I’m Down For A Great Black Hawk!

For those that need proof of the effects of climate change, I for one attribute the steady stream of “firsts” to changes in climate, local weather patterns and its effect on food, as well as how it may blow birds off course.

The firsts to which I refer are birds that have their first recorded sighting in a state or country / region where there are no previous records of it having been seen there. It also lately seems that every time you think the game is over, the gifts keep on coming. Great Black Hawk, a neotropical resident from Argentina to Mexico, is the most recent gift for me and fellow birders.

By gifts, I mean the gift to us birders in seeing a rarity. There is much debate on how it portends for off-course birds themselves. Some survive, some do not: that’s how it works in nature. For me, I hope that our society isn’t making things worse.

This bird first appeared in Texas on April 24 2018. This state is a place where birders can see Common Black Hawk, but that bird has black band at the end of the tail and so the rush to confirm the ID was on.  

Having confirmed the ID, thoughts went to ‘was it (really) the ~first~ sighting?’ For unabashed listers, the dreaded specter that the bird escaped captivity ie provenance, might be a hybrid, was mis-IDed and so forth, can dash hopes of it being a “countable” bird.

It has been reported there may have been previous sightings from Texas, Arizona, and even Florida. What ever the reason, those supposed sightings have not made it into the official record.

This bird had passed all the tests, and has been accepted by the records committee of the American Birding Association! And it gets better. On Monday August 6th a juvenile Great Black Hawk was discovered in Biddeford, Maine, and remarkably, careful study of feather patterns in photos have concluded it the same bird! 

Imm. Great Black Hawk

That Thursday August 9th I would have made an attempt, but instead joined others on a more local and futile attempt at a Bridled Tern.  

Tim Heathhen and Mike Zino’s Petrel made the better choice of going for the Great Black Hawk, and succeeded. Rumor had it that the duo didn’t want others to get the bird, so they taunted it with references to elderberries and hamsters. A truly ugly scene, and the bird flew off over the ocean. That was that: the bird did not return. I had planned to try for it that weekend, but it was not to be.
 

Tim in his best taunting attire

The following Thursday August 16th I made another and this time successful attempt for the tern.  As stated, success is often the result of not quitting. Not quitting may also mean a bit of waiting.  Waiting in this case meant waiting for Thursday November 29th, when it was relocated ca. 20 miles north as the hawk flies in Deering Oaks Park in Portland.

That weekend was not doable. Dang. I was leading a birding trip to Montauk Point on Saturday, which sported beautiful weather, and Sunday was very terrible weather. It would have to wait even more. Double dang.

Not easily thwarted, a plan was hatched of course, and thoughts were to go see it on Tuesday if there were positive reports Monday. There were! But like the best laid plans of mice and powerbirders, things often go astray. Undeterred, a post on facebook and some phone calls yielded a posse avium questus. 

Pelican and I met Avian Resnick at 5:30am, for the trip up to Maine. (Note: we did not ~contract~ avian resnick, the oft confused-with debilitating disease.) Travel was pleasantly unencumbered with the traffic we saw headed in the other direction and we arrived at Deering Oaks Park by 10:45am.

It’s a nice little park in the center of downtown Portland, and navigating to the area described in the posts where it was suggested to park paid off. We put our birderer skills into use, and made our way over to the assembled mob of birders.

We were puzzled at first, as most were not actively looking at the bird. Was it there? Inquiry confirmed that it was, and a fellow birder all the way from Minnesota (!) had the bird queued up in his scope and kindly let us get a view. The Great Black Hawk was mostly obscured perched in a pine tree, but his head was visible if you knew -exactly- where to look.

Yes! Another successful twitch that yielded a lifer for Pelican, and ABA bird #721 for me. Avian and I had lots of killer looks at adults on our recent trip to Brazil, where we got up close and personal looks as they consumed fish. He lamented that we should have brought one along for us to offer it. The fellow from Minnesota recounted that when he was watching the bird at 7am in the morning, it was dining upon a squirrel.

After we were satisfied with our looks we went for a walk around the park in hopes of relocating Pine Grosbeak and Redpoll that had been reported the day before. We took note of the numerous, rather plump squirrels inhabiting the park. Their interest in us suggested that they were accustomed to being fed by park patrons.

No dice on those other birds, or much of any other interesting birds, but we returned to get some more looks at the hawk and noticed that signs had been posted for the hawk’s welfare

After a short time a Red-tailed Hawk cruised in and made a swipe at GB. They jostled for position for a few moments before GB flew off. We learned that this altercation had occurred before with GB returning. To the chagrin of birders, it was not present in the am Wednesday, but a vague report was posted after 1pm suggests that it has returned.

For us, time was fleeting and with the bird gone we went to acquire lunch and the requisite celebratory beverages. We found Shay’s Grill Pub to fit the bill, and the burgers were pretty darn good.

Celebrating good birds and the availability of good co-conspirators

"Oh crap" she thought, now there will be proof.

We hit the road, but made a pit-stop on the way in Massachussetts’ Parker River NWR. It had gotten colder and windier and there was not much around save for some Pintails and an immature Snowy Owl. Not too shabby. When we arrived back in Queens, I proclaimed: "Well that didn't suck!"  It didn't. 

Bridle and Grooving

Failure sucks. And failure after having to deal with a slew of hurdles that come one after, together with imaginative and impromptu solutions that don't give the desired result is another level of suckitude altogether.

And success is often the result of not quitting. Today I made another attempt at seeing the Bridled Term resident on Great Gull Island. Of course, part of the process is assembling a posse. Though there can be more participants than available space.

 

Bridled Tern

After a bit of machinations, I recused myself from the decision process, and things worked itself out. Ed Thrasher and Avian Resnick met me at 11am and we trailered my boat out east to meet Pat Pallas Reed Bunting an hour and a half later at the DEC 'Oyster Ponds' boat ramp in Southhold.

Arriving at the ramp, Pat was waiting for us but hopes were soon dashed when I saw the barrier across the entrance which said 'closed to the public'. WTF?! A quick inquiry at the beach next door revealed that the ramp was damaged so they closed. it. #$%^&&^

 

Now you tell me!

Undaunted I inquired further and was told about other ramps, but unlike this one they were resident only. #%^&*(.

Yet it soon occurred to me that the marina from which I had gotten a ride last week surely must have a ramp. I did not know this to be a fact, but I headed there anyway. Thankfully I was correct.

 

$ mile shortcut

A sign at the ramp instructed us to fill out a form an put it with $20 into the slot, which Ed took care of. Noting that Pat was with us, I turned to Avian and asked if he had brought the guns. He replied in the negative. Clearly not a Warren Zevon fan.

I launched the boat, we boarded, and we were on our way. My boat was no where near as fast so it took us an hour to get to Great Gull Island, arriving at the north east end of the island at 2:15. On the way we saw a few Parasitic Jaegers which was nice, but no feeding terns or Shearwaters.

I anchored the boat 150' offshore and we began to scan the reported area. Hope as we did, it was not there when we arrived. During our vigil we noticed a commotion which turned out to be an immature Bald Eagle being escorted away from the island by a flock of angry terns.

At another point a Roseate tern flew right over us and gave killer looks. And a short time later a dark and powerful bird flew at the island which was a young Peregrine.

 

This concrete structure is Bridie's crib

Then at the reported 'favorite' spot I saw a bird land with what appeared in the harsh sunlight to be brown wings. YES! It was the Bridled Tern and I got the others on it. It then moved onto the rear of the structure it liked, and we took the opportunity to move the boat closer. A short time on something put the terns up and a large bunch flew out an past us together with Bridie. We got great looks as it flew out past us then flew back past us. YES! Lifer for Ed & Pat.

 

Bridie's Here!

It then alighted on the rocks near its 'spot' and we got more killer looks. Elated, we got our fill of looks and decided to head back to shore. Just west of Great Gull Island we saw another Parasitic Jaeger, but this time it flew towards us giving us killer looks at this bird too.

Despite the initial kluge with the boat ramp, early in the week the weather forecast accurately predicted it would be the perfect window to try for this bird. And the voyage out was easy. It was also nice that the relocation saved us 4 miles of boat trip! Then again on the way back the wind picked up a bit and some sections were a bit choppier and required slower travel.

And then we passed a clump of seaweed off of Plum Island that fouled my prop. Everything was fine until we got close to Orient point, about as far out as the Orient Point Lighthouse, and the engine stalled! Yikes.

I pulled the starter cord and it started back up right away (phew) but it was running a bit off. I choked the fuel and it ran perfectly and we continued on our way to the ramp.

After we loaded the boat back on the trailer we walked over to the marina's restaurant and had the requisite celebratory beer and a nice repast. One of the things we discussed was that my boat did not as of yet have a name. A few had been suggested, and I had come up with a few but I was not enamored of any of them. I also recounted one of my favorite jokes from The Flintstones. It was a joke about how they had named their boat – “My wife wanted to call it the Sea Queen, and I wanted to call it the Nautilus. So we compromised and called it the Nausea” 

I'll send this out while I wait for my food

When our beers arrived, I gave my favorite toast: “L'tsipourim!” Its Hebrew for “To Birds!” and then it hit me – I had the perfect name: the “Seapourim”. Sure, I was cautioned by the others at the table that I might have to explain it to most people, but hey, I like it.

Unbridled Passion

I, will take the tour,
They said, and turned to go.
Can they be late for the Bridled Tern show?

A Bridled Tern, yet another heretofore southern species has returned to our area, more specifically Great Gull Island, for the third year! To add to the special visitor's appeal, this time it appears to want to hang around Great Gull Island instead of venturing off to Connecticut.

Other recent notables from this realm have been a few Roseate Spoonbill, Anhinga, Wood Stork, and even more remarkably, Great Black Hawk. The later is from central America!

With reports coming in that sightings from the Orient Point and New London ferry's “Light House Tour” of Bridie from the tour boat, it became far more feasible for those of us interested, and there are many who are interested, to make an attempt for this rare visitor.

At the suggestion of Pelican, a group of us decided to do the tour which she described as being both interesting and modestly priced. Add the opportunity to stop in Southhold for a lobster roll and it was a plan. Yay.

Ed Thrasher, Bob Prothonotary and Ardith Booby and I met Pelican, Johnny Gaggle-o-geese, and Kurt & Stacy Meyer's-Friarbird and we gormandized on our delectable repast. We then continued on to Orient Point in high spirits, possibly due to having consumed some spirits...

This quickly went south upon arrival, where the fellow at the entrance informed Pat, and the phone message I received having just restored cell service, was that the boat's mechanical issue meant the trip was off. Darn

Undeterred, we sought out our refunds and alternatives. We went to the marina a short distance back where we inquired of one of the boaters if they would be able to take us there. Willing yes, but unable at that time. Dashed hopes again.

We then approached another boat but they were preparing for an offshore trip and could not spare the time either. Darn and drat.

Undeterred we inquired w/in the bar and one woman there was the spouse of a boat captain and knew others. Yay!

Several calls and no one available. Darn yet again

Then we saw two young fellows come into the Marina to refuel... Stacy went over to charm them and not surprisingly she succeeded, and they were happy to take us. Yay.

Then upon looking they discovered that they only had enough life jackets to take 4 of the 8 of us at a time. They recently had a Coast Guard surprise inspection and were not willing to risk it if they got stopped again. Understandable. Grrrr.

Still undeterred, we again inquired at the bar. The nice woman called around but we could not find anyone that had extra life jackets that we could rent or borrow. Darn.

So then the guys on the boat offered to take us out 4 at a time. Yay! Of course this meant deciding which 4 would go first. Coin tossing, rock-paper-scissors, and fist fighting were suggested, but we finally decided that Pat, John, Kurt & Stacy would go first, as it was a potential lifer for them; the rest if us had seen this bird before except for Ed.

They set off while we sat in the air conditioned bar, and I drowned my sparrows in another beer. They finally returned after being given a generous amount of time. Happy, but not elated. Some got Parasitic Jaeger for a life bird, but the main target was not spotted. Darn.

They departed while we embarked on our attempt. Yay.

These two college students named Duncan and Sloan couldn't have been nicer to us. On the way out there was feeding frenzy activity and they asked if we minded if they tossed out a few lures to see what they could catch. They did get one small Bluefish, but that was all. We on the other hand had really close looks at Cory's and Great Shearwaters, as well as lots of Common and a few Roseate Terns.

We explained that these were good birds because they were difficult to see from shore, and the tern was a rarity here and we tried to put it into perspective. At the end of the trip they actually thanked us for teaching them about the stuff we were after. Bright, affable, genuine young folks; perhaps there is hope for the human race after all.

It didn’t take us long to get to the island, and we tried mightily to find Bridie. We couldn't approach closely because there was a lot of huge rocks in the area, and the guys kept the boat out in the 20' depth some 150-200 feet from shore. Landing is also forbidden, and I hear they have 110mm artillery on that island!

Being one of the largest Tern nesting colonies, it was no surprise there were lots coming and going. We scanned the rocky shore where the bird had often been seen, but to no avail. Then finally at around 5pm Bob called out that he had the bird. It was flying in with other terns, yet it was difficult to be able to describe where to look to the rest of us before it became obscured by the island. Well at least one of us saw it, but we wished it were Ed because, lifer – you know.

We stayed a bit longer hoping it would come to rest in view, but it did not. Then the guys asked if we minded going back because they had not eaten all day and were starving. Oh well, time to call it a day. It was an adventure with a lot of ups and downs – even if we didn't mightily succeed.

I get up, I get dow-ow own

Bridled Terns will pass you by...

As to the aforementioned Great Black Hawk which which was seen by Mike Zino's Petrel and Tim Heathhen the day before, we bandied about the thought of chasing it on the upcoming weekend.

Latest word though is that the bird flew away, (some say because of Mike's driving so fast,) for which he was rewarded with being given the opportunity to make a donation to the Maine constabulary.

And this is birding. You get some, you miss some, but you have an adventure either way.

Persistence Pays! - A Rosie NYS #424

Oh, Rosie, oh, girl, oh, Rosie, oh, yeah
Steal away now, steal away
Steal away, baby, steal away
Little Robert Proniewych wants to come and play
Why don't you come to NY for me, baby, steal away, alright, alright

Roseate Spoonbill

I first heard the term ‘persistence pays’ in 2005. I was on my way to the Rio Grande Valley to scoop up some rarities, and one of my patients who worked for the airlines asked if I was flying on her’s. I was, so she gave me one of her cards onto which she had written: “Persistence Pays! Take care of my doc.” It was the slogan they used while enduring a difficult labor dispute. For me it meant that every time they passed by they dropped off another mini bar bottle. I had to politely decline more after the third one, but it was a nice way to travel.

Flash forward, and a Roseate Spoonbill shows up sometime around July 22 in the Wallkill NWR Liberty Loop which straddles the NY/NJ border. A non birder apparently found the bird and submitted a photo to the refuge. Local patch birder Linda Scripp’s Murrelet went on a mission to find it, and after four hours effort located and reported it.

Many a birder from both and perhaps other states have visited this quite lovely refuge hoping for a sighting, and those from NY especially were hoping that they would see it within NY. Not see it ~from~ NY, see it ~in~ NY. I was among the later group.

For some of us that have been birding for a long time, adding to our state lists is important. I had the hope of seeing this bird back in 1992, and made an attempt when it was on Satan Island, but I did not succeed.

On July 24 I made my first attempt. I spend a good part of the day seeing a very nice selection of birds with Earic Miller. We did see Rosie, it was superb, but alas not in NY. So close and yet so far. In fact, one facebooker said: “Amazing to have this spectacular bird here, and it is rather amusing to have everyone fussing over the borders and rules. The spoonbill doesn’t care about any of that!”

I’m not sure that Rosie agrees. To my knowledge no one asked her, and based upon her glee in taunting and tantalizing the NY observers with flights towards the NY side only to turn back on the vast majority of sallies before getting there, I would conclude that Rosie does care, and she’s a tease!

As if Roseate Spoonbill were not enough, soon after its discovery the even more remarkable discovery of an Anhinga was made on Moningside Park in Sullivan county by John ‘The Hound of The Basherkill’. Many locals were able to see the bird in the limited time it was present that day, while the rest of us despaired.

Flash forward to July 29 and word came that the Anhinga returned to the scene of the crime! It was still early enough in the day such that an attempt was not out of the question. I picked up Tim Heathhen and we made our way there.

It was a picturesque section of NY and we saw a nice variety of birds while there. We stayed until dark, hoping that the bird would come in to roost as Great Blue Herons and Canada Geese were doing, and as had been suggested of the behavior of this bird.

The ‘greedy’ birder in me was hopeful the bird would reprise its performance and then we would be able to give another try for Rosie. Nope. We were there til dark and had to make the drive of shame.

As one can imagine, in the rabid birder circles these two birds were very much the topic of conversation. Bob Prothonotary, who had made a previous attempt for Rosie with others was contemplating another try. A plan was put in motion and we went on August 2nd.

We arrived at the Liberty Loop parking lot at 7:30am. There was one car already there, and when we walked to the platform ahead of us I spotted a wallet in the wet grass. It was Brendan Frogmouth’s, so a lucky find for him. I couldn’t reach him by phone but we caught up to him a short time later and returned it - particularly good since he was not aware he had lost it!

Bob and I continued down the west side trail and it was not long before we spotted Rosie. Present also are the most Green Herons I have ever seen at one place/time. There were a lot of Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons too. On a few occasions the waders all up and flew around, but as far as we could tell there was nothing obvious which had spooked them.  Some of these times the Spoonbill seemed to want to head north but each time it settled down well within NJ.
 

Thems a lot o Herons!

By around 10:30 we got hungry and tried the C&D’s Old World Bagel place, that had been recommended by Linda. Nice selection of creative egg sandwiches, but sorry, no food porn.

Hunger satisfied, we headed further afield to Morningside Park in Hurleyville. The nice part about this place was that if the Anhinga had returned to the trees it favored, it would have been pretty easy to spot from most any shore.

We walked along the shore that boasted a nice variety of sedges and rushes and aquatic plants. But by far the most amusing part was the copious quantity of a variety of Dragonflies. They were somewhat confined to the two foot wide swath of vegetation along the shoreline, and this made for ample photographic opportunities.

 

M. Eastern Amberwing

F. Eastern Amberwing

 

Halloween Pennant

 

Calico Pennant

 

Blue Dasher

 

Slaty Skimmer

Widow Skimmer

 

Skimming Bluet

 

F. Eastern Forktail

A few hours here without a sighting meant we were Anhinga-less, and with very dark clouds above us the rain pushed us along our way. We made a stop at a likely looking lake we passed on the way there, but again, no Anhinga.

Our route took us past the Basherkill, and while we didn’t stop there we did stop at Custer’s Last Stand for ice creme - so necessary on a hot summer day. The rain did not add to any sense of urgency, and when we returned to the Wallkill lot it was pouring heavily.

In the lot was Bill Winter Wren and Ken Motmot.  We caught up with each other until the rain stopped, and remarkably the sky became quite blue and devoid of clouds except for a few wispy high ones.

Bill, Bob, and I walked out to the area where the Spoonbill had frequented, and in short order Bob spotted it and got Bill his first lifer of the day. At times Rosie was obscured, but at others she was amenable to photos and Bill was able to get a few.

Periodically, a Least Bittern would fly from here to there, and if not spotted quickly enough would not be seen as it would dart into cover. But at one point it made a very long flight and at another it landed in front of us and we were able to watch it through scopes. Interesting to us was the observation that it would flick its tail down while grasping reeds and poised for the hunt. Lifer #2 for Bill.

Rosie settled in and looked like it would be retiring for the night by tucking its bill back.  While standing there resting, a young Common Gallinule walked out behind it and we got Bill lifer #3 for the day. Bob also pointed out Giant Swallowtail butterflies flapping about.

Eventually though, it was getting late and Bob and I decided it was time to hit the road. Insert dramatic Dah Dah Duuuh...

So Bob and I headed back to the car. The path goes from adjacent to trees to a section that is under their canopy, and while in this section one cannot see the marsh through the trees. When we emerged on the other side is when I spotted a large bird fairly high up and coming at us from above the roadway. Getting my bins on it I was shocked to see that it was a Spoonbill and told Bob and exclaimed there must be a second bird!

Unbeknownst to us the bird had flown shortly after we left, and Bill tried to call us. Unfortunately cell service drops off rapidly once you get south of the road. Was it Rosie, or was it a second bird? The only way to find out was to head back in haste. But that did not stop Bob and I from being dumb-struck by our remarkably good fortune and recognizing the even more remarkably small window of opportunity that befell us. YES!  That word was to be repeated over and over the rest of the day because we were so taken by our tremendous happenstance. Did I mention YES!? This was NYS bird 424 for me.

We departed again, this time with far greater positive affect. Our next stop? Pine Island Brewery for celebratory brews, you know, because responsible birding means benefiting the local economy. The Scotch Ale and IPA were a delectable cap to the day.

In retrospect I pondered if it was possibly karma related to returning Brendan’s wallet. Who knows. I hope that Rosie sticks and starts spending time on the other side of the road in NY. That section has hosted lots of good birds in the past, so why not this bird? 

Do My Eyes Deceive Me?

 No not that I’m aware of, but as evinced by the Yanni/Laurel ‘controversy’ our ears sure can be. ( Really now, isn’t there an overwhelming amount of ~other~ stuff the news..., er, ‘info-tainment’ industry could cover in the huge amount of time wasted by that non-story?)

I went birding in Belmont Lake state park, looking for as well as listening for whatever birds I could find. I am still very much a ‘bird watcher’ even though the term ‘birder’ is more apropos. As such I practiced my skills in IDing birds first by their song, and then confirming it visually.

The first bird was a Pine Warbler. There is a stand of tall pine trees at the north of the park where I have them every year; probably breed there. Problem is, as we know they sound way too much like Chipping Sparrow which are also present in the park, as well as the possibility for Worm-eating Warbler, and even the remotely possible though not entirely impossible Orange-crowned Warbler.

I know several birders blessed with acute hearing ability, and a few who claim to be able to differentiate them by sound. I think that habitat and other ‘factors’ can lead one to make a more educated guess, but am not convinced that with this example that an ID can be confident without visual confirmation. After catching sight of movement, I was able to confirm my suspicion and ID it as a PIWA.

Of course the Cardinals, Catbirds, Carolina Wrens presented much less challenge. A Redstart did its 5 note call, with an obliging appearance to confirm my ID as they are both good looking and desirous to flaunt their charm.

Further on I heard what I considered to be Magnolia Warbler singing from a densely vegetated location. I tried my best to catch sight of the songster, but gave up after a while when it seemed a lost cause. I did however feel 'confident' at the time that the song was emanating from a Maggy.

That changed when I exchanged notes with another birder who relayed that he had found a Hooded Warbler in the same locale! I asked: Are you sure it wasn’t a Magnolia? He was sure, as was the photo he took of it. Doh!

I returned to the area and hearing the song continuing, I spent a goodly amount of time trying to spot it. Hooded Warbler for this park was a really good bird!  Frustrated, I tried luring the beast into the open. It seemed quite defiant, and what is more, my ears seemed to be telling me that either it was ventriloquial, there was two of them, or it had perfected worm-hole travel to different sides of me repeatedly.

My app presented several offerings of HOWA vocalizations. I tried the first song, from TN and waited. Nothing moved, but the songs continued from the two locations...  I tried the chip notes a few times, and nothing.

Then I tried the song from NY.  Movement!  I got on the bird and... and... it was a Magnolia Warbler! 

Magnolia Warbler

WTF!?  Maybe I’m not that far off if even the MAWA was ‘confused’. I felt vindicated, but still wanted the see the HOWA. I waited a while longer and eventually caught more movement and this time it ~was~ the HOWA. Yes! 

Hooded Warbler

Hooded Warbler

Flash forward to the evening and a venture further east to Quogue rewarded myself and Bob Prothonotary with multiple Eastern Whip-poor-wills which actually say: “whip poor poor will”. The Mexican Whip-poor-will ( Whip-poor-wilburto?) says: “whip poor will”.  We also heard Chuck-wills-widow. Sight confirmation of these goat-suckers not necessary.

Ears looking at you ;)

And So It Embiggens

2018 has been different. Very different from 2017 in which I ran around all over doing a New York Big Year. I was pleased with my results, and I am also pleased to not be driving around all the time now, even more so that I no longer commuting. 

Trying to get my home office up to speed has been a challenge, and means not doing much birding. There has been a few club trips and now with the weather warming and the migration beginning, I have been venturing out more.

But like the siren's call beckoning, I've been lured.

Mostly, it has been the rarities that have stoked the fires. In January a Slaty-backed Gull was found on the Cayuga River in Oswego. Its a lovely area, had been up there a few times in the past for a Clark's Grebe, and then back again to get the now lumped Thayer's Gull.

Arlene Rails was interested in getting the SBGU, it would have been a lifer for her. It would have been a state bird for me. We planned a leisurely trip; driving up on a Saturday afternoon, spending the night, and birding the next day before returning.

After breakfast we drove up the river stopping at a number of vantages, and then the places the bird had previously been reported. We saw Glaucous and Iceland Gulls, and one interesting probable Great Black-backed Gull that I tried to make into our quarry, but it was unfortunately not. Someone had suggested that it was a hybrid. Not sure about that, but interesting nevertheless.

Iceland Gull      Great Black-backed Gull      Glaucous Gull

We were surprised at the paucity of other birders present. It was suggested that they had all tried for the gull the day before, and with no positive reports no one bothered this day. It was unseasonably mild for January, and despite the dip, we enjoyed birding in this scenic corner of the state. We located a nice comestatorium named Dino's House of Burgers that also offered up a nice selection of frosty beverages. Ah, consolation beer ain't so bad, and it would only have been a ~state~ bird...

Then in the middle of February a Green-tailed Towhee was found in the town of “Montezuma”. It was actually at the feeders of someone in Port Byron, a very short distance away. An ebird report let the address slip, and I got some additional info from local birders. With a day off coming up Earic Miller, Lisa Shrimpke and I made the trip.

We arrived to find present fellow birder John H, 'The Hound of the Basherkill' . We also met other birders who had also traveled quite some distance in hopes of seeing this bird. We spend a long time looking at the feeders in a futile attempt before finally calling it a day. I was not pleased to discover in talking with the home owners that it was not their idea to obscure their location, and in fact they welcomed birders. I wish I had known the location sooner as I would have been able to go and probably would have seen it. What took place was an unnecessary amount of “caution” that was unwarranted.

I imagine the thought process was: "There's going to be a problem, lets keep this quiet, because, you know, birders are such..." and so it was obscured and off of the lists.

A better approach IMHO would have been a posting to the state list like the following:

"A rarity was found in a private yard. View the bird from... Parking is limited on a narrow road. Please do not block the road or driveways, do not venture past the curb onto the property unless invited, and be polite and courteous to the owners and neighbors. Please do not knock on the door or otherwise enter the property. If we do this we can welcome birders to see it for as long as it visits; if we don't, then you will ruin it for all those who try after your visit. PLEASE help us to make sure that all who wish to visit get the opportunity to do so. IOW act like an adult and don't make the rest of us look bad”

So I had dipped again. Was I losing my mojo?

Then a few days later word came that the Slaty-backd Gull had been located a short distance west of Oswego near Seneca Falls. Pat Pallas Reed Bunting was interested in going; he had actually tried and dipped on the Oswego bird the day before Arlene and I had made our attempt.

He formed a posse consisting of us as well as Mike Zino's Petrel and Bob Prothonotary. On the long ride up we exchanged war stories, and I lamented that Mike got such great photos of the Fieldfare he chased, while I had gotten by far one of the worst pictures ever, where you had to struggle to make it out through the barberry it was obscured within.

I further lamented that overall I have had great success chasing birds, but that I often get lousy pictures and with my recent two dips, I feared I was losing my mojo. Pat looked over at me pensively, and then said: “ I hope you get a lousy picture of the gull”

We arrived at Van Cleef lake to the pleasant sight of a phalanx of birders looking, not merely milling about! We pulled into a spot, got out, and a nearby birder offered us a look as he had the gull queued up in his scope. YES! There was much rejoicing; a state bird for two of us and a lifer for two of us. Nice too was a Lesser Black-backed and a Greater Black-backed Gull all within the same view for a nice comparison. 

Five gulls chillin' on the ice

Check out those large tertial crescents

Who also was present? None other than the woman who had the towhee at her house. She relayed that it had not been seen since, but welcomed us to try again if we wanted. We did, but not surprisingly we did not find it.

We did go to look for the Gyrfalcon which has been present in the area for several years. Apparently it roosts at night in a quarry, and we had been told that dusk is a good time to see it when it returns. We drove a round for a while, and I spotted a Northern Shrike!

Getting hungry, we found a good eatery in Seneca Falls called Parker's Grill & Taphouse. They had a very nice selection on tap, and we celebrated our good fortune.

We returned to the falcon's location and drove around the farm roads some more. It is a huge area, and we were not the only ones looking. Towards the end of the day, we did get a brief look at a falcon that I equivocated about, and after some more time it was getting close to the time when heading back was being contemplated in earnest.

But before we did, we decided to give it 'one more try'. We were glad we did! As we drove slowly down the road the Gyrfalcon graced us with a cross flyby that made us gasp and rejoice. YES!

Slaty-backed Gull, Northern Shrike, and Gyrfalcon. Not too shabby!

Flash forward two months. I had not been out birding more than once or twice. In fact at the time I was doing paperwork, having just finished with some patients, when the phone rang. It was Bob Prothonotary excitingly asking if I had seen the recent email. No I replied, I have not looked at my emails all day; why? Pat Linnet just found a Wood Sandpiper at Timber Point!

WTF!? The email was postmarked 15 minutes earlier, and a quick check with google revealed I had roughly a half hour til sunset and a 20 minute ride to get there. I scrambled to get my things and hit the ground running.

I alerted Phil Jabiru along the way as he was nearby and most likely able to get there before sunset. I arrived to find a firing line of a dozen or so birders fixed upon the off-track Tringa. Viewing conditions were ideal with the bird positioned with the sun to our backs. The only downside was that it was hella windy and cold! It had been 80 a few days prior, and it was the first of many times since then that I have uttered that 'spring has been canceled'.

The wacky weather had brought a severe rain storm up the coast and dumped a excess of water everywhere, including this golf course whose grass was flooded making an enticing feeding opportunity for 'Woody' and his friends – Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Willet, and Dunlin.

While I was partaking of the gawk and smirk fest, the phone rang. It was Earic Miller calling to inquire about the plan for the next day. He asked what are you doing? I'm looking at a Wood Sandpiper I replied. He responded with an incredulous and somewhat scornful 'What?' I explained with restrained glee the circumstance that it had only been found and reported recently, very late in the day.

His scorn and frustration was partially deflected by proceeding to ask if we were keeping with our plan formulated earlier in the day. That being to venture upstate for a Western Meadowlark reported the day before. We had planned to leave the next day if it had been reported again, and having gotten positive reports the twitch was a go.

Amazing. A rarity shows up and a mega rarity shows up. This crazy weather has produced good birds! Earlier in the day it had rained buckets, but by sunset it was cold but clearing – perfect for getting a good look at the piper. And no, I did not get a picture; I left home without my camera. I did get scolded by Dunlin Schulman in this regard though.

But worrisome was the forecast for upstate: rain all day but some early morning snow. Piffle. It should reach 42 degrees, so no problem, right...?

We met Avian Resnick and Lisa Shrimpke early the next day and set off on our journey. This also gave me the opportunity to test out my new phone. Got the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus and wanted to see how it stacked up against the hype. The significant internal memory was great for navigation, as google maps indicated that parts of the route may not have service, and I took it up on the offer to store map info for anywhere the signal might be lost. Nice feature! Previously I had used the 'Here Maps' app for 'offline' navigation, after finding out the hard way years ago in Arizona that the best birding locations are out of range of data signals! Now, it seems that one app will do all I need. It worked seamlessly; I was able to tell when there was no data because the Pandora app stopped playing.

Speaking of which, having switched to unlimited data it was a new experience to listen to uninterrupted music; having transitioned from cassettes, to CDs, to ripped CDs and my anachronistic style of listening to 'albums', to Pandora's offerings. So 5 hrs of uninterrupted music and nav and the phone battery hardly cared. Yes!

Even for a seasoned twitcher, day trips of this length can elicit concerns. Will there be traffic, will the weather be a factor, will the bird be there!? Well the traffic was practically non-existent there and back for a most pleasant cruise. And the weather held out until we cut west across farmland in Homer off I-81. As we traversed the rolling hills the snow began to fall. Some sections were coated in white, and then over the next hill the fields were devoid of snow. It varied from flurries to large flakes, but mostly the warm air kept things inconsequential.

We arrived at the hotspot, and found an area wide enough to pull off the road. In very short order Avian and Earic heard a meadowlark singing, and they tracked it down. Or up; Avian spotted it in a large roadside tree and Lisa got some photos. I tried to get a recording on my phone, and did so, but the wind was howling and much of what was recorded was just that. But in the background one can hear the Western Meadowlark. Yes! Drive up and hear it singing. And not to mention two state birds in two days for 422 New York State birds!

Western Meadowlark - Photo by Lisa Scheppke

Listen to a bad recording of the song here

Western Meadowlark - Photo by Lisa Scheppke

We visited Montezuma next where we saw Purple Martins, lots of both Teals, Caspian and a few Common Terns, a Tundra and Trumpeter Swan, and a White Pelican. But it was getting past lunch time and a celebratory beer was in order. We went to Parker's Grill & Taphouse in Seneca Falls again.

Following lunch we went back for another look at the Meadowlark. Unfortunately it was windy, cold, and snowing, not the most conducive conditions, so we started heading back. We made one final stop at Meyer's Point for a try for the reported Cave Swallow, ( it too, like the Wood Sandpiper was uncharacteristically present in the spring vs the fall when more likely ) but it was not to be. Lots of Barn and Tree and a few Rough-wings, but again the snowy conditions were not optimal.

The only real issue with the weather was on a stretch of 17 just east of 81. The micro-climate was colder and the snow was sticking to the road making the cars form a 40 mph caravan. After a short while, the conditions improved and we proceeded unimpeded.

Three state birds so far this year. Not too shabby. And it looks like a lot of stuff is showing up all over. There is even the possibility being raised that a large wader seen at Breezy Point may have been a mega rare Eurasian Curlew. And don't get me started on the goodies in Arizona!

What's next!