Bramlings are Assholes, Surfers are cool

Again we went back to the neighborhood where the Brambling has been visiting feeders. We decided what the hell since we were close and had a few other places in the area to check out anyway. So we arrived at sunrise. The area is a cul de sac next to a church that the yard backs up to. Of course it was Sunday. We watched the area for about an hour while everyone arrived for services and then decided to get the hell out of there and continued to check the front yard. The backyard where the feeders apparently are cannot be seen but the birds pop up into the trees and sit around a lot. So they say....  We were joined by a group of guys from San Diego, a few people we had seen the other day and a couple others. We scoured the neighbors yards and walked around like we were lost using our binoculars to look high and low. I feel a little bad for the people who live on this street. All of these people walking around for the last two weeks had to be a little unnerving for them.   After a few hours we decided to give up, to hell with this bird, I had wasted enough time on it. 

Next we headed over to the north jetty on Humboldt bay. We arrived just as the tide was beginning to go out and walked along the beach towards the jetty. On our way out we run into a guy who is drinking a beer and just hanging out. He started up a conversation and learned that his name was Chris and that he was a surfer who's family had moved from the Cincinnati area when we was a kid.

He was waiting for others to show up before hitting the water for the day because the day before the "man in the white" had cleared the line at the end of the day. I had to ask him exactly what that meant. It turns out a great white shark had been seen in the area while the guys were surfing the afternoon before and he did not want to be the only person in the water today. He told us a bunch of stories and other places to go look for birds. He said that while he is out there sitting on his board waiting on a wave, Western grebes will swim right up to him and check him out. Close enough to touch. He assured us that it was safe to walk out but to not "turn our backs" on the ocean. We parted ways and headed to the end of the jetty. 

As the tide ebbed, more and more rocks were exposed and birds began to materialize. Black-legged kittiwakes and brown pelicans cruised by, Ancient murrelets and Common murres sheared the waves while booking past us and  Black turnstones, rock sandpipers and surfbirds picked at the newly exposed world below the waterline. Common, Pacific and Red-throated loons, Eared, horned, western and red-necked grebes, Brant's and Pelagic cormorants and all three scoters wave peaking all around as the waves pounded the shore.

That was when we saw Chris on his board waiting on the next curl. We spent the next 20 minutes watching him and his compatriots surf and enjoyed the sunny weather on the jetty. 

Because I am a glutton for punishment I decided to take us back to look for the brambling one last time. We spent about a half hour with Zero results and decided to call it a day. F. U. Brambling. 

I could seawatch all day long here. 

Tundra Bean there, Done that

    We left the hotel at 5 AM in the driving rain. It was a dark, dark road that never seemed to get any brighter. I've driven through a lot of weather situations in my travels but I'm not sure that I've ever driven though rain that was coming at me from five different directions. The first few hours of the trip were through forests of redwoods and along the coast with zero street lights and fewer guardrails in places that needed them. Once the "sun" finally came up I stopped for much needed coffee and to let my hands relax from clenching the steering wheel....we continued on. It took six and a half hours to reach our destination: Nestucca Bay NWR. The rain had eased up as we made the turn into the entrance road and within 14 seconds "there it is" is all I could say. The visiting Tundra Bean-goose that has been overwintering at the refuge stood out like a sore thumb. Well to me it did anyway. We parked and I got out and grabbed the scope at the exact same moment the skies opened up again and the wind almost blew the scope off the deck. Another couple was there and asked if I had seen the bird. I explained where it was, that it was with a dozen Canada geese and put the scope on it and they still couldn't see it. I guess sore thumbs are different for me.... You be the judge:

After viewing the goose and scanning the rest of the geese for ten minutes in the deluge I decided enough was enough. There were plenty of Canada's and Cackling Geese but I was soaked to the bone, exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. Yay! Now let's drive 7 hours south! 

Apparently the Brambling went rambling

  Today we got up early and drove in the rain and dark through the redwoods up to Arcata, California. Our mission was to stake out a Brambling that had been hanging out for about the last three weeks.  The rain stopped when we got there and we spent the next five hours scoping out the entire neighborhood. Large flocks of pine siskins, Oregon juncos, golden-crowned sparrows and stellar's jays kept us entertained but the Brambling never put in an appearance. We were joined by a couple from the Bay Area who are spending the weekend in that area and will let us know if it is seen again for our return trip to the bay. 

Six Band-tailed pigeons were calling and then seen flying out of the forest when we arrived and Anna's Hummingbirds were zipping around relentlessly. 

This part of California in general is actually very pretty. The groves of redwoods are awe inspiring and the drive along the coastline is really something to see. 

Somehow this scene made me think of what California must have been like 40 years ago. 

We passed a lot of places on the way today that I would've liked to have stopped and investigated but I didn't want to "waste" the time this morning. Possibly on the return trip. We're headed up to Oregon tonight to shoot for another rarity tomorrow. I am hoping it is not a wild goose chase..,

Day 1 in Cali

After arriving at midnight we crashed out and got up early to head over to Golden Gate Park. After finally finding the spot we spent five minutes before the celebrity bird made its appearance. The Rustic Bunting that has been hanging out with a group of Juncos stayed true to form and dropped in about 15 feet away from us. We observed the bird for a little while as a herd of Brewer's Blackbirds surrounded us, stumbling around like the walking dead, Varied Thrushes poked around the edges and White-crowned Sparrows owned the brush-pile. Amusing at is was, we had big plans for the day. 

We starting driving north and made the obligatory stop for photos of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

We decided to make a detour to check out Point Reyes National Seashore. Somehow in all my visits to California I had never ventured out there and after today I can say I really love that place. It's vast, beatiful and contains many different habitats from wave crashed shores, rocky cliffs, grassy plateaus, farm lands and pine stands amid coastal scrub. I did not plan to spend the day there, but before we knew it the sun was setting over the Pacific. 

Birds, birds and more birds along with mammals filled the day. Scoping the ocean, hiking trails and glassing basically everything that moved makes for a tired traveller tonight. 33 new birds were added today along with an American Badger for the mammal life list. 

Tomorrow we will continue to head north to Arcata for target #2 since today went a completely different direction than I had planned but I wouldn't change a thing. Even though I love a good chase, I'm a firm believer that spending time outdoors in a beautiful location is never time wasted. It's as much about the journey as it about the trip. Tomorrow is another day...

Back at it: Cali bound

I have been keeping my eye on the rare bird alerts for the last couple of weeks and it seems that the rarities that are hanging out in Northern California are staying put so I am heading out today for a week.   And with the temperature being 2° right now I can't say that I feel bad leaving Ohio at all. Lol. 

It's been about four years since I've been in Northern California so it will be good to experience it all again. I'm taking my sister with me this trip so that I've got some company and so she can also see this beautiful part of the country. My bag was already packed since I didn't use anything I took to Texas because it was so cold there. Hopefully the forecasted 50-60° temps will hold. 

Our chases will take us to Golden Gate Park for Rustic Bunting, Colusa NWR for Falcated Duck, Arcata, Ca for Brambling and then up to Nestucca NWR in Oregon for Tundra Bean-goose. There's the possibility of chasing a tufted duck as well but that is to the south so it will depend how we do up north. Should be an interesting run and should also add close to 80+ new birds for the year if I do well. 

Currently I have 251 birds for the year after adding a few yesterday (Barred owl, Lesser Black-backed Gull and for the 250th bird of the year (on my birthday no less) was the illusive and rare Hairy Woodpecker. Haha. Actually it's an easy bird and a little disappointing as a milestone bird. But what the hell, every bird counts so +1. 

So half of January has flown by and by the time I get back it will be even closer to February. The east coast holds some interesting possibilities as does Arizona right now. I'll be watching the reports to see if any of these birds manage to stick around. Somehow I imagine flying to Tuscon and driving another 5000 miles in the near future. Time will tell.  And let's not forget a certain visiting dove in Florida that deserves my attention...more updates tomorrow. For now it's so long Ohio, hello Pacific Ocean! 

Texas Recap: 10 days - 234 Species

The last ten days kind of flew by. It's hard to believe I'm looking out the window at a frosty Lake Erie when three days ago I was looking across the Rio Grande at palm trees in Mexico. And it's cold here. Really cold.

The trip to Texas was everything I had hoped it would be. We saw beautiful birds, laughed our asses off and had a great time. Anyone who has ever travelled with me knows that I forget about simple things like lunch and dinner when birding. I can't help it. I'm so "in the zone" and always looking at every bird that I lose all track of time. And I assume that is why Pringles were invented. 

   My companions definitely held their own though. From sunrise to sunset and lots of miles driven in between we all managed to walk away from this trip with lifers and a few photos. Oddly enough I didn't take many myself. I figured that there would be plenty and maybe one of these guys would share.          

Highlights of this adventure for me were of course the birds I'd never seen before but there is something else that stands out for me. I don't consider myself a "teacher" or a very patient man by any means, but when I travel with someone to a place I've been before I feel a bit responsible for making sure that everyone has a good time as well as sees all of the birds that they possibly can. My buddies and I managed to only miss seeing a few birds in the area that we had hoped for and I feel good about where we ended up. And seriously, the last few birds that we chased are just stupid luck.  New birds for

me include: Groove-billed Ani, white-collared seedeater, Brown booby and of all things an Ivory Gull. Not a bad way to start the year. 

I'm home feeling rejuvenated and ready for more. I birded today and added 9 new birds to the year including Glaucous and Iceland gulls among other "trash" birds for Ohio. Currently I am looking at options for a quick trip to Northern California by the end of the week. I'll consider it a birthday presant to myself. lol 

A White dream in Illinois

Today we got up at 5:30 and started driving. It was crystal clear skies and 11 degrees. We had 8.5 hours to go until we had the chance to see a bird that I have had dreams about for a long time. It would be a life bird for all of us if it was still there. Around 11 am we received word that the bird was still putting on a

show and we kept trucking. Along our route we saw a field full of wild turkeys and a rough legged hawk, both new for the year. 

At around three o'clock we arrived at a marina on an island in the Mississippi River. Quinsippi island to be exact. And the only bird present was sitting atop a steel dock cover. 

Ivory Gull! 

We added a few other birds in the area to our year list including Eurasian Tree Sparrow.  

Tomorrow we finish the drive home and I say goodbye to my friends. Tonight we celebrated with dinner and laughs.

It's been one hell of a run. 9 days. 12 states. 234 birds. Not a bad start to the year.