Five Statebirds on the Georgia Coast While Returning from a Florida Chase, February 5-6, 2023

In January 2023 I had a most successful birding trip to the FL panhandle.  Not only did I see my first new life bird (White Wagtail) in several years, it was also my first trip to FL from my home base in western NC, greatly expanding my horizons for potential trips.  I was now watching the ABA Rarities eBird alerts more frequently, especially focused on potential lifers.  And the most likely “nearby” location for those additional lifers would be in south FL. 

Sure enough late in January I started to notice reports of a Bahama Mockingbird in Cape Canaveral, FL.  I’ve birded south FL a number of times, picking up several rarities there over the years.  But there has never been a Bahama Mockingbird there during any of my trips.  As a result, this species has been a key target for me.  And with this individual being relatively “close”, at only halfway down the peninsula, it was definitely one to chase after.

And of course, there was also statebird potential along my route back home through GA and SC.  My route would take me along the coast, and with a little research, I found no less than 7 statebird targets in GA.  From south to north I hoped for –

• Bullock’s Oriole coming to a feeder on Jekyll Island,
• Saltmarsh Sparrow near Jekyll Island (and most anywhere along the coast),
• Black Duck with Mottled Ducks in Brunswick,
• Dickcissel coming to feeders in Savannah,
• A White-winged Dove and a Western Tanager at a feeding station on Tybee Island, and
• Black Scoters off the north end of Tybee Island. 

That’s lots of potential for just 2 partial days of birding.  As it turns out I only found 2 of 6 targets in FL, though the 2 I found were lifers.  (See my previous blog post detailing the FL portion of the trip.)  To improve my hit rate in GA I reached out to birding friend Diana Churchill who lives in Savannah for local advice.  She gave me excellent tips to help me find my targets, especially in gaining access to all those private feeders.  

This blog post focuses on my GA searches on this trip.  The SC portion of the trip is summarized in my next post.

Day 2 – February 5

After an early morning stop in FL, where I missed both of my targets, my first GA stop was on Jekyll Island for a Bullock’s Oriole.  This bird had been regular at a feeding station through January 18, before disappearing for 2 weeks.  So it never made it to my radar screen as I prepped for my trip.  But then on February 3 the homeowner reported that it had returned.  So now one to chase, though given its recent history, I wasn’t too overly optimistic.  On a positive note, Diana shared with me that all the homeowner’s feeders were in the front yard and visible from the road.  So no specific access was needed.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the Oriole despite waiting there for 90 minutes.  In fact, there were no Orioles at all, which is a bit odd for coastal GA feeding stations.  A consolation prize was finding a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird that had not been previously reported there.

Next I had planned to look for Saltmarsh Sparrows in the marshes as I left Jekyll Island.  But it’s easiest to see these Sparrows (and their Seaside and Nelson’s cousins) during the highest tides.  And it was now a falling mid-tide, so not the best conditions.  Since I had a full day in front of me, I decided to pass on this pretty common target, and try for it later on a higher tide.

My day wasn’t exactly starting off very well…

My next stop was a small pond in a suburban neighborhood in Brunswick where a Black Duck had been seen with Mottled Ducks and Mallards.  In preparation for IDing these 3 very similar species, the night before I spent some time brushing up on the key field marks that separate them.  Now I had to figure out how to bird the site since it looked like the pond was surrounded by houses and pretty inaccessible.  But finally I found a couple eBird checklists with pretty explicit descriptions, including the access point at the end of a cul de sac.  I was all set. 

Within seconds of arriving I did a quick binocular scan of the pond and picked out 2 pairs of dabbling ducks.  With closer scope views I could tell all 4 were Mottled Ducks.  I made several more scans, this time with the scope, but found no more waterfowl on the water.  Then I looked over to a grassy bank on the right and noticed a pair of Canada Geese along with another pair of dabblers.  One was much darker than all the others, and with scope views I could confirm the ID as a Black Duck (GA statebird #1).  Not only was it significantly darker, but these pictures show its speculum had no white edges. 

My statebird map for Black Duck is inserted below.  The blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species in its regular range.  Iowa is the last state where I’ve yet to see it where it is a regular species (cross-hatched).  The 3 brown-shaded states are those where I’ve seen Black Duck as a rarity.  Although this species is a rarity on the GA coast, it is a regular wintering species in the northern half of the state.

My original planned next stop was a Savannah feeding station where a Dickcissel was an infrequent visitor (it typically didn’t appear until 4 PM or later).  I was a bit ahead of schedule so I had just enough time to squeeze in one additional brief stop before heading to the feeders.  Since it was an afternoon high tide I thought about trying for Saltmarsh Sparrows, but the tide wasn’t particularly high that day.  I guess they’ll have to wait for another trip.  Instead, I decided to move one of tomorrow’s stops up to today -a trip to the north jetty of Tybee Island for long-staying Black Scoters.  Several eBird pictures showed the Scoters right next to the jetty, which was only a 5-minute walk from the parking lot.  So if all went well a quick visit would give me plenty of time to see the Scoters and still get to the Savannah feeders in time.

I pulled into the parking lot for the Tybee Island Marine Science Center at 2:35, and took the short walk to the north jetty.  Not only were there no Scoters there, the jetty was almost completely underwater due to the high tide and waves.  In hopes that the Scoters were still around and just dispersed on the nearby waters, I did a number of quick scans, but the only waterfowl I could come up with were a small group of Buffleheads and 2 Red-throated Loons.  I would just have to come back the next morning which was my original plan.  I just hoped my 20-minute stay at the jetty didn’t make me too late for the Dickcissel.

The Savannah feeding station was in the back yard of Steve and Sandra Calver.  Once again with Diana Churchill’s help I connected with the Calver’s and they were happy to let me come into their yard to look for the Dickcissel.  They mentioned that the target bird appeared at 4:39 PM the previous day, so I was optimistic that my 3:44 arrival time was early enough.  I settled into one of the chairs they had in the yard, and began to take in the show – they had dozens of feeders that were just full of birds.  I had been there no more than 3 minutes when I spotted a large sparrow feeding on a tube feeder filled with millet – I had my target Dickcissel (GA statebird #2).  In my haste I took these two barely passable out-of-focus digi-binned photos of the bird.

Before I could get the bird in better focus it flew off, with a total viewing time of less than a minute.  Good thing I didn’t spend even just 5 more minutes looking for the Black Scoters on Tybee Island.

I’ve now seen Dickcissel in 13 states along the east coast.  It wasn’t too long ago that they were principally a species of the central US.

Since I had my target bird so quickly I thought about heading off to another spot, but decided to stay longer to enjoy the “show” at the feeders.  The Yellow-rumped Warblers were the most numerous bird there, with at least 5 to 10 there all the time.  Another highlight was an adult male Ruby-throated Hummingbird that stopped in twice.  But undoubtedly my favorites were the Baltimore Orioles.  There were at least 7 of them – 2 adult males, 1 adult female, 2 immature males, and 2 immature females – though there could well have been more.

At one point the immature female Orioles came in together.  Initially I got excited that I had a Bullock’s, but with good looks at both of these 2 birds I could see solid white wingbars and dull heads making them just Baltimores.  But then I noticed another immature female that had a noticeably brighter orange head.  Luckily it came to a jelly feeder giving excellent close looks at the wingbar.  I could see that the leading edge was notched with black feathers giving it a toothed look – I had found a Bullock’s Oriole (GA statebird #3).  Although I missed the stakeout Bullock’s earlier in the day, I had found one of my own.  I alerted the Calvers and they were able to confirm the bird with photographs the next day.

Since moving to NC I’ve seen Bullock’s Oriole as a rarity at feeders in VA, NC, SC, and now GA.

I spent 90 minutes at the Calvers’ feeding station especially focused on the Orioles, and was able to see the Bullock’s come in one more time.  Though the Dickcissel never returned.  What an excellent way to end the day!

Day 3 – February 6

The plan for GA portion of the day was to make 2 stops, both on Tybee Island.  And since I had 2 targets in SC to pursue, and still needed to make my way home that day, I hoped for quick successes in GA.  I started at sunrise at the home of Deb Barreiro (thanks once again to Diana Churchill’s connections) where she hosted a White-winged Dove seen on a nearly daily basis.  The Dove was often found perched overhead in trees at her house, and sometimes coming to her feeder, often with Mourning Doves.  She also formerly had a Western Tanager in her yard.  But since she had not seen that rarity for a week I was much less optimistic about that one.  Soon after I arrived, Deb met me in her yard and we both spent quite a bit of time searching through her trees for perched Doves.  Unfortunately, we didn’t find any Doves of any variety over my 1 hour and 40 minute stay.

At one point she showed me the area where she used to see the Western Tanager - a hedge along the eastern edge of her lot.  While we were standing there we heard a 3-note call that sounded like the chatter of a Western Tanager.  Did we have the bird?  I stayed along the hedge for the next 10 minutes and heard the same call one more time.  Then I got a brief flash of yellow on a larger bird in trees above the hedge.  Then the bird flew up to a palm tree providing excellent views – it was indeed the winter-plumaged adult male Western Tanager (GA statebird #4).  The bird appeared to be eating fruit of the palm trees, as were a flock of roughly 50 Cedar Waxwings.

My statebird map for Western Tanager is actually quite similar to the map for Bullock's Oriole.  I've seen both species throughout their regular western ranges and in a number of states in the east as a rarity.  GA is now the 8th eastern state where I’ve seen Western Tanager as a rarity.

On one of my later searches for the Dove I once again saw the Tanager, this time perched high up in the live oak over the property.  I never would have thought I would end up missing the Dove but seeing the Tanager.  But if I could only see 1 of them, I’m glad it was the rarer of the 2.

Although I wanted to stay longer and wait for the White-winged Dove to appear, I had a full itinerary ahead of me.  Unfortunately, that included another try for the Black Scoters at the north jetty since I missed them the day before.  This time the tide was lower, and the wind was much lighter, so I was more optimistic than the previous day.  I pulled into the parking lot and started the short walk across the dunes toward the jetty.  In the distance I could see exposed jetty rocks and much calmer seas – things were looking up.  And even before I got to the beach I could see a small group of sea ducks swimming right along the jetty.  Even without optics I knew I had my target Black Scoters (GA statebird #5) – 9 of them.  They were often obscured by swells, but I managed these phone-scoped photos of both male and female birds.   

GA was my last Atlantic Coast state for Black Scoter.

What a great way to end the GA portion of my trip!  And with such a quick stop at the jetty I was back on schedule to pursue my SC targets on the way home.

I ended up seeing 5 of the 6 GA target birds I pursued, which was a huge improvement over my success rate of just 2 of 6 targets in FL.  Couldn’t have done it without the help of Diana Churchill, especially in helping me gain access to those private feeding stations.  And now with the addition of 37 GA statebirds since moving to the region in 2019, that brings my GA state total to 270. 

Eastern Road Trip Nets Three Rare Nesters for the Carolinas, May 17, 2020

In February I noticed an eBird report of a Barn Owl to my east in Lattimore, NC.  That’s one I need for my NC list, so at first I was disappointed that the specific location for the bird was not provided.  But then again it’s best not to include locations of roosting or nesting owls to protect them from too much harassment.  Then in early Spring I met birder Bill Hooker from Cleveland County who had mentioned he had stakeout locations for Barn Owls.  Lo and behold he was the eBirder that reported one back in February.  He invited me to come visit one day to give it a try, though he stressed that perhaps I had just a 50/50 chance to see the Owls on any trip. 

I decided I’d wait until the Spring migration season was over to make the road trip to look for the Barn Owls.  So as migration was winding down I started to make my plans to visit Bill.  And while monitoring eBird I noticed reports of two rare breeders just a short distance southeast of me in the Upstate of SC – Dickcissel, and no less than 2 pairs of Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.  Perhaps I could make it into one longer trip, first into SC then a bit farther east into Cleveland County, NC.  But wait there’s more…  Two days before my trip a Wilson’s Warbler was spotted by my SC birding friend Michael Robertson in Greenville, SC, close to the Dickcissel and Flycatcher locations.  The Wilson’s was re-spotted the day before my trip, so now I had 4 targets.  The plan was to start with the Wilson’s, then off to try for the Dickcissels, then on to 1 or both Flycatcher spots, and then finally try for the Owls in the afternoon.

The Wilson’s Warbler was seen at a small hotspot in the Greenville suburbs called the Parkway Retention Pond.  Not only did it of course include a retention pond but also a trail at the edge of brushy woods along the back edge which is where the Wilson’s had been spotted.  Actually based on eBird photos it looked like there were at least 2 birds – both a female and a male had been photographed there.  I arrived by 7:30 and started slowly walking along the short trail.  The spot was rather birdy, but I could find no warblers at all.  It was now 9 AM which was my planned departure time, but it was tough to leave my first target of the day after an unsuccessful search.  I wanted to have enough time for my other targets, but what if I ended up getting the others quickly?  I would end up kicking myself for not having spent enough time trying for the Wilson’s.  However, given that the retention pond was pretty small, I felt like I had covered it quite well even in just 90 minutes.  So I stuck with my original plans and left at 9 AM.  It turns out that the Wilson’s were not re-found; I guess I made the right decision to not extend my search for the Warblers.

The next targets were the Dickcissels.  Per the National Geographic Field Guide, Dickcissels are “irregular east of the Appalachians; occasional breeding is reported outside mapped range.”  That was certainly the case in the Upstate of SC where Dickcissels were recent breeders in several locations.  There were several reports of likely breeding birds down in Anderson County, but the closest reliable location (just 15 minutes from the retention pond) appeared to be on Snow Mill Drive in Woodruff, with eBird reports dating back to 2018.  After the short drive I was now really close to Snow Mill, and as I pulled up to a stop sign I heard the characteristic song of the Dickcissel.  (Of course I was driving with my windows open listening for birdsong!)  But wait – I wasn’t at Snow Mill Drive yet.  I parked safely and looked at the map – I was still a quarter mile from Snow Mill.  I got out and walked toward the singing bird, nicely perched in a small roadside tree adjacent to a hayfield.  I got this barely passable photo holding my phone up to my binocs.  

As I tried for a better photo another bird flew into that same tree – it was a female Dickcissel.  And then I heard a second Dickcissel singing a short distance away.  Nice to find a new location for Dickcissel, though there was one reported from this location back in 2018 by another of my SC birding friends Gary Harbour.

Then again perhaps the Snow Mill birds had relocated to this spot.  After a quick “high-five” I drove a short distance to Snow Mill and almost instantly heard a Dickcissel there as well.  I only spent a few minutes here, but heard at least 2 singing males.  I also heard Bobwhites here – a bird I haven’t heard in years as they have become extirpated in New England (where I’ve done much of my birding recently) and their numbers have dropped dramatically even in more southern locations.  I also had a Bobolink here which is not supposed to be breeding this far south.  Perhaps it was a last holdout from a large likely migrating flock that was reported here recently.  And along with typical grassland birds like 8 Grasshopper Sparrows, 2 Meadowlarks, and 2 Blue Grosbeaks, it was a great stop!

Dickcissel was #266 for my SC statelist.  In my statebird map below, the blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen Dickcissel in its regular range; the cross-hatched states are those where I still need this species.  The tan-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species as a rarity, at least based on Sibley’s range maps.  Those maps indicate that Dickcissel is a regular winterer on the Mid-Atlantic coast, but a rarity in a number of others in the east and northeast.  Though some might argue that Dickcissel is regular in many of these locations, including SC.

With Dickcissel nicely checked-off, it was time to try for Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.  Amazingly there were not 1 but 2 pairs of Scissor-tails in northwestern SC this year.  Plus 4 birds likely nesting near Rock Hill.  One pair in Cherokee County to the east had already started nesting in the same location where nesting occurred last year.  A second closer pair was more recently discovered in Spartanburg County along Thompson Creek Drive near the town of Boiling Springs, though many eBirders commented on having just brief views of the bird(s).  Although this was a new location, last year they nested just a short distance away, so perhaps this was the same pair returning to the general area.  The Cherokee County birds were likely more reliable since a nest had been located.  But then again, that was on private property and viewing was apparently from a considerable distance.  Since I was now ahead of schedule I figured I could first try for the closer albeit perhaps less reliable birds, and then if I struck out there, I could try for the more eastern birds.  And both stops would require just short side-trips in route to Lattimore, NC to try for the Barn Owls.

After a short drive I pulled onto Thompson Creek Drive and quickly located the single house on the road - a couple posts mentioned the Flycatchers were perching on wires opposite that house.  I stopped a short distance away so as not to disturb any birds that might be near the house.  And with a quick binocular view there was a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher perched on the wires opposite the house, just as described in recent posts.  And perhaps just a minute later the bird flew to tall trees surrounding the house and disappeared.  I was hoping for better views, so I drove to the other side of the house and started to search from there.  I noticed some movement in the field to the west and spotted both Flycatchers flying to and from the treelines.  And then watched the birds fly to the cell tower and the chain-link fence surrounding the tower.  They would often go to the same area part-way up the tower – wonder if that might become a future nesting site.  I got these phonescoped photos of one of the birds on two of its favorite perches.

And while watching the Flycatchers this Grasshopper Sparrow perched up most cooperatively.

I texted Michael Robertson about my success with my last 2 targets, and he responded with a quote from Meat Loaf – “two out of three ain’t bad”.  So true, especially since the Wilson’s Warbler was a long shot at best.

In my statebird map below I’ve seen Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in all its regular south-central breeding states, and less common wintering state of FL, plus now 5 eastern states as a rarity. 

Now with Scissor-tailed Flycatcher added to my SC stateliest as #267, I didn’t need to look for the pair in Cherokee County.  So it was off to meet up with Bill Hooker and his wife Anita to try for their Barn Owls.  After crossing the stateline into NC and driving through similar agricultural areas I couldn’t help but wonder why there were no breeding Dickcissels and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers nearby in my home state.  The nearest Dickcissels were east of Charlotte nearly 2 hours away.  And there were no Scissor-tails, at all.  Though after my trip, on May 23rd, there was a tantalizing report of a flyby bird in Cleveland County.  Hmmm…

Just after lunchtime I met up with Bill and Anita in “downtown” Lattimore.  They described how they had found Barn Owls for a number of years in various former agricultural buildings scattered throughout the area.  Though they once again stressed that the birds might only be found on half their trips.  We hopped in our cars and I followed them to our first stop west of Lattimore.  We pulled up to an old building where a couple months ago a birder was able to find many fresh owl pellets though no birds.  We walked slowly around the perimeter, trying to peer into any opening we could find, but didn’t happen on any Owls.  Nor did we find any fresh pellets.  Perhaps the Owls were no longer using this building to roost.

Next we headed off to the north near Polkville to another former agricultural building.  A birder had recently found 2 Barn Owls at this location so we were hopeful.  First we sized up the building – seeing a couple likely openings where Owls might come and go.  Then we poked our heads into one open window without any luck.  We continued around the side of the building and noticed a pair of doors that could be opened.  So I headed over to start to slide one of the doors open.  Just then Bill yelled that he had an Owl flying away from the building.  We all quickly looked over and there was a Barn Owl flying from the building to the nearby trees.  And just after it landed a second Owl flew from one nearby tree to another tree – that one must has flown from the building a bit earlier and we hadn’t noticed it.  I wouldn’t have seen the birds at all if I had been there on my own.  Thanks Bill and Anita for all your help!

Barn Owl was #296 for my NC list.  And NC is my 25th state for this quite common species, though often a challenging one to locate.

If Meat Loaf thought that “two out of three ain’t bad”, then three out of four must be pretty darn good!

10 North Carolina Statebirds in October 2019

October was a great birding month for me in my new home in the mountains of western North Carolina.  I birded several days a week at nearby hotspots, and most every day just in my own yard.  I added 10 new species to my NC list in October, about half being rarities needing details in eBird.  Short summaries of each of my additions are provided below.

10/1 – Nashville Warbler, Philadelphia Vireo – Yard

My yard continues to be an excellent birding spot, with many migrants passing through the yard virtually every day.  The month started off with a bang with additions of both Nashville Warbler and a Philadelphia Vireo, the latter considered to be rare per eBird.  I had 1 or 2 Philadelphia’s in the yard each day for the next 3 days.  My statebird map for Nashville Warbler is inserted below – I’ve seen it in the shaded states, and still need it in the cross-hatched states where it is a regular species.

10/6 – Northern Waterthrush – Jackson Park

My first birding trip in the area was a birdwalk run by the local Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society (EMAS) at the Beaver Lake sanctuary.  A couple of the folks in my group spotted a Northern Waterthrush but I missed it.  Hence it was a bit of a nemesis bird for a couple months until I finally caught up with one on my first trip to Jackson Park.  It turned out to be the first of several I had in the month.

10/9 – Peregrine Falcon, Dickcissel – Warren Wilson College

A Dickcissel spotted in a sunflower field at Warren Wilson College provided my first opportunity to chase after a local rarity.  Luckily I had attended an EMAS field trip to this spot so I knew where the field was and how to bird the site.  I arrived early the next morning and met up with a couple other birders also searching for the target bird.  There were many Indigo Buntings, and a couple Blue Grosbeaks, but no Dickcissel.  Most of the birds would be seen either flying out of the field to the adjacent trees, or flying back into the sunflower field.  But in most cases the birds would frustratingly instantly disappear into the vegetation; only occasionally would a few individuals sit out into the open for even a quick view. 

After an hour of searching I thought about leaving the sunflower field and birding elsewhere, but decided to focus on my real target – the Dickcissel.  I continued to try to ID the birds coming and going from the field from various vantage points, and at one point spotted a Peregrine Falcon overhead – a nice consolation prize, but still not the target.  Then at the 2-hour point I again thought about calling it quits.  But then I realized that the Buntings that were flying into the field were changing their MO and were actually sitting in the open for a while – maybe the Dickcissel might do the same I thought.  And sure enough, just a couple minutes later the 2 other birders and I all spotted the Dickcissel perched atop a sunflower.  Then again it might not have been “the” Dickcissel – this bird seemed to be paler below than the one photographed the day before.  A second bird perhaps?  In any case, my strategy to focus on my target rarity, rather than to divert my attention to more general birding, proved to be the right one.  As shown in my statebird map below I’ve seen Dickcissel in most of its regular range generally in the central portions of the country, and have found it as a rarity in a number of eastern states.

10/10 – Connecticut Warbler – Jackson Park

Local birder Dave Minnich and I were planning a birding trip for the 10th, and decided to try Jackson Park based on a couple reports of a Connecticut Warbler there.  The bird had been reported near the southern end of the Warbler Trail, so that’s where we started our trip.  But it was pretty slow in that area, and we continued our walk along the trail all the way to its northern end.  Shortly after we turned around and started our walk south back down the trail we heard a set of odd chip notes.  And just then I spotted a Connecticut Warbler just off the trail.  This was perhaps a half mile from the earlier sighting so likely a different bird.  The bird was seen again later that day by several other birders, and in fact continued to be seen for over a week – though as is often the case with these skulkers, it was not seen by everyone.

10/12 – Warbling Vireo – Yard

During one of my nearly daily stints birding in my yard I spotted a Vireo that instantly caught my eye – brownish back, faint eyeline, white throat, and only a bit of yellowish wash on the flanks.  Earlier in the month I spent a lot of time watching Philadelphia Vireos to make sure they weren’t Warbling Vireos.  And today’s bird was definitely a Warbling and not a Philadelphia, or Red-eyed for that matter.  This species is not only rare for NC, but it was also quite late for one, so it was a nice find.  I just need to see this wide-ranging species in a couple more southeastern states. 

10/18 - Lincoln’s Sparrow – Warren Wilson College

My targets on this trip to Warren Wilson were fall sparrows.  Earlier in the month a Nelson’s had been reported from a wet ditch in the middle of the fields (why didn’t I chase it?), plus it was time for Lincoln’s to be arriving.  So a sparrow search was on!  I headed to the ditch as soon as I got to the site and soon had a number of Songs, Swamps and Savannahs.  Then in the distance a Lincoln’s popped out and gave nice views.  Later I had several other Lincoln’s there – I guessed at least 3.  I also had another at the nearby gardens, and 2 at the sunflower field.  Interesting that this species is considered to be a rarity in eBird.

10/24 – American Bittern, Vesper Sparrow – Hooper Lane

A Vesper Sparrow was reported at the sod farms at Hooper Lane, though without a specific location.  There are numerous weedy ditches throughout the site so I planned to work the ditches and hope I ran into the Vesper, or maybe I should say a Vesper.  But shortly after I arrived at the farm I heard a Greater Yellowlegs in the distance.  I located it in a wet area in the distance, and decided to get closer to it to grab a photo, and look for other shorebirds.  I snapped this passable photo holding my phone up to my binocs. 

A bit later I spotted a pair of shorebirds overhead which turned out to be a White-rumped Sandpiper and an American Golden-Plover – both eBird rarities.  But neither was new for my NC statelist.  Unfortunately, by the time I went back to looking for my target Vesper Sparrow I had run out of time.  Though the shorebirds were certainly a nice consolation.

So I was back a couple days later to give it another try.  This time I started at the southernmost ditch and started heading west, flushing sparrows along the way.  But it was just the regulars – lots of Savannahs, a few Songs, and a couple Swamps – so my interest started to wane.  I was just about to give up when I flushed an American Bittern from the ditch – this addition wasn’t even on my radar screen.  I still need this reasonably common species in quite a number of states across the country.

Later in that same ditch I spotted a sparrow in the distance with a white eye-ring.  I initially thought I had a Vesper, but realized it was too small.  Then it turned to face me and it had a buffy chest with no striping – a Grasshopper Sparrow.  Nice!  But still no Vesper.

Next it was on to another ditch, with more Savannahs and Songs.  Then I spotted another Grasshopper Sparrow – only my second and third I’ve ever found in fall migration.  And the hits kept coming – I turned to look at the pool where the Yellowlegs had been a couple days earlier and spotted 4 shorebirds.  I needed to get closer to identify them as Pectoral Sandpipers – my 6th shorebird species there that week.

I was out of time and started to head back to the car along the ditch I birded earlier.  I wasn’t watching the sparrows too closely since I had seen them all on my first pass.  But just then I spotted a larger sparrow fly into the ditch from the nearby field.  And after just a couple seconds it popped into the open and was a Vesper Sparrow.  Although it took me a while to finally get my target, I’m not complaining since I found so many other goodies along the way.



I ended the month with a NC statelist of 270 – I’ve added 19 new birds to my list since moving here just over 2 months ago.  I continue to be amazed at how many good birding spots there are within 45 minutes of my house.  And speaking of my house, my yard list as of 10/31 stands at an amazing 92 species.  This includes 22 species of warblers and 6 vireo species as the fall migration through my yard was outstanding.  What a tremendous start to my time here in the Carolinas!

Six Statebirds in Colorado, Two in Wyoming to Reach “Reportable Plus 15”, July 2018

A family vacation to Fort Collins, CO, one of my favorite locations in the country, gave me an opportunity to fill some gaps in my CO statelist.  My CO list was pretty good at 274, 30 over the old ABA reporting threshold, but there are nearly always chances to add some statebirds.  And then there was WY where I was at 227, 13 over the ABA threshold.  That put me tantalizingly close to my goal of 15 over the threshold.  The WY stateline was a bit distant but perhaps there were some opportunities for me in the southeastern corner of the state that would be close enough to chase after.

Next it was time to set up eBird Needs Alerts in both states.  Not surprisingly many entries popped up, but CO and WY are big states, so I had to pare it down to counties near the areas where we would be vacationing.  Even just in the nearby counties there were quite a number of possibilities in CO, and several in WY.  But then I had to limit the possibilities even further since my birding time would be restricted generally to just the early mornings before the family was up and about.  With some additional planning I came up with 7 possible targets in CO and 3 in WY.  That would give me some nice potential additions to my CO list, and of course enough to hopefully reach Reportable Plus 15 in WY.  Now if only the birds would cooperate!

The targets for the first morning were right in Fort Collins, the first two being Common Gallinule and Green Heron at the Running Deer Natural Area.  The Gallinule was an extreme rarity for CO, and had been seen for a couple weeks, though most birders reported having to wait quite some time to see the bird when it was visible in a small opening in the cattails.  Plus it didn’t stay in sight for long.  Green Herons were not that unusual, and were spotted apparently while birders were waiting for the Gallinule to appear.  I arrived at the park before sunrise and after a short walk came to the eastern side of the wetlands.  There were multiple acres of dense cattail habitat, with only a couple small openings.  The one where the Gallinule was typically seen looked to be no more than 10 ft by 20 ft in size.  With such a tiny window for the Gallinule to appear in such a large wetlands, no wonder the bird was only being seen sporadically.

I set up my scope focusing on the open water, and in the dim light could see 3 Mallards swimming there.  They must have spotted me, because they soon took off.  And a few seconds later 8 more rose out of that same part of the wetland – though I couldn’t see them before they took off.  Seeing the Gallinune was going to be tough.  I needed to keep a close eye on the small opening in the cattails, but there was nearly constant movement of birds in the area easily diverting my attention.  I spotted 4 species of Swallows flying about, and good numbers of Blackbirds including a few Yellow-headeds were constantly in view.  Plus a calling Virginia Rail was a nice addition.  And in the distance I could see quite a number of waders heading into a nearby wetlands - several Great Blue Herons, a few Great Egrets, and an impressive flock17 Snowy Egrets.  But there were no Green Herons in sight.  But then I heard the characteristic “kearp” call of my target, followed by another call of the same or a different bird a few minutes later (statebird #1).  As shown in my statebird map below I’ve now seen Green Heron in all but 5 western states – not surprisingly the area of the country where they are least likely to be found.

With the Heron out of the way I could really concentrate on the Gallinule.  Despite all the diversions, I kept the binocs trained on the little opening in the cattails as much as I could.  I had been there about an hour when another birder arrived – a gentleman from western CO who still needed this species for his CO statelist.  He confirmed that I was in the right spot - he had tried unsuccessfully for the bird the evening before.  As we compared notes I looked back to the open water and there was the Gallinule swimming right out in the open!  (statebird #2)  It stayed in view for maybe 30 seconds, before swimming to the cattails in the back where it preened for a couple minutes only sometimes showing a portion of its body.  I got this distant phonescoped shot barely showing the orangey red bill and a bit of its dark body as it was tucked into the reeds.

Interestingly, the day I saw this bird was the last day it was reported.  Great to add this bird as a rarity in CO as my 31st state for this species, though I still need it in a number of eastern states where it is regular. 

Next I was off to a couple nearby reservoirs where Caspian Terns had been recently reported – Arapahoe Bend and Kechter Pit.  Caspians are rare migrants through the state, so it was nice to see multiple reports from two reservoirs in Fort Collins as well as a couple other reservoirs to the south.  But the local reports were now 5 days old, so I wasn’t too surprised that I came up empty despite finding a nice collection of Pelicans, Gulls, and shorebirds on the sandbars at the reservoirs.  Still a nice start to the trip – seeing 2 of 3 targets.  And I was still able to get back before breakfast.

The next morning my plan was to head a short distance to the south into Boulder County where Bobolinks and Dickcissels had been reported at several locations.  Both species are reasonably regular in eastern portions of CO, but are not routinely reported too near the Front Range.  In fact, neither species is listed in a 2008 checklist of birds in the Fort Collins area.  One of these locations also included a report of a Red-eyed Vireo, and there were a couple reservoirs in the area with Caspian Tern sightings, giving me 4 potential targets.  I arrived at my first stop a bit before dawn, where a couple reports included both Bobolinks and Dickcissels.  But the hay fields had been cut and my targets were gone.  That was the same way at second stop, and again at my third stop.  It looked like I was about a week too late to find these species that often only barely have enough time to fledge young before the agricultural fields are cut.  That is if they are successful at all.

I had one last area to check along St. Vrain Road that included several recent Bobolink sightings, and as I pulled up I noticed that the grasses in this field looked much more natural than the planted alfalfa fields I had checked out earlier.  And more importantly, the grasses had not been cut.  I got out of my car to listen for the characteristic Bobolink song but with no luck.  After a couple minute wait I spotted a bird flying low over the field – with a quick binoc view I realized it was a male Bobolink (statebird #3).  Then I noticed another in flight, and then several more.  I counted 11 Bobolinks in all, interestingly all flying from the western side of the field to the eastern side of the field.  Nice to see that at least this one field was likely to be a successful breeding site for them this year.

CO was my 37th state for this species.  I still need it in a few western states as a breeder and several south-central states as a migrant.

Since it took me so long to find the Bobolink I didn’t have time to get to the location with the Red-eyed Vireo.  And I had no more local Boulder County spots for Dickcissel.  But I had a couple other possible sites to check in the next couple days for this target so I wasn’t too worried.  And I decided to not try for the Caspians since these sightings were now a few days old, and they were likely long gone.  One new statebird was better than none.

The next day the family went up to Rocky Mountain National Park where I had just 1 possible statebird – Fox Sparrow seen at a couple locations in Endovalley.  I birded those spots a bit but it was mid-afternoon with limited activity.  Though it was fun to watch typical woodland birds like Black-headed Grosbeak, Western Tanager, and families of “Audubon’s” Warblers, Mountain Chickadees, and “Gray-headed” Juncos.  But the highlight was watching American Pipits and Brown-capped Rosy Finches eat insects from the snowfields near the Alpine Visitor Center.  I counted 12 Pipits and 2 Rosy Finches in view at once.  Plus a pair of Mountain Bluebirds were feeding nearby – I never can see enough male Mountain Bluebirds!  (Henry David Thoreau said “a bluebird carries the sky on his back”.  I’d imagine he was talking about Eastern Bluebirds, but that’s only because he hadn’t seen the Mountain Bluebird!)

The next day I had some time mid-morning and planned a hike in the Reservoir Ridge Natural Area where there had been a couple recent Dickcissel sightings.  But to no avail, though a singing Blue Grosbeak was nice.  And that afternoon I took a little tour of Lory State Park where Dickcissels had also been reported, but again struck out.  Were these birds no longer singing this late in the summer?

I didn’t have any plans for the next day so I checked the Needs Alerts and noticed Caspian Terns were reported the previous day at yet another nearby reservoir, Timnath Reservoir.  And there was even a report of a flock of 34 Marbled Godwits there, but that was a couple days earlier.  With a bit of research it looked like access would be from the western side of the reservoir.  But it was a large body of water, and it was mentioned that the Terns and the Godwits were on a distant sand spit, so viewing might be a bit tough. 

And then I remembered another potential target – Eastern Screech-Owl.  Something triggered my memory that I had tried for this species unsuccessfully some years ago while on a work trip to Fort Collins.  I pulled up data on eBird, and although there had been no reports in the last month, there were several reports over the last couple years in a couple spots nearby – CSU Environmental Learning Center and the adjacent Prospect Ponds/Owl Woods.  (How could I miss at a spot called Owl Woods?)  So that gave me 2 targets to try for if I could get going early enough.

Luckily I was up and out of the hotel while it was still dark, and I headed over to Owl Woods to try for the Eastern Screech-Owl.  As I stepped out of my car the winds were light, there was a bit of a moon, and it was extremely quiet – ideal conditions to listen for owls.  I walked over to the trees and could hear several coyotes calling off to the north.  Then I played some Screech-Owl tape and quickly got a reply in the general direction of the coyotes.  But wait a second – was I sure it wasn’t the coyotes?  I walked a bit closer and played some more tape and it called again from the northeast while the coyotes continued to call to the north – Eastern Screech-Owl indeed (statebird #4).  Nice to finally add this species to my CO list at the western edge of its range, though I still need it in several eastern and central states in the core of its range.

As I was walking back to my car I heard some rustling in the grass just a few feet off the trail.  Using my weak flashlight it took me a while to figure out what I was looking at – it was a skunk no more than 10 feet away!  Needless to say I made a hasty retreat back to my car at that point.

Next I was off to Timnath Reservoir.  With a bit of searching I found a nice access point on the west side, and could see a distant spit with a number of birds on it.  But the spit was east of me, and soon the sun would rise nearly right behind it.  Needless to say that would make for miserable viewing conditions.  I needed to make my way to the east of the reservoir, but all I could see over there was a very nice new subdivision backing right up to the edge of the water.  Maybe there would be a gap between the houses that would provide a view of the water.

After a short drive I found my way over to the east side of the reservoir, and was wandering through one of the subdivisions.  Unfortunately I couldn’t find any viewing spots – certainly didn’t want any homeowners to get upset with me trespassing.  Then I got to another subdivision and found a small park-like spot with a paved walkway to the water.  Perfect!  The spit was still pretty far away, but not nearly as far as when I was on the west side.  And of course lighting was much better.  One of the first birds I spotted was a Caspian Tern, soon followed by a second bird, luckily not obscured by the much larger White Pelicans (statebird #5).  I “only” need this species in 7 more Lower 48 states to fill in my statebird map.

 

Also on the spit was a nice collection of gulls including several Franklins, and a few Killdeer, but no luck on the Marbled Godwits which were long gone.

Then I turned my attention to the marsh in the foreground there were a number of waders, including this one mixed in with a flock of Snowy Egrets.  Based on the bill coloration it made me think it might be a rare immature Little Blue.

But even this barely passable phonescoped picture showing the legs and feet is good enough to prove the bird was just an immature Snowy.

Later that day the family and I headed up the Poudre River Canyon for some sightseeing.  At the end of the day I was hoping we could make a stop where there had been yet another recent Dickcissel sighting – one last try for this target.  It was a pleasant day so we had the car windows down as he headed toward the canyon.  As we passed an alfalfa field I heard the loud “dick dick cissel cissel” call – recognizable even while driving at 40 mph!  I immediately pulled over and could hear at least 4 Dickcissel’s calling (statebird #6).  Finally!  I had struck out searching for them at several spots where they were reported, but ended up finding them at a new spot on my own.  I guess they were still calling after all.

That gave me 6 new birds for my CO list – putting my total at 280.  Very nice!

And now it was on to WY where my 3 possible targets were Dickcissel (again!), Lesser Goldfinch, and Burrowing Owl.  All 3 targets were near Cheyenne, so I had planned to spend a morning in the area giving them a try.  But as it turned out my time was more limited than expected, especially given the driving time to and from WY.  So I wouldn’t have much if any time to try for Owl.

I arrived pre-dawn at an area south of Cheyenne near the Wyoming Hereford Ranch where Dickcissels had been reported several times recently.  One spot that looked like it might be best was simply mentioned as “Burlington Trail Road”.  With no specific locations given on this pretty long road, I was a bit worried about how much time it might take to find the birds.  I started at the western end of this road driving slowly with my windows down.  In a short distance I came to a fork and unfortunately took the wrong one.  As I stopped to turn the car around a Dickcissel sang nearby!  And then as is often the case, I heard a couple others a few feet away.  I was able to get these phonescoped photos of the first bird illuminated by the rising sun.

I’ve now seen Dickcissel in most all of the central US states in its normal range and several eastern states where it is a rarity.

Next I was off to Steve Campanaro’s house.  Steve had posted that he was having quite a number of Lesser Goldfinches at his feeder and he agreed to have me come by to look for his birds in his backyard.  He had a very nicely landscaped yard, and there were quite a number of birds at his feeders.  It took just about 15 minutes for the first adult male Lesser Goldfinch to arrive – a black-backed bird.  Later a female came to the feeder as well.  Many thanks to Steve for his hospitality!  I got these photos of the male Lesser by holding my phone up to my binoculars.

And here’s a shot of the female.

 

WY was my 10th state for this southwestern species that just barely gets into WY.

Unfortunately I had run out of time and wouldn’t have a chance to try for the Burrowing Owl.  That one would have to wait for a future trip.  But with 2 new birds that gave me 229 for WY – 15 over the old ABA threshold.  WY is now my 43rd state where I’ve reached my goal of Reportable Plus 15.

I ended up with about 110 species for the trip, including the 6 new state birds in CO and 2 more in WY.  A most successful trip despite limited birding time.