birdtalesblog

A weekend visit to see our friends Deborah & Dennis Glass in Palm Beach produced unexpected Lifer #694. Do you like how I casually dropped “Palm Beach”…I could get used to this! The Nanday Parakeet isn’t super rare in Florida….it is an established South American escapee. The surprise was that I only recently learned that the ABA (the birding governing body) added this spectacular parakeet to the “countable” list.

Now it wasn’t a lay-up. First I felt I needed permission from my hosts and Nina to disappear only a few hours after I arrived. Truth is, they know me well enough and urged me out the door. Then I needed to search E-bird and query if this bird has been seen and reported near here recently. The last post was March 2…..thirty miles away. Not terrible odds. But not good enough to bother bringing my digital camera! I left before dawn and five hours later, after much driving with all of the windows down (you are more likely to hear these squawkers before seeing them), I was ready to return home and bask in 80F poolside.

But my sixth sense (birders have this) told me to try the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge one more time. Three hundred yards before the entrance I noticed two large birds on the telephone wires just ahead. My heart jumped, I steered my rental into a ditch, barely remembered to throw the gear into park; it wouldn’t have mattered anyway as I was nosed up against a hill…and quickly snapped one photo with my I-Phone…before they flew off.

I made it home in time for lunch and a celebratory beer! Life is good.

Today is the one year anniversary of this blog…originally created by my daughter, Sarah, who encouraged me to document the final stretch of the pursuit to see 700* North American (ABA) bird species in my lifetime. I believe it was a polite way to inform me that she and most others would prefer to read about my quest on their own time, rather than listen to my spontaneous and frequent bird tales; or not pay attention to them at all. I completely understand.

*Note: some of you will recall that my lifetime goal was actually 600; a goal I set in 1968 with Jeff Dingle and reached in 2011. But because of birding’s heightened popularity and sophisticated uses of ever-advancing technology (i.e. rare bird text alerts),”700 is the new 600″.

Countdown to 700!

Whatever the case, I am flattered friends and family actually read and seem to generally enjoy the posts, particularly the photos. I honestly thought the earliest I would reach 700 would be in 2017, but 2013 turned out to be a really “Big Year”. As a matter of fact, Cornell University (the bird data gatekeepers) reports that I saw 541 species in 2013 alone, ranking me 119th among those that submitted observations in 2013. I sent Cornell’s E-BIRD website all 81 of my checklists, which ranked me only 5,993rd, so many people actually do this birding thing very seriously.

My mother is concerned that I will experience a mental let-down when I reach 700. Admittedly, I am obsessed in reaching that number, but once I do, I promise that I will slow down and concentrate more on good photographs as opposed to “good” birds. I won’t be bored….no worries.. but I am thankful she cares!

Many of you ask, “How many birds can one see in North America?”. Great question. Every species is assigned a number between 1 and 6, based on its frequency of appearance in NA. Code 6 birds are basically extinct, 5’s have been recorded five or fewer times EVER, and 4’s constitute three or more (basically only a handful!) records the last 30 years. So, subtracting the 4-6’s from the official ABA total leaves 760. That is MY answer.

How many people have reached the 700 plateau? My somewhat educated guess is about 1,000. They are generally professional guides, retired, or people like me – someone fortunate enough to have the resources and support from home to pursue a passion. Public Thank You to NINA – I missed Valentine’s Day and her birthday this weekend…but I did not forget.

Nome, Alaska

I want to emphasize that although bird “listing” is just a game, it is a wonderful excuse to enjoy and notice the incredibly interesting natural world that surrounds us. Of course, it is a good exercise in planning, execution and persistence. Are any of my kids reading this?

The count stands at 693 and you bet I have a plan to hit 700… by Memorial Day. Stay tuned……

Four lifers yesterday in Arizona, including the code 5 (my first ever) SINALOA WREN….but the ROSY-FACED LOVEBIRD grabs the headline…. Happy V-Day all! I’m en route from Phoenix to southern Texas, targeting Groove-billed Ani and Rose-throated Becard tomorrow. Currently “the count” stands at 692 lifetime North American species.

Rosy-faced Lovebird (Phoenix, AZ) …#690

Sinaloa Wren, Ft. Huachuca, AZ

 Unprecedented numbers of Snowy Owls have taken up residence in the mid-Atlantic region this winter. Maybe you’ve read about this phenomenon….or seen TV clips. Whether it is a scarce supply of Arctic food (lemmings) sending them south in search of mice and voles, or the more recent explanation that the Canadian population is actually burgeoning due to a hugely successful summer breeding season, the result is the same. These amazing creatures are HERE and it is tremendously exciting!

Three of these beauties were found yesterday in Lancaster County, Pa….an hour from home. It didn’t take me long to rationalize ditching my errands this morning and driving west on I-76. While happily tailgating a slow-moving horse and buggy along a road which bisected a vast expanse of corn fields, I saw a large white distant blob to my left. I turned into the next driveway signposted “Weaver’s chicken farm” and put the binoculars up. It was a Snowy alright. But I wanted a closer look…even better…a printable photo.

At that moment I noticed the property owner looking at me from his front porch. Since I was already trespassing, I braced myself for a negative encounter. Quite the contrary. “Are you looking for the Great White Owl?”, he asked in a cheery, inquisitive tone. I had his blessing to venture into the field and soon enough I was lying on my stomach on wet corn stubble, attempting to capture a printable image of this gorgeous juvenile male.
After clicking off three dozen or more shots, I sensed company. I looked up and three generations of Weaver family (I counted twelve humans) were standing behind me, patiently waiting for me to offer them a look at the bird through my binoculars. For a moment I thought I was a character in the 1980’s movie “Witness”.

An hour later I was stuck in traffic near the King of Prussia Mall. But that didn’t bother me. It gave me an opportunity to scan the retail store rooftops….you never know where “the Great White Owl” may appear!

The Fork-tailed Flycatcher is supposed to be in Argentina right now. Southern Mexico is the NORTHERN edge of its “normal” range. However, once in awhile this spectacular flyer…its forked tail is almost a foot long..wanders off course – 3,000 miles! Ornithologists theorize that some individuals’ internal clocks are spun around 180 degrees and thus migrate north, as opposed to south.

Considered a “code 3” (i.e. a couple sightings per year in North America) by the American Birding Association, the rare bird alert reported an adult male frequenting the Connecticut River’s Hamlyme ferry slip. Apparently content on devouring plentiful berries and lingering insects, it had been hanging around all week. This was Connecticut’s second forky in three years.

I had planned on chasing the code 5 (I have never seen a code 5 rarity!) Amazon Kingfisher in Harlingen, Texas this weekend. But a lack of reliable sightings this week combined with ridiculously cold and wet weather forecast for southern Texas, produced a brief moment of sanity….I post-poned Texas and headed to Connecticut.

Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Lyme, Ct)

Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Lyme, Ct)

Family, Friends, Health, Employment, and cooperative Birds….plenty to give Thanks for this year!

Our sunroom wall provides daily motivation for my quest to see 700 North American bird species in my lifetime.

“Are you in town for the NASCAR championships?”, asked the Miami rental car person. Strange, the people next to me on the airplane had asked me the same question. While I may consider my weekend birding travel attire as neo-Marlin Perkins (remember Wild Kingdom), clearly my Haverford logo-laden-look (black “H” cap, black “H” vest, and black “H” carry-on) overshadowed my khaki shirt and pants combo; and gave people the impression I was a walking “H auto-parts” sponsor rather than my wish of conjuring up images of Steve Irwin, Jeff Corwin, or some other Animal Planet hero.

I traveled to Miami for 36 hours to simply add three non-native but “countable” resident birds to my life-list. I added one…the Purple Swamphen. But I traded in the opportunity to add two parakeets to my list in favor of a needle-in-the-haystack mission.

Purple Swamphen (Miami, Fla)

For me, the adrenaline rush of potentially finding a “code 5 mega-rarity”, a bird not reported publicly for various reasons too confusing to report here….but known to my well-informed guide…is at least equal to that of any athletic contest I have ever played. I don’t have ANY code 5 birds on my life-list and I only have a handful of code 4’s (for the birding aficionados out there: pink-footed goose, barnacle goose, crimson-collared grosbeak and lapwing). The scale basically only goes to 5, as Code 6 birds are extinct!

We spent all Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning searching for a foot-long, chunky, ground-dwelling bird that was very very likely within a football field-sized area of jungle cut with several pathways. We circled and zig-zagged for hours and at one point we even found a very recently molted feather that belonged to this top-secret bird. Alas, we didn’t find the bird.

I am flying home to Philadelphia far from disappointed. Despite recording only one “lifer” and greatly exceeding my budgeted cost-per-new-species figure, I am grateful to have had a chance at being a part of birding history. Maybe next time……

It has been a couple of months since I posted…..work took priority. However, the opportunity to experience the very unusual “invasion” of Blue-footed Boobies in California this Fall swept me away to San Diego this past weekend. These birds rarely stray north into the Lower 48, but the sight of them as far up the California coast as Point Reyes (SF) continues to send shock waves throughout the birding world.

My birding guide from August’s Arizona adventure (Brian Gibbons) drove from Tucson to San Diego and chauffeured me around San Diego and Imperial counties to search for the boobies at the Salton Sea, as well as other potential lifers for me. The Salton Sea is a birder’s mecca if not anything else. Formed in 1935 by the combination of below sea level terrain and an overflowing Colorado River, it is a ridiculously special migrant trap for thirsty avians. Two juvenile boobies proved a relatively simple find…planted on “Obsidian Butte” like ornaments on a Christmas tree.

Blue-footed Boobies (Salton Sea, Calif.)

The Salton Sea is famous among ornithologists for another very special bird…the Yellow-footed Gull. It can be found in North America ONLY in the Salton Sea! Its population is declining and we spent hours searching for one after ticking the boobies. Despite recent E-Bird reports (electronic media via Cornell) and the coordinated efforts of a father-son duo from Boston….who clearly place birds above baseball..we struck out on our first afternoon.

At sunset, with no more birds to log nor a dinner/sleep plan, we drove up to a parked pick-up truck with a SWbirds California license plate. Its occupant didn’t profile “birdwatcher” but this Stetson-topped, cowboy-looking guy happened to be surveying the field full of Sandhill Cranes with his very impre$$ive binoculars. Not only did he recommend a wonderful fairly local place to spend the night (there aren’t any towns near the Salton Sea), he delivered a precise location to likely find the ONE adult Yellow-footed Gull in the area! Our dawn arrival the next morning produced this heart-pumping sight:

Yellow-footed Gull (Salton Sea, Calif.)

The rest of the weekend was hardly a let-down as we pulled one mega-rare Red-throated Pipit from a Tijuana River Valley sod farm full of American Pipits! In addition, we scooped up the Tri-colored Blackbird and the recently “countable” African native – Nutmeg Mannikin, to bring my ABA area lifetime count to 685. We spent the entire final day searching in vain for the Mountain Quail and Bell’s Sparrow. 700 is in view!

In order to reach the goal of 700 North American species, I knew that I had to endure one (in my case, two) of the legendary 12 hour pelagic trips off Hatteras, NC …with famed skipper Brian Patteson…to see the rare Black-capped Petrel and Band-rumped Storm-Petrel. These birds are rarely seen from shore and breed on Cuba, the Azores and the Canary Islands. 30 miles off the port of Hatteras on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, still in North American territory, the Continental Shelf drops off and meets the Gulf Stream. This combination of deep and warm water creates a dynamic ecosystem teeming with fish and birds. Brian took out our group from the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology (PSO) two consecutive days. Eight foot swells and thunderstorms did not deter him…as a matter of fact it increased our chances for not only the two target birds but also a rarity from the south. Black-capped Petrels were in abundance but the little Band-rumped Storm-Petrel only made a couple of fleeting appearances. HOWEVER, our sighting of the RARE Herald (Trindade) Petrel, a breeder on islands off Brazil!, caused quite a stir on the boat….yes, even the 5 or 6 sea-sick birders scrambled off their berths and stumbled to the stern. This bird immediately made the National Rare Bird alerts.

Black-capped Petrel

Herald (Trindade) Petrel

Note: when driving from Philadelphia, consult a map…don’t rely on GPS. The trip took 11 hours (649 miles, a new personal one day driving record not to be broadcast beyond YOU) as the GPS led me to the Okracoke ferry….100 miles off course. Apparently the GPS considers ferry crossings as pavement and thus uses it in its calculations for “fastest” mode. The ferry ticket taker is still laughing at my question: “where is the bridge?”.