Lapwings and other things

 

A friendly Palm Warbler walked up to me at 
the Black Throated Grey stakeout. I didn't 
get Palm Warbler (a common species until 
December last year)

   The biggest news in the Rhode Island birding world at the end of December was a Northern Lapwing that showed up at Scarborough Beach. I had spent the morning birding in southern New Hampshire. Just as I was pulling into the yard to drop Laurie off so I could go to work at 3 pm, the report came in. As you can imagine, I was pretty frustrated that I couldn't chase a great bird because I had to make money.

   I did have the next day off and I luckily got to see it. Northern Lapwings are native to Asia and Europe and as I just read, very rarely come to North America. When they do "cross the pond" they usually end up in the Canadian Maritime Provinces. So yeah, it was a big deal bird. We call them "megas" as in mega-rare. 

   I didn't have my camera with me that day but luckily my friend Claudia Cooper let me borrow hers so I could take a photo that I could call mine to add to my photo album. I am grateful for her kindness.

    The bird was only seen for those two days then it disappeared presumably forever. I had to work on January 1 so I couldn't go out and do a traditional big day like most of my birding friends. I did have the weekend off though and didn't plan on wasting it. 

    A couple days ago Dick and Marge Bradley found the Northern Lapwing in Jamestown. They found it

Northern Lapwing with Claudia's camera

 on Weedon Lane. So obviously I, along with everyone I know, went to see it so they would have it for their 2025 year list. It was out in an open field and this time I had my camera. It was far out in the grass so my pics aren't any better than with Claudia's photos. 

   Since I had two days to bird I had a choice to make. Did I want to see how many species I could see or did I want to chase rarities. I could rack up big numbers just by going for all of the common winter residents. But I decided to go for rare birds. I got some and I missed some.

   Saturday morning my first bird I tried for was a Greater White Fronted Goose at Jamestown Reservoir. It wasn't there. Then I went right up the street and also dipped on Clay Colored Sparrow at Goodna Farm with other birders. From there I got the Lapwing. 

   

Northern Lapwing, my camera, cropped

I then drove to Scarborough to see the Black Headed Gulls that winter there. However, the highlight was watching crazies do a Polar Plunge. It was freezing. The air temp was about 25 but the wind was howling making the wind chill near single digits. They jumped into thirty five degree water and got out in those conditions.

    We then left to go to Trustom. We saw most of the good ducks and I found unreported Canvasbacks. I was happy to contribute to the good bird list since I spent most of the day chasing reports.  I picked up another five species including Eurasian Widgeon at Perry Mill Pond.

Female Canvasback. 
Probably better than any bird I found in RI 
all last year

   I also tried to find Long Dilled Dowitcher, White Crowned Sparrows, and Meadowlarks without success. All in all, I found Saturday to be a struggle. I saw forty five species, but missed more than half of my targets.

   Sunday I changed strategies and went to the Groton area of Connecticut looking for two rarities. I first tried and failed at the Black Throated Grey stakeout. I spent about ninety minutes there. While I was there, I talked to a Connecticut birder and she said the Spotted Towhee which was my next stop was a two mile walk one way. I couldn't leave Laurie in the car for what would have been over two hours. So I abandoned my next idea and Sunday was frustratingly feeling like Saturday. 

   I drove back into Rhode Island where I got Lapland Longspur, Horned Larks, and a large flock of Snow Buntings at Misquamicut Beach. Then I went back to Jamestown and got the Greater White Fronted Goose which was my fourth attempt. 

 

Lapland Longspur

 I had a decision to make and decide if I wanted to go to Ft Adams for a Lark Sparrow, Providence for a Tufted Duck, Dartmouth for a lifer Says Phoebe, or back to Matunuck for the three birds I dipped on yesterday. 

   Long story short, I went back to get the three from yesterday. I got two of the three. With Tim Metcalf we had the Long Billed Dowitcher and he refound the White Crowned Sparrow. We didn't see the Meadowlarks but  all in all, Sunday was more fun than Saturday. Maybe it was because it ended on a good note with friends.

Post script-

   I haven't decided if I want to keep a list this year or not. I also don't know if I want to do a Rhode Island year list. I chased as many of the rarities as I could over the last two days. I got frustrated with multiple strikeouts. But these were birds I wanted to see. Thinking about many of the rarer birds that show up every year, honestly I don't have the mental energy to chase them. The thought of jumping in the car to see Vesper Sparrow, Cape May Warbler, American Golden Plover , Royal Tern, and twenty five other rare year birds already feels exhausting and not fun. So if I know that I'm not going to go after them, then is there any point in keeping a list? Probably not. I just want to have fun.

A few photos from below including the Polar Bear Plunge-

Ameriasn Pipit
My 300th bird for 2024. 
Drove to Rye, NH to see them

Wilson's Snipe in New Bedford.
One of those rarer birds that show up every year. Usually I get them in April
This is one of those species I wouldn't go out of my way to chase but since it was near a
Snow Goose I was looking at, I was glad to see it.