Tickfest at Breakfanies

    Who doesn’t love spring birding? Warblers! But warblers ride in on the weather that brings us the spring showers, so sometimes available time and weather may disagree. Derek Rogers had contacted me earlier in the week, seeking to fill some holes in his life and year lists. I was happy to give him a hand by showing him around Sterling Forest, where his target lifer breeds: the Golden-winged Warbler. Last week a few lucky folks were able to see a GWWA found by Eric Miller while walking his dog in Crocheron Park. For those who are still part of the work force, can’t take off at a moment’s notice, or aren’t union, the bird was gone before we could get there.

    Derek had suggested a 5 am departure, but I negotiated him up to 6am, and invited Bob Hayes along who would get a few lifers. Watching weather reports during the week, it looked as though the weather would clear and make it a good trip. Derek showed up at my house right on time, and we left to pick up Bob. The weather was slightly rainy, and made travel slow, causing a half hour delay in getting to Queens, but Bob was understanding and we then zipped up to Sterling against the majority of traffic. Perhaps Derek was on to something with the early departure.... or maybe it was because he had to be back home by 3 pm.

On the way we mused over birds’ names, noting how certain fellows certainly got around, such as Cassin, Wilson, and especially Common, though none of us knew much about the last guy who has so many birds named after him.

    Stopping at the base of Ironwood road, we heard Golden-winged right away. Bob and I walked around the wooded patch to the left to get a better look, while Derek went to the right. Derek was able to see the bird clearly, but I decided that we would do better to continue on. Lifer for Derek, Bob likes to see a bird before he counts it.

    Up the road we heard Hooded Warblers, but could not coax them into view. And then just to challenge us we realized that one of the birds was actually a Magnolia Warbler! Continuing on to the end, we got out and immediately heard singing GWWA as expected. Blue-winged joined the chorus, as did Indigo Bunting. Loocking over the tops of the trees, A Red-shouldered Hawk was doing it's best to soar about nonchalantly, while a Red-tailed Hawk made it feel unwelcome.

    Walking down the power cut trail, we followed the calls of birds until we realized we were getting covered in ticks. Thinking that the trail up would be better, we retreated and scraped off the hitch hikers. At the pond we heard Nashville and Common throat as well as Black&white and Goldfinch. At the base of the hill, the “tree” a flowering dogwood, did not disappoint, with a GWWA flying in to greet us and singing proudly from the treetop. Now we all had exceptional views of this bird and Bob had his first lifer. I got some nice photos, and Derek noticed the band on the bird’s leg in one of his shots.

    Not to be shown up, a Blue-wing flew into a nearby branch and started singing too! I love that ‘magic’ tree, I always have great sightings in it.

    Up the hill Yellow Warbler sang to us, and we heard Prairie even further uphill where I usually have them. Approaching the location, the Prairies were not shy and we all got killer views. And as if on cue, and not to be out done, the Field Sparrows began to sing. I would have walked a bit farther to see them, but at this point we decided that we were covered in too many ticks again, and with time limited for Derek, we made our way back to the car.

   A Turkey ran up into the woods on the way out of Sterling to our next destination Doodletown road. It was great from the get go. Orchard Oriole singing from a Locust tree on route 9 greeted us, and Cerulean was at the first bend a short way up from the road. Two more lifers for Bob.  

    All around us we could hear Redstarts, and they made themselves visible. But best of all was the very cooperative Hooded Warblers!

Walking up the steep path at Doodletown is quite strenuous, even for those who are up to it. But the views of the breeding  birds is well worth it.

We continued on to Herbert Cemetery, where there had been reports of two Kentucky Warblers the day before. We did not see or hear them, and crossing paths with upstate birder Curt McDermott, learned neither he nor his friend had seen or heard them. Oh well.

Having sen the bulk of our target species, we made our way back down the trail. Along the way scads of Red Admirals flew about, as they seem to  be everywhere in large numbers this spring, but mixed in with them were Juvenal's Duskywing, and the jewelryesque Six-spotted Tigerbeetle.

An abbreviated day, but a rewarding day. I return to Doodletown this weekend; hopefully this time I'll get a Kentucky or two...

They Say That Waking Up Is Hard To Do

One of the definitions of ‘irony poisoning’ is not being a morning person and having a lot of interests or demands to require one to get up early. Today being a work day I have my routine that allows me to get to the office comfortably. This doesn’t take into account the birding events that require otherwise.

I got up earlier and headed out to the Robert Moses Causeway Wednesday so I could bird the barrier beach on the way to work; a slight detour. I was hoping to repeat my experience a goodly number of years back when I came upon ‘tame’ Scarlenger and Bluesbeaks feeding on the grassy strips along the highway. 

It wasn’t quite like that today, but I had heard reports from the past two days and it seemed irresponsible of me not to witness this event. In fact it was predicted ...that we would see a fallout of a trans-Gulf slingshot event, in the wake of last weekend's storm. Holy crap!

Truth be told I could care less about the weather elsewhere that the media likes to report, no doubt to fill up the time commensurate with the compensation of the weather reporters salary. What a job: you can be wrong most of the time and they still don’t fire you!

Now here is something I can use: a birding forecast! Cornell is already using radar to track migration, why not someone to forecast when a weather system is going to be good for birding?!
Serendipity can only go so far...

And the conditions today were sublimely beautiful. The Great South bay was uncharacteristically and totally flat, presenting a remarkable mirror surface echoing the sky, clouds and shore. What a time to be absent a panoramic lens.

I made my way west on Ocean parkway, hoping to happen upon something. I stopped in the Babylon Fishing center, and got confiding looks at a pair of Killdeer, a Boatle, and not much else. I continued on to Gilgo, where I happened upon Corey Finger who reported nothing present per yesterdays report, and his having succumbed to the awful affliction: ‘sick daze’. I need a union job!

We saw a Merlin wiz by, so that may explain the passerine vacancy. But he did mention having a Rosebeak earlier at Jones Beach west end, and so pressed for time I continued west. As promised there it was feeding on the grass, only to be spooked by another car that whizzed by at an inopportune time, like when I am pointing my camera lens at the bird.

Strolling over to the trees that parallel the fence in front of the Coast Guard station, I saw movement on the fence that resolved into several Buntigos! Yippee! And they obligingly posed for photos: what well mannered birds. As I approached closer to the trees, I heard a calling Bling Warbler. This bird was not as well mannered, but was so for another who had it earlier and had gotten a shot or two. I called Corey to alert him to the Buntigos, made another loop finding a Savannow, and then packed it in to head to work.

...and wouldn’t you know that I arrived to find several folks who felt the need to arrive early to see me? Irony poisoning....

Now never one to give up easily, I decided to postpone important chores scheduled for Thursday, as it is the day to bird as defined in the book of genesis.

I made a stop at Gilgo again, this time locating the Bluesbeak faithful to its reported location  just east of and behind the restrooms, with the flock of Buntigos on the fence west of there. Nice! Also heard calling Clapper Rail way out across the water, but decided to head into Queens and try for the White-faced Ibis and meet Bob Hayes for some birding.

I was greeted at the parking lot by a singing Brown Thrasher, and enjoyed watching it perform until Bob arrived. Walking through the reserve I was pleased to hear and see this otherwise reclusive bird all over the place.

Walking down the west pond trail, got my FOS Yellow Warbler, and heard another Clapper Rail. Bob got all excited, and our searching was rewarded with a sighting as well as a hearing, and he celebrated getting a lifer.  Ah to get lifers again...

The pond continues to be full of Ruddy Duck, with a few other quackers mixed in as well. And Ibis were moving about all over, but we never did find the one odd ball Ibis.

The place was otherwise kinda quiet, but the good news is we crossed paths with a few employees who were cordoning off the blind by the east pond in preparation for repairs. Yay!

So the writing is on the wall, its that time of the year that getting up early is de rigueur. Warblers are worth it...

Sea, No Evil

Pelagics are more popular than I thought, and I have been enjoying running a few over the past several months. A nice crew of folks came out on the boat yesterday, and despite what sounded initially like a less than favorable forecast, it was pretty darn nice!

One original participant had to bail at the last minute, apparently preferring to chuck dirty diapers as opposed to chucking stale bread at Gulls. A replacement was found and being new to the pelagic scene she was apprehensive about mal de mer. For those in a similar space, what I told her is worth repeating. First- don’t psyche yourself out. Focusing on getting sick is one sure way to actually end up sick, or at best expend a lot of mental energy on a place you would rather not be. Second- experience is the only sure way to know how your unique body will react to being tossed by wind waves and random boat motions. So rather than trying to guess, your best bet is to take a few trips and learn first hand how susceptible you are. Having said this, also understand that sea conditions are never the same, the combination of motions rather than the intensity can often be what ‘gets you’ and if in doubt, take the OTC meds.

Dramamine a brand of dimenhydrinate works as does the ‘less drowsy’ Bonine, a brand of meclazine. Having tried both, I can tell you they both work, and despite the claims both make me drowsy. In practice, if one can see or have access to very current info, then the amount used can be moderated. ie, if it does not look too bad, take a half pill. On more vigorous seas, I’ll take a whole pill. Dramamine is also available as a generic at numerous pharmacies for a fraction of the cost of the name brand, and a more costlier option available by prescription is the Transderm patch brand of scopolamine. For some people this is the only medication that works, but due to slow absorption should be placed on the skin at least the night before. It’s side effects are dry mouth and or dry eyes. It also has the benefit of staying on even when wet, so if taking an extended boat trip, ie several days, it will not be affected by showering, and it will medicate you for several days.

Important to note is that the medications must be in your system ~prior~ to departure so that they have time to take effect. Waiting until you are starting to turn green is usually too late, and almost always those who take a pill at the latter time will be pushed over the edge by the medication rather than helped by it. Oh well. Yes it can make you drowsy, and speaking from experience of  being laughed at for falling asleep particularly easily, all I can say is sleepy is FAR better than begging someone to mercy kill you. In short, if you have any doubt or apprehension, just take the pill. Sleep doesn’t have to washed out of your clothes...

Finally, avoid heavy greasy foods prior to departure or on the boat. Pepperoni or salami are definitely verboten. To calm a queasy stomach I find snacking on starchy items to be an effective way to absorb stomach fluids, and candied ginger has a calming effect on the stomach too. So stock up on doughnuts or pretzels and you should be good to go. Mary by the way did not fall prey to any ill effects of the sea.

We got a nice start at 7 am and headed out to find calmer conditions than forecast. Yay! On the way we had Boat-tailed Grackle. Black Skimmer. BC Night Heron, Laughing Gull, Oystercatcher and lingering Purple Sandpiper, the latter of which was a lifer for Captain Bob.

Gotta Love That  Bright Red Bill on an Oystercatcher

Two of Four Purple Sandpipers

Out in the ocean, we were greeted by loads of Northern Gannets. Benjamin Van Doren attempted to keep count but after a while it must have become too overwhelming. Inshore or out 20+ miles, the Gannets were everywhere. I cannot think of a time in the past where there have been so many, and distributed so far and wide about us. Speaking of Benjamin, he was charged with the responsibility of finding me a good sighting, and he did so in the form of Harbor Porpoises that we all got to enjoy.

DC Cormorants were numerous, but noticeably absent were the Great Cormorants, having attained breeding plumage weeks ago, and departed for their breeding locations. Loon numbers were down, but still in good numbers were the Common and Red-throated, but most impressive was the Common Loons in their distinguished breeding plumage.

Also noticeably way down in numbers from the last trip was Scoters, Oldsquaw, and Red-breasted Mergansers. All were confined to a few sightings, not like the 10s of thousands not too long ago.

Out at sea we saw numbers of migrating birds. Great Blue Herons were spotted on several occasions in lines of 5 or 6, and one such group appeared to ‘kettle’, or perhaps they were arguing about who should be the leader.

Also in evidence were migrating passerines, most notably swallows. We counted Barn, Tree, and Rough-winged when we were able to pick them out against the glare and clouds. On one occasion we spotted a lone swallow being mercilessly pursued by Great Black-backed Gulls. Captain Bob tried to close distance with the swallow and the hoard of 10-15 GBBs but the gulls and especially the swallow were flying at a pretty good clip, and the 18 knots of speed we tried was no match for them. I am happy to report that the swallows typical flight style was able to keep it away from the gulls, and eventually it broke away from the crowd and to a less harried flight. I have added it to my “I’ve never seen that before” list

Still few in numbers, but nice to see anyway were some Bonaparte Gulls. We had 3, one of which retained it’s non-breeding plumage while the other two had attained their nice black head not witnessed about here as often as the former.

Other not so pelagic birds seen were Kestrels, Merlin and Coopers Hawk and by Sandy Hook on the way back in we added TV and Black Vulture, and Sanderling on one of the Lighthouses in NY Harbor. No seals though around Swinburn Island though...

Finished the day with a quick trip to Jamaica Bay, where I got FOS Black-and-white Warbler, Glossy Ibis, Barn Own, Fosters Tern, and Marsh Wren.

My FOS B&W Warbler

Birding Does NOT Take a Holiday

Went to visit my brother and family up in Boston this past weekend for the holidays. Of course, I planned to make a pit-stop along the way at Tibbetts Brook Park in Westchester. A Greater White-fronted Goose relocated there after it’s long stay at Van Cortland Park, and was relocated there by it’s overseer Andrew Baksh. 

On site of the Yellow-throated Warbler the past week, I had asked him about this bird and he replied: “you ~still~ haven’t seen it?!” Well late is better than never, so thanks Andrew for keeping tabs on it. The park was easy enough to find, and as promised the bird was where Andrew had stapled it. Satisfied with looks and photos, Jean and I hoped back in the car for the rest of the ride up to Boston. She texted... - sheesh I hate that term, she sent a text message to Andrew simply: “tick”, but sadly he misunderstood, inquiring “deer or dog?”

The rest of the day was occupied with car travel, food and festivities. The next day’s plan was to get an early start and get some local birding in. Unfortunately the weather was less than cooperative and the ceremonial wine did me in; massive headache which was only remedied by sleeping in.

Later in the day, we researched Great Meadows NWR in Concord Mass. Jean had been there years ago and nostalgia and opportunity was as good a justification as any other. I loaded the coordinates into Loretta, but she was misbehaving. Eventually she came around, and we got to our destination.

Or so we thought. Turns out this refuge has a number of units, so we did not actually get to the one Jean had visited before. No matter, there were good birds here too, despite the brisk temperatures. Borrowing a windbreaker and hat, we set off in search of what we could find.

Ring-necked Ducks were abundant in the water, and Red-winged Blackbirds were unconcerned by our close passing as they sat upon cattail stalks singing for companionship.

Unique to this place was an abundance of muskrats. I find them to be interesting creatures, and have come across one or two at Jamaica Bay and other locations, but never in the numbers seen here. They had plenty of lodges and the birds made good use of them for perches and nesting sites too.

From the ‘I’ve seen this bird a thousand times, but never seen it do that’ department, we watched as a young Red-tailed Hawk, oblivious to our presence, make several forays out to harass a female Mallard who was quacking loudly. We could not see young if there were any, and though the hawk made several attempts it never ‘took’ the duck. 

On our way back, we spied a fellow obviously trying to get photos of something, and he was in the presence of a Sora. Nice! What a confiding bird, it was probably no more than 5 feet from us!
We inquired of the reported Virginia Rails and the reported Sandhill Crane, but dipped on those. No matter, this was a nice bird! 

As we made our way back to the car in the setting sun, I was amazed at how many folks were showing up late in the day, and also noticing how popular Canon cameras are, particularly with the zoom lens I just got.

I have been using a Minolta with a mirror lens for some time. The 6 mega-pixels were a joke; cell phones have more resolution than that. Add to that the soft focus inherent with a mirror lens and the results are often far less than hoped.

So I bit the bullet and upgraded my equipment. Yay! In anticipation of my location, I had it shipped to my brother’s house and this was my first trial and I am very pleased. Of course the ubiquity of Canon SLRs with this lens at this location made for patent auspiciousness.

As Jean says, I now have a big boy toy! And it has an extensive instructional manual...

A New Bird For My Queens County List!

Thursday is the day I have come to associate with good birding fortune. This past Thursday  was set aside to perform several chores and tasks, a number of which are long overdue... And then an email alerted me to the discovery of a very good bird, a Yellow Throated Warbler! What’s a power-birder to do?

After  making some calls and emails, I set off hoping to meet up with others who had the bird located, or at least help me find the correct area. I arrived in Alley Pond park to find the discoverer Bobby Kurtz with Andrew Baksh, but they were not deliberate in their birding manner, so I perused the flock of birds that I encountered on the way.

Many Pine Warblers were around, as were noisy Goldfinches. A Hermit Thrush made an appearance, as did a lingering Junco, but no YTWA as far as I could find. Meeting up with the other two, we walked about the Acadian Kettle Hole area, to no avail.

We were joined by others and we birded the park. At Decodon pond we found some Rusty Blackbirds, a Swamp Sparrow and a Louisiana Waterthrush. And HOOO should show up?

We then made our way back to the ‘Acadian Kettle Hole’ area, and made a pass or two
in another as of yet unsuccessful attempts to relocate our target. As it got towards noon, our band of seekers broke up for lunch and other locations; some of us planning on returning later in the day.

I set off to get lunch, and stopped at the bayside marina to get a look at a heretofore unheard of occurrence: Northern Gannets were plunge diving on the south eastern end of Littleneck Bay! Gannets are not too common an occurrence in the Long Island Sound, but in a shallow bay? Wow!  I wonder what they were feeding upon. 

At my lunch stop, Eric Miller called and informed me that he was able to get out to Alley  sooner than anticipated, so I once again put off some things I should have been doing to return to Alley. Birding is such a demanding mistress.

Meeting at the Kettle Hole area, there was also a small crowd of fellow birders with Eric and we all perused as best we could, continuing to hope to find this elusive beauty. But once again time slipped by and a good number of the party’s members had to head off.

Ed, Trudy and Joan took off pone way while Bobby & Colleen headed down a path to return to their car alone. Eric, Steve and I remained, and I suggested that we try along the bicycle path as we had been everywhere else. Eric thought some other areas might be good as well and we were headed in that direction when Eric’s phone rang: Colleen had found the bird!

We all headed down the path to meet up with them, and there as promised was the bird! Way to go Colleen!! Steve and I started calling people, and then watched the bird put on a show.

This beauty was very amenable giving nice long looks as it foraged in the trees along the edge of Cloverdale Blvd. And in atypical warbler behavior, it did not flit about constantly instead posing quite nicely. Usually warblers make taking their photo a study in frustration.

The best part was that the warbler stayed pretty faithful to a limited location and what must have seemed like an eternity to Trudy and Joan, Andrew, and Corey, the bird stuck around for all to see that day.

Got To Run, No Time To Chat?

I enjoy chasing birds. No secret there; nature's diversity gives me pleasure when I am able to experience it. But chasing per se is not all that I do. I enjoy getting out and birding in any number of fine locations and seeing what serendipity has to offer.

This past weekend, I chose to bird at Hempstead Lake State Park with Jean Loscalzo and Ian Resnick. Driven by the report of a Yellow-breasted Chat the decision was that this was as good a place as any, made better by a bird that can be difficult to find in may years. Early warblers were also sure to be around, and I was also interested in what else I could turn up.

When we made our way over to the location of the sightings, another birder, Joe T{?} showed us the location of previous sightings. We started to do a ‘vigil’ but walking about seemed like a better idea so we instead passed by the ‘area’ several times hoping to be there at the right time. Over by the lake we found a lot more bird activity, picking up several Pine Warblers as was hoped.

Not long after our arrival, more birders arrived with similar intention. Some of the ‘late comers’ were birders I had not seen in some time, and inquired where they had been hiding. It turns out that they had decided to take a birding trip to Costa Rica; something that was not their normal mode. 

How exciting! Costa Rica is on my list of places everyone else has been to; one of these days.... their recounting was of course full of the exotic locations and the beautiful birds, and all those lifers they got. Like most people, they gushed about their trip to Costa Rica.

But they also lamented. This couple did a commercial birding tour, and in the final analysis, I would have to say they were disappointed. A telling remark is when they said: “...we would rather  watch shorebirds than bird the rainforest...” Well that was a bit of a surprise, and I was disappointed for them.

I have done one commercial tour, and one ‘hired guide’ tour, but thanks to the resources of the ABA augmented by information from lists on the internet, most of my birding trips have been planned and executed by myself. Albeit in the states.

Sure it takes a lot more planning, and sure you will miss some birds they may have ‘staked out’. But in the end I have found that beyond the scoring of lifers, planning one’s own trip means that if the birding is good someplace, however one defines that, then one can delay departure and continue with the enjoyment, rather than chasing off somewhere else to get that additional tick.

And here in a nutshell was what I took away from their lament. Too much focus on just getting a tick. Too much running from here to there. Not enough time to enjoy the location and get to know the birds. Thinking back to my commercial tour, which was with the same company, I remember saying to the leader: “ Will we be doing any walking? I’m getting so antsy that if we don’t take a hike someplace my legs might jump off and go for a walk on their own!”

Now don’t get me wrong; It was a great trip and we got a lot of great birds and it was a blast. But I can see where this style of birding can put people off.

So if you are thinking that at this point I am going to rail against ticking, you would be mistaken. Rather, I would say that one must understand the type of tour one is taking, and avoid those that don’t suit you. Perhaps a private guide would be best as he will do what you want him to, not constrained by the expectations or desires of the group!

By the way, conventional tours are the same way. I was told about a tour of Italy by other friends with a tour group that herded people on and off the tour bus; the complaint being that there was no time to experience the sights seen, and while they saw a lot, it was such a blur that it was hard to recall. So I don’t think this is a listing birder vs real birder issue, but an ‘overall experience’ vs ‘most bang for the buck’ issue.

So if you take a tour, be sure to find out what their style is from others who have used their services. Is it first class, or roughing it. A tick-fest, or relaxing enough to feel like a vacation. Is it ~only~ birds, or will other wildlife be entertained? And anywhere in between. Semper aucupium! But Caveat emptor as well.

Oh and by the way, I did manage to spot the Chat. George Form of all people was the one who spotted it first, noting it’s movements and alerting the rest of us. I spied a yellow patch in the briars, and lifting my bins resolved a Chat around the yellow. Though being a Chat it was less than forthcoming for most of the others. That’s birding, it’s like a line from Forrest Gump.

Double Indignity

Ever since I got a copy of the National Geographic Guide to birds, I have salivated over the numerous species on the other side of the country. Among them was the Rosy-finches. I can’t say why for certain, but there was something about them that was particularly appealing.

So when I made a trip out to Colorado in 1999, Rosy-finches were high on my most wanted list. I went with Ian Resnick, and long time Compuserve friend Ann AJ Johnson joined up with us for several days. We had a blast.

When we got to Rocky Mountain National Park, the rangers informed us that the high mountain pass was closed due to snow, and might not be opened during our stay. Thankfully, the road was cleared and we had an opportunity.

It was particularly rewarding for AJ as we all got the White-tailed Ptarmigan; but for her it was after way too many years of trying. 40 years is undoubtedly a long time! But while we got the Ptarmigan at the Alpine Visitor’s center, there were no Rosy-finches around the pass and this was supposed to be the place to look for them. We celebrated our collective Ptarmigan at a local establishment with some excellent Elk burgers, and ~several~ celebratory shots of tequila.

That night it snowed an awful amount and the pass was closed again. Inquiring of the ranger, he said that it would take a week or more to remove the snow! Drat! ( a euphemistic approximation of what I actually said)  I did my best to convey the urgency and importance of seeing the Rosy-finches to the ranger, and he offered as much helpful information as he had. And then I pushed a bit harder, so he then offered to contact a local birder with the Audubon Society who might perhaps have more knowledge...

Speaking with this woman, she gave us the location of a home in town where the finches had been reported coming to a feeder. I thanked her profusely, did the same to the ranger, and then Ian and I beat a hasty retreat. Persistence pays!

Arriving at the address, we immediately saw the finches at the feeders and set up our scopes from the street to get a good look. In short order, one of the residents came out to see what we were up to. I excitedly showed them a picture of the finch in my guide, and explained that we had come all the way from back east to see them. She then went inside and told her daughter, who had recently moved from Manhattan to Colorado, and was tickled to know that she had such good birds at her feeders. The best part was when they invited us to sit on the porch and get a better view; at times too close to focus with my camera lens!

Expected in Colorado were Brown-capped Rosy-finches, but as an added bonus we also had a Black Rosy-finch. It would have been nice, but we could hardly complain about not also having a
Gray-crowned Rosy-finch.

Fast forward to December 2011, and a birder named David Rankin hiking in the Catskills of New York happens upon one! { must be related to Doug Gochfeld with luck like that!}

His picture left no question as to ID; but the wisdom of chasing this bird on the summit of Black Dome Mountain in the Catskills in the throws of winter was certainly questionable. But not by me so I did it.

It would be a lifer, and a cherry of a NYS bird. And besides, who needs sleep? I coordinated with other foo... Ahem. ...other enthusiastic birders and a group of us met at the trail-head at 7am. Mind you I could only manage to get to sleep by midnight with the prep and excitement, and woke up at 2am to drive upstate to meet Tait Johansson, and from his digs we car pooled to meet the others.

When we arrived it was still dark and it had snowed the night before. So here we are, in bitter cold, hiking up a trail with loose rocks and covered with snow, all in search of a bird. One bird. In a whole lot of mountain. The third highest in the region.

Well it was a beautiful hike. The scenery was breathtaking, truly. The sun was glistening off of the snow that heavily weighted down the branches of the conifers. Besides I like hiking a lot too. Corey Finger, Tait Johansson, Rich Fried, Lila Fried, Jacob Drucker, Rob Bate and his wife all made the attempt. I tried to talk two others into doing it, but in the end it may have been wise that they did not. Rich Fried, intrepid and successful champion 2011 NYS year lister that he is, tried to add this bird to his astounding accomplishment, but instead got a number of bumps and bruises instead, from the less than safe conditions of the hike. Some might think him a bit foolhardy, I admire his dam the torpedoes attitude. And he’s only been birding a few years to boot! I must have a pocket full of kryptonite.

Fast forward once again and its march 2012 and a Grey-crowned Rosy-finch is discovered at a feeder in even further upstate New York. No rigorous hike in below freezing weather, but a shlep non the less. A 275 mile shlep to be exact.

Of course those with union jobs or work with animals were able to make a mad dash and see the bird, while us mere mortals had to wait for a more opportune time. In my case this would be Thursday, my day off.

Historically, Thursday is a great day to chase a bird. Reports are usually generated predominantly on weekends, and a disappointing number of good birds move on before the next weekend arrives. But not so for Thursdays, they usually stick around...

So calling around, I searched for co-conspirators. Most could not go, had earlier plans, or already had gone. Bob Hayes called me, and then winced when he heard how far away the bird was. Then he caved in. I also called Ian Resnick, my co-conspirator or enabler, depending upon your point of view, but also knew that he ~never~ takes a day off from work.

I have been trying to corrupt him for years and to date had not succeeded. Perhaps it was something that Donna Schulman said to him that changed his mind, but I suppose it was bound to happen at least once. It is after all, one of the signs of the apocalypse.

So the three of us set off at a reasonably early time to make the long drive to Boonville NY. Traffic was light, the weather was beautiful, and we arrived on location an hour ahead of schedule.

Along the way as the light came up we amassed a nice list of sightings. American Crow was our first bird of the day, and Red-tailed Hawks were plentiful as expected. Blackbirds appear to be on the move and Grackles and Red-wings were all about. I even spied a Piliated Woodpecker as it flew across the road!

Most pleasing to see, and continuing a trend that I am enjoying is sightings of Bald Eagles- we had at least three along the way, and Ravens are becoming more plentiful too. Both were birds that one used to have to ‘work’ for.

But as omens go, once we got off the thruway and headed up into the Adirondack region, the clouds got thicker and it began to drizzle. As suspected, the address location was not completely accurate either as far as Loretta was concerned, but I have come to not rely 100% on GPS and we did get to the correct location.

Nancy Loomis, the home-owner, is to be commended for her quick thinking and extraordinary hospitality. We arrived to find an area set aside for visitors to park, and she even left the door to her garage open and welcomed visiting birders to make use of the restroom within when necessary.

So upon arrival we knew we were in the right place when we saw other birders. Getting out for a look though, we were told that it was last seen at 6:30 am, and not since! It was now 9 am.

Well the wind really picked up, and it started to rain heavily so I pulled the car up so that we could be sheltered while looking at the feeders. The three of us were amazed at the other birders who were happy to stand outside in the wind and rain, but not us. We’re smarter than that I thought, until I remembered that we just drove 275 miles....

So I enjoyed all the goldfinches coming to the feeders, and hoped as had been reported that the GCRF would be amongst them or the other birds it had been associating with. And then I saw one! A Grey-crowned Weaver-finch. And another, and about 20 or so hogging the feeder.
But no Rosy finch. Also present were Downey and Hairy woodpeckers, as well as a White-breasted Nuthatch, but no Rosy.

It was not to long into our vigil that I began to feel the oncoming sting of irony poisoning. Yes, irony poisoning. I had tried to convince Ian to take off from work literally for years, and now that he finally does so, it is on the occasion when the bird ~doesn’t~ stick around. Obviously, he is to blame. He didn’t even proffer a consolation beer. I also began to wonder if Thursdays had lost their touch, but in fact the GCRF was present, just not long enough!

We stuck it out, and Bob, a new initiate to the irrational world of chasers kept a good attitude regarding how long we kept vigil. When we finally gave up, we stopped at the Sugar River but none of the previously reported goodies were about. I did spot Wild Turkey, and that was a year bird for me.

In town, we ate at a pleasantly anachronistic diner where burgers are still under $5 and you get chips instead of fries. Due to the proximity,  of course I  suggested we give it one last try, and the others were amenable.

But no GCRF. So I can claim to have tried twice for this bird in NYS and achieved a double dip. Like a birding George Costanza, I fear someone might try to wrestle my binos away from me. I wonder where my feathered fatale with lead me next, and if and when I will get to consummate the relationship.