Washington & Delaware: Rarities & Lifers!

Wow! What a crazy week! 

In the four days between working the Southwest Wings Birding Festival and the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival, I  had initially planned to fly to Boise, Idaho, to meet a few friends and try for Himalayan Snowcock, Cassia Crossbill, and Flammulated Owl. Well, as per typical Big Year drama, two weeks ago, a large mudslide closed the road in to the Ruby Mountains from the north, eliminating the access to the birds. 

I decided to fly to Seattle, and get Tufted Puffin, which I missed in June, along with missing the Horned Puffin that's been present, as bad incoming weather caused the boat to have to turn around instead of making it all the way to the island. I  had about a 50/50 chance of getting Tufted Puffin on my California pelagics in September, but flights were cheap and I didn't want to chance it. Thirty minutes after booking my flight to Seattle, a report of a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in central Washington came through. That couldn't have been more perfect! I had to hope the bird would stick around for a few more days. 

August 8th 

Saturday, August 7th, the Southwest Wings festival came to an end. I tried to get to bed as early as I   could, but my anxiety over getting enough sleep was counter-productive and I spent several hours trying to force myself to sleep and wound up lying awake. After about three hours of sleep, my 3:00 alarm went off. I jumped in the car and headed from Sierra Vista to the Phoenix Airport. I'd planned for two days - arrive Sunday, and head back to Tucson for the second bird fest on Tuesday. I  arrived, picked up my rental car, and made a beeline for Moses Lake, Washington, three hours to the east. There I met Jason, who I'd very briefly met in Texas in 2014 and was Facebook friends with. We walked out to the edge of the small lake where it had been seen, and found the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper within fifteen minutes, (lifer!) feeding on the mudflat, along with two Pectoral Sandpipers and lots of Western Sandpipers. This was only the second record of an adult in eastern Washington. Yesss! 

I almost lost my mind when it saddled up right next to a Pectoral Sandpiper for perfect comparison!

Jason and I caught a quick lunch nearby, and then I headed off to try for Flammulated Owl south of Mount Rainier National Park. I'd arrive near sunset - timing was perfect - and then sleep in my car nearby, or continue driving to Canon Beach, Oregon where I would be sure to pick up the nesting Tufted Puffins there. I arrived to the Flammulated Owl spot, only to find the entire area closed due to wildfires. Feelings somewhat defeated, I drove to a nearby campground, where the beauty of the flowing river soothed my feelings of defeat.

 As the sun set, I crawled into the backseat of my rental car- a Toyota Corolla. It was a bit more spacious than my Chevy Spark, but incredibly uncomfortable with no bedding. 

I  managed to sleep a few hours, and then, despite a short and long sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt, leggings and jeans, and two pairs of socks, I  started to get cold. I  could have turned on the car for a bit, but didn't want to irritate my camp neighbors, so I got in the car and drove a few more hours. 

Year List: 658

August 9th

Still very tired, I pulled onto a desolate forest road for some more sleep, this time in the driver's seat, reclined. At one point, another vehicle driving in, parking for a bit, and then turning around, caused slight alarm. Still in pitch black, I restarted the drive to Oregon.

I arrived at Haystock Rock, Canon Beach, just before 8 am, meeting Hannah and Erik onsite. Realizing how much great time I was making, I'd already rebooked a flight out of Seattle for that afternoon, instead of waiting until the following day. Once I  parked at Canon Beach, I  googled the distance back to Seattle. 3.5 hours rather than the 2.5 I was anticipating. Yikes! This means I'd have about 30 minutes to spend with Hannah and Erik, and then I'd have to run back north. We chatted, caught up a bit, I digiscoped the distant Tufted Puffins, let another visiting birder use my scope for a few minutes, and took off. 

I'd fly to Philadelphia rather than Phoenix. I'd realized, with condensing my Washington / Oregon trip into one day, I  had time to try for Little Egret and Curlew Sandpiper, both at the same place in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Delaware. I'd only booked a one-way flight to begin with. I booked the return trip to Phoenix for Wednesday, while I was waiting for our plane to finish boarding. Car rental acquired, too. 

It was an afternoon flight, cross country, into later time zones. I  arrived after midnight, and checked into a hotel - a very rare occurrence for my year, but I desperately needed sleep after three hours of it each of the past two nights. High tide was at 2 pm - the best time to look for both birds, which could be feeding anywhere on the nearby coast during low tide, but flew in to the mudflats in the impoundments during high tide. That meant I could sleep in a bit. 

Year List: 659

August 10th

I allotted myself six hours of sleep - getting up at 8 am, and arriving at Bombay Hook around 9:30. For a Tuesday morning, I couldn't believe how many birders were there looking! Some birds I'd spoken with said the Little Egret had been seen recently, but was currently out of view. I walked about 1/4 mile down the dirt road, and sure enough, there it was! Lifer!

After enjoying the bird for about twenty minutes, I began the search for Curlew Sandpiper, a search that would continue for two more hours. Just down the road, several Mute Swans were present. Knowing I'd get them at the hawk watch in Cape May during the Cape May Fall Fest in October, there was an ongoing joke about how long it would take me to accidentally see this non-native, invasive species. It was my 661st bird for the year, and surprising I'd managed to avoid them thus far. 

Scanning through flocks of thousands of shorebirds started to get tiring, and the eye strain was real. Eventually, I was stopped by another birder, who told me the Curlew Sandpiper was just seen from the top of Raymond Tower. I hurried around the wildlife drive loop, back to the tower, parked, and half-ran, half-walked the 1/4 mile down the trail, with my Swarovski scope in tow. When I got to the top, I peered quickly into one scope- I couldn't see it and bumped one of his tripod legs in anxious clumsiness. A second birder offered me his - I  peered through briefly and couldn't see it. Finally, in the third birder's scope, I got a view of the bird. They gave me directions on where it was (the mud flats were vast, and the bird was distant!) and I  got my own scope on it. 

When there's so much investment on the line - the flight, the rental car, the effort expended to drive, and simply the time investment of it all, each second counts when a bird is being seen. At any moment, a Peregrine Falcon could have come over, flushing all the birds, making it take hours to be refound, or even worse- never seen again, or at least before I'd have to leave. There was an enormous feeling of relief involved with getting the first look at this bird, especially after I'd driven 15 hours in each direction to try to see one in Mississippi last month. Little Egret, too, I'd spent nearly two whole days in Maine trying to find. 

I drove to Delaware City, Delaware, briefly visiting the American Birding Association headquarters, talking with Jeff, Kelly, and Kantinka, before driving to Philadelphia and flying back to Phoenix. 

Great Success!!!

Year List: 662