November 14.
I woke up Saturday morning, the warm square of my bedroom window's light already drifted up to my waist, ensconced in the cozy cocoon of my duvet, emitting a pleas-ed purr (having not been jolted out of an ocean-deep sleep by that dreaded nerve-shattering alarm of my nemesis, the bedside radio). I can hear my husband grinding coffee in the kitchen; the distant, alluring sound muffled by the door. I lay with my eyes closed until the pressure to pee can no longer be ignored. A relieved sigh as I relax the muscles of my bladder and release the flow, while simultaneously, a steaming cup of coffee is being poured downstairs next to toast spread thinly with marmalade. Slippers on, floating slowly through the hallway in a day-off daze, I enter to see my husband turn, his graying hair still tussled from the night before, and a silly-proud smile as he looks down at the breakfast he has prepared, picking up my large mug and stepping toward me. Our eyes meet as I take the coffee from his hands, our fingers lingering for a moment as they interlock on the handle of the cup. I smile, turn away to pick up my plate, receive a playful slap to my behind, and saunter over to the living room's bay window. I pull back the curtains, my lips tighten, my brows furrow, and I shout back to my husband, "WHAT THE FUCK ARE ALL THOSE PEOPLE DOING ON OUR FRONT LAWN??"
November 14.
I woke up Saturday morning to the thundering electric blast of my alarm clock, reaching over and ripping the plug from its socket as my eyes open to a blinding strip of light that has managed to slice through my curtains, my pupils shrinking to pin-points like the T-Rex from Jurassic Park, hissing like a vampire that's just been exposed to the sun (I'm talking Bram Stoker vampires, not the glitter-in-the-sun Twilight ones). I roll myself off my lumpy mattress and sift through floor-laundry to find (semi)clean clothes for the day. That's when the excitement starts to sink in. The blood-racing, heart-pumping, adrenaline of chasing a black-feathered, red-eyed, so-out-of-its-range-it-seems-impossible south-westerner that has arrived in a suburb of Brampton, of all places. I swiftly shower, shove a handful of dry cereal into my face, and rush to the subway, already a couple minutes late for my ride (side note: Thanks again, Greg!). As we neared our suburban destination, we concentrated on getting the side-streets right, passing by quintessential, gardened houses in a quiet, gardened neighbourhood, eventually turning onto the quaint, gardened Addington Crescent. Needless to say, it was somewhat obvious that this was the spot. Vehicles stacked in leaning towers 5-cars high, parked back-to-back on every inch of pavement, binoculars, scopes, and cameras on every neck and in every trembling hand, stampedes of folks frothing at the mouth and clawing at elderly ladies who were between themselves and the crowd of people frantically pointing upward, a truck with a cow-catcher attached to the front pushing through the crowd to get the best look. I calmly exited my friend's car and sped-walked to the excited group of people gathered all over some couple's front lawn...and got my first-ever look at a Phainopepla.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Read at Your Own Risk
Inspired by the latest talk of the TOC, I have decided it is time, after 110 days, to try to restore Cerulean Sky to its former glory (remember those good ol' days when you would set your alarm early so you could eagerly run to your computer to see if Cerulean Sky had any updates before heading off to the grind? Those late nights spent ignoring mouse-clicking ergonomics and pressing the refresh button every half second, inducing carpal tunnel while staring with bloodshot eyes and sipping a double double with trembling hands, desperate to see if Sky's author would perhaps post another biting commentary on the cormorant cull, or describe, in Pulitzer prize-worthy prose, his amazing adventures across acres of forests, wetlands, beach, and brush in search of waders, game, raptors, LBJ's, and everything in between?). You don't remember?
The inspiring talk was by Hamilton birder Brandon Holden, the smarter, more talented and charismatic, better-looking, younger version of myself (jealous? I'm not jealous!). I have enough difficulty stumbling to the front of the room to utter, in monotonous monotone, a mere guest list (usually in front of an audience who cannot contain at least a grin, chortle, or chuckle at my expense), let alone speak, seemingly with no nerves, for an hour about an incredible road trip across Florida with the aplomb of a seasoned expert while displaying brilliant photos from the journey.
All of this led me to look back on my now-14 years of birding to pinpoint where exactly things took a turn...not that things took a serious nosedive, there was just some point along the way where my learning curve reached a peak, leveled, and perhaps dropped an itsy bitsy teeny weeny bit (not a stock market crash thankfully. I won't need any bailout). Time is a factor, duh. I can't just go out birding whenever I want anymore and I certainly don't pore over my field guides like I used to (I do miss those days). But I did come to a realization that one of my greatest problems, probably since the beginning, is a (perhaps unfounded?) terror of a tarnished reputation; the scalding criticism of a hard-nosed veteran, having my name be synonymous with "novice" or "you can't trust his Ontbirds posts", an incorrect identification that ends up in the history books ("He mistook a Glaucous-winged X Herring Gull for a Thayer's Gull? Well I never...I'm not going to say hello the next time I see him." A non-birder might laugh, but it can be a tough world out there. Or at least in my mind it can be. Do I have issues?
With my current role as a no-talent hack, I struggle to sustain at least a minor role in the birding community. A couple of reports here, a few volunteer opportunities there, but there are those few rare (frequent) moments where I nearly despair at the knowledge of those around me. Even the mere mention of an obscure topographic detail that I have not heard of can send me into a tailspin of nerves (should I know this?...oh, I better not ask what they mean or I'll look like an idiot...I'll just nod and smile awkwardly, that should do the trick).
Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm mostly teasing and I'm not a terrible birder. I consider my skills to surpass the average chimp. I know a good number of calls (but could certainly stand to dust off my bird song C.D.'s to be less rusty), I can confidently identify almost everything I see (sometimes it requires a bit of time to do a mental scan through my memory-bank of field marks but eventually I come to a knowledgeable guess), and I take pride in the fact that I know a lot about migration times, ranges, and general abundance/rarity of species. Of course, there are groups that cause more trouble than others. There are gulls that I couldn't identify if my life depended on it, a few sparrows throw me into a momentary confused, blank stare, and fall shorebirds can lead me to *gasp*, open a field guide. But hey, we're supposed to be having fun, right?
I worry too much. I worry that I worry too much. I worry that I worry that I worry too much. However, I think I'm beginning to understand it all now. Worrying is my comfort-zone, my safety blanket. Worrying a lot keeps me from actually calling out a bird's name. Worrying too much prevents me from admitting I just don't know what I'm looking at. Worrying even prevents me from going birding! It's not a good way to learn, worrying. Life gets in the way of birding all the time but I think one of the most helpful things for me to do is also the simplest. It's time to practice the parsimony principle. How do you become a better birdwatcher? You birdwatch! Side note: spell check apparently accepts 'birdwatcher' but 'birdwatch' is not a word? I have done fairly well this year dedicating a chunk of my time to birding (mostly thanks to some wonderful friends who invite me along on their trips), but one bit of basic birding that I'm missing right now is getting out there for a few hours on my own. From my experience, I learn the most when I'm by myself. If you don't know what you're looking at, there's no embarrassment, you just figure it out. You hear a call you don't know? You search out the bird, identify it by sight and by golly, you'll likely know that call the next time! Practice and parsimony. Less worrying.
In conclusion, I just reread this entire post, which may come across as the ramblings of a lunatic, and I question the intent of the arrow that is hovering over "PUBLISH POST". So it has come to this: the first post in 110 days and it's an offbeat admission of my birding insecurities. I'm sorry, my dear fans and followers. I promise more normalcy in my next post 111 days from now. Happy birding!
The inspiring talk was by Hamilton birder Brandon Holden, the smarter, more talented and charismatic, better-looking, younger version of myself (jealous? I'm not jealous!). I have enough difficulty stumbling to the front of the room to utter, in monotonous monotone, a mere guest list (usually in front of an audience who cannot contain at least a grin, chortle, or chuckle at my expense), let alone speak, seemingly with no nerves, for an hour about an incredible road trip across Florida with the aplomb of a seasoned expert while displaying brilliant photos from the journey.
All of this led me to look back on my now-14 years of birding to pinpoint where exactly things took a turn...not that things took a serious nosedive, there was just some point along the way where my learning curve reached a peak, leveled, and perhaps dropped an itsy bitsy teeny weeny bit (not a stock market crash thankfully. I won't need any bailout). Time is a factor, duh. I can't just go out birding whenever I want anymore and I certainly don't pore over my field guides like I used to (I do miss those days). But I did come to a realization that one of my greatest problems, probably since the beginning, is a (perhaps unfounded?) terror of a tarnished reputation; the scalding criticism of a hard-nosed veteran, having my name be synonymous with "novice" or "you can't trust his Ontbirds posts", an incorrect identification that ends up in the history books ("He mistook a Glaucous-winged X Herring Gull for a Thayer's Gull? Well I never...I'm not going to say hello the next time I see him." A non-birder might laugh, but it can be a tough world out there. Or at least in my mind it can be. Do I have issues?
With my current role as a no-talent hack, I struggle to sustain at least a minor role in the birding community. A couple of reports here, a few volunteer opportunities there, but there are those few rare (frequent) moments where I nearly despair at the knowledge of those around me. Even the mere mention of an obscure topographic detail that I have not heard of can send me into a tailspin of nerves (should I know this?...oh, I better not ask what they mean or I'll look like an idiot...I'll just nod and smile awkwardly, that should do the trick).
Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm mostly teasing and I'm not a terrible birder. I consider my skills to surpass the average chimp. I know a good number of calls (but could certainly stand to dust off my bird song C.D.'s to be less rusty), I can confidently identify almost everything I see (sometimes it requires a bit of time to do a mental scan through my memory-bank of field marks but eventually I come to a knowledgeable guess), and I take pride in the fact that I know a lot about migration times, ranges, and general abundance/rarity of species. Of course, there are groups that cause more trouble than others. There are gulls that I couldn't identify if my life depended on it, a few sparrows throw me into a momentary confused, blank stare, and fall shorebirds can lead me to *gasp*, open a field guide. But hey, we're supposed to be having fun, right?
I worry too much. I worry that I worry too much. I worry that I worry that I worry too much. However, I think I'm beginning to understand it all now. Worrying is my comfort-zone, my safety blanket. Worrying a lot keeps me from actually calling out a bird's name. Worrying too much prevents me from admitting I just don't know what I'm looking at. Worrying even prevents me from going birding! It's not a good way to learn, worrying. Life gets in the way of birding all the time but I think one of the most helpful things for me to do is also the simplest. It's time to practice the parsimony principle. How do you become a better birdwatcher? You birdwatch! Side note: spell check apparently accepts 'birdwatcher' but 'birdwatch' is not a word? I have done fairly well this year dedicating a chunk of my time to birding (mostly thanks to some wonderful friends who invite me along on their trips), but one bit of basic birding that I'm missing right now is getting out there for a few hours on my own. From my experience, I learn the most when I'm by myself. If you don't know what you're looking at, there's no embarrassment, you just figure it out. You hear a call you don't know? You search out the bird, identify it by sight and by golly, you'll likely know that call the next time! Practice and parsimony. Less worrying.
In conclusion, I just reread this entire post, which may come across as the ramblings of a lunatic, and I question the intent of the arrow that is hovering over "PUBLISH POST". So it has come to this: the first post in 110 days and it's an offbeat admission of my birding insecurities. I'm sorry, my dear fans and followers. I promise more normalcy in my next post 111 days from now. Happy birding!
Thursday, July 02, 2009
The Currie Tract
Last Friday, as a result of the considerable kindness of a fellow TOC member, Mark Field, I was able to visit a new birding destination in the GTA (Milton to be exact). As always, I get so swept up in the busyness of this city that when I finally get a day to go birding, it's always a great experience (relaxing, rewarding, refreshing...*insert other 'r' words that apply*).
The Currie Tract requires a vehicle to get to so I was at the mercy of my host who had visited the area a few times in the last couple months in hopes of finding the Prairie Warbler that has been reported there frequently this spring/summer. We didn't find it of course, but we did get some other goodies along the way.
Before I get to that though, I'll describe the park a bit first. From what I could gather, the area is connected to a conservation area and consists of a primarily deciduous forest next to a prairie-like, grassy habitat that stretches along for quite some distance underneath enormous hydro poles. The hydro poles constantly emit a humming energy that somewhat alarmed me at first but Mark assured me that you get used to it. Eventually I forgot the pressure in my ears but every once in a while I would think about it again or look up and feel like I was being microwaved.
It was all worth it though as we ended up getting some really good sightings in. The highlights included a singing Mourning Warbler, missed by me in spring, that was sickeningly cooperative. As we were listening to it sing, I suddenly remarked that there were two birds! To our disappointment, it ended up being a Tilly-hat toting dude with a tape player, relentlessly playing the song of the Mourning Warbler and getting it to close in on the trail.
Next up was a singing Blue-winged Warbler even though I was now wary of any songs as they could have just been a machine instead of the real thing. However, we eventually spotted the bird; another extremely cooperative fellow that showed off for quite some time.
I'm happy to have discovered the area and hope to get back there again sometime (next time, mosquito repellent, sunscreen, and food are musts).
Day List (counting the moment we started to drive to the moment I was dropped off):
Canada Goose
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Black-billed Cuckoo (seen and heard)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Kingbird
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Wood Thrush
Veery
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Blue-winged Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Mourning Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Total Species: 47
The Currie Tract requires a vehicle to get to so I was at the mercy of my host who had visited the area a few times in the last couple months in hopes of finding the Prairie Warbler that has been reported there frequently this spring/summer. We didn't find it of course, but we did get some other goodies along the way.
Before I get to that though, I'll describe the park a bit first. From what I could gather, the area is connected to a conservation area and consists of a primarily deciduous forest next to a prairie-like, grassy habitat that stretches along for quite some distance underneath enormous hydro poles. The hydro poles constantly emit a humming energy that somewhat alarmed me at first but Mark assured me that you get used to it. Eventually I forgot the pressure in my ears but every once in a while I would think about it again or look up and feel like I was being microwaved.
It was all worth it though as we ended up getting some really good sightings in. The highlights included a singing Mourning Warbler, missed by me in spring, that was sickeningly cooperative. As we were listening to it sing, I suddenly remarked that there were two birds! To our disappointment, it ended up being a Tilly-hat toting dude with a tape player, relentlessly playing the song of the Mourning Warbler and getting it to close in on the trail.
Next up was a singing Blue-winged Warbler even though I was now wary of any songs as they could have just been a machine instead of the real thing. However, we eventually spotted the bird; another extremely cooperative fellow that showed off for quite some time.
I'm happy to have discovered the area and hope to get back there again sometime (next time, mosquito repellent, sunscreen, and food are musts).
Day List (counting the moment we started to drive to the moment I was dropped off):
Canada Goose
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Black-billed Cuckoo (seen and heard)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Kingbird
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Wood Thrush
Veery
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Blue-winged Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Mourning Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Total Species: 47
Saturday, June 20, 2009
And I start to complain that there's no rain
I started this Saturday evening desperately attempting to make plans, any plans, but eventually just gave up and decided to go for an evening walk through High Park. It was quite beautiful really; a light mist falling, the vegetation glistening with water droplets, and the leaves of trees drooping forlornly with the heaviness of moisture. Overhead, Chimney Swifts chattered away as silhouettes of small birds flew by (almost certainly Chickadees).
Later, as the evening turned to night, I started to hear Common Nighthawks 'meep'ing above me, out of sight from my umbrella. I was also lucky enough to see a passing skunk near the main road, ambling along and (thankfully) minding its own business. It's so darn peaceful in there on nights like this.
As I was walking, I started to think about missing the Carden Alvar trip through the TOC and how disappointing it is that I wasn't able to attend. Everyone who went gushed about how wonderful the area is and the reports coming from there are excellent (especially the latest post on Ontbirds by Bob Cumming, who looks to have had a spectacular day there despite the rain). It's a trip that I must, must, must, must take.
The other outing I'm hopefully going on, particularly now that I have Saturdays off, is the Toronto Butterfly Count. To this day, I have never been on a single butterfly count in any area and I really want to learn how the Toronto area differs both in species and abundance from the Pelee Circle.
Later, as the evening turned to night, I started to hear Common Nighthawks 'meep'ing above me, out of sight from my umbrella. I was also lucky enough to see a passing skunk near the main road, ambling along and (thankfully) minding its own business. It's so darn peaceful in there on nights like this.
As I was walking, I started to think about missing the Carden Alvar trip through the TOC and how disappointing it is that I wasn't able to attend. Everyone who went gushed about how wonderful the area is and the reports coming from there are excellent (especially the latest post on Ontbirds by Bob Cumming, who looks to have had a spectacular day there despite the rain). It's a trip that I must, must, must, must take.
The other outing I'm hopefully going on, particularly now that I have Saturdays off, is the Toronto Butterfly Count. To this day, I have never been on a single butterfly count in any area and I really want to learn how the Toronto area differs both in species and abundance from the Pelee Circle.
Forgotten but not gone
If one was to count how many excuses I've come up with on Cerulean Sky as to why I haven't posted for weeks on end, one would likely find that the number of posts including said excuses outnumbers the posts without them...did that sentence make sense? I think it does.
Anyway, here's a list of reasons for my absence for you to choose from (as a friend pointed out, my last entry was quite the cliffhanger. I'm sick, and then no more posts!).
a) Busy with work. Perhaps my best excuse since I got a new position at work where I now perform a variety of cool administrative tasks. More responsibility, lots of challenges, etc. I'm loving it, but it is a time burglar.
b) I'm back in Toronto. The city provides so many distractions that when my day off finally comes, sleeping in and then socializing is just so tantalizing. I have, fortunately, made it out birding since I've been back in the city after being at Pelee for two weeks but nothing substantial enough.
3...oh, I mean c) No Marianne. I miss you, Marianne!
So, you're asking, when is he going to get around to talking about birds? Welllll, one goal I have in the next little while is to actually do a complete May post detailing the entire month. I also have to get out my complete May list as well. And of course, my favourite, the May misses!!
I'm also going to get around to catching up on and commenting on others' blogs entries that I've been missing lately. Let's hope I can bring Cerulean Sky back to some regularity!
Anyway, here's a list of reasons for my absence for you to choose from (as a friend pointed out, my last entry was quite the cliffhanger. I'm sick, and then no more posts!).
a) Busy with work. Perhaps my best excuse since I got a new position at work where I now perform a variety of cool administrative tasks. More responsibility, lots of challenges, etc. I'm loving it, but it is a time burglar.
b) I'm back in Toronto. The city provides so many distractions that when my day off finally comes, sleeping in and then socializing is just so tantalizing. I have, fortunately, made it out birding since I've been back in the city after being at Pelee for two weeks but nothing substantial enough.
3...oh, I mean c) No Marianne. I miss you, Marianne!
So, you're asking, when is he going to get around to talking about birds? Welllll, one goal I have in the next little while is to actually do a complete May post detailing the entire month. I also have to get out my complete May list as well. And of course, my favourite, the May misses!!
I'm also going to get around to catching up on and commenting on others' blogs entries that I've been missing lately. Let's hope I can bring Cerulean Sky back to some regularity!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
May 14, 2009 - Day 12 - FML
Ok, ok...it's not as bad as 'fml' but seriously, nausea, go to heck in a handbasket! I woke up today feeling like a used diaper. Hearing wind howling in my window and rain pouring down in horizontal sheets, I groaned, turned back over and promptly fell back asleep. My on-the-brink-of-vomitting stomach told me that to go to the park for a full day would be a death sentence so I decided to continue fighting this stupid bug with lots of sleep while hoping that nothing would show up on my second day off. That's when things started to go wrong.
The rain cleared and it turned into a beautiful day. I was halfway through watching She's the Man for the zillionth time (Channing Tatum was just walking across the screen with only a towel on), when my phone rang. It was Marianne. I groggily answered the phone and heard only this: "Can you hear me?....breaking up....Townsend Warb...."
I knew it would happen. The day that I can't go to the park due to being sick, something was bound to show up. The fact that it was an uber-mega-rarity only made the whole thing that much worse. These things happen every year. Last year it was Mother's day and I was at a family reunion when the call came in for a Lark Bunting. I got that bird, thankfully, but had to come home to a grumbling, guilt-mongering family. Apparently it's not nice to walk out on the family for a bird. I still don't get their reasoning. It happened with Northern Wheatear, too. The bird shows up the day I have to catch my Greyhound back to Toronto. I got that bird, too, but I cannot and will not go into the details of what I had to do for that one. Let's just say it was the definition of poor judgement by moral/ethical standards...totally worth it though!
So, back to the story at hand. After flying into a fit of blind rage and smashing a window with my mom's antique rocking chair and shaking my fists in the air screaming "How dare you, irony!", I calmed down enough to call Marianne back and got one more piece of information this time amongst the static: Townsend's Warbler, Tilden Trail. The dark expression on my face and grinding teeth must have screamed murder as my Mom placed her hand on my shoulder and slowly and quietly told me she would drive me to see the bird if I wasn't feeling well enough to drive. I started a texting war with birders who were already there asking if the bird was reliable, any further details, etc.
I went through every bad scenario I could think of on the drive there:
- The visitor center parking lot is full and I have to hike from White Pine to get there, arrive shaking, moments away from death, and hearing the words: "You just missed it! Unfortunately, it was eaten by a Cooper's Hawk. There's the bloody mess right over there!"
- Getting out of the car and rushing to see the bird and getting trampled by a stampede of birders, leaving me twitching in the mud with a broken shin bone piercing through the skin and having to crawl the rest of the way using only my fingernails, and a kind old lady saying, "Oops! It was just a leaf. False alarm."
- And my personal favourite scenario: Arriving on the scene to a large group of happy people using an oversized novelty pen to blissfully check off Townsend's Warbler off their May lists and saying, "Oh, if you were here only 5 minutes ago, it came right out in the open and actually landed on each of our hands and sang us that nice tune from Cheers."
Ok, so none of these scenarios came to pass (I just wanted to be prepared!) and I was actually quite relieved to find out that arriving an hour after the bird was reported made little difference. Only 3 people, the original finders, actually got the bird. Now I hear that there are also disputes over the bird's identity, but I won't get into that here. And lo and behold, it actually worked out in the end. Besides exhausting my body further and having to come home and sleep for another 3 hours after looking for the bird, I actually heard the Kentucky Warbler that was being reported on the same trail. That takes me to 177.
Alright, enough of this...it's time for more sleep.
The rain cleared and it turned into a beautiful day. I was halfway through watching She's the Man for the zillionth time (Channing Tatum was just walking across the screen with only a towel on), when my phone rang. It was Marianne. I groggily answered the phone and heard only this: "Can you hear me?....breaking up....Townsend Warb...."
I knew it would happen. The day that I can't go to the park due to being sick, something was bound to show up. The fact that it was an uber-mega-rarity only made the whole thing that much worse. These things happen every year. Last year it was Mother's day and I was at a family reunion when the call came in for a Lark Bunting. I got that bird, thankfully, but had to come home to a grumbling, guilt-mongering family. Apparently it's not nice to walk out on the family for a bird. I still don't get their reasoning. It happened with Northern Wheatear, too. The bird shows up the day I have to catch my Greyhound back to Toronto. I got that bird, too, but I cannot and will not go into the details of what I had to do for that one. Let's just say it was the definition of poor judgement by moral/ethical standards...totally worth it though!
So, back to the story at hand. After flying into a fit of blind rage and smashing a window with my mom's antique rocking chair and shaking my fists in the air screaming "How dare you, irony!", I calmed down enough to call Marianne back and got one more piece of information this time amongst the static: Townsend's Warbler, Tilden Trail. The dark expression on my face and grinding teeth must have screamed murder as my Mom placed her hand on my shoulder and slowly and quietly told me she would drive me to see the bird if I wasn't feeling well enough to drive. I started a texting war with birders who were already there asking if the bird was reliable, any further details, etc.
I went through every bad scenario I could think of on the drive there:
- The visitor center parking lot is full and I have to hike from White Pine to get there, arrive shaking, moments away from death, and hearing the words: "You just missed it! Unfortunately, it was eaten by a Cooper's Hawk. There's the bloody mess right over there!"
- Getting out of the car and rushing to see the bird and getting trampled by a stampede of birders, leaving me twitching in the mud with a broken shin bone piercing through the skin and having to crawl the rest of the way using only my fingernails, and a kind old lady saying, "Oops! It was just a leaf. False alarm."
- And my personal favourite scenario: Arriving on the scene to a large group of happy people using an oversized novelty pen to blissfully check off Townsend's Warbler off their May lists and saying, "Oh, if you were here only 5 minutes ago, it came right out in the open and actually landed on each of our hands and sang us that nice tune from Cheers."
Ok, so none of these scenarios came to pass (I just wanted to be prepared!) and I was actually quite relieved to find out that arriving an hour after the bird was reported made little difference. Only 3 people, the original finders, actually got the bird. Now I hear that there are also disputes over the bird's identity, but I won't get into that here. And lo and behold, it actually worked out in the end. Besides exhausting my body further and having to come home and sleep for another 3 hours after looking for the bird, I actually heard the Kentucky Warbler that was being reported on the same trail. That takes me to 177.
Alright, enough of this...it's time for more sleep.
May 13, 2009 - Day 11 - The nausea bug
Grrrr. It's so frustrating to get sick during May migration. Wednesday morning started off poorly and sort of just fell to pieces from there. I woke up well before my alarm to get ready to leave and noticed that it took an absurd amount of energy to drag myself out of bed. Uh oh. I poured some cereal and took a bite. Uh oh # 2. My stomach flip-flopped and I immediately stopped eating. Now, of course, being May, I ignored the signals telling me to go back to bed thinking it would go away as soon as I got out onto the trails but it wasn't meant to be. By 11:00am, after a slow morning at the tip, I broke out into the sweats. Uh oh # 3. I realized I needed sleep...fast...and that if I kept pushing myself, I was going to leave something on the trails that no one but soil decomposers would appreciate. Also, it's not normal for someone my age to have to take bench-sitting breaks just to keep going. Final uh oh before deciding to leave.
Therefore, there's hardly a thing to post for the day...and since it's now Thursday as I post this and I still feel like sh@t, I think I'll leave it at that :D
Therefore, there's hardly a thing to post for the day...and since it's now Thursday as I post this and I still feel like sh@t, I think I'll leave it at that :D
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
May 12, 2009 - Day 10 - Gas is expensive!!
What a great day. 10 full hours, 6 new species added to my May list, and the best company a birder could ask for. I joined a Toronto group made up of various members of the Toronto Ornithological Club and we had an awesome day together. Unfortunately, I'm too tired to actually write anything substantial today and I promise it will be a boring post...I just don't have the energy to put much thought into it!
The first good bird of the day was a beautiful Summer Tanager at the tip. It was actually one of the nicest I've seen, with bright red in the tail and a nice mix of orange-green throughout the rest of its body. I missed Clay-coloured Sparrow again but that's perfectly ok. There were other good birds to find. Bay-breasted Warbler was my first new bird on Woodland Trail. Then a Sharp-shinned Hawk flying over the same location. Later, the group had an Osprey over Tilden Trail. Following that, I got a Red-headed Woodpecker at a nesting hole across from Pelee Wings Nature Store. Finally, Hillman Marsh was excellent in the evening and I added Whimbrel and Black-billed Cuckoo to my May list from this location.
The one big blunder for me was walking 2 field lengths to see a Hooded Merganser that was reported in a canal in the Onion Fields. Our scopes couldn't see through the heat waves so I decided to put some extra effort in and made my way all the way down to where the bird was swimming. I trudged along the (private?) property, excitedly looked out into the water, and identified the bird as a Mallard. My shoulders have never slumped so low.
I also added a few more books to my Birding library today including The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America (for taking into the field because the original Sibley's guide is just way too heavy for that!), A Guide to the Identification and Natural History of The Sparrows of the United States and Canada, which contains amazing plates illustrated by David Beadle, and finally, The Birdwatcher's Companion to North American Birdlife, a steal at $20. It's a good thing it was a steal, too...because gas for the truck is expensive. I thought I would save money on this trip but that ain't happening!
Day List:
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Green-winged Teal
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Peregrine Falcon
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Spotted Sandiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Whimbrel
Ruddy Turnstone
Least Sandpiper
Dunlin
Short-billed Dowitcher
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Caspian Tern
Forster's Tern
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Black-billed Cuckoo
Eastern Screech-Owl
Chimney Swift
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Least Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Blue-winged Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Palm Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Total Species: 105
The first good bird of the day was a beautiful Summer Tanager at the tip. It was actually one of the nicest I've seen, with bright red in the tail and a nice mix of orange-green throughout the rest of its body. I missed Clay-coloured Sparrow again but that's perfectly ok. There were other good birds to find. Bay-breasted Warbler was my first new bird on Woodland Trail. Then a Sharp-shinned Hawk flying over the same location. Later, the group had an Osprey over Tilden Trail. Following that, I got a Red-headed Woodpecker at a nesting hole across from Pelee Wings Nature Store. Finally, Hillman Marsh was excellent in the evening and I added Whimbrel and Black-billed Cuckoo to my May list from this location.
The one big blunder for me was walking 2 field lengths to see a Hooded Merganser that was reported in a canal in the Onion Fields. Our scopes couldn't see through the heat waves so I decided to put some extra effort in and made my way all the way down to where the bird was swimming. I trudged along the (private?) property, excitedly looked out into the water, and identified the bird as a Mallard. My shoulders have never slumped so low.
I also added a few more books to my Birding library today including The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America (for taking into the field because the original Sibley's guide is just way too heavy for that!), A Guide to the Identification and Natural History of The Sparrows of the United States and Canada, which contains amazing plates illustrated by David Beadle, and finally, The Birdwatcher's Companion to North American Birdlife, a steal at $20. It's a good thing it was a steal, too...because gas for the truck is expensive. I thought I would save money on this trip but that ain't happening!
Day List:
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Green-winged Teal
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Peregrine Falcon
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Spotted Sandiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Whimbrel
Ruddy Turnstone
Least Sandpiper
Dunlin
Short-billed Dowitcher
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Caspian Tern
Forster's Tern
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Black-billed Cuckoo
Eastern Screech-Owl
Chimney Swift
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Least Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Blue-winged Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Palm Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Total Species: 105
Monday, May 11, 2009
May 11, 2009 - Day 9 - A day of misses, but new opportunities on the horizon
Glossy Ibis, Mississippi Kite, Wilson's Phalarope, Yellow-breasted Chat, Leconte's Sparrow: this list of missed species just keeps on growing!! Perhaps it was the birding gods punishing me for sleeping in this morning. A very kind birder told me that sleeping in is allowed but it did two things to my day. First, eliminated hours of birding from my day where I could have checked off a few easy warbler species. Second, it totally threw off my day when I had to park at White Pine and walk to the Visitor Center from there completely out of the loop on what was being seen throughout the park. It's kind of amazing how quickly the park fills with birders as it is a Monday and the entire Visitors Center parking lot as well as all of West Beach were full. Looks like I'll be waking up even earlier the rest of the week!
Something good came out of the day, though, and that was shadowing a hike led by Marianne in the Woodland Trail. I've agreed to do hikes next year and if all goes well (and I'm able to book of time again!) I'll be a hike-leader for the park (fingers crossed). I was very nervous about it all at first but after I shadow a few more hikes I think I'll be quite confident to do them well. There is a certain joy that comes from showing beginner birders a species that I now take for granted and see them react as if it was the most beautiful bird they've ever seen. Leading hikes is a challenge I look forward to next year.
The two species I added to my list today were Least Sandpiper and Ruddy Turnstone, two of my favourite species of shorebirds that I knew I would see eventually. I have no doubt now that I'll reach 175. If I could get over 180 or even 185 I would be content. Hopefully I'll actually see some of these rarities that are starting to show up.
Day List
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Greater Scaup
Red-breasted Merganser
Ring-necked Pheasant
Wild Turkey
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Lesser Yellowlegs
Ruddy Turnstone
Least Sandpiper
Dunlin
Short-billed Dowitcher
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Caspain Tern
Forster's Tern
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Least Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Total Species: 91
Something good came out of the day, though, and that was shadowing a hike led by Marianne in the Woodland Trail. I've agreed to do hikes next year and if all goes well (and I'm able to book of time again!) I'll be a hike-leader for the park (fingers crossed). I was very nervous about it all at first but after I shadow a few more hikes I think I'll be quite confident to do them well. There is a certain joy that comes from showing beginner birders a species that I now take for granted and see them react as if it was the most beautiful bird they've ever seen. Leading hikes is a challenge I look forward to next year.
The two species I added to my list today were Least Sandpiper and Ruddy Turnstone, two of my favourite species of shorebirds that I knew I would see eventually. I have no doubt now that I'll reach 175. If I could get over 180 or even 185 I would be content. Hopefully I'll actually see some of these rarities that are starting to show up.
Day List
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Greater Scaup
Red-breasted Merganser
Ring-necked Pheasant
Wild Turkey
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Lesser Yellowlegs
Ruddy Turnstone
Least Sandpiper
Dunlin
Short-billed Dowitcher
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Caspain Tern
Forster's Tern
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Least Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Total Species: 91
May 10, 2009 - Day 8 - A suggestion to mom
If there is any person in the world who deserves a day to recognize their importance, it is our mothers. The sacrifices made, the patience, the pain endured, the love and care, the commitments...we appreciate the work that goes into being a mom. So moms must have a lot of pull then, right? Well, I have a request for moms out there. Can you all, like, come together and work out an agreement to get the month that Mother's Day falls into changed? I mean, it's right in the middle of prime birding season! Do we have to honour mothers during May? I suggest we change the month to June and merge it with Father's Day. This would also eliminate the confusion a child in a same-sex relationship must feel on these days. We could just have a joint Parent/Caretaker Day and everyone is happy!
Mother's Day did screw up my day of birding but hopefully it's clear that I am being silly. I had a great Mother's Day celebration and I was still able to fit in a trip to Pelee in the morning, Kopegaron Woods in the afternoon, Hillman Marsh in the evening, and went back to Pelee at night to watch the American Woodcock displays again with my friend, Sara (and I sitll made it to over 100 species!). While on the subject of night birding, I obviously listened hard again for Whip-poor-wills but to no avail. I give up on this species. It's just too exhausting to stay so late in the park and then have to wake up in the wee hours of the morning and head straight back.
The only new addition to my May list for the day was a Summer Tanager, but it was a great experience as the bird landed within feet of where I was standing. It's SO nice sometimes to get lucky like this rather than embarking on a wild goose chase for an hour only to be disappointed when the bird doesn't stay in the same location. It was a decent morning (although there were a lot of people).
After a brunch with family, I went to Kopegaron with my brother and the highlight there was an Orange-crowned Warbler. Still no Hairy Woodpecker though. Then I missed Wilson's Phalarope at Hillman Marsh (missing birds seems to be a big trend for me in the last few days!). As much as I complain though, I love being out in the beautiful weather enjoying the birds and birders.
Finishing off the day with the Woodcock displays was a great decision. These birds are a spectacle. The male almost looks like an insect as it launches from the ground, twittering and whistling while ascending higher and higher until it's almost out of eyesight and then plunges to the ground in an awesome display, maneouvering back and forth and impressing the onlooking female. An earlier group was actually lucky enough to witness a pair copulating (hmm, I wonder if I should put lucky in quotation marks?).
Day List
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
Wild Turkey
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Black-bellied Plover
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Dunlin
American Woodcock
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Caspain Tern
Forster's Tern
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Least Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Blue-winged Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Palm Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Canada Warbler
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Total Species: 101 - Oddly enough, this is the third day this May that I've got 101 species!!
Mother's Day did screw up my day of birding but hopefully it's clear that I am being silly. I had a great Mother's Day celebration and I was still able to fit in a trip to Pelee in the morning, Kopegaron Woods in the afternoon, Hillman Marsh in the evening, and went back to Pelee at night to watch the American Woodcock displays again with my friend, Sara (and I sitll made it to over 100 species!). While on the subject of night birding, I obviously listened hard again for Whip-poor-wills but to no avail. I give up on this species. It's just too exhausting to stay so late in the park and then have to wake up in the wee hours of the morning and head straight back.
The only new addition to my May list for the day was a Summer Tanager, but it was a great experience as the bird landed within feet of where I was standing. It's SO nice sometimes to get lucky like this rather than embarking on a wild goose chase for an hour only to be disappointed when the bird doesn't stay in the same location. It was a decent morning (although there were a lot of people).
After a brunch with family, I went to Kopegaron with my brother and the highlight there was an Orange-crowned Warbler. Still no Hairy Woodpecker though. Then I missed Wilson's Phalarope at Hillman Marsh (missing birds seems to be a big trend for me in the last few days!). As much as I complain though, I love being out in the beautiful weather enjoying the birds and birders.
Finishing off the day with the Woodcock displays was a great decision. These birds are a spectacle. The male almost looks like an insect as it launches from the ground, twittering and whistling while ascending higher and higher until it's almost out of eyesight and then plunges to the ground in an awesome display, maneouvering back and forth and impressing the onlooking female. An earlier group was actually lucky enough to witness a pair copulating (hmm, I wonder if I should put lucky in quotation marks?).
Day List
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
Wild Turkey
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Black-bellied Plover
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Dunlin
American Woodcock
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Caspain Tern
Forster's Tern
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Least Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Blue-winged Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Palm Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Canada Warbler
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Total Species: 101 - Oddly enough, this is the third day this May that I've got 101 species!!
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