Birding in May 2019 vs. May 2020 – not even close.  Some numbers:

	May 2019	May 2020
Ebird Checklists	152	54
Species Seen	298	156
Species in Washington	85	156
Shorebird Species	24	12
Raptors	18	13
Woodpeckers	10	6
Flycatchers	15	9
Vireos	8	3
Sparrows	18	9
Warblers	35	8
ABA Lifers	2	0
ABA Life Photos	10	0
States Birded	17	1

Quite a difference in every category, but the biggest difference is that in May 2019, I birded with more than 100 fellow birders while in May 2020, I birded alone.  Thank you COVID-19.  I may have gotten less sleep in 2019 but I sure had lots more fun.  And oh yeah in 2020 just barely into a planned two day birding trip in Eastern Washington, I unavoidably hit a deer on Interstate 90.  The deer did not survive; my brand new car was significantly damaged; I was physically unhurt but emotionally and psychologically pretty scarred.  It could have been oh so much worse, but it was not a good day.

The New Car – Post Intersection with the Deer

Of course a major difference between last May and this May is that last year I was fully absorbed in my 50/50/50 Adventure trying to see 50 species in each state on individual days.  That provided a framework and purpose to my birding with defined goals and a drive to meet them.  I was managing a “project” and I have come to realize that I have been doing that in one form or another most of my life and it is important to my mental state and energy levels.  Indeed 2020 has been the only year without focus, without a project and without goals.

There was a goal in the beginning as this Spring was supposed to be one with the very important goal of further testing and hopefully cementing my relationship with Cindy Bailey.  As we entered our second year, we had trips planned to Florida, Cuba and Arizona.  Some birding, but lots of other activities as well, and the trip to Cuba would be a new place for both of us and our first travel as part of a group.  We expected to learn a lot and hopefully prove further that we were flexible, compatible and happy together.  Cindy then had a long trip planned to England in May, and I was going to bird in Texas and other spots trying to add a few more ABA Life birds and/or photos.  Not to be, any of it, as the horrors of COVID-19 caused every trip to be cancelled and our activities to be severely limited.  We have survived but it has not been fun, or at least not in the ways we had sought.

One day is often indistinguishable from another.  No restaurants, no travels, no visiting friends, often a gray malaise and a listless enervated existence.  Cindy has coped better than I have as she has been working out with a personal trainer – not in person but over Zoom – a meeting application that has become a large part of many lives – and has put much energy into a very cute knitting project for a new baby expected by her niece.  Granted there have been frustrations and some less than lady-like language at times but all in all a very positive undertaking.

The Baby Blanket – A Work in Progress

One thing remains unchanged from last May to this May.  Migration is at its peak and it is the best month for birding  almost everywhere.  So despite the limitations and despite the absence of others and despite the unwanted deer intersection on Interstate 90, I have gotten in some birding even though as shown in the earlier chart, not like last year, or any other of the last 9 years for that matter.  Birding remains that familiar turf that adds some consistency to this year’s chaos.  There have been no really special birds, nothing new for the ABA or the State and no new photos, but I have added three species to my Snohomish County list in May (after adding Great Horned Owl in March} bringing the County total to 261, most in any county in Washington.  The May additions were American Avocet, Dusky Flycatcher and Yellow Breasted Chat.  My state list for 2020 is currently 261 species.  The average in the previous eight years at this time is about 25 species more and in almost all of those years and but only for a single day, in this year, I had traveled out of state for significant amounts of time.

But given the tragedy of COVID-19 and what could have been a truly horrible accident with the deer, I am able to see the glass as half full rather than half empty.  I just hope it get even fuller the rest of this year.  So celebrating the fullness that is there, here are some favorite photos for May 2020.

American Avocet and Black Necked Stilt – County Line Ponds – Avocet Also Seen at Eide Road

Wilson’s and Red Necked Phalaropes – County Line Ponds

Lark Sparrow – Oak Creek Visitor Center

Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers (in the same tree) – Wylie Slough

Yellow Breasted Chat and Lazuli Bunting – Umtanum Creek and both also in Snohomish County

Yellow Warbler and Bullock’s Oriole – Bullfrog Pond

Cinnamon Teal and Yellow Headed Blackbird – County Line Ponds

 

Cassin’s Finch and Common Yellowthroat – Bullfrog Pond

Warbling Vireo and Western Wood Pewee – Bullfrog Pond (and elsewhere)

Red Breasted Sapsucker – Scriber Lake Park

Pigeon Guillemot – Edmonds Waterfront

Swainson’s Thrush – Spencer Island and Many other locations

Great Horned Owls – Adult and Owlet – Wylie Slough

Black Headed Grosbeak – Many Locations in Eastern and Western Washington

Western Kingbird – Whatcom, Yakima and Grant Counties

Black Throated Gray Warbler – Many Locations in Snohomish County

Keep safe everyone!!

 

Prompted by a related challenge from Diane Yorgasin-Quinn, I scanned my Ebird ABA list looking for species whose names had ties to geographical areas – like “Eastern” Kingbird – and  whether I had seen them in the eponymous geographical areas.  Interesting results.

I came up with 9 “Eastern” species, 20 “Northern” species (plus one “Northwestern”), and 10 “Western” species.  There were no species with “Southern” in the name and only a single species with “South”.  Where I have seen them is a bit complicated and definitely determined by how I have defined areas.  For example any bird seen in Washington counts as both North and West.  Any bird seen in Maine is both North and East.  Similarly a species seen in Florida is both South and East and anything in Southern California or Southeast Arizona is both South and West.  Hey it’s my system.

With only a couple of exceptions most species were seen in the area corresponding to the name, e.g. Western Pewee in the West and Eastern Screech Owl in the East.  One exception is the Western Spindalis seen only in Florida and thus both the South and the East but definitely not the Western geographical area.  Another exception is the Eastern Yellow Wagtail, seen only in Nome Alaska and thus in the West and North but definitely not in the Eastern geographical area.  Finally there is the Northern Beardless Tyrannulet seen in Southeast Arizona, thus not in the Northern geographical area but in both the South and the West.  Many species were seen in more than one area.  For example, I have seen Northern Mockingbirds in the East, South, West and North and the same is true for many others of these species with their geographical names.

All of the birds are shown in the photos below with the geographical areas where I have seen them following in the parentheses.  (East, South, West and North).  All of the pictures are mine except for the Eastern Whippoorwill, Northern Jacana and Northern Goshawk.  I have very poor photos of the latter and none of the first two.  Hopefully someday for the Whippoorwill but doubtful for the Jacana – seen at Maner Lake, TX more than 40 years ago.

“Eastern” Species

Eastern Bluebird  (E, S, W, N)

Eastern Kingbird (E, S, W, N)

 
Eastern Meadowlark (E, S, W, N)  

Eastern Phoebe (E, S, W, N)

Eastern Screech-Owl  (E, S, W, N)

Eastern Towhee (E,S, N)

Eastern Whip-poor-will  (E, S)

Eastern Wood-Pewee (E, S, W, N)

Eastern Yellow Wagtail  (N, W) 

“Northern” Species

Northern Bobwhite (N, E, S, W)

Northern Flicker (N, E, S, W) 

Northern Rough-winged Swallow (N, E, S, W)         

Northern Cardinal  (N, E, S)      

Northern  Gannet  (N, E, S)  

Northern Harrier (N, E, S, W)

 Northern Mockingbird (N, E, S, W)      

Northern Parula  (N, E, S, W) 

Northern Pintail  (N, E, S, W)

Northern Shoveler (N, E, S, W) 

Northern Waterthrush  (N, E, S, W) 

Northern Goshawk  (N, W)

Northern Fulmar (N,W) 

Northern Saw-whet Owl  (N, W) 

Northwestern Crow (N, W)

Northern Pygmy Owl (N, W)

Northern Shrike (N, W) 

 

Northern Wheatear (N, W) 

Northern Hawk Owl (N, W)

Northern Beardless Tyrannulet  (S, W)

Northern Jacana (S) 

“Western” Species

Western Bluebird (N, S, W)                    

Western Grebe (N, E, W)

 
Western Gull  (N, S, W) 

Western Kingbird (N, E, S, W)

Western Meadowlark (N, S, W) 

Western Sandpiper (N, E, S, W)

Western Screech-Owl  (N, S, W)               

Western Spindalis (E, S) 

Western Tanager (N, W)

Western Wood-Pewee (N, S, W) 

“South/Southern” Species

South Polar Skua (N, E, S, W) 

Diane’s challenge was actually about birds with specific cities or states in their names like seeing a Nashville Warbler in Nashville (I have) or a Louisiana Waterthrush in Louisiana (I have not).  There are many other place specific species names.  I think there is another blog post coming.  Thanks Diane.

 

“Mayday” is used by aviators and mariners (and often firefighters and police) to signal a life threatening emergency.  “May Day” is a holiday generally May 1st celebrating the arrival of Spring.  This year there is not really much to celebrate as COVID-19 continues to severely limit our lives and our birding activities.  Today is May 1, 2020.  If all had gone according to plan, this would be the day for final packing and planning before flying off to El Paso, Texas tomorrow with Bruce LaBar.  We would then be heading to Big Bend National Park in pursuit of a Colima Warbler – an ABA Lifer for both of us and a species found only in that park and after a long hike.  Well, maybe next year…  At least my health is good so no need send out a mayday message for medical care, so this will be the other kind of May Day post – a celebration of Spring even if vicariously.

Colima Warbler – Big Bend Texas – Photo by Greg Lavaty

I don’t recall any specific planning to be out birding on May 1st in any previous year, but since the month of May is perhaps the best month for birding throughout the U.S. including in my home state of Washington, I expected a review of my birding observations would come up with many trips on that day.  Since my birding is primarily by memory or fantasy at this time, I went back through recent history and put together a May Day list of species seen.  All are from May 1st trips since 2011 when I first started using Ebird.  They are from 8 of the 9 years and cover trips in 4 states: Massachusetts, Connecticut. Florida and Washington.  Altogether the species total is 165.  No real rarities but a nice selection of birds.  I have selected a Dynamic Dozen photos to represent the list and then include the full species list at the end.

Bachman’s Sparrow – Florida – May 1st, 2017

Baltimore Oriole – Connecticut – May 1, 2019

Black and White Warbler – Connecticut – May 1, 2019

Canada Jay – Washington – May 1st, 2015

Florida Scrub Jay – May 1st, 2017

Limpkin – Florida -May 1st, 2017

Louisiana Waterthrush – Connecticut – May 1, 2019

Red Cockaded Woodpecker – Florida – May 1st, 2017

Snail Kite – Florida – May 1st, 2017

Swallow Tailed Kite – Florida – May 1st, 2017

Tufted Titmouse – Massachusetts – May 1st, 2018

White Headed Woodpecker – Washington, May 1st, 2011

 

The Full List

American Coot	Cliff Swallow	Little Blue Heron	Rose-breasted Grosbeak
American Crow	Common Gallinule	Loggerhead Shrike	Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Goldfinch	Common Goldeneye	Long-eared Owl	Ruby-throated Hummingbird
American Kestrel	Common Grackle	Louisiana Waterthrush	Rufous Hummingbird
American Redstart	Common Ground Dove	MacGillivray’s Warbler	Sage Thrasher
American Robin	Common Loon	Mallard	Sandhill Crane
American Wigeon	Common Merganser	Marsh Wren	Savannah Sparrow
Anna’s Hummingbird	Common Nighthawk	Mountain Bluebird	Short-tailed Hawk
Bachman’s Sparrow	Common Raven	Mountain Chickadee	Snail Kite
Bald Eagle	Common Yellowthroat	Mourning Dove	Snowy Egret
Baltimore Oriole	Dark-eyed Junco	Northern Bobwhite	Song Sparrow
Band-tailed Pigeon	Double-crested Cormorant	Northern Cardinal	Spotted Towhee
Barn Swallow	Downy Woodpecker	Northern Flicker	Steller’s Jay
Belted Kingfisher	Dunlin (pacifica/arcticola)	Northern Harrier	Swainson’s Hawk
Bewick’s Wren	Eastern Bluebird	Northern Mockingbird	Swallow-tailed Kite
Black Vulture	Eastern Meadowlark	Northern Parula	Swamp Sparrow
Black-and-white Warbler	Eastern Phoebe	Northern Rough-winged Swallow	Townsend’s Warbler
Black-billed Magpie	Eastern Towhee	Northern Shoveler	Tree Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee	Eurasian Collared-Dove	Northern Waterthrush	Tufted Titmouse
Black-necked Stilt	European Starling	Orange-crowned Warbler	Turkey Vulture
Black-throated Gray Warbler	Fish Crow	Osprey	Vesper Sparrow
Black-throated Green Warbler	Florida Scrub-Jay	Ovenbird	Violet-green Swallow
Blue Jay	Gadwall	Pacific Wren	Virginia Rail
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	Golden-crowned Sparrow	Pacific-slope Flycatcher	Warbling Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo	Gray Catbird	Palm Warbler	Western Bluebird
Blue-winged Teal	Great Blue Heron	Pied-billed Grebe	Western Kingbird
Boat-tailed Grackle	Great Crested Flycatcher	Pigeon Guillemot	Western Meadowlark
Brewer’s Blackbird	Great Egret	Pine Siskin	White Ibis
Broad-winged Hawk	Great Horned Owl	Pine Warbler	White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper	Greater Yellowlegs	Prairie Falcon	White-crowned Sparrow
Brown-headed Cowbird	Green-winged Teal	Purple Finch	White-eyed Vireo
Brown-headed Nuthatch	Hairy Woodpecker	Purple Finch	White-headed Woodpecker
Bufflehead	Hermit Thrush	Red Bellied WP	White-throated Sparrow
Bushtit	Horned Grebe	Red Cockaded WP	Wild Turkey
California Quail	House Finch	Red-breasted Merganser	Wilson’s Warbler
Canada Goose	House Sparrow	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Wood Duck
Canada Jay	House Wren	Red-breasted Sapsucker	Yellow Warbler
Carolina Wren	Killdeer	Red-shouldered Hawk	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Caspian Tern	Least Flycatcher	Red-tailed Hawk	Yellow-rumped Warbler
Cattle Egret	Least Sandpiper	Red-winged Blackbird
Chipping Sparrow	Lewis’s Woodpecker	Ring-necked Duck
Cinnamon Teal	Limpkin	Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)

As written earlier, birding now is mostly by memory and fantasy.  The photos and lists above are from those memories of earlier May Days.  Now for some fantasy.  Proving I have way too much free time, I looked through some Ebird reports from the 1st of May throughout the ABA area and came up with a dream list of birds that have been seen on that day and that I would love dearly to see as all would be ABA Lifers.  Here is a top 10.

Colima Warbler – Texas; Yellow Green Vireo – Texas; Buff Collared Nightjar – Arizona;  Ruddy Ground Dove – Arizona; Black Noddy Tern – Florida; Bahama Mockingbird – Florida; Murphy’s Petrel – California; Mottled Petrel – Washington; Black Faced Grassquit – Florida; and Black Tailed Godwit – Newfoundland

12 species seen but they would be ABA Life Photos (all reported on May 1st somewhere):  Common Black Hawk; Golden Winged Warbler; Eastern Whippoorwill;      Chuckwill’s Widow; Cerulean Warbler; Henslow’s Sparrow; King Rail; Black Rail; Groove Billed Ani; Smooth Billed Ani; Sprague’s Pipit and Mourning Warbler.

Yes, quite a fantasy list.  I would settle for any one of them — and it doesn’t even have to be on May 1st!!  And of course what I really most want is that male Smew – but did not see one on the Ebird ABA reports for May 1st in the past 10 years.  I’ll take one any day at all.