Birding Competition Update

Friday update: The past weekend gave me an uptick of 2 birds to put me at 89.  I spent Saturday afternoon birding around the Long Point Winery area of Cayuga Lake.  I first went in search of longspurs but only found Snow Buntings and Horned Larks. This is when I really wish I had a scope to scan with!

Down by Cayuga Lake I found the usual suspects including Redheads, Common Mergansers, and even two Tundra Swans.

As the sun was setting and deer came out to feed I had a calling Common Raven overhead which was bird #88.  It was heading for the trees, perhaps to roost for the evening.

Next came the Northern Harrier over the vineyards and surround fields.  Year bird number #89! I stayed around in the single digits to wait to glimpse the Short-eared Owl again.  It came as the sun was setting and the light almost too dim to take a photo.  The best show I managed was the one above of the Short-eared hunting over the vineyard.  A few minutes after this it hit the ground with prey in foot.  A great way to end the day and head home to warm up.

On Sunday I tried for an Eastern Screech-owl that's roosting nearby but it was a no-go after an hour of waiting and searching.  I'll be back little owl if the weather improves!  Until then, I hope to go on a Cayuga Bird Club outing this coming weekend and pick up a few more birds.  There are some winter birds around I'd love to pick up like Redpoll, Pine Sisken, and Snowy Owl.  Wish me luck!

Big Year Competition

Some of my most memorable years birding have been the ones in which I have participated in some kind of competition.  The ones where I set out to  break a personal record or a personal goal.  Even better was the year that Andy and I participated in the Bird a Day competition.  The thing about competition is that it's a useful motivational tactic for those days you just would rather curl up in a warm bed and watch Netflix. 

Andy and I birding Rocky Mountain National Park

For some, winning it all is most important but for me it's really just trying to keep up with Andy and not letting him totally beat me.  Sometimes I even get lucky like with the Bird a Day year and I squeak by him.  This year we agreed to do a Big County Year - mine being Larimer County, Colorado and his being Davidson County, Tennessee.  We had the whole thing planned and then I got a new job in New York.  With this wrench we decided to just compete for the year and see how it goes.  Mind you, I am not planning any crazy Big Year trips.  Actually the opposite is true, I have just moved cross-country and really have no means to travel outside the confines of my work.  Lucky for me I will spend part of the year living on a very birdy Maine coast. 

My plan is to keep you posted throughout the year with regular updates on how I'm fairing and by comparison, how Andy is doing.  To start the tale, let's go back to January 1, 2015. I decided to start my cross-country move on the first day of the year.  In hindsight, I wasn't really even thinking about the Big Year Competition because if I had, I would have birded at least one full day in Colorado to pick up winter specialties before moving. Nevertheless, off I went and I had the luck of seeing both a Rough-legged Hawk and Ferruginous Hawk on day one in Eastern Colorado.  I also picked up Western Meadowlark, Snow Bunting, and a Snow Goose.  Not a horrible day but my list stood at 18 by days end.

On day 2, I traveled over 14 hours from Nebraska to Michigan and as a result I only added two measly birds - Blue Jay and House Sparrow. Luckily, I had high hopes for my day birding around Detroit and my target was a lifer Snowy Owl. After waiting for the snowfall to stop and grabbing lunch my dear friend Heather and I headed to Lake St. Clair Metropark where FIVE Snowy Owls had been seen the day before. It was cold, windy, rainy, slushy, and frozen but we were undeterred.  We spent the next two hours searching high and low for a Snowy but only finding things like Common Merganser and Ring-billed Gull.  The other disappoint was it seemed my binoculars (which I hadn't used for the Big Year yet since I was birding from a moving car) seemed off.  The alignment somehow was distorted and with tired eyes I was crippled from finding a Snowy Owl to add to the list.  We drove to the DNR boat launch where I picked up from the car a few decent ducks and both Tundra and Mute Swans and then it was the end of a day.  By this time Andy was up to 39 species and I was trailing by 10.

Lake St. Clair, Detroit, Michigan

Day 4 was even worse with only the addition of a Mourning Dove in Pennsylvania.  I was not only trailing behind, I was feeling a little depressed about my broken optics.  Without thinking, I didn't even bring a spare pair cross-country!  What a way to start a birding competition without binoculars. Over the next two weeks I birded at work from the staff lounge (which by the way has excellent optics) and picked up over a dozen more birds including American Tree Sparrow and Song Sparrow.  Andy was up to 83 species while I sat back in the 40s, dreaming of having working bins.  The only saving grace was the knowledge that we both would be meeting up in South Carolina over the weekend and I would do a little catching up.  The other highlight was Emily was going to loan me her Nikons until my bins were fixed.  

Lab of Ornithology - new work location

Come back next week to find out where our competition stands now!  I plan to do a regular Friday post with updated year birds. If you have any birding suggestions for the Ithaca, NY area, let me know in the comments.

Miami-Dade Big Day

Andy and I completed a Miami-Dade County Big Day on Monday, February 4, 2013.  It's taken me a minute to upload the photos and compile the list but we ended the day with a 108 total species.  I hope to give you a little insight to our day in this post.

We started the day off at daybreak at the Annex, a local birding spot outside of Everglades National Park.  The first bird of the day was a calling Killdeer.  Actually, we heard a rooster crowing but that doesn't count.  A Barred Owl called later, in the distance, and we were off to a good start.  Highlights included a close-by flyover of a group of White Pelicans, 3 Sandhill Cranes, a calling Sora, and a Least Flycatcher.

We moved on to Lucky Hammock where we found a calling Brown-crested Flycatcher and a Great-crested Flycatcher together.  We watched the two flycatchers and made ID comparisons.  At the corner of Aerojet Road we dipped on the Ash-throated Flycatcher but we did find an Eastern Meadowlark perched.  An international birder joined us and we IDed the meadowlark for him an a nearby kestrel.

We headed into Everglades National Park and got lucky at the Long Pine Campground area.  The Eastern Bluebirds, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Merlin, and Pine Warblers all made appearances.  Off we went to Anhinga trail where we struck out on Purple Gallinule but did see 32 sun-bathing Alligators.

Next up we headed to the C-111 Canal to check for flycatchers.  We got both Western and Tropical Kingbirds between Aerojet and the canal.  It was easy to spot the differences with the two kingbirds on the same wire.  At the C-111 we found the Vermillion Flycatcher easily on the wire.  After snapping a photo we headed towards Cutler Bay.

We checked out Cutler Wetlands where we found 3 American Avocets.  Then we walked out to Dump Marsh where we again had White Pelicans but we also had 3 Red-breasted Mergansers which were a nice addition to our small duck list. 

After Cutler, we headed to Matheson Park where we found a nice flock of warblers but dipped on a few species in the back dog park area.  At least we picked up the Red-headed Woodpecker and headed to across town to Joe Barros house where we didn't find the Warbling Vireo but did find a Ruby-throated Hummingbird.  At A.D. Barnes we found a Hermit Thrush and a Black-throated Blue Warbler.  The only thing left was to head to Crandon and pick up our shorebirds.

At Crandon we found a few terns and gulls but the shorebirds were non-existent.  We must have checked that whole park, walking for over an hour on the beach.  All that work and we only came up with some Sanderlings.  It was a major set-back to our day.  Luckily, we picked up Ruddy Turnstones on the Hobie Beach on the way out and headed back to South Miami to end our day.  We found a few more common species along the way and watched the exotic parrots and parakeets roosting at sunset.  

It was a great day spent birding with one of my best friends.  We missed a few birds but we beat our previous record of 104, which is all that we really wanted.  Even with the missing shorebirds, I couldn't have asked for a better birding day.  The weather was perfect, the birds were cooperative, and the company couldn't have been better.  I can't wait for the next Big Day that Andy Lantz and I complete!

Canoeing at Collier Seminole State Park

For my birthday this year I invited some close friends to go camping at Collier Seminole State Park in the western portion of the Everglades, near Naples.  We woke up Saturday to a beautiful, sunny day and rented canoes so we could paddle out to Mud Bay.  

The Rangers warned us of a recent issue with the Catfish.  Something was causing them to turn white, bleed around the lips, and die a very slow death.  Hundreds were found near the canoe launch and all looked very sick.

While the Catfish suffered the Vultures flourished.  I have never seen so many Vultures line a Mangrove bank as this one.  Dead catfish were everywhere and so were the Turkey and Black Vultures.  They were literally kettles overhead, vultures on the ground, and vultures in the trees.  I am sure whatever is killing the Catfish will not harm the vultures and those iron-clad stomachs they possess.

Once pass the canoe launch and down the Mangroves a bit, we were relieved to smell clean air and enjoy the paddle without dead fish abounding.

Along the way we spotted Roseate Spoonbills, Wood Storks, Spotted Sandpipers, and White Pelicans.  We also found Mangrove Crabs climbing on the root systems that lined the canoe tail.

After about 1.5 hours of paddling we found Mud Bay as the tide was coming in.  We watched as the flats became smaller and smaller.  The large flocks of peeps huddled together.  Waders were scattered about and one lone American Coot was seen.  It was a peaceful oasis with no one around but our little group.

After birding, wading around in the mud, and eating some snacks, we called it a day and fought the tide to make it back out to the main channel.

Our 3 hour paddle was the perfect way to unwind from the world and forget about everything.  No cell phones, no computers, no work...just a nice paddle with friends to pass the time.  Once back the group had a nice lunch back at the campground then we wandered back to the waterfront.

The girls all gave it a go at fishing while Andy and I took to the nature trail in search of a few more birds.  We found a lovely one-mile boardwalk loop that ended at a marsh.

The nature trail yielded one Northern Mockingbird.  The highlight of the trail was the nice pink lichen that covered many of the trees.

We ended the afternoon watching the sunset over the marsh and the vultures find trees to roost.  That night we cooked chili at the campfire and played cards.  It was a very nice way to escape into the wild of Florida and celebrate another birthday.

Thanksgiving

Picabo, my 17 year old puppy

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it doesn't involve any presents and it revolves around being thankful.  I have a very blessed life and so much to be thankful for.  This post touches on the most important things to me.  

My sweet family and my favorite sports team.

My friends are the family that I choose to have.

And those friends bring me so much joy.

The ability to travel and bird all over the world.

Watching birds like this owl in Mexico makes me happy.

I'm thankful that I live in a beautiful Earth full of adventure.

I am thankful that I work at a beautiful park.

I am incredibly lucky that I have such a fun partner that brings me such sunshine.

Keys Birding

 

For Labor Day weekend Andy, Rosana, Emily, and I went to Key West for some fun times.  Along the way we stopped and did some shorebirding near Marathon.  We had a nice collection of birds including Short-billed & Long-billed Dowitchers, Willet, Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Sanderling, Semi-palmated Plover, Black-bellied Plover, and numerous terns on the flats.  While driving over the Bahia Honda Channel I spotted an Audubon's Shearwater.  We tried for better looks but it headed out past the bridge not to be re-seen.

Once in Key West we danced the night away and then on Sunday we birded Fort Zachary State Park.  The area around the bathrooms were very busy we had 10 warbler species within 20 minutes, including a HY Hooded Warbler that gave us killer looks from a few feet away.  After the Prothonotary, Worm-eating, Prairie, Redstart, Ovenbird, Blackpoll, Parula, Black-and-white, and Northern Waterthrush fun we hit the beach for some swimming.  The water was delightfully cool.

Now a busy week is starting and my Bird-a-day year is coming to a close.  I used a Spot-breasted Oriole today but the only easy bird I have left is a White Ibis.  For those that don't know about Bird-a-Day, you should definitely check it out.  I can't believe I made it to September!  

Roseate Terns in Marathon, FL

Every summer I like to head down to the Keys and see the Florida summer specialties.  This year Andy, Rosana, EmilyLark, and myself took the road trip down to Marathon, FL.  We promptly found a large number of Roseate Terns on top of the Marathon Government Building.  I've seen the terns here before in past summers but this was by far the largest number of terns in my personal record.  There was easily over a hundred of them.  We also had Least Terns flying around as well for good comparison.

After the tern show we checked into our little motel, The Sandpiper, which gives a great nightly rate.  Once settled we headed out again to the Marathon Airport for the afternoon nighthawk watch.  This one did not disappoint.  We had both Antillean and Common Nighthawks calling and diving.  We celebrated the day with some fun drinks watching the sun go down by 7-mile bridge. 

Summertime birding in South Florida is not glamorous.  It's hot, the humidity will soak your t-shirt, mosquitoes will carry you away, and biting flies will dive-bomb your head but if you're willing to brave the conditions there are some nice rewards out there like Roseate Terns, Antillean Nighthawks, Black-whiskered Vireos, Mangrove Cuckoos and Yellow Warblers.  The point of the story is, you won't see anything if you don't get out there.       

Bird A Day: White-tailed Kites

The Bird A Day challenge continues and while I used some nice northern birds on my recent trip to North Carolina, I still have work to do here in Florida.  On Tuesday, Andy and I drove out to Everglades National Park in a search to find a White-tailed Kite.  We both had numerous times tried for this bird during the winter with no luck but Research Road was kind to us this week and delivered TWO White-tailed Kites in one snag.  We had killer looks and watched the pair move only once to a different tree.  The lower kite in the photo above has a prey item that it was busy eating. 

We left after fullfilling looks and enjoyed the numerous Eastern Meadowlark on the drive out.  We also found Swallow-tailed Kites and Eastern Bluebird on Research Road before leaving.  The evening was topped off in Homestead with sightings of Gray Kingbird, Eastern Kingbird, and Common Myna.

Spring NAMC at Green Cay

The results for Green Cay's spring North American Migration Count are below. It was a great day spent with some of my favorite birders. Thanks guys for joining me again!

Species	Count
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck	3
Mottled Duck	24
Pied-billed Grebe	2
Wood Stork	5
Double-crested Cormorant	7
Anhinga	19
Least Bittern	8
Great Blue Heron	4
Great Egret	6
Snowy Egret	1
Little Blue Heron	2
Tricolored Heron	14
Cattle Egret	1
Green Heron	7
Black-crowned Night-Heron	2
White Ibis	12
Glossy Ibis	7
Roseate Spoonbill	20
Black Vulture	3
Turkey Vulture	3
Red-shouldered Hawk	1
Purple Gallinule	2
Common Gallinule	48
American Coot	9
Limpkin	2
Killdeer	1
Least Tern	1
Rock Pigeon	2
Eurasian Collared-Dove	1
White-winged Dove	10
Mourning Dove	9
Chimney Swift	4
Red-bellied Woodpecker	4
Blue Jay	13
Fish Crow	5
Purple Martin	62
Northern Mockingbird	9
Brown Thrasher	2
European Starling	20
Northern Waterthrush	3
American Redstart	7
Northern Cardinal	24
Red-winged Blackbird	83
Common Grackle	34
Boat-tailed Grackle	62

Species Total: 45

Date and Effort: Sat May 12, 2012 7:00 AM

Protocol: Traveling

Party Size:4
Duration:3 hour(s), 15 minute(s)
Distance:3.0 mile(s)
Observers:Eva Matthews, Emily Chase-Jacobsen, Andy Lantz, Holly Krahe
Comments:NAMC

List generated by eBird.

Bunche Beach Shorebirds

If you're in South Florida and want to see shorebirds then you should definitely check out Bunche Beach in Fort Myers. This Lee County park has just a small parking area down a dead end road but the beach there is great when the tide is going out for shorebirds.



Recently, Andy, Rosana, EmilyLark and I took a trip over to the west coast of Florida for a weekend. We had a great time at Bunche Beach. We saw 3 species of tern, a dozen species of shorebird, and a big highlight for me was seeing my first every White Morph Reddish Egret. All in all, I wish we had hit the tides better but it was still a fun trip topped off with a little swimming and some celebratory drinks that night..