First of all – yes, this is officially late using my own
time-keeping rules. I’m sorry. I would love to give a good excuse to get out of
this, but I don’t have one. Last week was very tiring, but that’s not a very
good excuse. Please forgive me.
Ok, now lets get back to the cliffhanger. Last time we
spoke, I was talking about how horribly I dipped on looking for the now famous
Dark-billed Cuckoo. So, 2:30am rolls around and the drive begins with hope. A lot of time spent on Sunday was talking to other birders and the wisdom was to arrive before the sun started hitting the leaves. The bird had been seen around the same time the previous couple of days - around 830 was the best time.
The parking lot was full of cars and the mountain bike trail was loaded with birders hoping for a glimpse of the rogue cuckoo. 730 passed, people milled around looking in the spots it had been seen. Some random squawks indicated some other birds were around, but focus was understandably on the cuckoo.
800 rolled around, no sign of the bird.
830 rolled around, no sign of the bird.
900 rolled around no sign of the bird.
930 rolled around, no sign of the bird.
We gave up.
The bird was never seen again after the sighting 15 minutes before we arrived on Sunday.
This is birding, or more specifically this is the reality of twitching. I haven't done many twitches is any on this scale before. I have twitched before, but not like this - I haven't traveled that far for one bird. I have definitely dipped before though. I've driven 4 hours each way to go looking for birds on the NC Outer Banks and found only one of the six targets that day.
After a lot of searching and comparing notes with other birders, we decided the smart choice was to throw in the towel and try and salvage what remained of the day. That started before even leaving the park, as I did track down number 406 - though admittedly not the bird I was looking for.
There is a persistent conversation in the birding world about how exactly to handle all these parrots, parakeets and allies. Many of the birds aren't native to South Florida, and if I understand it correctly some of them escaped as a result of various hurricanes and others were just released. These birds are incredibly adaptable and have found success breeding and establishing a population. The question is whether the birds belong on official lists, since some may still be the original escaped population and various other concerns. I tend to fall on the side of wanting to include a bird if there is either a rogue bird (like the cuckoo) which just got lost or caught up with migrants or what have you or if there is a breeding population in the area.
Nanday Parakeet - one of several at the park but the only one I was able to snag a pic of sadly
After getting a consolation parakeet, we headed over to Wakodahatchee Wetlands and got a parking space relatively quickly. That may not sound like much to you - but there is limited parking and those spots fill up early. I get the impression it would be entirely possible to wait an hour for a spot.
Anywho, here's some of the best bits from one of the most awesome city parks I've ever been to.
Snoozing Black-bellied Whistling-ducks - the best ducks ever?
Ruddy great big Iguana of some sort - no idea if they're native or not
Extreme close-up of a Great Egret
Grey-headed Swamphen - not native either I don't think, but impressive nonetheless
American Bittern - still one of my favorite herons and possibly even favorite birds?
Great Blue Heron looking a little dapper
Glamorous Great Egret showing green lores and lots of frilly bits
The nesting colony at Wakodahatchee is vast and home to Wood Storks, Egrets, Herons, Cormorants and more
There were a couple of big attractions being seen at the wetlands to offer additional consolation for birders who missed the cuckoo. One which eluded us was a Golden-winged Warbler. Long time fans of Avian Adventures will know that we went looking for those in NC last year and missed out due to poor planning. This time we missed out, but not for lack of trying. We were in the right place at the right time, just didn't get lucky. The other highlight was far more obliging.
Neotropic Cormorant - not a lifer, but a good bird for Florida
Note the eye color and white around the mouth, good identifiers for Neotropic as opposed to Double-crested
So that was Monday. It may not have gone entirely as expected, but I added 10 new year birds including one lifer. That sounds like an entirely good day to me. To cap it off, I added a couple of new Duval County birds later in the week with a trip to Spanish Pond, a trail on the south bank of the river here in town.
Before that, here's a pic from a very welcome visitor to the office parking lot:
Cute and dapper Black-and-white Warbler
I was drawn to Spanish Pond after reports of Wood Ducks and an American Bittern. I have neither so far in Duval after 18 months here, so it was a perfect place to try out. Sadly I once again struck out, but had an enjoyable walk nonetheless and ran into some other local birders there who themselves are recent transplants, though they moved here from Colorado.
So despite missing out on the Bittern and Wood Ducks, I got a few nice picks of some birds who didn't mind me taking a picture.
Little Blue Heron chilling on a snag
Mrs Hooded Merganser - for full video see the YouTube channel
Red-shouldered Hawk looking menacing and entirely like I am nothing but a large meal
And that was the end of the week. Significant ups and downs but birds everywhere and that's always nice. Plus I really enjoying being down in South Florida - so much so I may have to do it again soon...
The week started a little slowly, big shock I know. I continued with my daily strolls at work. I think I said something about trying to go for two walks per day again - totally didn't happen. But I can dream, right? I did get a snap of the dashing looking chap:
Red-Shouldered Hawk across the road on the church sign
These RS Hawks are near-constants around the office. I've seen them at the front of the building, the back of the building and cruising over the building.
On Saturday I traveled back north of the river to try and track down a couple of my bogey birds - Saltmarsh Sparrow and the almost mythical Purple Sandpipers. Based on the tides I again went to Spoonbill Pond first, but the wind was a-blowin'.
With the high wind there was very little activity down at the rocks next to the boat ramp. I spent a good 40+ minutes there and was rewarded for my efforts eventually.
Spotted Sandpiper - ironically identified by the lack of spots in winter
I also eventually started seeing some sparrows moving among the rocks, keeping low. I approached cautiously, eager to not disturb the birds. I was able to get a Seaside Sparrow in the scope but apparently took no pictures. While looking at that I saw more movement and adjusted to get a better view. I saw another sparrow, a smaller sparrow, a sparrow with notable contrast between the color of the face and chest.
At this point I should discuss my frustrations from last week. I thought for sure I had located a Saltmarsh Sparrow but alas, it was another Nelson's Sparrow. Thankfully I was given excellent information as to correctly differentiate between the 'Sharp-tailed' Sparrows. Thanks to that advice, I was able to tell that the lil guy who popped up in front of me was very much a Saltmarsh Sparrow. Here's a pic:
Oh well.
On Sunday, a crazy expedition was undertaken. Reports were submitted and then rapidly distributed across the web of an incredibly rare Code 5 Dark-billed Cuckoo in Delray Beach, about 4.5 hours south. To illustrate the rarity of this bird, only one other record of the bird on US soil exists, and that was a disputed TX record from decades ago. Literally hundreds of birders traveled across the country to see what could be a one-in-a-lifetime bird. Naturally I couldn't let the opportunity slide.
Leaving a little after 4, I hit the road and drove south, hurrying to make it down to Palm Beach County and join the droves of people hoping for a glimpse of a history-making bird. The drive was kinda long as you'd expect. As we arrived we ran into David F from Jacksonville and Sam K from Daytona. They had both been on the bird not long ago, so we felt optimistic. We spoke at length to several other birders looking for the bird or better looks at the bird.
The cuckoo had last been seen about 10-15 minutes before we arrived, so there was reasonable confidence it would be around. We scoured the woods and caught a brief glimpse of bird matching the overall giss (General Impression, Size and Shape) of a cuckoo. There were no other cuckoos reported in the area at that time, so in all likelihood that may well have been the bird, but we only saw it flying behind some trees and couldn't track it down at that point.
Hours passed. Over three hours passed with no sign of the bird. We spoke to Carl, a local birder with oodles of experience and something of a guide for this bird, having been keeping tabs on it since it's first sighting earlier in the week. He said that the prior day the bird had come out to feed in the afternoon, so there was still hope, but really we needed to get there at first light. This was not information we had gathered in our research. Clearly a little earlier and we might well have already seen the bird and could have started looking for other south Florida delicacies.
We went a grabbed lunch and tried to decide what to do. This was a major dip. A mega-rarity which had drawn in people from as far as California. After lunch, during which I picked up my first logged House Sparrows of the year (still missing for Duval), we drove back to the park and spoke with more birders, including Bruce. I didn't realize it at the time, but Bruce is the number one ranked birder in the Lower 48 (855 species, including the Dark-billed Cuckoo). Not only that, but he is listed as the 65th most prolific birder in the entire world (according to eBird records, with 4870 birds globally). He was wonderful to talk to and he gave good advice for an upcoming but as yet undisclosed adventure in about six weeks' time.
After another fruitless hour, we gave up. BUT, we didn't give up entirely. We drove home utterly deflated, but with a plan in place. Monday morning we would leave at 2am and drive down to be there at sunrise. The bird had been warming itself in the sun in the same area for a few days now, with little notice paid to the birders who had swarmed around it. The remainder of the trip falls into Week 7, though. So I will leave things on a cliffhanger for now.
Despite not seeing the Cuckoo in Week 6, I did add bird 405 in the form of the Saltmarsh Sparrow (would really like a pic for my personal records at some stage) so Week 6 was definitely not a failure. Who knows what Week 7 holds? Well, I do, because it's Sunday and it is literally the end of Week 7 as I type...
Big Talbot Island SP, Spoonbill Pond SP - list
Huguenot Memorial Park - list
First of all - thank you so much for the support shown for the last entry. I had people here, on Facebook and in real life reach out to me and that means a huge amount. So thank you all. Also, to my work peeps who have been supporting me, thank you as well. It is amazing to think of how many people I have around me who care.
Ok, enough mushy stuff.
So, after being soaked through last week I naturally ended up doing the exact same thing this week! But we're not there yet. I continued with my daily walks at work, but my step count has been dropping. I've let myself slip to one short walk, instead of two. I need to try and get back to a morning and afternoon stroll. My brain needs a break from work and my body needs a break from sitting constantly. I'm going to try and rectify that moving forwards.
Despite their relative shortness, I have been able to have a number of nice encounters with the resident Red-shouldered Hawk(s) at the office, with this chap hanging out over the road last week.
Red-shouldered Hawk surveying their realm
I haven't got good enough to know if I"m seeing the same bird over and over, or if there's more than one there. I know for a fact there are multiple Ospreys living in the area, as I've seen three at once there. I can't remember if I've seen more than one hawk at a time.
Saturday I took a personal day. That is to say, I took the day to do things I needed/wanted to do, but I did it all on my schedule. I didn't rush myself, I didn't set a real agenda besides knowing a couple of things that really needed attention.
After writing the last blog post on Friday evening, I was a little nervous about the response I would get. It's scary putting yourself out there in the world and being vulnerable. It is also incredibly cathartic and liberating, at least it was for me. I understand that not everyone would feel that way - we're all wired differently and there's nothing wrong with that at all. Saturday I started getting some responses to the post and couldn't believe how much views it received (over 80, which is more than all the other posts combined to date). 80 isn't a huge number, but for a dude just writing about himself and birds it's a pretty decent start.
I didn't go birding on Saturday, but I did a little chilling in the back yard just soaking in the noisy atmosphere. I apparently had timed it really well, and the birds were making a lot of noise and it was awesome. I took a video. I have since watched the video and it isn't exactly amazing, the birds aren't very clear and their singing and chirping isn't nearly as loud as it was on the day, but I'll share it here nonetheless. It's 90 seconds. Feel free to watch or not.
On Sunday I arose relatively early and headed to Spoonbill Pond at Big Talbot. There's a boat ramp there where sparrows gather at high tide, and checking recent reports I knew that early morning was the right time to be there. I arrived around 8 and sure enough the tidal river boat ramp was well submerged, leaving relatively little ground for the sparrows. I bumped into a couple of other birders there who had seen some Seaside and Saltmarsh Sparrows. I tried to maintain my composure as I prepared to watch the rocks - both would be year birds, but Saltmarsh would be a lifer. 405 incoming?
I should note, like a total muppet I left my binocs at home on Sunday. Still not quite sure how I managed it, but thankfully the places I went were very scope-friendly, so I muddled through. Eventually I spotted movement on the rocks and brought the scope into focus.
405? Is the line on the chest clear across or is it blended?
This was very much not a Seaside Sparrow - the giss was all wrong. That gave me two choices - Nelson's and Saltmarsh Sparrows. The first time I saw sparrows here I was with David, who is something of an authority on such things. We thought we had a Saltmarsh that day, but it turned out to be two Nelson's that looked a little different. I initially talked myself into seeing this one as a Saltmarsh, because I didn't think the chest had a definitive delineation between that buffy color and the pale chest. On review I'm resigned to it being a Nelson's however. To be honest I'm still not 100%...
I did find two definite Seaside Sparrows though. Note the nice bright yellow mark next to the eye and heavy bill.
After looking at sparrows for a while and trying to decide what I had seen, I headed over the road to Spoonbill Pond itself and had a number of birds showing off for me.
Red-breasted Merganser looking a little unimpressed with the weather
Tried to turn the nearer bird into a Greater due to the clean white flank, but pretty sure this is just a couple of Lesser Scaups
Blue-winged Teal with a gorgeous female Northern Pintail in the background
American Avocet - still never get tired of seeing them
Snowy Egret taking an unusual pose at the top of a snag. He also seemed unhappy with the wind and rain
I left Big Talbot and drove south to try and find the acursed Purple Sandpiper at Huguenot. I do not have many pictures from Huguenot, which is to say I have zero pictures. I was drenched within a few minutes and, having opted to go shoeless on the sand, was rather cold to boot. I scoured through probably two thousand birds all nestled on the sand to get out of the weather, many hiding in the lee of the large Herring Gulls and Brown Pelicans. I saw a group of twenty or so Ruddy Turnstones and picked them over, but once again failed to find my quarry.
The above video summed up my feelings after dipping once again. I have since sent out a message to some other birders in the area to see if I'm just not looking in the right spot. I'm getting e-mails on a daily basis about these birds, yet they continue to elude me. Gah.
Ah well. I'm still deciding on plans for this weekend. A Japanese bird showed up among the thousands of gulls down the coast at Daytona - a Black-tailed Gull. I would love to have joined the throng of birders hoping to catch of glimpse of this legit mega-rarity but, alas, to date only a handful have actually seen the bird since it was originally documented by gull expert Michael Brothers last week. I am monitoring the situation, but unless it becomes more inclined to show its face, I may just save myself the heartache and try and find a less risky chase.
For now, unless someone talks me back around to Saltmarsh Sparrow, I remain on 404. I did add 4 years birds though, taking my tally to 127 for Duval County and 133 for the year. Still a long way to go, but it would be nice to try and make some more progress towards 500 before April...
A final note before the eBird lists for this week, for those who have been wondering I feel like I've been doing better this week; more even-keeled and generally in better spirits. I am throwing myself into my work, having accumulated around 30 hours through Wednesday evening, but frankly there's a ton of work to be done and I have the time to work on it at the moment, so why not? I think as long as I take regular breaks and remember to interact with real humans every now and then it'll be ok. With my weekends being filled with more birding and D&D than in the past, I feel like I need to try and maximize my time during the week so I can contribute the hours I'm aiming for without feeling the need to cut short a weekend birding trip to work.
I neglected to add my eBird checklists for last week's post - I'm going back to add those in case you wanted to follow along.
Before I begin properly, a quick note. For my own peace of mind, I've decided that I have up to 7 days to post these... posts after the corresponding Sunday. Yes, in an ideal world I would get them posted that Sunday, but once again I was out birding this past Sunday and was utterly exhausted and am only just now getting around to writing it. Please amend your expectations accordingly :)
When I decided to start writing this blog I wanted to focus on two things - birds and my health, although mostly birds. Today you're going to be treated a double whammy. I want to talk about my health first - for those more interested in the birds (and I won't hold that against you) please scroll down until you see a picture of me in a car - that's where the bird chat will begin.
I realized today that this blog could serve as a forum for me to also discuss mental health, not just my efforts to slim down to a healthier weight. I have had struggles in the past, especially when I was in college/university (bilingual writing for those on both sides of the pond) and was diagnosed with depression and took medication to help balance out the weird chemical mishap in my brain while simultaneously trying to help get my mind in better shape. Depression is weird.
As I alluded to in the earlier posts, this year I am facing some new struggles and while I have not been diagnosed with depression, the feeling is very similar to all those years ago. Depression us unfortunately not always very well represented in the collective consciousness, and people can tend to think it is just sadness or being emo; it isn't.
Depression comes in many forms and, in my experience at least, it is not consistent in any way. I have had, by most standards, a very safe, "normal" life which has been relatively free of large traumatic incidents or deeply scarring moments. I am fortunate to have grown up in a house where my parents loved each other and stayed together, where I was loved and where I was brought up with a decent idea of how not to be an asshole in life. It turns out I struggle with multiple large changes to my status quo. I have had some of those lately, and it has shaken me.
Most of the time I am a normal functioning adult, but every now and then I get washed over by a wave of depression. Sometimes it is a small wave and I can bounce right back up, but other times it is a fierce wave that knocks me around under the water for a few days at a time. I become more introspective, more grouchy, less patient and I stop caring for myself and the animals as well as I should. Priorities get screwed up when a wave like this hits. I hate it, but that's just the way it is.
I am very grateful for those I have around me who are helping even though they may not realize how much. I have a couple of groups I'm playing D&D with semi-regularly and that is a wonderful chance to just forget about everything and pretend to be someone else, to spend time with people whose company I enjoy and to focus on having fun. I'm sure I'm not the first person D&D has helped in this way. In addition, I have thrown myself into birding this year as it helps give me purpose. Even writing this post is helping feel more accomplished than I would otherwise have felt. To everyone I have played with and birded with lately - thank you.
Also, please understand that I'm sharing this, not because I want pity or anything like that, but because we (society as a whole) suck at handling mental health. I'm not embarrassed or ashamed of my struggles, nor should I be. If I had broken a bone and written about it that would be socially acceptable and writing about mental health should be no different. I am sharing my experience in the hopes that it may help others who are struggling and because I said I would be writing about my health, and to not include mental health in that would be dumb.
Hey look, it's me in a car - it must be bird time!
I ended my last post saying my plans were to leave Duval County for the first time this year - and I only went and did it! I receive daily e-mails from eBird for rare birds in Florida and one report caught my eye. Then the same bird was reported over and over again and I decided the time was right to try and track down 404.
I maintained my daily walks at work, every day checking my phone for confirmation my quarry had not moved on and every day rewarded with new reports - sometimes over 20 reports of birders saying they had seen the bird. On Sunday I gathered my stuff and drove south. On the drive down a recurring issue from the summer struck again - my odometer/speedometer unit is faulty, particularly when the car is either hot or has been running for a long time. The whole unit shuts down and I have to guess how fast I'm going. I've actually started getting good at gauging my speed based on the rev counter. Not ideal, I'll grant you.
In preparation for my trip to Brevard County, I looked at numerous eBird lists to try and provide a rounded day for myself - I knew that the target bird was likely to be in the same spot, so a full day that would not make. What I neglected to do was check the weather. The entire drive down I95 was wet and when I arrive in Mims for my first target bird, I was greeted by strong wind and rain - it barely let up all day.
I had hoped to get lucky and track down a couple of sparrows that would be lifers for me, both recently reported in Brevard County - Clay-colored and Vesper. The road where the Clay-colored sparrow had been was a dirt track, not great for a sedan in wet weather, but I gave it a go. Most birds were choosing to take cover and I had no choice but to follow suit. I did get out the scope to scan the fields for sparrows, but all I saw was about 300 American Robins instead!
I quickly abandoned that plan and decided to go straight for the target bird - that took me to Merritt Island NWR, specifically to Black Point Wildlife Drive. This was my first visit to the park, but it will not be my last. This is probably the nicest driving birding experience I can recall. Mattamuskeet is always amazing, but this was just a notch or two higher.
Yes, it's me in a car again - I Think that's the last time today
As you can see, the window is only half down - that's because any lower and I wouldn't be able to get it back up (another delightful quirk of the car). What you can't really see behind me in that picture is the 300 or so Glossy Ibises that occupied this part of the park. I've literally never seen so many. It was wonderful. Someone had reported a White-faced Ibis in the days leading up to my visit but that's like trying to find a piece of straw in a haystack. The birding available from the wildlife drive, even in rainy conditions, was excellent.
American White Pelicans - I'm far more accustomed to seeing Brown Pelicans, it's always nice to run into a couple of these guys
Or to run into 40 or more of them!
The only benefit of the overcast conditions was that Great Egrets weren't getting over-saturated in pics. They get plenty saturated by the rain though.
Glossy Ibis also getting soaked - note the whitish skin near the eyes and dark eye. White-faced Ibis would be showing a red eye and pinkish coloring around the bill.
Roseate Spoonbill - I think in all I counted over 40 spoonbills in one day.
Reddish Egret (centre) with Glossy Ibises and I think a Greater Yellowlegs. I remember my first Reddish Egret very well from a few years back, dancing around at Pea Island NWR on the Outer Banks of NC. They are expected just about everywhere down here, but that one caused a bit of a stir.
Stilt Sandpiper in the center of the frame - was very happy to get this pic. I struggle with waders and was very pleased to find I had got decent pics with other birds for comparison.
I loved the colors on this guy, so you get a bonus Spoonbill. Trust me, I took a lot more pictures than this!
So, did I find 404? You bet your little cotton socks I did!
This is a drake Cinnamon Teal. As you can see, he actually stands out very well from the crowd, though I would not have seen him without some initial assistance from Sam K, a localish birder, who pointed me in the right direction, literally. It took some scanning, but eventually this guy showed up for me..
Cinnamon Teal roughly center with American Wigeon in the foreground
Sam and I talked for possibly as long as an hour about all things birding, comparing stories all the meantime getting soaked to the bone. I am going to have to invest in some heavy duty wet weather birding gear at some point. The binocs and scope held up fine, but I was a mess after all that. Seeing a bird as vibrant as the teal was totally worth getting drenched and is a serious mood booster when you're having an off day.
One other bird required additional scrutiny. I think it will most likely go down as a weird looking Black-bellied Plover, but this guy definitely seemed a little odd.
Sam assured me that the long, overlapping wings would be atypical for a Black-bellied Plover... I am happy to defer to his judgment
The white patches on the wings are unusual as well, but don't appear to be a field mark for any of the potential candidates
Here it is next to a standard Black-bellied Plover. None of the BB Plovers were displaying the black on the bellies save for this one bird. The rest of the plumage was also very different. Jury is still out for now.
After the joys of Merritt Island I had another duck on my to-see list, but had planned a stop en route for Vesper Sparrows. Once again my dreams were thwarted by heavy rain and 300+ Robins! Also, this guy probably was contributing to a scarcity of small birds.
Red-shouldered Hawk taking unnecessary risks with barbed wire. He was totally unfazed by me stopping the car next to him to get his pic, but refused to give an autograph
My next quarry was at Port Canaveral, home of some of the biggest ships I've ever seen. At least one, probably more, cruise company departs from the port and I drove past one of the ships which towered above the road like a skyscraper, but wetter and more inclined to bob from side to side (I hope). The Port is across the Banana River and is far more exposed to the elements, as such I exited the car to a fiercer wind and more rain than I had encountered earlier in the day. In fact, I had almost starting drying off from Merritt Island and then was rapidly soaked through again, but once more Brevard County delivered for me!
Common Eider - a young male. Look at that giant schnoz. Not a lifer, but a state first and a good bird to get in Florida
The creamy front is nicely displayed in this pic as well. He did not seem to care one bit about the rain. He took it like water off a duck's back!
Tired and soaked through, I headed back home. The odometer/speedometer unit continued to act up all the way, so that was nice (just assume I am making a sassy face as you read that). After not adding any new birds to my life list since the Red-necked Grebe on 5th, it was nice to get another one on the board.
I can tell you now, plans are not only afoot, but they are solidifying as an out of state trip beckons in a couple of month's time. I won't go into too many details right now, but suffice it to say that number will likely climb significantly off the back of that week-long excursion.
Thank you for reading this very long post. I'm not going to apologize for any of it, neither content nor length (unless I actually really offended someone, in which case please let me know so I don't do it again).
EDIT - Adding eBird checklists for major locations below
