble beach shores.  This Canadian visit was short since we headed back into AK the next day to stay at the “world famous” Sourdough Campground and Breakfast Café in Tok.  I actually booked this campsite due to the fact that they had sourdough pancakes; Chuck loves sourdough! We couldn’t resist participating in the pancake toss with winners earning a free sourdough pancake breakfast, and of course, Chuck won a free breakfast! The Reindeer chili in a sourdough bread bowl was pretty good too.  Falling off the ‘gluten-free wagon’ was (almost) worth the gastric price I paid later.
Asking at a Welcome Center about locating a few target birds for the area (after watching a Barn Swallow “Spring Break”) we were referred to the Huck Hobbit’s Homestead in Slana, AK.  What a glorious bit of misdirection!  We ended up at the last true homestead issued by the State of Alaska, where Steve and Joy Hobbs have settled their property with the Alaska self-sufficiency mindset. 
At their birdfeeder, we saw our first Redpolls, Pine Grosbeak, found our first Gray Jay in their woods, and watched a Boreal Chickadee feeding her young in a nest built into the top of a tree stump. Though their property was not actually a birding site, they stopped, gave us a tour, and shared a bit about the history of their property, their way of life, as well as coffee and homemade cookies!  They have restored an old outlaw’s cabin with a pond view as a guest retreat for those interested in complete peacefulness with unique Alaska touches; we have dreams of returning for a stay.  In addition, they have a greenhouse for fresh vegetables, stockpile at least 2 years of firewood in advance (per Steve- so that if something happened to him, Joy has time to replace him), trap for furs in the winter, and cure the pelts that Joy crafts into items sold in gift shops.  In addition they offer “Full Service Experiences”.  I can imagine no better guides to true Alaskan experiences.  Again I was struck by the romance of living off the land, crafting and using what is at hand, and being as self-sufficient as possible.  I am afraid that for us the romance would end very early in the first winter.

From Huck Hobbit’s Homestead, we traveled to Anchorage where we spent an unsuccessful day birding a hotspot which had reported sightings of the rare Terek Sandpiper, before flying to Nome, where we hoped to add many new birds.  And we did!  Nome was very exciting birding in an unimaginably dismal place to live.  I believe that every piece of equipment ever brought to Nome is either cobbled up and still in use or left where it died to rust and/or decompose.  Being a gold mining town (past and present), there is quite a bit of old abandoned equipment, not to mention more recently abandoned trucks and snowmobiles.  There is nothing to recommend Nome from our perspective other than birds.  This was, and still is, a gold mining town focused on extracting gold and other resources, but we struck it rich with 22 new bird species.

Birding in Nome means driving the three main roads, and we had a Jeep reserved for our three full days of birding but with the rental period starting the next day. So after arriving we walked the mile down to the harbor and found our first Pacific Golden Plover and Tree Sparrows on the way.  At the harbor we discovered other firsts-a lone Parakeet Auklet, Thick-billed Murre, and Long-tailed Ducks.  The Long-tailed Duck is one I had been looking forward to seeing, and we were not disappointed to see them in breeding plumage.  Chuck was frustrated that he saw the Aleutian Tern, but since I didn’t, we could not add it to our list.  Thankfully for marital harmony, we saw it again on the third day.

While waiting for our Jeep the first morning, we whiled away our time in the parking lot with three wild MUSK OX!  A note on the Inn door warned that they were there, and were dangerous.  Only in Alaska.  Musk Ox are renowned for their soft fur, called quiviut.  Advertisements state that is 8 times warmer than wool, finer than cashmere, hypoallergenic and unshrinkable!  A wonder yarn with an outlandish price of $40 or more per ounce means that locals can earn a little extra cash by gathering the wool caught by brambles on the Ox paths.  I couldn’t resist gathering a sample too, and it is delightfully soft. Soon our Jeep was ready. Note to readers- DO NOT rent (basically wear) a two door sport jeep, though in my defense it is the only one they had left when I made my June reservations the previous November.  Chuck says he has chest high wading boots which are easier to get into.
The Nome roads are horrible, especially in the Jeep, which is why the rental company requires that you do not drive on any but the three main roads.  We chose one of the three roads for our first day and found four new birds, the Long-tailed Jaeger, Northern Shrike, Arctic Warbler, and Bluethroat.  The Bluethroat is certainly one of the sought after and most beautiful birds to have found, given their limited range, and although we got good looks we got only below average pictures.  We were happy to add the Arctic Warbler to our “warbler collection”.

Day two was the more productive from a species count standpoint, and we added the American Golden-Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Pomarine Jaeger, Sabine’s Gull, Aleutian Tern, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, and Lapland Longspur.  Though not our first look at Common Eiders, we were able to get much more satisfactory looks at this handsome bird. It was on the third day that we found our more unique birds- the Arctic Loon, Red Phalarope, Slaty-backed Gull, Short-eared Owl, and Northern Wheatear.  The Short-eared Owl flew from in front of us, across the road, allowing Chuck enough time to turn the Jeep and give chase.  He perched on driftwood to pose for us, but the drizzly conditions didn’t allow good pictures.

In spite of the cold, rain, and windy weather in Nome, we did see unique birds.  I regret that we missed seeing the Bristle Thigh Curlew and Gyrfalcon through no fault but our own; poor planning and research on my part.  Thankfully we have more than 6 months left to find others.

Yes… I have gotten behind in blog posts.

Proving that bad luck comes in three’s: in one week my Honda was stolen from my son in Florida, I broke my ankle, and my computer crashed.  The car has been found, but being held hostage by ASAP Towing & Storage in Jacksonville who won’t release it to Warren (or even let damage be inspected) until we can find a notary in the boonies of Alaska or Western Canada to provide him an original notarized document with permission to bail it out.  I have a cast, and can now help Chuck with enough camping duties that we decided we can at least continue, although with limited birding, since our 2015 Big Year Our Way rules require that we both identify the bird before adding it to our list. Staying with Chuck’s sister Salinda in Sainte-Marthe-Sur-le-Lac, Quebec allowed Chuck access to internet and the ability to upload fixes to my computer WITHOUT losing any of my files!  So… I begin catch up with Alaska and Western Canada birding travel:

We began our Alaska adventure by loading the van on to the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry in Bellingham Washington.  The first of our three ferry trips was 37 hours and included two nights.  When researching the trip, the website described what seemed like a romantic notion- to sleep under the stars on the back deck… in our own tent.  As we made our final preparations to board we aborted that plan.  What could I have been thinking? In my mind we are still in our 30’s.  Instead, with no state room booked, we opted for the next best option- sleeping on the heated solarium deck lounge chairs with about 30 other “campers”.  I also expected to bird from the ferry, but as it turns out, birding was severely limited by the level of vibration affecting use of the scope.  Instead of a focus on pelagic birds, we enjoyed stupendous scenery, sunsets, a rainbow, breaching whale, and a bit of a break from birding.

Our first stopover was Ketchikan where we got off the ferry for a one night stay at the Signal Creek National Forest Campground at Ward Lake.  We were disappointed with finding only one new species in the Ketchikan area, the Mew Gull, but did appreciate watching two clutches of Common Merganser chicks with their mothers.   For a birding location, Ketchikan was not our best choice, seeming mostly a cruise ship shopping stop.

The second Ferry stop in Juneau, though a huge cruise ship shopping stop in the downtown area, turned out to be a much better birding option. We stayed at the Mendenhall Glacier National Forest Campground for 3 nights. A 7 a.m. arrival was too early to check into our campsite so we
went right to the Glacier Visitor Center where, in near solitude, we were able to view the majesty of the glacier and get in a bit of birding.  Pictures we had seen of the glacier and even Chuck’s great shots cannot portray the wonder of seeing this blue ice in person.  Just before the visitor center opened, we spoke with a forest service employee who told us that over ½ million people will come to this visitor center this and that his main jobs were crowd control and traffic direction. Until we saw the crowds that began arriving, busload after busload from the THREE cruise ships docked in town, we didn’t really comprehend the importance of his job.  Luckily, we saw a White-winged Crossbill to add to our list before the birds were chased deeper into the woods by the thousands of tourists that visited that day.

Our unusually good weather luck finally ran out… We traveled Oregon, Washington, Ketchikan, and the first day and half of Juneau with beautifully warm sunny weather- unseasonable for temperate rainforests.  We put our rain gear to good use birding at Eagle Beach, where I walked toward the incredibly lifelike Eagle statue set up on a post on the beach, only to stop short when its head turned; majestic! There were easily 9 Eagles in one tree overlooking the beach; Eagles seem almost as common in Alaska as laughing gulls are back home.  In addition to seeing Eagles, we added three new birds, the Brant, Eurasian Wigeon, and Black Oyster Catcher. Later that day we found three more new species, Red Crossbill, Thayer’s Gull, and Western Wood-Pewee at the Shrine of St. Terese.  Beginning in Oregon, throughout Washington, and then up to this point, we had been searching for the MacGillivray’s Warbler. There had been times we were sure that we were hearing its call but we couldn’t get the bird to appear in our binoculars.  Finally, our last day in Juneau, following a location tip from a local birder, we heard the call and actually saw the bird… briefly, but enough to identify it.  A successful conclusion to our visit to Juneau.

We boarded the ferry by 5 am on June 5^th, Chuck’s 60^th Birthday, celebrating it in Haines that evening with Chuck’s golfing buddy Dan Harrington and his friend Sally. Dan met us at the dock, welcomed us to his home, toured us in and around Haines, and even cooked for us. From Dan’s living room window we had a beautiful view of the bay, and as luck would have it, one of the birds we were looking for, a Red Necked Grebe.  Dan happened upon Haines 35 years ago, loved the area, and stayed. 
As our tour guide and storyteller extraordinaire, we enjoyed a trip into Canada where he knew that we could find Ptarmigan; sure enough we found Willow Ptarmigan.   Chuck was happy to be able to play a round of golf in Alaska, on AstroTurf greens no less, while I visited some of the Haines museums.  I was struck by one exhibit which focused on survival and self-sufficiency skills and heard a docent declare with pride how much they can do without; this has been a refrain that I have heard throughout Alaska. How refreshing and inspiring it seems to me at this phase in life. Unfortunately we had to leave Dan, who was so incredibly generous in sharing the local culture, history, and wildlife with incredible knowledge and passion.  Thank you again, Dan!

From here we were on our own again, traveling into the Alaska mainland.

The next leg of our trip started from home, after a few days of errands and restocking, heading to Bellingham Washington. Knowing that we had exactly two weeks to get to the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry, we purposely left without stop by stop plans, thinking to drive as far as possible allowing maximum birding time in Oregon and Washington.  And we hoped that our start was not auspicious… with Google Driving Directions set for Oregon as the general path, Chuck’s co-pilot (me), started researching what birds could be expected for possible future stops.  I failed to notice that I had turned the directions off until Chuck exclaimed that we were making our second circle around Dothan, GA!  For some reason I found this so hilarious that I could barely stop laughing to get us back on track.  Having to be behind the wheel for that much longer, Chuck was not as amused.

We drove with little more than pit stops from Crawfordville, FL to Pueblo, CO, some 1600 miles in 31 hours, and with gas mileage of 30.3!  Camping was a dramatic transition from a beach view in South Florida which required sleeping with fans, to sleeping under flannel sheets and heavy covers with a snowcapped mountain view of Colorado.

We hopped back on the road for another 900 miles, to camp at the Bruneau Dunes State Park.  I picked this site because I couldn’t resist the idea of seeing sand dunes in Idaho! What a unique place, where the tallest sand dune in in North America was formed from sandy sediments of the Snake River, regular high winds, with all of it feeding into a natural trap for the sand.  As you can see, the sands continue to shift.
The dark colored dunes around the lake reminded us of an Ansel Adams photograph but instead of black and white, it was a study of browns and tans. We added two new birds here, the California Quail and the Bullocks Oriole.

When our kids were young, they had a computer game called Oregon Trail where players were provided a budget to prepare for a covered wagon trip west to Oregon by choosing the best timing, route, food, and equipment.  Our kids would probably tell you that I loved playing that game more than they did, and I felt that in some small way the game was coming to life as we traveled in our “covered Sprinter Van”, on a route timed for birds, hoping that we packed the right food and equipment for our trip to Oregon followed by Washington, Alaska, Newfoundland, Maine, and North Carolina before returning home again in mid-August.

Most of our time in Oregon was spent in Ponderosa Pines (a fire dependent forest system) near the communities of Sisters and Indian Ford both of which are located inside the Willamette National Forest, as well as in the Temperate Rainforest at Fort Stevens State Park. Chuck noted that private forest lands were severely over harvested so that all are now all less than 30 years old.  It was easy to see for ourselves why there was such an uproar when land managers attempted to heavily harvest public forests in the same manner. Chuck saw that the Willamette National Forest looked well thinned and burned in the Sisters area, but that Indian Ford had much denser underbrush and was concerned whether they are using enough fire to protect the forest. Even the State of Oregon forests seemed more harvested than the National Forest and State Park lands. Along the coast, we found 7 new species, including Pelagic Cormorant, the Red-necked Phalarope, and a raft of over 100 Surf Scoters.

While birding in Oregon, we felt that we were struggling just to see birds, although in hindsight we did see a total of 14 new species, but we believe that three factors contributed to our increased feeling of difficulty.  First, we were past most of the migration period of easy pickings. Second, the light seemed so different- inside the forest canopy it was as if we were birding at dusk at any time of the day. And third, the forests are denser than we had experienced to date so that we could rarely see the outline of a bird against the sky.  Entering the forests in this area was like walking into a hushed and darkened moss covered cathedral.  We experienced the silence by more than just our ears, we could see the muted softening of color, feel the moisture and cushioning moss under foot, taste pine in the air, and could stop and smell the delicate scent of Sitka Roses.

WASHINGTON. Here was our true example of temperate rain forests with what we believed was the most striking spot in Washington, the Olympic National Park’s Quinault Valley of the Rain Forest Giants.  This valley is the home of the “World’s Largest Spruce, Western Red Cedar, Douglas Fir & Mountain Hemlock. Also the United States’ largest Yellow Cedar & Western Hemlock”. .  The enormity of the trees is was a wonder to see.

The balance of our birding stops in Washington were targeted for specific birds, and included Port Angeles, where we stayed in a wonderful campground with three deer foraging at the edge of our campsite, and at Grays Harbor Beach where we took time to explore tide pools full of starfish and watch wales surface just past the breaking waves.

We added 22 new species in Washington starting with Cape Disappointment, where we added the Brandt’s Cormorant and the Pigeon Guillemot.

The Cascades National Park had a beautiful hike that started with a mountain overlook, down a well-built trail through a moss covered forest, with waterfalls along the way down to a pebble lined creek.

The Ocean Shores Jetty was fun but a challenging climb for older folk (us) in drizzly weather, and out on the slippery rocks we found Wandering Tattler, Parasitic Jaeger, and Common Murre.  We were reminded that we had seen few marine mammals so far as we came upon a single Sea Lion pup left on the beach by its mother; it is typical of the mothers to leave them during the day and then come back at night to feed the pups.

The Olympic Peninsula is yet another place we want to return to explore when we can spend more time.  It was impressive to us, as Floridians, how little development Washington (and Oregon) had along their coastal shores; the beauty is there for all to enjoy as opposed to Florida beach development where in most areas it is near impossible to see the beach between condos and hotels.

Next stop… the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry!

We left Dunnellon, FL heading to Key West, FL where we would board the Yankee Freedom to the Fort Zachary Taylor in the Dry Tortugas. As background, many of you may not know that the young Chuck’s dream was to become a Marine Biologist.  His motion sickness sank that dream. Any serious “Birding Big Year” requires pelagic boat trips, tough for someone who gets seasick, and the Dry Tortugas was to be our first of the year.  Unfortunately for Chuck’s stomach, and the birds caught migrating in bad weather, we faced a storm rough enough for the captain to offer refunds for cancellations.  Chuck made the call to continue, and soon after passing Hospital Key (where we could barely make out both Masked and Brown Booby’s in the rain) and Chuck’s polite use of the complimentary sea sick bag, we arrived at Fort Jefferson.

Fortunately for birders, the weather forced an incredible number of birds to drop to the island for a rest and to refuel.  Our supplies were unloaded in the rain (a stay here requires that campers pack in everything including their own water), so we picked a camp spot, covered everything with a tarp and began exploring the Fort until the rain stopped.  The fort’s layout is quite conducive to birding in the rain.  Fort “Zach” is a large Civil War Era brick fort with a large parade ground inside all surrounded by a moat. Birding can be done from the many rooms without courtyard facing walls which look out into the trees and shrubs growing on the grounds.  I spent a few minutes chatting with the birder next to me and quickly figured out that he was the #3 Big Year Birder of all time, John Vanderpoel, who identified 743 birds in his big year.  He was very humble, gave me some tips, and wished us luck on our Big Year.  Once the rain transitioned to sprinkles we spent the next couple of hours birding the grounds before making camp.

What an incredible treat to spend three days of a very busy migration period birding this beautiful island.  Each day the mix of birds changed as some headed out and others dropped in.  We birded from inside the fortress, on top of the walls, along the moat, along the beach, and even in our campsite.  Hooded, Kentucky, and Black-throated Blue Warblers, Black Whiskered Vireos, Oven Birds, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Scarlet Tanagers, and Veery all shared our campsite.  It was amazing how many Yellow-billed Cuckoos we saw the first day, since they are a somewhat secretive and typically more challenging bird to see.  Brown Noddys and Sooty Terns were abundant and busy with nesting activities in one of the few (maybe only) US nesting sites for both of these birds.   Such a smorgasbord of birds attracted hungry (and well fed) Peregrine and Merlin as well!  We added 13 new species to our list here and saw many others.  We had packed our mask and fins but they never touched water- we were just too birdy busy!  We did take time to enjoy the exquisite sunsets though.

The boat ride back to Key West was much more pleasant (no sea sickness) and the weather allowed us to spend it on the upper deck of the ferry’s stern. We enjoyed a better view of the Boobys on Hospital Key and even saw a Bridled Tern.

Back in Key West we tried a second time to find the Bahama Mocking Bird, last seen a few days earlier at the Key West Botanical Gardens, and ended up birding until they closed.  Like others there that day, we had no luck seeing that bird, but did catch site of a Short-tailed Hawk soaring with the Magnificent Frigate Birds.

We decided to spend one more night in Key West, catch up with laundry, put the van back in order, and then get up early to bird our way home working from a specific list of target birds. We used our Marriott rewards points and on check in were told that they upgraded our room… to a Presidential Suite!  Serendipitously Wonderful!! Instead of leaving early, we luxuriated in the pool, Jacuzzi, fluffy bathrobes, and didn’t check out until deadline; quite the contrast from primitive tent camping on Dry Tortugas.

The Amazing Run

Finally leaving the Marriott, we began working down the list of target birds that we came up with by using our BirdsEye App.  The App allows a search of birds from our “needs list” which were seen recently at specific hot spots on our path home.  Our Florida needs list was becoming much smaller (a good thing).  The first stop was an un-glamorous spot, the Searstown Shopping Center in Key West, where the Lesser Black Backed Gull had been seen in the parking lot.  We drove around the lot twice seeing only Laughing Gulls until I noticed two birds sitting on top of a square parking lot lamp, and sure enough, they were just what we were looking for.  Encouraged by the success of finding our first target bird right where indicated, we headed for the Roseate Tern, which had been seen at the Government Center on Marathon Key.   We found it on the pier behind the building, as expected.  Could this successful run continue?  We headed to the Marathon Airport for the Pectoral Sandpiper, where after a bit of searching the grassy areas, we found it.  The next target bird, a Mangrove Cuckoo, was reported at both John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and the Dagney Johnson Key Largo Hammock State Park. Since last year I literally ran out of the Dagney SP, smacking myself silly and whimpering over the quantity of mosquito’s drinking my blood, we made Pennekamp our plan “A”.  Thank goodness we found it there; right where John Dixon, who birded with us on Dry Tortugas and Key West told us where he found his!  We were on such a roll that we almost hated stopping to eat & sleep.

The next day we had four birds on the target list and headed to the Everglades Flamingo Visitor Center where Shiny Cowbirds had been seen.  After just minutes of looking through two groups of Brown-headed Cowbirds, we saw at least two males.  Today was starting out easy!  With that bird under our belt, we headed to a pond at the Dolphin Mall (another un-glamorous spot) where we hoped to see the Purple Swamphen.  Since its ‘sister species’, the Purple Gallinule, is somewhat secretive we didn’t expect this one to be as easy.  We were wrong- stepping onto the grass in front of the drainage pond, we immediately saw one, then another, and then another; these birds are certainly not shy!  Next stop was a ball park where the Burrowing Owl had been seen.  As we pulled into the parking lot we laughingly discussed that finding this one couldn’t possibly be easier than the Swamphen.  Looking out the windshield… we saw them!  It was a joy to get out and watch the two adults and the two juveniles in the middle of their flying lessons; a wonderful first ever view of Burrowing Owls.  ONCE AGAIN we set out, this time for our last target bird, the Snail Kite.  We knew that there was no way to see THIS one even easier than the Owls.  And ONCE AGAIN we were wrong.  While driving over a bridge to the area indicated by the BirdsEye App, we looked down the waterway, and there they were.  This time we didn’t even need to stop the car to see them, though who could resist the opportunity to watch and photograph 8 Snail Kites swooping to snatch snails from the water and taking them to a treetop to eat.

Now we know that this run was a good bit of luck, the App doesn’t pinpoint exactly where a bird was seen, and certainly cannot predict exactly where it will be when we plan to be there.  With our bird count getting higher, the number of birds left getting smaller, and with the spring migration virtually over, we are reconciled to adding birds at a slower pace and working harder for each one.  But this amazing run sure was fun while it lasted!

To begin our own migration east, just outside the gates of the Texas “World Birding Center” site of Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park, we were able to see and hear both the Lesser and Common Night Hawks in our campground.  Inside the park the next morning we identified a Zone-tailed Hawk and saw our first Mississippi Kites of the year, an amazing “kettle” of 30+ of them, circling and riding the thermals.  We had been intermittently searching for the Zone-tailed for a while, never sure of seeing one until here.  Zone-tailed Hawks summer in the Southwest and are sneaky- they soar high in the air with Turkey Vultures (carrion eaters) holding their wings similarly to fool live prey (small birds and lizards)  into thinking that they (like vultures) have no interest in them… oh but they do! We also saw and heard Tropical Kingbirds and Couch’s Kingbirds side by side and considered ourselves fortunate since they are very difficult to differentiate other than by call.  Surprised to find few migrants we moved on quickly; so little migration time, so many great places to be.

The South Padre Island World Birding Center site proved a more fortunate choice.  We actually planned on birding elsewhere since this area has little to recommend it other than birds (very Panama City Beach-ish…yuk).  Utilizing the “I can’t say enough wonderful things about it app”, BirdsEye, we could tell where the birds we needed for our list were being seen, and adjusted our plans accordingly.  We were hoping to catch the migrants, and catch them we did; 21 new species including 9 Warblers, a Vireo, a Flycatcher, 2 Grosbeaks, a Tanager, a Redstart, 2 Thrushes, a Sandpiper, a Bunting and 2 Orioles.

Moving to Goose Island State Park, further east along the Texas coast, we camped under their canopy of oaks.  Here, most birding is done in the campground, where a horrifying number of caterpillars were falling out of the trees into our hair, down our shirts, and into our laps.  Surely this many caterpillars could have supported thousands more migrants.  The great views of birds coming in for a sip and taking baths at the well-designed watering station was charming, and helped compensate for the Ick factor of the caterpillars… mostly.  The balance of the campground was dense with underbrush, but we did fight through one area while tracking a Yellow-billed Cuckoo.  As we were leaving the next morning we discovered that hundreds of caterpillars had climbed to sit up on top of our van tires, triggering me to urge Chuck to consider driving as he would on ice, in case the caterpillar guts were slippery.

We are finding Breeding Plumage is almost unbelievable.  I hope that we never become so jaded that we are not overwhelmed by the beauty of even common birds when they are all dressed up in their breeding plumage. The quality of these photographs is pretty overwhelming too- Go Chuck!  Chuck has always been able to pace himself well.  While birding during migration I felt compelled to run from spot to spot to see a new one.  Chuck’s photography requires us to slow down and enjoy the experience and beauty (though it still chafes now and then).

Continuing east we spent time in and around the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge and High Island, an area well known to serious birders. The weather had been unusually wet making birding muddy, but the Huston Audubon sites (Boy Scout Woods and Smith Oaks) were well maintained with sufficient trails allowing a large number of birders to move around and see the birds.  In this area we were able to add 2 Sandpipers, 2 swallows, the Eastern Whip-poor-will, two more Vireos, the Western Tanager, 2 new warblers, Wilson’s Phalarope in a puddle, our first Eastern Kingbird of the year, and the Dickcissel pictured here.  Chuck sure slowed down and captured these two- this picture is NOT touched up or an artist rendition!

From here we continued further East to Gulf Islands National Seashore, catching bird #400 which turned out to be a Gull-billed Tern. The Dauphin Island side was disappointing after High Island, but more migrants were to be found across the ferry on the Fort Morgan/ Gulf Shores side.  400 birds within the first 1/3 of the year, and considering our O.J.T. (On the Job Training), this is better than we hoped.  The trouble is, we have now ratcheted our hopes higher.  500 now seems easily attainable, do we dare we hope for 600, or even more?  In this first 1/3 of our journey, we have learned the importance of birding by ear, and are slowly improving.  We learned that we MUST look thoughtfully at each bird without preconceived snap judgments. We learned the benefit of having several field guides available since each has slightly different information, pictures, and keys.  We learned to USE BirdsEye to our advantage- other than field guides, we have found this app to be our most helpful tool! We know we need to continue studying shapes, patterns, and sizes while trying not to lose sight of habitat, range, and behavior. We found that being in right place and time is critical; working to see a bird with low probability in one area doesn’t make sense if you will be falling over them soon in another… and we need to learn/plan those places even better. So what can we do with 2/3 of the year left?  We shall see.

Near home, at St. George Island, we found 5 more species to add to our list- the Eastern Wood-Pewee, 2 Thrush, 2 more Warblers, and we were happy to see that there were still many species here even though it was getting late in the season.  The Youth Camp area makes birding especially enjoyable since the open habitat allows the birds to be seen well.  Though the birding was good, we were anxious to be home again and left fairly early in the day.  Home to unpack everything for a complete spring “house cleaning” on the van, see our first Swallow-tailed Kite of the year (Chuck gets a Kiss for Every Kite) and then on to Dunnellon Florida for golf and relaxing on the Rainbow River with family… and a cute family of Wood Ducks.

The next leg of our adventure began at Fort Davis National Historic Site.  We hoped that their bird feeding stations would yield a new bird for our list, but far more importantly, that the nearby HAT STORE still had the one Chuck regretted not purchasing on our last visit to the area.  He got the hat, but not a new bird at the feeding station, so we set out in search of a Black-chinned Sparrow and a Montezuma Quail, both of which are secretive and somewhat hard to find. This area is at higher elevation with lovely oak grasslands which are more moist, cool and pleasant than surrounding lower elevations. We stopped several places along the road leading up to the McDonald Observatory listening for distinctive calls.  On our way back down, we heard a Black-chinned calling and watched until it popped up to call again.  Success!  With that bird added to the list, but without finding the elusive Montezuma Quail, we headed back to the Big Bend NP in hopes of seeing the Colima Warbler.

Big Bend National Park was still in bloom and amazingly even more magnificent than when we were here a month ago.  We were somewhat concerned that it was slightly early to find Colima Warblers, birds with a US range limited to the Chisos Mountains of the Big Bend National Park during breeding season.  Finding one meant camping within the park in a “primitive” camping site (no electricity or showers) located almost an hour from the Pinnacles Trail, but were pleased to hear both Elf and Western Screech Owls that evening. Early the next morning we started the Pinnacles Trail hike, classed by the Park Service as “strenuous”, praying that we would see the bird without having to make the full 12 mile 5400-7800 foot elevation climb.  At the end of the day, it didn’t feel like we succeeded in lessening the distance or elevation, but we actually ended up hiking only 9.5ish miles.  While we did see our bird, I have to admit that it was sadly anticlimactic.  We had been hearing them call as we climbed but without catching glimpses.  In the ‘bird listing world’ a “heard only” bird counts as identified to add to our list, but we really strive to see them.  Finally, we caught sight of a rather dull grayish-brownish bird, with white eyering, and the distinctive yellow vent.  Just as Chuck got the tripod / scope /camera setup to snap a picture… a Ranger on horseback, leading 8 pack horses came up the trail, causing us to scramble to give them room without our falling off the mountain.  That was the end our Colima Warbler glimpses!  The day had started overcast with limited visibility, but near the top of our climb a vista opened, and Holy Cow! In Big Bend NP, we were able to add the Colima Warbler and 6 other species to our list, enjoy the desert abloom, and take a beautiful hike.

The Lost Maples State Natural Area, near San Antonio Texas, is one of a limited number of places in the United States, where the Golden-cheeked Warbler can reliably be found.  The campground is clean and small. Nestled in our campsite, surrounded by birds, we enjoyed watching Eastern Bluebird nesting activity in a snag next to our picnic table. Of the parts of Texas that we have seen, these canyonlands are one of the more beautiful- dry mountaintops with moist riparian corridors below.  The many cabins and resorts in the area indicate that others agree this is a wonderful place to get away from the desert heat. Our Golden-cheeked search required a 6+ mile hike up a very steep scree, which we certainly class as strenuous.  Since it was drizzly, the rocks were slippery and dangerous, but the area was oh so beautiful; the maples must be breathtaking come the fall color change. Like the Colima search, we could hear the Golden-Cheeked warbler calling during much of the hike.  Foliage was situated on both sides of the mountain ridge trail, making it near impossible to see the birds who were staying on the outside edges.  We reached the top with little more than a peek at a Golden-cheeked.  We were happy to find Black-capped Vireo, another limited range bird, but frustrated at not having decent views of a Golden-cheeked, we headed down hoping for more.  We made it to the bottom of the trail without breaking an ankle, and then just 500 yards from the van, we heard the call loud and clear.  Exhausted, we almost ignored it, but glanced up one last time… and there it was!  So Ironic. A Golden-cheeked Warbler sitting at the top of a tree, gloriously singing it’s heart out, allowing great views and pictures, so close to the start of the trail.  This was surely a much more satisfactory experience than our sight of the Colima Warbler.

To add to the successes of seeing the Colima and Golden-cheeked Warblers was the exhilaration of seeing our first Scissor-tail Flycatchers.  Splendid.  On our way to South Texas to catch the migrant birds beginning to gather, we were able to see dozens of groups of Scissor-tails along fence, telephone, and tree lines.  While showing off for females, the males flutter up spreading their longer scissor like split tails in front of their intended mates, bringing to mind Cirque de Soleil acts

Sunset at Rusty’s

We chased some interesting birds on our trip back through Arizona, adding 26 species in 7 days.  Just over the NM line near Portal Arizona, we camped in an oasis called Rusty’s RV Park.  We typically prefer public parks since the private RV parks seem geared to the big rig RV retirement home life style of “snow birds”.  Not so here. We enjoyed dinner in a flower garden, with paths winding over Koi filled ponds, all while surrounded by desert.  As I write this post we are at a campsite on I-10 in Texas, with a view of semi’s passing, and their noise competing with the obnoxious Great-tailed Grackles.

Frazzled

Clearly, not all of our evenings are spent as pleasantly as at Rusty’s.  This White-eyed Vireo looks as frazzled as I feel after a night of sleeping on I-10!

Magnificent Hummingbird

Hummingbirds were migrating into AZ and we got to see hundreds including some new species for us- the Calliope, Costa’s, Violet-crowned, Broad-tailed, Blue-throated, and this magnificent Magnificent Hummingbird, (a magnificent photo too!) though we were sorry to miss a Lucifer Hummingbird. I would bet that half of the hummingbird feeders sold in United States are sold in Arizona.  In Tallahassee Florida, no self-respecting yard is without a dogwood and the same can be said of clean stocked hummingbird feeders in Arizona.

Chiricahua National Monument

Chuck at Chiricahua National Monument

Carrie at Chiricahua National Monument

On our first pass through the state, we failed to visit the Chiricahua Mountains, and I am very glad that we corrected our error in judgment.  We drove from the Portal area, over the infamous dirt Pinery Canyon Road through the Chiricahua Mountains, on the way to the Chiricahua National Monument.  The road itself was a journey; virtually a one lane road with hair pin turns having speed limits of 10 mph and mind blowing views (and drops).  Thank goodness for the nimbleness of the Sprinter Van and Chuck’s excellent driving skills. While negotiating all of that, he still noticed one of our target birds, a pair of Williamson’s Sapsuckers on a tree just an arm’s length from my window. As our reward at the end of this drive we got to see the remote Chiricahua National Monument which boasts amazing vertical pinnacles of rock.  The vistas and beauty are quite impressive.

In Patagonia and the Huachuca Mountains we found 13 of our 26 new species, including two new Vireos, four new Flycatchers, and a Lucy’s Warbler.  We missed the Elegant Trogon and Sinaloa Wren (again), but it was here that we noticed our skills at discriminating various bird calls was improving and making a noticeable difference in locating target birds.

By far our happiest find was the elusive Elegant Trogon.  It had been on our target list for many stops on both trips through Arizona, and we were finally able to see it on the Carrie Nation Trail (gotta love the name) in Madera Canyon.  Starting up this trail, we were discussing how it is a good thing we didn’t wait to do our “Big Year”, since we were panting before we saw the first bird- and it was a Robin!  Walking just a bit further up the trail we heard the dog like barking call of a Trogon.  Exhaustion giving way to excitement, we sprinted further up the trail and got good looks, but not so good pictures.  No birder forgets the first time they see a Trogon, and those who have not seen one pine for it.  The male’s juxtaposition of iridescent green, black, white, and red all set off by a yellow beak is in a word… elegant.

After such good fortune in seeing the Magnificent Hummingbird and the Elegant Trogon, we left Arizona hopeful to have similar luck finding the Colima and Golden Cheeked Warblers in Texas, our way home for a brief visit.

After spending time in the ‘plain’ Great Plains, we were ready for adventure.  Spending the night in Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary Sandhill Crane photo blind was surely going to be one of our more unique undertakings.  Access to a photo blind took pre-planning since the reservation window for the 4 blinds opened on January 2^nd with availability from March 20^th– April 11^th only.

Rowe Sanctuary Photo Blind

We shelled out $200 to stay in a 4 ft. H x 8 ft. W x 6 ft. plywood box, which looked much like a coffin for two.  No room service, but this accommodation had 4 windows with a view!  The blinds are strategically placed along the Platte River allowing one to see and photograph thousands of the 400,000 to 500,000 Sandhill Cranes as they roost in the evening and take flight in the morning. We arrived at the Sanctuary early to get the lay of the land (or water) and to be sure that they were still allowing viewers, since the temperature was dropping to 20 degrees that night. We were told that “the birds will be there regardless” thus we were expected to be there too.

Sunset on the Platte River

At 4:45 p.m., we were ready to be taken to our blind.  We had two Therm-a-Rest sleeping pads, two flannel sleeping bags zipped together, and a very heavy comforter for sleeping.  We were wearing thermal underwear, two pair of wool sox, and layers of warm shirts under our winter coats.  Hats, mittens, many chemical hand and body warmers, snacks and thermoses of hot coffee and tea completed our pile.  It looked as if we were staying the week rather than just one night.  We were literally carted to our blind, provided a bucket (with seat and lid) and warned that we were not to come out until they came to cart us back.  Also, since the birds were flying off later than usual, we were expected to stay put until 11am the next morning!

Early Roosting of the Cranes

The sight and sound of the mass of cranes silhouetted against the darkening sky was beyond description.  Three of the names for a group of cranes are a “swoop”, a “dance”, or a “siege”, and after watching this show, I am not sure which fits best.  The cranes slowly streamed in, landing up and down river as far as we could see, with many just feet from our blind.  We watched as they landed, danced, and jockeyed for position. Several times as they were settling for the night, groups were spooked, and various sections of the river would erupt with birds taking off, circling, and then returning to the same area.

Mico View of take off

Sometime after dark, the birds quieted, and we were actually able to sleep. We made sure to set an alarm since our fear was to oversleep, and after going to all this effort, miss the most impressive part of the adventure.  We needn’t have worried; only the hardest of sleepers could have slept as the birds began to stir, and it wasn’t until 10:15 a.m. that they began taking flight.

Macro View of take off

The ascent of thousands of cranes darkened the sky starting up river, moving in waves down river, finally working its way to us.  Interestingly, many birds would come back to settle on a section of the river, only to re-erupt to the sky.  By 11 a.m. almost all of the birds had left the river to feed in nearby farm fields.   The morning flights were absolutely awe inspiring, and it is impossible for me to adequately describe the sight, sound, and feeling of such a majestic, glorious, fabulous, captivating, magnificent, and splendid experience.  Even great pictures seem underwhelming in comparison.

We added no new birds to our list, but celebrated the event with a wonderful late breakfast to fuel our start to the Chirichua Moutains in Arizona.

Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico were exciting birding in beautiful surroundings, but Kansas was not our cup of tea.  We found the Great Plains just that… greatly plain and flat with boring landscape.  As a child in Minnesota I remember looking for the first American Robin as the herald of spring, on the Apalachicola National Forest Chuck watched for the Eastern Kingbird.  We found it ironic to be told by a campground host in Kansas that they were looking forward to their herald, the Turkey Vulture.  In the middle of the Cimarron National Grasslands, KS, we were one of only two overnight campers but the area boasted a stocked trout pond.  We chatted with a couple of elderly fishermen who gifted us with two fresh trout providing a serendipitous change of dinner plans.

Clark’s & Western Grebe

At Elephant Butte, New Mexico we had the luxury of studying the extremely similar Clark’s Grebe and Western Grebe side by side. The Curve-Billed Thrashers joined us in camp, and even Gambel’s Quail

Gambel’s Quail

walked through.   Our first evening there was clear and cool with the Milky Way visible.  We were able to position the van to allow a view of our campfire from the van’s open sliding side door.  Romantic.

The Basque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico has a wonderful visitor center with bird knowledgeable staff who pointed out the best place to see a Ross’s Goose and referred us to the Bitter Lakes NWR as a place to see our first Scaled Quail.  But my favorite spot in New Mexico was the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park in Albuquerque.  Well worth stopping for birders and non-birders alike.  This uniquely designed center has wonderful viewing windows, and it was here we were able to see both the Mountain and Black-capped Chickadees as well as the Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers side by side.

Mountain Chickadee

From a distance the Mountain Chickadee looked so cute, but when Chuck shared his pictures I was surprised at how fierce they appear; I have not been able to look at them the same since.  What we saw of Albuquerque was lovely, with tiers of adobe architecture.  Their care for an aesthetically appealing community is apparent, even the WalMart was not allowed to look tacky.  We were told that they have more public space per capita than any area in the country.  Hooray for their planners and architectural controls which care for community and quality of life over the short term profits of slap dab development.

Bottomless Lakes SP

In the middle of New Mexico, we found beautiful sink holes…Nine lakes in limestone along the Pecos River surrounded by cliffs. Bottomless Lakes State Park, just outside Roswell NM (yes, that Roswell) must be an incredibly busy spot during the summer.  Thankfully, we were there off season so that the beauty of the geology and lakes could shine.

We enjoyed two nights at the Villanueva State Park, also at the banks of the Pecos River and an incredible cliff face.  If the river wasn’t flowing so quickly it would have been hard to tell the difference between the water and its clay colored banks.  A fly fisherman was working from the banks, and I cannot imagine that it was to catch dinner from such sediment filled river.  Hopefully he was fly fishing for the Zen of it.

Black-billed Magpie

Just outside of the park, we saw our first Black-billed Magpie.  Black and White is always a good wardrobe choice, though this picture does not show that they actually have a nice accent color of blue as well.  To eat dinner watching the sun dapple the cliff and hear the water gurgling over rocks in the Pecos River was heavenly.

We love to dive in Bonaire.  Once geared up and off the end of the dive boat, immersion into a more peaceful and wondrous world is absolute.  We are immediately surrounded by the beauty of hundreds of unique coral shapes on both the ocean floor and “walls”, a multitude of fish and marine life both large and small, and all come together in a rainbow of color. Being on the Douglas Spring Trail in the Saguaro National Park in Arizona reminded Chuck of diving.  Instead of coral and fish, we had rock formations, flowers, butterflies, cacti, and birds…in a desert no less!
The Saguaro Cactus, which this park was established to protect, adds character to the landscape.

Phainopepla

Rarely has the beauty of an area moved me to tears as this one did- Chuck takes me to the nicest places. We added three new species to our list here, one of which was the Phainopepla who seemed to look at us with disdain for our lack of ability to call this marvelous place home.

We visited both the Big Bend National Park in Texas and the Saguaro National Park AZ, while in bloom, but the two desert environments were strikingly different.  The Big Bend has a tremendous variety of plant life ranging across the 800,000 acre park, but plants were overwhelmed by the geological structure and sweeping vistas. The Saguaro at 90,000 acres has its plant life adding structure to the mountains and since the flowers and cacti are spaced more densely it creates an intensity not felt at Big Bend.

Saguaro National Park

Big Bend National Park

Both were beautiful in their own right.

We camped at the Kartchner Caverns State Park, AZ as our home base for 4 nights, and found 3 new birds on the first and only day that we birded the park’s nature trail; it was here that we saw our first Green-tailed Towhee.

Green-tailed Towhee

Kartchner Caverns is an exemplary campground, with the focal point of the park being the world renowned living caverns, which I am embarrassed to say, we did not make time for.  We are scheduled to be birding this area again in April and have already booked our cavern tour!

The Ramsey Canyon Preserve, a Nature Conservancy site, is well known in large part for their Hummingbirds.  Our reconnaissance mission brought us here too early for hummers, but we did locate three new birds.  We could feel the dramatic difference between the moist canyon and dry desert around us, and enjoyed yet another lunch next to a gurgling creek… it sure is hard to get bored with this life.

At the San Pedro House, listed as one of the best established sites along the river, the first bird to grab our attention, mingling with a flock of Red Winged Blackbirds, was the Yellow Headed Blackbird.  Our hike started in a dry desert type grassland and continued into a cottonwood riparian woodland.  This proved to be a good birding area for us, even during this non-migratory time, and we found 6 species along with one more on our drive. Interestingly, we found the Louisiana Waterthrush here, which is a rarity for this area, though not a rarity at home.

Big Year Savers

It also proved to be a lucky spot- Chuck’s camera lens, the one with the Swarovski scope attachment fell off his camera unnoticed for at least 30 minutes of hiking. A frantic search ensued, but concluded with its return by a kind and honest person; she certainly set a fine example for her children and saved our “Big Year”.

Huachuca birding sites are located on the Fort Huachuca Army Base. Here we were looking for the elusive Sinola Wren, and Magnificent Trogon.  Like others birding near us, we missed both, but enjoyed a lovely lunch- “The Perfect Picnic Spot” that even Poppa Berenstein Bear would envy. This was a lovely area to hike, but don’t use the bathrooms… 

Patagonia Lake State Park- The parks birdfeeders allowed us to enjoy watching the antics of our first Broad-billed Hummingbird, though we were able to see several on the trail as well. The birding trail started right next to our campground, with warning signs to watch for mountain lions-yikes.

Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet

We took a lunch break from birding at a picnic table overlooking the lake and had our first Plumbeous Vireo as well as this saucy little Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet  who joined us.  The campground was well laid out and maintained, and we have already booked our return.

Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve is a Sister site to the Nature Conservancy’s Ramsey Canyon. This site had busy hummingbird feeders, allowing us to see the Broad-billed humming bird again, as well as our first looks at the Rufous and Anna’s hummingbirds.  We had been hoping to see an Abert’s Towhee for the last few days, and here a couple of them made themselves well known to us.  They are typically secretive staying under brush, but this pair gave us good looks although not good pictures.  From here, we went just a short distance to Paton’s Yard- A Yard with history.  In the 70’s the Paton’s, who owned the modest home near the preserve, found a Violet-crowned Hummingbird at their feeder creating a birdwatchers stir, and they welcomed birdwatchers to their yard from then on.  The site was turned over to the Tucson Audubon Society at their death. Birding here was sparse in this off season, but will hopefully live up to its reputation when we return in April.

Another of the famous birding sites in Arizona, the Madera Canyon of the Santa Rita Mountains, is in located in the Coronado National Forest, and is expected to be hopping when the migration starts.  We decided to try the ‘road less traveled’ to get here- a twisting forest service road, where no two vehicles should ever meet, and based on the sign…may not be ‘less traveled’.  There were an abundance of birds along this route, but Chuck couldn’t take his eyes off the road. We didn’t see any smugglers or illegal immigration activity! Since this was our exploratory visit to the Canyon, we chose an enjoyable but rather strenuous 9 mile mountain hike as opposed to the classic birding areas, and it was well worth it. Here we found three new birds, including this Townsends Solitaire,

Townsend’s Solitaire

which we thought would be more challenging to tell from the Northern Mockingbird, but the distinctive white eye-ring made identification easy. We were also able to appreciate the Madera Canyon itself, as one of Arizona’s “Sky Island” desert oases, in the Santa Rita Mountains.  Sky Islands are mountains that isolate the plants and animals above the desert.  Moving up the mountain from the base, some 7000 feet, there is a distinct difference in plant and animal life due to the temperature decrease and moisture increase.  Typical desert plants and grasses, transition to the unique Alligator Juniper, to Ponderosa pine and Maples, and then to Douglas firs. The Sky Island Alliance states that bird diversity here includes over half of the North American bird species.  We didn’t see quite that many… but we will be back!

So, it turns out that I am much more of a cold weather whiner than Chuck.  Weather never seemed to bother me.  Upon reflection (not very deep reflection necessary) it was probably due to the fact that I rarely spent more than 4 minutes each North Florida winter day in the cold; 1 minute per trip to and from the car going between home and office with maybe an errand thrown in occasionally.  Chuck on the other hand spent his typical working day in the woods, wet or dry, cold or hot. Hmmm.

Seminole Canyon State Park, TX– We were camped on a high plateau, at 30 degrees in 25-30 mph winds.  Gluten free pumpkin pancakes and sausage were on the menu, and since I have always been fond of breakfast for dinner, we stuck to the plan.  The pancakes were a greasy flop.  Some of the egg replacer I use blew away in the wind before I could mix it, and I think the wind blowing straight into one ear and out the other caused me to use twice as much olive oil (as opposed to butter!) than the recipe called for.  I gave up in disgust prepared to go to bed without dinner, but Chuck volunteered to finish the pancakes (he hates going to bed hungry). We ended up eating cold sausage and greasy pancakes with a heavy dose of syrup while shivering inside the van. Thankfully, before going to our campsite that afternoon, we walked a trail near the park entrance and picked up three new species. After very little sleep with the winds buffeting the van, and knowing the weather was worsening, we decided to spend the next night in a heated hotel/motel just outside Big Bend National Park.  It snowed that night, and we enjoyed the respite.

Big Bend NP, TX-

Big Bend NP

This was actually the first National Park that we visited this year-shame on us!  Since the campsites had no electricity or showers, clearly, the decision to spend the night in a motel prior to entering the park was a good one.  The weather improved, and we enjoyed our stay while birding in warm(ish) sunshine… at last.  We were told that the park was filling early since it had been an unusually wet winter which was causing the flowers to come in sooner than usual.  We didn’t understand how significant that was until we got into the park.  The desert abloom is a marvel; and over the 3 days we spent there, the bloom increased noticeably. Bluebonnets and other annuals spend their time as seeds just waiting for enough rain to allow them to

Bluebonnets

struggle out, add their beauty to the world for a short time, seed, and then wait until they can glory us again.

Being accustomed to flat Florida, the vista’s inspired awe, and we were startled at the variance of weather.  Traveling 10 mountain miles in 15 minutes caused a temperature variance of 10 degrees. We could see blue sky and mountain peaks on the horizon, yet couldn’t see the peaks shrouded in clouds beside us.   The cacti were amazing as well.  In the Big Bend NP there are some 1200 species of plants, at least 60 of which are cactus with the number of cactus species second only to Mexico.  After this Big Year Birding Adventure, perhaps we should consider a Big Bend National Park Plants Big Year- it would easily take us the full year.

Big Bend NP Vista

Our first morning in the park, we ate our oatmeal entertained by our first bird of the day. The Vermillion Flycatcher was not a new species for us, we had seen it as a rarity in January at the St. Marks Wildlife Refuge in Florida.  Here they are quite common, and since we were seeing it later in the year, it was even more beautiful.

Vermilion Flycatcher

One of our planned hikes included a climb down the Chisos Mountains on The Windows Trail, which moves from desert scrub to hardwood forest in a nice easy downhill hike, which turned out to be not so easy to get back up. After 7 miles of hiking, and with no showers available, we made sure to stop at the park’s hot springs; all that was missing was a nice glass of wine. In our two days in the park, we found a total of 8 new species, many in the hardwood drain adjacent to the Rio Grande River.  While the desert species are the ones we are locating now this area of the country will be even more important (and exciting) come spring migration.

Big Bend Ranch State Park, TX– This state park is actually adjacent to the Big Bend NP, but drivers need more skill to get through this park. The roads reminded Chuck of being on Space Mountain, the Disney Thrill Ride, but for this ride he was controlling the roller coaster. Passengers may need to close their eyes! Like the National Park, Bluebonnets, and other wild flowers lined the roads.  We stayed in an interesting town called Terlingua, which boasts a ghost town and the Starlight Theater, in an eclectic community of some 850 souls with an emphasis on the arts. The Starlight was packed for 2 for 1 burger night which included live music and local brew.  A little civilization, a good Porter, and good music were a welcome change after days of fairly rustic camping.

Davis Mountains State Park, TX 

Just when we think that we should be getting past whining about the weather it gets colder… 20 degrees, but we decided to tough it out in the van with our little space heater. Thank goodness for my 5′ 9″ bed warmer. We woke to frost on the INSIDE of the windows behind the curtains. In spite of the cold and rain we added 8 new species, including this handsome Acorn Woodpecker.

Acorn Woodpecker

The Acorn Woodpecker is a unique species that stays busy most of the year storing acorns by fitting them into holes they drill into trees or telephone poles, and then continues to move them from one hole to a snugger hole as the acorns dry and shrink. This park reminded Chuck of the Hastings Environmental Forest in Carmel which is an Oak Grassland System conducive to the Acorn Woodpecker. Chuck and I agree that this is a Texas State Park we will return to when we can make time to stay awhile. The town has a quaint old west look and feel, although our politics may differ a bit…. PIX OF GUN SIGN.

We found this part of Texas much cleaner than the South Texas Gulf Coast, but the World Birding Center sites continue to rank highest for their outstanding facilities for birders. Can’t wait to get back there in April.

The speed limits are crazy fast with some roads as high as 85 mph, the “big box” stores all seem double big, and even the squirrels are super-sized!   It’s a shame though, that the Don’t Mess with Texas mentality does not translate to don’t mess UP Texas.  If Lady Bird Johnson could see the litter all over her South Texas Gulf Coast roadsides she would be whirling in her grave.  Since we are avoiding big cities, and although so far we have merely been in this one part of Texas, it seems that only tiny oases of public lands (only 2% of Texas is reserved for the Public) seem free of trash. Ah… but those oases are beautiful and filled with birds!  They take their birding seriously here, and while calling the Rio Grande Valley chain of 9 birding sites The World Birding Center may be a little presumptuous, each of the three sites we visited were exemplary, with volunteers (even on weekdays) who were impressive bird-knowledgeable experts.  They bend over backwards to tell you where to find your target species, and can suggest where to try if it has not been seen at their site.  Since this part of Texas is unique, with two birding migration flyways converging, there always seem to be bird alerts for rare species.

Estero Llano Grande State Park- Reports had been made to birding websites that three rare birds where recently seen in this park, and birders from all over the US and Canada were here to see them.  We were thrilled to catch the Gray-crowned Yellowthroat!

Gray-crowned Yellowthroat

This is an American Birding Association code 4 bird, which is extremely rare to find.  Chuck and I were in an area by ourselves, heard it call, walked around a bush, and there it was- up on a stalk and pretty as you please.  We got several good looks as it popped up from the grass to call and then drop back down into the grass. As other birders came along we were able to help them see the bird too; a little payback since we have been assisted by other helpful birders.

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge- Here we ran into the husband and wife refuge volunteers, Laura and Steven Paulson.

Laura Paulson

Since it was another cold and drizzly day, we were among a very few birders braving the weather.  The Paulson’s took us under wing showing off their park, its birds, their knowledge, and their hospitality.  We were shown birds that we would certainly have missed had we been on our own.  The Common Pauraque

Common Pauraque

was the most unique to actually see- they are often added to birders lists as “heard only”. Check out how cryptically he melts into his surroundings. We also saw three additional new species here- the Clay-colored Thrush

Clay-colored Thrush

which is an ABA Code 3 bird who looks like an over-laundered Robin, the Gray Hawk (Code 2), and the Hooded Oriole.

Bentsen Rio Grade Valley State Park- We missed the Code 3 bird, Hook Billed Kite, but while walking the park trails

Verdin

and visiting the feeding stations we were able to add 5 new species including this cute little Verdin.

At the recommendation of several birders, we made a quick stop at a site called Salineno- The drive to this spot was through a rather sketchy neighborhood on the edge of a preserve, where an entrepreneur has set up feeders attracting hundreds of birds, and was taking donations.  I would guess that he took in over $60 in the half hour we observed his set up, and the stream of visiting birders was steady. Good work if you can get it! The feeder birds were all common to the area and we were not able to see new birds in his yard, but by walking down to the water at the edge of the preserve, we were able to see a Ringed Kingfisher.

Ringed Kingfisher

Kingfishers are among my favorite birds.  Our “home refuge” St. Marks NWR has plenty of the Belted Kingfishers, and we catch sight or sound of one each time we visit; they never fail to make me smile when I see their punky devil may care hair do’s.

We feel good about the fact that we are adding species regularly, and even in the winter season, whittling down the list of birds left to find.  And if you have been looking at the Gallery of Chucks photography as we have been adding pictures, I’ll bet that you will notice how his photography has been improving!  Some of them are field guide quality!

We were so excited to pass over the Mississippi River, because it meant we were heading “West” at last, making us feel that our adventure was back on track.  Soon after crossing the Mississippi on I-10, we were awed by the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge.  Now, we have been impressed by the 7 mile bridge in the Florida Keys many times (35,862 feet), but the Atchafalaya puts that one to shame at 96,100 feet long, and it is only the third longest in bridge Louisiana.  It passes over the largest swamp in the United States, and per Wikipedia, has 260,000 acres of iconic cypress-tupelo swamps, the largest remaining contiguous tract of coastal cypress in the US.

Since we checked into our camp site a few hours early, we decided to drive to Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge to scope out where we would be birding the next day. On the way we saw HUNDREDS of Brown-headed Cowbirds hanging out at a grain loading site. Smart birds!  Cameron Prairie NWR is set up much like St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, with dike systems controlling water flows for different parts of the refuge, but of course it has many different species of birds than are found in Florida. In that quick pre-visit, were able to add 4 new species including the Greater White-fronted Goose and Snow Goose, to be followed by 4 new species on the day of our scheduled visit.  If you have never seen a Cinnamon Teal

Cinnamon Teal

(we hadn’t) you are missing a beautiful site- no picture (even this excellent one taken by Chuck) could do it justice.

Rutherford Beach, LA is an interesting Coastal Plain where the effects of Hurricanes Rita (2005) followed by Hurricane Ike (2008) linger leaving a great deal of undeveloped private land; unheard of on Florida’s Coastline.  Here we found a Western Grebe, confirmed by Dr. J.V. Remsen, which caused a tiny birder fuss which is typical in the birder community.  When a bird is seen out of its typical area, or at a time not expected for an area, word is sent out to other birders so that they can get out to see it too.

As for camping in Louisiana, in the future, we will try to drive straight through the state.  This is yet another state that just doesn’t compare to Florida in facilities, in supervision of the campers, or in resource management of the park.  We were even encouraged to gather firewood (called habitat for many species in enlightened state parks).

Altogether, in our two days in Louisiana, we were able to add 12 new species. Pretty exciting.

On our way to our first birding spot in Texas, on a corner in front of a pawn shop, we saw and finally added to our Big Year list… the House Sparrow.  Lame I will admit, but we don’t seem to pay attention to birds unless we are in or near woods.  Getting to Atwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, GPS driving directions took us to the wrong entrance on a brisk cold morning.  We worked the periphery of the refuge from inside our nice warm van (thank goodness the Sprinter has such a wonderful view) finding our target birds in spite of being in the wrong place and without even getting out of the car.

On the way to Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, we were able to compare the calls of the Eastern and Western Meadow Larks, two birds which are almost impossible to distinguish by sight.  The mnemonic description of an Eastern’s call is said to be “Spring of The Year”, and I would suggest that the Western’s sounds like “Spring of… Oh Fiddle I Forgot the Song”.  At the refuge we found ourselves like children in a candy store whose only limit is the size of their stomachs. Walking up to the Visitor Center we were overwhelmed by a raucous cacophony of bird calls, sounds, and views of birds all unlike anything we have seen in the East.  Green Jay’s, Long Billed Thrashers, Plain Chachalaca, Great Tailed Grackles, all attacking our senses.

Green Jay

On our first day at this refuge, we were able to add 13 new birds, and because we discovered that there is a Habitat Tour which takes folks into Ocelot habitat now closed to the general public, we chose to come again the next day.  Sadly, the tour guide provided us a constant and non-stop drone of stream of consciousness drivel having little to do with the ecological habitat.

Laguna Atascosa

Only the beauty of the area, and the saving grace of the driver (an intern), who occasionally interjected (on the few occasions that the guide paused for breath) to correct him with actual facts, made the trip worthwhile. So I advise finding out who will be leading your group before you invest the 3 hours.  We were able to add a total of 22 species in the Laguna Atascosa area, including the Aplomodo Falcon, as well as the Grove Billed Ani and a Screech Owl both of which another helpful birder put us onto.

Before heading further inland, we took one last trip in the Eastern part of Texas, this one to the Audubon Sable Palm Sanctuary.  Winds were ridiculous, gusting from 25-30 miles an hour, making birding quite challenging.  This is a unique place, as all Audubon sites seem to be, but adding to the uniqueness of the experience was the fact that we had to cross the US Mexican border fence to get there.  HOLY COW!  We have heard of it, read of it, and even seen pictures of it, but seeing it in person truly puts the border in a different perspective.  The amount of money expended on right of way purchase, fence material and labor, cost of the road construction and maintenance as it runs alongside the length of the border fence, the electronic monitoring of the border, as well as the ongoing border patrol police and their vehicles etc. must be enormous.  In spite of all the human absurdity, once we crossed over, we found ourselves inside a heavenly place. And although the sanctuary was actually still inside the United States, I did receive a cell phone message from Verizon stating “Welcome to Mexico”. Here we added the Least Grebe

Least Grebe

the Curve-Billed Thrasher, and the stunning Green Kingfisher

Green Kingfisher

At this point, we feel like we have hit the pinnacle of our birding year, yet given the balance of our itinerary, target birds and their ecosystems, we know that this was only one of many high points.

We heard a young man say “there’s nothin’ out there” in an attempt to coerce his friends not to take a 3 mile Payne’s Prairie hike; we had found 34 birds species at that point. The comment caught my attention since a few days before, I had a similar thought while walking a dike at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. I continue fighting the worst characteristics of a “twitcher” mindset, where only the birds not yet checked off the list have value, and the rest are considered “trash” birds.  Eagles, both adults and juveniles, soar over St. Marks regularly and were marked off our list on day one… a trash bird?  An Eastern Phoebe sitting so prettily on a limb, gliding out to snatch an insect, and returning… a trash bird?  Yellow-Rumped Warblers, as plentiful as mosquito’s, constantly drawing our eyes and ears… ok this one is annoying!  On that dike at St. Marks, we had already seen Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Glossy Ibis, each awe inspiring in their own right. Minutes after the thought hit, we flushed a Snipe hiding just a step off our path, then a Meadow Lark

Eastern Meadowlark

flew across to sit up on a stalk giving us a beautiful view and was followed shortly by 5 others who dropped into the grass, a Northern Harrier flew into sight from behind a row of trees and soared overhead, followed by additional birds who revealed themselves. Next time I think “there is nothin’ out there”, I hope to be quicker to remember this adventure is about the process, skilled enough to observe the cryptically camouflaged wildlife, and patient enough to let the beauty reveal itself.

While near Gainesville we stayed at Payne’s Prairie State Park, where the helpful and informed ranger gave us directions to what local birders call Sparrow Alley (a part of the Lachua Trail).  Saturday, the Lachua Trail was overwhelmingly crowded, being close enough to UF to draw “gator students” as well as “real gators” out of their beds on a beautiful warm and sunny morning; even the red maples and azaleas were peeking out. In our time there, we saw 59 different species, but our favorites were the grasshopper sparrow and barn owl.  To access the trail, all must pass through a cattle barn, where we assumed we would find the barn owl which was indicated as nearby on our BirdsEye application.  Nope- we were told by a volunteer that the owl has been seen next to the barn in an ancient oak tree, one of the many majestic oak trees found in this park.

Lachua Trail

Situated so close to the path, we were able to peer into the dark cavity with binoculars, and felt that we could see the outline of a classic Barn Owl face in the murky interior.  We didn’t list the bird at that point since we were concerned that, like some who see the face of Jesus on their toast, we were seeing what we wanted to see rather than what was actually there.  On our way off the trail, we tried again, this time with the scope and better lighting, and voila!, we saw the face much more clearly and could actually see him moving inside the cavity!

Grasshopper Sparrow

We were pleased to find that the Grasshopper Sparrow was not as difficult as we thought it would be to find in Florida, he was most cooperative and provided us great views (and pictures).

For our drive to Wekiwa springs from Payne’s Prairie we chose the long way through the Ocala National Forest on US 40 for the sole purpose of picking up a Florida Scrub Jay. At one of first patches of sand pine scrub, which looked about to ‘age out’ as scrub jay habitat, we saw one sitting on top of a sand pine. We pulled off the road as quickly as possible and backed up along the road side to try for a better view. Although we scared it off, we could still hear it calling, and our patience was rewarded by seeing it fly back to the pine, to be joined by another just below it, then a third, and finally a fourth- breathtaking and exciting! Unfortunately they were so close that Chuck could only fit two of the four in frame for a sub-par picture (his comment) before they all flew off.

Florida Scrub Jay

Wekiwa Springs, had a remarkably well burned sandhill longleaf pine forest, with burning done right up to the back yards of a subdivision running the length of the park- an excellent example of what a dedicated land manager can do, even in the face of challenges! This is a very high usage area with not much opportunity for unusual bird species, yet an enjoyable place to camp.  We did see a wild turkey who provided a close-up view of a remarkably long turkey beard.

Fort Desoto- yet again we were VERY impressed.  We strongly urge the State of Florida to use this impressive Pinellas County Park as a model for how to run an even better State Park (though as stated in a previous post, Florida Parks are great).  Fort Desoto’s ability to strike a good balance between recreation, pets, and wildlife habitat meant that in the non-pet area we enjoyed a visit from a Yellow Crowned Night Heron who simply walked right into our campsite! On the beach we were in Plover Heaven, seeing Wilson’s Plovers, a Snowy Plover, Piping Plovers, Black-Bellied Plovers, and Semipalmated Plovers. It was wonderful to be able to see them all within a day to better compare and contrast them in what is nearing the end of their winter plumage.

Our visit to Cedar Key was to be a short stop on our way home for Chuck’s final dental appointment, primarily to catch the Whimbrel seen in that area recently. Although we missed our Whimbrel, and in fact were skunked on new species that day, we did have great views of two Great Horned Owls,

Great Horned Owl

one in the nest, and the other we located in a nearby tree after hearing it call.

With the conclusion of the appointments keeping us close to home, we are FINALLY spending our last night in Florida for 2+ months, and heading for Texas Friday morning.  We head West with 176 bird species on our list, better birding skills, and with the anticipation of seeing exciting NEW places and birds.

Sallying, as defined in The Warbler Guide by T. Stephenson and S. Whittle (an awesome field guide), “feeding method in which a warbler flies from perch to catch prey then flies to the same or nearby perch”.  This is very similar to what Chuck and I have been doing for the past 12 days.  Chuck experienced a colossal failure of several teeth, including having his bridge break off both of its supporting teeth at the gum line.  We returned home from our “shake down” tour early to deal with the various dentist/endodontic appointments… as well as the pain.  So, we have had to fly from our home perch, catch a few birds nearby when possible, and then fly back to our home perch.  The disappointment of not being well on our way to Texas is acute and worsening as we ‘hurry up and wait’.

“You cannot be lonely if you like the person you’re alone with”- Wayne Dyer. I am pretty sure that this was meant for a person truly alone and referred to the need to like oneself, but being on the road for days on end with only a spouse could get pretty miserable if you didn’t like your spouse; we still enjoy each other’s company!  We do recognize that it is critical to take a few truly alone minutes every day.  I find my 15 minutes in the campsite comfort station (shower/restrooms) restorative.  The evening Chuck was in the men’s shower on the other side of my shower wall, and I could still hear his humming… not restorative (those of you who have worked with Chuck in the field, heard his constant humming, realize that hearing him even in your shower is toooo much)!

The BirdsEye App is brilliant!  Prior to beginning our adventure I stated that this easy to use cell phone app would be an important part of our Big Year Our Way 2015 “business plan”.  I was not understating the issue.  For birders (especially novices) it is wonderful to ‘Browse Birds’ reported (to eBird) in a specific area, but even more wonderful is the ability to weed out birds we already reported to eBird this year- leaving a personalized ‘Needs’ list for that area.  We regularly check areas we are considering, to review what is reporting on our Needs list, which helps us decide where to go.  Another great app, BirdLog, provides a simple interface for uploading the list of birds seen in a specific area to eBird.  BirdLog allows us to more easily meet another of our goals, reporting the birds seen on (most of) our birding trips, to eBird. The more that we all do this, the better the data available for all!

We can live with EVEN LESS.  Things we thought we just had to have with us have been weeded out (salad spinner – really?), and items that we threw into the mix as last minute ideas turned out to be brilliant (rice cooker- check on line for all the healthy one dish recipes that can be made with this appliance).  And did we really need enough food to placate a Great Depression survivor?  There are grocery stores everywhere we have been!

The limitation of requiring that we both identify a bird before adding it to our list has been good.  We would certainly have a higher number of species on our list without this limitation but it has forced improvement in our individual skills, helped us learn to work better as a team, and served as a double check on identifications. So far, Chuck hasn’t gotten too frustrated at the ones that I have missed or the ONE that he missed.  We have also increased the number of birds we can quickly identify, which is making finding the new ones easier.

Our Equipment and Software Skills are improving.  Chuck is refining digi-scoping techniques and learning additional features of his new cameras, with his picture quality progressing noticeably.  I have figured out better ways to upload pictures, data, and blog posts to our website.

We have learned that we are much more comfortable at State Park sites vs. RV Parks, and that State of Florida Parks are superior to those found in NC, SC, and Georgia.

We can stay on a healthy eating plan (JJ VIRGIN diet- without corn, dairy, gluten, soy, eggs, peanuts, and sugar (for Carrie anyway).  We only put healthy food in the van (damn, only healthy food to eat). We have refined a rotating 2-week food plan to end the “what’s for dinner” time and space wasting anxiety. And as I mentioned previously, the RICE COOKER works wonderfully- yes, no gluten!  We already feel better…but still crave chocolate!

Our informal goal of 200 species prior to heading West has not been met, but with dental delays keeping us in state, who knows?

January 14^th-18th. Hunting Island and Huntington Beach, SC. We were surprised at the differences in the South Carolina State Parks vs. those of Florida.  In SC it was our impression that Resource Management is designed for the convenience of managers rather than to protect or conserve their resources. Life must be much easier for managers if the park rules are set up so that they don’t need to say “no” to anyone. Dogs were allowed everywhere including any beaches, often without the owners using leashes or poop bags; not just in the recreation areas but the places where resource management should be their primary consideration.  Visitors were carting off (literally a cart in one case) resources with no shame or control.  Feral Cats were hanging out in the scrub just beyond the campsite.  We even watched a park employee remove sand from a dune with a front loader, tearing up sea oats in the process, to move it into the campground for fill.

Chuck commented that while change is a constant on a barrier island, it seems that disturbance has been particularly intense on Hunting Island. The remnants of the oak forest made for impressive photographs,

Hunting Island

but it also suggests an atypical rate of change. The park attempted to reduce erosion by inserting groins (a coastal engineering method of running long girder out into the water to prevent beach erosion) however, the construction of seawalls by nearby development may well have had more of an impact on the pattern of island erosion. Both parks had plenty of pine forest but unlike Florida parks, where fire is included in a management plan, we saw no evidence of any burning regimen.

We were able to bird, in yet more cold and windy weather, thankfully dodging the rain and ending up adding eight new birds. Included in the 8 were three that we were excited to see- Common Eider, White-winged Scoter, and Northern Gannet, and we continued our trend of adding at least one species a day.  The next day however we planned a birding break for a visit to the Brookgreen Gardens and to travel to North Carolina.

Leaving Huntington Beach on the 18^th, Chuck had agreed to my request for a day of rest from birding, which was inspired by the fact that within a quarter mile of the campground was Brookgreen Gardens.

Brookgreen Gardens

We ended up spending several enjoyable hours in the “garden” created by the Huntington’s in 1931 as an outdoor museum of sculpture under truly regal live oaks. 50 acres for 1400+ sculptures worked into lawns, gardens, fountains, garden rooms, interior galleries, and even visible sculpture storage.  All this surrounded by rice fields left over from the plantations that this museum was created from.  There was even a zoo that we had to save for our next visit.

We attended Brookgreen’s orientation, looked around for less than 5 minutes, and realized that we were surrounded by more than gardens and sculpture… we had BIRDS!  And they were birds which were NOT yet on our list.  So, with our day “off” ended, we went back to the van to suit up with binoculars and cameras.  We were able to add 4 new species, all while surrounded by a magical mix of art and gardens!  Brookgreen Gardens has moved to number 1 on my list of places to return to.  The entry ticket allows re-entry for a full week, and I believe that I could spend just that much time there.  Clearly, the rules posted and enforced which included no pets, no alcohol, no smoking, and the requirement of proper attire benefit this beautiful facility, and prove that it is NOT managed by the SC Park Service.

For years I have cursed while tossing the covers to cool down during a hot flash. These past few nights, cuddled in our fairly warm bed inside a 37-42 degree van, I waited and prayed for a flash to give me the extra warmth I needed for a middle of the night dash to the restroom and to dress for the day in my miserably cold clothing.

January 10th FORT DESOTO PARK, FL- We had heard that this was a great place to add species to our list… perhaps in better weather.  In spite of the cold and wind, we added 5 species, and enjoyed a nice Florida beach walk.

Fort De Soto Park

Common Loon

This county park was voted Florida’s top beach in 2005, and we could certainly see why.  Such a well maintained and designed area with a seemingly successful mix of high use yet fairly adequate protections.  In a brilliant move to keep the inevitability of visitor’s dogs from disturbing wildlife, they provide a specific fenced dog park and an isolated beach area for them.

January 11^th CEDAR KEY. Since Chuck had done the Cedar Key Christmas Bird Count with Ron Christian just a few weeks ago, he knew where the supposedly last single Scrub Jay in the area was located.  Before dawn, we were at the edge of the Cedar Key Scrub State Park waiting and hoping to hear him hop up on a snag and call.

Cedar Key Dawn

We watched dawn pink over the scrub, but a typical Scrub Jay habitat is 25 acres, and we were allowed viewing access only along the road. Of course the Red Shouldered Hawk we noticed as we were leaving, poised in a tree a bit further down the road, may have motivated the Scrub Jay’s discretion.  After an hour, we moved on to Cedar Key and spent the rest of the day birding that area.  Only two new species added in yet another cold and windy day.  On to Little Talbot Island which is expected to be…cold and windy!

January 12^th & 13^th. We camped at LITTLE TALBOT ISLAND STATE PARK, FL.  Even colder (for these spoiled Floridians) on top of rainy, so that we didn’t even try to bird Little Talbot the next morning, but instead hopped in the van and went to Starbucks!  Here we took time to make future plans and reservations and then decided to try FORT CLINCH where we knew that the Purple Sandpiper had been spotted off the pier. We searched and searched, found 4 new species including a Black Scoter, met up Ruddy Turnstones begging for their pictures to be taken,

Ruddy Turnstone

and just as we were leaving, scanned a small group of hunkered down Ruddy Turnstones and sanderlings and there it was- the lone Purple Sandpiper.  Feeling victorious, we headed back to the campground to hunker down ourselves.

Little Talbot Island State Park

The next morning, Little Talbot Island Beach was so foggy that we could see less than 150 feet in front of ourselves, but it was still obvious that we were seeing the beautifully classic wide and flat sandy Florida beaches.  Tough to bird, but we were not to be skunked that day since we had a Great Horned Owl calling as we woke, and we were able to identify one new species of Gull, a Bonaparte’s Gull.  Since Little Talbot Island was so miserable we went back to Fort Clinch to try for the Surf Scoter we missed but had no luck with that one. In a pull off on the way though, we were able to hear Clapper Rails calling.

Hoping for better weather further north (really?) we headed for Fort McAllister State Historic Park in Georgia to overnight on our way to South Carolina.

Highlands Hammock State Park

January 8^th & 9^th. From Corkscrew swamp to Highlands Hammock State Park.  A beautiful taste of primitive Florida-old growth oak and palm. We enjoyed a long lovely drive through the hammock on the way in and out of the campground, but sadly somebody (Carrie of course) scheduled us too tightly to allow enough time to walk the trails; well worth coming back for. The areas scheduled today were Avon Park and Myakka River State Park.  The drive to Avon Park Bombing Range was to do reconnaissance on how to access the area to see Florida Grasshopper Sparrows since their populations seem to be in decline. On the way, we saw a statuesque Coopers Hawk, as well as a beautiful specimen of a Logger Head Shrike.

Loggerhead Shrike

Myakka River State Park was another site we have visited before.  A Florida treasure, and although we did add 4 new species to our list, we saw much more bird activity here in the summer. We were hoping to add a Black Bellied Whistling Duck to the list, but it seems this species must wait until our early May trip through the area, as we head to the Dry Tortugas.

The Myakka campground, so popular that there was no space available, left us no alternative but to stay at an “RV Park”.  WOW it pays to plan ahead… this is camping?

This is camping?

When they say “Park” they meant parked forever. Our site was in front of two RV’s so permanent that they had flower gardens and stepping stones to their front doors.  We cooked 10 feet from these people’s front  window, and did our dishes on their lawn!

It was after this camping experience that Chuck insisted we  s l o w   d o w n,   get back on plan, and take more enjoyment from our experiences and surroundings. The hare has been driving the tortoise too hard!  We will now try to stay two nights in most places, and avoid the Permanent RV ‘Parks’ whenever possible.

January 8th, Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was on the agenda.  The Corkscrew was not expected to yield many new species, but it has been one of our favorite places to visit over the years.  In the past we have visited and seen the air plants, spider lilies, orchids, giant cypress… and noticed a few birds.  Funny how “your focus determines your reality”.  Today we focused on improving our birding skills.

Red Shouldered Hawk

As expected, most of the birds found were species already on our list, but we still enjoyed seeing them up close and personal…while seeing some green stuff and big trees around us.

While on the boardwalk, we came upon this interpretive sign:

Corkscrew Interpretive Sign

Our recent experience of an obsessive search for the Key West Quail-Dove, which made us consider a 12 step “Birders Anonymous” program, inspired Chuck to consider how Wakulla County fits into the 3-step “program” for wetlands described below; credit must be given to the folks at Audubon.

First Came Fear– (Some in Wakulla may still be in this first stage… imagine, one of our commissioners actually called wetlands “mosquito infested mud holes”!)

“I take a view of a swamp… Full of blogs… Poisonous weeds and vines… It’s miry bottom, and a harbor to turtles, toads, efts, snakes. And other creepy verm’n.  The baleful thickets of brambles, and the dreary shades of larger growth, the dwelling place of the owl and the bittern; a portion of foxes and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird;”

-Jared Eliot (1685-1783)

Then Came Greed-(Many, including most of the Wakulla County Commission as evidenced by their ties to development while moving to eliminate wetland protections, are in this second stage)

“Our country includes within its boundaries 125 million acres of undeveloped wet and swamp lands… With proper drainage and protection, an estimated two-fifths of this area, or 50 million acres, would be suitable for crop or pasture use.”

-U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1953

Finally Came Understanding– (Sadly, too few are in this stage, and as long as our county leaders discourage scientific education or seemingly any higher education, may may never reach this enlightenment)

“Swamps and wetlands are important to the planet and all who live here.  They are vital habitat for many different plants and animals, many of them endangered.  They act as the earth’s “kidneys,” filtering poisons and protecting against the damage of weather extremes.  They are delightful places of beauty and refuge.  Without swamps and wetlands, our quality of life would be greatly threatened.”

The quotes from Marjorie Harris Carr, followed by that from Baba Dioum, Sengalese Poet, as provided on the Corkscrew Swamp interpretational sign, say it so well:

“The salvation of the Florida scene will come about only if the public savors its beauty, understands its limitations, and speaks up for its preservation.”

~~~

“In the end, we only conserve what we love, We will only love what we understand, We will only understand what we are taught”

Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary reminds us that WE CAN HELP:
PROTECT– Protect wetlands and wildlife on your property
LEARN– Learn about wetlands near your home and learn to protect them
DEFEND– Defend wetland conservation laws and regulations

 REMEMBER, OPPONENTS TO WETLAND PROTECTION

ONLY NEED TO WIN ONCE.

January 5th-7th

Rangel Diaz, a naturalist at the Deering Estate first sighted the Key West Quail-Dove (KWQD) and was taking groups to view it in a restricted access area of the estate.  We joined the January 5^th group in the parking lot at 7:15 am.  Approximately 35 birders from Florida to Michigan and beyond were here to see this ‘life bird’. We stayed until Noon but NO KWQD; rudely the bird did not provide Rangel adequate notification of his change in plans. Although, we did get some great advice for birding Nebraska, Colorado, Arizona and other western States from Carl Edwards.

Since we were in this area anyway, and knew that the KWQD had recently been sighted at the Long Key State Park, we felt compelled to head that way and make a stab at seeing it on Tuesday.  Of course, winter camp site availability at the state park was impossible, so we stayed at the Fiesta Key Campground- YUK- triple the price for ¼ of the quality of anyplace that we have stayed so far.

By 8 am Tuesday, we were waiting at the Long Key State Park gate, along with Susan Cark, who also missed the bird at Deering Estate on Monday.  Susan flew from Michigan to see this bird!  We were later joined by Robert Epstein from Parrish Florida, plus two other groups of searchers.  We are finding that birders are quite willing to speak with strangers- strange people with binoculars that is.  Susan and Robert shared great advice on when and where to catch birds in Florida, the Midwest, Texas and Arizona.  Around and around the park we went, all looking for this one bird.  We stayed on our leg powered merry-go-round until 2 pm… No Quail KWQD.

Two days spent in search of one bird… do we call it, or behave like we should join a birders anonymous group, and raise the stakes by one more day.  Feeling compelled like addicts we head back up to Rangel’s Wednesday excursion.

Bright and early we joined a group of 40-ish birders. Some repeats like us, but others from different parts of the country.  Again, the bird pulled a no show. Now three days spent in search of one bird.

I have to admit that chasing a rarity like this was not part of our original plan.  We intended to focus on American Birding Association (ABA) Code 2 & 3 birds which are rare but rely on ABA area environments which may be under threat as opposed to rare vagrants (code 4 & 5) who do not.  Yet look how quickly we were lured by hope of a big kitty- a code 4 life list bird! Never again…unless we just can’t control the impulse to try to beat those odds.

 January 2nd -4th

Well, I made my choice, and it was FOWL!  January 2nd was my last (very short) day at work. After loading the van and dentist appointments we were finally ready to head out.  However, the quote “No plan survives first contact with the enemy” has already proven true! Since weather at our planned destination was going to make birding a miserably wet and cold experience, and since the very rare Key West Quail-Dove (code 4) was seen at the Deering Estate in Cutler, we decided to work the January plan somewhat backwards. The new plan was to head to the Miami area, stop at Clear Water Lake Recreation Area adjacent to Paisley Woods of the Ocala National Forest, bird Merritt Island on the 3^rd, the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge on the 4^th, and then catch the Key West Quail-Dove on Monday January 5^th.

Paisley Woods, though foggy, was lovely.

Longleaf Pine Forest at Paisley Woods

Merritt Island and Loxahatchee helped add typical birds to the list, and we enjoyed birding in lovely weather.  We also met a delightful young man, Zachary, who is just getting into birding and bird photography.  Judging from the landscape photos he shared with us, he will soon be submitting contest winning photos.  Sorry Zachary, it was our intention to post your picture, but we have discovered that our camera’s memory card had an issue.  Sadly, we lost several days of pictures from the non- digiscope camera. Zachary- learn from our mistake and don’t let this happen to you!

In spite of the fact that we have been going to the gym fairly regularly it is clear that Chuck’s two years of retirement and my desk job were not enough stamina training!  Perhaps at the end of this we will look somewhat closer to our mental image of ourselves- the one we are shocked not to see in the mirror when trying on a new bathing suit.

Monday- The Key West Quail-Dove… or not.

RCW watch at dawn

So… what bird does the man who has probably banded more Red-cockaded Woodpeckers than anyone alive choose as the first bird for our Big Year? The RCW of course.  To make sure that is truly was the first bird seen, we got up at 5:30 to drive to the Wakulla side of the Apalachicola National Forest. There, we waited in the dark focusing on a cavity entrance, until it was light enough for the little guy to do a bit of pecking maintenance on his cavity, fly out to a nearby tree, and call to his mate.  We couldn’t help hearing a Barred Owl, and stumbling upon an American Robin and Brown-headed Nuthatch on our way back to the van; 4 quick birds and on to planned stop number 2.

Stop 2 had to be the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.  In addition to being one of the top birding hot-spots in the country, we have history here.  It was here that Chuck and I, as co-workers, carpooled with the intention of meeting friends at the St. Marks Lighthouse. Running late, we met our friends on their way out of the refuge, and agreed to meet them back at Chuck’s house after a quick dip in the water.  Fate intervened and it started to rain, making the pavement slick enough so that when the road turned, we did not, and slid into a tree.  Since it was now dark, with no one left in the refuge, and with no transportation, there was no choice but to walk the 5 miles out.  Five miles of talking and singing every song from every musical we knew. 34 years later, we walked the refuge as joyfully as we did that first day, though a wee bit less lustfully.

The Willifords at St. Marks Wildlife Refuge

January brought quite a few birders to the refuge.  At an overlook, we ran into the Willifords from Monticello, who did their big year in 2012.

Eight hours, 5 miles, and 71 species later, we went home together… again.

How does a type A Obsessive Compulsive Workaholic retire? By finding a pleasant activity to obsess about, which will involve her husband in something that he has a passion for, and that will keep him from complaining that her newest scheme “is not retired”.

Several years ago, we watched a PBS special The National Parks, America’s Best Idea. MY idea while watching that program was to travel the United States moving from one National Park to the next… and in order of creation. Well, that’s a lot of parks (thanks to folks with much more vision than most have now), and if done in order of creation it would involve quite a bit of back and forth travel. It certainly fit the obsessiveness dynamic, but didn’t inspire me enough to want to retire.

A few years ago Chuck, always the one who chooses which videos to order from NetFlix, ordered a movie called “The Big Year”. A cute movie about obsessed people.

A couple of years ago, Chuck took advantage of an early retirement from the US Forest Service and buckled down to finish his PhD and play golf (if you know Chuck, you know which one often takes priority, so he finished his dissertation one day-ish prior to the deadline which would have required that he re-take his prelims-something he vowed NEVER to subject himself to again). One of his golfing buddies, Ron Christian (thank you Ron!), took him on a few birding trips. Then Chuck & I did some bird viewing trips together. I loved it, but was still not inspired enough to want to retire.

Somehow, over a year or so, the obsessive idea of visiting each National Park, our growing enjoyment of birding, and our subconscious using the Big Year movie, morphed into a “Big Year Our Way” fixation, and we started thinking seriously about how we could make a big year happen.

So we shall see if we can:

1. Become real birders-Chuck spent 20 years in the Forest Service immersed in everything Red-Cockaded Woodpecker; he can certainly identify that one and many Eastern birds- others need more practice! I have been an occasional bird looker and need to ramp up all of my skills to be considered a true birder.
2. Inspire others to go for it! If we can turn out a respectable big year WITHOUT having birded since we could crawl, anyone CAN do something similar. Inspire others to get out and enjoy our public lands; travel, camp, and adventure in the parks, forests, and areas preserved for us (and of course for the wildlife) with such forethought.
3. Prove that beginners CAN do a respectable big year with the right tools-The tools available to birders become more incredible every day! Check out the tools that we, as novice-ish bird watchers, are using to fledge into true birders, and which we believe will allow us to complete a respectable “Our Way” Birding Big Year in 2015.
   Our tools:
   1. Transportation & Housing- We will “sprint” around the ABA area driving and camping from our Sprinter Crew Van “DIY Conversion by Chuck Hess”.
   2. Software:
      1. iBird Ultimate digital field guide- Truly Ultimate with the recent BAM (Birds All Around Me) upgrade.
      2. BirdsEye, BirdLog, NARBA- Wonderful tools that put ebird into our palms, and help point us to those code 3,4,5 birds (in case we are nearby).
      3. Good Sam’s Club Trip Planning Tool- OH MY what a great tool.  Our first 7 months are mapped out birding hot spot by birding hot spot.  The quote “no battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy” comes to mind, and although birds are in no way the enemy, the Trip Planner allows us on the fly tweaking and re-routing.
      4. Anytime Fitness Locator- Although both Chuck and I are under 60 years old (not saying how much under) regular exercise beyond hiking will be important to us.  We will certainly take advantage of our membership while we travel throughout US and Canada.
      5. WFSU Public Radio App- Undeniably the best Public Radio Station in the land… and their App lets us stay connected as we travel!
   3. Hardware: Swarovski scope and tripod (The folks at Eagle Optics are wonderful), 2-Cannon 70D cameras-one picture ready and one scope ready(Hunt’s helped us pick out just the right equipment) , Zeiss (carrie) and Pentax (chuck) Binoculars, Iphones 5 & 6Plus (the better to see iBird and BirdsEye with), WiFi Hotspot & Laptops.
   4. Written field guides: Second Edition Sibley Birds, Crossley ID Guide and Crossley Raptor ID Guide, the Warbler Guide.
4. Learn to be retired– Chuck is “all in” to the retirement lifestyle. I have been in the business world where ‘make a plan and work the plan’ was my mantra, and where I was a wee bit competitive; a big year seems a logical transition for me.
5. Visit as many of the great ecosystems, found in the American Birding Association (ABA) checklist area (North America north of Mexico), as we possibly can.
6. Enjoy this 31st year of marriage and our first year of dual retirement, spending close to 100% of the year together, without driving each other crazy or to a divorce attorney!

Can a tortoise and a hare, or the differing philosophies of “it’s about the process” vs. “it’s about the goal” find balance?

A “2015 Big Year Our Way” will be our testing ground.