In Washington I may travel even a great distance to chase a single bird.  I no longer do this just for a single new bird for the year like I did in my Big Year quests, but will do so for a new state life bird or a new state life photo.  Beyond Washington though, there have to be multiple targets or motivations.  This was the case for my just completed return to Southern California.  I was going to go on my first San Diego pelagic trip (which I will write about in my next blog) as the main course with appetizers being my continued pursuit of a ABA First Photo of my nemesis Lawrence’s Goldfinch and a first ABA observation of a Yellow Footed Gull. Depending on what was around and the success of those adventures, maybe there would be other possibilities as well.

My plan was to get to San Diego early, rent a car and drive to Kitchen Creek Road – about 90 minutes away and look for the Lawrence’s Goldfinch.  Mid August is not the best time for this species in the area, but San Diego birding friend Mel Senac suggested this spot as a good place to look and it was mostly on the way to the Salton Sea, the place to find the Yellow Footed Gull.  I had met David and Tammy McQuade on my North Carolina pelagic trip and learned they would be on the San Diego trip as well.  We compared notes and they told me they had seen Lawrence’s Goldfinches at Kitchen Creek this year also – but in the spring.  This is where networking really pays off.  I was so focused on the Goldfinches that I had no awareness that this was also a good area for another species that was on my ABA Photo “needs” list – a Gray Vireo.   The McQuades had found a pair at Kitchen Creek in the Spring also and Dave sent me details.

From San Diego to Kitchen Creek Road

It was almost 11:00 when I got to Kitchen Creek.  It was hot, dry and pretty quiet.  I first tried for the Goldfinches along a trail that connects to the Pacific Crest Trail.   I played the songs and call notes of both the Lawrence’s Goldfinch and the Gray Vireo but had no luck.  I then went to what looked like a riparian area maybe a quarter mile further east.  No water there now, but I guess it is good in the spring.  No Goldfinches of any kind but I heard and had a brief view of a Bullock’s Oriole in flight.  The Gray Vireo was probably the “better” bird to find, but I had missed so many times on the Goldfinches, I was really focused on them.  I almost forgot to try again for the Vireo, since it had been seen in the first area I had birded and not here.  Fortunately, I tried once more.

As soon as I played the song of the Gray Vireo, a single bird flew directly towards me from across the road at least 100 and probably 200 feet away.  It landed in dense brush next to me.  I got a mostly obstructed partial view.  At least in the view I had it was plain and essentially without field marks.  That would fit with Gray Vireo, but I could not get a photo and could not be sure.  I played again and had no movement.  After 5 minutes without any more views, I wondered if it had flown out the back of the brush, and I decided to work another area and then try again.  My guess must have been correct.  After another 5 minutes of birdless looking, I played the Gray Vireo song again.  This time, I heard a responsive song, and again a bird flew from across the road and came to the same brush.  When it landed it gave the “eh-eh-eh” call of a Gray Vireo and I knew I had my bird.  It took some doing and no pictures came out real well, but I finally got a photo – an ABA first for me.

So I had been looking for “gold” and ended up with “gray”, but as I have written many times, you cannot find anything if you are not out there looking and sometimes the consolation prizes are as good or even better than the prize you thought you were seeking.

Gray Vireo – Kitchen Creek Road, San Diego County (Poor Photo)

I tried once more for the Goldfinches at the original spot with no success and figured it was time to move on.  The original plan had been to stay the night in Brawley – fairly close to the Salton Sea and to bird the area in the early morning when it would not be so hot.  It was just after noon and Brawley was another 80 miles away.  Although it was definitely getting hot, I figured I would first drive to the Salton Sea and scout the area, staying in my air conditioned car and maybe get a view of one of the Yellow Footed Gulls, an ABA Lifer.  This would maybe save time in the morning since I would know the lay of the land (or the Sea).

Kitchen Creek to Salton Sea

Yellow Footed Gulls were previously thought to be a race of Western Gull but is recognized now as a very distinct different species.  It nests only in the Gulf of California, between Baja California and the Mexican mainland. In the summer, after nesting, many of the gulls come north across the desert to the Salton Sea.  A few may have over wintered and stayed in the area, but those observations are questionable.  The time to see one is in July through September – when temperatures are over 100 degrees and often over 110.  It is also a time when odors at the Sea are also pretty strong.  Not a pristine birding condition.

Mel Senac had given me excellent specific information about where to look for the gulls, so I went directly to Young Road and drove along the sea wall.  It was distant but I quickly found a large dark mantled gull.  I did not have a scope, but I had a good enough view to know that I had a new lifer.  I took a record photo, but it just barely showed the yellow feet.  The shore of the lake at first was pretty far out.  I could see many shorebirds but had no idea what they were except for may larger ones that were Willets.  I kept driving along Young Road and saw several more dark mantled gulls and many more shorebirds including a large number of Black Necked Stilts.  There were also Egrets and Brown Pelicans.

I came to a spot where the shoreline was a lot closer (maybe 200 yards) and I had a much better look at a gull with distinctly yellow feet.  There was no question that this was a Yellow Footed Gull.  The mantle was even darker than that of a Western Gull which has pink/red feet.  Despite the heat (over 105 degrees) and the nasty smell, I decided to walk out into the gunk and see if I could get close for a photo.  Maybe the adrenaline overcame the heat and smell as they mattered not, and I was able to get within about 100 feet and got some really nice photos, ones that I figured would be my best ones.  I was very satisfied and it was worth the yucky stuff on my boots which I would scrape off.

Yellow Footed Gull – First Good Photo

It was nice to get back to the air conditioning of the car and even though it was very dry, I was sweating hard.  I continued north and found a number of small ponds close to the road and had great looks at American Avocets, Black Necked Stilts, Long Billed Dowitchers and mostly Western Sandpipers.  A little further out at one spot, I had some Marbled Godwits and at least one Stilt Sandpiper.

One of the places Mel had suggested as a likely spot to find the gulls was at Obsidian Butte where the road is very close to the Sea.  When I got there I could see two very close Yellow Footed Gulls on the rocks below with a Snowy Egret.  It was a partially obstructed view from the car, but I was able to get out and get killer photos.  I was elated.  I later saw several more Yellow Footed Gulls in the distance – probably at least 10 and maybe as many as 14 in all, not being sure if some were ones I had seen earlier and had relocated.  A flight shot of one of the gulls accentuates the yellow feet.

Yellow Footed Gulls

The Salton Sea is a fascinating place – over 340 square miles and located over the San Andreas Fault.  It’s elevation is  226 feet below sea level.  Some history.  It is a saline lake that was formed when the Colorado River breached its levees in 1905 flooding the “Salton Sink” for two years before the breach was stopped.  At first it was seen as a miraculous paradise with resort communities, yacht clubs and good fishing.  It was a favored spot of Sonny Bono and even the Beach Boys, but by the 1970’s it was becoming a disastrous ecosystem.  There was no drainage outlet and almost no new rainfall. Runoff flowed in from nearby farms and the sea was polluted with pesticides and was saltier than the Pacific Ocean.  Many of the birds that had made the Sea their home were poisoned by the pesticides and botulism.  It is as far from a resort as you can imagine today.

Almost 400 species of birds have been seen in the area – including some rarities.  For example Little Gull, Black Headed Gull and Ross’s Gull have all been seen there.  There are several records of Blue Footed Booby.  One was reported shortly before my visit, but it was not an authenticated record.  As I drove around the area in the heat I found large flocks of Black Bellied Plovers, White Faced Ibises and Cattle Egrets.  It was too hot to really search diligently and I headed to my hotel in Brawley with a new plan in hand.  I was more than happy with the Yellow Footed Gulls I had seen and photographed already so instead of birding the area early as originally planned, I would head north to continue my quest for a Lawrence’s Goldfinch photo.

There were Ebird reports for two places during the past 10 days for Lawrence’s Goldfinches that were “relatively” nearby in San Bernadino County.  The first was Wildwood Park on Wildwood Canyon Road about 120 miles from Brawley.    I think it was primarily set up for horses.  Lots of scrubby habitat and trails and I was pretty sure I heard some Lawrence’s Goldfinches.  I tried hard to find them and to draw them in but I was not successful.  I added Phainopepla, Oak Titmouse and Nuttall’s Woodpecker for the trip.  Then it was on to Glen Helen Regional Park which was another 35 miles north and west.  This was my last and best hope as there had been multiple reports of 12+ Lawrence’s Goldfinches at this location.

When I got to the Park, I was a bit dismayed.  It was a large area with many different spots to check.  I had no clue where to start.  As soon as I parked at the first place, I saw a lot of birds fly out of shrubs and into the grass and then back again.  Could it be that easy?  Nope.  It was a large flock of Lark Sparrows.  The main feature at the Park is a large pond for fishing.  I decided to head that direction and as soon as I parked I heard what I was pretty sure were Lawrence’s Goldfinches in trees between the parking area and the pond.  There were lots of birds but they were staying high in the trees and moving from one invisible spot to another.  I got a few quick fairly open looks and saw mostly young birds or females.  I was pretty sure these were my targets but I had trouble getting a photo and besides I really wanted a male both for ID purposes and also because the male is very fine looking.  It took many minutes to get any photos but even though they were not of the male, the yellow/gold wing patches were enough to distinguish them from Lesser Goldfinches which might also be present.

Finally I found several males and with some coaxing and prayers to the bird gods, a couple showed themselves well enough for my much desired ABA First Photo.  And finally I would no longer have to consider this species a nemesis.

Lawrence’s Goldfinch Male

It was getting hot again, but I had hit the target and could relax and see what else was around.  I did not bird real hard and am sure I missed many birds but I found a small group of Rufous Crowned Sparrows which I had mistaken initially as Chipping Sparrows.  I also had some Western Bluebirds and a female Western Tanager.  The best bird however, was a rare for the area Neotropic Cormorant.  It was drying its wings on some snags near the water’s edge on the pond and seemed oblivious to the fishermen or to me.

Neotropic Cormorant

Now I had added Gold to Gray and Yellow.  I would hopefully be adding Black in the form of a Black Storm Petrel to my bird accomplishments on the pelagic trip.  But that was still two days away.  What now? I knew of no other birds of color to target.  I was 120 miles from San Diego and it was only just after noon.  There were no more targets – well, except maybe one.  Spotted Dove would be a Life Bird.  They had been seen off and on in a couple of parks in Los Angeles earlier this year including by Dave and Tammy McQuade.  There were no recent reports.  Dave was going to look for them again today with his friend Dave Alpeter who had joined them on this trip and would also be on the pelagic.  I had texted Dave earlier to see how that try had gone but had not heard back.  It was about 60 miles to the most likely place to try and I had nothing else to do, so I decided to give it a go.

Surprise, surprise.  When I arrived Dave and Dave were sitting on a bench in the park looking for the Dove.  They had been there without success for 40 minutes.  We visited and watched together for another 20 minutes – again nothing.  They left and I remained for another 20 minutes – nothing.  It was not yet 2:30 and I figured there would be traffic but it would be worse if I did not get going.  I got going.  It is hard to believe the traffic could have been worse.  It was 120 miles to my hotel.  I figured maybe 2.5 hours.  My figuring was an hour short.  But at least it wasn’t raining and the air conditioning worked.

It had been an excellent two days but as my contrived Blog Title states, without spotting the the Spotted Dove, my record had not been unblemished.  Gray? Yes thanks to the Gray Vireo.  Yellow? Most definitely with the Yellow Footed Gulls and most importantly Gold with the Lawrence’s Goldfinch. But without the Dove, success was not Spotless.  But it almost was or maybe could have been.  About thirty minutes after I left the target zone, another birder who would be on the pelagic trip arrived there and two Spotted Doves flew in just as he got there.  I haven’t seen a photo, but will take him at his word.

I do not see a return trip just for that in the future unless somehow I am already in L.A.  Then again, it would be nice to see a Lakers game with LeBron…hmmm?

My next blog will cover the pelagic trip – lots of stories and lots of birds.

Next week I will be back in Southern California motivated primarily to take my first San Diego Pelagic trip.  In part to get into practice for that, I signed on for the August 12th  trip with Westport Seabirds, with some shorebirding at some other spots on the coast on Saturday.  The first stop was at the Hoquiam STP.  Not real birdy, but a pleasant surprise was meeting Dick Holcomb.  He is another birder from Edmonds and we had not met before.  He was going to be on the pelagic trip the next day as well, so we shared stories and planned to do some birding together later that day as well.

My schedule was dictated primarily by the tides.  High tide would be at 2:06 p.m. which meant that I wanted to be at Bottle Beach not later than 11:15 a.m.  This gave me enough time to drive the open beach south of Westport, beginning at the Bonge Road entrance. There were lots of birds but not much diversity – thousands of Sanderling and thousands of California Gulls, some Western Sandpipers, Caspian Terns and not much else.

California Gull

Caspian Tern

Sanderling

I made it to Bottle Beach on time and was joined by Dick and by Anna Kopitov.  She had contacted me after I posted I would be in the area and would enjoy joining forces with anyone else who was at the coast.  She was an eager and good birder and nice to have along.  We had timed the tide pretty well and immediately found some dowitchers, a large flock of Marbled Godwits, even more Black Bellied Plovers and even more peeps.  It was particularly fun to see the Plovers in so many plumages.  Some still had full black bellies and some had no black at all.  I somehow managed to delete all my photos from Bottle Beach except for the Marbled Godwit so it will have to represent that location for this blog post.

Marbled Godwit

The tide came in pretty rapidly and the show was over by 12:30 p.m. another reminder that you have to get to this location well in advance of the high tide.  We caravanned down to Tokeland where we found a cooperative group of 11 Willets and many Least Sandpipers on the grass near the boat launch and also had hundreds of Heerman’s Gulls and Brown Pelicans on the island in the bay.

Willet

Least Sandpipers

We made a stop at the Fisher Avenue spit and saw hundreds of California Gulls and many Caspian Terns but no shorebirds.  At this point the group split up and I made another long drive on the open beach this time entering from the Midway area and leaving at Bonge.  There was some kind of Waverider party going on and there were hundreds of people and almost as many cars on the beach.  There were no birds near them, but fortunately they were pretty concentrated.  Mostly the same birds as before but this time I also found several hundred Semipalmated Plovers.

Semipalmated Plover

The number of California Gulls along the coast was truly staggering.  There was a huge concentration at North Cove.  I would guesstimate that combining them, the ones on the open beach, those at Fisher Avenue and the ones seen on the pelagic trip the next day (primarily juveniles), there were easily 4,000 birds.

Unfortunately I had decided to make this trip somewhat at the last minute, and I was unable to find a room anywhere near Westport.  So after dinner with Dick, it was a night sleeping in the car.  Not all that bad except that the noise from the fog horn, gulls squawking and a seemingly endless coming and going of cars meant only a few hours.  If this had been one of the North Carolina pelagic trips with too much heat and too few birds, I probably would have fallen asleep midway.  Westport is not North Carolina.  Granted no Fea’s Petrels or European Storm Petrels, but we had excellent birds and lots of action.  Adrenalin overcame tiredness.

Everyone was punctual and we met Captain Phil at the boat at 5:15. Our official spotters would be Bill Tweit and Gene Revelas so we were in good hands and Scott Mills was onboard unofficially so even more help.  We headed out in near darkness and had a lot o chop until we got past the jetties.  Then the seas ranged from “ok” to quite smooth the rest of the day.  There had been showers the day before and at night, but we remained dry for the whole trip.  Not great sun light which made some photos challenging, but all in all excellent conditions.

Our first good bird was a Pomarine Jaeger that was resting on a drifting log.  It allowed us to come quite close before flying off.  The lighting was bad and I did not use the best camera settings, so the photos were just fair, but a good start for what turned into a very good trip.

Pomarine Jaeger

On my earlier Washington pelagic trip this year in March,  the only jaeger seen on that trip was also a Pomarine, so the jaeger on the log was a nice start but from a “listing perspective” a Parasitic or Long Tailed Jaeger would have been preferred.  On each pelagic trip there are generally some “regulars” that you can count on, some “usuals” that are almost always seen and then the chance for something rare and/or exciting.  On that March trip we had some Short Tailed Shearwaters and a Laysan Albatross as better than usual species, and a Manx Shearwater – much better than usual.   But there had been no Pink Footed Shearwaters and no Fork Tailed Storm Petrels, usual fare even for an early in the season trip.  Both of these species were on my expected First of Year list and by the time we got to our first shrimper with hundreds of birds circling it, we had seen both of these species.

Pink Footed Shearwater (note the pink feet)

Fork Tailed Storm Petrel

On my earlier trip we had also had a Laysan Albatross.  Still a much sought after species, it used to be very rare.  During the last couple of years, however, they have become almost regular or at least not unusual.  Nonetheless they are quite striking and when one was seen among the dozens of Black Footed Albatross with the shrimp boat, there was heightened excitement.  It was a year bird for almost everyone and a life bird for many.  I took a lot of photos.

Laysan Albatross

Black Footed Albatross (An Adult – see the white above the tail)

There is always something to learn on these trips.  Until fairly recently the Laysan Albatross bred only on a few islands in the Pacific along the Hawaiian Archipelago.  Lately a breeding colony has developed on Guadalupe Island off Mexico.  This has correlated with the increase in sightings of this species on Westport trips.  I don’t think there have been banding and tracking studies to prove it, but it is likely that many if not most of  our birds come from the Mexico breeders.

Captain Phil Anderson took the boat out to the deeper waters of Grays Canyon.  I have been on many of these trips and have learned that some species are most likely to be found in the deeper waters and there is always great anticipation of something really special.  Nothing extraordinary was found but we had two species that were great additions:  some earlier than usual Buller’s Shearwaters and a few Arctic Terns both new for the year.

Buller’s Shearwater

Arctic Tern

We had seen several Red Phalaropes earlier, but now we had many more and closer looks better for photos and they were easier to distinguish from the Red Necked Phalaropes which were encountered in smaller numbers.  All of the spotters are amazing and can tell the different species from great distance.  In addition to their knowledge of detailed field marks and skill in seeing them, vast experience has also given them an almost sixth sense about the gestalt or “jizz” of a bird – an immediate characteristic impression based on shape or wingbeat or behavior.  Sometimes I get such a feel and it does help, but I also make mistakes and have to be careful not to prejudge.  It was impressive how the spotters could immediately tell that a distant small phalarope was a Red and not a Red Necked.  Yes the bill and coloration details may be different, but those are details that require a good look to discern.  We learned that the best first indicator is the “stockiness” of the bird.  Red Phalaropes are definitely stockier and the Red Necked Phalarope is more svelte.  It actually worked — most of the time.  A similar lesson was learned to distinguish between two alcids in flight, the more football like Rhinoceros Auklet and the Common Murre which is pointier at front and back.

Red Phalarope

Red Necked Phalarope

Another species we had seen earlier in greater numbers but with better looks in the deeper water was the Sabine’s Gull.  Not great light and not my best photo but a beautiful small gull with a striking wing pattern and a yellow tipped bill.

Sabine’s Gull (The first photo is from this trip and the second is from Nome, Alaska where I saw many in full breeding plumage splendor and in good light)

As we began our return voyage, I was talking with David Olsen up near the bow of the boat when my eye caught a small bird flying towards but angling away from the stern.  It was one of those times when jizz kicks in and sends a quick mental message – my brain noted it as a storm petrel with a rump patch.  I immediately yelled out “Leach’s”, cut my conversation with David and raced towards the rear of the boat hoping others were on the bird.  Scott Mills was intently looking at something but it turned out to be another Short Tailed Shearwater so everyone was looking away from where this bird might have been seen.  I had processed that it was darker and browner than the Fork Tailed Storm Petrels and there was that unmistakable rump patch at the base of the tail.   From my North Carolina experience distinguishing Wilson’s Storm Petrels from Band Rumped Storm Petrels which both also have white rump patches, my eye had subconsciously noted even in my quick glance that the legs of this bird did not extend beyond the tail – which they do on a Wilson’s.  Finding a Wilson’s in these waters would not have been impossible but extremely unlikely.  I could conclude only that it was a Leach’s Storm Petrel– a bit past the prime of their time here, but several had been seen on this trip the week before.  Sure wish I had a photo.

Leach’s Storm Petrel (from my Westport Seabirds trip in August 2015)

There were still some more good birds ahead.  We had a couple of Parasitic Jaegers – distant views only but a fun view of one chasing a California Gull.  This is what jaegers do, they “parasitize” other birds, generally gulls, trying to get them to disgorge food which is then taken by the jaeger.

Parasitic Jaeger Chasing a California Gull

We also had a distant South Polar Skua – a close relative of the jaegers.  It is a powerful bird – apparent even at a distance.  Birders may refer to the “Skua Slam” – seeing the three jaegers – Parasitic, Long Tailed and Pomarine – and the South Polar Skua on the same trip.  We fell short because we found no Long Tailed Jaeger – probably.  Gene Revelas had seen a distant jaeger which could have been one but he was not sufficiently certain with the distant look to make a positive ID.  Gene made a great analogy to the Grand Slam in baseball – getting a single, double, triple and home run in the same game.  The triple is the hardest of those hits to get.  For a “Skua Slam”, the South Polar Skua is the home run and the Long Tailed Jaeger is the hard to get triple.

South Polar Skua (taken from at least 100 yards away)

Another good find was a Tufted Puffin – a juvenile without the tuft or the humongous bill of an adult, but still a large bill and an easy ID.  They are not seen often on these trips although they breed in Puget Sound and on islands off the northern coast.

Tufted Puffin Juvenile

I generally do not pay much attention to the commonly seen gulls on these trips but on this trip I was really struck by the beautiful feathering of the immature California Gulls.  There were hundreds of them seen throughout the day.  I could not resist a photo.

Immature California Gull

  

The trip back in on a following sea (incoming tide) was smooth.  We would search for rock pipers on the jetties and call it a day.  The search was successful with several Wandering Tattlers on the outer jetty and then Black Turnstones, Surfbirds and Marbled Godwits inside the marina.

Wandering Tattlers

It had been an excellent trip as usual.  In addition to spending time visiting and soaking up knowledge from the spotters, I had fun chats with a number of birders on board.  It was nice to get to know David Olsen.  We had interacted before only briefly.  David just returned from a summer in Wyoming working on a pediatrics program as part of his med school program at the University of Washington.  He completes his M.D. this year and then is vying for a very competitive residency program.

It was also great to meet Dan Gesualdo, if or no other reason than he makes some of my listing pursuits seem simple and sane.  He is doing a “Lower 48” Big Year – seeing how many species he can see this year in the U.S. excluding Alaska and Hawaii.  The Tufted Puffin was species number 650 for him this year – second in the Ebird rankings.  Among the amazing aspects of this incredible feat is that he has done it without taking a single flight.  I may have the number wrong but I think Dan said he has put on over 60,000 miles this year – yikes!!  Dan had been on pelagic trips in North Carolina in May just before Frank Caruso and I did our trips.  He had seen what may be the Bird of the Year – first record of a Tahitian Petrel.  We missed that by two days.  Dan will also be on the same pelagic trip I am taking in San Diego this upcoming Sunday.  I fly down on Thursday.  Dan of course is driving down.

As always, Westport Seabirds was super – great operation and great results.  I added 9 new species for the year in Washington:  Fork Tailed and Leach’s Storm Petrels, Pink Footed and Buller’s Shearwaters, South Polar Skua, Sabine’s Gull, Arctic Tern, Red Phalarope and Parasitic Jaeger.  The traffic back was abominable – even worse than usual.  Sleeping without a foghorn was welcomed that night.

I often find myself in conversations about bucket list destinations – where would I most like to go on a trip – birding or otherwise.  There are many places on that list ranging from the relatively close like finally getting to Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon or a little farther away like finally getting to Magee Marsh in Ohio to much more distant and exotic places like Borneo or Ecuador.  I hope to get to all of those places, but if the question were which place I have visited would be on top of my visit again list, there would be many wonderful runners-up, but the top spot would be held by Kenya.

I chronicled a favorite memory of my trip to Kenya in “The Circle of Life” blog which I published on October 4, 2016.  That post included some birds but was primarily about “my father’s leopard”, a magical emotional encounter with this beautiful animal at Samburu National Park in November 2007 – perhaps a “gift” to me from my father who had passed away three months earlier.  That will always be the best moment of that trip, but there were many more.  Some are remembered here.

This was my third significant international trip but my first with a group.  The two earlier ones were on my own to Australia in 2003 and Brazil in 2005.  This trip was with Victor Emanuel Nature Tours – 20 days including very long flights.  It is about 9,000 air miles from Seattle to Nairobi either nonstop or through London.  I went through London and it was an ordeal.  First a 9 hour red-eye flight to Heathrow and then a transfer to Gatwick with a ten hour layover before another 9 hour flight to Nairobi.  I was met at the airport by a driver to take me to the Safari Park Hotel about 20 miles away.  Despite very little sleep the past two days, I was so excited about being in Africa that the adrenalin was running high and I was raring to go.  It was a beautiful sunny morning adding to the excitement.  It should have been no more than 35 minutes to the hotel but…there was a big international marathon going on and the trip took well over an hour.  I received a dose of reality fairly quickly.  In the slow travel, I had my hand out the window in the rear of the town car.  The driver noticed and said:  “Please sir. Pull your arm in.  They will cut it off to get your watch!!”  Whoa…welcome to Africa!

Safari Park Hotel

The hotel was terrific and I had an afternoon to kill before meeting the group that night.  The grounds were extensive and there were definitely birds to be seen.  All were new and it was a great beginning for a great trip.  Some highlights on the grounds were Hamerkop, Sacred Ibis, Black Headed Paradise Flycatcher, Superb Starling and several Sunbird species.

Hamerkop

Sacred Ibis

Superb Starling

Variable Sunbird

That evening I met with the group – all from the U.S. with our leader David Wolf and second mate Brennan Mulrooney, and the next morning after I birded on the grounds again myself, we birded as a group at the hotel and in the Nairobi area.  There were so many birds and so many animals and so many interesting people and interesting places seen on this trip it would be take way too many pages and hours to include them all.  And the same would be true for a day by day recounting of experiences and observations.  Rather than go day by day and place by place, I am going to include “groups” of birds with photos of some favorites and do the same with the mammals.  Altogether there will be photos of 50 species of birds – less than 10% of those seen and about 30% of those photographed.  I was just starting to take photos and had pretty basic equipment so the quality is not great, but the subjects certainly were.  I will also intersperse some comments on places visited and some special people that I met.  There was so much that was fantastic, sadly many great people, places, birds and animals will be left out.  Even with the painful omissions, this is my longest blog post.  Writing it has brought wonderful memories.

Birds of Kenya

October 28th to November 17th, 2007 — 504 Species –  465 Life Birds

In a category all its own is the iconic Common Ostrich.  With its long neck and long legs, it can reach a height of 9 feet and weigh in at 250 pounds – the tallest and heaviest of all birds.  It cannot fly but running it can reach speeds of over 40 miles per hour.  Our first observations were of a flock at Lake Nakuru National Park.

Common Ostrich — Lake Nakuru National Park, November 6, 2007

Waterfowl

There were relatively few waterfowl – a total of only 12 species.  The Northern Shoveler was the only species seen there and also in North America.  I had my first Egyptian Goose – native to Kenya – and then later seen as an exotic in Florida ten years later.

Egyptian Goose — Mountain Lodge, October 31, 2007

Landfowl – Gallinaceous Birds

Six species including three Francolins, Harlequin Quail, and my favorites the Guineafowl.

Helmeted Guineafowl — Samburu National Reserve, November 1, 2007

Vulturine Guineafowl — Samburu National Reserve, November 1, 2007

Raptors –   33 species including eagles, kites, vultures, goshawks and my favorite the Secretarybird.

Bateleur — Samburu National Reserve, November 2, 2007

Martial Eagle — Samburu National Reserve, November 2, 2007

Eastern Chanting Goshawk — Samburu National Reserve, November 1, 2007

African Fish Eagle — Lake Nakuru National Park, November 5, 2007

Secretarybird — Samburu National Reserve, November 3, 2007

Hornbills and Hoopoes –  9 species of Hornbills and 3 Hoopoes

Eurasian Hoopoe — Samburu National Reserve, November 3, 2007

Crowned Hornbill — Naro Moru River Lodge, November 5, 2007

Northern Red Billed Hornbill — Samburu National Reserve, November 1, 2007

Jackson’s Hornbill — Lake Baringo, November 7, 2007

Shorebirds: 23 Species

Black Headed Lapwing — Lake Nakuru NP, November 6, 2007

Black Winged Stilt — Lake Baringo, November 7, 2007

Three Banded Coursers — Lake Baringo, November 7, 2007

African Jacana — Mountain Lodge, October 31, 2007

Waders (Storks, Cranes, Herons, Flamingos. Egrets etc):  21 Species

Gray Crowned Crane — Mountain Lodge, October 31, 2007

Marabou Stork — Lake Nakuru NP, November 6, 2007

 Flamingos Hunted by Hyena — Lake Nakuru NP, November 6, 2007

Goliath Heron — Lake Baringo, November 7, 2007

Cuckoos, Turacos and Go Away Birds:  15 species

Great Blue Turaco — Kakamega Forest, August 10, 2007

Hartlaub’s Turaco — Mountain Lodge, October 31, 2007

Red Chested Cuckoo — Safari Park Hotel, October 30, 2007

White Bellied Go Away Bird — Samburu National Reserve, November 2, 2007

Kingfishers and Bee-Eaters: 14 Species

Little Bee-Eaters — Samburu National Reserve, November 3, 2007

Cinnamon Chested Bee-Eaters — Safari Park Hotel, October 28, 2007

Gray-Headed Kingfisher — Samburu National Reserve, November 1, 2007

Passerines

Rollers and Barbets: 17 Species

Rufous Crowned Roller — Samburu National Reserve, November 1, 2007

 

Red and Yellow Barbet — Samburu National Reserve, November 2, 2007

Woodpeckers and Wrynecks – 8 species

Nubian Woodpecker — Samburu National Reserve, November 2, 2007

Falcons and Parrots – 6 Species

Red Fronted Parrot — Samburu National Reserve, November 1, 2007

Sunbirds – 18 Species

Sunbird Compilation

Miscellaneous Passerines

Snowy Crowned Robin Chat — Kakamega Forest, November 10, 2007

Cut-throat — Samburu National Reserve, November 2, 2007

Red-cheeked Cordonbleu — Safari Park Hotel, November 29, 2007

White Headed Buffalo Weaver — Samburu National Reserve, November 1, 2007

Fischer’s Sparrow Larks — Samburu National Reserve, November 3, 2007

MacKinnon’s Fiscal — Kakamega Forest, November 11, 2007

Golden Breasted Bunting

Mammals of Kenya

Reticulated and Rothschild’s Giraffes – Samburu National Reserve

Probably after the big cats, the Giraffes were my favorites.  They are stately and gigantic.  Their size and speed means the adults are rarely hunted, but the young often are.

   

Gerenuk (Antelope)

This was one of my favorite animals (and I loved them all).  It is the thinnest of all antelopes and has evolved to be able to rear up on its hind legs to feed on leaves on the bushes that are not reached by others.

Hippopotamus

The “River Horse” is considered by many to be the most dangerous of the African mammals for man with its unpredictability and mean temper.  This was not a comforting thought as our small boat was immediately next to these giants at Lake Naivasha.

White Rhinoceros and Black Rhinoceros 

The White Rhino got its name from its “wide” snout.  The Afrikaans/Dutch word for that is “Veidt” which turned into “White”.  The smaller Black Rhino has a smaller snout and smaller horn.  They are browsers in the grasslands.

  

African Elephant

We saw many Elephants in herds.  Sometimes we were quite close.  It is amazing how large they are and how fast they move even when just walking.  African Elephants are larger than the Indian/Asian Elephants and have significantly larger ears.  The latter are somewhat domesticated in Asia.  The African Elephants remain wild.

Cheetah

We only saw two Cheetahs – a brother and sister team that still hunted together.  Incredible camouflage in the grass.

African Lion

This may have been the only small disappointment of the trip.  We saw only three Lionesses.  No male Lions at all.  But they were close – very close.  They were literally only feet away from us in our open vehicles.  We were assured that they did not attack humans – in vehicles.  We survived to tell the story.

Leopard

This is “my father’s Leopard” chronicled in my “Circle of Life” Blog post.  By far my favorite experience and animal of the trip – maybe of my life.  I was the one who first saw this cat which materialized out of nowhere behind us as we looking at a Lilac Breasted Roller and then we followed it with great excitement as it climbed a tree.

Grevy’s and Plains Zebra

We saw two races of Zebra.  The Grevy’s has a white belly and the Plains Zebra is striped all the way.

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Baboons, Colobus, Sykes and Black Faced Vervet Monkeys

We saw several species of monkeys but not in great numbers.  Baboons are Old World monkeys and are one of the few monkey species without tails – why they are most often seen on the ground.

  

  

Impala

Impalas were seen on a number of occasions.  In their own herds or mixed with other antelopes especially Gazelles.  The “M” pattern on the rear identifies them easily and quickly.

African Buffalo

One of the so-called African Big Five, the African Buffaloes were seen often – always in herds and often resting.

Beisa Oryx

A large antelope, the Oryx is to me a very striking and “handsome” animal.  Its markings remind me of the Black Throated Sparrow.

Grant’s and Thompson Gazelles

  

Kudu

Dik Dik

Waterbuck

Warthog

Hyrax

Nile Crocodile (Granted not a Mammal)

People and Places

David Wolf – Our Trip Leader at Mountain Lodge

Smoking was probably David’s only “fault”.  He was great finding and identifying birds and animals and was even keeled throughout the entire trip.  Good company.

Netting around Bed at Lion Hill

Contrary to expectations, the only insects I saw either outdoors or indoors were some cicadas and a long line of army ants.  Nary a mosquito and no flies.  And the weather was fantastic as well.

Thomas and Bernard – Our Excellent Drivers

These guys never missed a beat as they navigated on dirt roads and on roadless tracts. Fun stories and good guys all around.

Primitive Hut

Most of our time was in remote areas but we stayed at very nice lodges.  In the field we often saw quite primitive living conditions.  There is great poverty but for the most part we saw it only as we drove past it.

Shoe Store and Markets along the Road

We saw many similar scenes as we drove through small towns.  Produce, dry goods and clothing for sale.  There were very few cars – mostly people on foot or bicycles and some on motor bikes or scooters.

  

Tribal Retribution

Early one morning as we were moving to another lodge, we passed an intersection where a number of men from one tribe were armed with sticks and bows and arrows.  Our drivers inquired and found that they were waiting for members of a neighboring village to come by.  There was to be retribution for a theft of this groups most treasured possessions the night before — their goats.

Birding in the Field

Our vehicles had pop tops.  A necessity as in most places it was not allowed to be out of the vehicles – nor a smart idea.  Our co-leader – Brennan Mulrooney is the dude with the ponytail.  An excellent birder.

Mt. Kenya and Thomson Falls

There was beautiful scenery everyday but for the most part we were looking for animals and birds and not going to famous landmarks.  At just over 17,500 feet, Mt. Kenya is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second highest behind Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa.  Thomson Falls was a stop along the way.  It is just under 250 feet.

  

My Cabin and the Main Lodge Lobby at Samburu

Accommodations were excellent – and always near game and birds.  We never stayed at tented lodges which would be fun some day.  The food was excellent as well.

  

Our Gang

There were ten birders, two guides and two drivers – a perfect sized group.  The photo of me is the only one from the trip.  I sure look younger back then – I guess understandable since it is now 11 years ago – hard to believe.

  

Some Favorite People Pix

The young girl was carrying wood that would fuel cooking fires or even be used in construction.  Wood was scarce.  We saw many women carrying young children in the towns especially.  The bicycle scene is of a woman going to work by “taxi” – a luxury.  The tribesman feeding the birds was at Samburu – Hornbills and Go Away Birds came in close for photo ops.  Note the slingshot.  He was an adept hunter with it.

  

 

Lost (or Found?) in Translation

This was a favorite sign.  With us, there would be no “lighting of fires” and we were not going to hunt either “Velvet” or “Vervet” Monkeys.  We often saw signs that would begin with “Polite Notice” before their admonitions or warnings.  A very dignified approach.

My Favorite “Local”

I spent a long time talking with this woman in one of the Lodge souvenir stores.  She had her university degree but this was the best job she could get and she was happy to have it.  In addition to her work and taking care of her family, she also had started an after school project for young girls to encourage them to better their lives.  A fascinating person – engaging and instantly likable.  Maybe my small contribution to her project helped in some way.  The only souvenirs from this trip other than a great bird list, photos and many memories were a plate and a carved antelope from this shop.  Both have been on my mantel ever since.

The List and a Farewell Dinner

After every day in the field, the group would gather at our lodge for a drink, making the list for the day and then dinner.  A very civilized way to bird.  Back in Nairobi at the end of the trip we had a great dinner at the Carnivore Restaurant where the menu included wild game and the food, setting and service were excellent.

  

Our Tour Route

We visited 8 different locations and lodges with the longest stay at Samburu.  Each added something to the trip including a variety of bird and animal habitats.  I would go back in a minute but would also love to visit other parts of Kenya and neighboring Tanzania.  In 2014, I visited South Africa on a joint ABA/Rockjumper tour.  Another fabulous tour which I hope to write up someday soon.

[This post was mostly written last year after my return from Florida, but was never finished.  I finished it today and post it now.  Better late than never.] 

Compared to my Northwest, South Florida seems very much like a foreign place.  The geography, the topography, the plants, the animals, the roads, the buildings, the weather, the people and the birds.  Very very different – almost to the point of being Exotic.  When it gets to plants, animals and birds, South Florida indeed is exotic.  Much of what is there really is not from there and maybe should not be there and that in no means is a commentary on our country’s touchy immigration laws – or at least those that apply to people.

There are at least 500 non-native fish and wildlife species in Florida.  Many are harmful and are considered invasive – threatening native species, bringing health problems and creating economic impacts.  Incredibly almost 200 species of birds are considered non-native – exotic.  Many of these have now established breeding and sustaining populations – to the point where the American Birding Association currently recognizes about a dozen of these species and there are many others that are possibly in line for recognition.

Additionally because of its proximity to the Bahamas and Cuba, there are a number of observations of birds from these areas that are the “rarities” that so thrill us birders.  So any bird listing trip to South Florida looks for the introduced exotics – established and possibly yet to be established – rarities from the Bahamas and Cuba – and the South Florida specialties themselves – native but generally found either nowhere else or in only a few places because of the unique conditions and history of the area.

Finally as at other strategic spots, during migration, birders look for migrants at migrant traps – especially places like the Tortugas, the Keys and coastal areas, where migrants land after flights over open water and rest up before the next legs of their journeys.

My other South Florida blog posts chronicle our birding pursuits looking for established introduced exotics, migrants and South Florida specialties.  When Frank Caruso and I first contacted Paul Bithorn to arrange guiding services, we put together a wish list that included migrants, specialties and exotics.  While our interest was greater on the exotics that were ABA Countable, we asked Paul to show us others as well – like putting species in the bank – thinking that maybe someday they would gain recognition status and we could pull them out at that time.  Paul is particularly adept at finding the exotic species and we did very well.  Most were parakeets (or relatives) but we had others as well.  The remainder of this post will share some photos of these species – ABA countable and not.

An overarching comment is that one would think that large birds like parrots/parakeets would be easy to find and easy to identify – especially since they are so noisy – particularly at roost sites.  But such is not the case.  They usually feed in large trees either in dense foliage and/or near the tops.  Differences between species can be minute and particularly to the untrained eye can be easily missed or misinterpreted.  Especially in dim light, many details were just not discernible – at least by me.  Once again photography was handy – either capturing details that supported one identification or another – and often showing details (or their absence) that meant that the initial idea was wrong – even if not helping to determine a correct one.  Here is “Exotic South Florida”.

Monk Parakeet – ABA Countable

Nanday Parakeet –  ABA Countable

Yellow Chevroned Parakeet – Not ABA Countable

Indian Peafowl – Not ABA Countable

Common Hill Myna – Not ABA Countable

Red Junglefowl – Not ABA Countable

Common Myna – ABA Countable

Red Mitred Parakeet – Not ABA Countable

White Winged Parakeet – ABA Countable

 Green Parakeets – ABA Countable

White Eyed Parakeet – Not ABA Countable (Seen but no photo)

Rose Ringed Parakeet – Not ABA Countable

Blue Crowned Parakeet – Not ABA Countable

Muscovy Duck – ABA Countable

Egyptian Goose – ABA Countable

Gray Headed Swamphen – ABA Countable

 

Lilac Crowned Parakeet – Not ABA Countable

Red Whiskered Bulbul – ABA Countable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ptarmigan are grouse with feathers covering their toes and are found in the mountains or cold northern regions.  Three species are found in North America: Rock Ptarmigan, Willow Ptarmigan and White Tailed Ptarmigan, with the latter being the only one found in Washington.  Although not an endangered species, the general consensus in Washington, is that their numbers are declining.  My experience and that of birding friends would agree as we have found it more and more difficult to find this high elevation species.

My first White Tailed Ptarmigans were seen in my mountain hiking and climbing days in the early 1970’s.  I recorded my first one at Sunrise at Mount Rainier in July 1972.   We did not think of them as uncommon then.  I did not keep further records after that first sighting but recall that several were seen when I climbed Mount Rainier starting from Paradise in 1974 and on other climbs there and at Mount Baker.  I started keeping detailed records again only in 2012 and saw one on the Mount Fremont trail out of Sunrise in October 2013 when I got my first photo of this species. Two were seen at Artist Point on Mount Baker in July 2014 and then despite several attempts to find another one one in Washington in 2015 through 2017 – none.  Others I know had a similar experience.

White Tailed Ptarmigan October 23, 2013 – my First Photo

However, on my great “Chickens” trip in Colorado with High Lonesome Tours in April 2016, our group observed two at Loveland Pass.  Like many birds, all species of Ptarmigan have distinctly different plumage in winter and summer.  For the Ptarmigan this is a matter of survival via camouflage.  In the winter, they live in areas completely covered by snow while in the summer the snow has melted and their territory is Alpine meadows and rocky fields.  Our Colorado birds were almost pure white, making them almost impossible to see by us and by their predator enemies.  Their only color was the black of their eyes, beaks and toes and a rarely seen swash of red over their eyes.

White Tailed Ptarmigan – Loveland Pass, Colorado – April 9 2016

That was the only other White Tailed Ptarmigan I have seen – until today – finally.  Birding friend Jon Houghton has been travelling much of this year, and now back from yet another trip to Alaska, he let it be known he was game for some birding in Washington.  I saw a report on Ebird that a mother White Tailed Ptarmigan and some chicks had been seen on the Sunrise Rim trail at Mount Rainier.  Jon is an avid hiker and I knew he would want to see a White Tailed Ptarmigan, so it was a perfect opportunity to see him and maybe see a much sought after bird.

I am in better shape than I have been in for some time, but I am not mountain hiking tested at altitude.  This would be a moderately arduous hike and I was curious how I would do.  Of course, I wanted to see the White Tailed Ptarmigan but no matter what, at this time of year Mount Rainier is spectacular and it would be a great visit.  We left Edmonds a bit after 6:10 a.m. and with lighter than expected traffic and after a few stops we arrived at Sunrise at Mount Rainier three hours later.  It was a gorgeous day, sunny but not too hot – perfect conditions.

Mount Rainier – in Spectacular Weather

The picnic area closest to Sunrise was quite birdy, with lots of Pine Siskins, Cassin’s Finches, Hummingbirds, Mountain Chickadees, some Chipping Sparrows, Dark Eyed Juncoes and a spectacular Mountain Bluebird.  We also heard the “Quick three beers” call of an Olive Sided Flycatcher.  But as we left that area and started our steep climb on the trail that leads to Frozen Lake and then splits to go to both the Fremont Lookout and Burroughs Mountain, the birds disappeared.  The sun was out and the sky was brilliant.  At a couple of open areas, the wind blew and it was quite chilly, but with the exertion of the hike, we both removed layers and we could not have asked for better weather – or better views – or better wildflowers.

Phlox

Paintbrush

Finally we got to Frozen Lake and headed up to First Burroughs – a very steep climb.  We made several rest stops along the way – scanning the meadows and rocks hoping for a Ptarmigan but no luck.   When we made it to the large meadow at the top of First Burroughs, we decided to head back to Sunrise on the Sunrise Rim trail rather than to continue on up to Second Burroughs, another steep hike.  This was the area where we thought the Ptarmigan had been reported earlier, but the details were a bit hazy.  I moved a bit ahead as Jon was much more thorough scanning the hillsides.  Maybe a quarter of a mile down from the junction with The Burrough’s Mountain Trail I saw a movement on the trail maybe 25 feet ahead.  Thank goodness for that movement because otherwise, even though they were right in front of me, I might have missed them as they were perfectly camouflaged.  I yelled for Jon who hustled down to see what the ruckus was.

There they were just off the trail – our prize – a mother White Tailed Ptarmigan and her chicks.  All the huffing and puffing on the climb was immediately forgotten.  We gave each other high fives and watched the mother and babies – grabbing photos with our phones and cameras as best we could.  Other hikers came by and we showed them these rare birds of the Alpine tundra.  Even as non-birders they were captivated.

Mother White Tailed Ptarmigan

These birds are very tame – not caring at all about people.  I think their camouflage gives them comfort and security.  The chicks were scurrying about – sometimes right next to mom but often as much as 50 or more feet away.  We counted 5 for sure and think there my have been 6.  Either way, this was as many White Tailed Ptarmigans as either of us had seen in total in our lives previously.

White Tailed Ptarmigan Hen with Chick – Well Camouflaged Indeed

We watched for quite awhile and then continued down the trail.  It is much easier on the lungs and heart going down, but much harder on the feet and legs as the trail is both steep and slick with small pebbles and loose dirt.  We had to be careful not to fall.  Until almost to the end of the trail, there were no more birds, but the scenery and flowers were magnificent.

View of Mountain Pond and Mt. Tahoma

Mount Rainier and Mount Tahoma

Mixed Wildflowers

After lunch at Shadow Lake, we returned to the trail.  Just over a half mile from Sunrise, Jon heard booming from a Sooty Grouse and called me over.  It sounded like it was close.  But as we moved in for a possible look, it sounded just a bit further off.  This continued for at least a hundred yards and finally we found a small copse of trees that “had to have our grouse”.  But try as we might we could not find it as the booming continued, now quite loud.  Finally Jon spied it hidden in the branches almost at the top of the tree – at least 40 feet up.  You have to look real hard, but you can make out the bill, head and chest in the poor photo below.

Sooty Grouse

At least we got a photo.  While we tried to zero in on the Sooty Grouse I heard the “teu, teu, teu” call of a Pine Grosbeak. I got a brief view as it flew off – larger than the finches and dark red but I never saw the bill.

We made it back to the parking area exhausted but happy.  The Ptarmigan was the prize and the Sooty Grouse was new for the year for Jon and the Pine Grosbeak was new for both of us.  A most excellent day.

And just for the record and because they are so spectacular, here are the other two Ptarmigan species in North America – both seen in Nome Alaska in June 2016.

Willow Ptarmigan

Rock Ptarmigan

These birds are in their summer plumages.  In winter they too are solid white – invisible on the snow fields they live in then.

 

 

I got a fun video of my grandson from my daughter this morning.  He is almost 5 months old now and I can’t wait to see him again when I visit Boston for Thanksgiving.  Although my daughter is great at sending photos and videos, I wish I could be there to see each little developmental step.  They seem to happen every day.  I look forward to reading to him and to playing with him as he grows up.  Seeing the video today brought to mind some of the games kids play – or at least used to before cell phones and video games.  Being a birder, the old game of “Duck, Duck, Goose” was one that came to mind.  When I checked my memory of the rules on the internet, I was surprised to find that there is a Netflix  Animated Film of that name.  I can’t say I loved the 2 minute trailer and sure could not tie it to the children’s game.

The game itself, a version of “tag – you’re it” is quite simple:  the players (5 or more sit in a circle) facing in except for “the Goose” who walks around the circle tapping one and then another on the head and pronouncing each to be a “Duck” until he or she taps one and calls out “Goose”.  The tappee chases the tapper around the circle and tries to catch and tag him or her before he or she can sit down and take the tappee’s place.  This continues until everyone gets bored and loses interest.  Come on, admit it, you played it once and thought it was fun back then.

I was in the mood to write something today, and again being a bird nerd type, a “Duck, Duck, Goose” blog post came to mind  – three sets each of two ducks and a goose.  The first set of three are two of the rarer duck species I have seen in Washington and the rarest goose species.  The second set excludes those and is of species that I find the most beautiful and includes a goose species I have not seen in Washington State.  The final set is my dream set, the two duck species and the one goose species that I would most love to see in the ABA Area and hopefully in Washington State someday.

The “Rarities”

Tufted Duck  –  I have seen at least one Tufted Duck in Washington every year since 2012 except for 2017.  I have seen both King and Common Eiders in Washington and both are rarer than the Tufted Duck, but in each case the visitor was a drab female and the photos not real striking.  Many years ago, in 1983, I also saw the much rarer Steller’s Eider that was seen at Point Wilson.  I wasn’t taking photos back then – hope another one comes to the state someday and I see it with my camera ready.  The photo below is from the Sewage Treatment Ponds at Neah Bay in 2016.  We also found a female Tufted Duck there at the same time.  Tufted Ducks are common – even abundant in Europe.

Tufted Duck – Neah Bay, November 21, 2016

Falcated Duck – This was one of the prize birds in Washington in 2017 – a mega rarity.  It was found by Rick Klawitter in among many hundred Wigeon on Padilla Bay on January 15th.  Many of us made the trek to look for it the next day.  It was very hard to pick it out with so many Wigeon – at least 500 plus, but we finally found it and I was even able to get a distant photo.  It is a mega rarity anywhere in the ABA Area.  It is a bird of Siberia and East Asia.  I believe this was the fourth Washington record.

Falcated Duck – January 16, 2017 – Padilla Bay 

Emperor Goose – The Emperor Goose is another quite rare bird.  One is seen in Washington most years and I have seen one in the State in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016.  My first observation was on the golf course in Ocean Shores where it hung out with a Greater White Fronted Goose for two months in 2012.  The others were all seen around Sequim.  It is breeds in Siberia and Western Alaska.

Emperor Goose – Ocean Shores Golf Course – January 1, 2012

“Three Beauties”

Wood Duck – It is not uncommon but it is sure gorgeous.  It would be hard to rank the Wood Duck below any other for sheer beauty.  I have more than 80 observations in Washington and have also seen them in California, Oregon, Wisconsin and British Columbia.  Earlier this year, I met an avid birder from Columbia birding at Juanita Bay Park.  It was her first visit to Washington and her main quest was to get a photo of a Wood Duck.

Wood Duck – Juanita Bay Park – April 2015

Common Eider – After returning from a chase to find the Common Eider at the Purdy Spit in January in 2017, a non-birding friend asked why it was such a big deal and I told her it was only the second one I had seen in Washington, the first being at Westport on October 28, 2012, the double rarity day as there was also a Northern Wheatear a few hundred yards away.  She couldn’t understand then why it is called a “Common” Eider.  It is in the other places I have seen them – Alaska, Maine and Massachusetts, but certainly not in Washington.  There may be some other duck species I have seen that are equally beautiful, with the Hooded Merganser definitely ranking high for example, but I chose this one because I have seen them (drab females only) in Washington and because I think they are very distinctive and beautiful.  I might have gone with the King Eider – also seen in Washington – but my photos are only of the once again drab females.

Common Eider Nome June 6, 2016

Pink Footed Goose – This was a tough choice mostly because I have not seen that many goose species in Washington and did not want to pick the abundant Snow Goose, Brant, Canada Goose or Cackling Goose even though they are all fine looking birds.  And the much rarer Ross’s Goose just doesn’t do it for me.  The proportions are all wrong.  I decided to go with the Pink Footed Goose with its pink feet and rusty head and neck.  I could not find any Washington records for this species but I have seen it in two places the first at Artichoke Reservoir in Massachusetts in November 2016 and the second in Victoria, B.C. in March 2017.  They breed in Greenland and Iceland but migrate to Northwestern Europe for the Winter.

Pink Footed Goose –  Victoria, B.C.  Blekinsop Lohbrunner Road March 10, 2017

The Dream List

Smew – Anyone who knows me well as a birder knows that at the very top of my bucket list is seeing a male Smew.  One appeared in Washington on the Columbia River in the winter of 1991 and again in 1992.  That was my down time for birding so I missed it.  They are mega-rarities in the ABA area with most being seen in the Western Aleutians.  They are found primarily in Northern Europe and Asia.  This is the ONLY bird that I will drop everything and go chase if a male shows up in North America again.  I have my fingers crossed.  It is a small merganser and although only black and white, to me is a simply gorgeous bird.

Smew

Baikal Teal – There were numerous observations of a Baikal Teal from December 2004 to April 2005 in South King County.  Unfortunately I was not one of the observers.  It has to have one of the most unique facial patterns of any duck.  It is most often seen in Alaska although there was a 2013 record from Montana.  There is always a concern whether birds seen in the U.S. are escapees since they are found in many collections.  I found a report on Ebird from Stephan Lorenz – a guide who I was with on a Colorado “Chickens Tour” with High Lonesome in 2016 – of 50 of these ducks in Japan.   I was there at the wrong time of year – I wish I had seen one – but of course I really wish another one shows up in Washington or at least nearby.

Baikal Teal 

Bar Headed Goose –  There are no records of this species in Washington and it is a mega-rarity if it ever shows up anywhere in the U.S.  It is fairly common in India and elsewhere in Asia.  I saw a small flock on my trip to India in 2011.  Pretty simple and straightforward except for those bars on the head.  Maybe someday.

Bar Headed Goose – Bharatpur, India January 2011

This blog post is probably as far afield as any I have done.  As I said at the outset, I just felt like writing – probably since I did not get out birding today – the mid July blahs.  Hopefully some good shorebirds will start showing up.  I need to get out there.

 

It happens almost every Tuesday morning.  Led by Virginia Clark, 10 to 20 Snohomish County birders head off on a birding trip.  Usually to spots in Snohomish or Skagit Counties, but sometimes as far afield as Island or Whatcom counties.  It is as much a social occasion as a field trip as most of the participants are there for every trip and know each other well.  Virginia is amazing.  I swear she knows every nook and cranny of those counties, or at least the ones which have birds.  She has been doing this for many years and is very good at it – an excellent birder, an excellent leader and, with a touch all her own, an excellent baker.  She brings dozens of scrumptious cookies and other baked goods to every trip.  They are not for the calorie conscious.

I have not been able to join the group as often as I would like or probably should, but I enjoy the experience every time I do.  The birders range from ok beginners to seasoned experts.  It is always great to have many eyes looking for the birds and ears listening for their calls.  And always good to share stories – and most of them are usually true – most.  Unlike most of my birding, there are rarely targets.  The goal is to see what is there and to enjoy being out.  Often there are really great finds and sometimes rarities in the area are chased if they are within the area planned for the trip.

On Tuesday, July 10th the gang visited several locations east of Sedro Woolley on State Highway 20 in Skagit County and ending at the Oso Loop Road in Snohomish County.  Altogether 17 birders in 5 cars.  There were plenty of cookies to go around.  I could throw in bits and pieces about personalities, interactions and so forth, but I am not into gossip, so I will stick to the birds.

Our first stop was at the Hansen Creek Restoration Project.  Like many of the stops on these trips, it was not familiar to me.  Generally, especially since I am not a “County Lister” except incidentally, that means that there had not been a new year or state bird there to chase.  A neat spot even though mid-July is not the birdiest of times.  Two highlights:  a pair of American Bitterns seen at distance in flight three times and at least one Virginia Rail at first heard only and then seen in a quick flight.  My photo of the American Bittern was a just miss – almost a good photo and would have been if I were more skilled.

American Bittern in Flight

We had 21 species at the first stop and then continued east on Highway 20 to Rasar State Park – another place I had not birded before.  A very pleasant place.  I bet it is real birdy in late May or early June, but not so much this day.  Nine species.  Nothing special but hearing Black Throated Gray Warblers, Swainson’s Thrushes and Pacific Wrens was fun.  Hard not to appreciate the song of the Swainson’s Thrushes – and we heard them throughout the day – probably a hundred individuals.

In a field off Cape Horn Road in Concrete we added some Lazuli Buntings and several Vaux’s Swifts mixed in with numerous swallows.  It looked like a perfect day for Black Swifts with low clouds, but despite vigilant searching, none were found.  Someday I will figure out how to get a really good picture of a Vaux’s Swift.  As the photo below shows, this was not to be the day.

Lazuli Bunting

Vaux’s Swift

Further east we stopped at Martin Road, yet another place that was new to me.  We added another 9 species for the day (now closing in on 50) with the best probably being an immature Red Breasted Sapsucker.  I really enjoyed a pair of Common Yellowthroats actively catching insects and being very territorial.  No doubt there was a nest in the area.

Red Breasted Sapsucker Juvenile

Common Yellowthroat Male and Female with Insects

   

Earlier we had seen a number of birds with insects – seemingly a higher percentage than usual.  Maybe this is related to nesting activity with adults feeding young.  A favorite shot this day was of a Red Winged Blackbird with a mouthful.

Red Winged Blackbird

We went to nearby Howard Miller Steelhead State Park for a bathroom break – not to bird – but it was here that we had one of the true highlights of the trip.  One of the birders, Joyce Hershberger, found a raptor nest in the park.  We could hear young birds and thought they might be Cooper’s Hawks.  We located the nest and through the branches could see an adult and three young birds.  They were not Cooper’s Hawks nor Peregrine Falcons as I had wrongly concluded (my only mistake in at least 20 minutes).  We had a family of Merlins.  Finally one came into the open for a photo and then we watched what may have been the first flight – 20 feet to an adjacent tree – of one of the young.  Very fun indeed.  None of us had seen a nest of Merlins before.

Merlin

At the Marblemount boat launch we picked up a couple more species but birding was slow.  We then headed to Bacon Creek Road.  This had not been on the original itinerary, but an Alder Flycatcher, very rare for the state, had been seen there regularly for the past two weeks and Virginia obliged by adding the stop.  Sherrill Miller and Frank Caruso had seen it at the spot a week ago and I had seen it there on June 26.  It had been very cooperative both posing and singing.  The location was very accessible.  As soon as we arrived and parked, we saw a small gray bird flying in the area where the Flycatcher had hung out previously.  We thought we had our target.  But the bird was not seen again and despite thorough coverage and lots of playback, no luck.  It had been so easy to find previously that we doubted it was still around.  The first bird we had seen could just as easily been a Willow Flycatcher, but we did not hear that call either.  This was the only downer for the trip.

Alder Flycatcher (My Photo from June 26)

Fortunately the trip ended on a much better note.  We made a last stop on the Oso Loop road in Snohomish County.  The group had seen an American Redstart there last year and it is back in 2018.  They are uncommon in Washington and very much so in Snohomish County.  The bird had been seen regularly at a very specific spot for over a month.  The troop assembled and waited.  Not heard and not seen.  Then playback was used and unlike the experiences that those who had seen it here already this year had previously, the bird did not fly in and respond. Uh-oh.  There is usually a range of views on the use of playback in any group.  Some are very unhappy when it is used at all, others when it is used a second time after a bird had responded.  Admitting a photographer’s bias, I am much further on the other end of the spectrum and don’t hesitate to use it to bring birds to me and others when for example I lead field trips – although I try to limit it if there is obvious concern for the safety of bringing the bird into the open or significantly disturbing nesting/mating activity.

With Virginia a co-conspirator with her wink, I made the executive decision to move a little closer to what I knew to be the bird’s favorite perching spot and played its song twice – zing – in it came and perched in the open right in front of us just feet away.  It is a beautiful bird and there were lots of oohs and aahs. The photos show why.

American Redstart

We also saw at least three Spotted Sandpipers as we crossed the river to get from the parking to the Redstart spot.  For the day between 55 and 60 species were seen – although not everyone saw everything.  The weather was good and the company was great.  There were great highlights and great cookies.  This group is just one of many birding groups in the state – formal and informal.  There are lots and lots of birds and lots and lots of birders in Washington.  I really enjoy all of the former – and most – even almost all of the latter.

 

 

On my Facebook page on July 5th, I posted an accounting of the numbers of birds on my ABA Life list that had colors in their names.  The total was 152 species with “Black” being the color that came up the most with 41 species.  I incorrectly had “Blue” with a surprisingly low 9 species.  Rechecking, I find that there are actually 15 “Blue” species as I had cross referenced an alphabetical list only.  Thus 158 of my ABA birds have a color in their name  – about 22 percent.  Too many “Black” birds to include them all in a blog post, but “Blue” is manageable.  Here they are with some comments on each.  They are in alphabetical order with the exception of the Black Throated Blue Warbler which I have saved for last as a segue to some very personal reflections.

Blue Grosbeak

The Blue Grosbeak is a relatively common breeder throughout the Southern U.S.  My first observation was in Maryland in 1975.  It would be 42 years before seeing another one – on the Dry Tortugas in Florida in April 2017.  Later that year I saw several in Arizona and in New Mexico and this year, others were seen in Texas and North Carolina.  This photo is from Zapata County Texas on April 11, 2018.  Its large bill helps separate this species from Indigo Buntings which are often found in similar field margin habitats.  The solid blue of each make the birds jump out, but I find them both kind of plain – but not nearly as plain as the Blue Grosbeak female which is a very dull light brown.

Blue Jay

Blue Jays and Northern Cardinals may well be the best known birds of the Eastern U.S.  A corvid, it is raucous, gregarious, and easily identified.  It is common in urban and suburban areas as well as in forests – primarily at forest edges – so long as there are oak trees around.  I am sure my first Blue Jay was seen as a young child in Maryland way before I was keeping lists.  Since then I have seen them on dozens of occasions listing them in 9 states.  They make annual appearances in Washington – more often in the most eastern and southeastern parts of the State.

My Washington “lifer” was a heard only bird in Ephrata in December 2012.   Wanting a better observation, I chased a bird that had been seen at Lyons Ferry State Park in October 2013 during my (first) Washington Big Year.  It is one of my favorite stories.  Palouse Falls is just shy of 8 miles north of Lyons Ferry.  I had never seen the Falls which seem to come out of nowhere in dry country.  I also needed a rest stop so I made a brief detour.  I snapped a few photos of the Falls and then entered the restroom – neither the best nor worst of many such facilities I have visited in our state parks.  When I got out, the Blue Jay was perched on the roof of the restroom.  Sometimes you just get lucky!!

Palouse Falls (on a winter trip in December 2015)

The photo above is of the Blue Jay that was a regular visitor and treat for many birders at “Barry’s Farm” on Bow Hill Road in Skagit County beginning in December 2017 and continuing for many months into 2018.

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher

I first saw this fairly drab little bird in San Jose California in 1973 just as I was starting to bird “seriously”.  Although this photo from San Diego in January 2017 emphasizes the “Blue” in “Blue Gray”, I think that was probably at least helped a bit by Photoshop.  Usually these birds are substantially more gray than blue.  They breed throughout much of the U.S. except Washington, Montana and the upper Plains.  In the past few years they have been found regularly in the Neah Bay area in November and December – why not – it’s Neah Bay where anything is possible.  I saw my first Washington one there in November 2015.  I have seen them in Washington several times since and in 7 other states.  Some of my most frustrating birding was trying to get a photo of a very similar California Gnatcatcher last December.  It seemed that every time I thought I had one in the open, it turned out to be another Blue Gray Gnatcatcher.  Finally at the San Elijo Lagoon, I succeeded.

Blue Headed Vireo

Another Eastern species, the Blue Headed Vireo joins the Black Capped Vireo as my favorite Vireos.   Granted I have only seen 13 Vireo species in the ABA area, but I think both of these are quite sharp.  Somewhat like the Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, the “Blue” head often appears more “Gray”.  This photo is from my Maine trip in June 2015 – taken at Schoodic Point.  It is the bluest head I have seen.  As with many eastern species, I saw my first one in Maryland in 1975.  Others have been seen in New Hampshire, Florida and earlier this year in Texas.

Bluethroat

This Bluethroat was one of the specialty targets in Nome in June 2016.  If you want to see one in the ABA Area, you have to go to northern Alaska.  We found it singing on the Kougarok Road.  In the same area, in addition to lots of mosquitoes, we also found Arctic Warblers – the other targeted breeding species in the area – found only there.  I was very happy to have the observation and get the photo, but I wish we had been a bit closer as it is truly a striking bird.

Blue Throated Hummingbird

I had seen my first Blue Throated Hummingbird at Cave Creek Ranch in Arizona in June 1977 and had not been back to the area since then.  On a Wings Birding Tour, I returned in August 2017 hoping to get photos of many of the specialty birds I had seen but not photographed on that first visit.  This was one.  Obviously I got the photo, but it was one of the major disappointments of the trip.  We had seen one the day before and I got a crappy photo in tough light.  Our trip leader said not to worry as we would see many of them the next day at the Southwest Research Station feeders in Cave Creek Canyon.  We made our first stop at a place that had gifts in the Canyon and then went to the Research Station.  The group dawdled getting to the feeders as the leader “carried on and on” about butterflies and dragonflies and other non-bird stuff.  I went on my own down to the feeders where some Blue Throated Hummers were active.  I had no sooner gotten the photo shown here, when the call came out that we were behind schedule and had to leave. WTF!!??  A much better photo would have easily been possible – but… Not a happy moment!!!

Blue Winged Teal

To me this is a very inaptly named bird.  Yes there is blue in its wing, but there is also blue in the wing of the Cinnamon Teal.  The obvious field mark for the male though is the purplish blue head and the very distinct white crescent at the base of the bill.  But there is “Blue” in its name so it is included here.  It is found throughout the U.S. and Canada except in the Great Basin – breeding in the north and in migration elsewhere.  I first noted one in California in San Jose in May 1973 and have dozens of observations in Washington, most recently in May this year.  The photo is from Wiley Slough in Skagit County in May 2016.

Blue Winged Warbler

Here we go again.  Yes this warbler does have some blue (well sort of) in its wing, but to me the wing is mostly gray.  There is also some blue in its tail, but overwhelmingly this is a bright yellow warbler.  It is closely related to and hybridizes with the Golden Winged Warbler which at least has lots of noticeable gold (well, yellow gold) in its wing.  This photo was taken on South Padre Island on April 8th this year.  It was one of my sought after target photos as I had seen one in 1978 on High Island but had no photo.  It is found only in the Eastern U.S. and is taking over more and more areas that were formerly more Golden Winged territory.  I think the species was first specified by noted ornithologist Alexander Wilson (See my earlier blog post on bird names).  Naming this species after him would thus be appropriate but there is already an even yellower Wilson’s Warbler.  I guess Gray Winged Warbler just doesn’t cut it.

Eastern Bluebird

The Eastern Bluebird is another of the iconic Eastern birds that I first noted in Maryland in May 1975. I expect that I had probably seen one earlier in my non-birding youth.  This photo is from Scarborough Maine in June 2015.  Since then, I have seen them in Florida, Texas, Arizona and most recently in North Carolina.  In Arizona both Eastern and Western Bluebirds are found with the former only in the extreme southeast as with the one I saw in Huachuca Canyon in 2017.  Note the rusty orange throat.  If this were a Western Bluebird the throat would be blue.

Great Blue Heron

This bird often appears more gray than blue although in good light, the blue is definitely there and such is not the case with the very similar Gray Heron found in Eurasia and Africa.  Many non-birders misidentify the Great Blue (or “GBH” in birder shorthand) as a crane.  They are found throughout most of the U.S. and are quite common and very noticeable.  Amazing hunters, I have watched one stand perfectly still for 20 minutes until its prey – a small fish – came to just the right spot and then is snatched with a lightning strike.  I have also watched a Great Blue catch a huge fish in a pond and take 10 minutes to position it perfectly to be able to swallow it whole.  It seemed impossible that it could do so.

This is by far the most common large wader in Washington – seen throughout the year and throughout the State.  I noted my first one in Maryland in 1972 and have seen them in 10 states.  800 of my Ebird reports include this species.

Like its cousin, the Little Blue Heron which comes up next in this post, there is a white morph of the Great Blue Heron – well maybe not for long.  There has been a long debate over whether this morph is actually a separate species – a Great White Heron.  Supposedly the AOU and ABA are soon going to recognize it as such … supposedly.

Little Blue Heron

As just noted above this species also has a white morph – not a speck of blue.  It is much rarer than the blue morph although we saw more white morphs than blue in Texas this April.  It is mostly found in the Southeast U.S. where it is a resident and up the Eastern Coast where it is primarily a non-resident breeder.  It is also fairly common in coastal California.  It is almost unheard of in Washington – almost.  Two friends saw a white morph appear out of nowhere at Wiley Slough in September 2014.  There is only one other record accepted in the State.  My first observation was at Palo Alto Baylands Park in 1973 and I have also seen them in Texas, Maine, Florida and North Carolina.  The photo is from Maine in 2015.  It is about 60% of the size of a Great Blue Heron.

Mountain Bluebird

I think a better name for this bird would be Electric Blue Bird because the color is an electrifying and dazzling blue – and oh yeah, at least where I generally see it, it is not in the mountains.  It is found only in the Western U.S. all the way into Alaska.  To be fair, where it is a resident, it usually is in or next to mountainous areas.  I have seen it only in Washington (many, many times), twice in Colorado and once in California.  My first observation was in the Wenas area in 1975.  The complete absence of orange/rust makes it an easy ID compared to Western Bluebirds although they nest in the same area – at least in Washington.  As simple as its coloration is, I find it a very beautiful bird.

Red Flanked Bluetail

I wrote up the chase for this bird in an earlier blog post.  I had seen one in miserable rainy conditions in British Columbia in January 2013.  The one shown here is from January 2017 in Lewiston Idaho just across the Snake River from Clarkston, Washington.  I sure wish it would have ventured a bit further west so I could have it as a State record.  In some countries it is also called an Orange Flanked Bush Robin.  There is definitely bright blue in its tail, so it deserves to be in this group.  It is probably a chat taxonomically.  It is a mega-rarity in the ABA area, being an “Old World” species found primarily in Asia but expanding westward.

Western Bluebird

As with a number of other western species, I saw my first Western Bluebird in San Jose in 1973.  Other observations have been in California, Colorado and Washington.  This photo is from Spokane, Washington in May 2012 and clearly shows the blue throat compared to the orange throat of an Eastern Bluebird.  It is great fun to drive the sage area along Wenas and Umtanum roads between Ellensburg and Yakima where a concerted effort to place and maintain nesting boxes has made this a “go to” spot for both Mountain and Western Bluebirds.

Black Throated Blue Warbler

Primarily an Eastern Warbler, I first saw a Black Throated Blue Warbler in Maryland in 1975.  Since then I have seen two in Washington with the picture being of the male that visited a feeder in Bothell in late March and early April in 2015.  Later that year I saw several on breeding grounds in Maine and then a female at Gog Le Hi Te Mitigated Wetlands in Tacoma in November.  I have also seen them in Florida in April 2017 in migration.  These warblers winter primarily in Cuba and Hispaniola and are common and doing well.  It is always dangerous to make a list of “most beautiful birds” but this one definitely has its appeal.

Why Did I Write This – a VERY Personal Disclosure and Reflection

Per the introductory paragraph to this post, I saved the Black Throated Blue Warbler for last to be a segue to some personal non-birding reflections.  There have been bits of personal reflection in some of my previous posts and two in particular were very deeply about them – and not about birds at all.  The reality is that all of the posts have had personal connections – not just because they are my personal experiences with people, places and birds I write about, but also because so often my birding has been an “escape” or “distraction” from other matters – personal issues, emotional challenges, feelings that could be avoided – for awhile at least – if birding occupied my time and my mind.  Much good has come from this, but also eventually the piper has to be paid and most things have to be dealt with.

I chose to save the Black Throated Blue Warbler for last simply because it is both “black” and “blue”.  Generally “black and blue” is a reference to the color of bruises on the skin from a fight or injury that turn black … and … blue.  Although it has not been a physical fight and there have been no physical injuries and thus no visible bruises, I have had a very tough week as a personal relationship that I thought was going to great places had a crashing and unexpected fall – and as it did, it felt like the aftermath of a fight or the suffering that accompanies a physical injury.  Yes it was worse because of the timing and some of the details of the end, but mostly it was the sudden emptiness that was so devastating.  There had been so many hopes and even plans for much in the future and they were all gone.  A while ago I had even posted a picture on Facebook with the comment – “even better than birding”.  I foresaw a future that would not be without birds but would include so much else with a special person, that indeed it would be much better than birding.

Then suddenly there seemingly was no such future at all and even birds and birding had lost their appeal.  I removed the photo and the post.  There had been no fight, so why did I feel like I had been through one?  There had been no physical battle, so no outward bruises, but there were some on the inside and like the ones on the outside in a physical fight, they turned Black and Blue.

Black?  Is black the absence of all color or the presence of all color?  In this case it felt like a complete absence – no light – just darkness.  In my pain, I had fallen – let myself fall – into a deep and dark abyss.

Blue?  When someone says they are blue, they are saying they are sad – depressed.  Unquestionably I was very sad – quite depressed in actuality if not clinically.

I was experiencing both black and blue.  Then it got worse.  The morning after my crash and burn, a neighbor in my complex died suddenly.  It was a heart attack.  His wife was away visiting relatives.  He was alone.  There was nobody there to help him and had it not been for a sister worried about unreturned calls, who knows how long it might have been before anyone even knew he was gone.   He was very fit, not that old, didn’t smoke.  We worked out at the same gym.  How could this have happened?  And if it could happen to him. it could happen — to me.  I, too, am alone.  Having just lost what I thought was going to be this incredible future, this death brought home another aspect of loneliness.  Not just the absence of positives, but the presence of negatives as well – the possibility of dying unrescued being just one.

There was now more black and more blue.  The bruises were hurting.  It was getting worse … and then it wasn’t…  The sudden death of my neighbor reminded me that there are no guarantees in life.  There is no guarantee that the birds we chase will be found.  There is no guarantee that the relationships we are in or that we seek will be as planned, as hoped for, or even continue at all.  There is no guarantee even of a tomorrow.  So I started thinking not of tomorrow, but of today.  A bit less black, a bit less blue.

I had gone to private mode on Ebird – my observations no longer cataloged for anyone else to see – no longer on year or month or life lists.  What did they matter?!  Nothing had seemed to matter to me, so I took down what had previously at least superficially mattered the most.  I disappeared.  Some friends noticed.  That helped.  A little less blue, a bit less black.

What is the most important thing in a relationship?  There are many things when if missing, doom the relationship. Any list of “most important” would have to include “TRUST” and “BELIEF”.  I learned she had done something that was understandable, but the way in which it was done was not.  It challenged my perspective on who she was either at the core or at least under some of the pressing external matters that were there.  Most importantly it also challenged “TRUST”.   Which words that had been said, feelings expressed, or even physical expressions had been real?  How could I ever know which ones in the future were?  And this is where there has to be “BELIEF” – any lasting relationship has to have a shared “BELIEF”.  If that is there then something that seems out of character can be re-examined, hopefully discussed and hopefully resolved.  “BELIEF” gets one past unintentional negative and “BELIEF” returns each person  to “TRUST”.  “BELIEF” was being deeply challenged as well, perhaps fatally.  I could hold on to “BELIEF” – did she?

That disappointing discovery came after the words from my friends, the immediacy of my neighbor’s death and the result of beginning to focus on today.  What was left undone when my neighbor died?  What goals unachieved?  What places not visited?  What words had he intended to say to others – later – that were never said because there was no later?  What thank yous unsaid?  What love unexpressed?  We will never know.

But I knew I had some – some of all of those things not yet done, words not yet said.  I could not do them or say them all on that day of sudden awareness, but I could start.  And to start I had to leave the black and the blue – or maybe better said, I had to see them differently.  I thought of the Black Throated Blue Warbler – such a beautiful bird.

Black was not the absence of color, it was its own vivid expression and a marker against which the blue and the white could be appreciated.  The blue was bold and bright.  There is no sadness in this bird.  When it sings on its territory in the spring, it stands out and declares – “Look at me, hear my song.  Come to me.  I am beautiful.  Be with me.  I have purpose.  I have meaning.  I will repeat this today and for every tomorrow that I am allowed to have.  I am alive!!”

No the sadness is not gone.  To seemingly be mistaken about and lose so much is hard.  Some distraction will still be necessary.  It appeared that I had lost what I had valued as better than the best bird I had ever known.  There are other birds and other people – maybe there will never again be a “best” but there are others that are wonderful.  Writing this blog reminds me of that and that each has its beauty and meaning both actually and by analogy to all else in my life. The next chase has begun and I will get better at it and will succeed.  This is a start.

 

 

POSTSCRIPT – 8 Years Later

It is now many years after the time I wrote the foregoing blog post – a time that was a tough go, lots of pain, lots of emotions, lots of stress. I wrote then that birding often served as a distraction for me – immersing myself in something that was a passion and that took my thoughts away from pressures, stresses and negatives that were around at the time. I acknowledged that while at that time there was no physical fight or injuries, the damage from a personal relationship that had unexpectedly crashed and burned felt like the aftermath of a fight which had left black and blue bruises because of the feeling of loss and loneliness. At the time, the sadness was very present but thinking of the beautiful Black Throated Blue Warbler I could believe that better times were ahead, good birds and yes good people.

While my sadness came mostly from the personal relationship that had vanished, it was also in large measure because of the greatly discomforting events and words that came with a new President, Donald Trump, who represented all that was bad of humankind and challenged and threatened all that was good or that I had felt was good in our country. What was happening? To get some understanding of the feelings and conditions of the people who had voted for this vile person, I again went to birding both as a respite and an exploration. I undertook what came to be called (by me) my “50 50 50 Project” which would take me to each of the 50 states of the U.S. with the express goal of on single days in each of those states to find 50 species of birds – 50 States, 50 Days, 50 species – and to do so I had to bird with someone local, someone who lived in a place that was very different from the bubble I lived in in Edmonds, Washington – a wonderful place with almost entirely liberal minded people, but also people who were not facing some of the problems very present everywhere – those encounters and experiences somehow shaping a voter mentality that enabled Trump to be elected. The “project” was very meaningful, a success by the numbers at least. I learned much and changed the world not at all, but helped me understand better how we had arrived at the place we were in. There were many blog posts that followed describing my experiences in each state – mostly from a birding perspective, but sometimes with a recognition of places very different from my home town, even my home state, and the political consequences of those differences.

As was usually the case, getting involved in a “project” particularly a birding one gradually brought me out of my sadness, and enabled me to look forward with hope – hope of some more smiles in my life, maybe some meaning in it and even hope that while I had lost a relationship, maybe I had learned some things about relationships and myself. It also gave me hope that just as even though many birds were the same everywhere and maybe not all that exciting, many were different, many were exciting and intersecting with them was a valuable part of my being, so too might there be someone else out there that would bring me excitement, joy, pleasure and meaning. I did not like being alone – I wanted to search again, to find someone special.

And that’s when Cindy Bailey came into my life. I was ready and I was very very fortunate and the timing was perfect. She had just moved to Edmonds, ready to start a new chapter in her life. She probably did not foresee that the new chapter would include birds, just as I did not see that my new chapter would include a Black Lab, but from the very first moments we already believed that the new chapters could be written together. There was an instantaneous belief and trust and hope and darkness became light and sadness became happiness. And I came to love that Black Lab and she came to find some appreciation of birds and birding and birders. Not long after we first met, Cindy flew out to meet me on one of my 50 50 50 adventures including a day at Magee Marsh – new to both of us (covered in a blog post of course). One thing led to another and then to another and another and now it is 7 years later, and it remains clear everyday (even if not every minute of every day) that this is the best thing that ever happened to me. She has saved me and improved me – and yes, at times, tolerated me.

It has been seven years full of so much joy and shared experiences – thousands of times walking our beautiful girl, Chica, a wonderful Black Lab that sadly passed on last November not quite 14 years old – and thousands of birds, too, with incredible trips, not just birding, to Tanzania and Uganda, Ecuador and Chile and Argentina and Mexico and Costa Rica and Italy and Amsterdam and Japan and so many wonderful places in the U.S. – visiting friends, visiting family, good wine, good food, good times. While the world has seemingly taken a turn to the “even worse” with the return of Trump after a 4 year respite and while there seems to be little that any of us can do about it at least for awhile, we do have each other, and thanks mostly to Cindy, we do have wonderful friends, live in a wonderful place, are mostly pretty healthy and we continue to look forward to travels and new experiences. We love each other and politics aside love our lives and know how fortunate we are to be able to have the experiences we do.

I did not plan to write this today, but somehow in a very indirect way I found myself reading the preceding Black and Blue blog post. It seems so long ago and about such a different life. Yesterday Cindy and I attended a memorial service for Ann Marie Wood, a wonderful human being with whom I spent many hours birding and sharing life stories and especially life feelings. She was always an optimist, always positive, always a good friend, always looking forward, always kind. I always felt better after spending time with her. She was one of the first people I told about Cindy and I remember how happy Ann Marie was for me and how she said it was so obvious that this person was so good for me, so right. I remembered that as I read the post, and now writing this postscript, I am honoring and appreciating Ann Marie and especially my Cindy. So glad that both ladies were in my life, So glad that Cindy still is and always will be. No black or blue except when they some of the colors on those special birds that have also brought me happiness and make it easier to forget, at least for awhile some things that are also sadly in our world.

I have been on many pelagic birding trips out of Westport, Washington and one out of Neah Bay.  I also took a short such trip in Maine.  All have been fun and productive giving access to many wonderful birds that are rarely if ever seen from land.  There are regular pelagic trips that are run out of the Central Coast of California, the San Diego area and Hatteras, North Carolina.  A few trips go out of other areas.  Each has its own special birds that birders seek on those trips.  In addition to the regular fare, there is always the possibility of rarities.  All trips offer this possibility but perhaps no area is more likely to find truly rare birds than the ones out of Hatteras run by Brian Patteson aboard the Stormy Petrel II.  The list of rarities including mega-rarities is astounding.  It was finally time for me to give it a go.

The Stormy Petrel II – Hatteras, North Carolina

Patteson runs some trips throughout the year but from late May through early June, it is his Spring Blitz that has the greatest appeal with an amazing record of rare birds.  The general approach is to book at least two trips to insure against weather cancellations and to increase the odds of finding good birds.  Some people book 5 or more trips and do it every year – hoping for that truly special bird.  Frank Caruso and I reserved trips on June 1 and June 2.  The day we arrived in North Carolina – May 29th, the trip had found a Tahiti Petrel, a bird of the Pacific Ocean and is the only record in the Atlantic.  Of course we wished we had been there, but it certainly reinforced our decision to take this trip and got our excitement level way up.

In my planning, I figured it was almost guaranteed that I would get four ABA Life birds on the trips: Audubon’s Shearwater, Black Capped Petrel and both Wilson’s and Band Rumped Storm Petrels.  I also expected to get a first ABA photo of a Cory’s Shearwater, a bird I had first seen without getting a photo last year in Provincetown.  Beyond them, I hoped for maybe one real rarity and if I was really, really fortunate maybe a second one.  In any event this was a chance to add a group of ABA Life birds all in one place – something that is getting harder to do.

Pelagic trips leave early.  We had to be at the boat at 5:30 a.m.  Fortunately our hotel was only a few minutes away, but remember this was 2:30 a.m. West Coast body time.  The usual case for pelagic trips is for the Captain to be knowledgeable and for him to be assisted in spotting birds by two or more spotters – who really know their stuff.  This was certainly the case with this crew.  Brian is an expert himself and his first mate, Kate Sutherland is terrific in every way including really knowing her birds and being really good at getting people on them.  There were three other spotters:  Steve Howell, a Senior Leader with WINGS Bird Tours and the author of a number of birding books including Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America, Peter Flood, a seabird expert from Cape Cod who was well known by Frank, and Ed Corey, an excellent birder from Raleigh, N.C. who among other things had been the February 2016 “eBirder of the the Month”.

In addition there were many super birders on-board, some of whom had been on numerous Hatteras pelagic trips and were experts in their own right.  It was an interesting and fun group from around the U.S.  Pelagic birding generally doesn’t “get good” until at least 10 and even as much as 20 or 30 miles out from shore – getting to the deeper water and in the North Carolina case getting out to the Gulfstream.  Our weather was great and we were treated to a great sunrise as we left Hatteras.

Sunrise

You never know what the sea conditions are going to be – a function of the tides, the winds and the ocean temperatures among other factors.  Our water was not bad – not big waves, but it was a bit rough and the spray caused us to take shelter wherever we could.  For me this meant in the cabin which was a bit close and hot and humid, but better than being exposed outside.  On the Westport trips there are often birds of interest fairly quickly including gulls, alcids and often Sooty Shearwaters sometimes in the hundreds or even thousands.  On this trip it was quiet and almost birdless for the first hour.  In Washington the trips have a far greater diversity and number of birds.  Usually the best birding is when a processing ship or a trawler is located and there may be hundreds of birds surrounding it.  No such opportunities here.

There being far fewer birds in general, the pressure was really on to be ready for any sighting as it could be “a good one”.  Early on the birds were found kind of helter-skelter – one or two would appear out of nowhere and may or may not be visible for more than a few moments.  Later, Kate would put out some kind of vegetable or fish oil to create a slick and if we were lucky birds would smell this and come in to explore.  She also used some menhaden – frozen and then dragged behind the boat in a cage to increase the chum effect.

When we finally got out to the “good water” about 30 miles out, we had our first shearwaters and not long afterwards some petrels and then storm petrels.  Birds were never in great numbers and unlike in Washington where they are often right next to the boat coming in for fish parts that are cast out to them, birds were generally further away – often very far out.  Nonetheless the spotters were excellent at identifying birds at great distance and directing our attention to them.

I am not going to try to relate the observations chronologically.  Among the early birds seen were Audubon’s, Great and Cory’s Shearwaters.  I was able to get good looks and ok photos.  There was also a single Manx Shearwater.  Just a quick look and no time for a photo before it disappeared.

Audubon’s Shearwater (ABA Life Bird)

Cory’s Shearwater – New ABA Photo

Great Shearwater

The next birds to show up were our first Black Capped Petrels.  These were the second most numerous of the species seen and were easily identified by their white rump.  It was another ABA Lifer for me.

Black Capped Petrel – ABA Life Bird

The most numerous birds were the Wilson’s Storm Petrels – another new life bird for me.  They are less than half the size of the Petrels and just under a third of the size of the the Shearwaters.  They often came in close to the boat following the slick and picking bits of food off the water.  But they are very small and active and not always easily photographed.  But I took many photos so some did come out well.

Wilson’s Storm Petrel – ABA Life Bird

The Wilson’s Storm Petrel has relatively long legs which extend behind the tail in flight – a good way to distinguish them from the larger, slower flying, longer winged and shorter legged Band Rumped Storm Petrels.  Kate was particularly good at calling out the relatively few Band Rumps and I eventually got decent looks and ok photos.

Band Rumped Storm Petrel (Note that legs do not extend behind tail) – ABA Life Bird

It was maybe about 9:00 a.m. and I had now seen all of the expected new species for the trip – four ABA Life Birds.  I had the cake and now it was time for some icing.  Frank Hawkins, one of the long time participants in these trips shouted out “Fea’s Petrel“.  Everyone raced to the stern and we were able to get quick looks and some photos of this major rarity.  Usually one or two is seen each year – usually earlier in late May.  This was the first of 2018.  There was a celebration onboard.

Fea’s Petrel  – ABA Life Bird and a Major Rarity (Note Dark Underwings)

 

After this excitement we continued to get more of the same birds seen earlier and then a Long Tailed Jaeger made an appearance and stayed with us for more than 30 minutes – harassing the Storm Petrels and Shearwaters.

Long Tailed Jaeger

Everywhere except in the ABA area, a somewhat smaller version of the Cory’s Shearwater is recognized as a separate species called Scopoli’s Shearwater.  On this trip we had at least two of these birds which breed in the Mediterranean.  Supposedly they will be split off and recognized as a separate species this year or next.

Scopoli’s Shearwater – Potentially an ABA Life Bird after a Split

Early in the afternoon, Frank Hawkins came through again when he spotted a Mega-rarity, a European Storm Petrel.  Smaller than the Wilson’s and much faster flying with a quicker wingbeat and white under the wing – a new ABA bird for almost everyone.  Only one was seen all last year and two the year before.  Getting this together with the Fea’s Petrel was a major coup.

European Storm Petrel – Mega Rarity and ABA Life Bird

Brian and Kate did a masterful job following and relocating this bird and everyone eventually got a view.  It meant we got back to the marina a bit later than usual but nobody was at all concerned about that.  We also had a very brief look at a single Leach’s Storm Petrel.

Species List for June 1, 2018
Fea’s Petrel  1
Black-capped Petrel  36
Cory’s Shearwater  27 / Scopoli’s Shearwater  2
Great Shearwater  9-11
Sooty Shearwater  1
Manx Shearwater  1
Audubon’s Shearwater  20
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel  130-150
European Storm-Petrel  1
Leach’s Storm-Petrel  1
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel  8-10

Day 2 – June 2, 2018 – met again at the dock at 5:30.  Much of the same gang as yesterday with a few new faces.  The seas out were a little calmer and the birds seemed fewer with an occasional Audubon’s Shearwater and some Great Shearwaters the first to be seen.  Kate got the chum going and HOLY COW! Maybe the first bird in to the chum was a Fea’s Petrel – better and longer looks than yesterday,  There was some extra excitement as what appeared to be a relatively small bill had folks thinking of a possible Zino’s Petrel.  Sadly not the case but what a way to start the day.

Fea’s Petrel

The reality was that the start was the highlight of the day.  A first day that that had everything you thought you would get plus two specialties dims everything else by comparison.  If we had only gone out on this day it would have seemed spectacular with the same life birds as the previous day except for the European Storm Petrel.  There were not as many birds as the day before but all species were represented.  It did not seem spectacular to two newcomers who were quite seasick.  Not fun for them or to watch.

As with the day before we saw numerous Flying Fish but on neither day could I get my camera focused on them quick enough for a photo.  I include one from a spotter below.  Another treat was a small Portuguese Man of War – much easier to photograph.

Flying Fish (Photo by Spotter Steve Howell)

Portuguese Man of War

The only new bird added on this trip was a Skua.  There was some discussion that it could be a Great Skua but they are very rarely seen except in the Winter.  Some concluded it was a South Polar Skua – the likely Skua species and others left it as Skua sp.  I barely got a distant look and was not on it in time for a photo.  The photo below was taken by David McQuade who was on the boat both days with spouse Tammy.  More on them later.

Probable South Polar Skua – Photo by David McQuade

Here are some more photos of the same species seen on June 1st.

Audubon’s Shearwaters

Great Shearwater

Black Capped Petrel

Wilson’s Storm Petrel (Note Legs Extending beyond Tail)

Species List for June 2, 2018

Fea’s Petrel  1
Black-capped Petrel  30
Cory’s Shearwater  14
Great Shearwater  5
Audubon’s Shearwater  76
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel  58-63
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel  8-10

We were back earlier than the day before.  There had been reports of Tropicbirds being seen by some of the fishing boats and we were on the lookout for them in the skies all the time but it was just not to be.  I checked all of the reports from trips that went out from May 23rd through June 9th – the 17 days of the Spring Blitz.  There were no more rarities seen after ours.  We had the only Fea’s Petrel and European Storm Petrel for the whole time.   White Tailed and Red Billed Tropicbirds had been seen on May 26th and the by now famous Tahiti Petrel was seen on the 31st.  Two Trindade Petrels were seen on May 25th.  There were a number of trips – particularly in May where there were many Leach’s Petrels.  One would have to say that we had done extremely well – especially adding in that there was no rain.

Summarizing, I had seen 11 pelagic species – not a lot compared to some Westport trips where I have seen twice that many species on a single trip, and there is no comparison between the North Carolina and Westport trips for total numbers of birds, but of those 11 species seen, six were life birds and I got another life photo.  If/when the Scopoli’s Shearwater is split, that would be another ABA Life bird and photo.  Pretty amazing.

ABA Life Birds

• Black-capped Petrel 
• Audubon’s Shearwater 
• Wilson’s Storm-Petrel 
• Band-rumped Storm-Petrel 
• Fea’s Petrel 
• European Storm-Petrel
• Scopoli’s Shearwater (Contingent)

ABA Life Photos

• All of the above plus Cory’s Shearwater

I mentioned David and Tammy McQuade above.  I spent a lot of time visiting with both of them.  They are very active, very passionate and very excellent birders.  They discovered this activity together about five years ago and have jumped in big time – birding almost entirely together and then with many others including people I have met or read about.  They have a great network.  Despite having birded only in the Lower 48 and for such a short time, they have each observed more than 720 species.  Oh yeah, neither is retired either.  Really fun to compare notes and share stories.  I envy them their shared birding life and I also envy the 500 mm lens that Tammy uses quite well to take super photos.  It was great to visit with many others as well.  People had birded all over the world with great stories and great birds seen.  Good company.

Also great to be out with Kate and Brian.  They run a first class operation.  Can’t imagine how little sleep they got during the Blitz.

 

The main draw to North Carolina for Frank Caruso and me was the chance to see pelagic birds – some new lifers almost guaranteed and the possibility for some really rare birds as well.  But especially for me there was also a chance to photograph some land birds that I had seen before in the ABA area but had never gotten a photograph – most of them seen more than forty years ago.  This blog post will cover birding on land – two days before and two days after our two days of pelagic birding.

We flew into Raleigh Durham airport and headed east to Plymouth, N.C.  a drive of about 135 miles.  We saw some new birds for the year along the way, but nothing of note.  On a whim after dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Plymouth, I turned onto a forested road and as soon as we got out of the car, we heard the song of a Wood Thrush, and then another and another.  This species was high on my “photo needed/wanted list”.  We vowed to come back in the morning.  When we did the thrushes were very responsive to playback but would immediately bury themselves in the thick foliage.  Many were heard and seen briefly, but I never got a photo.  A major disappointment – but there would be a happy ending later in the trip.

Our next area to visit was the Palmetto Peartree Preserve and then on to Alligator River NWR.  Along the way to Palmetto Peartree, we stopped at a good looking spot not far off the freeway – along Old Highway 64.  We quickly found lots of good eastern birds including Pine, Prairie and Hooded Warblers, Indigo Bunting, Blue Grosbeak, Summer Tanager, Yellow Billed Cuckoo, Chimney Swift and Carolina Chickadees and Wrens.  But the real prize was a Prothonotary Warbler, which provided a new ABA Photo for me.  We would see and hear many on our trip.

Prothonotary Warbler Old Highway 64 – May 30, 2018

We were never quite sure that we found the actual Palmetto Peartree Preserve but at least nearby we had essentially the same birds and heard another Wood Thrush – one that would not come closer for us.  It was on to Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge – a huge forested area.  Here we added White Eyed Vireo and Blue Gray Gnatcatcher and had at least a dozen Prothonotary Warblers.  The bird of the visit, though was a Red Headed Woodpecker – actually a pair.  While I was very pleased to get another new ABA life photo, we never got the killer view and killer photo of this beautiful bird that I had hoped for.

Red Headed Woodpecker – Sawyer Road – Alligator NWR – May 30, 2018

We checked out the hotel where we would be staying that night in Manteo on Roanoke Island and then continued across the causeway/bridge to the Outer Banks.  Along the way we stopped for some Great Black Backed Gulls and our first Boat Tailed Grackles of the trip.  Frank and I had seen them in Florida together last year and had already seen hundreds of Common Grackles in North Carolina.  I had hundreds of Great Tailed Grackles in Texas and Arizona earlier this year, so now I had all of the Grackle species for the year – lucky me.

Boat Tailed Grackle – One of Many on the Coast

A short while later our stop at the North Pond at the Pea Island Island NWR provided perhaps the biggest disappointment of the trip.  I very much wanted a photo of a Seaside Sparrow – a species I had missed in Texas.  We had two birds fly by and then disappear into thick brush.  We could never get them to show themselves – so no photo.  They are well known as real skulkers and photos are a challenge, but this was Oh so close!!!  Nearby in Rodanthe, we found a good spot for shorebirds and terns.  The numbers were few but the prize for me was a single White Rumped Sandpiper.  I had gotten a very iffy photo of one in Florida last year.  This fellow was with a few Semipalmated Sandpipers and even at a distance it seemed “different”.  I got close enough for some photos to confirm the ID and then it flew.  My flight photo caught the tell-tale white rump.

White Rumped Sandpiper – Rodanthe, N.C.

Semipalmated Sandpiper Flight Shot

Frank’s favorite bird here was the Black Skimmer.  Several put on a great aerial show right in front of us and then per their name, skimmed the water, providing a great photo opportunity.

Black Skimmer

We also had Least, Common, Caspian and Sandwich Terns.  Not a great photo for the latter and I will include photos of the others later.  We returned to Manteo and after dinner visited the Roanoke Island Festival Park where we had a surprise Brown Thrasher singing and then foraging on the ground.  No camera, thus no photo, so this is out of sequence, but I include a photo from later in the trip when we found another and it obliged for a photo.  It was only my second one of this species and far better than the one two years ago in Maine.

Brown Thrasher – Roanoke Festival Park

Our second day of birding in North Carolina included more searching for Clapper Rails and Seaside Sparrows, shorebirds, terns etc.  We also went down to Hatteras to be sure we knew what to expect for the next day’s pelagic trip.  Two unexpected additions were chasing first a Purple Gallinule and then a Roseate Spoonbill.  The first was highly successful and the latter was at most a quick distant view.  The Ebird report for the out of place Purple Gallinule gave a specific address on South Old Oregon Inlet Road in Nags Head.  Just before reaching the address we saw the head of the Gallinule poking up from some water weeds on the side of the road.  If its head had been down we would have missed it.  Instead we were treated to a great close up of a very photogenic and beautiful bird that we had seen the previously year in Florida where it belongs.  Sometimes we were so close, it was hard to focus.

Purple Gallinule – Nags Head N.C.

A great addition to our trip and state list and for my ABA year list.  After watching for many minutes we continued a bit on the road and then made a U-Turn to head south.  When we got back to the spot where we had seen the bird, it was invisible, buried in the weeds.  If the timing had been just a bit different, we may have not seen it.  Just another reminder of how luck and timing are critical factors in our birding experiences.

We heard some Clapper Rails but could not get any to show themselves.  We also continued to see shorebirds and added Black Bellied Plover, Sanderling, Dunlin, Willet, Lesser Yellowlegs, Short Billed Dowitchers, Ruddy Turnstone and American Oystercatcher to our trip list.  As I said we had at most a very distant look at the Roseate Spoonbill at the Salt Pond in Hatteras.  The area was right and it was seen there again later that day, but it was distant and in poor light and disappeared into an area that was too far to chase.  So at best a “maybe”…

American Oystercatcher

Ruddy Turnstone

We moved to our hotel in Hatteras ready for a very early start on the pelagic trip the next morning and another one the following day.  And this is where I will go out of sequence as I cover that trip in a separate blog post.  The remainder of this one picks up after the pelagic trip first with another stop on the coast hoping for a Clapper Rail photo and then a brief visit to a large colony of Least Terns and Black Skimmers – probably more of each than I had seen previously in my whole life.

Least Tern

We returned to spend the night again at Manteo and in the morning of June 3rd got the Brown Thrasher photo included above and then later found a second one.  Our next stop before heading west was at Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve.  It looked like a great place but there were more bugs than birds and our list was disappointing.  Even the  Ruby Throated Hummingbird coming to a feeder at the closed info center would have been better if it were a colorful male instead of the drab female.  Still always fun to see hummers.

Ruby Throated Hummingbird Female

We then returned to Alligator River NWR and drove around the Sawyer Lake Road area again.  As before we had Prothonotary Warblers everywhere and we added our only Black Throated Green Warbler and a nice Pileated Woodpecker but our hoped for better look at a Red Headed Woodpecker was not to be.  Some beautiful Indigo Buntings and some quick looks at Yellow Billed Cuckoos were a treat but the best was a heard only Swainson’s Warbler.  We never coaxed it into the open but hearing it sing and then listening to the song as we tried playback would produce great benefits later.

Indigo Bunting

A surprise “miss” on the trip so far had been the absence of Brown Headed Nuthatches a common bird of the Southeast.  We listened everywhere and had tried playback without success in seemingly perfect habitats.  Before continuing west towards Raleigh Durham to be ready for our return flight the next day, we stopped at Loop Road in Columbia, N.C. back near the Palmetto Peartree Reserve which we still are not sure we found at least any central portion.  At an arbitrary stop along the road we finally heard Nuthatches chattering and we had our target.

Brown Headed Nuthatch

We also had a very cooperative White Eyed Vireo and a close look at an Acadian Flycatcher.

White Eyed Vireo

Acadian Flycatcher

We headed south on Old Highway 64 towards U.S. 64 our main route west with our windows open both for fresh air and to listen for birds.  Suddenly, Frank yelled “STOP”!  This is where our early time listening to the Swainson’s Warbler songs paid off.  He thought he might have heard one.  We got out of the car and even I could recognize its song which is characterized as “whee whee whee whippoorwill with opening notes down-slurred and the last three notes clear and faster”.  I rarely relate to song descriptions but this one was right on, and our bird was close.  It took only a moment to see it buried in the foliage.  Unlike the first one we had heard, this guy was in a curious mood and responded immediately to our first and only playback.  It remained in the open sufficiently long for some nice photos.

Swainson’s Warbler

I knew that finding this species was a possibility but it has a reputation for being tough to find and even more difficult to photograph, so I had the finding odds as low and even lower for finding getting a picture.  Frank had the same assessment so we were thrilled with this find – the best land bird of our trip.  I am not sure if I had seen one before although I know I had heard one – and only one.  That was 43 years ago at Pocomoke River State Park in Maryland on a trip led by the legendary Chan Robbins as part of a Maryland Ornithological Union field trip.  It is usually a skulking bird and many of my birder friends have it as either the only or one of a few warblers that they have either not seen or never photographed.  This was a stunning moment and I celebrated with a victory whoop!!

We continued west in good spirits and returned to Rankin Road in Plymouth where we had seen Wood Thrush before but I had not been able to get a photo.  This time I did – finally adding it to my ABA photos list.

Wood Thrush – Plymouth N.C.

We spent the night in Rocky Mount, N.C. about 70 miles from the airport.  The next morning we found a great birding spot – Horton Grove Nature Preserve in Durham County.  We had 38 species here including several either new ones for the trip or better looks and/or photographs.  The previous day I had my best picture yet of a Yellow Billed Cuckoo.  This one was even better – the only one I have seen completely out in the open.

Yellow Billed Cuckoo

In one great spot we heard and saw numerous (at least 10) Ovenbirds singing – joined by Northern Parula Warblers – both new for the trip. We heard two Red Headed Woodpeckers calling continuously but could not get them to move at all.  Chimney Swifts flew over head and there were Carolina Wrens and Chickadees.

Carolina Wren

Carolina Chickadee

Ovenbird

Northern Parula Warbler

There were several Acadian Flycatchers and Eastern Wood Pewees and other warblers too including Common Yellowthroat, Prairie Warbler and a lovely Yellow Throated Warbler that we finally spied after a long hide and seek chase.

Yellow Throated Warbler

We also got to hear, see and photograph the “Eastern” White Breasted Nuthatch.  Many think this subspecies will be split from the White Breasted Nuthatch of the west and will be recognized as a separate species.  Thus I have this “tick” and a photo ready in the bank if that occurs.

Eastern White Headed Nuthatch

These were all great birds but the best for me was one of the three species of Vireo that we found here.  Two had been seen throughout the trip:  Red Eyed Vireo and White Eyed Vireo.  We heard a song that was similar to that of the Red Eyed Vireo yet different.  I was hoping it was a Yellow Throated Vireo.  I had seen one briefly in Texas earlier this year but had no picture from then or from my only other record – from Wisconsin in 1976.  Frank was pretty sure that the call was my guy – a “THREE-eight” call repeated three times, slower and more deliberate than the Red Eyed.  It came into the open only briefly and the photo was not that great – but an ABA first and it confirmed the ID.  This was another of the birds that had been on my “hoped for but really not expected list”.

Yellow Throated Vireo

 

I was a very happy camper as we moved on to another area in the Preserve.  We added new birds for the trip when we found several Yellow Breasted Chats and some Field Sparrows and it was here that we got our best look at a Summer Tanager.

Summer Tanager

We had spent two hours at this great spot and it was now time to end the trip, return the car and get our flight.  Even without the pelagic birds, this had been a great trip.  Excluding the pelagics, we had seen 108 species.  As I had expected, none were ABA life birds but 16 were new ABA birds for the year – a year which has had a fair amount of birding in a lot of regions.  Five were new ABA Life Photos:  Prothonotary Warbler, Wood Thrush, Red Headed Woodpecker, Swainson’s Warbler and Yellow Throated Vireo.   The latter two more than made up for failing to get photos of Clapper Rail and Seaside Sparrow which had been on the “hoped for” list.  I also got that photo of the White Rumped Sandpiper which had been a “probable” but not absolutely “certain” photo from before.

Several photos were also improvements of ones from the past – an ever continuing process.  Since I had also added many ABA Life photos on the pelagic trips, the photo of the Yellow Throated Vireo was number 680 on my ABA photo list.  Not going to get to my magical 700 this year but I have a chance of getting there next year.  Incidentally, the Ovenbird was ABA species #503 for the year.  I had not set any goal for ABA birds for the year but it was nice to get past 500 again.

This had been a very good birding trip.  It was too hot and it was way too humid and there were way way too many bugs for my liking, but the birds had been excellent and all the people we met – birders and everyone else were terrific.  I had eaten far too much food but somehow gotten enough walking in to have only gained a couple of pounds.  Not sure I will ever return but definitely glad I came.