Week 4 (1/27/19) - Drenched but not Dampened

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

Merritt Island NWR--Black Point Wildlife Drive morning list afternoon list

Bennett Causeway/Banana River Bridge list