Thinking about a Big Year?!

Red-tailed Hawk - digiscoped with Swarovski ATX 85mm and hand-held iPhone.
I was low and in the weeds, hence the weed blur which I thought was a kinda cool effect.

Ada County, Idaho

The idea of a birding "Big Year" - striving to see as many birds as possible in one calendar year - has always intrigued me. I don't see myself in much of a position to attempt a Big Year on a grand scale like the ABA area or even my own state of Idaho. Just the thought of a Big Year in Ada County in which I live, seems daunting enough. It's a large county as far as square miles to cover and hosts a nice diversity of habitat and birds. According to eBird, there are right around 300 bird species documented here. I think it would be a fun and exciting challenge, but I'm trying to give myself a reality check about how much time and effort might be involved before approaching my family for support. When I do things like this, I go all the way, fully committed. My personality type would not allow me to do this casually.

If you're gonna do a Big Year, ya gotta start planning early. So I turned to eBird for information. I've downloaded the eBird data for Ada County and begun sorting the list in several ways. I also ranked each species by the probability of seeing it:

1 = Should be easy to see
2 = Should be able to see with some effort
3 = Should be able to see with some luck and additional effort

There are about 130 species I should be able to see fairly easily just by getting out and about with the same regularity I currently go birding. There are another 70 species that are regularly occurring that I should be able to see by expending some additional effort. The remaining 90-100 species will take a bit of preparation combined with a lot of luck and the aide of fellow birders willing to share sightings with me.

Ada County Major Birding Hotspots

The eBird data also shows the window of opportunity I have for seeing each migrating species. Knowing your window of opportunity is critical to Big Year planning no matter what scale you are attempting. I'm also able to see on the eBird maps, where the best places are to see each species. I've started gathering this information into an Excel spreadsheet which is helpful to me in sorting and filtering for the information I want.

Some people might try and do a Big Year all on their own effort, and more power to them...but I won't be shy about asking for all the help I can get. If I do this Ada County Big Year, the Idaho birding listserv will be a great source of leads. I've also compiled a list of active and experienced Ada County birders I would plan to ask to be my consultants for the best times and locations to see each species, to be my trip companions, and to have me on speed-dial in their cell phones when they see something I haven't seen yet. At the same time, I hope my efforts might help spread the joy and excitement of birding as I share my escapades in the coming year.

Here area a couple more recently digiscoped images just for fun...

Setting priorities, and remembering birds in a vacant lot

One's priorities change over time. The inevitable and the unexpected, and the balance between wants and needs all come into play. Getting drafted in 1966 and suddenly moving from New Jersey to west Texas with our three children was jarring, yet eventful in a very positive way. We selected our El Paso rental home mostly because of its convenience to schools, work and shopping. The expansive blue sky and the mountainous backdrop were pleasant but not necessary. Likewise, our subsequent homes in New Orleans and Dallas were chosen with similar needs in mind.

Only after 27 years, when retirement approached and we were "empty nesters" did we think about what we really wanted in a home. My love for the southwest was an overwhelming consideration. For Mary Lou, proximity to family was an equally important factor. On one of my business trips to New Mexico I learned of a new subdivision under construction. In a moment of free time I visited the site and called the number on the real estate agent's sign. After a short visit I selected a home site and called Mary Lou to seek her agreement on entering into a contract. Despite her reluctance about the fact that I had not yet even set a retirement date, I knew she shared my feelings about the region. Besides, two of our children lived within a few hours drive, in Texas and Arizona.



In New Mexico, living at 7,000 feet elevation, we had our mountains and four seasons.The tremendously varied habitats provided great birding. Of course, the nearest shopping centers and health care providers were located twenty or more miles away, accessible only through a single mountain pass that could be choked by a blizzard or a traffic accident. After eleven years we reconsidered our priorities, and took the dramatic step of moving to south Florida, to be near our younger daughter's family. In lieu of mountains we wanted to look out over water. Eyes that are fixed on a distant vanishing point are eyes at rest.



Our daughter actually selected our Florida home.  We ratified her choice and moved here in 2004. We had not yet sold our New Mexico home when, three months later, her husband got a big promotion to Chicago and they moved away with our two baby granddaughters! It took us two years to make the weighty decision to purchase a second home in Illinois. We hoped to balance our newly discovered love of mild Florida winters with our need for family. Now the view was not an issue. We needed only a "crash pad," a place to stay when it was hot and humid back in Florida. We selected a town-home only two miles away from our daughter's house.
 


It was a new unit, in one of the first of 36 buildings that were scheduled to be part of a complex with homes for over 200 families. We knew that subsequent construction would fill the surrounding open space and blot our our view of the horizon. The housing crisis hit as the seventh building was finished, and the developer was unable to complete the project. Construction was put off indefinitely, and the land, the equivalent of four or five city blocks around our condo, remained undisturbed for six years. As it returned to an imperfect grassland, it became an unexpected birding treasure. The above photo was taken in 2010, after the land had been healing for four years.

Thunder was usually the only ominous sound under the prairie skies.



Sadly, but not unexpectedly, this week we also heard the roar of bulldozers as the entire area was being cleared and graded. Time to stop and remember how nice it was while it lasted.

Our front door provided an ideal vantage point for viewing birds that rested on the color-coded utility markers.

American Kestrels nested in one of the large trees along the main road.



Horned Larks built their nests early in the spring near our front doorstep.



Savannah Sparrows sang and defended their territories.



American Pipits visited during migration into winter.




At least one pair of  Eastern Meadowlarks raised a family out in the largest open tract.



Red-winged Blackbirds shared a pothole with muskrats.



A pile of construction rubble provided another high perch in the treeless empty lot. We could drive around the corner and park, using the car as a blind, and just wait for the next bird to occupy it. Lazy birding at its best!

Spotted Sandpipers sang all spring. The area had room for several breeding pairs.



Song Sparrows visited and probably nested along the shrubby margins.



For the past two years, Vesper Sparrows serenaded from the roof of our condo and surely found nesting areas in the weeds near the old mound of topsoil left when the area was first cleared.



In spring, melting snow and rain created roadside "fluddles" that attracted other birds. The only photographic challenge was to park with the sun at our back.

Solitary Sandpipers passed through during spring migration.



Sandhill Cranes brought their colts to feed in the field right near our doorstep.



Both Canada and the smaller Cackling Geese made use of the "floodles."



On one occasion, a "blue" Snow Goose paid a visit (photographed from inside an upstairs window).



A Great Blue Heron seemed to be hunting insects and possibly voles out in the fields.



Red-tailed Hawks roosted on streetlights over empty roadways.



Many Killdeer courted and raised their chicks every spring.



Along the far edge of the property, American Goldfinches, flowers and butterflies delighted us with their color...



...Chicory...



...Summer Azure.



I can mourn the loss, but cannot reverse progress, and will revel in  remembrances of a plot of land no longer vacant.  

Index of earlier ROSYFINCH RAMBLINGS posts

Views From the Water's Edge

Below are a series of photographs taken from the water's edge of beautiful Lake Michigan and scenic North Pond in Lincoln Park, Chicago.

A colorful Wood Duck wades in cool pond waters

A secretive Sora makes its way along a submerged branch

On the hunt ~ Green Heron

Cinnamon Surprise! Cinnamon Teals are not often seen in Chicago, but I was fortunate to view this red-eyed duck at North Pond last year

A stunning American Kestrel scans the beach for prey

A pretty Dulin gets doused by Lake Michigan Waters

Floating lazily in North Pond ~ Male Hooded Merganser

Standing in the shallows of Lake Michigan ~ Peregrine Falcon

Black-crowned Night Herons are a common sight at North Pond

One of several busy Horned Larks seen foraging at the beach

A lone Semipalmated Plover scans the shoreline for tasty treats

A striking Blue-winged Teal dabbles in the calm, cool pond

A brief glimpse of a beautiful Virginia Rail

A handsome Killdeer enjoys a sunny day at Montrose Beach

Afloat in the pond ~ Pied-billed Grebe

Posted by Julie A. Gidwitz

Landfill Birding

As a homebuilder I regularly have to take construction debris to the county landfill. I hate throwing away money, but we recycle as much as possible. I take advantage of the opportunity when at the landfill to scope all the gulls looking for any unexpected birds.

On a recent trip to Hidden Hollow Landfill, while standing on the side of the road scoping the birds, a couple of guys pulled up next to me and the driver exclaimed, "Dude! Are you seriously birdwatching at the dump?!"

I smiled broadly and said with resolution "Yes I am." I briefly explained that there are often rare gulls spotted at the landfill and I was hoping to find one.

He replied, "And I just thought they were all 'dump chickens'."

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Just for fun, I wanted to share the Mortensen Halloween costumes for this year.

My wife Jessica makes most of the costumes herself and we always have a family theme. Can you figure out what our theme was this year?

Ring-necked Pheasant Rooster

One of the really cool things about digiscoping is that I am willing to try and take photos that I would never have done in the past with my 150mm lens on my dSLR camera. The images are not as high quality as I get from my regular camera, but for long distance shots that I wouldn't try otherwise, I'm delighted with them. These rooster pheasant photos were taken with my iPhone 4S through a Swarovski Optik ATX 85mm spotting scope at 60 power. Yes, I said 60 power. Most scopes of lesser quality will have a dark and dingy image at 60 power, but one comes to expect crystal clear images with Swarovski. I feel like the camera's autofocus and my hand-holding is the only thing really holding me back from getting better images. Even at 60 power, the scope still has great light transmission and clarity to capture the array of colors seen on this pheasant.

I know it is not a native bird, but it is a well established in Idaho and just so dang beautiful. Just look at the colors and the patterns. Amazing! Make sure to click on the image to view them in a larger format.