New Years Eve

Well the last day of the year is almost over. It has been an amazing run. From doing the Century in January, May madness at Magee, summer and fall chases and trips and coming down to the last few weeks of the year; it has been great. I end the year with 298 species for Ohio and 489 for the lower 48. The last two weeks were filled with utter failure on my part to locate the last birds of the year. Chases for Bo Wax, Little Gull, Slaty Backed Gull, Mew Gull, Common Redpoll, Black Legged Kittiwake, Harlequin Duck, Golden Eagle and Snowy Owl all ended without the birds unfortunately. Even with all those misses I scored a lot of awesome birds in Ohio this year.
My Top Five Birds of Ohio 2010
1. Long Tailed Jeager
2. Arctic Tern
3. Scissor Tailed Flycatcher
4. Vermillion Flycatcher
5. Purple Gallinule

Favorite moment of the year:
Hands down: Elegant Trogan in SEAZ

Favorite quote of the year:
"Haven't you heard about us?"

Best day of birding this year:
Jeager hunting at Sunset Park.

Favorite place visited for the first time this year:
Madera Canyon

Favorite non-bird
Armadillo

So that pretty much sums up the year. Tomorrow morning I will start all over again. I will try for 600 birds in the lower 48 and 300 again in Ohio.
Happy New Year to all!
Good birding in 2011

Harris's sparrow

This morning at first light I chased the Harris's sparrow that has been seen at an Amish family farm in Apple Creek. My friend who beat me there by 6 minutes had spotted the bird in some brambles behind the house. We were invited in and allowed to look through the windows at the amazing feeder set up in the side yard. The bird slowly made it's way over to the back feeder and fed on the ground among a load of white crowned sparrows. The little superstar was skittish but we were afforded excellent looks for about 45 minutes. Many thanks to the family for opening up their house to us. Harris's Sparrow is bird 298 in Ohio this year.

Skunked - times two

So at 8am yesterday I booked myself on an 11 o'clock flight to Kelley's Island to chase down the Bohemian Waxwing reported last night. As I got to Port Clinton, I got a phone call that there was a black legged kittywake at 72nd street hanging out on the breakwall. After some discussion I decided to hit the island first and then gun it to eastlake right after I got off the plane.
The plane....a 5 seater prop job...tiny...not at all airtight...but it made it to the island without incident. Once I got there I had to walk the island since there really were not any other options this time of year. It was a calm day so it was actually pretty pleasant. I went directly to the condos where the waxwings had been seen, but all of the fruiting trees had been picked clean. There were a ton of starlings around. After walking the complex slowly for about an hour and a half I decided to check along the roads on my way to catch my return flight. The island was birdy. Highlights were a rough legged hawk at the airport, a gorgeous Merlin on a snag on Ward Rd, multiple creepers and sapsuckers and lots of tundra swans. 36 species total. Since I took the long way back to the airport I missed my return flight and had to take one at 3 instead. I just took my time and enjoyed the nice day.
After landing back in Port Clinton on a three seater this time, I jumped in the truck and made my way to Eastlake at 4:45. After scanning the breakwall I did find the kittywake. It had perished on the wall before I arrived. Sad. Mostly for the death of the bird, but also for my dreams of bumping my YTD total to 299 today. I still have 10 days.
Next up: Common Redpoll chase

A possible chase....

Reports have come in about a Bohemian waxwing on Kelleys island. It will require a flight to the island and either renting a bike or golf cart, or even hiking to the site it has been seen. The Bo wax would be 298 for the year and 501 life! Hoping to work out all the details in the morning....stay tuned

Coming to a close

This year started out like any other year; me running around the state trying to see 100 birds in January. Mission accomplished. 102 in January. I kind of sat out the next few months until May came along. Spring migration blew in and before I knew it, boom....over two hundred. An idea was sparked and fueled by the nudging of fellow bird buds. "Why not try for three hundred...300!...three hundred? Really? Seems pretty rough. Seems like a lot of chasing. Seems like a nightmare...
Fast forward to December 15, 2010. The count stands at 297. Sixteen days to go....the chase is definitely on.
I decided to start this blog because I have an idea for next year. A big idea. Well, a little big idea. A little big year. How many birds can I see in one year in the lower 48 states. Starting January 1, 2011 I will be traipsing around the country trying to rack up as many birds as possible. Day trips, weekend trips, pelagic trips, sweltering trips, frost bitten trips, bug infested trips and so on and so forth. It's a new year, a new adventure, a new goal.  I am setting a goal of 600 for the year.
I am going to try to keep up with the posts and photos on this blog daily if possible, with a running total of year to date birds. Stay tuned.....