Golden-crowned Sparrow, Hingham, MA, May 2016

A tantalizing e-mail came across the MA listserve in early May saying that a Golden-crowned Sparrow was spotted at a private residence somewhere in Hingham, MA.  And then two days later came another post that discussions had been held with the homeowners and their neighbors where approval was obtained to allow birders to visit the yard in a somewhat controlled manner.  A process was set up where individual birders would ask for details on the bird’s location, and then the information would be forwarded back to you directly (and not to the listserve).  Since Golden-crowned Sparrow would not only be a new species for my MA list, but also new for my New England list, I was happy to play by the rules, and requested and then received the details on how and where to find the bird. 

The next morning I was on the way to Hingham, getting a very early start to beat the rush hour.  At 7 AM I was the first birder to arrive along the sidewalk outside the homeowner’s yard to start my vigil.  The bird was being seen at the feeders as well as foraging in the beds and shrubbery in his yard.  And it was even singing at times.  So with multiple places to look, I was happy to be joined by a couple other birders to have more eyes searching for the Sparrow. 

I had only been waiting a few minutes when I spotted a large sparrow in a forsythia hedge in the yard behind where it was typically seen.  I only got brief and partially obstructed views of the bird, but could see the gold and black crown striping confirming that it was the Golden-crowned Sparrow.  Then it dropped down toward the ground out of site.  The views weren’t very good, but at least the pressure was off.  And despite being able to check it off, I decided to stay a little longer to see if it might come closer into the yard and feeders in front of us to give a better view.  Minutes later there was some motion in a raised flower bed in front of the house.  And a few seconds after that the Golden-crowned popped out into the open providing great views.  And better yet, a minute later it flew to a small bush and sat there for several moments.  It was so cooperative that I was able to get these photos holding my phone up to my binoculars.

Golden-crowned Sparrow was #410 for me in MA, and #435 for my entire New England list.  I’ve now seen this species in the four Pacific coast states in its regular range, as well as in CO and MA as a rarity.

Summer Tanager and Ruff, RI, May 2016

Summer Tanager and Ruff – a pair of rarities not normally seen on the same day anywhere in New England.  But I was able to see both birds on the same day in southern RI, principally thanks to a considerable amount of luck.  Both birds were first spotted just about the same day while I was out of town on business travel.  The Tanager (an adult male) was at Miantonomi Park in Newport – amazingly there is a Summer Tanager reported from this small suburban park almost every spring.  The Ruff (a female) was in salt pannes in the Misquamicut section of Westerly.  It would be close to a week before I would be able to break free to try for them, so I never thought they would stick around long enough to give either one a try.  But I was lucky enough that both continued to be reported each day, so I tried to remain optimistic.

Finally the time arrived when I could head to RI to try for them.  My plan was to be at Miantonomi Park at dawn, and then head to Westerly.  But as I gathered details on the Tanager I found out that the bird not very easy to find.  Although it was reported every day, and from seemingly anywhere in the park, a number of birders had tried for it several times without seeing it.  (As is usually the case, you don’t often see negative posts.)  At least the Ruff appeared to be seen quite reliably.  What if I didn’t see the Tanager quickly?  Should I stay there longer, trying for the “easier” Ruff later in the day?  Or should I spend a little time for the Tanager, then hopefully tick-off the Ruff, before heading back to Miantonomi?  At least I had the whole day free if needed to search for them both.

Just before I arrived at Miantonomi I got an e-mail that the Tanager was seen at dawn in the southern end of the park.  Suddenly I was more optimistic about my upcoming search.  Minutes later I was in the park and headed right to the spot where the Tanager was seen.  But the woods were extremely quiet and there was no Tanager in sight.  So I started wandering slowly along the trails hoping I would run into the target bird.  The park continued to be very slow, with only an occasional Cardinal, Robin or Titmouse to break up the monotony.

At one point I noticed a pair of Robins fly across the trail and heading high up in the canopy.  Maybe out of boredom I followed them with my binoculars up to their perch in a recently leafed-out beech tree.  Then I noticed a slightly smaller bird fly into the same tree – my first glimpse was brief but the bird was all red – was it the Tanager?  With a couple more views I was able to see the solid red body and large pale bill, confirming that it was indeed the Summer Tanager.  No more than 30 seconds later the bird flew off through the canopy to the east and was gone.  Boy was I lucky!  And by spending less than an hour in the park I didn’t have to worry about whether to cut the Tanager search short to try for the Ruff.

RI was my 33rd state, including my 4th in New England, for this generally southern species.

Now I was off to Westerly to try for the Ruff.  This bird had been reported feeding reliably in the salt pannes right along the Atlantic Ave. between telephone poles 31 and 33, generally accompanied by a small group of Greater Yellowlegs.  That’s about as specific as you can get.  When I neared the location I started picking out the numbers on the poles and quickly found 31, 32, and 33.  The salt pannes were right along the north side of the road, so I figured this one would be easy.  I got out of the car and scanned with my binoculars – there were 3 Yellowlegs feeding in the pools, but there was no Ruff in sight.  This one would take more work after all.  I got out the scope and started scanning more slowly.  At one point I noticed some movement in the grasses – it was a shorebird mostly obscured by the vegetation.  Then it walked out into the open and it was the Ruff.  I watched it for the next 15 minutes as it most cooperatively fed no more than 50 feet from the road.  I got these phonescoped photos of this photogenic bird.

I’ve now seen Ruff as a rarity in 7 east coast states (including 4 in New England) and in Alaska.

With 2 new statebirds in RI that gives me 325 for my statelist, and the first time since October of 2015 that I saw 2 new birds for my New England lists on the same day.

Ironically, later in May a Ruff and a Summer Tanager were both reported the same day in south central CT.  I couldn’t get there that day, but gave it a go the next day and missed them both.  I guess I used up all my luck pursuing these rarities in RI.

Four Migrant Passerine Statebirds, Galveston, TX, April 2016

My typical routine of late in preparing for my monthly business trips to Houston is to set up a Needs Alert in eBird to see if there might be a statebird or two I could try for locally.  And with my next trip coinciding with migration season in late April, the Needs Alert listed quite a number of passerines seen near Houston that I still needed for my TX list.  Usually I can squeeze in a little birding time in the early morning or evening to check out a local hotspot or two, so I was optimistic that I might add at least one or two new birds to my list on this upcoming trip. 

But then as this trip neared several of my meetings were cancelled, freeing up an entire morning.  That would give me enough time to head a bit farther afield.  So now I started thinking about whether I had time to head to the coast to visit some of the key TX migrant traps – something I’ve never done before.  With some eBird research I found a couple places on Galveston Island where quite a number of my targets were being seen on an almost daily basis.  Perhaps the best spot was Lafitte’s Cove, which was just over an hour’s drive from Houston.  I could take the morning off, leave Houston pre-dawn to arrive at Lafitte’s Cove at first light, bird the island throughout the morning, and still get back to Houston by just after lunch.  And although migration is always variable, I thought that even an average day could net a few new statebirds. 

Lafitte’s Cove is a veritable oasis of thick natural vegetation surrounded by a suburban neighborhood of upscale homes.  Thankfully a local preservation group had protected this area, built some trails running through the park, and maintained two water drips.  I arrived at the park about 15 minutes before dawn on a cloudy morning, and began the short walk into the park.  Along the way I first came to wetlands with calling Marsh Wrens, Yellowthroats, and Gallinules, but quickly passed through the area - I headed right to the woods to start my search for my target migrant passerines.

The first thing I noticed when I got to the woodlands was the total lack of sound – no songs and not even any call notes.  This didn’t bode well when searching for migrants.  It was still pretty dark in the dense vegetation, and since I wouldn’t be able to identify much yet anyway I decided to wander around the park a bit to get my bearings before the lighting, and hopefully the birding, improved.  I found the two drips, and walked about half the trails, but still didn’t see or hear any birds.  This was not starting well.

As I neared the intersection of two trails I finally spotted some movement – an Ovenbird – not a target but finally a bird.  Then I noticed some movement on the trail up ahead.  Although light was limited, I got brief views of the bird which I thought was a Hooded Warbler.  That’s one I needed for my TX list, so I moved in a bit closer and eventually got good views of the female warbler foraging low in the brush – the yellow face and white in the tail clinched it as a Hooded.  I’ve tried for this species several times in Houston where it is near the western edge of its breeding range, so I was happy to finally fill this gap in my TX list, which was the 31st state where I’ve seen this species.

Then a few seconds later I noticed another bird right on the trail near the Hooded.  It was a dark Catharus thrush, but lighting was still very limimted.  I finally got a good look at its face and it was a Gray-cheeked – another target bird.  My statebird map for this skulking migrant is very spotty, so I was happy to be able to tick it off in TX.

I walked a bit further ahead and was now nearing the edge of the park.  A Cardinal flew by, and then I heard the song of a White-eyed Vireo.  And then I noticed a bit of movement high in a tree - it was one of those confusing female warblers.  Although I recognized the plumage I struggled a bit to remember what species it was until I finally realized it was a Cerulean Warbler – a plumage I haven’t seen in many years.  And another bird I needed for my TX list.  My statebird map for this species is somewhat like my Gray-cheeked map – very spotty although this is a widespread eastern breeder and migrant, though a declining species throughout its range.

So although I had seen or heard just 6 individual birds, 3 of them were new statebirds.  Amazing!

I continued to walk slowly through the park and birding was very slow, though I would occasionally spot a bird either on the trail or low in the brush.  I would eventually end up seeing another Gray-cheeked, a couple Swainson’s, a Veery, and a Wood Thrush.  And at one point I spotted a skulking warbler that finally popped into the open – a Worm-eating Warbler – another target bird, and my third new "southeastern" warbler for my TX list.  

I spent about 3 hours in the park and only heard two singing warblers - a Blackpoll and a Canada.  During that time I saw a female Hooded Warbler five different times feeding low in the brush – was this just the 1 bird or multiple individuals?  I ended up with 11 species of warblers and 4 Catharus thrushes – nice diversity in a morning with very few birds.  I ran into several other birders in the park who saw almost nothing by comparison, so I felt very lucky to have been so successful.

With my available time rapidly coming to an end, I decided to try another migrant spot to see if there might be more birds.  I headed toward the eastern end of the island to a spot called Corps Woods that had had some pretty good sightings of late.  But I was most disappointed in this spot – despite a large patch of natural woodlands there were almost no trails, and I found almost nothing.  Though I was able to get this picture of a most cooperative Yellow-crowned Night-Heron by holding my phone up to my binoculars.

I ended my Galveston Island birding by making a quick stop near the eastern end of the island and found an amazing congregation of terns and shorebirds roosting in a flooded parking lot.  I counted 19 species of shorebirds and 5 species of terns plus Skimmers.  With such a diverse set of habitats I had a feeling that I had racked up a pretty good list for the morning.  After entering everything into eBird I tallied an even 100 species – not bad for just a morning, and for pretty limited passerine migration.

With 4 new statebirds that gives me 433 for TX.  Although that’s my largest statelist, there are still quite a number of relatively easy species to try for on future trips to the state, especially if those trips occur during spring migration.

Western Grebe, Brunswick, ME, April 2016

I was watching my e-mail the morning that a post came across the listserve that a Western Grebe had just been found at Simpson’s Point Landing in Brunswick, ME.  That would be “just” a 2 ½ hour drive for me, so I was definitely tempted to chase after it.  But my success rate chasing new statebirds in ME north of Portland is really low.  In fact that success rate gets worse as my driving distance increases – even though my success rate for birds in Portland and south is quite high.  So mostly due to my past successes, or lack thereof, I decided to pass on this one.

Interestingly, this was the 3rd Western Grebe to be spotted in New England in the past week.  One had been hanging out on the NH coast for several days (I saw that one though it was not a new statebird), and another was a 1-day wonder on the CT coast a week earlier.  I unfortunately decided not to chase after that one even though I need Western Grebe for my CT list. 

As the day progressed I kept seeing posts of birders seeing the Grebe.  And with each successive post I kicked myself a little harder for not going after it.  Finally I decided to give it a try the next day, but only if someone posted that the bird was refound.  I wanted to make sure it would stick around like the NH bird instead of just being seen the one day like the CT bird.  A good strategy I thought to maximize my chances of seeing the bird if I went after it.  I posted a request to the listserve for updates the next morning, and my Maine friend Rob Speirs replied saying he was going there first thing in the morning and would post his results.  That was the good news.  The bad news was that he tried for it the first day with no luck.  Then my NH friend Bob Crowley responded saying he missed the Grebe on the first day as well.  Suddenly the bird wasn’t looking like quite the slam dunk as one would have thought just based on the positive listserve posts.  But I decided to stick with my strategy after all.

The next morning I got up early and was completely prepared to run out the door as soon as I got positive word from Rob.  And then at 7:30 Rob posted that the bird was still there.  No more than 5 minutes after his post I on the road, committing to the 5-hour round trip drive to chase after a new bird for my ME list.

I arrived at Simpson’s Point Landing at about 10 and there were 8 other birders already there.  But as I drove up I noticed that everyone was looking in different directions – not a good sign.  Sure enough, no one had seen the Grebe since Rob’s initial sighting earlier that morning.  Maine birder Louis Bevier was there and I compared notes with him – lots of birds were present including a remarkable flock of Black Scoters that numbered well into the thousands (some were even singing!), but no Western Grebe.  While I was there I met Josh Fecteau, and shared with him my less-than-stellar success rate for birds north of Portland.  I just had to laugh about it.  Over time the other birders gave up, and finally Josh and I threw in the towel at 1 PM after 3 hours of scanning the bay. 

On the way home I stopped to look at a small flock of Bohemian Waxwings that I had spotted in route, which were only my second for ME.  And although I got these passable phonescoped pictures of these most cooperative birds, it was a small consolation for yet another central ME miss.

As luck would have it the Western Grebe was spotted every day for the next 4 days.  Now the weekend was nearing and I would again have time to try for the bird.  Should I try for it yet again?  I decided to make the trek again on Saturday if it was seen Friday afternoon.  And this time I would head out even earlier, since the bird appeared to be a bit more reliable in the early morning.  There was a positive post from Friday afternoon from Noah Gibb who mentioned the bird was “wicked faahh out”.  So I was on for the Saturday drive the next morning.

As I neared Brunswick skies were overcast with a few showers and light winds.  Cloudy conditions and light winds would be ideal for looking for the Grebe, especially if it was far in the distance.  So my optimism was increasing when I arrived at Simpson’s Point Landing at 8 and saw that the water was nearly flat calm.  Josh was there again with another birder and I was hopeful that they could point the bird out to me.  Alas, they reported that they had not spotted the bird yet.  Not again!  Josh and I joked that he shouldn’t be there any day that I was trying for the target bird to avoid my bad aura. 

I started to scan the nearby water and came up empty, though again there were many birds in the bay.  Then I started to think that maybe I should start looking farther in the distance.  Not only did Noah mention that it was far out the day before, but I imagined that the other birders had spent a lot of time scanning all the closer waters already that morning.  And given the excellent viewing conditions, we could truly check out the waters much farther out than we could the first day I was there.  So I put my scope on 50X and started to look as far out as possible.

After some negative scanning I spotted a sleeping bird way out that was likely a Common Loon, but I couldn’t be sure it wasn’t a sleeping Western Grebe.  I know the 2 species aren’t that similar, but the distance was so great I couldn’t be sure.  So I mentioned this bird to the others, and decided to just keep it in my scope hoping it would wake up.  Then a couple minutes later another bird popped up out of the water right in my scope field – good sized but smaller than the sleeping bird, generally black and white, and with a long neck.  It was the Western Grebe!!!  I got the other 2 birders on the target bird and there were high fives all around.

Over the next 30 minutes the Grebe swam toward us, but was still extremely far away.  I got this miserable phone-scoped photo of the bird with the already distant Black Scoters in the foreground –

That evening with the help of Google Maps and tried to decide exactly how far out the bird might have been.  The best I can tell when we first spotted the bird it was 6,500 ft or 1¼ miles away.  But remember the bird swam toward us for the next 30 minutes so it got closer over time – though “closer” is all relative.  In the photo I took above the bird was still 5,000 feet away – nearly a full mile.  Pretty amazing.  If the Grebe had been in this same general area the first day I was there we never would have seen it given the glare off the water in sunny skies and more normal light chop of the water.

Western Grebe was #339 for me in ME, and maybe this will start a trend of an improved success rate chasing birds farther north in ME.  This was my the 4th New England state for Western Grebe; I’ve also seen this species in WI and MD as a rarity, plus of course many states out west (see my statebird map below).