Rough December 2021 Plans

I've been getting lots of questions from everyone about my remaining needs, and upon what level acquiring the record is attainable! Here is the list of the regularly occurring Lower 48 birds that I'm needing - winter birds that I missed in January & February because I didn't decide to do a big year until February 10th, while I was driving west to Arizona and California! 

Dec 3 I'll be flying to Portland, Oregon, for an Oregon Pelagic on December 4th! Here I'm hoping for Ancient Murrelet, Laysan Albatross, a shot at Short-tailed Albatross, a distant possibility of Mottled Petrel and Parakeet Auklet. Just picking up the first two would be great - anything else on that list would be a bonus! 

From there, I'll be heading to check out a Gyrfalcon location in Oregon, if the bird is still being seen, and then up to Eastern Washington for the wintering Slaty-backed Gull on the Columbia River. There should be Iceland Gulls in the vicinity as well, and nearby there have been sightings of Rusty Blackbirds, so I  might be able to check that one off too. 

From there, I'm not quite sure what I'll do yet. If there's a rarity to be chased, I'll be doing that, and if not, I     may spend a week at home and give a bit more time for the winter New England birds to settle in, as well as for Northern Hawk Owls to establish their winter territories. I need to drive around and find or chase a Mountain Plover somewhere. Eventually, I'll need to do a New England / Minnesota / Oklahoma circuit, and it looks like I'll be finishing my year in Hatteras, North Carolina, on a pelagic trip, hoping for Great Skua, on December 29th or 30th. 

I'm at 708. Twelve of these thirteen species, plus five rarities would cinch the record! 

Regularly Occurring:

Ancient Murrelet 

Gyrfalcon

Iceland Gull 

Rusty Blackbird 

Glaucous Gull 

Black-headed Gull 

Thick-billed Murre 

Dovekie 

King Eider

Purple Sandpiper 

Mountain Plover 

Smith's Longspur 

Northern Hawk Owl 

Rarity Hopes: 

Laysan Albatross 

Short-tailed Albatross 

Slaty-backed Gull 

Barnacle Goose

Pink-footed Goose 

Great Skua 

??? 

Social Flycatcher Refound!

November 19th 

I got up at 3 am, in order to get to the El Paso airport by 3:30 for my 5 am flight. I  flew El Paso to Dallas, Dallas to McAllen. Since I'd left McAllen on Wednesday night, I'd eaten lunch on Thursday and dinner on Thursday. I'd skipped breakfast, and I'd be skipping lunch in order to prioritize time getting to the Social Flycatcher. 

By the time I got to Dallas, there had been positive reports of the Social Flycatcher being seen again today. Whew! My friends Dave and Shawneen were in town, and they were headed to see the bird as well. They saw it just as I was landing in McAllen, and offered to stay with the bird until I arrived. I had a one hour drive. 

I arrived, parked, and extracted my three tripod pieces and scope from my carry-on luggage. No time to assemble, I'd just carry them across the campus like that and assemble it when I got to the bird. One of my biggest chase fears is hearing "it was here five minutes ago"...

I met up with Dave and Shawneen. "It was here ten minutes ago..." 

Gah. I'm so tired. Starving. I just want my bed and my dog and to eat three square meals and to get back to my gym routine. I was definitely feeling the effects of my 3 am alarm. We waited. Listened. Walked around the small wetland. Waited some more. Finally, after half an hour, I heard it, distinctively, like a squeaky toy, calling from the other side of the wetland. Whew. Dave heard it too, and Raul. Check. I was relieved to not have missed it, and to be able to count it. Now to wait around to get a visual. Ten minutes felt like an hour, and after more than an actual hour, it was back at its original perch, feeding on Chinese tallow berries. In that time, I'd wanted to leave, thought maybe I'd come back tomorrow instead to get a look. The fatigue of this year has really been setting in, and removing some of the joy of birding, or, perhaps more accurately, of chasing, for me. Ever since I've realized the all-time Lower 48 record is within my reach, what would usually be the excitement of a successful chase has turned into simply relief when the target bird has been seen or heard. 

I watched with a group of a dozen or so birders as the bird showed well, continued to feed, and called several times at close range. 

After about fifteen minutes, I made the drive home, simultaneously exhausted and incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to spend this year traveling, birding, and healing my trauma. More on that in a future blog post soon. 

Year List: 708

Blue Mockingbird!

November 14 

It was the last day of the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival, and we were packing up the Swarovski booth. My friend Raymond, one of the guides in town for the festival, called me. I ignored it the first time, planning to call him back as soon as we finished packing up. He called again immediately. I figured I'd better answer. I did, and he informed me that there was a Blue Mockingbird seen in New Mexico! 

I have a group of clients from Michigan for the next three days. I'd fly Wednesday night, if the bird was still being seen, and chase the bird on Thursday. 

November 15 

Blue Mockingbird still being seen! Calling and most reliable at sunrise. 

November 16th 

Blue Mockingbird still being seen! Calling and most reliable at sunrise. 

November 17th 

Final day of guiding - Blue Mockingbird still being seen - calling and most reliable at sunrise. I'd fly out tonight at 7:45 pm, rent a car, drive to the spot, sleep a few hours and try for the bird at sunrise tomorrow! I parted ways with my clients around 3:30, and headed home to shower and finish packing. I flew from McAllen to Dallas, and from Dallas to El Paso booking my car rental during my short layover. 

I studied the car rental hours in El Paso, finding very conflicting information online. I called Budget half a dozen times, trying to get through but with no success. Well, the possibility existed that I'd get stuck in El Paso without a car until morning. Turns out that's what happened in the end, as all the rental companies except Enterprise were closed, and Enterprise was out of cars. Actually, pretty much everyone was out of cars, and it was a bit shocking to see the parking garage so empty. I cancelled my rental, and booked one with Alamo for 6:00 am. I  spent about 15 minutes contemplating sleeping in the airport, but I'm a super light sleeper and would have been absolutely wrecked the next day. I'd just finished guiding five days for the Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival, followed by three days with my private group of clients, and was exhausted as it was. There were hotels within walking distance, so I walked over and found one, arriving around midnight. I'd need to get up at 5:30 am to get my rental car at 6, and arrive to the Blue Mockingbird spot as soon as possible. 

I didn't sleep well, anxious about getting the bird the next day. I'd considered driving from McAllen, eleven hours each way, which would have been cheaper, but would have gotten me to the bird in the afternoon instead of in the morning. Now, I'd taken two flights, had to spend the money on a hotel, and needed to rent a car. It was about three times as expensive as driving to the bird and camping would have been, but time is of the essence, and with the all-time Lower 48 record within reach, I need to be minimizing my chances at missing birds. 

I got my rental car and started the two and a quarter hours to Rattlesnake Springs at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, and when halfway there, received a report that the Social Flycatcher was refound in Brownsville, Texas, yesterday - just being reported today. Ugh!!! I might have just been better off staying home! 

I arrived to Rattlesnake Springs around 8:45 am. There had been no sightings of the bird, despite over a dozen people looking since sunrise. Not good. 

We spent about an hour looking, most people stationed right at the spot where the bird had been most regularly seen, while a few of us wandered around searching other areas along the small stream. I'd started back toward the main location, when I saw someone running the other direction, farther down the trail. He was running away from me, and I was ready to enter a full sprint. He stopped me, and pointed the other way. The Blue Mockingbird had been seen in the original location - which I was right beside - and he was running to the others down the stream to tell them about the sighting. I got eyes on it for a handful of seconds, and an awful digibinned video with my iPhone through my Swarovski binoculars, and then it vanished.

It was seen briefly and heard calling a few times every 45 minutes or so, and then it would completely disappear.

After about an hour, I weighed my pros and cons of going to Maine for Barnacle Goose next, which was my original plan, versus flying straight home for the Social Flycatcher. After learning that flights to Boston and Portland were a mess, I focused on how soon I could get back to the RGV. There was a United flight that could get me to Harlingen at 11:30 am tomorrow. Unfortunately nothing through American, which I usually fly, and nothing into McAllen with any airline. I booked it. 

Then, I remembered my 86,000 airline points, which I'd never used before. I decided to try booking award travel, to see if it gave additional options. It did! I booked a 5 am flight to McAllen the following morning, first class. It was 19,000 miles, which seems "expensive", I think, but for me, it was free, and the only option to get me to McAllen at a reasonable time to get the Social Flycatcher before sunset the next day. I  booked it, and cancelled my United flight. 

I chatted with some of the birder women at the Blue Mockingbird spot, gifting five alarms during my time there. I hung around until 11:30 or so, then made my way up to Carlsbad for lunch at Guadalupe Mountains Brewing Company. I celebrated with a caprese sandwich and a black cherry hard cider, my first real meal since lunch the previous day. Then I headed back to El Paso to meet my friend Brenda for dinner. She works nights, and she offered me her bed for the night while I was at work. We had about an hour to catch up on life's adventures from the last two years, before she needed to leave for work. I'd been considering sleeping in my rental car, and was thankful for the bed, especially when it was 44 degrees when I woke up at 3 am to leave for the airport! 

Year List: 707 

Dollar Bird - 706!

November 14th

The last day of the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival was wrapping up, and I was feeling fairly relieved to have my final day be guiding three beginning birders at South Padre Island with my friend Michael. 

We had a great morning, spending four hours at South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center, with all three of our participants full of really great questions about birds, birding, eBird, and various other things. A highlight was watching two Least Bitterns feeding at close range for over 20 minutes. On our way back, our participants were sleeping or near sleeping, so Michael and I chatted about my remaining needs for my Big Year, and I commented about the common birds I still need - seven of which are winter birds in New England - and that Barnacle Goose, Pink-footed Goose, and Slaty-backed Gull are all likely, and that a Fork-tailed Flycatcher sure would be nice. 

We got back to the Harlingen Convention Center and said farewell to our participants. Michael returned the van, and I went to the guide room to eat lunch. I finished my lunch, chatted with some fellow guides for a few minutes, and my friend Jim made a passing statement about being tired and that he was probably not going to chase any rare birds that have been around (Golden-crowned Warbler, Crimson-collared Grosbeak, to name a few - which I'd seen in January). 

I left the room and dropped my gear off at my car, heading to the Swarovski trailer and talking with Sharon. After about five minutes, my phone dinged - it was a notification that a Fork-tailed Flycatcher had been seen about an hour ago at San Benito Wetlands, about fifteen minutes away. I looked at Sharon in mild panic, reading the text. She said, "You need to go!" I replied with confirmation of her statement, and ran to my car, racing to the bird. I got stuck behind a man going 30 in a 40 mph zone, very clearly texting or surfing the web on his cell phone while he drove. 

I finally made it the 15 minutes / 9.9 miles to the site. As I was pulling up, there was a small white building to the right side of the road. I'd driven about 20 feet past it and parked...and as I was parking, a very obvious flycatcher with a black cap was spooked up off of the adjacent fence line about thirty meters away. Naked eye - that was it. I'd not even gotten bins on it! 

I was literally physically shaking from adrenaline when I got out of the car. The very first thing I did was to text that the bird was still present...but I spent the next five minutes or so unable to relocate it. I was terrified I might be the only one to resight it, and feared being called a stringer. Alas, the worry soon disappeared when it alighted back on the same fenceline. 

Others started to trickle in, and it was fun to help others get on the bird as it flew from fenceline, to treetop, to power line. More people came and went, and a new group came, and a van driving from the opposite side of the road flushed it as it came through. 

The bird disappeared and there were about fifteen people there who hadn't seen the bird when I left the site to go back to the Swarovski booth to help tear down and pack up. 

I'd driven 20.8 miles round trip to see this bird - taking about half a tank of gas. A $1.50 bird sure felt amazing after spending about $600 per bird on each of my two recent plane chase trips! 

I'm guiding a private group here in the Rio Grande Valley for the next three days. I have a plane ticket to Boston for Barnacle Goose for Thursday - but a Blue Mockingbird just showed up in New Mexico, so I may end up flying or driving there first if it sticks around until Wednesday! 

Year List: 706

Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl

November 12th 

I've been guiding daily since November 10th for the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival. Just before noon on the 10th, a Social Flycatcher was found at UT-Rio Grande Valley in Brownsville. My trip returned to the Harlingen Convention Center around 12:30, I grabbed a quick lunch, and then headed down with another field trip leader, Willie. We arrived just after 1 pm, and the bird had not been seen since the initial report at 11:30. We scanned the area around the resacas - the Spanish term for an oxbow lake - and the surrounding neighborhood. More and more guides showed up after they'd dropped off their trip participants. Despite several dozen people scanning the areas, the bird did not turn up again, as we stayed until sundown. 

Today I guided at King Ranch, probably the most reliable place in the country to get Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. After not many attempts at calling one in, one flitted through the thicker brush a few times. This particular owl turned out to be rather uncooperative, and we ended up leaving it alone before too many people got looks. We loaded the bus and drove another few miles down the road, where we stopped and tried for a different owl that Tom had scouted last week. This one appeared after several minutes, and ended up perching up high in a tree for a good amount of time, while we trained scopes on it and all the participants got great looks. 

We had 43 participants on this trip, and five guides. I didn't expect to be able to get a photo or video of this bird, as priority when guiding is to get participants on the birds, but this bird sat long enough that everyone had satisfying scope views and then I was able to take a quick twelve second video through my scope. 

Twenty birds remaining to secure the all time Lower 48 big year record!

Year List: 705

Plus Two: Coast to Coast in 44 Hours!

October 31

I'd booked an expensive ticket to San Francisco, California for November 2nd to meet my friend Dorian to run up to Arcata (five hours) for Tundra Bean-Goose. 

November 1 

I cancelled the ticket today when it wasn't found again. I wouldn't be flying tomorrow morning. Or, not to San Francisco, at least. I bought a ticket instead, to Miami, to try for Gray-tailed Tattler tomorrow. 

November 2 

I woke up at 3:30 am, was on the road by 4:00 and drove my tired butt to Harlingen. Tickets out of McAllen had gone up $200 extra dollars from when I'd looked at them yesterday, so I'd make the extra hour drive. I got to the airport at 5:00 for my 6:00 flight. Being a small airport, it was the only gate waiting to leave. Around 5:30, the flight was delayed an hour. They said the crew had not yet arrived. Around 6:30, it was delayed another hour. The gate agent, as though reading off a script, said that his screen showed that the flight was delayed due to maintenance. He repeated the same thing about a half hour later. I looked at available connecting flights online, and one by one they disappeared. I spoke with the agent. The remaining connecting flights that would get me to the keys before sunset were filled. I  wanted to know whether the tattler had been seen today, before getting on a flight that would get me there after dark, so I waited around a while longer. Still no reports. I got my flight changed to the following morning, out of McAllen, and drove home to try again the next day. 

Later in the morning, a report of the tattler came through. That confirmed I'd fly tomorrow. 

November 3

A 4:30 alarm got me out the door and to the McAllen airport by 5:00, for my 6:00 flight. Here's hoping second time's a charm! My flight was slightly delayed, went off with no issues, and I made my would-be tight connection in Dallas - landing in Miami around 2 pm. On the flight I'd befriended a woman named Jen sitting next to me - who recently moved to Dallas, and was traveling with her young daughter. I  gifted her one of the alarms. 

I'd reserved a one day rental car through Priceline with Sixt, and upon arrival, there were no compact cars nor small SUVs available - they were all being cleaned. I waited impatiently. The attendant was asking me a zillion questions about my Big Year after I mentioned I was traveling to chase a bird, and that timing was of the essence. A small SUV became available first, so he upgraded me to that (I'd not realized he'd charged me for the upgrade, and I'm going to dispute that $15, because every dollar matters in this budget Big Year), and I took off for the 90 minute drive to Tavenier Key, just a bit south of Key Largo. 

As I was driving, the first reports for the day came through. The bird was still there! Yessss! However, I  knew it was often seen only intermittently as it wandered the coastline, so I maintained a healthy level of caution with my anticipation of seeing the bird. Yesterday, it sporadically showed up at 4 pm, "out of nowhere". 

I got there and met a Florida birder named Rich, who informed me he'd been there for about an hour and hadn't seen the bird. It was raining, and he was driving around checking. I  got out of my car and braved the rain, very thankful I'd had the foresight to include my rain jacket in the very light packing I'd done, which included a second set of clothes in addition to what I was wearing, two pairs of underwear, and minimal toiletries. While I'm an American Airlines credit card holder, and get a free checked bag, extremely key to chasing rarities is traveling without the need to wait for luggage to arrive at the baggage claim. Though, this also meant I wouldn't be saving money by camping. 

After looking for about 45 minutes, the Gray-tailed Tattler showed up, hanging with a similar but much smaller Spotted Sandpiper, near a grounded sailboat not far from the boat launch. BINGO! It was still pouring rain. Digiscoping can be tough in normal conditions, and trying to keep rain off my scope eyepiece long enough to get my phone up for a video was a challenge, but after three or four attempts I  got some decent footage! 

I ran over to find Rich, who drove over, but by the time he got there, the bird had disappeared. I  spent another 20 minutes or so helping him look, but then decided I needed to head towards the airport and formulate my next plan. It was 4:45...I could potentially make it back up and take a 7:30 flight to San Diego to situate myself for Red-throated Pipit first thing the following morning. My ticket was for the following morning, but if I could eliminate the hotel in Miami, that would save me on finances. Very key to my budget big year is moving as fast as possible. 

I  tried to book the flight on my phone, but for some reason, it was giving me an error message and not allowing me to pay. It stated that the seats were being held for me. I dropped off the rental car, and headed to American Airlines customer assistance. The woman at the desk seemed new, and spent 30 minutes trying to figure out how to fix it. In the end, she was unable to, and it was now 7:05 pm and I certainly wouldn't make it through security in time for a 7:30 flight. I'd gotten there on time - and I felt angry and defeated, despite having had success with the tattler today. I walked out to the area where the the hotel shuttles were, and found a room. 

Upon arrival, I'd noticed that there were no restaurants within walking distance. I was exhausted. Okay. I  would do it. I  would order food delivery for literally the first time in my life. I know. No, I'm not joking. I'd held out long enough that at age 35, I almost wore it like a badge of honor of sorts. After 45 minutes, my 10 inch veggie pizza and key lime pie (my Gray-tailed Tattler celebration), showed up, along with a $25 price tag, and I quickly remembered why I'd avoided delivery all my life. 

I made it about 2/3 of the way through the pizza, and scarfed down the less-than-desirable key lime pie. What was I thinking ordering key lime pie from an Italian restaurant? 

I went to bed early and slept for nearly 8 hours. 

November 4

Another 5:30 alarm got me to the lobby just before 6:00 to wait for the first shuttle to the airport. 6:00 came, then 6:10, and the desk staff notified me that the driver was 30 minutes late. 6:30 came, then 6:35, and still no driver. The staff member told me he still hadn't heard from him. I  booked an Uber, which was 3 minutes away, and was gone in a flash. My flight was at 7:40 and the Miami airport is a mess to try to get through, with tons of walking involved in getting to the gates. 

I arrived at my gate as it was already boarding group 4. Not how tight I usually like to make it! Miami to Phoenix was a five hour flight, and a three hour time change. My connection was only 30 minutes, but we'd arrived a bit in advance and I able to make it to my connecting flight - literally the next gate over - also as it was boarding. Stressful, but at least I was maximizing efficiency, I suppose! I landed in San Diego at 12:30. The Red-throated Pipit was only three miles from the airport. This would be the first bird I'd Uber to! 

My Uber driver, Edgardo, picked me up in less than five minutes and took me to the park. He was also full of questions when I told him what I was up to. 

The pipit had been seen at the park next door around 11:30, but had flown and disappeared at the end of the observation, so I decided to start in the adjacent park that it was sometimes seen in, Dusty Rhodes Park. After less than 20 minutes of walking the field, scanning the few dozen American Pipits, I found it! 

I'd been previously a bit concerned about my ability to ID, but once I saw it, it was incredibly obvious. Much darker, cleaner streaking on the breast, white braces along the back, slightly smaller than the American Pipits, and consistently bobbing its tail, unlike the Americans. I watched it a bit longer with local birder, Steve, and then plotted my next move. I  had a ticket back to McAllen for tomorrow morning. Did I  have time to fly up to Portland for the Brambling that was being seen three hours south at a feeder? I  have a client I'm bird guiding Saturday in the Rio Grande Valley, so I'd have to get home on Friday. I  could get to Portland by 8:30 pm, drive to the bird by sunrise at 8 am, have two hours to feeder watch, and then need to drive back to the airport to make the final flight back to McAllen that evening. I decided that was too tight of a window to look, and passed. I found a flight home to McAllen for this evening that was the same price as my original flight for the following morning. In case you've not been aware - all the major airlines are no longer charging change fees and are letting people cancel their flights at any time in exchange for travel credit. This has been infinitely helpful in planning, as I'll often book tickets a few days in advance, and cancel if the birds stop showing. 

My friend Mandy picked me up from the park and took me back to the airport, saving me the somewhat steep $20 Uber fee for the 3 mile drive. I'd tried for Little Stint with her in February (unsuccessfully) and again in September (successfully!) but had completely forgotten to gift her an alarm then, so I was finally able to give her one. 

My 4:45 flight from San Diego to Dallas, Dallas to McAllen would get me to McAllen just before midnight. Except, the Dallas to McAllen flight was delayed an hour. Takeoff time came and went, and we all sat there with no explanation, because there was not even an agent at the gate. American Airlines has been a giant mess all week. I got home to around 1:30 am and immediately passed out. 

I'd woken up in Florida, day tripped to California, and fell asleep in my own bed in Texas. My whole trip was 44 hours. I spent 16 hours in Florida, 3 hours in California, and 25 hours in airports and on airplanes. Actual birding time was less than three hours. To anyone contemplating a Big Year - consider this! It's certainly not always fun and games. 

Year List: 704