Birding with Friends

The King Eider that I saw today was too far for a photo
But this is one I saw at the Cape Cod Canal last year

Today was a day that involved a couple of good birds and good conversations. A few birders went out today on the Block Island Ferry. Somehow, I got an invite. I did not turn it down. Five of us went out on the boat. I knew two of the birders and had seen the other two birders before but didn't know them. The ferry ride was awesome. We saw over one hundred Razorbills and dozens of White Winged Scoters. The highlight, by far, was a King Eider. This was the first I had seen in Rhode Island. All of us were very excited to see it. At Block Island, we saw the same Purple Sandpipers I had seen previously. 

After we got back around noon I took off to Portsmouth to go look for Northern Shovelers. Jan StJean (whom invited me on the ferry) saw a couple yesterday at St. Mary's Pond. So I took the scenic forty minute drive to the pond. I saw them from the viewing area pretty quickly. While admiring the male's plumage in great light my friend's Dick and Marge Bradley walked out to see them also. 

We talked for a little while and we decided to go to Sachuest to see if we could find a Red Necked Grebe. I had seen one at Beavertail a couple weeks ago but they had not. We walked around the peninsular and saw plenty of ducks but not the grebe.

After we left Sachuest, we went to the Aquidneck Land Trust Sakkonet Greenway to look for the Short Eared Owl. I saw this bird a couple of weeks ago. Up until last night no one else had seen it. Jan went to the spot that I saw it and it flew over her head. I could tell that my integrity was in question being the only one to see it. In one sense, I was pissed that I was being doubted. On the other hand, these people barely know me and don't know how important the truth is to me. I have only been hardcore birding for a couple of years, so I understand.  Even though Jan had seen it I was determined to see it again and get a picture or have a witness. 

Happily, Marge and Dick planned on looking for the Short Eared also. When we pulled into the parking area another (far better than me) birder Matt Schenck was getting out of his car. We waited around for half an hour. Right before dark the owl came out into  the field. It circled along the tree line and then turned right straight toward us. It flew not twenty feet from where we were standing. It was so close the binoculars were useless. As you can imagine I was pretty pumped to have a witness. Even Marge told me that I was validated (I had told her how I had been questioned). We all left pretty happy.

As we walked back to the cars, Dick and Marge invited me out for supper with them. We stopped at a roadside diner that had some kick ass American Chop Suey and had a few laughs. Today was a fun day.

More photos below

White Winged Scoter

Harbor Seal that lives near the Block Island Ferry

Still around

This year, my White Whale has been Purple

White Whales, aka- purple sandpipers

If you have been reading along, you know I have been looking for birds almost every day off so far since the new year.  I have spending my days trying to find birds I have not yet seen that would be around in the winter.

One bird I have failed miserably on over and over has been Purple Sandpiper. As the name implies, it is a sandpiper and it really is purplish. This species has been declining year after year (kind of like stripers). Seeing one used to be as easy as going to a rocky point such as Beavertail or Sachuest. This year I have gone to those places multiple occasions plus others and yet to see one.

Up until today, I was 0-9 looking for these little guys. I had tried Beavertail and Sachuest multiple times. I expanded my search checking the rocks near Scarborough, the Avenues, and any other places there were rocks. I even took the long walk out to Napatree in January! to see them at the point. I had a 100% success rate until that trip seeing them there. No luck.

Quite honestly, I like Purple Sandpipers. They are one of my favorite shorebirds. So seeing them isn't just about tacking them to my list. I genuinely like them, making it that much sadder I am watching their numbers decline so rapidly. That said, I have spent an ungodly amount of time looking for them. Driving to and walking out to Napatree is almost five hours I could be checking multiple spots for a number of other species.

Today was an Ocean State Bird Club trip on the Block Island Ferry. The winter trip is designed to get seabirds that winter here from the Arctic. Besides the seabirds, I was also really hoping to find a Purple Sandpiper. Taking the ferry offered me a lot of opportunity. I could check the Short Wall, West Wall and even the edge of the Center Wall. Block Island's harbor is also protected by two jetties, and if I didn't get them on the way out, maybe they would be there on the return trip.

There wasn't anything on the walls, but pulling into Block Island, I spotted a few right at the end of a jetty. Glad that hunt was over! When I saw them I pointed them out to the group who had no idea how difficult they were for me.

Also spotted on our trip were harbor and grey seals, black guillemot (year bird), long tailed ducks, tons of loons and white winged scoter, peregrine falcon, and a bald eagle flying back to the mainland.

Black Guillemot (in nonbreeding plumage)

It was a fun day with good birds and a lot of socializing, but I has most happy to get my white whale!

Harbor Seal

Grey Seal

More photos below of purple sandpipers

What means more to you?

Harlequin Ducks at Beavertail today

 A few years back when I didn't go birding nearly as much as I do now, I ran across Wayne Munns. Wayne is one of Rhode Island's best birders. He comes in the top five every year and one year saw the most birds. I really don't know him and I'm sure he doesn't even remember my name. However I remember our conversation almost word for word and it stuck with me.

   We had both been looking at the same fairly rare bird. It was still early in the day when we found it. Two other rare birds had been spotted. One was a Sandhill Crane and the other was a Vesper Sparrow. I had seen Sandhill Cranes in Yellowstone but the Vesper Sparrow would be a lifer. The problem was each bird was different sides of the state. I didn't have the time, energy, or gasoline to chase them both. What to do?

   As I was pondering this decision to Wayne, he very nonchalantly said to me "Which one means more to you?" I thought about it for a minute. The Vesper would have been a lifer but it is a sparrow. On the other hand, a Sandhill Crane is a 5 foot tall wading bird that I had never seen anywhere near home. When I responded with "Sandhill Crane" he said, there's your answer. Needless to say, I chased the crane. Those words really got me thinking and I've come to use them to live by "What means more to you?"

   Over the years I have always had this internal struggle pulling me into different directions when it comes to outdoor recreation. I always felt that if I was dedicating too much time to one pursuit I wasn't giving enough time for the others.   Before I go on, I have to remind you, that my only child is 23 years old and somewhere on the other side of the world right now. I am unmarried, so I know I have far more free time and a lot less obligations than most people. Do not chop my head off when I say there isn't enough time to do all the fun things I want...I get it. 

During the spring, specifically May, everything is good. Stripers are back, trout have been stocked and are actively feeding on insects, birds are migrating by the millions, it is the best month to catch a trophy carp, and oh by the way, largemouth and smallmouth fishing is at its peak. It is enough to make my head spin!!!

So, I would feel guilty. If I striper fished two night in a row, I'd go to the fly pond the next day. If I was at the fly pond and I caught 6-8  trout (a typical evening) and my friend Dave caught 20 stripers, I'd be sick over it. If I went down the Cape trout fishing the kettle ponds and I saw migrating warblers, I'd be so mad I wasn't birding. White people problems, I know.

Then a few years back the little motto "What means the most to you?" hit me like a ton of bricks. I started doing exactly what I wanted and put away the guilt. For example, one year I really wanted to place in the top 3 in our carp club's Big 3 tournament. I knew first place was out of the question, but I could come in second if I put in the time. So that is what I did. I gave up plenty of striper evenings to sit by the lake sometimes till 11 pm hoping for some big fish. I did end up second and had no regrets.

Lately, my two passions have been birding and striper fishing. I really haven't put in too much time catching carp or trout over the last 18 months. That is okay. Maybe next year, I'll want to sling my fly rod or try again for a 30 pound carp more often.

This year I am doing a Rhode Island Big Year. This means I'm going to see how many species of birds I can really see. I'm going to chase every rarity within reason. This will mean "sacrificing" a weekend at Plum Island during May which is something I love doing. However, I want to see how many species I can get this year. So, it is what I want to do. I also plan on doing a lot of striper fishing. Striper fishing and birding compliment each other. I can bird during the day and striper fish in the evening. Some days in the fall I will do both multiple times during the day. Maybe I will devote more time to trout or carp, but I do love catching stripers, so we will see.

On the other hand, I decided that in 2020, I am not even going to keep my list on the public site. It brings out competition. I want to see how I compare this year, but not next.  I already know for sure that I am not going to "list" next year. There are many reasons for this. Next year, I don't want to feel like I have to chase every bird. I want to bird for the sheer joy of it or just to take pictures without the pressure of "the next bird". I want to spend as much time as I can at Plum Island next year since I won't be this year. That will mean I'll see far less birds in RI next year, Also, I'd like to take a birding trip to Cape May, NJ. Lastly, my son and I are hoping to do a big hiking trip together in 2020. Add all of these things together and there is no way birding in RI will be a priority. Besides after chasing every bird for a year, I'm sure I will be burnt out.

Now that I have finished the NH 4000 footers, I will certainly be taking hikes to places I have wanted to see. These include smaller summits, waterfalls, and mountain lakes. There are seven hikes on this list so if I get to NH four times alone, I should be able to see them. This won't interfere with my RI Big Year too much. The summer is a slow time birding, and if I miss a bird because I'm sitting next to Flat Mountain Pond, then so be it. That's okay. doing what matters most is the important lesson here. I'll sacrifice a bird for a weekend hiking.

 Life is far too short to not have as much fun as possible or not to chase every goal. If you have to make a choice between two fun things or a goal... do the one that matters the most to you right now!!

Big year update

Update on my list- I saw 110 species of birds in Rhode Island in January. I also saw a Trumpeter Swan in MA. I've seen two new species in Rhode Island in February (today) giving me a grand total of 112 for RI so far. This puts me in 6th place. There have been  143 species seen.

I have seen three life birds so far- Evening Grosbeaks, Cackling Goose (today) and Barnacle Goose (yesterday)

Of the 31 species I haven't seen, abut half will be easy in other times of the year such as Red Winged Blackbird and Brown Headed Cowbird. The other half, the harder birds are the ones I have been concentrating on knowing I will eventually get the easy birds.