Yikes...
Ok, so I ended up going 4 weeks instead of 2. Here's why though - I just haven't done a lot of birding to be honest. The last time I was somewhere other than work or home was MegaCon waaaay back in May.*** I do need to get out to the coast to try and pick up some more shore birds, terns and gulls, but there's not been a lot of unusual activity lately and that's just enabled my lack of birding. Of course, maybe that's what everyone has been thinking, and there's actually been a slew of amazing birds that nobody has been there to see? Probably not though. Summer birding in the southeast US is a tricky prospect, with temps hitting the 90s early in the day and staying there, also strong chance of some pretty hefty rainfall in the afternoons.
The one highlight to report from the past four weeks is my first Swallow-tailed Kite in Mandarin for the season. I had seen them this year in Duval, but always out towards the coast more. I had one soaring over I295 on my way home one day. Ooo, also had one at the game store while playing D&D. I basically stopped the game to point it out because it was circling in the parking lot - and they are just amazingly striking birds and I just want everyone to see them and appreciate them.
I know I've made a (good) habit of talking about my headspace on here, so I think an update in that area would be good too. It's been an interesting four weeks really. MegaCon was an amazing and crazy experience. I won't repost my many FB pictures here, but I am eager to go back again next year and experience it all again. Well worth it and would recommend it for any and all nerds and people who are just curious. I had a blast mingling with various friends, including a visit to a karaoke bar (no singing from yours truly sadly) and a 3am visit to IHOP. I feel like I'm still trying to work out how to be an adult (and I'm 35!) and working on things like work/life balance, establishing and maintaining good habits, etc. It's a long process and it's gonna be a while before I'll be truly happy with my progress, but I am happy that I'm trying to progress, I think that's important.
I've been down a little of late, but it comes and goes and I think it's a little better than it has been in previous weeks and months. I have phases of wanting to be really busy and doing everything, and then also wanting to do very little and be a recluse. On that point, I've seen a number of wonderful posts on FB lately talking about people wanting space. One of them (which I can't find now for the life of me) talked about how people get a lot of negative attention from Society for taking extended breaks from socializing but in fact for some people, that's just what they need right now. Sometimes withdrawing is very beneficial. Zero contact for extended periods of time probably isn't healthy for most people, but limited contact for a while can be a real boost. Socialization fatigue definitely happens, even to extroverts (such as myself). Don't apologize for taking space if you need it. It's nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to be embarrassed about. Take care of yourself, first and foremost.
What's that? Running? Does running count as taking care of yourself? Oh... hmm... Ok fine, I have not been running. Why? Well... um... Laziness? I know, that's a terrible excuse. Well, it's not an excuse really, more of a reason than anything else. But I do have races bought and paid for coming up on the horizon - so I am going to try to really get going again. Slow and steady, that's the key. Just a mile at a time for now. I need to build up strength in my knees and ankles again before I try and push too hard. Also need to fix my bike so I can add in some nice low impact cycling. Also, might see if I can actually do some sort of active birding soon too, rather than just keeping up my streak (165 days and counting) on eBird. I would like to see something new in the not too distant future.
To that end - plans. Well, I do have plans. They are very vague, but amount to something along the lines of "I need to go somewhere really out of my current region if I want to hit 500" and trying to figure out where that might be. Current ideas include California, Arizona or, if I'm feeling more exotic, something like Costa Rica or maybe one of the nearby Caribbean islands. I'd obviously do research beforehand to make sure I wouldn't just be seeing all the migrants that I have already seen here this year. But yeah, still sitting at 437 - so I need to find 63 new species. I have no doubt I'll pick a few up here in Florida this year, but I probably need to get 50 more somewhere else if I'm going to hit my goal.
Also under consideration is another trip back to the UK (and beyond?) but unless I go somewhere really different, I would have to assume that would not a 50+ lifer trip. Obviously, going back to the UK would be less about birding and more about spending time with the Parental Units and the wonderful Cumming and Coughlin clans which is always awesome and therefore this is a potential trip that might happen regardless of birding aspirations. Now, if birding happened while I was on said trip and said birding happened to go to places where potential lifers might be then that would also be fine... Yikes, many much planning to be done.
***Somehow I didn't realize that MegaCon accounted for Week 20 when I started typing this. I left early on the Thursday to try and see a few birds, and got my 2019 Florida Scrub Jays at the same spot as before (Lyonia Preserve in Deltona). They were the only new FL bird for the year since the Global Big Day. I did hear Nighthawks both at the conference center and around the wonderful Air BnB place we rented. Nighthawks are awesome. I shall endeavor to find a consistent location some time and see if I can snag some pics.
So that was the last four weeks. I went nerding in a major way, went birding in a minor way, have a head which does things sometimes, have legs that don't do enough most of time and there are plans afoot - really, really vague plans.
I checked my phone for pics from the past four weeks - aside from con pics, there's really not a lot there. I shall endeavor to have actual bird pics for the next post!
