Birding with Michelle Brodie

DENALI, ALASKA: June 20-28, 2009

2009-06-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

After arriving in Anchorage on June 20, 2009, Sharon, Susan, and I first drove up to the Arctic Valley where a wedding was taking place. It was windy and cold but we trudged up a very steep trail to some rocky ledges where I was hoping to find a White-tailed Ptarmigan. There were no Ptarmigans at all just some Orange-crowned Warblers, Alder Flycatchers, Fox Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, and Wilson's Warblers and lots and lots of wildflowers mostly Wild Geraniums. It took a long time to carefully descend from the steep gravel hillside without tumbling all the way down on our backsides. Back at the base we found a picnic area across from the ski area. It was so windy we had to boil the water in the bathroom. We ate quickly to escape the awful wind and drove down the mountain to Potter Marsh. We looked in the marsh from some of the pullouts but only saw one Beaver and many Arctic Terns and Mew Gulls. Then we continued south on the Seward Highway past Cook Inlet and all the way around Turnagain Arm. We considered camping at Bird Campground in Chugach State Park but after parking at an open spot, getting out and hearing all the noise-- live music, loud highway noises, and noisy campers-- we decided to continue to our reserved spot in Chugach National Forest on the back side of Turnagain Arm on the Kenai Peninsula. On the way we pulled into the turn off for the Portage Glacier to see if any sites were open there but they were all full. I wanted to stop at Portage Glacier but it was nearly 11:00 PM and Susan said we should continue to Porcupine Campground where we had a reservation. It was the summer solstice and still very light out but Sharon and Susan were sleeping and too tired. It's too bad because it was the one day of the whole trip it did not rain at Portage Valley. We drove the long but beautiful drive around Turnagain Arm to the very end of the road at the old gold mining town of Hope, AK to our camp site at Porcupine Campground. It was a very private campsite with ample room but ours was occupied by squatters whom we quickly threw out and made camp. It was still light out after we erected our tents but it was so late that we were soon off to bed. It was hard to sleep with it so light out.

June 21, 2009, the first day of summer, I got up and started boiling water for coffee. As soon as it began to boil the whole stove and pot fell over spilling boiling water onto my right hand causing a severe burn. Despite the mishap we had our breakfast and after admiring all the beautiful dwarf dogwoods that surrounded our campsite left for Chugach State Park. First we stopped at Potter Marsh to walk around the boardwalk. An Alder Flycatcher was singing away right at the entrance and a Lesser Yellowlegs flew repeatedly up onto the railing singing loudly. The boardwalk took us right over the marsh and would have been quite enjoyable except it was too close to the highway noise. Still we enjoyed seeing a singing Lincoln's Sparrow and hearing a singing Northern Waterthrush. There was a Bald Eagle roosting near the marsh and a requisite Black-billed Magpie. I saw a Yellow-shafted Flicker (in California they are red-shafted) fly over and we heard some Black-capped Chickadees in the alders.

We left Potter Marsh and drove up to the Glen Alps section of Chugach State Park. A steady rain was coming down as we parked at the trail head for Williwaw Lakes. The trail descended to a drainage where many wildflowers were growing including the beautiful Chocolate Lily. Soon the trail split and we went right and began an arduous climb up a steep hillside. I was too worn out from our Arctic Valley scramble and insisted that we go back down. We returned to the split and began walking the left branch which was much more manageable though muddy, and Susan spotted our first moose of the trip munching on the wildflowers. We got within one mile of Williwaw Lakes but everyone was just too tired to continue so we returned to the car intending to make a last stop at Portage Glacier. We drove back through Anchorage and down Turnagain Arm again but as soon as we hit the Kenai Peninsula it again began to rain. We tried to stop at Beluga Point to look for whales but the wind was blowing so hard that I could barely open the door and so we continued. By the time we reached Portage Valley it was pouring. We pulled over at the Begich Visitor Center and could only take photos of the iceberg remnants of Portage Glacier from the car. The rain was so intense that we never even got out of the car but continued on down Turnagain Arm back to our cute little campsite at Porcupine CG where we had a wine and cheese social before turning in to bed with it still completely light out.

June 22, 2009, we decided to try Portage Glacier one more time before heading up to Denali. As we approached Portage Valley the rain came harder and harder. We pulled into the fish viewing area but it was too early for spawning salmon. Next we put on all our best rain gear and hiked the 1.6 mile trail to Byron Glacier. It was raining so hard but it was stunning to walk right up to the glacier and see it melting into a cold stream. We went to the Begich-Boggs Visitor Center where you can look at the icebergs from a tunnel but learned that the Portage Glacier has receded so much in the last 100 years that you now must take a cruise ship to walk on it. Where the icebergs are today is where the glacier used to be in 1860. The rain wouldn't let up so we continued back to Beluga Point where we had lunch. Shortly thereafter we had our first bear sighting as two bears walked near the edge of Cook Inlet. Next we left Anchorage and drove to Denali State Park. We pulled into the Mt. McKinley View pullouts along the Glen Highway but Denali was obliterated by clouds as usual. I told Susan and Sharon not to expect to see North America's highest peak while there because it is so high and so massive that it creates its own weather patterns and is frequently shrouded in clouds. At Denali State Park a ranger suggested we walk around Byers Lake which we did. Devil's Club and Nagoonberry were growing near the trailhead. There were a lot of mosquitoes but we had our head nets on. We saw two Tundra Swans on a nest and a beaver in the lake. While stopped for a break I heard the unmistakeable high weeze and looked up in a Spruce to see my first ever Bohemian Waxwing! After circling the lake we had dinner at the Denali SP picnic area before proceeding to the entrance to Denali National Park some 80 miles further along the Glen Highway. We set up camp at the Riley Creek Campground at the park entrance while serenaded by several Varied Thrushes.

June 23, we drove as far on the park road as they allow to the Savage River Bridge which we crossed on foot and then humped it up 3000 feet to the top of Primrose Ridge. From the bottom it seemed like nothing but dwarf birch grew there but as we ascended we were regaled with a host of various wildflowers blooming including the gorgeous Brook Saxifrage, the ubiquitous Bluebell, Wooly Lousewort, Moss Campion, Eskimo Potato, Pink Plumes, Arctic Milkvetch, Bog Rosemary, Cinquefoil, and many, many more. The hike required numerous stops not just to admire the many wildflowers but to catch our breath. While breaking at one point a Golden Eagle flew over and put on a spectacular aerial display I'd never witnessed before. The eagle would fly up and up and then dive straight down with its wings folded into its body before swooping up again at the last minute and soaring up and up into the clouds only to swoop down again wings in like an arrow shot down to earth by god. Close to the summit Susan and Sharon petered out and I was left to myself to scramble to the peak looking all the while for a White-tailed Ptarmigan. I didn't see any Ptarmigans but there was a Northern Wheatear, American Pipit, and a Merlin. All three species of Ptarmigans occur in Denali but the White-tailed can only be found above 4000 feet on rocky ledges. After enjoying the birds, flowers, and views down to the Savage River and across to the Alaska Range, I rejoined my compatriots and we had lunch before descending the steep slope. Back at park headquarters we picked up our park bus passes and then drove past the Savage River Bridge to mile post 29, the Teklanika Campground, our home for the next three nights.

June 24, I was awake in the tent listening to the rain bouncing off the tent fly and waiting, waiting for it to stop. When at 7:30 it still was raining I gave up and got up, made breakfast and lunch and prepared for a full day out in the last frontier. We stood at the bus stop and three buses wouldn't let us get on until finally a bus driven by Monty picked us up. In Denali you may only drive your car as far as the Savage River unless you are camping at Teklanika CG and then you may only drive to the campground and back. No one may drive any further along the park road except a very few winners of an annual lottery. Everyone else must take a park bus driven by Aramark, the official park consessionaire. Denali National Park is six million acres of pristine wilderness crossed only by one road, the park road which goes from Riley Creek to Kantishna some 80 miles away. Just one mile after Monty picked us up the bus stopped again at Teklanika River rest stop. It continued to rain steadily and it was hard to see out of the park (Aramark) bus windows. So some Germans in the seat ahead of us got out and wiped the windows off for us and them. As we continued into the park the rain turned to a heavy snow and it became increasingly difficult to see through the muddy windows. However, the snow had driven the park mammals down the mountains and much closer to the park road than they would normally be. Soon we were stopping for a mother grizzly nursing her cub close by. We saw a Carribou near the road with her calf close behind. It was the first time I'd ever seen a caribou calf and it was Sharon and Susan's first look at any carribou. Monty explained that the Eielson Visitor Center at mile marker 66 was named after a bush pilot whose plane went down in Russia. We were all left scratching our heads at the connection with Denali National Park. There was little to see out of the window other than the snow storm so Monty told the story of Adolph Murie. In the 1930s the Park Service thought that wolves were the cause of a decline in the park's Dall Sheep population so they were shooting the wolves. The Park hired Murie to conduct a study of them. He was the first person to conduct a scientific study of wolves in their natural habitat in Denali. He gathered enough data to prove that the Park's policy of shooting wolves was actually imbalancing the fragile tundra ecosystem. Murie's ensuing book, The Wolves of Mt. McKinley, remains a classic to this day among biologists. I had first read about Adolph Murie and his wife, Louise, in a book about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge which they both tirelessly fought to protect throughout their lives.

In 1906, naturalist and hunter, Charles Sheldon, spent 45 days on the Toklat River studying wildlife. He returned back east and spent the rest of his life urging his influential friends and members of congress to protect the area. Finally in 1917 Mt. McKinley National Park was set aside as a wild life refuge with two million acres. Sheldon personally delivered the bill to President Wilson to sign into law. In 1980, the park boundary was expanded with an additional four million acres. Later the park name was changed to Denali the Athabascan name for North America's highest peak. Close to lunchtime we arrived at the Eielson Visitor Center, the first certified green building in the US. There we learned that Eielson had flown a plane delivering goods and people to the area before it was a park and that he became famous for flying the first plane across the Arctic Ocean. Still I thought the visitor center should have more aptly been named the Murie Visitor Center or better the Charles Sheldon Visitor Center. We got off Monty's bus at Eielson and hiked from there down a trail to the Thoroughfare River. The snow turned to rain as we descended. Somehow we got off the trail and ended up bushwacking through thick willows the last quarter mile, but finally made it down to the river and found a moose there. We walked up the river toward the Muldrow Glacier and the clouds partially cleared exposing Mt. Eielson. We walked back up to the visitor center and Susan rested there because her shoes and socks were wet, while Sharon and I attempted to take the Alpine trail which was unfortunately closed due to bear activity. We walked the road instead. Snow covered everything and we saw little but some Arctic Ground Squirrels. We gathered Susan and boarded another bus headed back to the entrance with driver, John. On the way back we saw an additional nine grizzly bears very close to the park road, including one mother with three cubs. As we approached Polychrome Pass a broken down bus was blocking a hair pin turn. John adeptly manuevered the bus through the turn and got us safely back to Teklanika. Despite the foul weather it was an exciting wildlife day.

June 25, 2009, the sun was out but it was 29 degrees! Holy Toledo. I got up and was excitedly making coffee when I heard a high pitched wheeze-- two Bohemian Waxwings were right there in the campground-- an auspicious beginning to our day. I roused Susan and Sharon out of bed and we caught a bus headed for Wonderlake driven by Cindy. Cindy found some Dall Sheep high up on a ridge, the first ones of the trip. We also saw some carribou, more grizzlies, and moose, and one Red Fox. As we rounded Sable Pass at 3900 feet, Mt. McKinley, some 55 miles away, came into view. Cindy announced it so non-chalantly that I almost thought I misunderstood her. After spending an entire week in Denali in 1996 and never seeing it not once, I didn't think we would see it this trip either. I wasn't going to chance the famed Denali clouds covering it before we got to the viewing area at Eielson, so I took some pictures of it before Polychrome. By the time we reached Eielson sure enough Denali was partially obstructed by clouds. The family sitting behind us on the bus was from Ibiza and they were speaking Portugese. The parents spoke enough English to ask me to put the window up every ten minutes but the kids spoke no English and couldn't understand the interpretive dialogue provided by the bus driver. They talked incessantly even while Cindy was explaining the park flora and fauna. At Eielson we took a 20 minute break so I walked as far as I could up the Alpine trail. It was sunny and full of wildflowers and surprisingly following yesterday's heavy snows, three species of butterflies-- Common Ringlet, Common Alpine, and Arctic Fritillary. It's a long drive just to get to Eielson and the Portugese chatter was mildly irritating but turning to extreme by the time we got to the kettle ponds after leaving Eielson and headed toward Wonderlake. There were nesting Tundra Swans in one of the ponds and Cindy stopped so we could look at them. There were also Green-winged Teal, Barrows Goldeneye, and Greater White-fronted Geese with goslings. Opposite the kettle ponds we passed along Muldrow Glacier, one of the many glaciers at the base of Mt. McKinley, and all along the back side of the Alaska Range and Mt. McKinley which remained shrouded in clouds the duration of the day but was spectacular nonetheless. Almost to Wonderlake a Chinese boy pulled out his gameboy and started playing it with the sound on. I felt like I was on the number 14 Muni Bus! I had had it. So I told the boy it was inappropriate to play a video game with the sound on while in a wilderness area. Meanwhile the Portugese morons' son behind me started singing Star Wars. When he began to sing the Flintstones, instead of asking him to be quiet, the father started humming along with him. Even while stopped to admire wildlife with Cindy imploring everyone to be quiet the little stentorian family continued their Portugese palaver. I was outraged. Just before reaching Wonderlake Cindy told us that those beautiful photos you see of McKinley with Wonderlake in the foreground are taken from Kantishna further down the park road! We should have gotten out at the kettle ponds and Swan nest. We got out at the lake but it was full of mosquitoes and so we only used the bathroom before departing again. Almost ready to pull away, Mr. Ibiza said in broken English to Cindy, "my wife, she not on bus." I thought to myself too bad we couldn't have left both of you there. As the bus headed back toward the entrance the Ibeza brats continued to hum and even that deteriorated into a tuneless monotone drone. I couldn't take it and so we jumped out when the bus stopped for a lady to take a photo of Mt. McKinley. I prefered to walk back than spend my afternoon with those horrible people. As we walked along I was shocked to find two more species of butterflies-- Theano Alpine and White-veined Arctic. As we walked along admiring the Alaska Range it began to hail: it was only a matter of time since we had seen all other forms of precipitation. After a while a bus came and we got on. This bus was driven by this character named, Dick. Some weird lady who was camping at Teklanika was on the bus telling Dick about this evil bus driver who would not stop for wildlife. I almost thought she was joking it was so outrageous. Dick said there was one Nazi bus driver who was behind us. We asked Dick to let us off at Highway Pass, a pass Cindy had pointed out earlier in the day as a nice place to take a walk on account of all the wildflowers. As we approached Highway Pass Dick pointed out a Golden Eagle. Just as we all turned to look at it, a Ptarmigan bolted out and started chasing the eagle. Dick then let us off and our walk did not disappoint. First of all there were four bears across the drainage. Secondly there was a field of an endemic flower, the Arctic Poppy, growing there. And thirdly there were hundreds of species of flowers clinging to the tundra, that you could admire if you were willing to get on your hands and knees to examine them. I could have spent hours there in that one spot. We walked along across the tundra enjoying the solitude and scenery. But it was getting late so we crossed a willow patch to get back to the road and flushed a Willow Ptarmigan family. There were more butterflies in the tundra and some Arctic Warblers in the willow patch. It was a delightful walk marred by our unfortunate luck to reach the park road just as the Nazi bus driver pulled up. We got on and the harridan demanded to see our bus passes even though it was nearly 7:30 PM and we were miles from the entrance with no other way to get there than by our bus pass. I pulled them out of my pocket and we sat down. Oh how I wish we had not gotten on with that officious, punctilious, harpy. As the bus approached the Toklat River someone spotted two Gray Wolves and yelled stop. Ms. Punctilious said, "I can't stop." I yelled "Stop!" She said I cannot stop the bus. I said only 15% of park visitors get to see a gray wolf. She said I won't stop. I said well then let me off and she said "no, no walking is allowed here." I said this is false imprisonment. This officious intermedler on the bus jumped up and jabbed her finger in my face and yelled, "you need to get control of yourself missy." I wanted to punch the virago but instead I sat down because it was obvious I was on a bus full of abused sheep. I looked at the front of the bus for the driver's name which was posted above the rear view mirror, Chandra Willig. Chandra the chanticleer pointed the bus toward the left and said, "here on the left we have..." I thought she was going to point out a Snowshoe Hare, the most common mammal in the park. Instead she said, "a park sign that says no stopping." I wanted to point out that the park service spent years shooting wolves and I found it ironic they didn't want a park bus to stop to look at one. Also extremely ironic was the man walking near the sign Chandra just took pains to point out to me. We pulled into Toklat and I used the toilet and again began walking the park road. I would rather walk the 20 miles from Toklat to Teklanika than ride with that punctilious harridan and her bus full of Dall sheep. We stopped at the Toklat River Bridge for some final pictures. As we walked along I scanned the spruce trees for a Northern Hawk-Owl. Pretty soon another bus came along and we got on. I never learned our new driver's name but the bus was full of some folks from Tennessee with thick accents talking about grizzlies over yonder and curiously the driver had one too. She was very sweet though. At Polychrome she asked if anyone wanted her to stop for a Gyrfalcon. She said incredulous, "no one wants to see the largest falcon in the world?" Someone yelled "get your hands back on the wheel!" I said I would like to see one! This idiot from Germany who spoke no English would not even bother to put her window down and I was stuck in an isle seat so all I got was a shakey video shot. When she dropped us off at Teklanika I thanked her for stopping at the Gyrfalcons and she seemed very pleased. Back at camp Varied Thrushes were singing but the temperature was dropping fast to 42 degrees by 10:10 PM.

June 26, was our last day in Denali. We packed up our tents and left Teklanika. We stopped at the Savage River Bridge and walked the lovely Savage River Loop Trail. On the trail we saw a whole family of Willow Ptarmigans and a female Northern Pintail in the Savage River. As we were driving from the Savage River to the entrance Susan yelled for me to stop. She spotted a Northern Hawk-Owl in a spruce tree. I got out and it let me get pretty close to it. A Mew Gull tried to swoop down over it and caused it to squawk. After admiring the Hawk-owl, we took a much deserved shower at the Riley Mercantile and then left Denali and drove the Denali Highway, a 135 mile mostly unpaved road from Cantwell to Paxton with incredible views of the Alaska Range and the Wrangell mountains. We spotted two Bohemian Waxwings doing a mating dance. Then we stopped just past the Brushkana CG and got out to look for Smith's Longspurs. We heard one singing but could never find it. There was a Wilson's Snipe winnowing. We drove further stopping at some ponds but it began to rain and by the time we reached the Tangle River CG no one had the heart to take the tents out in the rain. We cooked dinner under the hatch of the car and then left to find a lodge. We stayed at the Tangle River Lodge and in the morning drove further to Milepost 13 to look for Smith's Longspurs. It was so windy that Sharon returned to the car. Susan and I doggedly continued. We met a carribou that looked at me as if it were about to be shot. We found a female Lapland Longspur but finally the wind drove us hurrying back to the car. There were magnificent views of the Wrangell mountains from the hill top.
A Whimbrel flew over and there were some Arctic Warblers in the willows. A Bald Eagle was perched on a cabin top. As we returned down the Denali Highway we saw three Common Loons in breeding plummage in one of the many ponds. We stopped at McLaren Summit and took the trail there with commanding views of the Alaska Range and the McLaren Valley. On they way back to the trailhead I spotted a Long-tailed Jaeger. Gray-cheeked Thrushes were singing from the trees. We found a breeding Least Sandpiper at MP 104 and then we left the Denali Highway. We stopped at Denali State Park for dinner and then drove from there back to Anchorage for the night before our flight home. Despite the foul weather, the stentorian Portugese family, the crazed punctilious bus driver, and the mosquitoes, it was hard to leave the astonishing last wild place in North America.
New birds:
Northern Hawk-owl
Bohemian Waxwing
Smith's Longspur
By: Michelle Brodie July 7, 2009

St. Paul Island, Alaska May 22-26, 2009

2009-05-28T07:42:00.001-07:00

On May 21, 2009 I left work in the afternoon and took a long miserable flight with a three hour layover in Salt Lake City, to Anchorage, AK. My plane didn't arrive until 1:00AM. I had no time for anything but to find my hotel in Anchorage. May 22, 2009, I got up as early as I could and drove to the Westchester Lagoon in Anchorage where I was hoping to see a Hudsonian Godwit. It was low tide and there were only Arctic Terns and Mew Gulls on the islands and Red-necked Grebes in the lagoon. I walked the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail to the railroad depot but there were nothing but Orange-crowned Warblers and no shorebirds on the mudflats. I had no spotting scope to scan and anything out there would have been too far. So I left and headed to the airport where I was to meet my Wilderness Birding Adventures group for a trip to the Pribilof Islands, 750 miles off the coast of Anchorage in the Bearing Sea.

I met my group, our leader, Aaron Laing, and four other guys at the Anchorage Airport which is still named after that convicted criminal, Ted Stevens, and we caught a small twin engine plane to St. Paul Island, one of four islands that make up the Pribilof Islands, some three hours west. St. Paul is home to 200 permanent residents, mostly native Inupiat Eskimos and the largest breeding colony of Northern Fur Seals in the world.

Upon landing we checked into the tiny King Eider Hotel and then immediately headed to a pond where we quickly found a Common Greenshank, a Eurasian species rarely found on St. Paul and certainly nowhere else in North America at all. Everyone was very excited especially Aaron. I couldn't remember if I had seen one in South Africa when I was there in December 2007 or not. I told Susan before I left for the Pribilofs that if we saw some common Asian species that she and I had already seen I would have to fake enthusiasm. After some nice looks at the Greenshank we began a thorough scouring of town looking for another rarity. The other van, a group with High Lonesome Birding, found it first and radioed us. We raced over and I got a brief look at a Dusky Thrush, a species I had never even heard of before that day. We got out and I briefly filmed it before it flew away. It was overcast and windy. After loosing the Dusky Thrush we headed over to the Trident Fish Factory for dinner. We would have all our meals there for the next four days. The fish they served at dinner was very good but the vegetables were canned, the salads featured iceberg lettuce, and everything was cooked in massive quantities of butter. After dinner we drove to Polvina Pond and found a Wood Sandpiper (uncommon breeder on St. Paul) a Common Sandpiper, a Eurasian species, and miraculously a Common Snipe, a Eurasian Species that closely resembles our Wilson's Snipe. After enjoying the sandpipers and tramping through the marsh for as long as we could we then headed back to the King Eider Hotel which is really a bunkhouse, to settle in for the night. It was nearly 10:00 PM and still like midday out, when Aaron said we would meet in the lounge area to go over our bird list for the day. It became apparent right away that I could never add anything to the conversation. Aaron could talk about nothing but birds. We went over the list and Aaron announced the bird of the day. Everyone agreed that the Dusky Thrush was the winner. It was still light out when I went to bed after 11:00 PM but breakfast was not until 8:00 AM so that was OK.

May 23, I got up and made myself some Peets coffee I had brought because there was no way I was going to drink Vulgar's (Folgers). A lady was in the coffee pot already. She was with the High Lonesome group. She was excited about a Pintail out the window which she tried to point out to me but I either couldn't get excited enough or couldn't see it. She was a retired neurologist from Cleveland. We had nothing in common so after my coffee I went and had a shower. Scott, the TDX (the Eskimo tribe that owns St. Paul) tour guide, was late picking us up so I took a picture of one of the few breeding birds on the island, a Rosy-crowned Finch which is a subspecies found only on the Pribilofs. You have to hike above 10,000 feet to see one in California. Scott drove us to Trident and we had breakfast. The men were gorging themselves on pancakes, stuffed crepes, eggs, and sausages. I filled my plate with fruit. At $9.00 it was a very expensive plate of fruit. Aaron and Scott discussed birds. Back outside after breakfast some arctic foxes were lounging on the rocks. It was sunny and not very cold for St. Paul. Scott divided the groups up and he drove our group to a fur seal rookery with some steep cliffs. We climbed up the cliffs (except for Alex who couldn't make it) and got very close to breeding Horned Puffins, Tufted Puffins, Least Auklets, Parakeet Auklets, Crested Auklets, and lots and lots of Common Murres and Thick-billed Murres and Black-legged Kittiwakes. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were having a great time looking at all the sea birds and taking lots of photos but Aaron felt bad for Alex and went to the base of the cliff to join him. Scott became restless after a couple of hours and pressured us to leave. We reluctantly left the cliff and rejoined Alex and Aaron who had found another Common Greenshank and Wood Sandpiper in the pond below the cliffs. There were two ladies from Anchorage who had joined us who were not really birders, Marsha and Leslie. They were having a great time on the cliffs too and asking lots of questions. Soon it was time for lunch so we headed over to the Trident Fish Plant. During lunch Scott and Aaron disccussed birds. I never got to add anything. After lunch I walked outside while the men had seconds and saw an Arctic Fox still in its winter coat (all the rest I saw had already obtained their summer coats). Soon Aaron came outside and addressed the group. He told us we had three choices-- relax until 3:30, go find some Emperor Geese, or tramp through the marshes around Polvina Pond to see what we could scare up. It was quite obvious what Aaron wanted to do but since the four of us had paid $2800 to come to St. Paul with Wilderness Birding Adventures he had to at least pretend we had a choice. The four of us looked at him incredulously about the first choice. Why would we pay thousands of dollars to "relax?" We all said we did not want to "relax" and had no preference between 2 and 3. So Aaron made an executive decision we would walk all the way around Polvina Marsh looking for something new. Marsha and Leslie asked to be dropped off at the fur seal rookery. We dropped them off and then Scott dropped us of at Polvina Marsh and left to take a nap. As an employee of TDX, he would be living on the island for the next four months. After Scott dropped us Aaron told us that last year the bird guides had instituted a rule of taking a break after lunch during which time no birding was done. It sounded insane to me. Why would you pay that much money to go lounge at the hotel? The hotel was bare bones and there was not much to do there. The leader of the High Lonesome tour apparently was abiding by the lunch break rule though and taking his group back to the hotel after lunch until 3:30. It seemed way too tame for me and I was glad I was not on the High Lonesome tour. The leader, Phil, was much older than Aaron. And even though Aaron was self centered, selfish, bookish, and obsessive, at least he was energetic. And Aaron was a fantastic bird spotter and had a great ear for bird songs even low pitched shorebird songs and was incredibly knowledgeable about birds in general. I was hesitant to lug my Canon and my Sony professional video camera into the marsh and so I opted for the Sony only since that is my preference. Aaron gathered us in a circle before starting out and made us think about what we wanted to see. He had us focus on Black-tailed Godwit and asked us to conjure one by positive thoughts. We started out into the marsh knee deep in our Neos (waterproof overboots). I heard a bird and put my binoculars on it. I was not yet decided on what it was before Aaron yelled out, "Black-tailed Godwit!" Black-tailed Godwit is a Eurasian species that is casual on St. Paul Island. The bird flew high and away but after a few minutes it flew back and landed approximately where we first found it. I took a picture of it with my video camera. Aaron would not let me get closer. I should have ignored the little bastard and walked toward it. He was so busy taking pictures with his stupid point and shoot lined up with his spotting scope (commonly known as digiscoping) that he couldn't be bothered with the fact that my video camera takes inferior pictures at that distance and we were on the trip for the benefit of the paid customers. I was lamenting that I had not lugged my Canon out there when I began to have the urge to urinate. There was nowhere in sight to hide and I was with four guys! Aaron took picture after picture and blabbed on and on about birds. Finally he decided we had to head back to the road and give up on continuing around Polvina I guess because he didn't want to flush the bird before the others got to see it. We went across the road and I went into a sand dune to relieve myself. We walked into the marsh we had checked the first day and refound the Common Snipe. After a while Scott arrived to pick us up. Aaron and Scott discussed birds in the van. We returned to the hotel and met Stefan who had arranged to use a four wheel drive truck. Although the truck held six, only someone of my short stature could have fit in the middle back seat so I volunteered . Aaron who is about six foot four sat in the front middle and crushed my legs. He discussed birds with Stefan on the way out to the northeast corner of the island which was partially blocked by a sand pile in the road. The goal was an Eye-browed Thrush that had been spotted two days earlier. Stefan made it through the sand in four wheel drive and we swept the barren plane leading to the coast where the fur seals roosted but found nothing but some resident Rock Sandpipers (a subspecies endemic to the Pribilof Islands) and Snow Buntings. Stefan took us to a secluded beach where some gulls were combing the beach. Aaron announced that the one closest to us was a Vega Herring Gull. I looked at it and it was screaming SLATY-BACKED GULL! I said wow that's a very dark Herring Gull and it's bigger than the nearby Glaucous Gull. Hmm. After going on and on about the eye color and ignoring the dark mantle and screaming pink legs, diagnostic features of a Slaty-backed Gull, Aaron finally conceded that it was indeed one. We scanned the ocean afterwards but there was little besides some very distant Red-faced Cormorants (a Pribilofs specialty bird that breeds there) and some even more distant King Eiders. Soon we left for dinner. During dinner we rejoined Scott and Scott and Aaron discussed birds. After dinner Aaron asked me if I had seen an Emperor Goose before. I started to tell him the story about going to Bodega Bay when he abruptly cut me off . Alex had never seen one before and was anxious to do so. Another TDX employee, Sean, took us to look for the Emperor Geese. It was clear that Sean was not nearly the same caliber birder as Aaron the Great and Scott. But he was nice enough and he soon walked us out to a point where we found them on a sand bar. There was a beautiful male King Eider that Aaron showed me in his scope and some Harlequin Ducks and Long-tailed Ducks. I took a very distant photo of a female King Eider.

After birding until 10:00 PM, Aaron insisted that we meet to go over the bird list and choose the bird of the day. They had all seen a Bar-tailed Godwit at the seal rookery that I had missed but Keith and I had seen a Lesser Scaup that they had missed. So our numbers were off and Aaron was visibly upset. Then it was time to choose the bird of the day. Aaron said he knew there would be dissension. I said the male King Eider, a fairly common bird of the Pribilofs. Aaron looked shocked and gave me a very disapproving look. Alex announced his choice, Emperor Goose because he had never seen one before whereas he and Aaron had found a Black-tailed Godwit a few days earlier on Adak Island in the Aluetian chain on an earlier trip. Then I said while the King Eider was very beautiful in actuality my choice was by far and away the Black-tailed Godwit, a much rarer bird that I in all probability will never see again. Ted, a very uptight effete from Portland, Oregon, sheepishly announced that at the risk of incurring the castigation of the group for choosing such a common bird, his bird of the day was a Lapland Longspur that he spent a long time with. The island was nearly covered from shore to shore this time of year with Lapland Longspurs to the point that no one ever even stopped to give them a second look. So I would say his comment more likely than not did cause an internal snicker with Aaron the Almighty Birder. Both of them were shameless listers and chasers and everyone already had Lapland Longspur on every conceivable list they might keep so there was no need to even consider the lowly Lapland Longspur. Aaron, as gentle and kind hearted as he was, feigned approval of Ted's choice. Ted was an ostentatious chaser who related numerous stories while we were there of chasing after this bird or the other in Oregon. I don't care for chasers or listers and he was the worst sort of lister, with a list for nearly everything. He kept copious notes on every single nook and cranny we visited on that tiny island asking Aaron repeatedly where are we now, where were we five minutes ago. It was all getting so tedious between the lister/chaser Ted and the incredibly self-centered and rabid single topic talker Aaron in the confined space of a tiny island in the middle of the Bearing Sea. Everyone went off to bed leaving just Aaron and me. I told him that I had been to South Africa and that's why I wasn't sure if I had seen the Common Greenshank or Common Sandpiper. I told him I had seen 241 birds there. He did not ask me one single question about it, only said he had never been there and then turned the subject back to himself. So I begged off to bed and had a couple of shots of whiskey before falling asleep.

May 24, Aaron and Scott had gone to sitting across from each other during all meals and talking incessantly about birds from the moment they encountered each other in the morning and continuing all through the day. One of them mentioned Paul Lehman, a famous birder who spent some time on the Pribilofs, and Aaron said, "I can't talk to him because all he ever talks about is birds." I said, "I don't know how to tell you two this but that's all y'all talk about." They both said it wasn't true. (In their defense someone did mention once what an idiot Sarah Palin was and how even in the Pribilofs we could not see Russia). After breakfast we drove to some point and did a sweep of a rocky shoreline. Aaron spotted a Hermit Thrush that somehow eluded all six of us and got away. Hermit Thrushes are very common across North America. But Aaron was keeping a trip list and was excited to add a new bird to our cumulative total. I was wondering how to get excited about paying $2800 to see a bird I could see at home. By the time we finished sweeping the shoreline it was time for lunch. When we got to Trident I purposely moved way to the end of the table away from Aaron and Scott because I simply could not listen to them talk about birds non-stop for one more minute. It was so tedious; what bores! So Aaron said to me, "oh that's a good idea; let's mix it up." Then he moved closer to me and Scott promptly sat across from Aaron so I couldn't get away from them. I went to the bathroom and a lady from the High Lonesome group came in. She confided to me that our group was much better than hers. Despite Aaron's boorishness and mind numbing obsessive chatter about birds he was a very good bird guide within an incredible ear for obscure bird songs and excellent bird identifying skills. But it wasn't hard to beat a group that "relaxed" from after lunch until 3:30 PM! I could barely tolerate my lunch while Scott and Aaron continued their loud bird palaver which I was not allowed to add to or participate in in any way. So when I finished I went back outside into the wind to watch the foxes and auklets on the cliffs. When the others came back out Scott dropped us off at the town marsh which we tramped through and found another two Wood Sandpipers. Later we went to a slough where we found yet another Wood Sandpiper, some Eurasian Wigeons, and a Semi-palmated Plover. It was gray, wind swept, and overcast but not stormy like it usually is on St. Paul. We were planning a sea watch for that evening after dinner and it was shaping up to be a cold one. For our last stop before dinner we went to a ridge top with a lake in it. They were all praying for a Smew but I was praying for a Mongolian Plover. We saw neither. So after hiking to the empty lake we all sat beside it and rested a while. For the first and only time of the whole trip I got to tell a story. I told them about my friend, Ken, who was abandoned by the bird guiding company, Rockjumper, when they had a secret meeting and kicked him off the group because his camera was too big deserting him in Madagascar. They were all incredulous and it became the group joke later when they found I did not scrupulously keep a life list as they did. When I said that I had a California Condor on my life list (not permissible by ABA Rules) Aaron said they were going to have a meeting and kick me off of the group and leave me on St. Paul Island.
Dinner was more tedious bird talk from Aaron and Scott and then after dinner we went to a point and had our sea watch. It was very windy and cold and I was dressed like an Eskimo. There were many Northern Fulmars flying about but my target bird was a Short-tailed Shearwater. Ted got his scope on a shearwater far out in the ocean. I got my binoculars on it and it did indeed resemble a shearwater in its shape and behavior. Aaron said it was a Short-tailed Shearwater and I said, "That's my lifer Short-tailed Shearwater? It could be any shearwater. How could I tell from that distance?" He said that Short-tailed Shearwater was the only one that occurred on St. Paul. So I added a very disappointing look at a life bird. Aaron let me use his scope after a while so he could sit down next to Scott and discuss birds. I scoped and scoped the ocean and finally Keith (the nicest and most normal guy on the trip) found a much closer Short-tailed Shearwater that he got me on as well. Still it was much too far away. No one was really interested in the sea watch but me. So after a while we had to leave and go back to the King Eider Hotel. On the way back Scott yelled out Curlew and slammed on the brakes and everyone jumped out. I put my bins to my eyes but they were completely fogged over and I didn't see it. Fortunately it was only a Whimbrel (very common year round resident in San Francisco). It was 10:30 PM but Aaron insisted we have our nightly meeting to go over the bird list. This was the night it finally came out that Keith and I had seen the Lesser Scaup and no one else had seen it. Ted saw it but refused to add it to his list because he could not independently identify it at that time (what a punctilious pain in the rear). Then it was time to decide on bird of the day. We hadn't really seen anything too terribly exciting and I was hoping Aaron would skip over me and ignore me like he usually did. He piped in that the Hermit Thrush was going to be his highlight (I repressed an eye roll) because his heart raced when he saw it but then decided it had to be the Whimbrel (I may have yawned at that point). By that time I think he was so immersed in himself that he forgot to ask me my bird of the day and so I escaped to my whiskey and bed.

May 25, 2009, was Memorial Day and our last day on St. Paul Island. It was overcast after two fine days of sunshine but no storms to blow in any rarities. I trudged to bird palaver breakfast with Scott and Aaron. I ate my $9.00 plate of fruit and then escaped the incessant bird chatter to the cliffs outside. There were the same auklets and puffins flying back and cross from the cliffs to the ocean. As I was admiring them in their beautiful breeding plummage Aaron walked up and asked if I was saying goodbye. Actually I was because although Tufted Puffins occur in California waters the only ones I've ever seen there were from a rocking boat and were in their not so exciting winter plummage. Scott assigned himself to Aaron and Stefan to High Lonesome. We drove to another sea cliff to see a nesting Red-legged Kittiwake. We walked to the top and had excellent views of nesting Fulmars in various plummages including this dark morph. I was led to believe there would also be a nesting Red-faced Cormorant but incredibly even though Scott lives on the island he did not know where to find one! I was disappointed because although we had seen quite a few they had all been in flight and I had been unable to either film or photograph one. I found it odd that someone could live there full time as the birding guide and not know where one nested. Oh well what could I do about it. Aaron sat by Scott while we took photos and they discussed birds. After a while we left to have lunch at Trident for the last time. Scott and Aaron discussed birds while I tried in vain to ignore them. After lunch we went back to the King Eider, packed, checked out, and checked our bags with PenAir. The plane was late by about three hours so after Scott returned from a nap I finally convinced him to take us out for one last time to look for birds. I had read so much about the Pribilof Islands in bird books and all the rare birds that have occurred there over the years, many of which were discovered hiding from the fierce winds in the crab pots that are stacked up in long huge rows during the off season, but curiously we had not checked them not once during our trip. Since we had an extra three hours Aaron suggested that Scott take us to check them. Aaron and Scott walked between the rows while the rest of us stood slightly ahead and on both sides looking for flushed birds. Near the end I put my bins on some motion and found a Hoary Redpoll-- a new bird for the trip! I yelled out Redpoll and everyone got a good look at it. Yeah, I found one bird and it became the bird of the day. We walked around town and I found one lonely blooming flower-- some type of buttercup hunkering down low to the ground. Aaron found an escaped Cockateil on somebody's roof. We also walked around a pond with some just emerging willows that were only as high as my boot top. Aaron spotted a Bald Eagle. Then it was time to catch our flight to Anchorage. The plane only held 12 people and had no toilet! Good thing I am short. Near Anchorage we passed an erupting volcano-- the Redoubt Volcano. Since our plane was three hours late I barely had any time at all to make one last desperate attempt for the Hudsonian Godwit. Now that Aaron had found the Black-tailed Godwit the second day, I had seen all the Godwits that occur in North America except Hudsonian which everyone assured me was "easy" in Anchorage. As soon as the plane landed I quickly said good bye to everyone (they were all continuing on to St. Lawrence Island for 10 days! Lucky bastards) and then rushed down to get a rental car and headed back to Westchester Lagoon. I could not find the directions and ended up tearing all my clothes out of my suitcase before fishing it out of the very bottom. Finally around 10:00 PM I arrived at the Lagoon. I walked from the car to the closest island with only my binoculars. There were the usual Mew Gulls and Arctic Terns. Then I heard a bird calling and looked over to see one lonely Godwit flying into the island-- one Hudsonian Godwit. I studied it with my bins to make a positive id and then flew over to my car to get my video camera for one brief shot of it before it flew back to Cook Inlet to roost for the night. It wasn't nearly as pretty as the Black-tailed Godwit I had seen on St. Paul Island. Where were the hundreds of them everyone claimed you could see in Anchorage? No matter, I only needed one. It was nearly midnight when the sun set in Anchorage and people were still picnicking at the park. I headed off to bed at the Holiday Inn.

May 26, 2009, I got up as soon as I was able and after packing and drove to Hillside Park for some last minute birding. I couldn't find any crossbills- just lots of mosquitoes so I left and headed back to Convicted Felon Airport. As the plane took off the pilot said he would bank so that those on the right side of the plane could see some glacier but after a few minutes he came on and said he lied but if you were sitting on the left side, where I was seated, you could see a rare sight--Mt. McKinley or Denali completely unobstructed by clouds! The guy in the window seat said to crawl over him he didn't mind, so I could see this spectacular sight. I had been to Denali in 1995 and we never saw Mt. McKinley the whole time (my brother reminds me of this every time I see him) even after taking a 72 mile bus trip to Wonder Lake, which is fairly typical. I looked out the window and sure enough there it was all 20,320 feet of it. What a way to end my trip!
Life Birds:
Common Snipe
Black-tailed Godwit
Red-faced Cormorant
Red-legged Kittiwake
Dusky Thrush
Short-tailed Shearwater
Hudsonian Godwit
Michelle Brodie
June 2, 2009

North Dakota: June 21-29, 2008

2008-07-13T20:51:00.001-07:00

North Dakota
June 21-29, 2008

I flew into the Bismarck Municipal Airport on the first day of summer. It was a beautiful day in North Dakota. At the suggestion of my friend, Ken, I went straight to the tiny town of Tuttle to a side road off of Highway 3. There were some Grasshopper Sparrows, Vesper Sparrow, Bobolink, and some other things but it was the complete opposite direction of my campground so I soon left and headed back west to Cross Ranch State Park. On my way back west on I-94 I nearly ran over a Sharp-tailed Grouse, one of my target birds, crossing the interstate. A few minutes later I was pulled by a North Dakota Highway Patrol for going 82 MPH in a 75 MPH zone. I handed him my driver’s license and he said “Ma’am are you OK?” I said I am depressed; I’m going through a divorce. He wrote me a warning ticket and followed me for 20 miles, I guess to make sure I was OK.
I arrived at Cross Ranch State Park and set up my tent in a fantastic camp site well away from anyone else and right on the Missouri River. Each site was surrounded by cottonwood trees and mine was very private.

Sunday, June 22, 2008, I awoke to the roar of bird song all around my tent. There was no way to sleep; they implored me out of bed. So I got up and took a walk alongside the river. There was a mixture of birds from east and west-- Black-headed Grosbeak, Baltimore Oriole, House Wren, American Robin, Red-eyed Vireo, and Warbling Vireo singing all around. In the river I saw a female Hooded Merganser and Bank Swallows were flying up and down. After checking in the with the ranger I walked across the street and went to the Cross Ranch Nature Preserve, The Nature Conservancy’s first project in North Dakota. Unfortunately the day I was there someone had let the cows out and they were all over the trail with their stupid calves threatening me. I tried to shoo them away but they held steadfast in the trail. The trail goes through some short grass prairie and has some impressive views of the Missouri River flood plain. I couldn’t get past the cows though so finally I just started walking out into the prairie. I came across some small trees and there was a mish-mash of eastern bird species mixed in with western species. North Dakota is the exact geographical center of North America and is at a cross road between eastern and western bird species (probably other species as well). So I would see an Eastern Kingbird on a fence right next to a Western Kingbird. There were many Grasshopper Sparrows and Field Sparrows at Cross Ranch. A Yellow-breasted Chat popped right out in front of me and began to sing and in the same tree was a singing Willow Flycatcher. There was only one bison and it was well away from me which was fine with me after my close encounters with the stupid cows blocking the trail.

I left Cross Ranch and drove east about 30 miles to McKenzie Slough in the tiny town of McKenzie (all towns are tiny in North Dakota). I walked along the marsh and could hear some Sedge Wrens singing but not one would show its pretty little head so I could get a look at this new species. How unsatisfying. I drove along the slough and saw four Wilson’s Phalaropes in breeding plumage as well as a Black Tern hawking over the marsh. After driving along the slough for a while I decided to head back to my camp site at Cross Ranch. Everybody had left and I was the only camper—a camper’s dream! It was so peaceful in the cottonwoods along the Missouri River, I could have stayed there all week long. I took an evening walk along the river and listened to all the birds singing, Blue Jays, Field Sparrows, Baltimore Orioles, Eastern Bluebird, and Common Yellowthroat. Cross Ranch is on the Lewis and Clark Trail. When Lewis and Clark came through there were still Grizzly Bears and Swift Foxes but all I saw were some White-tailed Deer and squirrels.

Monday, June 23, 2008, I reluctantly left Cross Ranch and drove west about 120 miles to Theodore Roosevelt National Park near the border with Montana. I stopped at the Painted Canyon section and low and behold the ranger I met in Dry Tortugas was behind the desk. She told me about a Golden Eagle nest on the scenic loop and gave me a bird check list. I took the Painted Canyon loop trail while there and was devoured by biting gnats. I was the only person on the trail and I can see why. Those things left welts on my neck that lasted a week. On the trail I saw a Lazuli Bunting that practically bumped into me it was so close. This trail is part of a trail used by Colonel Custer when he traveled back and forth between the Fort in Bismarck and another one in Montana while battling the Sioux Indians to steal their land. I drove from Painted Canyon into the main section of the South Unit and set up my tent at a nice site on the Little Missouri River at the Cottonwood Campground. Then I went for a walk on the Lower Paddock Creek Trail. It was full of Prairie Dogs and Bison and I also saw a Wild Horse wallowing in the dust probably trying to get the gnats off of it. There were more Field Sparrows, one Lark Sparrow, Rock Wren, Baltimore Oriole, Common Grackle, and Common Nighthawk. I only went a couple of miles and then took the entire scenic loop, stopping at all the pullouts. I stopped where Sarah, the ranger, told me the Golden Eagle nest was and sure enough there it was and nearby on a ledge was an immature Golden Eagle. As evening approached I returned to the Scenic Loop Drive and pulled into the entrance to the Coal Vein Trail. I stopped when I saw something crossing the road and got out with my camera—a Sharp-tailed Grouse. I was just able to film it as it scooted up a hillside and away. Night was approaching so I returned to Cottonwood Campground. I walked around the campground listening for a Screech-owl Sarah had mentioned but only heard a Great Horned Owl. That night in my tent I woke up to the sound of a Bison stomping and snorting right next to my tent! I was so scared I was going to be trampled. My little flimsy tent was no protection from a 2 ton animal! I waited thinking I was going to die until it finally stomped away.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008, I drove outside of the park at the suggestion of another ranger through some of North Dakota’s oil wells to the trail head for the Petrified Forest Trail. I hiked 10 miles with my big professional camera on that trail. It was so hard carrying that camera that far. All the petrified wood was in the first two miles and then the trail dipped down into a riparian zone where I saw more Yellow-breasted Chat, Red-eyed Vireo, Spotted Towhee, dozens of Clay-colored Sparrows, and out of the woods a Sharp-shinned Hawk. As I rose over a ridge to the grasslands I came across a beautiful male Mountain Bluebird. The rest of the trail went through grasslands and I didn’t see many birds but the views of the Little Missouri River far below were outstanding.

After my hike I decided to try something else so I drove east to Schnell Recreation Area hoping to find a Gray Partridge around the agricultural fields there. I walked a nature trail and was enveloped with dozens of ticks. Some ferocious looking clouds were on the horizon so I went to the campground there and had a shower and then left. There was no time to check the agricultural fields because that storm was descending on me fast. Soon hail the size of pennies was plinking onto the car and I could not see a thing. Fortunately as a drove back west toward Teddy Roosevelt NP I drove out of the storm and into sunny weather. I decided to try the Little Missouri National Grasslands. You can follow Custer’s Trail through this grassland and also supposedly see some of North Dakota specialty birds. All I saw were some more Grasshopper Sparrows, Swainson’s Hawk, Mountain Bluebird, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Harrier, Lazuli Bunting, and one Say’s Phoebe. Way off of the trail were a few Antelopes. That night I was too scared to sleep in my tent with those roaming bison around so I slept in the car.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008, I got up before dawn and started driving like mad for miles through endless prairie toward the tiny town of Stanley where I was again pulled by the ND State Patrol. This guy was in a pooh brown uniform with one yellow light flashing, the other one out. I thought the guy was delivering mail for god’s sake. He said I was going 76 in a 65. He asked me millions of questions and I burst into tears and said, “look I know you must be lonely out here on the sparsely populated prairie and need to meet your quota but why are you harassing me?” He said, “OK, get in the car with me.” I said no way you pervert. So he wrote me the ticket and then had the nerve to say, “have a safe trip.” I became very depressed after that. I arrived at my destination, Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge, not too late. In 1964 Congress passed the Wilderness Act to protect tracts of ecosystems across the US. Lostwood Wilderness Area was created in 1975 as part of that act to protect an area best representing the mixed grass prairie; it has a rich diversity with over 700 species of plants and 100 species of grasses. It is also home to the Baird’s Sparrow, a much sought after bird species as well as Sprague’s Pipit and Upland Sandpiper. I drove the auto tour route listening for the elusive Baird’s Sparrow which is said to have a song sounding like the opening of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. I pulled over and heard the unmistakeable, “dit, dit, dit, deeeee.” I rushed to pull out my camera, got my binoculars on a sparrow out in the prairie and there it was. But I only glimpsed it for a minute before it dove back into the grass never to be seen again. I tried to cajole it back out with a tape recording of its song on my ipod but it was having none of that. I was still feeling rather depressed about my personal problems and the speeding ticket and couldn’t even get very excited about adding the Baird’s Sparrow to my life list. I drove the auto tour some more and heard about half a dozen or maybe the same one moving around, Baird’s Sparrow but no luck seeing it. So I left Lostwood and drove 11 miles south to the tiny town of Powers Lake to see about getting a camp site. The “campground” was nothing more than a grassy field with some electrical outlets in it next to Powers Lake and across from two steel grain towers. I had lunch at a picnic table next to Powers Lake where a lone American White Pelican was swimming along with a Western Grebe.

After lunch I drove north to Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge and then on to Upper Soris National Wildlife Refuge, which was absolutely gorgeous. I was going to walk the Cottonwood trail but it was full of ticks and I wasn’t going to do that again. So I drove slowly past a grassy marshy area listening for the elusive Le Conte’s Sparrow. There was a Sedge Wren way out in the grass singing away but no Le Conte’s. I also saw some Yellow-headed Blackbirds and Bobolinks and a Willow Flycatcher. I decided to stop again in the evening on the way back to Powers Lake at Lostwood. I came across an Upland Sandpiper right in the auto tour road. In a wooded area I saw an owl that I think was a Long-eared Owl but it was too far away and just as I was about to leave the refuge a Sharp-tailed Grouse crossed in front of the car. I slept well that evening all by myself at the Powers Lake CG. They asked for a $3 donation to use the electrical outlet which I did to recharge my camera battery. The CG also had a hot shower and flushing toilet so I added a dollar for that too.

June 26, 2008, I left Powers Lake and drove north nearly to the border with Canada to the best birding spot in all of North Dakota, J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge. It was raining as I arrived and so I put on a poncho and went for a walk. Then when it started to let up I started the auto tour. There were many Black Terns hawking over the marsh and lots of Franklin’s Gulls. In addition to the extensive marshes at J. Clark Salyer there is also riparian habitat offering a completely different set of birds. I got out at the riparian area and took a walk. I saw a Baltimore Oriole feeding its chick which was in the grass. I pulled over at a weedy marshy area and finally heard a Le Conte’s Sparrow singing but again it just would not respond to a taped call or my pishing or any of my cajoling or begging. So I never did see it either. However, it is now on my list because I am not too persnickety about having to see it if you are sure you heard it and I am sure. I probably should have checked into a hotel in Minot and gone back to J. Clark Salyer the next day too but instead I made a daring move to try to see the incredibly elusive Yellow Rail. I drove for about two hours stopping at beautiful Turtle River State Park to find a camp site before proceeding after dark to Kelly’s Slough where Yellow Rails allegedly breed. Yellow Rails only call at night. So I drove over to the slough and rolled the window down to listen. It began to rain and the mosquitoes were house sized. I tried to play a tape but to no avail and in that rain it would have been a miracle frankly to hear one.

June 27, 2008, I left Turtle River State Park and stopped by Kelly’s Slough again but didn’t see too much. Then I drove south through the not so tiny town of Fargo and through the medium sized town of Jamestown to Alkali Lake Audubon Refuge. It was about to rain so I left my camera behind. Too bad to because a Swainson’s Hawk was just a few feet away perched in a tree. A bird was hawking in a field that looked much like a Black-billed Cuckoo but I don’t know if they hawk. Next I drove to Arrowwood NWR. The rain stopped but it was nearly mid day and I didn’t see much there besides more Bobolinks and a Red-tailed Hawk. Next I drove to Chase Lake NWR. It was very windy making it hard to hold my binoculars still or see or hear anything. I camped that night in the nearby tiny town of Medina at a little camp ground that also had a hot shower, water, flushing toilet and was only $10 a night. I got up at dawn and drove back to Chase Lake but it was incredibly windy all day long with sustained winds of 25-30 MPH. It is very difficult to bird in that kind of wind. I did see a Short-eared Owl early in the morning and got out at one point to film a Swainson’s Hawk when a farmer pulled up. He asked me if I was a birder (I was surprised he was familiar with that word) and when I said yes he said Oh let me give you this brochure for a tour route to follow to see some good birds around here and her are some more to give your friends. I said, thanks and then I asked him, “do you like living here?” To which he replied, “I love it!” I decided to try his suggestion. I drove around the area and never saw another human soul or building or anything the entire day. However, it was extremely windy making it nearly impossible to see or hear any birds either. I finally saw a Chestnut-collared Longspur but it was too far out in a field. I stopped at Lake Louise and saw four Upland Sandpipers. At Chicago Lake where you can supposedly hear Yellow Rails I heard a Sora and a Virginia Rail and saw a Wilson’s Snipe. At some of the other stops I saw Greater Yellowlegs, Orchard Oriole, Willow Flycatcher, Black Tern, Bobolink, and a nesting colony of Bank Swallows. After completing the tour I tried Ken’s suggested spot in Tuttle but there was little happening there besides a Ferruginous Hawk on a telephone pole. I drove back to Cross Ranch State Park to camp. On the drive there I finally saw a Gray Partridge crossing the road and as I entered the park I saw a Badger scuttling into a the prairie.

Sunday, June 29, was my last day. I left Cross Ranch SP and drove to Audubon NWR. I took the Prairie Trail and saw about five Great Horned Owls. I also saw several Ring-necked Pheasants, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Bobolinks, Northern Harrier, Marsh Wren, and one very cooperative Sedge Wren that let me get pretty close to it. There were also more Bank Swallows, Upland Sandpiper, Black-billed Magpie, Common Tern, Marbled Godwit, Black-crowned Night-heron, and a pair of Redheads. I also saw a Silvery Blue butterfly. There was not much time left and it was a gorgeous day so I went for a walk at the Cross Ranch Nature Preserve. A Least Flycatcher was persistently singing at the parking area. There were more Field Sparrows, American Kestrel, Northern Harrier, Turkey Vulture, Yellow-breasted Chat but nothing new. I took a different trail than the first day and was sauntering along when I came across an enormous Western Hognose Snake. It scared the hell out of me because I nearly stepped on it. I didn’t know this until later but one of their defense mechanisms is to inflate their entire bodies to enormous proportions. I mean this snake had about a six inch diameter! I got out of there after that. After all those near death experiences it was time for me to leave North Dakota. Despite all my scary encounters with highway patrolmen, stampeding cows, snorting bison, and inflating snakes, I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the incredible solitude of North Dakota, the stark beauty of Teddy Roosevelt Park, and all the beauty and charm of the wilderness there.
New Species: 5
Michelle Brodie
July 13, 2008

NOME, ALASKA

2008-06-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

Nome, Alaska
June 7-14, 2008

There are no roads to Nome, Alaska; you can only get there by plane or boat. I took a plane from San Francisco to Seattle, Seattle to Anchorage, Anchorage to Kotzebue, and Kotzebue to Nome. I had a four hour lay over in Anchorage and so I walked out of the airport and went for a walk. My friend, Ken, had told me about a trail nearby but I had left the house that morning without time to download the directions and so I just walked toward Cook Inlet. It took me a long time to get to Cook Inlet but across the inlet I could see the top of 20,320 foot Mt. McKinley, the highest point in North America. I could also see downtown Anchorage in the opposite direction. But then it was time to turn around and walk back. I saw a Black-billed Magpie, Orange-crowned Warbler, and Savannah Sparrow on the walk back. It took all day long to get to Nome and I didn’t arrive until 11:30 PM. It was still light out but raining and dismal so after picking up my rental car at the Aurora Inn I just found a safe place to park on the beach in Nome where you are allowed to camp for free and slept in the car. I just didn’t have the energy to put up a tent in the rain.

I didn’t sleep well with it light out all night long but I got up Sunday, June 8, 2008, and decided to just try a loop around town. I stopped at some ponds on the road to the airport and saw some Long-tailed Ducks, Greater Scaup, and Northern Pintails. It was raining and I had to film through the window. I saw a very large bull Moose in the just barely budding red willows. I drove from there up to Anvil Mountain. I walked the road a bit and saw a Lapland Longspur walking in the snow. This bird is abundant in Nome. Next I saw a Northern Wheatear a new bird for me and then a Common Redpoll, another new bird. There were some Yellow Warblers and Northern Waterthrushes in the willows near the Anvil Mountain Correctional Center. After thoroughly checking Anvil Mountain I turned back to Nome Bypass where I saw my first ever American Tree Sparrow. A Common Snipe was perched in a telephone wire. I stopped at some ponds where Nome Bypass ends at Front Street and there were more ducks, Red-necked Phalaropes, and two Red-throated Loons in breeding plumage. Then I headed over to the grocery store to pick up some food. I bought 8 bananas (not sure where those came from), 8 apples from Washington State, a loaf of bread, box of crackers, two propane canisters, and a small pack of napkins and it cost me $45. However, gas was only $4.29 a gallon, far less than in San Francisco.

It was still early and so I decided to try some more birding. Though there are no roads into Nome, there are three roads out of town, Council, Teller, and Kougarok, all ending in tiny Native Camps about 70 or more miles out. I decided to try Council Road and took it as far as the Solomon Bridge. Council Road follows along the Bering Sea for the first 30 miles or so until it reaches the Solomon River mouth and then turns inland until it reaches the edge of the boreal forest. After leaving town I drove over the Nome River Bridge where I stopped to check some shorebirds on the river banks. They were all Western and Semipalmated Sandpipers. So I continued. Just past the bridge I pulled over at Fort Davis, a fort built during the gold rush to restore law and order. Some Aleutian Terns were flying over the field. Across the street a Long-tailed Jaeger was sitting in the tundra; they nest in Nome along with Parasitic Jaegers. At the brushy creek mouths I stopped to look for passerines and saw singing Gray-cheeked Thrushes, Yellow Warblers, and Common Redpolls. Next I came to a rock quarry where the rocks are being used to make a short jetty into the Bering Sea. I walked out onto it and it began to rain. There were several Glaucous Gulls on the shore along with a few Mew Gulls and a female Eider I was not able to identify. After the jetty the habitat opens up into grasslands. All along the Bering Sea people have built summer homes. There are no services past the Nome River Bridge, no sewage, no electricity, no water services. So most of these are little shacks, some more elaborate with decks and two stories but mostly little lean tos with outhouses. All along this stretch there were many Lapland Longspurs which nest in western Alaska in large numbers. Tundra Swans were in the river which paralleled the sea at this stretch. Finally I came to Safety Sound, a well known rare bird migrant area. I pulled over at the bridge and saw two Pacific Loons in breeding plumage. I drove across the bridge and pulled over to check the sound more closely. In the sound was a much rarer Arctic Loon. They look very similar to a Pacific Loon except for a white patch going up their rumps. I saw this clearly as it sat perched in the water. I walked along the sound and found an injured Murre pulling up to the shore. I looked at it closely and saw that it was a Thick-billed Murre, a bird I have never seen before. In the grassland I saw my first ever Yellow Wagtail circling and circling while singing before finally landing in the grass briefly. At the Solomon River Bridge I stopped to look at the remains of a train the miners had tried to build there to connect a gold mine claim at the Solomon River Mouth to another mine 50 miles away in the tiny mining town of Council at the end of the Council Road. The train was never completed most likely due to the harsh conditions in that part of the world. It started to rain again and was getting late so I decided to turn around there. I drove all the way back into Nome and then pulled into the Kougarok Road and drove another 38 miles to the Salmon Lake “campground.” The lake was still mostly frozen and the campground was nothing more than a road that went to the lake edge. However, it had an outhouse with toilet paper so I decided to camp there. The sun finally emerged and even though it was midnight was shining brightly when I got into my sleeping bag and tried to go to sleep.

June 9, 2008, I got up as early as possible and drove straight from Salmon Lake to milepost 72 at Coffee Dome on Kougarok Road. I pulled over and began to walk up a tussocky hill to a ridge where the rare and elusive Bristle-thighed Curlew nests. I had gone no further than a quarter of a mile when one flew over my head singing. It landed not far away and another one flew in as well. I was able to film it showing the pumpkin colored rump that differentiates it from the very similar looking Whimbrel which also nests on the tundra. There was also a Long-tailed Jaeger sitting on a tussock that let me get very close to it. The closest I had ever previously been was when seeing them far out at sea from a boat on a pelagic trip or through a spotting scope from the Cliff House at home in San Francisco. It began to snow so I had to return to the car and put the camera away. I drove almost to the end of Kougarok Road and then parked and decided to go for a walk to the end. I left my camera in the car as it was raining steadily by then. I had only walked about 20 feet from the car when a Bluethroat flew up right in front of my face singing away circling and then landing not twenty feet from me perched in a willow. It would have made a brilliant shot if it hadn’t been raining and my camera hadn’t been stowed safely in the car. I continued down the road. On one side it dropped off steeply down an embankment to a broad river. Far below I saw a female Moose eating beside the river. She kept looking back and looking back at me and I couldn’t figure out why when I was so far away and so harmless. Just about then I saw an enormous rack of a huge bull moose sitting in a willow patch just twenty yards or so from me. It looked at me and I got a little bit scared and turned back for the car. As I drove back toward Nome I came across a Short-eared Owl perched in a tree. There was another large whitish bird on the other side but I never could tell if it was a Snowy Owl or a light morph Gyrfalcon before it flew over the ridge and away. On the way back after Salmon Lake I stopped at the Grand Central Bridge and there were many warblers singing away in the trees, mostly Blackpoll Warblers, Wilson’s Warblers, Yellow Warblers, and Northern Waterthrushes but also Arctic Warblers and some Tiaga subspecies of the Fox Sparrow. There were some Harlequin Ducks in the river.

June 10, 2008 I decided to drive the Council Road all the way to the tiny mining town of Council. I stopped at the Nome River Bridge and there was a male and female Bar-tailed Godwit on the river bank. I stopped at Safety Sound and walked along the Bering Sea Beach where I found an injured Thick-billed Murre coming to shore to die. On the other side of the sound a Yellow Wagtail was singing and circling above but only landing ever so briefly. A Short-eared Owl was hunting for food at the mouth of the Solomon River. That night I camped on the beach in Nome.

June 11, 2008 I decided to take the Teller Road. It was overcast and as I began my trip down to Teller, a native camp 70 miles away, it began to snow hard. I came across a large herd of reindeer in the tundra and finally a Rock Ptarmigan, another first. It was snowing so hard but I made out an American Golden Plover in breeding plumage in the snowy tundra. At the Bluestone Bridge the snow turned to rain. Cliff Swallows were nesting under the bridge and there was a Northern Shrike in the willows on the river bank. As I approached the tiny village of Teller the sun finally emerged. I parked at the end of the road just before the spit that goes out into Grantley Harbor and walked out toward the end of it. The sea was still full of ice chunks. Far out on another little spit were some Jaegers chasing Arctic Terns. Some Pigeon Guillemots flew by as well as Pelagic Cormorant and Common Eider. White Wagtails which are much rarer than Yellow Wagtails, nest in Teller but despite my best efforts I was unable to locate one. So I turned around and headed back to Nome.

June 12, 2008, I decided to take a day trip to St. Lawrence Island on Bering Air. The plane didn’t leave Nome until 9:00 AM so I went first to the Nome River mouth. There were some Glaucous Gulls on a sand bar and one Slaty-backed Gull. The gulls were very skittish and flew if I even got anywhere near them. Up on the Nome River Bridge I was a Bar-tailed Godwit, Western Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, and Dunlin. Next I checked out the Ponds at Front Street and there were the usual Long-tailed Ducks, Red-throated Loons, and one Hoary Redpoll.

I was nervous about going to St. Lawrence Island. The plane is a twin prop that lands on the tiny island unassisted. So whether you make it or not on any given day is very much weather dependent and the weather so far in Nome had been rather miserable. But I made a reservation to leave at 9:00 AM and return the same day with a pick up at 5:00 PM. I don’t know what I would have done if the plane hadn’t been able to pick me up because I had nowhere to stay on that god forsaken island. But the weather was outstanding that day. We took off right on schedule and landed in Gambel, St. Lawrence Island around 10:00 PM. As I deplaned the plane was surrounded by native Suvuks on ATVs picking up their relatives as I wandered around looking for the bathroom. There was no bathroom—nothing there but an airstrip. A man on an ATV said something in some strange language and I finally figured he wanted to drive me around for a fee so I pulled out my wallet but he said no I don’t want your money what are you looking for and I said I wanted to look around so he said hop on I’ll take you to a bathroom. We pulled up to some building and the lady at the door said I could use the toilet. I didn’t know if it was her house or what. After coming out of the bathroom she said now you need to pay a fee to walk around the island. She handed me a form to fill out and extracted $50 from me just for the privilege of walking around that horrible trash filled island full of crazy people riding around in circles on noisy awful ATVs. St. Lawrence Island is 190 southwest of Nome, AK and just 40 miles from Siberia right out in the Bering Sea and a perfect platform to watch millions of seabirds flying by on their way to the tundra where they nest. This in turn attracts hundreds of birders each year to this tiny island to watch the spectacle and hope to catch an Asian stray bird or two that either lands on the island or flies past the point. I walked away from the pay house but it was foggy and I wasn’t exactly sure where the point was so I just started walking. Soon the fog lifted and I could see a giant sea cliff that came down to the sea. This is where three species of auklets and several other birds nest. It was extremely hard to walk there as the entire island is gravel. I was so tired by the time I made it to the cliff that the sweat was coming straight through my down jacket. As I walked along the coast I noticed a seabird very close to shore and stopped to film it not even sure what it was. At the cliff there were thousands of Least Auklets, Parakeet Auklets, and Crested Auklets as well as a few Pigeon Guillemots, at least one Black Guillemot, Horned Puffins, and two Snow Buntings. It was a truly amazing sight to see all those sea birds right there in front of me on the sea cliff. After enjoying that thoroughly I decided to walk to some “boneyards” near the town. St. Lawrence Island has been inhabited by humans since at least 1500 BC. These boneyards are middens left by these ancestors throwing the marine mammal bones they had used. The nutrients from these boneyards have seeped into the soil making an ideal place for plants to grow in this otherwise barren island. The natives living on Gambel live by subsistence activities of fishing, whaling, and harpooning walruses and seals. Every house had sticks strung with drying seal meat for the coming winter. Migration was actually over as it ends on June 10 generally so nothing much was happening at the boneyard other than a Lapland Longspur and a Semipalmated Plover so I kept going all the way to the point. I parked there and watched the show as hundreds of Horned Puffins, Tufted Puffins, Auklets, Harlequin Ducks, and other sea birds flew by in a steady stream. It was very exciting but as the sweat dried and I stood without moving I began to get cold so I moved around the island and found a gigantic whale bone in someone’s yard and some natives digging up a boneyard looking for some hidden ivory tusk on a walrus buried by their ancestors maybe. Then it was time to catch the plane home. Fortunately it was still clear and the plane landed right on time to take me back to Nome. It was still light out when I got back so after checking some bird sighting records at the Visitor Center I decided to try for a sighting of a Bluethroat on Kougarok Road seen by someone at milepost 38. I drove out there but only saw a Say’s Phoebe, Willow Ptarmigan, and Arctic Warbler. So I turned back and drove back to my campsite on the beach in Nome.

June 13, 2008 was my last day in Nome so I decided to try Council Road one last time all the way to Council. I had seen at least one new bird each day but I figured the only chances I had left at that point were the ever elusive Red-necked Stint possible at Safety Sound or a Boreal Chickadee in the Spruce Forest at the end of Council Road. At Nome River Bridge there were some Tundra Swans and Bar-tailed Godwits. At Safety Sound there was a huge flock of Semiplamated Sandpipers and Western Sandpipers but I could not find any Red-necked Stint. So I pressed on. At the tiny native village of Solomon there were a couple of Yellow Wagtails. I stopped at Lee’s abandoned mining camp not long after Solomon and found the only two butterflies of the trip—an Arctic Blue and an Anna’s White but no White Wagtail which allegedly nests there. I pressed on to the Boreal Forest. It was so muddy in some parts of that road as it climbed up to the forest that I thought the car might bottom out but it did just fine. It was a Ford Escape with good mud tires on it. Near the crest of the road I stopped where I saw a Northern Wheatear perched. Then I pressed on to the forest edge where I heard a Varied Thrush and several Snowshoe Hares were crossing the road. Near the town of Council I got out and saw a Whimbrel near the road. Then I stopped at the Bear Creek Rest Stop and walked around. Incredibly a Boreal Chickadee came out of the forest out into plain view! I walked around a pond lined with willows and saw several Yellow Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Blackpoll Warblers, and Northern Waterthrushes but got scared when I came across some enormous paw tracks in the mud. I returned to my car and started my drive back. When safely away from the bear tracks I got out and took a two mile walk but didn’t see anything except some Tree Swallows at the Fox River Bridge. So I headed back to Nome.

June 14, 2008 was my last day. Before walking to the airport I checked the Front Street Ponds and saw American Tree Sparrow, Common Redpoll, and Yellow Wagtail and then I briefly saw a bird pop up that looked like it might have been the White Wagtail reported there earlier in the week. But it was time to walk to the airport so I had to turn back and leave Nome.
95 species
19 new
Michelle Brodie
June 19, 2008

BIRDING FLORIDA: April 19, 2008-May 3, 2008

2008-05-08T20:53:00.000-07:00

Michell Brodie, Bird Buccaneer, Goes to Florida
April 19 – May 3, 2008

On April 19, 2008, I caught a plane that left San Francisco at 6:00 AM and yet the man across the aisle from me still managed to drink four beers before landing in Atlanta! Both that flight and my connecting flight to Tampa, Florida were early so it was an auspicious beginning to an amazing trip to Florida. Tampa is very convenient; there is a Target (for propane and bug spray), a Whole Foods Market (for good food), and an excellent beer shop (for obvious reasons) all in the same shopping area just minutes from the airport. After finishing all my preparations there was no time left for anything but to drive to my camp for the night at Little Manatee River State Park in Wimauma, FL. Just driving in I saw a Roseate Spoonbill fly over the highway and a Little Blue Heron in a ditch on the side of the road. The entrance is lined with saw palmettos and moss draped oak trees and my little camp site was very private and cozy. As I fell asleep under a full moon a Chuck-will’s-Widow came and began to sing along with some Common Nighthawks. During the night a Barred Owl began to hoot.

April 20, 2008, I got up at 5:00 AM and drove to Ft. DeSoto Park on Tampa Bay near St. Petersburg. There were dozens of Ospreys nesting in the park. I stopped first at the East Beach and there were some White Ibises walking at my feet. They were very common it turned out. I then drove west to Bay Pier Parking Area to the famous mulberry trees. There were dozens of birders surrounding these trees but there were very few birds. Almost all of the birders were photographers. I was the only one videotaping. Finally after waiting and walking around for about 30 minutes a few things flew in—a Summer Tanager, Scarlet Tanager, Orchard Oriole, Indigo Bunting, and a Prothonotary Warbler. The birders surrounded the poor things. So I took a walk around and found a Pileated Woodpecker right out in the open in the parking lot and some Common Ground-Doves in the dunes. There were also some Black-hooded Parakeets in the palmetto trees. I took a little nature trail across the street and saw a Magnificent Frigate Bird circling high overhead. Next I took the nature walk in an oak hammock and mangrove forest at the Arrowhead Picnic Area where I saw a Louisiana Waterthrush, Hooded Warbler, and Black-throated Blue Warbler. Next I drove to the North Beach (allegedly the number one beach in the US) and walked around the hammock at the end of the island where I saw my first ever Gulf Fritillary and Mangrove Skipper. Ft. DeSoto wasn’t nearly as exciting as I thought it was going to be so I drove from there to St. Petersburg to the Boyd Hill Nature Park. Over 50 species of butterflies have been recorded in this neat little park. It has extensive trails through various habitats, oak hammock, pine woodlands, and wetlands. In the oak hammock I saw another Pileated Woodpecker, Great-crested Flycatcher, Kentucky Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, an Ovenbird, and a Red-shouldered Hawk devouring a rat. There were some gopher tortoises in the open areas and alligators near the water. I saw several different butterflies—the beautiful Zebra Longwing, Gulf Fritillary, Monarch, White Peacock, Cassius Blue, Horace’s Duskywing, Sleepy Orange, and Tropical Checkered Skipper. It was getting late so I headed back to my campsite at Little Manatee River State Park. I took a walk along the river but dark was approaching and I didn’t see much. As it darkened I heard Common Nighthawks, Barred Owl, Northern Bobwhite, and Chuck-will’s-Widow.

April 21, 2008, I got up at 5:00 AM as usual and drove north of Tampa to the Dunedin Causeway where I stopped and looked at some shorebirds including Ruddy Turnstone, Piping Plover, and a pack of Black Skimmers among other things, before heading onward to Honeymoon Island State Park. As I was entering the park I saw my first ever Gray Kingbird. It was perched on a phone wire and was singing away. I drove to the end of the park and took the Osprey Trail. As the name indicates there were many, many Ospreys. I saw several species of warblers on the trail including Palm Warbler, very common resident, Prairie Warbler, another common resident, Cape May Warbler (to think how hard I worked for one in Pt. Pelee last year), Hooded Warbler, and Indigo Buntings at my feet. A Tricolored Heron was near the end of the trail and a Blue Grosbeak was in the picnic area. After walking the trail I drove over to the beach area which was loaded with vacationers loafing about. I walked down the narrow beach and saw a Northern Gannet right off shore diving for food. Just inland from the beach was a small pond where I saw a Wilson’s Plover. It was starting to get crowded so I decided to leave and return to Ft. DeSoto where I would be camping for the night. It was extremely windy. I returned to the famous mulberry trees where there were still some birders lingering about. The Orchard Oriole, Scarlet Tanager, and Summer Tanager from yesterday were still there but there was a photographer with the biggest lens I have ever seen photographing near the fountain so that I could not get close enough for good video. His lens must have been 1000mm. I watched for a while but decided to try the end of the island. There was nothing but a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron in the non-native Australian Pines at East Beach. At the end of the island I saw a small flock of shorebirds that let me get very close and included Marbled Godwit, Wilson’s Plover, Dunlin, Black-bellied Plover, and some Dowitchers. That night the extreme wind kept me awake most of the night with the tent fly flapping furiously in the wind.

April 22, 2008, I got up early and checked the mulberry trees at sun up. The only additions were I finally saw the Prothonotary Warbler eating some berries, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, which I saw very few of in Florida. Red-eyed Vireo, and an Overnbird which is very common. I left the park and drove to Osprey, Florida to the Oscar Scherer State Park, best place in the state to find the Florida Scrub-Jay which looks just like our Western Scrub-Jay but is a separate species. I carried that doggone 11 pound camera on a three mile hike through pine lands but was rewarded with ultra close ups of my first ever Florida Scrub-Jay. There were very few people at the park and I enjoyed hiking in the pine woodlands but after having my lunch I decided to drive to J.N. “Ding: Darling National Wildlife Refuge, one of the most famous birding sites in all of North America (I’m not sure why). It took a very long time to get there because you must cross a causeway from Ft. Meyers Beach to Sanibel Island to get there. Sanibel Island is a tourist destination entirely apart from the excellent birding allegedly there, and thus extremely crowded. The wildlife refuge, when I finally did make it there, was packed with people and not one of them a birder. Packs of people were all around me at all times. I saw more butterflies than birds including Giant Swallowtail, Mangrove Buckeye, Cloudless Sulphur, Zebra Swallowtail, Great Southern White, and Little Yellow. After walking the nature trail I left Sanibel Island and took the long drive to my campground for the night, Ortona Lock, which is about half way across the state. I was supposed to meet my friend, Ken, the following morning on the Atlantic side; Fort Myers is on the Gulf side. As I approached the turn off for Ortona Lock, I saw a Crested Caracara right on the side of the road and a White-winged Dove and Loggerhead Shrike. I arrived at the Ortona Lock campground right at sunset. It was a very strange campground; right across the road was a herd of cattle! It was very clean and had a nice bathroom with a clean hot shower but it was a little strange for me. I received a message from Ken that he would be unable to meet me the next day.

April 23, 2008, I got up as early as humanly possible and made the grueling drive across the state to Delray Beach to the Wakodahatchee Wetlands. I arrived later than I intended and there were already numerous people there, mostly joggers and photographers. I was the only birder there. One guy was taking photos but he didn’t know what anything was. The area is a managed wetland watered with reclaimed water from the waste water treatment plant. Before the state obliterated the real wetlands to build hundreds of golf courses, the water was naturally filtered through these wetlands leaving plenty of fresh drinking water but with the demands on land in Florida for development, the wetlands were soon vastly diminished leaving no source to filter all the waste water being created. So places like Wakodahatchee were created to fill the void. In the meantime the place had become a major attractant for wildlife that had become habituated to humans to the point that normally extremely shy species such as Least Bitterns and Purple Gallinules walked right out into the open, thus all the photographers. The joggers just enjoyed a nice walk on the boardwalks there through a lush beautiful wetland. I walked around the boardwalk twice and had extremely close views of Purple Gallinule, my first ever Limpkin, Least Tern feeding a chick, Anhingas everywhere, Common Moorhens with little chicks, Mottled Duck, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Wood Storks, and every heron species in the state. While looking at the whistling ducks several species of warblers flew into a tree by my head. While out on the boardwalk I realized that for some undetermined amount of time the microphone on my video camera had been in the off position. I was crushed to the core. I had been making running commentaries for three days and had taped nearly an hour of footage. I was just crestfallen. After lunch I drove from Wakodohatchee to Green Cay Wetlands. It was an erstwhile bell pepper farm that had been donated by the farmers to the state at a fraction of the market value with the understanding that it would be managed as a wetland in perpetuity. It too had a nice boardwalk with plenty of wildlife but being only four years old the birds were not nearly as close as at Wakodahatchee. I saw pretty much all the same species I had seen earlier in the morning. So I left Delray Beach and drove south on I-75 to Miami over the Rickenbacker Causeway to Key Biscayne to the end of the island to Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. I needed a restroom desperately. I got out of the car with my video camera and walked over to some trees. They were dripping with warblers. I started to video tape some but there were mobs of Jews on their Passover vacation being wheeled up and down the trail on bicycle carts. Each one stopping to inquire what I was doing or looking at etc. I decided I better find a restroom. I saw a man with binoculars and I told him the trees were dripping with warblers but I was being harassed. I asked him where the restroom was. He introduced himself to me which I thought was strange but then later after taking care of some rather urgent matters realized he was the guy who had written the Florida bird finding guide in my car, Brian Rapoza! Fortunately I saw him later and told him I was sorry his name didn’t click earlier and thanked him for his helpful book. He pointed out a more peaceful trail I could take which was a dirt path with no bicycle carts or people for that matter save me and Brian Rapoza. This trail also had many birds and butterflies on it including Painted Bunting, Indigo Bunting, Cape May Warbler, Northern Parula, Magnolia Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, American Redstart, Black-throated Green Warbler, and the ever present Palm Warbler. Among the butterflies I saw were the gorgeous Zebra Longwing and a Queen. I stayed for a very long time but then decided I better go as it was getting late. I drove back over the causeway and through Miami in hellish traffic south on the Dixie Highway (Highway 1) to the Everglades where I would be camping for the next three nights. The campground had only two other people so I had my choice of the best spot which I took and fell fast asleep. A Chuck-will’s-widow sang me to sleep.

April 24, 2008, I woke up early to an Antillean Nighthawk singing high overhead somewhere. I could not see it because my camp site was nestled in some very tall Long Pines. While brushing my teeth in the campground bathroom I noticed a Green Tree Frog in one of the overflow holes. I drove from Everglades to one of Miami’s hottest birding spots, A.D Doug Barnes Park. There were a few warblers but nothing like the numbers I had seen at Bill Baggs. The only new bird was a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and some Muscovy Ducks which I don’t think are “countable.” Countable is a fanatical birder term. Most birders keep lists of all the birds they see and count how many species they have seen in their lives. But serious birders also divide the list into areas where the bird was seen. Depending on how fanatical they are their lists might be as minute as which county the bird was seen in. So for example, my friend Jennifer Rycenga, who is very fanatical, keeps a list of how many species she has seen in San Mateo County, how many she has seen in California, how many she has seen in North America, and in the world. The North American list is further delineated by the American Birding Association (ABA) to include only the US including Alaska and Canada. You may not include birds you saw in Hawaii on your North American ABA list. The ABA has other bizarre rules about what may be counted on your list. For example escaped birds are not countable nor are released birds even if they are nesting and breeding in the wild until their population reaches what the ABA considers a viable population. I think the Black-hooded Parakeets are not “countable.” I’m not sure why because I don’t really keep up with such nonsense but there sure were a lot of them at Fort DeSoto. Yes, they did originate in the suitcase of some stowaway from South America but they most certainly are living on their own in the wild at this point. Other birds that were introduced and quickly spread to make viable populations there is no question you may count such as European Starlings and House Sparrows. California Condors may only be counted if you saw one before 1979 or something because that’s when the last one was captured for captive breeding because they are basically extinct. According to EO Wilson once a species’s population falls below 50 it is considered extinct and beyond recovery. So the Muscovy Duck was most likely an escapee and not countable on my ABA approved North American list or life list as most birders call them (although I read somewhere that Floridians consider them "countable.") In fact, when I arrived in Florida I had a wish list of birds I had never seen before that I wanted to see. However, I was not exactly sure how many “countable” birds were on my North American Life List. My goal was to reach 600 in 2008. I didn’t count the Muscovy Duck. I was about ready to leave AD Barnes due to lack of bird activity when I noticed a very large swallowtail flutter by; this Giant Swallowtail, my first, was the best sighting at AD Barnes.

I left AD Barnes and drove to Matheson Hammock County Park. This is Miami Dade County’s oldest park and it was a dandy. It had trails through some incredible tropical hardwood hammock of which there is very little left in the extremely developed South part of Florida. I took one of the trails and soon came to a Royal Palm with a Chestnut-fronted Macaw poking his head out of one of the many holes in the trunk. (I’m pretty sure this is not countable). I also saw a Hill Myna. I had never heard of it before and wasn’t sure whether it was countable. I was looking intently at a Spicebush Swallowtail I wanted desperately to photograph when another birder said, “Ma’am, there’s a Short-tailed Hawk overhead.” Sure enough there was my first ever Short-tailed Hawk, a dark morph, circling right above us. I walked into a very wild tangled trail-- what all of Miami looked like before all the development. In there I found a Great Southern White and a Florida White Butterfly. I heard a Bobwhite calling. I had lunch in the picnic area and then left. I drove back across the Rickenbacker Causeway to Key Biscayne to Crandon Beach. I went to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center and took the Osprey Trail through maritime forest. It was near midday and I didn’t see much besides the resident Prairie Warblers and Palm Warblers but it was a nice walk out to a boardwalk through a mangrove forest. It was nearing rush hour and I couldn’t bear the thought of being caught in Miami rush hour traffic again trying to get back to my campsite in the Everglades so I decided to head directly east toward the Shark Valley entrance thinking there would be less traffic. The roads in Miami are ridiculous. They are numbered but not in order! How absurd. I ended up in some run down neighborhood full of Cuban refugees. I finally managed to get out of there in some convoluted way and make it to Shark Valley in time to have my dinner beside the canal. This was an alleged spot to see Snail Kites coursing over the marsh. I watched while eating but saw nothing but herons and Vultures. I heard a King Rail somewhere in the bank but never saw it. The Shark Valley visitor center was closed with a gate pulled across it. So after dinner I left and returned to my camp site at Long Pine Key Campground. Some more people had arrived including some completely self absorbed foreigner in a rented RV who parked his RV right next to my tent even though there were hundreds of open camp sites. At 10:30 PM when his obnoxious noisy generator was still running I went over to his door and pounded on it until he answered. I said “quiet hours are 10:00 PM. Your generator is bothering me. Will you turn it off please?” He couldn’t speak English but mumbled something and a few minutes later it was off. I didn’t put the fly on my tent because it was a nice evening but I had no sooner fallen asleep than it began to rain and I had to get up and put the fly on. It was a rocky night and I didn’t feel well the next day.

April 25, 2008, I had intended to get up early as usual but I was feeling under the weather so to speak. The rain was very short lived and the sun was up by the time I arrived at Royal Palm in the Everglades, an alleged spot to see White-crowned Pigeons. I couldn’t find any but I took the Gumbo-Limbo trail which was a quite nice self-guided nature trail through tropical hammock. There was a Great Crested Flycatcher, Ovenbird, and American Redstart but not much else. I took the Anhinga trail and there were some alligators and Anhingas but not much else there either. So I drove some more down the park road to Mahogany Hammock. It held more tropical hammock including some very large mahogany trees, a tree that has mostly been logged out of Florida due to its high value as a hard wood for furniture and building. In most of the trees air plants were growing. There were two Gray Kingbirds at the entrance and one Eastern Kingbird, and a Barred Owl that was perched at eye level near the boardwalk. Next I drove further to the Snake Bight Trail, an alleged place to see the ever elusive Mangrove Cuckoo. According to Rapoza’s book the mosquitoes on this trail are particularly vicious. He was not kidding about that. I sprayed 100% poison on myself, 100% deet, and had long pants and a long-sleeved shirt and they still bit me hundreds of times right through my clothes. It was unbelievable. It was 1.6 miles of pure hell to the boardwalk at the end of the trail. I couldn’t keep the mosquitoes off my hands because I was carrying my video camera on a tripod in one hand and binoculars in the other. I saw a few warblers but not too much else. I ran part of the time and was relieved at a little breeze on the boardwalk to keep the mosquitoes away. Just as I arrived a Swallow-tailed Kite flew right over my head followed by an immature Bald Eagle. I couldn’t see any Flamingoes allegedly visible from the boardwalk way out in Florida Bay, only a few shorebirds eating in the mudflats. I ran back down the trail to the car and proceeded to the end of the park at Flamingo. I saw the endangered American Crocodile on the banks of the canal behind the camp store. There are only 500 left and all of them in South Florida. Next I walked the Bear Lake Trail. At first I wasn’t seeing anything and I was just about to turn around and give up because I just could not take the constant whine of mosquitoes in my ears for one more minute when I heard a Black-whiskered Vireo singing, another new bird for me. I returned to the car and then headed back up the road to the Pa-hay-okee (native word for grassy waters) Observation Tower. Supposedly an occasional Snail Kite is seen here but I had no such luck. It was neat to see endless saw grass prairie from the top of the tower. It made me a little sad though to think in what peril the Everglades were to the depredations of humans. Lake Okeechobee is the largest lake in Florida and is a source of fresh drinking water for 99% of Florida’s water is not fresh. Due to rapid population increases, human demands, and overdevelopment the people nearly drained the Everglades dry by diverting the water from Lake Okeechobee. Man made canals had to be built to prevent the Everglades from disappearing forever and with them several species dependent on them including the Florida Panther.

April 26, 2008, I woke up not feeling my usual perky self. I went over to the Snake Bight Trail again to look for Mangrove Cuckoo but there was very little action so I gave up after about 50 mosquito bites and tried Royal Palm again. Not too much was happening there except for dozens of Black Vultures and I tried one last time at Mahogany Hammock but only saw three Barred Owls. So I left the Everglades and drove south on Highway 1, the Overseas Highway, to Key Largo. I stopped at the Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical Site, the largest protected mangrove forest in the world. There were a few Cape May Warblers, Black-throated Blue Warblers, and a few other things like White-eyed Vireo but not too much else. So I decided to go on down to Key West. I had my lunch in the parking lot and while I was eating I heard some more Black-whiskered Vireos in the trees.

It is a long miserable drive down the Florida Keys on the Overseas Highway. You cannot go more than 45 MPH most of the time on a two lane road. So after driving for quite a long time I decided to stop in a Bahia Honda State Park. I drove to a parking area for a beach which was packed with tourists, and the Silver Palm Nature Trail. There were so many people I figured it was senseless to carry my camera and wouldn’t you know it I came within two feet of a gorgeous Reddish Egret in breeding plumage! Gorgeous. But I have no pictures and no video of it. Shame. I continued down the Overseas Highway to Key West and drove to Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, supposedly a good place to find White-crowned Pigeons. I was having no luck at all. However, the warblers were right at eye level and very easy to see there. The poor birds are so tired and hungry by the time they see land in Key West that they just don’t care about human presence. All they can think about is eating. So I got some nice close up looks at some but it was getting late and I needed to pack for my big trip the next day so I left Ft. Zachary Taylor and checked into my hotel in Key West, the El Rancho. It took me a long time to prepare for my trip because I was headed to Dry Tortugas the next day and needed to have my cooler full of ice and all the food and water I would need for the next three days as Dry Tortugas has no water and no facilities whatsoever. I wanted block ice that would last longer but was having trouble finding any. The town was full of drunk revelers on spring break riding around recklessly on scooters and I was starting to feel poorly so I gave up and bought regular chipped ice. That night I slept very poorly.

April 27, 2008, the day I had been looking forward to for so long arrived. I woke up so terribly sick. I got over to the Land’s End Marina and checked in with the Yankee Freedom Ferry that would take my camping gear and me to Dry Tortugas, 70 miles off shore from Key West. After all my things were safely aboard and I was waiting for the ferry departure a deluge came and dumped the only significant rain of the entire two week trip. It passed after about 20 minutes and we were soon boarded and on our way. My nose began to run relentlessly. I had an inadequate amount of tissue, well none really and was constantly running down to the bathroom to get some. My nose would not stop running. I was so sick that I was unable to look for birds and anyway I couldn’t really see any. It certainly wasn’t like the Pacific Ocean which is full of pelagic bird life even close to shore. The ferry ride is 2.5 hours and I was sick for every minute of it. But I refused to let it get my spirits down. I had so looked forward to this part of the trip. I still think of it now with tears in my eyes, it was so special. The ferry landed at 10:30 AM and I went directly over to the campground to secure a good spot. I found a nice spot and put up my tent and then headed for a look around. Dry Tortugas is a very small island that you can walk around easily in 30 minutes but there is much to see there. The first thing I noticed was dozens of Ruddy Turnstones practically at my feet and half a dozen Magnificent Frigatebirds soaring overhead. I also noticed two hand made boats littered with refuse on the shore. It turned out that 10 Cuban Refugees had landed that day at 10:00 AM and were being escorted by the Park Service to Key West. I did not know this but unlike the Mexicans and Central Americans who are taken promptly back to Tijuana when caught illegally crossing the border, Cubans are welcomed by our country with open arms and given magnanimous greetings and help to establish themselves here. If they make it to land they are allowed to apply for citizenship and start a life here unencumbered by mere laws. I found this hard to accept given the discriminatory treatment given to Central American refugees and illegal entrants.

Just past the abandoned home made boats I came to the coaling docks (I never did find out what that term meant). Brown Noddies were roosting all over them at very close range. I think this is the only species that nests on Dry Tortugas. This was a new species for me but what would be really special would be to pick out a Black Noddy which is a very rare visitor, amongst the many Brown Noddies. Just off shore from Dry Tortugas are a number of other smaller islands including the closest one, Bush Key, home to the largest nesting colony of Sooty Terns in North America. There are estimated to be approximately 100,000 Sooty Terns on Bush Key. Sooty Terns are a pelagic species spending their entire lives at sea except when they come to shore to nest. As soon as the chicks hatch in late May and learn to fly they leave Bush Key and fly to the coast of Africa where they remain at sea for 3-5 years before returning to land to nest themselves. These were the first Sooty Terns I had ever seen. There used to be a colony of Roseate Terns on Bush Key but the last hurricane wiped out all the trees and they no longer nest there, though there are efforts to bring them back by using speakers installed on the island making Roseate Tern sounds.

In the middle of Dry Tortugas is Fort Jefferson, a fort that was built in 1846 to protect our coast from assault. Later the fort was used as a prison for deserters from the Union Army during the civil war. I was so sick all day but I tried to make the most of it. The ranger told us that this big shot birder named Larry Manfreddi had located a very rare Red-footed Booby on whatever key is next to Bush Key and had found two Black Noddies on the coaling docks. So I went to the top of the Fort to see if I could look down on the coaling docks from there. A woman was there with a spotting scope and we looked through it but couldn’t find the Black Noddy or the Red-footed Booby. Her scope was not very good and the tripod was even worse. It was quite windy on top of the Fort and it was difficult to make much out up there. I felt very bad so I returned to my camp site. I walked along the moat to get back and an injured Northern Gannet was in the moat within feet of me. I’ve never seen one so close before. I tried to lie on the picnic table but just felt miserable. I had my little dinner and my two little beers and just went to sleep after the sun went down. My neighbors were very nice and very respectful. Nobody made loud noises or acted obnoxious.

April 28, 2008, I was still sick but I still got up as soon as possible to be awake for sunrise when the birds would be arriving. One of the things that makes Dry Tortugas so special is that it sits out in the Gulf of Mexico 70 miles off shore from Key West and is often the first land a migrating bird returning from South America will see after flying all night long. Song birds migrate at night to avoid birds of prey it is believed and so as the sun comes up they are so tired and so hungry after crossing the Gulf of Mexico that they will stop at the first land they see. Due to their extreme fatigue and hunger they are hell bent on eating and become oblivious to humans. I got out of my tent and a Prairie Warbler was so close that I leaned down with my naked eye and could see individual feathers. I went and stood by the north coaling docks and saw a fantastic sunrise. The sun came up over Bush Key as swarms of Sooty Terns were silhouetted by the great giant orange ball. On the beach behind the campground my new friends, Mark and Mike and I spotted a Brown Booby. I had seen this bird before on the Monterey Coast Guard Pier. Later up on top of the Fort Mike had his scope out scanning the noddy flock. He told me that you could see the Masked Boobies from where we stood. I asked him to show me and indeed there was a nice sized flock of nesting Masked Boobies on Hospital Key visible through his scope, another life bird! There were only the same birds from yesterday around the island. I walked around the Fort with a roll of toilet paper in my backpack for my relentlessly running nose and tried again to look for the Black Noddy. A woman was there with binoculars. She told me her name was Vicki Rothman from Miami, and she was just there on a day trip with her husband. She told me that she heard you could see the Black Noddy from the moat. So we walked down to the edge (the Park Service had roped off this area as it was under construction) as close as allowed and sure enough there was a Black Noddy right next to a few Brown Noddies. You could clearly make out its much smaller size, darker color, and sharply demarked white cap. I had Vicki keep an eye out while I crossed into the roped off area for some video and a picture. Vicki wanted a picture for her records so I promised to email it to her (which I did but she never responded). It was a life bird for both of us. Inside the Fort were the same Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Broad-winged Hawk, Merlin, and Cattle Egrets from yesterday. I walked around the island with Vicki enjoying all the birds until she had to leave on the departing ferry at 3:00 PM. Around 5:00 PM I ran into Mike sitting with his spotting scope pointed toward the island right next to Bush Key. He called me over and let me look through his scope and I saw way in the distance my first ever Red-footed Booby. It was very far away but the reddish feet were clearly visible. I took some brief video even though it was too far away. It was my third life bird in one day. I thanked Mike and then went back to my campsite for dinner. As I sat eating I went through my journal checking how many new birds I had seen in Florida. I didn’t count the Black-hooded Parakeet(although to this day I’m not sure if it’s countable) but with the birds that were certainly countable, the Gray Kingbird, Florida Scrub-Jay, Limpkin, Antillean Nighthawk, Short-tailed Hawk, Black-whiskered Vireo, Brown Noddy, Masked Booby, Black Noddy, Sooty Tern, and Red-footed Booby, I had at least 11 new birds. I couldn’t remember if I had removed California Condor from my list and I wasn’t exactly sure but thought my count before I left was 588 so that would put me at 599, just one shy of 600. I wasn’t sure about the Hill Myna so I went over to ask Mike if it was countable. He was sitting next to bird trip leader, Larry Manfreddi. The question was directed at Mike but Larry chirped in immediately and barked to me “you can’t count Hill Myna and you didn’t even see one, you saw a Common Myna.” I went back to my picnic table and wrote in my journal, “Larry Manfreddi is an asshole.”

April 29, 2008, I woke up early and finally felt better. The West Nile Virus was nearly gone. As I stepped out of my tent it was still dark with dawn approaching; a Short-eared Owl flew right over my head. On the beach behind my tent I found the Northern Gannet dead on the shore. One leg was broken leaving it unable to paddle out of the water to get into the air and it had died of starvation. There was a beautiful sunrise over Bush Key. I walked behind the campground to the north coaling docks and I could see the birds flying in and literally crashing into the shore with exhaustion. It turned out to be an amazing day with hundreds of birds flying in all day long and eating at my feet. I got so close to a Veery that it was walking between my feet. There were Gray-cheeked Thrushes, Wood Thrushes, and Swainson’s Thrushes. At the famed fountain were Tennessee Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Palm Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Northern Parula, Black-throated Green Warbler, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, and Hooded Warbler. A Scarlet Tanager set up house keeping right behind my tent giving me eye popping close up views of this gorgeous scarlet and black bird. I also saw Indigo Bunting, Painted Bunting, Summer Tanager, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Larry Manfreddi arrived with a group of about 20 birders who had paid him $1600 a piece to be lead by him to these birds that were so easy to see and find. At the end of the day they went back to his 64 foot boat to sleep at night and some evenings he took them to some of the other keys to look for birds not visible from Garden Key where my campsite and Fort Jefferson were. Manfreddi waltzed right into the campground oblivious to the campers, most of whom were not birders at all but there for relaxation or snorkeling, and put out a pan of water for the birds under some trees. Since the only other fresh water for the birds is from the fountain, the birds were very attracted to this make shift bird bath. And if you sat quietly nearby you could see just about all the birds on the island at ultra close distance. After a few minutes a Dickcissel in breeding plumage flew into the pan for a drink. After the daily ferry arrived at 10:30 a new group came and set up two tents in the site right in front of mine. It was two ladies from Orlando, Marcia and Cynthia, and a fellow named Steve who told me that he was a professional videographer for a TV station. At first when I asked why he wasn't videotaping he said he was on vacation but later he confided that he wished he did have his video camera but that the station wouldn't let it leave Wisconsin. Marcia told me that she was very impressed that I was brave enough to come out there and camp all alone.

At lunch a camper next to me, Kelly from Key Largo, offered to let me use her kayak to kayak out to Bush Key. I took her up on her offer but was too scared to take my camera along. I paddled out as close as possible to get a better look at the Sooty Terns. While paddling out I saw a huge Loggerhead Turtle in the water. Another kayaker paddled up and showed me how a Brown Noddy was perched on the end of his kayak and had been there for 15 minutes.

That evening as I sat at my picnic table for dinner Steve pointed out a male Bobolink in breeding plumage in a tree just above my campsite. Some nice people were leaving the next day and gave me their extra water which I gladly accepted. I didn’t need it to drink as I had plenty for that. I got into the Ocean to wash away the sweat and then used the fresh water to bathe in and rinse off the salt water afterwards. I love bathing outside! My ice had all melted but my daily allotment of two beers was still plenty cool. Since I now had extra water I used some to wet a towel I placed on top of my cooler and this functioned to keep the cooler extra cool. I used a rain poncho as a tarp during the day to keep the sun off of it. During the night I could hear the rats the park service had mentioned but they never bothered me or my stuff at all.

On the ferry ride out the Yankee Freedom had offered everyone snorkeling gear but I was so sick I couldn't even think of doing such a thing. Most people come to Dry Tortugas for a day trip and spend the day snorkeling the coral reef that surrounds Garden Key. I never did any snorkeling on account of my West Nile Virus but I did get to see some outlandishly colored fish from the moat including the brightly colored Parrot Fish and the little yellow and black Sargent Major fish. I also saw a Portuguese Man-0f-War in the water.

April 30, 2008, was my last day on Dry Tortugas. The ferry would take me back to Key West at 2:45 PM. There was another beautiful sunrise to admire but there weren’t nearly as many birds the last day. Inside the Fort were the usual Broad-winged Hawk, Merlin, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk waiting to pounce on the tired hungry arriving song birds. Manfreddi and his paid customers came in later in the day. Manfreddi had another birder helping him lead his birding trip whose name I think was Nigel. Nigel found a Chuck-will’s-widow on a low branch behind the fountain. He pointed it out to the paying birders and of course I wanted it for my video I had been working so hard on but I didn’t want to scare it so I stayed back. Well, Nigel walked up to me and said you should get closer to get a better shot. I thought that was so uncharacteristic of most birders and I was so grateful at his kindness. I took him up on his offer and got as close as I dared. There were also two Nighthawks sleeping up in a Gumbo Limbo tree. You cannot tell a Common Nighthawk from an Antillean Nighthawk unless they sing. But these two wouldn’t make a peep for us. After the paying birders left I was able to stand quietly at the fountain and get some fantastic shots of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo coming in for a bath plus two male Magnolia Warblers, a Tennessee Warbler, and some other neat things too. I also got some nice shots of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird eating at a Sea Grape. Before the paying birders left Nigel gave me some tips on where to find Snail Kite and White-crowned Pigeon. I really did not want to leave Dry Tortugas but departure was quickly approaching. I saw Mike and Mark and I told Mike that I didn’t think there were any other birds possible to see on Dry Tortugas that I had not already seen except for White-tailed Tropicbird. He said “oh Mark and I saw about five of those on the way out here.” I was crushed. I had been so sick I guess I didn’t notice them. I demanded that Mike produce one on the ferry ride back to Key West as I thought it would take me up to 600 birds on my ABA approved North American Life List (although I actually wasn’t really sure but it made for a fantastic plot line). I reluctantly boarded the boat and Mike, Mark, and I stood out on the upper deck the entire 2.5 hours back to Key West looking for a tropic bird. Nearly back to shore, Mike yelled out “large white bird.” We all stared at it intently with our binoculars but it was just a Royal Tern. Back on shore in Key West Mike said he was sorry he couldn’t conjure up a White-tailed Tropicbird. I told him I remained sanguine and would probably hit 600 with a White-crowned Pigeon and then we departed. My number one priority back on Key West was to replenish my depleted ice, so I did that. And then I was starving and so I went back to Ft. Zachary Taylor to eat and try for White-crowned Pigeon. I ran into a nice birder who said the best place was Indigenous Park but it was now closed or the cemetery but dark was approaching and there was no time for that either. He asked if I was staying the night in Key West and I said I had a reservation at John Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo and he said “oh that’s close to Dagny; two Mangrove Cuckoos were seen there today.” The ranger let me into Ft. Zachary Taylor for half price after I told him about my bad luck in not being able to find the White-crowned Pigeon. He said the best place was in the middle of town. Nobody thought Ft. Zachary Taylor was a good place for them, although the Birding Florida book by Brian Rapoza said it was. The sun was about to set so I went to Sunset Beach and watched it and then left Key West on the boring horrible Overseas Highway all the way up to Key Largo where I camped for the night. The campground was atrocious. My site was probably 10 feet wide with a trailer on both sides of me. The only good thing about it was that I was able to recharge my batteries in the electrical outlet. I set up my tent and went straight to bed.

May 1, 2008, I got up at 5:00 AM. It’s just a short drive from John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park to Dagny Key Largo State Botanical Site but I wanted to arrive at dawn to look for the ever elusive Mangrove Cuckoo. Two birders from Pennsylvania arrived just as I did so we walked in together. We walked up and down the trails and I was about to give up as we headed back toward the middle where the kiosk is. One of the fellows, Kevin said he thought he heard one. Just about then a Mangrove Cuckoo flew into a tree right in front of us! I got my video camera on it very briefly and then jumped up and down for joy. I could not believe that a Mangrove Cuckoo was bird number 600! We admired it for a while and then I told the other guy, Dave, that I had been unable to find a White-crowned Pigeon and just about then he yelled out “White-crowned Pigeon!” I looked at it but it just looked like a Rock Pigeon to me so I couldn’t “count” that one. A few minutes later though a flock flew right over us and I clearly saw the white heads on them but got no video as they merely flew by and away. Oh well, it was still 601 I thought. Dave asked me if I had seen the Smooth-billed Ani. Vicki had mentioned something about it but I had failed to write down the directions as it seemed out of the way and unlikely but since it was only 9:30 AM and I had already seen two new species I decided to give it a shot. Dave walked back to my car with me and wrote out very detailed instructions to the spot and also a place to see Spot-breasted Oriole and Red-whiskered Bulbul. I thanked him profusely and then headed north to the Fort Lauderdale Airport. The Ani spot is just south of the airport in a run down section of town with large electrical towers and over grown abandoned lots. I pulled the car up very leery about having my camera stolen. I had just gotten out of my car when I saw an all black bird with an unmistakeably long tail on the ground just feet away with a bug dangling from its mouth! My god a Smooth-billed Ani just like that. I went back to the car and got the camera out but it had flown away somewhere. I waited and waited but it would not come back. All other black birds there were Grackles. I decided to have my lunch out of the back of my car while waiting. I drove around the block and still nothing. I was about to give up when I pulled over and saw it again perched on a telephone wire. I yanked out my camera and got an awful hand held shot just in case it flew away again. I parked the car and got out my tripod and was able to video tape it and get a photo. There were two of them actively feeding for their nest somewhere nearby. After satisfying myself I decided I better get out of there and left driving south to this residential area Dave had recommended for Spot-breasted Oriole. I felt weird walking around the neighborhood even with just my binoculars. I was not about to carry around that huge camera with neighbors staring at me like I was insane. Also I felt a little odd looking for another introduced species. Spot-breasted Oriole. Though much more colorful it is no different from the European Starling introduced in New York about a 100 years ago and long ago established all across North America. This oriole had been introduced from Central America and was now a year round resident around Miami and apparently according to Dave this neighborhood I was walking around in Hollywood, FL. After walking around it three times I gave up. I drove to a Miami neighborhood called Kendall across from the Baptist Hospital looking for a Red-whiskered Bulbul on the recommendation of Dave. I only saw Loggerhead Shrike, Monk Parakeet (countable but I already saw one in Dallas a year ago) and White-winged Dove. I was a long way away but I figured the only realistic chance I had left of yet another new bird was to drive half way back down the Keys to the Marathon government buildings where Roseate Terns are known to nest. Roseate Terns are a pelagic species and spend their entire lives at sea, only coming to shore to nest. On my way from Hollywood to Marathon, I made a detour to Everglades National Park to recycle my beer bottles. I knew the national park would recycle whereas the state of Florida does not. Shame on Florida! Anyway, I lifted the green recycle bin at Royal Palm and put in my bottles and some empty water jugs I had been saving up and then lifted the trash can to put in some little bit of trash I had accumulated and was shocked to see about 10 plastic water bottles. INEXCUSABLE! What is wrong with people? It was getting late but there was enough sun light left for me to clearly make out several Least Terns flying over the Marathon State of Florida Regional Service Center Building. I saw one that was larger and got my binoculars on it. It had a black cap, an all black bill, and an incredibly long all white deeply forked tail, definitely a Roseate Tern! The only other tern it could have been was a Sandwich but I’ve never seen one with such a deeply forked tail. It was nearly dark by the time I left the government buildings but unbelievably I had added four new species in one day. Since I was so close I stopped at the Marathon Airport, a known spot to hear and see Antillean Nighthawk. The only nighthawk I saw or heard was a Common Nighthawk but fortunately I had already added this species at my campground at Long Pine in the Everglades. I drove the long boring drive back to Key Largo to sleep at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Most people go there to snorkel; I only chose it because it was close to Dagny and it’s a good thing I did.

May 2, 2008 was my last day in Florida. I got up as early as humanly possible, took down my tent, ate breakfast, and left Key Largo on a grueling four hour drive north past Miami, past Fort Lauderdale, past West Palm Beach and then inland on the toll road, the Florida Turnpike (oh how I wish I had done that miles ago and missed all that miserable rush hour traffic in all the aforementioned beaches!) to Lake Kissimmee State Park. I chose this spot on the recommendation of Nigel as the best place to see a Snail Kite. It took me so long to get there after that hideous drive that I had blown the best part of the morning by the time I arrived. I walked up to the observation tower to have a look. It had breathtaking views of Lake Kissimmee but I could see right away that any Snail Kite I spotted from up there would be incredibly far away necessitating a spotting scope. So I took one of the trails to the lake’s edge which recedes greatly after the rainy season ends. There were thousands of mosquitoes but they didn’t touch me because this time instead of using poison I smeared myself with Skin So Soft. It really does work! I saw an Eastern Meadowlark and a Common Ground-Dove on the walk out to the lake and an immature Bald Eagle but the only other soaring birds were vultures. So I returned to the picnic area to look around. There was a Summer Tanager, Carolina Wren, Blue Jay, and Great-crested Flycatcher in the pine/oak woodlands along with several Wild Turkeys. In the Kissimmee River I found another Limpkin, a Tricolored Heron, and an Anhinga along with a few large alligators. I had my lunch at the picnic area and continued to scan the skies. During lunch I found an Oak Hairstreak in the Oak woodlands that make up the habitat there along with a gorgeous Zebra Swallowtail. I love that butterfly but they never land and I have never been able to get a doggone photo of one. They are not in California so I have to wait until my next visit south to look for another one.

I finished lunch and it was obvious I was not going to find a Snail Kite there so I drove for miles around the lake to the other side to the Joe Overstreet Boat Ramp where the Snail Kites allegedly perch on the posts. It was mid-afternoon and rednecks were arriving to set up their tents for the weekend. I looked around but found nothing and it seemed improbable with all that noise and redneck activity. So I left. On the drive back down the Joe Overstreet dirt road, I stopped and heard two Bobwhites which brought childhood memories racing back into my brain. I heard some Sandhill Cranes in the sky and one was on the side of the road nearby feeding. Also on that side of the lake is the Three Lakes Wildlife Management where endangered Whooping Cranes are raised in captivity. I didn’t see any but since I was over there I tried near the other lakes that make it “Three Lakes,” Lake Jackson and Lake Marion to look for kites. I drove down to a parking area for the Lake Jackson Observation Tower. It was a .4 mile walk and time was running out so I ran without my camera. When I arrived a Pileated Woodpecker was pecking on the tower legs. I climbed up and had outstanding views of the lake but saw no kites. I raced back to the car and drove back to Lake Kissimmee State Park for one last parting glance from the observation tower. It was nearly dusk and there were several raptors coursing over the lake. I’m sure one of them was a kite because they were much smaller than the eagles out there but all of them were much too far away to count for anything except a nice parting look at Florida as it should look. The park closed at 8:00 PM so I had to get out and begin my long drive back to Tampa for my flight home the next day. It had been an incredible trip for me, reminding me that there still are wild places out there if you look hard enough and have the resources to find them. They won't be here indefinitely though because man is hell bent on being the only species left on this planet. Going to Florida was a reminder of how lucky I am to have my health, the time and those resources available to experience nature in all its glory, while it's still here to enjoy.

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

2008-01-21T17:51:00.000-08:00

SOUTH AFRICA: PART II
Cape Town
December 20, 2007- January 3, 2008

The flight from Nelspruit to Cape Town is about two hours and we made it in a tiny twin prop plane. I looked out the window during the flight; after leaving the Drakensburg Mountains I saw only plains. Susan’s parents picked us up at the Cape Town airport and we drove to their house in Kreupelbosch, very close to the wine route. They kindly put us up in their home for our entire stay in Cape Town. Just outside of the Cape Town Airport we passed an endless shanty town. Later in the trip we saw more shanty towns near H0ut Bay and another in the Cape Flats. The Barneses said it wasn’t safe to walk around the neighborhood so after having some tea, Susan and I took a short walk carrying nothing with us. There were some Cape Turtle-doves giving the well-known dove call of Africa, “kuk-coooo-ku-ku.” I read a book on the deck of the Barnes’ house as it was summer in South Africa. That night we went over to Susan’s sister’s house. Her sister, Alison, lives with her common law husband, Simon. There were many guests in addition to the Barneses, Kim and her fiancée, Denesh, Susan’s very loquacious old high school chum, Helen, and her 60 year old lawyer husband, Steve, and their two kids. Kim and Denesh passed out somewhere along in the evening and Helen after drinking an entire bottle of wine played the piano for everyone while Steve filled me with his impressions of American politics (incredibly at one point stating that Reagan was our best president, a point on which I vehemently disagreed since I believe he is the second worst president). Everyone agreed that Bush is the worst president we have ever had and is a stain on America. Steve asked me what I knew about South Africa and I said that I had read My Traitor’s Heart by Rian Milan before coming, in preparation for the trip. Steve said that Rian Milan was a kook and then proceeded to explain the high crime rate to me (a topic which is covered in explicit detail in Mr. Milan’s book). The people of South Africa are very proud of their country and how well it is faring economically compared to the rest of Africa. Johannesburg is the economic capital of the area with a bustling industry based on the gold and diamond mines mostly. Alison’s son, Susan’s nephew, Christopher, asked me what Johannesburg is known for in the US and I said, for its crime. I think he was hoping I would say for its industry but everything I had read including Mr. Milan’s book indicated that Johannesburg had one of the highest crime rates in the world. Susan’s brother, Martyn and his family live in Johannesburg and despite their pride in their country live in a gated community with electric fences and a security guard. It is just the way of life in South Africa. One thing South Africa can be proud of is that everyone I met spoke impeccable English. Unfortunately they are also very obsessed with pronunciation believing of course theirs to be the superior one. This led to endless ribbing of my “American” accent. I found myself nearly unable to speak at times with shame over my philistine barbaric pronunciation most notably of “water” and some other words. I think I held my own though in the English grammar department.

December 21, 2007, after breakfast we drove a short distance to a bad neighborhood to the Rietvlei Wetland Reserve (all of these unpronouncable hideous words come from the odious Africaans language), a freshwater wetland located on the floodplain of the Diep River before it drains into the Milnerton lagoon and then Table Bay. I was nervous about taking my camera in but there was a gate with a security guard and they charged a small fee so I felt safe once inside. Cape Town is on the western side of South Africa and so I had an opportunity to see a completely different set of birds from what I had seen in Kruger and Durban. Also the weather was much better as the sun finally came out and it was actually warm. The reserve has a boardwalk through riverine habitat, reedbeds, a freshwater lake and a tidal lagoon. In the lake we saw Great-crested Grebe, Little Grebe, many Reed Cormorants, an African Darter, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and one Glossy Ibis. In the lagoon were dozens of Great White Pelicans, and Sacred Ibises. A small flock of Spur-winged Geese flew overhead and there was one lone Yellow-billed Duck on an island in the lagoon. We went into one of the hides and I saw my first Red-knobbed Coot and an African Purple Swamphen which looks very similar to the Purple Gallinule, a resident of the southern US. In the strandveldt along the paths were Cape Bulbul, Karoo Prinia, Cape White-eye, Levaillant’s Cisticola, and Red-winged Starling. There was a large flock of Common Waxbills near the museum. After passing through the building, you come to a large glass window where you can look into a pond. Perched over the pond were a Yellow Canary, one Southern Double-collared Sunbird, and a Cape Canary, and on the ground was a Cape Robin-Chat. After checking out the pond, we looked at the museum’s display case of stuffed birds and the aquarium which had some endangered toads and fish. That night Mrs. Barnes said we were once again invited to Simon and Alison’s for a briaa (South African for bar-b-que).

December 22, 2007, it actually was hot, probably reaching 94 degrees. In the morning Susan and I went to South Africa’s national botanical garden, Kirstenbosch. The gardens are gated and well manicured so it was safe to bring my newly repaired tripod (Ihad smashed the tripod to pieces in Kruger on the last day and miraculously Mr. Barnes had been able to repair it) and video camera. From the gardens one can hike up one of the many trails into Table Mountain National Park where the gardens give way to the wild indigenous fynbos, a type of vegetation found nowhere else on earth that consists of fine low growing plants and flowers, especially the national flower, the protea. We walked up the fynbos trail in the garden and immediately found a family of Cape Francolins pecking on the ground. Sombre Greenbuls were calling incessantly from the trees and a Cape Robin-Chat scurried along the ground. We sought refuge under a tree and found it full of Cape White-eye, Cape Batis, Cape Canary, and Malachite Sunbird. Kirstenbosch is a good place to see raptors soaring and that day we saw one of many Steppe Buzzards we would see during our stay. We continued our walk around the gardens and saw African Dusky Flycatcher, Karoo Prinia, Cape Rock Thrush, Olive Thrush, White-backed Mousebird, and in the outlying areas Orange-breasted Sunbird and Southern Double-crested Sunbird. At the border of the gardens we saw some people descending from one of the trails to Table Mountain called Skeleton Gorge. It looked inviting and I asked Susan about it. She said it was too dangerous, that her family had told her not to go up there because we would be mugged.

After Kirstenbosch we returned to the house in Kruepelbosch and then took a walk around a small neighborhood park, Die Oog which looked like Die Dog on first inspection. Susan said it wasn’t safe so we only took our binoculars in. It’s a small park with a pond and some shrubs and pine trees. We saw lots of Guineafowl, Egyptian Geese, Reed Cormorant, Cape Weaver, and Southern Red Bishop. Later in the day Susan took us to a place where she had spent many hours as a teenager sulking and thinking she said, a winery called Groot Constantia. The winery allows you to walk around their vineyards and grounds at your own risk. Susan said it wasn’t safe and we could only take binoculars and no cameras. It was another excellent spot for raptors with a clear view to the sky. Although the vineyards were a monoculture holding only pigeons, the surrounding areas were forested and full of birds. Soaring above we saw another Steppe Buzzard but also another very similar looking raptor that I studied very carefully to make out the pale greater and median coverts identifying it as a Forest Buzzard. In the vineyards we found Speckled Pigeon and in the forested area Common Fiscal and an up close look at the beautiful African Paradise Flycatcher which would have made an excellent photo if I had only had my camera. It was very frustrating to always be looking behind me to see if a criminal was lurking who might get my binoculars and/or camera.

December 23, 2007, we got up early and drove the long drive to the south-western most point of Africa, the Cape of Good Hope National Park. After entering the park we passed a huge expanse of fynbos. We pulled over at a rocky beach on the Atlantic side and got out to have a look. Ostriches were feeding in the low coastal scrub and then a flash of color caught my eye—the endangered African Black Oystercatcher! We walked down to the shore and had a better look. While we were admiring it I noticed a very pale plover walking on the narrow shoreline—a White-fronted Plover. We continued driving to the turn off for Cape Point. We parked and hiked up to the lighthouse where we had expansive views of both the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Wave upon wave of cormorants flew past but I couldn’t find any interesting pelagic birds which you can supposedly see from this vantage point. Nevertheless the expansive view was majestic and reminded me of Point Reyes minus the disgusting noisome dairy farms. After enjoying the view we climbed back down past the hordes of tourists to the parking lot where we found a Cape Bunting hopping around. We drove down to the Cape of Good Hope and there were more hordes of tourists. We stood out on the rocks and saw large roosts of Swift Terns, Cape Cormorant, Bank Cormorant, White-breasted Cormorant, and at least one Crowned Cormorant. After squeezing in between tourists for a picture next to the Cape of Good Hope sign we turned around and headed back down the coastline in search of shorebirds which we never found. A Rock Kestrel perched on a rock near the ocean allowing us to get very close to it. We also saw yet another Steppe Buzzard flying overhead. We pulled over at one pull out and I was surprised to see a Parasitic Jaeger fly over. There were many Cape Gulls and some Hartlaub’s Gulls and mixed in with the many Swift Terns were a few Sandwich Terns. In the scrub were some Grey-backed Cisticolas singing away along with some Karoo Prinias and lots of Cape Wagtails on the beaches. We turned off at the Circular Drive and finally we found Cape Sugarbirds with their long streaming tails and big bills for extracting nectar from the sugarbushes. The fynbos was dotted with protea bushes all the way to the horizon. We stopped at a Marine Reserve and found some Sacred Ibises, another White-fronted Plover, and a Kittlitz’s Plover. There was a flock of Cape Canaries eating in the grass along with one Brimstone Canary. Before leaving we glimpsed a Water Mongoose hustling back into the scrub. While driving back toward the park entrance a striped mouse crossed the road and we passed a family of Baboons which are common in the park.

We took a different route home along the Atlantic Ocean and the dramatic coastline. We stopped at Seaforth Beach and walked to the shore but it didn’t seem very safe so we only looked at the colony of African Penguins roosting there.

December 24, 2007, we awoke to stormy weather. Susan had assured me before we left that it did not rain in Cape Town in summer. We drove way out to Milnerton Beach looking for the Rietvlei Wetlands Reserve. We saw a sign for it but the only trail was right along a noisy highway. We walked along with rain threatening the entire time. Some Blacksmith Lapwings were huddled along the banks of the Diep River. On the other side was a golf course and on an island some Egyptian Geese were roosting with Little Egret, Grey Heron, Cape Gull, and Hartlaub’s Gull. The wind was picking up and the rain was coming down just as I noticed a Common Greenshank along the bank. The thunder claps were getting closer and closer and the storm was obviously headed right for us so we raced back to the car. Just before reaching it lightning struck not 50 meters away. We dove into the car just before a down pour. We had to eat our lunch in the car parked in front of Milnerton Beach hoping the storm would pass over which it eventually did. Susan didn’t want to get out but I convinced her to walk along Milnerton Beach with me. It cleared up and we could see Lion’s Head, a familiar landmark in Cape Town, back-dropping the beach along with Table Mountain. A man on the beach saw us struggling to take a self-photo and offered to get one of us both with the mountains as a back drop.

December 25, 2007, I had been dreading this day. In my entire life I had never missed a Christmas with my own family and I was not looking forward to spending this one without them. After breakfast we took a short hike in Toklai Forest. Susan said it was dangerous and so she wouldn’t let me bring my camera. There were several people in the forest walking their dogs and it seemed safe enough to me. We found a Steppe Buzzard eating a mouse in a tree and saw a Chaffinch, an introduced European species that has become established in Toklai. After our short walk we packed up our presents and went to Simon and Alison’s for the festivities. We opened some presents and then had a briaa outside under the canopy. It was superb weather and I enjoyed being outside on Christmas Day. After dinner everyone opened crackers which are wrapped items that you pull apart making a popping noise. Inside is a little present and a note with some witticism on it. There were no pumpkin pies but Mrs. Barnes had made some miniature mince meat pies. The kids swam in the pool and there was a lot of drinking involved. In the evening instead of having dinner we had the Christmas pudding. After the Christmas pudding we had to watch the queen’s speech on TV. Her speech was a whole lot of bullocks. Following the speech, during which I believe Mrs. Barnes stood with her hand on her heart, Simon took everyone up to Cecilia Forest for a short walk in the woods. Some native cork trees were growing at the entrance but mostly it was planted with non-native pine trees and so we didn’t see many birds, just Cape White-eye, Common Chaffinch, and African Dusky Flycatcher. After our walk we settled back under the canopy but incredibly it began to downpour and we were forced back inside the house.

December 26, 2007, Boxing Day, a national holiday, Susan and I got up early and drove back to Toklai Forest. Before reaching the parking area we passed a band of criminals huddled on the side of the road. One of them approached the car and I rolled the window up because I just knew he was going to snatch my binoculars and ruin my vacation. We made it past the band of criminals and parked the car. We started walking up the path toward Elephant’s Eye, another Cape Town landmark on Table Mountain. A black man was walking a little ways ahead of us and I was nervous but it turned out he was a park ranger. The trail ascends rather steeply, about 2100 feet, up to a sort of cave that looks like the eye of an elephant from far away. On the way up we saw another Steppe Buzzard and Rock Kestrel. We passed through expanses of fynbos some of which held Cape Grassbirds and colorful fields of blooming wildflower and proteas before reaching the cave. From the Elephant's eye we could see all across Cape Town all the way to the sea. We saw dozens of beautiful Orange-breasted Sunbirds in the fynbos. After enjoying the views of Cape Town, all the wildflowers, and the sunbirds we continued hiking upwards toward Constantiaberg. As Susan topped the summit a man greeted her dressed in flip flops and shorts. It was windy and cool that day and he was dressed completely inappropriately. I wasn’t sure if he was a criminal or just crazy but I wasn’t sticking around to find out. I had brought my camera against Susan’s advice. I turned back down the mountain but then fearing for Susan went back up and got her. We ran back down without ever reaching the beacon. We stopped about half way down and had lunch with all of Hout Bay for our view. We hiked down toward the Atlantic side and then back around toward Elephant's Eye. When we got back to the final ascent for Elephant's Eye a helicopter swooped down right in front of us and lifted down a gurney for a hiker with a broken leg. The helicopter hovered as long as it could and then had to circle and come back to drop down a rescue worker. On the way back down the mountain we again passed the black ranger. He glared at us; I think he knew I had feared him for his blackness earlier. I’m sorry I did but it’s a fact that 90% of the crime committed in South Africa is committed by blacks. I know it is because of the tremendous gap between rich and poor but I had to be practical while there and weigh my odds of being mugged carefully.

December 27, 2007 was the birthday of Evan, Martyn and Bonnie’s son, who was turning four and Bonnie had planned a birthday party for him at Alison’s house at 2:00 PM but we got up early and drove to Kirstenbosch for a hike before the birthday party. We walked through Kirstenbosch to the start of Skeleton Gorge. This trail goes straight up a steep gorge to the top of Table Mountain. There is a cable car that goes to the top as well and virtually everyone in the family had advised me that I should take the cable car up. This would have been absolute anathema to me and the antithesis of what I am all about. No, we were going to hike up some 3500 feet to McClure’s Beacon with commanding views of all of Cape Town and down to both oceans. The fog started to come between the peaks but it was mostly a sunny day with incredible views all around. There were many other hikers also on holiday and it seemed unlikely that we were in any danger whatsoever. Not too long up Skeleton Gorge we heard the unmistakable song of the much sought after Knysna Warbler. We also saw some more Cape Batises and Cape White-eyes in the trees above the creek. While relaxing on a rock to have lunch I spotted a small family of Ground Woodpeckers nearby also congregating on a rock. Time was running out and Susan made me run down the bone crunching Nursery Ravine back to Kirstenbosch. Despite pounding my knees all the way down in record time we were still 45 minutes late for Evan’s birthday party. Alison chastised Susan for her lateness. It was around this date that I began checking my calendar each day counting how many days were left before I could return to my own country. At the party Martyn and Bonnie gave Evan a transformer that turned into a Humvee. I was mortified. Did Bonnie, who earlier had complained to me about people (presumably Americans) and their big SUVs, not know that Humvees were the very symbol of American profligacy and excess?

December 28, 2007, we went to meet an old school mate of Susan’s she had reconnected with. We were supposed to meet a lady named Emma and her girlfriend, Silvery, and their friend, Peter, for lunch at Glen Cairn, near Hout Bay. We tried to get some early morning birding in before our lunch appointment. We started at Rondovlei Wetland Reserve where we saw a Booted Eagle fly over. From the blinds we saw the same Spur-winged Geese, African Darter, and Yellow-billed Ducks from before but we also found a Cape Shoveler, a new bird for the trip. We weren’t finding anything else new so we left and drove to the Cape Flats to look for the waste water treatment plant which, allegedly is a magnet for birds. Cape Flats is a very poor section of town and it was the one time in Cape Town where I felt real fear. We rolled the windows up and locked the doors while stopped at stop lights (called robots in SA). Dozens of black men stood aimlessly on the side of the road not even trying to hawk magazines no one wanted but just standing idly. We finally found Strandfontein and I was very grateful that it had a gate and security guard who wrote down our names. We drove into the Strandfontein wetlands and immediately came to large flocks of ducks and finally after weeks of searching, my first ever Greater Flamingo. In the wetlands we found Southern Pochard, the lovely chocolate brown Maccoa Duck, Cape Teal, Red-billed Teal, Black-winged Stilt, hundreds of Pied Avocets, and more Blacksmith Lapwings. In the grassy area around the pond we found an African Pipit foraging, but we could not find any shorebird flocks with anything other than lapwings. We ran out of time and ended up about 30 minutes late to lunch which was uneventful. After lunch we drove to Boulders Beach. We walked out to the rocks where the African Penguins were busy copulating right out in the open. They let us get very close to them. It was quite windy and so we left and drove to Noordhouck Beach. We parked and were greeted with a sign advising us not to bring our valuables as there had been many muggings there. A Black-shouldered Kite was perched near the parking area. I gave it only a passing look, wrongly assuming it was the same species as our White-tailed Kite. I took no video of it, only learning upon returning from our trip and consulting my North American Bird Guide that it was a completely different species. There were no other birds on the beach or in the lagoon and it was very windy so we left. Next we drove up Chapman Peak Road to Hout’s Bay. This road is literally carved out of the rocky cliffs overhanging the ocean. It looks very similar to California’s Big Sur. We stopped at some pull outs and enjoyed the amazing views.

December 29, 2007 we drove to Toklai Forest and parked. Like many of the hiking areas in Cape Town, there was a black man with an orange vest who presumably was there to watch our car. We always tipped the car parkers a Rand or two. We hiked up the steep trail to Constantia Nek, six miles round trip, to Victoria Dam. At first the trail passed through non-native grassland bordered with pine trees. I wasn’t expecting to see anything but there were dozens of Neddicky (Neddickies?) perched right out in the open beside the trail singing away. Little Swifts soared overhead. The pine tree area had been partially cleared of the pine trees by the National Park in order to allow the native fynbos to move back in. As we ascended we did finally get back into the fynbos where we saw yet more Orange-breasted Sunbirds, Cape Sugarbird, and Cape Grassbird. As the trail leveled out we looked for a place of refuge from the sun as it was a scorching day. I said I imagined Mrs. Barnes at home melting under the table. A family of “coloreds” (this was considered a perfectly legitimate word in South Africa to refer to the descendants of the white people who landed in Cape Town and mixed with the blacks) were under the only trees on the trail. So we turned back after making it to Victoria Dam. The trail was full of more proteas and wildflowers, the only one of which I could identify being an Felted Everlasting. We found a Cape Robin-chat and an African Olive Pigeon on the way down and at the bottom another African Dusky Flycatcher. Nearly at the bottom Susan received an SMS from Martyn saying he was keen on seeing her and that he and his family were in Kirstenbosch. (This was typical Barnes behaviour which required minimal planning). If he had sent a message 20 minutes earlier we could have descended into Kirstenbosch but since we were nearly at the car it made more sense to drive to the gardens and pay to get inside. We found them escaping the heat under a large tree. We joined them and had our lunch there. We saw more Cape White-eyes, Olive Thrush, Cape Francolin, and Sombre Greenbul. It was quite hot that day; I would say around 95 degrees and when we returned to Kreupelbosch the first thing out of Mrs. Barnes’s mouth was “it’s so hot.” Mr. Barnes was happy as a lark watching cricket on TV.

December 30, 2007, we decided to go back to Strandfontein Water Treatment and Zeekoevlei Wetlands since our trip two days previous had been truncated by the need to meet the My Face lady. In addition to the birds we had seen earlier we also saw the one and only South African Shelduck of the entire trip plus two Hottentot Teals right by the car. We didn’t stray too far from the car at first because Susan was afraid we would walk into a Cape Cobra. I wanted to see one but not with its mouth dangling from my knee. We came across two birders walking along the road and felt easier about getting out. While standing by the car we saw an African Marsh-Harrier fly over the wetlands. We finally found a shorebird flock but it was way out far away from us and without a spotting scope we were unable to make out much except for a possible Little Stint—not exactly the view I was hoping for of this life bird that is so hard to differentiate from our Western Sandpiper.

We returned to Kreupelbosch to spend time with the Barneses but after a while decided to take a walk at Groot Constantia. We felt more comfortable taking our cameras this time now that we had seen all the other people on holiday, all the car parkers, rangers, and helicopters. Cape Town was making an obvious and concerted effort to make it safer for the holiday. South Africa will be hosting the World Cup in two years and I guess they see all the work they need to do to clean up their tarnished image as a crime capital. We walked through the vineyards and immediately saw a Yellow-billed Kite fly right over our heads. Because it was finally a warm sunny day, many raptors were flying on the thermals. We also saw more Steppe Buzzards and I believe at least one of the raptors was an immature Jackal Buzzard. There were dozens of butterflies and lots of Cape Turtle-Doves and then when we passed from the vineyard into the forested area we started seeing all kinds of other birds too including our first Swee Waxbill, a pretty little bird with a gray head, black chin, red bill, green back and wings and red rump. We had a moment of anxiety when a group approached but they were just tourists just like us chancing a mugging for a fine day of hiking.

December 31, 2007, I don’t like new year’s eve; it never leads to any good at all. We had a social obligation at 11:30 because Susan had arranged to meet her best friend from high school, Dom, where they were staying in Cape Town, for lunch. In the morning we drove back out to Milnerton to look again for Rietvlei since our earlier attempt had been thwarted by the rain and lightning. Mr. Barnes said that we had not driven far enough the first time. The directions I had downloaded from the internet before our trip were very vague and we had a hard time finding it. Susan did all the driving in Cape Town since I was too terrified to drive a stick shift sitting on the wrong side of the car and driving on the wrong side of the road as they do in Cape Town. I saw a sign that said “Rietvlei” so we turned and finally bumbled our way to the reserve entrance. There was a gate and a guard and a small entrance fee which was reassuring of its safeness for photography and walking around without being mugged. We parked and began walking toward the bird blind and saw some black and white birds with very long tails in the trees. We had to consult the bird book to determine they were Pin-tailed Whydah birds, an exciting find so late in the trip. Again we had little time on account of our approaching lunch date. As we approached the blind Susan spotted our first ever African Spoonbill, a bird I had been searching for for nearly two weeks. Near the blind some shorebirds were on the mud flat but they were mostly birds we had already seen elsewhere, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Blacksmith Lapwing, and Common Greenshank. We went into the blind even though we were now out of time and right away I spotted a Lesser Swamp Warbler in a reed bed right next to my window. Susan called me over to her window and pointed out the much sought after Curlew Sandpiper! We had to reluctantly leave the blind. As we left a flock of birds flew over sounding remarkably similar to our cranes at home. Susan said they were cranes but I was unconvinced because I had not come across this bird while constantly thumbing through the bird guide every day trying to figure out what everything was. However, later I realized they were indeed Blue Cranes. I had just overlooked them because they were on the same page with the Secretarybird, a bird we did not get to see in Kruger because our guide was obsessed with elephants, and I had been overlooking that page since they were only located on the dry savannahs of the eastern side of the country and not in Cape Town. We were now seriously late but it had been an exciting morning of new discoveries. We had a nice lunch with Dom, her sister, her husband, and her three darling daughters and then left them for their own obligations. Before returning home we stopped at a fancy beach on the Atlantic Ocean called Llandudno Beach. It was packed with people swimming and sun bathing. We walked down to the water which I was keen to check out as Susan’s family had said repeatedly about how cold the water was. I went in up to my knees (I had on shorts) and it was cold but not nearly as cold as the icy Pacific back home. We drove from Llandudno to Hout Bay where we walked along the beach. I didn’t like it because a polluted river flowed into it and it smelled bad because it was close to a pier and marina.

We returned in the evening to Simon and Alison’s for the new year’s celebration. Nearly everyone fell asleep around 10:30 PM but Simon woke everyone up near the stroke of midnight so they could all embrace and kiss. This was very strange as they had shown virtually no outward display of affection up to that point. I was unprepared for the offered kisses. I looked up in the sky to see Orion upside down pointing his arrow directly at us.

January 1, 2008. What better way to start the new year than to find new birds. We drove again to Reitvlei Wetland Reserve. It was very windy. There were many of the same birds from our previous visit. Susan pointed out a nuclear power plant across the wetland. After lunch beside the fresh water lake where people were water skiing, we walked along the marsh and finally found the smallest kingfisher in South Africa there—the beautiful Malachite Kingfisher, which is only 13 centimeters. After enjoying the huge flocks of geese, ducks, ibises, and flamingoes we left and headed to the waterfront. I had been dreading this part of the trip as well, the present buying stage. The waterfront is much like Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, a big tourist attraction full of shops and no birds but feral pigeons. We did see some Southern Fur Seals basking in the sun. Then it was all shopping.

January 2, 2008, Susan and I ran 1.5 miles around the neighborhood and then Susan and her parents took Martyn and his family to the airport. I stayed at home finishing one of the many books I had brought to SA. In the afternoon they returned and Susan and I had Mrs. Barnes drop us off at Constantia Nek. We walked from there to Kirstenbosch where Mrs. Barnes picked us up two hours later. We didn’t see any new birds but we saw a giant tortoise and a Mongoose along the way. That evening we planned a quite evening with Susan’s parents at their house. I was reading in bed when there was a knock at the door. Simon had come by to say goodbye which I thought was very sweet of him. I had opened a bottle of wine Mrs. Barnes had given me for Christmas since it wouldn’t fit in my suitcase. Curiously Susan and I had tried the exact bottle back in San Francisco after finding it in a wine shop there. It was a 2004 Porcupine Ridge Cabernet and it was quite good.

January 3, 2008 was our last day in South Africa. We got up early and drove back out to the Cape of Good Hope. We stopped at the visitor center and were so lucky to see two Bush Bucks. We drove out to the Cape but it was very windy. We tried to climb up the trail above the Cape of Good Hope but the wind made seeing anything flying very difficult. We saw a few Dusies along the trail but not much else. We got back in the car and drove back away from the point. We saw a flash of orange and stopped the car and there was a Bokmakerie in the scrub. Next we drove back to the Circular Drive and took the Boobajain Trail to the water’s edge where we had lunch and then back up the rocks to the parking area. We saw a lot more Cape Sugarbirds and Cape Grassbirds in the fynbos. While eating lunch at the shore I noticed an unusual looking bird hopping around on the rocks. We went over to investigate and were pleased to find yet another bird to add to our South Africa total, a Familiar Chat. As we were ascending the rocks back up to the car after lunch we saw several birds fly onto the rock face so we stopped to see what they were. They were all Rock Martins but then we noticed a yellowish looking bird perched on top of a rock. After two and a half weeks I finally found a Cape Siskin, the last addition to our growing bird list. What an exciting finish to an outstanding trip. We had to leave to allow more family visiting time so we reluctantly left the amazing Cape of Good Hope. We packed up and Mr. and Mrs. Barnes took us to the airport. Alison met us there to say goodbye. I counted all the birds we had seen in Africa and it totaled an amazing 241 birds.. It had been an incredible journey to the dark continent. We said goodbye to the Barneses at Cape Town Airport and flew away to London back to civilization.

Yellow-breasted Apalis
Pied Avocet
Arrow-marked Babbler
Black-collared Barbet
Bateleur
Cape Batis
European Bee-eater
Little Bee-eater
Southern Carmine Bee-eater
White-fronted Bee-eater
Southern Red Bishop
Bokmakierie
Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver
Cape Bulbul
Dark-capped Bulbul
Cape Bunting
Cinnamon-breasted Bunting
Golden-breasted Bunting
Black-bellied Bustard
Forest Buzzard
Jackal Buzzard
Steppe Buzzard
Green-backed Camaroptera
Brimstone Canary
Cape Canary
Yellow-fronted Canary
Common Chaffinch
Familiar Chat
Levaillant’s Cisticola
Rattling Cisticola
Cloud Cisticola
Grey-backed Cisticola
Red-knobbed Coot
Bank Cormorant
Cape Cormorant
Crowned Cormorant
Reed Cormorant
White-breasted Cormorant
Burchell’s Coucal
Black Crake
Blue Crane
Cape Crow
House Crow
Pied Crow
Black Cuckoo
Diderick Cuckoo
Jacobin Cuckoo
Klass’s Cuckoo
Levaillant’s Cuckoo
Red-chested Cuckoo
African Darter
African Morning Dove
Laughing Dove
Lemon Dove
Namaqua Dove
Fork-tailed Drongo
African Black Duck
Comb Duck
Maccoa Duck
White-faced Duck
Yellow-billed Duck
Booted Eagle
Lesser-spotted Eagle
Long-crested Eagle
Martial Eagle
Steppe Eagle
Tawny Eagle
Verreaux’s Eagle
Wahlberg’s Eagle
Great Egret
Little Egret
Yellow-billed Egret
Yellow-bellied Eremomela
Jameson’s Firefinch
Common Fiscal
African Fish-Eagle
Greater Flamingo
African Dusky Flycatcher
Ashy Flycatcher
Fiscal Flycatcher
Spotted Flycatcher
Cape Francolin
Grey Go-away-bird
Spur-winged Goose
Cape Grassbird
Little Grebe
Sombre Greenbul
African Green-Pigeon
Common Greenshank
Southern Ground-Hornbill
Spotted Ground Thrush
Helmeted Guineafowl
Grey-headed Gull
Hartlaub’s Gull
Cape Gull
Hamerkop
Black-headed Heron
Goliath Heron
Purple Heron
Brown-backed Honeybird
Greater Honeyguide
African Hoopoe
Red-billed Hornbill
Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill
African Sacred Ibis
Hadeda Ibis
Purple Indigobird
African Jacana
Rock Kestrel
Brown-hooded Kingfisher
Giant Kingfisher
Malachite Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher
Woodland Kingfisher
Black Kite
Black-shouldered Kite
Yellow-billed Kite
Blacksmith Lapwing
Crowned Lapwing
Bronze Mannikin
African Marsh-Harrier
Rock Martin
Red-faced Mousebird
Speckled Mousebird
White-backed Mousebird
Common Myna
Neddicky
European Nightjar
African Olive-Pigeon
Black-headed Oriole
Common Ostrich
Pearl-spotted Owlet
Red-billed Oxpecker
African Black Oystercatcher
African Palm-Swift
African Paradise-Flycatcher
Long-tailed Paradise-Whydah
Brown-headed Parrot
Great White Pelican
African Penguin
Speckled Pigeon
African Pipit
Common Ringed-Plover
Kittlitz’s Plover
Three-banded Plover
White-fronted Plover
Southern Pochard
Drakensberg Prinia
Karoo Prinia
Tawny-flanked Prinia
Black-backed Puffback
Red-billed Quelea
White-necked Raven
African Reed-warbler
Cape Robin-chat
White-browed Robin-Chat
White-throated Robin-Chat
Cape Rock Thrush
European Roller
Lilac-breasted Roller
Purple Roller
Common Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Brown Scrub-Robin
White-browed Scrub-Robin
South African Shelduck
Cape Shoveler
Magpie Shrike
Red-backed Shrike
Cape Siskin
Brown Snake-Eagle
Cape Sparrow
Southern Grey-headed Sparrow
Black Sparrowhawk
African Spoonbill
Cape Francolin
Natal Francolin
Swainson’s Spurfowl
Black-bellied Starling
Cape Glossy Starling
Red-winged Starling
Violet-backed Starling
Black-winged Stilt
Little Stint
Marabou Stork
Saddle-billed Stork
Woolly-necked Stork
Yellow-billed Stork
Cape Sugarbird
Collared Sunbird
Greater Double-collared Sunbird
Malachite Sunbird
Marico Sunbird
Olive Sunbird
Orange-breasted Sunbird
Southern Double-collared Sunbird
White-bellied Sunbird
Barn Swallow
Greater Striped Swallow
Lesser Striped Swallow
Red-breasted Swallow
White-throated Swallow
African Purple Swamphen
African Black Swift
Alpine Swift
Little Swift
Cape Teal
Hottentot Teal
Red-billed Teal
Lesser Crested Tern
Spotted Thick-knee
Water Thick-knee
Groundscraper Thrush
Kurrichane Thrush
Olive Thrush
Cape Turtle-Dove
Lappet-faced Vulture
White-backed Vulture
White-headed Vulture
African Pied Wagtail
Cape Wagtail
Icterine Warbler
Knysna Warbler
Olive-tree Warbler
Willow Warbler
Blue Waxbill
Common Waxbill
Swee Waxbill
Cape Weaver
Dark-backed Weaver
Spectacled Weaver
Village Weaver
Yellow Weaver
Cape White-eye
Pin-tailed Whydah
Red-collared Widowbird
Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove
Green Wood-Hoopoe
Bearded Woodpecker
Cardinal Woodpecker
Ground Woodpecker

SOUTH AFRICA: PART I: DURBAN & KRUGER

2008-01-13T16:59:00.000-08:00

Durban & Kruger National Park
December 13, 2007 – December 21, 2007

We left London on the evening of the 12th and arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa the morning of December 13, 2007, where we met Susan’s brother, Martyn. The airport was utter chaos. The conveyor belt wasn’t working on the luggage carrousel and throngs of people were climbing onto it trying to get their luggage. We finally collected our things and then met Martyn and his two kids and flew from Johannesburg to Durban, a coastal town on the Indian Ocean. We drove from Durban Airport to Umhlanga Rocks, to a large flat owned by Martyn’s in-laws, overlooking the Indian Ocean. I looked out the cab window on the drive from the airport with extreme sadness as we passed large tracts of shanty towns. Once in Umhlanga everything changed as we entered white South Africa, a swanky resort town for rich white folks with their high end cars, gated housing with security guards, electrically wired fences, and fancy accommodations. Our room opened onto a large deck with expansive views down the beach and across the ocean. Each morning I was able to use my photography and video equipment on the deck on the third floor without fear of being mugged, a high possibility in crime-ridden South Africa. After settling into our room we went for a walk down the board walk along the ocean. Police were stationed up and down the beach; it was the holidays, summer in South Africa, and the beaches were full of tourists. Helicopters patrolled the beaches incessantly as well. As we walked down the beach I noticed right away how little wildlife there was to see in the ocean itself. In fact, the only ocean birds we saw that day were a couple of Cape Gulls and one Lesser Crested Tern. Common Mynas, an introduced bird that has thrived there, were everywhere as were the symbol of South African birding, the Hadeda Ibis and Cape Turtle Dove which makes a sound embedded in my brain permanently. Despite the presence of many tourists, in the shrubs along the boardwalk there were quite a few birds including Dark-capped Bulbul, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Drakensburg Prinia, Lemon Dove, and Red-winged Starling. After walking down the boardwalk a ways we came to the entrance to the Umhlanga Lagoon Nature Reserve. It looked very inviting but a sign warned of the dangers of muggings and recommended entering only on Thursdays between 11:00 and 2:00 PM when a guard was there. Overcoming my extreme fear of being mugged and having my camera stolen we entered the reserve. It was the best part about Durban. My heart pounded as we entered a thick jungle with overhanging limbs and then came to a rickety boardwalk over the lagoon. In the jungle area we saw a Green-backed Camaroptera, African White-throated Robin-Chat, and Red-capped Robin-chat. Our fears overcame us and it was getting late so we turned back before exploring the boardwalk.

December 14, 2007, I got up and checked out the lawn below the balcony. I found more Mynas, Laughing Dove, European Barn Swallow, Dark-capped Bulbul, Cape White-eye, Bronze Mannikin, Gray-headed Gull, and Cape Sparrow. Out on the ocean was a pod of Common Dolphins. After breakfast we decided to walk back down to the Nature Reserve. Martyn’s brother-in-law, Allistair, warned us that it wasn’t safe but we went anyway. In the jungle we found a Cardinal Woodpecker, Brown Scrub Robin, and a Green-backed Camaroptera. An alternative trail to the one to the boardwalk went toward the Beachcomer Hotel and we took it as it seemed safer so close to the hotel. One tree there was full of butterflies and also had a Speckled Mousebird, Black-collared Barbet and a family of Vervet Monkeys. We stood in this one spot along time as it felt the safest. Then we decided to chance the rickety boardwalk and came across dozens of nesting weaver birds, Speckled Weaver and Cape Weaver. There was one Southern Red Bishop in the reeds. As we stood on the boardwalk right in the middle we had a good vantage point for both shorebirds in the river mouth and passerines in the woods. Along the canal there was a White-breasted Cormorant, Goliath Heron, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Wood Sandpiper, and Common Sandpiper. A Giant Kingfisher flew out of the woods and landed on a post in the canal. Then a Pied Kingfisher flew out of the same area and landed on a reed. In the woods on the far side that went toward the ocean I spotted a Black Flycatcher perched in a tree. We looked in the mud flats closely and saw a Three-banded Plover briefly come from behind some reeds. A Common Ringed Plover made an even briefer appearance before disappearing behind the reed bed. We decided to brave crossing the boardwalk to the other side. The jungle only continued briefly after that before descending to the beach. Out on the beach an African Fish Eagle flew overhead. Back at the flat we put on our swimming suits (called swimming costumes in South Africa) and went down to the beach to swim in the Indian Ocean. I had never even seen the Indian Ocean before much less swum in it. You could only swim in about a 50 yard section of the beach. So about 500 people were all crammed in this one section of the beach all trying to boogie board and ride waves and swim all the while bumping into each other while trying to avoid contact. If you went outside the 50 yard markers a life guard blew a whistle and asked you to get back in the swimming area. Another guard sat on a surf board right at the breakers to make sure no one went beyond the breakers. White Sharks are a huge threat in South Africa but as all the announcement were in Zulu I’m not sure if that was the reason or something else. Crime was always a threat even with the presence of guards, helicopters and police. So Susan watched our towel while I got in the ocean. It was chilly but not nearly as cold as the Pacific Ocean. Everyone said the Indian Ocean was much warmer than the Atlantic Ocean. I would find out later in the trip when we got to Cape Town.

December 15, 2007, I got up and scanned the ocean from the balcony. It was overcast. A stream of Palm Swifts flew past the balcony. A Cape Wagtail walked across the lawn below me. After breakfast we returned to the Nature Reserve. We first took the trail toward the busy tree next to the Beachcomber Hotel. A suspicious looking man was walking the other way. I was very frightened but felt somewhat safe by the hotel. Two men walked toward us and I hurriedly put my Canon Rebel into my backpack. If we had been robbed he would have hit the jackpot getting both my Canon Rebel and my Sony Video camera. The two men turned out to be police officers who had just returned from checking the nature reserve trails. One of the officers asked if we planned to go into the reserve when we said yes he said that there had been two muggings the day before. We were so frightened and jittery that I could barely even look at the birds much less film them. We walked toward the boardwalk slowly looking ahead and back constantly. We stood out in the middle of the boardwalk checking both sides and that felt safer as we had a chance to run either way if a criminal came. An African Darter was in the channel as well as a Ruff and another Common Sandpiper. I didn’t want to go either way as I felt entering the woods was very dangerous but we had to either return the way we came through the jungle or up the hillside to the beach. We finally decided that the shorter route to the beach was safest since once we reached the beach we were much less likely to be mugged with other people there, constant helicopters flying over and many people on holiday at the beach. In the woods that went up the hillside we found a Fork-tailed Drongo, a female Eastern Olive Sunbird, my first sunbird of the trip, Dark-backed Weaver, and Common Fiscal. We decided it would be safer to walk back along the beach where there was more security. While walking down the beach, a Rock Kestrel zoomed past us. Later in the day we went out to the pool area which was enclosed by the electrical fence so filming was easier and safer there. While looking around a Black Kite flew overhead and a Black-collared Barbet went repeatedly to this same tree overlooking the pool area.

December 16, 2007, was our last day in Durban. In the morning before our flight we walked down the boardwalk to the reserve one last time. While standing on the boardwalk a Black Crake popped out of the reeds. I could have stood on the boardwalk all day just to see what else popped out but we had to go. We crossed the boardwalk and walked through the jungle to the beach where we found a Wahlberg’s Eagle perched in a tree. We walked up to the river mouth and found a Brown-headed Shrike perched in a tree. The only additional birds we found in the jungle were Common Fiscal and a Collared Sunbird. A man and his son were just about to head back into the reserve and so we felt safe enough to continue back that way as well instead of back along the beach where there were less birds to see. When we were nearly back to the flat we passed the police officer who warned us earlier about the mugging and he said, “you made it!” Back at the flat we packed our bags and then headed back to Durban Airport. We flew from Durban on a tiny twin prop to Nelspruit Airport where we were greeted by our guide from Bushwise Safaris, Ludaweick. The drive from Nelspruit Airport to Marloth Park is about an hour and passes some dramatic mountain scenery before following along the Crocodile River and into the park. Marloth Park is a nature reserve that borders Kruger National Park. On the drive I saw my first Pied Crow, a Black-shouldered Kite, Little Swifts, and Cattle Egrets. Soon after passing through the security gate we came across a Black Mamba snake in the road. Then we passed some Impalas along the road. Ludaweick said they were too common to stop for even though I had never seen one. We also saw a Diuker in the woods but Ludawieck wouldn’t stop for that either. We settled into our room which had a balcony with eye level views into a tree hosting a number of birds including a very vocal Gray Go-Away Bird and a Blue Waxbill amoung others. The lodge is just feet from the fence that runs for miles along Kruger National Park. Although you are not permitted to get out of your car in Kruger, at Marloth you may walk all along the fence line. So after settling into our room we went for a walk about one kilometer to a shelter and back. Immediately we came across a Natal Francolin and just minutes into our walk we came upon an elephant right next to the fence! It was the first elephant I had ever seen in the wild. The fence runs parallel to the Crocodile River where many animals and birds congregate. In the low shrubs along the fence line were hundreds and hundreds of Red-billed Queleas. White-browed Scrub-Robins hopped along the ground. We found a Bearded Woodpecker in a tree. There was a drab looking bird skulking in the reeds that I believe was a Willow Warbler. Along the banks of the river were many Blacksmith Lapwings, Egyptian Geese (abundant in SA), Yellow-billed Egret, and White-faced Ducks. A Burchell’s Couchal was perched in the low shrubs. We also found a Fork-tailed Drongo and Cape Glossy Starling in the trees. Just feet from us we found a Goliath Heron and a Diderick Cuckoo. On the ground on the way back we got a brief glimpse of a pretty Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove. We had dinner with Ludaweick and another guide named Heinrich. Luaweick and Heinrich frequently lapsed into speaking Africaans even though Susan told them that she grew up in Cape Town and spoke Africaans. Ludaweick said we would be the only ones on the safari the next day which would only last a half day since we would be taking a night drive that night with a park guide. He also said that he would be our guide for our stay. We asked him if he knew about birds because we had a particular interest in them. Ludaweick assured us that he was required to know about all aspects of nature in the park in order to be a guide and that he knew about birds but that his special interest was elephants.

December 17, 2007, we got up at 4:00 AM for an early start in Kruger. It was a thirty minute drive from our lodge to the Crocodile Bridge Gate at Kruger and all the safari companies line up before the gate opens at 5:30 AM to try to find the “Big Five” which is what everybody is most interested in. It was raining lightly but Ludawieck was wearing shorts. While waiting for the gate to open I spotted a Yellow-fronted Canary. Finally the gate opened and we crossed the Crocodile Bridge which is a low concrete platform that barely clears the river. Despite the rain, we saw many spectacular birds from the jeep all of which we of course new to me. Many vultures were perched in the trees, mostly White-backed Vulture but also one Lappet-faced Vulture. We also saw three different kinds of eagle, Steppe Eagle, Martial Eagle, and Brown Snake-eagle. We had no trouble finding Giraffe, Zebra, and Buffalo but Ludaweick didn’t think they were worthy of a stop. Not too long into our drive Ludaweick slammed on the brakes (probably because he saw an elephant) sending my Canon Rebel camera to the floor of the jeep shattering the LCD readout and making it impossible to see the settings or the picture preview. Every time we wanted him to stop for a bird he became extremely resentful. We came across some Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills and Red-billed Hornbills which I thought were fantastic looking but Ludaweick was uninterested and wouldn’t stop long enough for me to get a picture. (I later got a picture of a Yellow-billed Hornbill while walking in Marloth but it wasn't very good because I had to use my video camera). After a couple of hours we stopped at a rest area with a restaurant and gift shop. We tried to order something vegan but they had none of the items we wanted so Ludaweick yelled at the black workers there. We finally just had coffee and some toast. Ludaweick said he could not buy us water even though the water is not potable and we had pre-paid all inclusive! So Susan bought us some from the shop. It wasn’t that cold but since the jeeps are completely open the rain comes in and gets everything wet and eventually we began to feel cold. The rest area looked out over the Crocodile River where you usually can see lots of birds but with the rain visibility was limited. I only saw one Diderick Cuckoo, one Woodland Shrike, and some very tame Village Weaver and Masked Weaver birds that came right up to the table. Back out on the road we passed numerous gorgeous looking Lilac-breasted Rollers and European Rollers. Magpie Shrikes, a black bird with a very long tail, were everywhere. We stopped at a blind where a Hamerkop was busy building a nest next to the blind. Hippopotamuses were in the water and there was a Long-tailed Widowbird. It cleared up after lunch and we continued down some other roads that Ludaweick chose and found an accommodating Black-bellied Bustard. Every elephant we came across Ludaweick stopped the jeep and turned off the engine so he could study them in detail. We crossed some other bridge and saw a beautiful Saddle-billed Stork, Marabou Stork, and a Wooly-necked Stork. At one point Ludaweick turned into a dirt road and we saw a group of White Rhinoceros. I wanted to get a photo but no L:udaweick decided to drive the jeep right toward them scaring them away into the bush. On the way back out of the park we came across some Wildebeast, another animal I have never seen but Ludaweick didn’t deem it important enough to stop. Near the end of the tour he did slow down as a family of warthogs crossed the road. We left the park and returned to Bushwise Lodge. Susan and I spent the rest of the day walking along Marloth Park where we were treated to numerous butterflies including African Monarch, Fig Tree Blue, Common Diadem, Natal Acraea, Orange Tip, Scarlet Tip, White-cloaked Skipper, and Blue Pansy. There were water buffalo and hippos in the river and I came across a Speck’s Hingeback (tortoise). I saw the same Bearded Woodpecker from yesterday and Brown-backed Honeybird, Red-breasted Swallow, the beautiful Violet-backed Starling, and Red-billed Oxpeckers on the buffaloes. Way on the other side of the river was a lone Kudu. We had no hot water in our room and had to take a cold shower.

At 5:30 PM we went back to Kruger where a park guide took us on our night drive. Our park guide was named Kisani and she was excellent. She pointed out a Magpie Shrike and Woodland Kingfisher that were near the jeep. At dusk we came upon a lioness lying in the road. The male was sitting in the bush nearby. Kisani parked the jeep and within a few minutes an entire family with three tiny cubs trotted across the road. After the sun set Kisani got out some spotlights for the customers to hold and point into the bush looking for eyeballs. In this way we found a Pearl-spotted Owlet, Barn Owl, Spotted Hyenea, Springhare, and Porcupine. We went back to Bushwise for a very late dinner with Luda. We never got to say anything and ate silently while he pontificated about elephants.

December 18, 2007 was the day for our all day tour. It was raining when we woke up so I put on long pants and wore my rain jacket. Unforunately even this was not enough clothes as it rained all day long and was quite cold. It was still just Susan and me in the jeep with Ludaweick but we were to meet up with the other guests who were riding with Heinrich in another jeep, for breakfast at a picnic area on a mountain inside the park. Not long into our drive I spotted a Yellow-billed Hornbill perched right next to the road. It would have made an excellent photo. Unfortunately Ludaweick deemed it unimportant and zoomed right past it. Susan asked him to stop but he was already a kilometer past it and it was unlikely to still be perched in a perfect photo style so I just said forget about it. Ludaweick became very mad and moped the rest of the day. We made an unscheduled stop at the rest area where we met up with Heinrich and his group. Luda and Heinrich sat down and started having coffee. Luda started telling Heinrich in Africaans the story about the blow up with me around the hornbill. Susan was in the shop and he assumed I couldn’t understand-- I could not understand that dreadful language but it was clear from body language that they were talking about me as I stood there. I was furious. Later I told Susan about it and we were outraged at our ill treatment. We continued to the mountain where Susan and I were fed a bowl of cereal while the guides and the rest of the group had a gourmet meal of sausage, grilled beef, potatoes, sautéed onions, and I don’t know what else. After my cereal and some nasty instant coffee I wandered over to another picnic area to look for birds. I found my one and only Jameson’s Firefinch of the trip, a beautiful Cinnamon-breasted Bunting, Red-backed Mannikin, Collared Sunbird, and Groundscraper Thrush, all birds I would have never seen if I had relied solely on Luda. He was so concerned with finding the “big five” and particularly elephants that he frequently drove right past many fascinating birds I would have loved to have seen better or even studied. I looked down the mountain into the river banks and saw Spotted Thick-knee, White-faced Duck, and Marabou Stork. As I was filming some birds Luda stormed over and demanded that I get into the jeep. He told Susan that I was not supposed to walk around but he never mentioned anything about that to me. We drove further north into the park where the bush gives way to open savannah. We saw many eagles and vultures along the way including Lessser-spotted Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Martial Eagle, African Fish Eagle, and many Bateluers. In the savannah we found Black-bellied Bustard, African Green Pigeon, a rare Namaqua Dove, and a Red-collared Widowbird. We came to an opening and Luda said there were some Southern Ground Hornbills. I said can we stop and Luda barked “of course.” We passed some rocky outcroppings and I spotted a little buck that Luda said was a Steenbok. He was very upset that I spotted it before he did. We saw several different kinds of bucks including Waterbuck, Kudu, Bushbuck, and of course Impalas. We continued north into an area that followed along a riverway that looked very promising. We heard a distinctive call from the forest that Luda said was a Red-breasted Cuckoo. I said I wanted to see some bee-eaters but Luda was wet and cold and wanted to turn back and go home. He had promised us we would go all the way to the visitor center where Susan and I were to have lunch and do some shopping. Luda was stuffed from his humongous breakfast but we were hungry as we had only had cereal so even though we were cold and wet we insisted that he press on. He showed his displeasure but crimping his shoulders up to his ears and not saying another word to us. He was driving along way too fast for me to see anything when I saw something red and tan out of my eye and I knew it was something good so I yelled “stop.” Luda was well past it but he reluctantly backed up and there were several beautiful Carmine Bee-eaters and one European Bee-eater perched out in the open. It was raining steadily and so my picture was inferior but I was thrilled to see these gorgeous birds nevertheless. As I snapped off some hurried photos Luda propped his hand on his hand and sighed audibly. As we raced toward the visitor center and our much awaited lunch, Susan saw a chamelian on the road; Luda ran over it. He said he didn’t see it and hunched up his shoulders above his ear line. We finally made it to the visitor center and Susan and I went in and ordered some vegetarian burgers and beers. Luda went off as far away as possible from us and we were relieved to be away from him. While waiting for our food I checked the river banks and found a Collared Sunbird in the trees and a Red-collared Widowbird. Luda told us we did not have time to go into the shop even though before the trip he said we would have time to have lunch and visit the shop. We sat under a canopy and ate our lunch while Luda moped. I looked up into the rafters and saw hundreds of Egyptian Fruit Bats roosting. While Luda wasn’t looking we went into the shop and bought some rain ponchos to at least cover our legs from the rain that pushed into the jeep. On the way back we saw a crocodile completely out of the water lying on a sand bar. Luda said there was no time to stop at all! We continued driving toward the Crocodile Bridge Gate in a very rushed manner because Luda said there would be a big fine if we didn’t get back before closing time (we were late because he insisted on making the unscheduled stop at the rest area to have coffee with Heinrich and tell him his little story in Africaans). With 30 kilometers to go Luda saw an elephant on the side of the road and slammed on the brakes and stopped the engine. He wanted to see if it would pull down a branch from a Marula tree. I looked out the other side of the jeep hoping some great bird would fly by but nothing did. A few minutes later Luda slowed down the jeep but didn’t stop. Susan and I couldn’t see what he was looking at but instead of stopping and giving us a chance to see he just kept pushing toward it until he finally flushed a Wood Hoopoe out of the road and over the top of the jeep. I just barely made out a blur of tan, black, and white as it flew over. That is one bird I would have really enjoyed seeing better than just a colorful blur of wings but Luda didn’t deem it sufficiently important for us to see it I guess. We made it to the gate with time to spare so Luda consented to pull over briefly while a family of warthogs ran across the road.

December 19, 2007, we got up at 3:45 AM in order to arrive at Kruger in time for a morning walk with two Kruger Guides, Kisani, our night guide from the day before, and Duncan. On the drive out of Marloth it was still dark and so we were lucky to spot a night bird, a European Nightjar, in the road and a small cat, a Long-tailed Genet. Luda was anxious to get rid of us so he wouldn’t really stop for either one except to avoid running over the Nightjar. I had just about had it with that Africaaner bastard. Africaaners are the people who brought us apartheid and the shame of South Africa. You can draw your own conclusions.

Duncan and Kisani both carried loaded rifles in order to protect us as we walked about the park. During the walk Kisani pointed out a Burchal’s Couchal, a Red-backed Shrike, and a Bateleur high in the sky spotted with her naked eye. During our walk in the bush we came across many large mammal tracks but the only ones we saw were elephant, giraffe, and zebra. We stopped for a rest and snacks provided by Duncan and Kisani and I asked about a bird perched nearby that Kisani said was a Purple Indigobird. Duncan told me that of the 800 birds found in Kruger he had seen 500 which is pretty amazing. At the end of our morning walk Luda came to pick us up. I would have loved to have spent another day in Kruger but Luda just took us straight back to the lodge without asking us what we wanted to do and we never saw him again. So Susan and I took a long walk along the path in Marloth. We saw many amazing birds during our walk which were mostly very close to the path. It was warm compared to the day before and not precipitating at all. In the river were African Jacana, African Black Duck, Comb Duck, and Great Egret. As we walked along we came across more Bee-eaters including a White-fronted Bee-eater, Marico Sunbird, Greater Double-collared Sunbird, Black-headed Oriole, Lesser Striped Swallow, Green Wood-Hoopoe, Jacobin Cuckoo, and White-bellied Sunbird. There were several Blue Waxbills, White-winged Widowbirds, a few Black-backed Puffback, and more Violet-backed Starlings. Two Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills flew into a tree finally giving me the opportunity to get a photo. We also came across a very accommodating Golden-breasted Bunting and a gorgeous Yellow-breasted Apalis. On the river banks were many hippos and a crocodile basking on the sandbar. We also saw a waterbuck and a giraffe and more impalas. As we headed back to the lodge we just made out a jackal in the bush. More guests arrived for dinner that evening and as it was not raining we had a dinner with all the guests at a long table outside. Just before dinner began Luda came over and said goodbye before we could even give him his completely undeserved tip. Before we went to sleep we heard Heinrich return with the two guests he had picked up from their night drive in Kruger. I went outside and told Heinrich that we had been unable to say goodbye properly to Luda and would he please give this money to Luda. I handed Heinrich 500 Rands.

December 20, 2007 was our last day with Bushwise Safaris (I hope it is patently obvious by now that under no circumstances would I recommend anyone pay to go on a safari with Bushwise Safaris). After breakfast Susan and I took a last long walk along the path in Marloth Park. On our walk we saw more exciting butterflies, a Giant Kingfisher, Southern Grey-headed Sparrow, Brown-backed Honeybird, Olive Tree Warbler, Rattling Cisticola, African Pied Wagtail, and a Klaas’s Cuckoo. We reluctantly concluded our hike and returned to the Bushwise Lodge. We packed our bags and Heinrich took us to the Nelspruit Airport. On the way he spotted a Long-crested Eagle in the sky. Heinrich stopped to pick up his girlfriend on the way to the airport; he said it was her birthday and he was taking her to lunch after dropping us off at the airport. On the drive to the airport Heinrich gave his girlfriend a birthday card and inside were 400 Rands. Hmmm.

LONDON: December 8-12, 2007 & January 4, 2008

2008-01-08T22:31:00.000-08:00

On the evening of December 8, 2007 Susan and I boarded a Virgin Atlantic flight from San Francisco to London arriving 11:00 AM the next day, December 9, 2007. It was my first flight overseas in 25 years. In order to get on our new time schedule, after checking into the hotel, we immediately began walking to keep us awake as long as possible. Our hotel, the tiny but very accommodating, Hotel 20 in Earl’s Court, was just two blocks from Kensington-Knightsbridge Road, a pleasant if noisy walk that takes one past Holland Park and Hyde Park before arriving at Buckingham Palace and the lovely St. James Park, all on my list of potential birding sites. By the time we arrived at Holland Park on the first day it was nearly dark; it becomes dark that time of year in London at 4:00 PM! Though we could scarcely see anything we entered the gate at Holland Park anyway and were surprised to hear a lot of bird song, the only thing recognizable though was something I took to be an Eurasian Robin. We were very tired but persisted in our walk down Knightsbridge past Hyde Park, the Royal Albert Hall, through the Marble Arch, and finally to Buckingham Palace. It was raining lightly and dinner time was approaching so we turned back toward Earl’s Court where we decided upon a Thai Restaurant called Britannia Thai. Our first clue that this would be a very bad meal was that the sign outside said, “Thia Food.” The food was indeed very bad and the beer was tepid. After dinner we returned to the Hotel 20 and tried to read in bed but after dropping off to sleep and dropping our books to the floor repeatedly we gave up and fell soundly asleep at 9:00 PM.

December 10, 2007, the first thing after breakfast at the Hotel 20, we headed back to Holland Park. In the day light we could see where all the bird song was coming from as the trees were full of Blue Tits. A Song Thrush hopped along the ground and there were many Black-headed Gulls on the soccer field. As we walked along I spotted a group of Chaffinches pecking along the fence but a lady’s dog chased them away. There were a number of beautiful bright green colored Rose-nosed Parakeets in the trees adding color to the overcast day. There were quite a few Eurasian Robins singing out in plain view. We heard some drumming and found the culprit to be a Great-spotted Woodpecker high up in the trees. At the Holland Park pond were a few Common Moorhens and a Great Cormorant. Wood Pigeons walked about nearby and Magpies were abundant. We continued along the nicely manicured path until we came to a sign for a Kyoto Garden. We were just about to go up to it when I stopped to film a stupid introduced Peacock. A cart pulled up with two police from the Royal Burrough of Kensington and Chelsea in it. One of them asked me what I was doing with a tripod. I said I was filming birds and he told me that was not allowed without a permit and I would have to go get one from Funkie. I put my tripod away and we went off to find Funkie. Funkie told us that we would have to pay 275 pounds in order to videotape in Holland Park. At the exchange rate of .4 pounds to the dollar that amounted to $675! I do love my home movies but not to the tune of $675 so we left or I suppose you could say thrown out of, Holland Park vowing to return the next day to secretly videotape with my small video camera and no tripod.

We continued down Kensington Road until we came to Hyde Park. Immediately upon entering Hyde Park we found a Eurasian Jay in a tree. We walked across the lawn to a pond which was full of Tufted Duck, Mute Swan, Greylag Geese (made famous by the movie Wings of Migration), and Eurasian Coot. A Rook was calling noisily from a tree and a Pied Wagtail scurried along the path. Most of the gulls were Black-headed Gulls but there was also one Common Gull, one Herring Gull, and one Lesser Black-backed Gull. We walked from the pond down to the Serpentine which is a water way lined with thickets in places and a nice paved path. There we saw more Tufted Ducks which are very common in London, two Egyptian Geese, a Grey Heron, and a Great-crested Grebe. In the shrubs we found Blackbirds, more Wood Pigeons, and one Mistle Thrush. We stopped in a café to warm up and have lunch and then conintued down the path along the serpentine when two bobbies approached us enquiring again about our tripod. I thought we were going to be arrested but one of them said, “oh are you just looking at seagulls?” and left us alone. I was very anxious after that. I didn’t know it was a crime to use a tripod in England.

After Hyde Park we went again to Buckingham Palace to see it in the day time and the front gates were jammed with tourists. I believe they were changing the guard but I was more interested in nearby St. James Park. So we crossed the bridge and walked along the pond there. It was full of ducks and geese including Red-breasted Goose, Bar-headed Goose, Barnacle Goose, Red-crested Pochard, Common Pochard, Ross’s Goose, Great White Pelican, more Tufted Ducks, and Canada Goose. After enjoying our stroll along St. James Park we went to Westminster Abbey. I was looking forward to seeing Dickens’s grave but was disappointed to learn upon arriving there that no filming is allowed. We toured the abbey and I was annoyed that people were walking on top of Dickens with utter disrespect. I knew that Thomas Hardy was buried next to Dickens but I never knew that above Dickens Friedrich Handel is buried and beside him is Rudyard Kipling. Westminster Abbey is very beautiful but it was really a thrill to see my hero’s final resting place. Back outside we passed Big Ben which happened to be chiming and then crossed the River Thames on Westminster Bridge. As darkness fell we watched the Houses of Parliament light up across the river. We walked from there to Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square but fatique was setting in and it was very crowded in Piccadilly Circus so we walked back to Knightsbridge where we had a less than memorable meal at Bunch of Grapes. At least our pints were cold. Then we returned back to Hotel 20.

December 11, 2007, we headed out first thing in the morning back to Holland Park with my little Sony Handycam. We furtively videotaped Great Tit, Blue Tit, and Long-tailed Tit on the entrance road. We returned to the little pond which was thriving with birds including my first look at a Fieldfare and a Redwing. Then we went up to the Kyoto Garden which only had a Grey Heron and a Winter Wren but was quite nice nevertheless.

We took the Tube to Regent’s Park where we saw the one and only House Sparrow (this is a bird that was introduced to the US in the 1800s and has spread like a disease across North America) of the whole trip. We walked along the well manicured path to a hedgerow where we found a Dunnock and more Chaffinches and another Eurasian Jay. We visited London Zoo and by the time we finished there was little light left to visit the waterway. In the failing light we saw Smew, Eurasian Wigeon, Common Teal, Mandarin Duck, Red-crested Pochard, Tufted Duck, and curiously a Common Eider. Other birds there were Goosander, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Ruddy Shelduck, and in the trees European Goldfinch and another Winter Wren. We had dinner in Piccadilly Square at the Blue Lagoon which was a much nicer Thai restaurant with decent food and then attended a performance of Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre. We returned to Bunch of Grapes in Knightsbridge for a couple of ales before turning in for the night at the Hotel 20.

December 12, 2007 was our last day in London. We toured the Tower of London which I very much enjoyed and where I saw the only Raven of the trip. I thought there would be bloody walls and instruments of death but there was only one axe and chopping block and mostly cells. I did not know that the Tower of London was originally built by William the Conqueror as a fortress against invasion. We went to the cell where Lady Jane Grey was imprisoned before being shamefully and wrongfully beheaded and saw her name carved in the wall. After the Tower of London we walked across Tower Bridge and London Bridge, and again visited St. James Park before heading off to London’s Heathrow Airport for our long flight to Johanesburg. We spent the next three weeks in South Africa, which will be discussed at length in the next section, before spending one final day in London before returning to the States.

January 4, 2008, we arrived in London’s Heathrow from Cape Town at 9:00 AM and then checked into a nearby hotel, the Park Inn. We took a bus from there to the Tube and then the Tube back to Regent’s Park. We went straight to the Inner Circle and found the waterway where we learned that it was actually a Waterfowl Reserve hosting waterfowl from around the world. It was comforting to see most of the birds from earlier in the trip—the Wood Pigeon, Black-headed Gull, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Magpie, Eurasian Coot, Mute Swan, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Eurasian Jay, Blackbird, Great-crested Grebe, Greylag Goose, and Egyptian Goose. We also saw many exotics in the waterfowl reserve—Common Shelduck, Ruddy Shelduck, Wood Duck, Mandarin Duck, Gadwall, Pintail, Baikal Teal, Ferruginous Duck, Common Eider, and Goosander. After getting very close looks at these ducks we will probably never see again and certainly never so close, we walked to the British Museum. We toured parts of the museum including the section on ancient Egpyt where we enjoyed looking at the mummies and ancient tablets. The museum was very crowded so we left and walked to the Museum of Natural History in Knightsbridge. We stayed until it closed. It was dark out and raining lightly. We had the best dinner of the trip at the Masala Zone, an Indian Restaurant in Earl's Court, and then took the long Tube ride back to the Park Inn where we literally passed out from exhaustion. Then next day we flew back to the US and that concluded our trip, a magnificent trip full of wonders that I will never forget for the rest of my life.
39 new species
Common Blackbird
Common Chaffinch
Eurasian Coot
Great Cormorant
Carrion Crow
Ferruginous Duck
Mandarin Duck
Fieldfare
European Goldfinch
Goosander
Bar-headed Goose
Barnacle Goose
Egyptian Goose
Greylag
Red-breasted Goose
Great Crested Grebe
Black-headed Gull
Common Gull
Grey Heron
Eurasian Jay
Common Magpie
Rose-nosed Parakeet
White Pelican
Common Pochard
Red-crested Pochard
Redwing
European Robin
Rook
Common Shelduck
Smew
Black Swan
Mistle Thrush
Song Thrush
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Pied Wagtail
Woodpigeon
Great Spotted Woodpecker

California's Central Valley: December 1-2, 2007

2007-12-02T20:34:00.001-08:00

Every fall thousands of ducks and geese either come to California's Central Valley to winter or pass through on the Pacific Flyway, the major west coast migratory route. Early December is time for my annual pilgrimage to see this amazing spectacle.

I got a late start on Saturday which was fine because by the time I arrived at the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge in Colusa, CA the sun had warmed things up a bit. It can get very chilly in the Central Valley in winter. I stopped in Dunigan to get some gas and while pumping spotted a Ferruginous Hawk circling overhead. That was a good find as they are only seen a few times per season. Indeed it was the only one I saw the entire weekend. Normally I would have driven all the way to the much more well known and well regarded Sacramento NWR but due to the late start (it was 11:00 AM by the time I got to Colusa) I pulled into the closer Colusa NWR instead. I first walked the Wetlands Nature Trail where I accidentally flushed a Barn Owl that nearly flew into my head. It scared the crap out of me. A Nuttall's Woodpecker was working the trees and there were tons of Yellow-rumped Warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Bushtits, Northern Flickers, and Western Scrub-Jays. Raptors were everywhere. On the drive in from Highway 20 there were American Kestrels and Red-tailed Hawks. On the entrance road there was a Northern Harrier and a White-tailed Kite and there were many Turkey Vultures just about everywhere. A Great Horned Owl was perched in a tree near the nature trail. Back at the car I had my lunch before taking the auto tour. While I ate I noticed that while there were hundreds if not thousands of Greater White-fronted Geese flying over in enormous flocks, I had not seen any of the usually prolific Snow Geese. In the marsh were Marsh Wren, Bewick's Wren, two Greater Yellowlegs, a couple of Black-necked Stilts, and many Killdeer. A couple of Black-tailed Deer were at the margins of the marsh. I started on the tour where I saw hundreds of Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, Mallard, American Wigeon, and American Coot. I noticed a fast flying falcon and got out to get some video when I accidentally flushed an American Bittern. The falcon turned out to be the only Merlin of the weekend. When I came to the bridge I saw dozens of Black-crowned Night-Herons in the canal and one Common Moorhen quickly ducking out of sight. Huge flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds swirled around and I picked out at least one Tricolored Blackbird in the flock. About that time a flock of Cackling Geese flew over. As I proceeded on the auto tour I came into huge flocks of Snow Geese. While picking through them looking for Ross's Geese I found a few White-faced Ibis's. There were also some Herring Gulls in with all the ducks and geese. I found quite a few Ross's Geese and while searching the flocks came across one Eurasian Wigeon. Back on the entrance drive I came across a Loggerhead Shrike before turning back onto Hwy 20.

Next I headed east on 20 to Highway 99 north up to Gray Lodge Wildlife Area. It was getting late and I only had about two hours of sunlight so I walked the Wetlands Trail and then the hiking trail that leaves from the south end of the parking area and had no time for the auto tour. I figured with all the great birds I had seen at Colusa I probably wasn't going to add anything to my list for the weekend anyway. There were dozens of Common Moorhens on the nature trail and I found one Fox Sparrow, one Nuttall's Woodpecker and then many of the same birds as I had seen at Colusa. On the hiking trail I found a Cooper's Hawk hiding in a tree and there were a few Ring-necked Ducks in the water. Hundreds and hundreds of White-faced Ibises continuously flew overhead. As the sun began to sink in the west I heard a Great Horned Owl hooting. As I walked along somethign spooked the geese and a flock of perhaps thousands of Snow Geese took off into the airways in en masse. To see his gaggling, cackling mass of our feathered friends frenetically flying up into the skies is one of the greatest sights of nature to behold. When it was too dark to bird I left and drove to Sacramento for the evening.

Sunday morning I drove from Sacramento to the Vic Fazio Yolo Wildlife Area, an Important Bird Area. It was windy and cold and there were lots of people, birders and hunters. I got out at the first parking lot and studied the ducks. In with the Cinnamon Teals were three Blue-winged Teals, an uncommon sight for California. Hundreds of Tundra Swans were flying in huge v's overhead but I saw no Snow Geese at all. I walked the hiking trail where I saw lots of Savannah Sparrows and American Pipits and one Wilson's Snipe. A flock of dark geese flew over and I got them in my scope. They were "Aleutian" Cackling Geese, a sub species of Cackling Geese that winter in the Central Valley. One lone Long-billed Curlew flew past. On the auto tour the only shorebirds I saw were two Dunlins, a couple of Least Sandpipers, two Greater Yellowlegs, and another Curlew. There were more Harriers, Red-tailed Hawks, and one White-tailed Kite and just before I left one Red-shouldered Hawk perched on some tall reeds.

I drove up I-80 to where it splits into Highway 50 and took that to Watts Avenue where I had hoped to check some spots on the American River. Watts Avenue was closed due to the marathon and I was stuck in some bad traffic so I just turned right at the first intersection, American River Parkway until it ended at Arden Way where I was so lucky to find the William Pond Recreation Area, formerly Arden Bar. This is a very scenic park. I parked at the end and started walking. The trail followed along the American River for a mile or so. As I walked along it finally began to warm up. I looked into the river and was surprised to see six Wood Ducks. There were at least a half dozen Great Blue Herons, some Canada Geese, and one Mute Swan (most likely an escapee). As I walked along I noticed a huge flock of gulls on the river. It was mostly California Gulls but there were also a couple of Herring Gulls and I could have sworn I saw a Glaucous-winged Gull too. I also spotted a few Common Goldeneyes and one lone Common Merganser. An Osprey was patrolling the river for fish and a Downy Woodpecker was pecking the sycamores that lined the river. As I walked back toward the parking area I flushed a Green Heron. Then it was time to return to the Bay Area.

Thanksgiving in Utah: November 22-25, 2007

2007-11-26T21:37:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Day we drove straight from Salt Lake City Airport north 50 miles to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. I was disappointed in the low numbers of waterfowl there. However, straight away we saw a Rough-legged Hawk flying and then perched in a dry field. I could hear Sandhill Cranes creaking and then saw a flock of about 40 or so circling overhead. In the areas with water there were many American Coots, a few American Wigeons, Gadwalls, Northern Shovelers, Pied-billed Grebes, Eared Grebes, and many Ring-billed Gulls. A few Bonaparte's Gulls were also fishing in the river. Toward the end of the auto tour we came across a few Tundra Swans and some Canada Geese. A Ring-necked Pheasant shot across the road no doubt avoiding all the hunters. Just before leaving the refuge we spotted a Northern Shrike on a post. Back out on I-15 we saw a Ferruginous Hawk flying over a vacant field.

Next we stopped in at Farmington Bay WMA. What we really wanted to do was to visit Antelope Island on the Great Salt Lake but it is closed on Thanksgiving. There were a lot more birds at Farmington Bay including three more Rough-legged Hawks including one locked in a battle with a Northern Harrier, We also saw more Sandhill Cranes, another Belted Kingfisher, Mallard, and one Common Merganser. We were getting hungry so we abandoned plans to find some Bohemian Waxwings which have been having an irruption in Utah lately, and headed over to Fred Meyer to get groceries. Then it was time for the grueling drive down to Calf Creek Falls in Escalante. We did not arrive until 8:30 PM but were surprised to be the only campers there. We had a nice bottle of cabernet we had brought from California to go with our makeshift Thanksgiving Day feast next to a cozy fire before falling fast asleep.

I awoke to a muffled sound outside the tent and thought a deer was browsing. I unzipped the tent and pulled it back to find snow covering the ground. It was still snowing lightly when we got up and had breakfast.
We drove from our campsite, where three Wild Turkeys were foraging, to the Burr Trail and then cut over onto Moody Canyon Road both of which were snow covered. At the cattle gate we came across a flock of 35 Black Rosy-finches, a bird I have never seen before. I got out to get some video but they flew away just as I turned on my camera and we were unable to relocate them so we continued on. Where the road entered the creek bed we parked and began walking into Moody Canyon. There were hundreds of Dark-eyed Juncos in the canyon but little else other than a Red-naped Sapsucker. The canyon began to narrow as it neared the Escalante River but we were running out of time and had to return to the car. Back out on the Burr Trail we watched the sun cast a red glow on the hills as the moon rose.

Saturday we drove from camp 16 miles down the Hole-in-the-Rock Road to Harris Wash. We parked and started down the wash. There were hundreds of Dark-eyed Juncos but also a few Spotted Towhees, Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Common Raven, American Goldfinches, Song Sparrow, and a few White-crowned Sparrows. A flock of Cedar Waxwings flew over and away. Near the gateway we came across two Great Horned Owls. We passed through the gateway and entered an enchanting canyon with 3000 foot high red walls lined with desert varnish. In the canyon wall I found a Northern Goshawk nest but it was vacant and we did not see it on this trip. We had to turn around just where the canyon was becoming most interesting. We left Hole-in-the-Rock Road and pulled into a scenic pull out on Highway 12 to watch the full moon rise over the Henry Mountains. That night I heard another Great Horned Owl hooting.

Sunday we packed up our things and drove Highway 12 to Capital Reef National Park. On the way we saw a Red-tailed Hawk and a Black-billed Magpie. We hiked up to Hickman Bridge and then to the Rim Overlook. The only birds here were some Mountain Chickadees and a few Juniper Titmouses. We did not have time to make it to Navajo Knobs as we had originally planned. Maybe next year. On the way back to Salt Lake City we saw two adult Bald Eagles in a tree in Fremont, UT. We didn't see any rare birds like we did last year but I added a life bird, Black Rosy-finch, and the scenery and solitude were sublime.

San Mateo County Big Day: 10/7/07

2007-10-08T08:11:00.001-07:00

San Mateo County, CA: 10/7/07
Every year the Point Reyes Bid Observatory holds a bird-a-thon to raise money for its important work on bird research and conservation. Teams of people try to see as many species of birds as possible in a 24 hour period soliciting donors for each species seen. Our group, Jennifer Rycenga, Garth Harwood, and I, would attempt to see as many species as possible in San Mateo County on October 7, 2007. We met at Jennifer’s house in Half Moon Bay at 3:30 AM. It was extremely cold just 36 degrees as we headed out into the cold dark night looking for owls. We were very successful with the owls immediately finding a Barn Owl near Jennifer’s house. We pulled off of Highway 1 onto Verde Road and pulled up to an invisible pond where a Virginia Rail responded immediately to my Sora imitation. It never fails! That set off a Coot and Mallard as well. We drove down Higgins-Purissima Road but couldn’t coax out a Great Horned Owl. So we went over to Butano State Park to try for Western Screech-owl. Someone was again camping in the no camping area so I didn’t feel bad about making noise at that ungodly hour until Garth pointed out that the ranger probably told them to camp there as overflow since the campground was full. If I had been that camper I would have been furious. Even though we tried to be quiet I’m sure it was distressing the poor camper who had to hear us play screech owl tapes and chat in low tones about mysterious noises in the night. Finally the screech owl answered our tapes; just as we were departing the camper was unzipping his tent to see what all the commotion was about. Outside of the park we pulled off and listened to more strange noises. I pointed out the spectacular formation in the sky of the beautiful crescent moon with Venus and Regulus above and Saturn below. Jennifer got her spotting scope on it and we all checked out the rings on Saturn.

Next we drove Gazos Creek Road where we shivered terribly in the cold night air. Our sacrifices paid off though for not only did we hear a Northern Saw-whet Owl but amazingly Garth detected the faint hoots of a Long-eared Owl and then a Northern Pygmy Owl. We congratulated ourselves on our owl success and talked about how great it would be if we could also get the Short-eared Owl for a clean sweep of San Mateo County owls but it wasn’t to be. It was so cold we were all relieved to get back in the heated car for the drive over to Pigeon Point. Our timing was flawless as we got out to the viewing deck just as the sun was coming up in the east. The sea was calm but we had no luck with alcids at all. However, we were so lucky to get on a Parasitic Jaeger and then a Pomarine Jaeger. We were upset at having missed the alcids but decided to go directly to Pescadero for land birds. Garth showed us a field good for sparrows. Some dead beats in an AT&T truck watched us warily. An interesting sparrow popped up briefly that I am convinced was a Brewer’s Sparrow but it would not turn adequately to confirm the facial pattern and we never could see it again. Pine Siskins were in a willow tree nearby and Lincoln’s Sparrows were plentiful. Back on Pescadero Road we stopped at the intersection with Highway 1 as Jennifer believed we could get a gnatcatcher there. No gnatcatcher graced us with its presence but Garth honed in on the biggest surprise of the day, a Grasshopper Sparrow. I didn’t get the greatest look but it was the closest match. We scoped the beach and marsh at Pescadero State Beach but came up empty. So we parked illegally on Highway 1 scanning the marsh next to the makeshift gravemarker while Jennifer avoided a collision. I spotted a Blue-winged Teal in between two Green-winged Teals. Next we debated whether we should make another try for alcids at Bean Hollow State Beach where I had seen them regularly in September or continue on for land birds. We decided to continue on and went next to Memorial Park on Pescadero Road. We couldn’t find the target bird from the bridge but after a short walk in we found two resident American Dippers. I brought a big bag of snacks for everyone in order to discourage Jennifer from her nasty habit of stopping at MacDonalds on Big Days. It worked! She stopped and bought some tasty smelling artichoke bread from the Pescadero Market instead and snacked on my healthy snacks in between.
It was time to get over to the bay side of the county for land birds and shore birds. Unfortunately this is not so easy from Half Moon Bay because October is pumpkin picking time in HMB and hordes of people clog the only thorough fare from Highway 1 which skirts the ocean to the Bayside, Highway 92. There was a tense moment in the car as Garth became impatient with a hideous traffic snag and insisted we turn around and try Sharp Park in Pacifica. Jennifer held her ground and was insistent; we waited for the pumpkin pickers to clear out and eventually made it half way up Highway 92 to our destination, the cemetary, where we saw lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers and another big surprise, a Chipping Sparrow, a tough bird in San Mateo County. The traffic wasn't so bad on the other side of the hill as we headed down to Highway 101 for our next stop at Coyote Point on the San Francisco Bay. Few passerines were in the trees but we picked up lots of shorebirds and added an early Lesser Scaup to our list. From Coyote Point we drove to Redwood City for the famous Radio Road extravaganza. There were hundreds of ducks on the pond at the end of the road and our only rarity of the day, a Pectoral Sandpiper. On the way back out of Redwood City we stopped at another strange pond behind the Nob Hill Supermarket where Garth found a Green Heron. We could not locate the Redhead that had been seen earlier in the week and time was running out so we left. Jennifer promised that our next stop would yield four species. We went to the richest area in the county, swanky Atherton, where I joked we were not dressed well enough, to some local park that was full of landscaped areas of non-native plants with intermittent oaks and the curious planted redwood. I was dubious but Jennifer delivered pulling out a flock of promised Cedar Waxwings, two California Thrashers, and two Oak Titmouses. Best of all the bathroom was extremely clean. We left wealthy Atherton for my least favorite place, the impoverished and dangerous, East Palo Alto, where I was once nearly run over by a deranged idiot on a go-cart in the middle of a national wildlife refuge, to the Ravenswood section of the San Francisco Bay NWR. I hate that place. No sooner were we out of the car than I was standing in a pile of trash looking at a torn out fence around the Bay and watching yet another moron on a motorcycle riding back from the refuge. Not only was it dangerous and horrible but we weren't seeing much either. Garth spotted a Sora and next a Barn Swallow. We were recluctant to leave nevertheless because we had not scored on our only chance in the county for a Ring-necked Pheasant. I stopped to point out to Jennifer the no motorized vehicles or bicycles sign when boom two Pheasants shot out of the canal and flew right in front of all of us. Then it was over to my rail haunt the Ravenswood Open Space Preserve. Jennifer and Garth thought it was more dangerous than Ravenswood NWR because there were no residences around and thus less witnesses. The wind had picked up considerably and it was once again cold. Not only that but it was low tide and not a rail in sight. We tried mightily but could not get a Clapper Rail to make so much as a peep. Every other time I have been there four, five, six Clapper Rails are not uncommon but no cigar this time. No rails at all revealed themselves. Garth thought that we should await sundown there because he felt sure a Short-eared Owl would show up. As the temperature dropped, the sun sank, and no owls appeared we threw in the towel and ended the day with a disappointing 136 species.
By: Michelle Brodie
10/8/07

California Sky to Sea: September 22-29, 2007

2007-10-08T08:10:00.001-07:00

September 22, 2007: Before picking my family up from the airport I stopped by Fort Funston, an old WWII bunker that is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. This area is a bluff high above the ocean. Bank Swallows use the cliffs facing the ocean to nest in. The trees topping the bluffs used to provide a safe haven for migrating birds in the fall and rarities showed up there every fall until about five years ago when the National Park Service decided to allow off-leash dogs to roam the area at will. Ever since then the understory has been demolished, the place is overrun with dogs, and few rarities are encountered there these days. But for anyone brave enough to fend off maurading dogs and their crazed owners some surprises await. This particular morning a light rain was falling so I thought maybe some migrants would be resting there looking for a meal before continuing their long migrations further south to Mexico and South America. I immediately came across a medium sized mixed warbler flock that included Townsend’s Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, one juvenile MacGillivray’s Warbler, and one vagrant, my first of the fall, a Tennessee Warbler. It was at eye level just feet away but my camera was snuggled safely in the car. After a while an off-leash dog came and began barking and charging me scaring both me and the birds away. I left there and stopped at the old abandoned boat house at Lake Merced to use the facilities. It continued to rain so I parked at the entrance to Harding Park Golf Course and walked the entrance road all the way to the wooden bridge over North Lake Merced through to Lake Merced Boulevard and back to the Harding Park Road not seeing much in the increasing rain. Then I went to the Sam Trans Station next to the airport to look at shorebirds while waiting for their plane to arrive. There were two Blue-winged Teals, which are uncommon in the Bay Area. Then it was time to pick them up.

After picking up Daddy, my sister, Ree, and my niece, Rachel we headed over to the Conservatory of Flowers where they had a display of carnivorous plants. Then we walked around the San Francisco Botanical Garden where we saw Western Tanagers and numerous Anna’s Hummingbirds.

September 23, 2007: We got up early and drove to Yosemite National Park. It was pretty chilly when we stopped in the valley to have a picnic lunch but we warmed up quickly as we walked up the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls. Even my 78 year old father made it to the bridge at the base of the falls. Many White-throated Swifts were circling overhead. The only other birds though were Steller’s Jays, Dark-eyed Juncos, Northern Flickers, and Common Ravens. Ree, Rachel, and I continued to the top of Vernal Falls where we saw a Canyon Wren. Then it was time to head back to the Sunset Cabins at the entrance for dinner.

September 24, 2007:
We got up early and drove Tioga Road. It was very cold, about 28 degrees when we got out at Olmstead Point to see the view into the Valley. Ree, Rachel, and I walked out to the point for a better look. Not much was stirring in that chill. It warmed up as we dropped down into Mono Basin and was actually pleasant when we got out at South Tufa Reserve. We walked down to the water’s edge where I saw a Sage Sparrow, one Vesper Sparrow, many Brewer’s Sparrows, and Sage Thrashers. There were the usual assortment of Red-winged Blackbirds, Brewer’s Blackbirds, and California Gulls, and Eared Grebes. Next we drove to Bodie State Historic Park in Bridgeport, CA. It was still chilly but much warmer than Tioga Road. Nevertheless, there were a lot less birds than last year. I only saw Mountain Bluebird, Say’s Phoebe, Brewer’s Sparrow, and Savannah Sparrow. After enjoying this restored ghost town from the gold rush days we had lunch at the picnic area and then headed over to Mono County Park. There were still some lingering warblers, Townsend’s, Yellow, and Wilson’s. Many Eared Grebes and American Avocets were in the lake in addition to two Blue-winged Teals along with a few Green-winged Teals. Back in the park Rachel had tracked down a Red-breasted Sapsucker in the cottonwoods and I also saw a Western Wood Pewee. Then it was time for the long drive back. We stopped about half way at Yosemite Creek picnic area and had a bar-b-que which resulted in us all smelling like a fire the rest of the trip.

September 25, 2007: We checked out of our lovely accommodations at Sunset Cabins and drove a short distance to Hetch Hetchy. Hetch Hetchy used to be a gorgeous valley that rivaled that of Yosemite Valley until the City of San Francisco convinced Congress to allow it to flood the valley, build a hideous dam, and create an ugly reservoir inside the national park on the Tuolumne River. This reservoir provides drinking water for the City of San Francisco and parts of some adjoining counties. The dam and reservoir are ugly eye sores that must be removed. We must return this national treasure to its natural state. Hetch Hetchy is a much lower elevation than the rest of the park and was quite warm during our short visit. We all walked across the ugly dam reading the City’s lies and propaganda that they have written on exhibits along the dam. Then Ree, Rachel, and I continued on the trail to the completely dry Wampama Falls. There were many Western Scrub-Jays, Spotted Towhees, California Towhees, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. At the falls we saw a Peregrine Falcon. After our walk we stopped at Diamond-O Campground and had a picnic lunch before driving back to San Francisco. When we stopped for gas at the Mobil Station at Highway 395 and Tioga Road, Ree spotted a Least Chipmunk foraging in the grass.

September 27, 2007: We got up super early and drove like mad down Highway 101. We stopped in Soledad at the rest area and while there we saw several Yellow-billed Magpies, a California endemic. We stopped at Moonstone Beach and had lunch. After lunch I scoped the beach and saw a few Parasitic Jaegers and Elegant Terns. Then it was time to drop everyone off for a tour of Hearst Castle while I walked San Simeon State Beach. At the beach there were more Parasitic Jaegers and some Common Murres and along the rocks were Surfbirds, Whimbrel, Black-bellied Plover, Long-billed Curlew, and Black Turnstones. I picked everyone up after the tour and we proceeded north on Highway 1. We stopped not far from San Simeon to admire a pack of Tule Elk. Then we pulled over to look at a big pile of Elephant Seals right on the beach. Proceeding north we next stopped in Big Sur at Pfieffer Big Sur State Park. We walked the nature trail where we saw Acorn Woodpecker, Band-tailed Pigeon, Steller’s Jay, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Turkey Vulture, and Red-shouldered Hawk. The fog started to roll in ruining the fantastic views we were hoping for in Big Sur but we did stop at Julia Pfieffer Burns State Park to see the waterfall before driving to Monterey where we stayed for the night.

September 28, 2007: We checked out of the Holiday Inn Cannery Row and drove to the Monterey Pier. We had up close looks at a Sea Otter and many California Sea Lions resting at the end of the pier. There were lots of Brandt’s Cormorants and Surf Scoters in the water. As we stood looking into the ocean a Debbie Shearwater Pelagic trip was departing from the harbor. I could hear Debbie on the loud speaker and I watched wistfully as they headed out to sea. Daddy, Ree, and Rachel all suffer from motion sickness so a boat trip was out of the question.

Next we pulled into what I think is one of the prettiest places in California, Pt. Lobos State Reserve. We walked down the water’s edge where we saw some Black Oystercatchers and more Sea otters but not much else. It was overcast and windy, very cold at the water’s edge. We left there and drove to Pacific Grove to look for the Monarch Butterfly tree where thousand congregate in the fall. We found the park but the butterflies had not yet arrived. We also checked a local park, Washington Park where we saw lots of Townsend’s Warblers, Hutton’s Vireo, Pygmy Nuthatch, and Bushtit.

We continued north on Highway 1 stopping at Pigeon Point Lighthouse. Not much was happening there just some Red-throated Loons and one Rhinoceros Auklet. We also stopped at Bean Hollow to look at the Harbor Seals and there were more Black Oystercatchers. Our last stop of the day was the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach. Luckily it was low tide and so Ree and I were able to see some interesting things in the tide pool like Green Anemone, clams, mussels, nudibranches, dogwinkle, and pink and black limpets. Then it was time to return to San Francisco for my birthday dinner.

September 29, 2007: Before taking everyone back to the airport for their flights back home we went to the downtown farmer’s market. I looked around Ferry Park and saw only a few Yellow Warblers and Western Tanagers. Then we walked to the top of Bernal Hill for the view on this clear sunny day and saw American Kestrel and Turkey Vulture. I dropped everyone off and then Susan and I headed back to Tioga Road for a meeting the next day in Mono County.

Epilogue: September 30, 2007: Heard a Great Horned Owl when we got up. We walked up the Virginia Lakes Trail before our meeting and were pleased to find an accommodating bright male Pine Grosbeak and later a female as well. There were several Clark’s Nutcrackers and the ubiquitous Mountain Chickadees.
By: Michelle Brodie
10/8/07

California's Central Coast: August 31-September 3, 2007

2007-09-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

CENTRAL COAST of CALIFORNIA: August 31-September 3, 2007

Early Friday morning, August 31 I drove down to the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach, CA for a sea watch. It was pretty foggy all morning but I could still see a lot. There were a few people tidepooling below me but no one else paying the least bit of attention to the sea birds flying past. A few Harbor Seals rested on the rocks off shore. The only gulls I saw were Western Gull, Heerman’s Gull, and California Gull. A steady parade of Elegant Terns flew past heading south with a few fishing just to the north of the preserve where I saw several Parasitic Jaegers harassing them trying to get a free meal by stealing the fish they caught. A couple of Pigeon Guillemots flew south in front of me and from time to time I could just make out a Sooty Shearwater or two flying north low over the water. On the rocks I saw some Black Turnstones, Black Bellied Plover, and Black Oystercatcher. There were quite a few Red-necked Phalaropes flying and sitting on the water and the usual Common Murres and Brandt’s Cormorants. Pelagic Cormorants, and a few Double-crested Cormorants. Around 9:00 AM things started to slow down so I moved on down the coast and inland where the sun had poked through the fog. I took Higgins-Purissima Road in Half Moon Bay to Burleigh-Murray Regional Park where I took a short walk. A Red-shouldered Hawk called loudly from a tree and a Turkey Vulture and Red-tailed Hawk soared overhead. As I arrived at the riparian section I saw Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, and Nuttall’s Woodpecker in the trees. Wrentits sang from the hillsides and one Band-tailed Pigeon flew up the trail ahead of me. The only other birds here were Steller’s Jay, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, White-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow, and Hutton’s Vireo. There were several species of butterfly including Anise Swallowtail, Margined White, Cabbage White, Field Crescent, Woodland Skipper, and a Satyr Comma. After my little walk I drove further south to Pescadero Marsh where the tide was coming in fast so that there were few shorebirds to look at. I only saw Surf Scoter, Willet, Marbled Godwit, Red-necked Phalarope in abundance, and Red-breasted Merganser. On the dunes I was surprised to see one Acmon Blue butterfly. I left there and returned home to pick up Susan for our Labor Day camping trip. We drove down to Big Sur and then inland to the Los Padres National Forest where we camped for three nights at Bottchers Gap. Susan spotted a White-tailed Kite along the way. The last time we camped there we heard a Spotted Owl at night; we did not hear a Spotted Owl but the first night as we lay in the tent we heard Northern Saw-whet Owl, Western Screech-owl, and Great Horned Owl. The sky was clear and lots of stars twinkled in the sky along with bright Jupiter.

Saturday morning we got up early and after breakfast headed over to Andrew Molera State Park. We walked all over the park to the Big Sur Ornithology Lab, the Big Sur River, the trail to the campground, and all the way to Molera Point but we saw very few birds. On the trail were a few Wilson’s Warblers and Yellow Warblers and one Hutton’s Vireo. Violet-green Swallows flitted overhead along with a couple of Barn Swallows. There was nothing at all in the campground except a Monarch butterfly and more Woodland Skippers. Past the campground we found a Pacific-slope Flycatcher in the willows, one Spotted Towhee, and a California Towhee. A Northern Harrier was scanning the meadow. Out at the point we saw a Peregrine Falcon perched on a rock at the water’s edge where it stayed for the entire time we were there. California Quail were in the trees but there was practically nothing to look at in the ocean except Brandt’s Cormorant and Surf Scoter. There was one Fiery Skipper at the point. Around the campground Susan found a Common Buckeye and there were a few Common Ringlets and Mylitta and Field Crescents. Back at the parking area we had our lunch at the picnic area where we saw a Lorquin’s Admiral going repeatedly to a willow tree by the river and a few California Sisters and some Whites chasing both of them. After lunch we returned to Bottchers Gap where we took a trail leaving from the campground to Mt. Carmel. It was very hot and dry and many gnats formed a cloud around us as we headed up the trail. I was also bitten repeatedly by a horse fly. The only birds were at the trailhead, Townsend’s Warbler, Hutton’s Vireo, Chickadees, and Brown Creeper. Nothing was blooming; even the Pearly Everlasting was practically dead and the only birds we saw after the first quarter mile were Steller’s Jays and Dark-eyed Juncos. There were many more Woodland Skippers and from time to time we would flush up big clusters of Golden Hairstreaks. I’m not sure if we made it to Mt. Carmel or not but wherever we were we had a good view of the surrounding mountains and the Pacific Ocean far below and we had some shade to rest under and so we turned back there. That night after dinner we went looking for owls but couldn’t find any.

Sunday morning we got up at 5:00 AM and a Great Horned Owl was calling. Just as we were about to get into the car a Northern Saw-whet Owl started making strange vocalizations at the edge of the woods but we never saw it. We drove down to Andrew Molera and had breakfast since it was too early to do so at our campground (quiet hours are from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM). After breakfast we again scoured Andrew Molera but found very little except a flock of about eight Vaux’s Swifts, and one Warbling Vireo on the trail and one Western Bluebird at the campground. So we left there and drove to Pfieffer Big Sur State Park. We parked at the Big Sur Station and took the Pine Ridge Trail which soon leaves the state park and enters the Ventana Wilderness in Los Padres National Forest. Not long into the hike we saw a Western Gray Squirrel licking a fungus on a fallen redwood. The trail was well trod with other people and it too was very dry with little blooming but was very beautiful nevertheless. At the first stream crossing we saw a gorgeous Pacific Spiketail dragonfly patrolling the stream and an American Lady butterfly. Further up the trail we saw False Solomon seal with bright red berries and a few blooming California Fuchsia. As we proceeded we came to a big gulch with redwoods in it and a dry waterfall. We were too hungry to make it to our destination and had to stop for lunch. It was unusually hot that day. The trail is very narrow the whole way with few places to step aside for a break. So we scrambled up the dry waterfall and had our lunch. No sooner had we pulled our sandwiches out than these knuckleheads walked right up to where we were perched with their off-leash dog which they pulled up ther for a drink from a barely trickling seep. The dog lapped and lapped (they obviously had not bothered to bring it any water despite the extreme heat and commented “oh look how much water he’s drinking). They showed no regard for our privacy or for the dog for that matter. They were typical inconsiderate dog owners (redundant). We heard Acorn Woodpeckers in the woods though I never saw an oak tree on the trail. It was mostly California Bay Laurel, Pacific Madrone, Douglas Fir, Coast Redwood, and Red Alder. About half way to our destination I found a Mormon Metalmark getting nectar from one of the few blooming plants on the trail, a Nude Buckwheat. I also saw one fritillary very briefly before it flew off; I believe it was a Coronis Fritillary. At four miles we came to a turn off for the wilderness camp at Ventana Creek. The trail down to the creek was about a mile long and very steep. We went down it and it got hotter as we descended. At the creek we cooled our heads and feet before hiking back up the steep climb out. Back on the main trail we saw more Golden Hairstreaks. With about a mile left to go Susan ran out of water so we had to ration until we made it back to the stream crossing where the Pacific Spiketail was still patrolling. We had a break and our snack and the last of my water. The rest of the trail was in the shade so we didn’t have too hard a time getting back to the car. We filled our water bottles at the water fountain and then drove south to Julia Pfieffer Burns State Park. It was overrun with people so we didn’t even get out but drove back up the coast to a pull out where we looked out at the mighty Pacific Ocean while eating our dinner. Then it was back to Bottchers Gap.

Monday morning we got up, packed our things, and left Bottchers Gap. We headed north back toward home stopping at Garrapatta State Park along the way. The sun was out so we got out and walked to the coast. Sticky Monkeyflower, Pacific cinquefoil, and lots of Coast Buckwheat was blooming. At the edge we saw a female Sea Otter with a star fish on her belly. Her nose was bright red from the biting they receive from males during mating season. I bet they can’t wait until mating season is over or better yet menopause sets in. I ran back to the car to get my telephoto lens but she had hidden behind a rock to avoid marauding Western Gulls trying to steal her meal so I was not able to photograph her but we did see two males also a bit further out. As we were looking out into the kelp bed a Peregrine Falcon zoomed past and flew to the rocks on the far shore. We left there and drove all the way to Moss Landing where we turned off at Dolan Road planning to visit Elkhorn Slough. Unfortunately we did not realize it was closed on Mondays so we turned around and stopped in at Moon Glow Dairy which is an active dairy that allows birders to visit the ponds bordering the slough. There were hundreds of Red-necked Phalaropes in the first pond. On the other side were Willets, Lesser Yellowlegs, Marbled Godwits, Western Sandpipers, and Least Sandpipers, Semi-palmated Plovers, and two Baird’s Sandpipers which we got a good look at before they flew away. There were several Long-billed Curlews in the mud flats. Out in the slough were Clark’s Grebe, Western Grebe, and Pied-billed Grebe.

Next we drove to Salinas River NWR where it was incredibly foggy. There were six well marked signs in the parking lot “NO DOGS.” Out at the beach guess what we saw—yes, a dog. Dog owners have a universal vigilantism it seems that makes them think they are above the law. It didn’t matter because there were very few birds, just a few Killdeer, Sanderlings, and Heerman’s Gulls. On the way back to the car we saw another Anise Swallowtail. We left there and drove to Moss Landing where we saw an incredible fourteen Sea Otters floating in the channel. The only birds were more Godwits, Willets, and a Great Blue Heron. A few Black-necked Stilts flew past and we saw another Peregrine Falcon and that was about it. So we left there and drove all the way to Waddell Beach in San Mateo County. We crossed the highway and took the Skyline to the Sea Trail in Big Basin Redwoods State Park. We only had time to hike a mile or two before it was time to turn around and head home. There were not many birds around, just a few chickadees, Steller’s Jay, Downy Woodpecker, and Dark-eyed Juncos. We saw one Western Tiger Swallowtail, many Woodland Skippers, California Sister, and another Satyr Comma. Almost back to the trailhead we came across a beautiful Twelve-spotted Skimmer. As we left San Mateo County and headed home we entered the fog belt of San Francisco and watched the thermometer plummet. The birding had been abysmal but it had sure been nice to spend a hot weekend in Big Sur and on California's spectacular Central Coast.
Michelle Brodie
September 5, 2007

Eastern Sierra: August 18,19, 2007

2007-08-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

I just had to get out of the city and so I took a little mini-vacation to Mono Lake, Inyo National Forest, and Yosemite National Park over the weekend. I got off work early but still got caught in some pretty nasty traffic on I-580. I stopped in Groveland, CA and had dinner. Then it was so late by the time I got to the turn off for Tioga Road that I decided to stop and take a walk in Crane Flat Meadow to look for Great Gray Owl. I couldn't find one or hear one so I continued on to Mono Craters where I camped for the night.
I got up so early Saturday morning that not even the Pinyon Jays were calling yet. I drove up Highway 395 to Lundy Canyon. On the drive into the canyon I stopped at the first pond and saw a beaver. Lundy Canyon was reflected in the pond. I didn't see anyone on the trail at all until my return trip. Most of the wildflowers that were blooming in July had already died but there were still a few lingering things blooming including lots of Yampah, Yarrow, a few Monkshood and Tall Larkspur, and a little bit of paintbrush and Broad-leaved lupine. Grass of Parnassus was blooming all along Lundy Creek. A Baneberry had dropped its flowers and developed bright red berries. There weren't nearly as many birds as I was hoping. though I did get a very good look at a female MacGillivray's Warbler and an Orange-crowned Warbler. A Pine Siskin perched in a tree near me as I headed past the first waterfall. A Belted Kingfisher was working the pond. The only other interesting bird was a Dusky Flycatcher that wouldn't wait for a photo. The sole butterfly was a Mourning Cloak. I went as far as the waterfall at the scree and then turned back. I next drove to Mono County Park and walked out onto the boardwalk. There were many Red-necked Phalaropes and Wilson's Phalaropes, a few Eared Grebes, and three Yellow-headed Blackbirds (for some reason all the ones at Mono Lake have orange heads) in the lake. In the willows were some Yellow Warblers and one Lazuli Bunting. A flock of Pinyon Jays flew past. There were a couple of fritillary butterflies and one white but they never landed so I'm not sure what kind. I wanted to check a pond Dave Shuford showed us one time on a Pt. Reyes Field Seminar but I could not find it. So I ended up driving to Black Point, the remnants of an underwater volcano on Mono Lake. I walked out to the edge of the lake. There were several Blazing Stars blooming but the blooms were all closed. I accidentally flushed a Wilson's Snipe near the water's edge. There was a flock of American Avocets, a couple of Willets, and a few other things. As I drove back toward the park about fourteen Common Nighthawks flew overhead. I got out of the car to get a better look and spotted a Sage Sparrow perched on a sage brush. Back at the County Park a giant outdoor party was about to commence and there were hundreds of cars parked all along the entrance road so I had to get out of there. Some blackguard, baseborn, miscreant was taking his dog into the park right past the "no dogs" sign. My experience has been that the majority of people who own dogs are completely selfish people with a complete disregard for the rules and for nature.
Next I drove south on Highway 395 to Crowley Lake, a very popular fishing lake but also a magnet for birds during migration. I parked near the water's edge and there was a White-faced Ibis there along the shore. As I walked toward a flock of birds further along the shore I noticed about 10 more plus a flock of American Avocets and several Eared Grebes. Mono Basin hosts the largest gathering of Eared Grebes in the fall anywhere in the US. A few Eared Grebes had chicks trying to ride on their backs which is so cute to watch. A small flock of American White Pelicans were on the lake and a group of shorebirds huddled on the shoreline trying to avoid the speed boats. I saw a dead White Pelican on the shore I'm sure a victim of villianous boaters who share with dog owners a disregard for rules and nature. In the shorebird flock were Long-billed Dowitchers, Willets, Least Sandpipers, Marbled Godwits, Wilson's Phalaropes, and Red-necked Phalaropes. There were two Western Grebes bravely swimming further out. Some Caspian Terns and Forster's Terns were working the lake for fish. While studying a flock of ducks which turned out to be Cinnamon Teals I turned around and noticed a Bullock's Oriole in a willow. There were also a couple of Horned Larks on the ground. After assuring myself I was not overlooking any rarities which turn up regularly at Crowley Lake in late August, I left for Glass Creek Meadow. The wind was becoming pretty stiff and I saw no butterflies at all. There were a few Red Crossbills in the conifers; they enjoy this area it seems as I saw them there last time as well. I heard a strange bird calling and looked and looked up thinking maybe it was one of the many Clark's Nutcrackers around or a Steller's Jay. I only looked down at the ground at the last moment, just in time to see the last of a Mountain Quail before it ducked into some thick brush. Damn, I wanted a picture: I have seen so many but never gotten a picture. There was the usual assortment of mountain birds, White-breased Nuthatch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Mountain Chickadee, Chipping Sparrow, and Cassin's Finch. However, the meadow was practically devoid of the outstanding wildflower display it held in July. The only things left blooming were a few Brewer's Lupines, one Meadow Penstemon, and a lone Lewis's Monkeyflower. At the end of my hike I found a private place for a solar shower, had my dinner at a picnic area near Obsidian Dome, and then headed back to my campsite. The stars were magnificent. The crescent moon soon set leaving the sky ultra-dark for star gazing. As I stared up at the starry sky it was as though it were a cloudy night but actually it was just the thick band of the milky way strewn across the sky. Our English word galaxy comes from the Greek word for milk. I turned into bed and fell asleep. During the night the wind picked up considerably even rocking the car at times.
Sunday morning I again got up before the first bird sang and after breakfast headed over to South Tufa Reserve. I was the first person there. Yeah, solitude! I walked down to the Mono Lake shore and there were several Sage Thrashers and Brewer's Sparrows there eating the brine flies. I watched an awesome sight as the sun came up and put the tufas in an orange glow. After walking the loop trail I drove back over to Mono County Park where mercifully the party was over. A crew had arrived to remove the trash from the party the day before. They had put a cardboard box over the "no dogs" sign and had an off-leash dog roaming around while they cleaned up their mess while a worthless reprobate state park employee stood on doing nothing. I was the first person out on the boardwalk and that turned out to be very lucky for me. As I stood at the end of the boardwalk looking at the phalaropes something ran across the boardwalk catching my eye. It popped up again between the slats pretty close to me and I could see that it was a Long-tailed Weasel! I have never seen one before. It ran fast between the slats like Pop goes the weasel. I barely got this blurry photo before it ran off. What a special treat that was. After the boardwalk I was heading back toward the car when I came upon a group of birders. Some lady told me they were looking at an American Redstart in the willow tree. I got my binoculars on it and it was a first year male or female. I left them and walked across the road to the trees there hoping for Lewis's Woodpecker. I had no luck with that species but found a Red-breasted Sapsucker, Hairy Woodpecker, and Downy Woodpecker. Two Calliope Hummingbirds nearly flew into me. There was also a Spotted Towhee, House Wren, Black-billed Magpie, and Western Wood Pewee. Three Black-crowned Night-herons flew over. Then I decided I better start my planned hike. So I drove from Mono Lake into Yosemite National Park and parked at the Mono Pass Trailhead. I only saw about five peole the entire 12 mile hike. There were many fritillary butterflies and a few sulphurs. The trail starts out at 9000 feet and goes as high as 11,100 feet at Parker Pass which I took after Mono Pass. On the trail up to Mono Pass a White-headed Woodpecker flew into a tree right in front of me. I was surprised to see a Savannah Sparrow on the trail. There were the usual Chipping Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos but I don't know what a Savannah Sparrow was doing there. There were some more Clark's Nutcrackers, nuthatches, one Hammond's Flycatcher, and one Brown Creeper. At Mono Pass, 10,599 feet, I spotted a Sandhill Skipper. It was extremely windy at the pass so I dropped down to Sardine Lake and had my lunch there. Nearly all the great wildflowers from 4th of July were gone. Near Sardine Lake an odd flycatcher flew into a tree. I didn't get a great look but I am pretty sure it was a Gray Flycatcher. After lunch I also took the trail to Parker Pass where I was surprised to see a Northern Harrier scanning the ridge. I also saw a few sulphur butterflies. Not much flies at that elevation which is timberline but the butterflies would never land so I was unable to get a picture or identify them to species. The view from Parker Pass was not nearly as inspiring as I thought it would be so I dropped down a bit futher into the Ansel Adams Wilderness which is in Inyo National Forest and not Yosemite but it was getting late and I still had to drive back to the city so I turned back there. A flock of American Pipits flew across the barren pass. On the way back down I passed more fritillaries and another sulphur. This one I was able to photograph but it turned out to be an ordinary Orange Sulphur. Most likely the fritillaries at timberline were Mormon Fritillaries but the ones lower down I think were Great Basin Fritillaries. Who knows; those darn things are so hard to tell apart. As I dropped back down in elevation I came across some blooming groundsel, American Bistort, and Nude buckwheat but not much else but a few lupines. I got back to the car around 4:00 PM and then it was time to head back home. Heavy sigh.
Michelle Brodie
August 22, 2007

Ft. Bragg, CA Pelagic: August 12, 2007

2007-08-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, August 12, 2007, I took my first pelagic out of Ft. Bragg, CA. This is billed as a "mega-raritiy" trip and there is a hefty charge to take it on Shearwater Journeys. We departed from Noyo Harbor on the Trek II boat. As we passed under the bridge out of the harbor we saw Black Turnstones, Wandering Tattler, Pigeon Guillemot, Pelagic Cormorant on the rocks. As we headed off shore mostly we saw lots of California Gulls and a few Western Gulls. Finally after about two hours we came across a Cassin's Auklet and a couple of Rhinoceros Auklets. Then we found a Pink-footed Shearwater sitting on the water. There were not many Sooty Shearwaters like I expected. We drove on for a long time without seeing anything else but a few more Sooty and Pink-footed Shearwaters. Eventually we came into a pod of Humpback whales playing. Then a Black-footed Albatross flew in close to the boat. The birds were few and far in between after that excitement. We passed a frolicking Northern Fur Seal and then we came into a large pod of Risso's Dolphins that were showing off their high fins and sometimes leaping up in the air. They can be identified by the unique scars on their fins. One of the ones we saw had a collapsed dorsal fin. Right after that exciting encounter a Northern Fulmar landed right next to the boat.
Then the sea went calm, the sun came out, and lighting and conditions were quite nice. However, there were no birds for an extended period of time. Of course as soon as I pulled my sandwich out a Pomarine Jaeger flew by that I completely missed out on. After lunch we went way out to sea to Cordell Bank but still no rarities came by. There were many, many Red-necked Phalaropes around the boat all day long and Common Murres flew by all day as well. Finally we were running out of gas and had to head back. Not too far off shore a Sabine's Gull landed in the water nearby in perfect lighting and that was it before heading back to shore. As we proceeded back under the bridge at Noyo Harbor we saw a Clark's Grebe and some Common Loons but no rarities. Oh well, I'll just have to go back out there again soon.
Michelle Brodie
August 14, 2007

Cherry Grove, SC: July 28-August 4, 2007

2007-08-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

On July 28, 2007 I went to North Myrtle Beach, SC for my annual family reunion. I arrived too late on Saturday to do much of anything but settle into my little beach front bungalow. On Sunday morning I got up early and drove to Calabash, NC and visited Vereen Gardens. There were many Green Herons and Snowy and Great Egrets but not too much else. I drove from there to Sunset Beach, NC and walked out to the north end of the beach where the shorebirds roost. There were a few Wilson's Plovers, American Oystercatchers, Black Skimmers, Sandwich Terns, Common Terns, and one Least Tern. After examining all the shorebirds I left stopping at Sunset Lake before heading back to Cherry Grove for a day at the beach. There were many Wood Storks in the trees.
On Monday, July 30, 2007, I drove into North Carolina again to Green Swamp Preserve where I heard there are Henslow's Sparrows. I didn't see or hear any but there were a few Bachman's Sparrows. I also saw a few juvenile Redheaded Woodpeckers. There were lots of pitcher plants growing and many Common Wood Nymphs and Palamedes butterflies. The only warblers were Pine Warbler and Common Yellowthroat. I saw one Blue Grosbeak.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007, I went to Cherry Grove Park with John. We found some Painted Buntings in the trees there and then John told me about a new park down the road from the boat launch, Heritage Shores Nature Preserve. This park just opened in January 2007, an oasis in a sea of development that is North Myrtle Beach. It had great boardwalks over the marsh, many exhibits and picnic tables, and showed great potential as a fall migrant trap. We heard Clapper Rails calling from the marsh and saw Little Blue Heron, lots of Mockingbirds and Cardinals and Egrets. A Gull-billed Tern flew by and we saw one Seaside Sparrow in the marsh. An Osprey patrolled the canal.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007, I again checked the Heritage Shores Nature Preserve in Cherry Grove. There was a Tri-colored Heron right at the entrance. Many birds were flying up the channel headed toward Waites Island including Wood Stork and Glossy Ibis. I found a Great-crested Flycatcher in the trees and a Boat-tailed Grackle was perched across the canal. I decided to ride my boogie board across Hog Inlet at high tide when nobody esle would venture over to deserted Waites Island (you can walk across Hog Inlet at low tide). There was a large flock of Brown Pelicans, Laughing Gulls, and many tern species, Royal, Least, Common, Forster's, Caspian, and Sandwich. There were also Willet, Sanderling, Black-bellied Plover, Semi-palmated Plover, Western Sandpiper, American Oystercatcher, Great Egret, Black Skimmer. one Herring Gull, and one Great Black-backed Gull. It was tough boogie boarding across the channel at high tide but worth it for the solitude and flocks of birds.
Thursday, August 2, 2007, John and I drove all the way down to Brookgreen Gardens in Murell's Inlet, SC, only to find it closed until 9:30 AM. So we entered Huntington Beach and walked the causeway and the boardwalk. We saw Wood Stork, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tri-colored Heron, Osprey, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Least Tern, Forster's Tern, Royal Tern, Caspian Tern, Great Blue Heron, Lesser Yellowlegs, and one unidentified sparrow and many alligators. At the Education Center we saw two Painted Buntings and one Orchard Oriole. Then we headed over to Brookgreen. On the way out John spotted this Golden Silk Orbweaver in an oak tree. There were many Black Swallowtail butterflies. We saw one Eastern Kingbird, Brown Thrasher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Eastern Bluebird. There were some Blue Jays in the oak trees and we heard an Indigo Bunting singing. A Ruby-throated Hummingbird zipped by and one Black-crowned Night-heron. We went to the bird rehab center where we saw some Fulvous-whistling Ducks. We only saw one Zebra Swallowtail but it wouldn't land for a picture. There were many Eastern Lubber grasshoppers on the lawn.

On August 3, 2007 I again visited Heritage Shores Nature Preserve. The Clapper Rails were calling from the marsh but I never saw them. The Tri-colored Heron was still lurking about but there was not much else.
On the last day, August 4, 2007, I said goodbye to everyone and then drove back down to Huntington Beach State Park. I walked from the boardwalk out onto the beach. A roped off area contained the federally endangered species, Seabeach Amaranth. I walked all the way out to the jetty where I was shocked to see a family swimming in the marsh. Fortunately I found a flock of shorebirds just off the beach at the edge of the marsh prior to reaching the jetty, containing Wilson's Plover, Semi-palmated Plover, Western Sandpiper, Semi-palmated Sandpiper, and some other things. Obviously there were no birds where the idiots were swimming in the marsh. I went to the area behind the jetty which is roped off for nesting Least Terns. A large sign indicated no dogs allowed. Nevertheless, a man and his two kids walked up with an off-leash dog and proceeded to the "no dogs allowed" area and began swimming in the marsh with the dog. I was furious. Are people in SC completely retarded? I found a large flock of Black Skimmers and American Oystercatchers in the fenced off area. They are right to put an electric fence there. Too bad it didn't electrocute the family with the dog. When I got back to the entrance to the beach I found the sign for the endangered Seabeach Amaranth knocked over and one of the endangered plants trampled. A woman walked by and stomped a cigarette butt into the sand. It made me sad that people are so uncaring and so unaware about the world they live in. After resting at the picnic area I walked out to Sandpiper pond where I saw a Common Moorhen. I walked the Sandpiper trail and found flock of American Avocets on the furthest edge of the pond (this is most likely also where I contracted chiggers!!@) There was also a shorebird crouched on the far shore that I think was a Stilt Sandpiper but I could not see it very well without a scope. I saw a scruffy looking Carolina Satyr on the trail on my way back to the car. Then it was time to go back to civilization --California.
Michelle Brodie, August 13, 2007
Complete list of birds seen:
Brown Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Wood Stork, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Wood Duck, Mallard, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Red-tailed Hawk, Clapper Rail, Common Moorhen, Black-bellied Plover, Wilson’s Plover, Semi-palmated Plover, Piping Plover, Killdeer, American Oystercatcher, American Avocet, Lesser Yellowlegs, Willet, Spotted Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Semi-palmated Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, California Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Caspian Tern, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Forster’s Tern, Least Tern, Black Skimmer, Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Eastern Kingbird, Purple Martin, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, Pine Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Cardinal, Blue Grosbeak, Painted Bunting, Eastern Towhee, Bachman’s Sparrow, Seaside Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Orchard Oriole, House Finch, House Sparrow

Glacier National Park, MT: July 14-22, 2007

2007-07-23T21:39:00.000-07:00

Glacier National Park: July 14-22, 2007

Our plane arrived in Kalispell, now renamed Glacier Park International Airport, on time but they lost two of our suitcases. It was 93 degrees! We had to return to the airport five times before we finally got all our bags and picked up my brother, John, and my sister, Sharon, and were ready to head to Glacier National Park. We set up our tents at Fish Creek Campground and after finishing dinner barely had time to head over to Avalanche Lake trailhead for the four mile round trip hike. In fact, we had to hike the last mile in the dark, even though it didn’t get dark until 10:00 PM. I saw a black bear run across the trail not long after commencing. There were many Swainson’s Thrushes and Varied Thrushes singing all along the trail. The hike follows Avalanche Creek terminating at the lake where it is fed by numerous waterfalls. It’s a dramatic hike but hard to appreciate in the failing light. It was still warm enough to wear shorts when we returned back to camp.

Sunday, July 15, 2007
After breakfast at our very private campsite at Fish Creek we drove to the Sperry Chalet trailhead. The first three miles of the trail passes exclusively through forest. There were few flowers blooming; the trail was dusty and full of horse piss and droppings which none of us liked at all. We could hear Snyder Creek nearby but the trail afforded no views of it. We almost turned back we were so disappointed. In one clearing I saw a Vaux’s Swift fly by and there were more Swainson’s Thrushes and Varied Thrushes singing. After the trail crossed over the creek, it began to climb steeply up switchbacks past the Medicine Falls and then through expansive views of the high country. As the trail opened up we began to pass extensive wildflowers and butterflies including Glacier's signature plant, Bear Grass, California False-hellebore, Claytonia, Twin Flower, and lots of Birch-leaf Spiraea. While stopping for a break several people on horses passed us, one of them letting the horse stop to piss elaborately in front of us. It was disgusting and stinky. Finally into the high country we were treated to mountain vistas, multiple blooming wildflowers, Subalpine Spiraea, sulphur flower, lots of singing MacGillivray’s Warblers, Pine Siskins, Black-capped Chickadess, and many butterflies, including Mariposa Copper, Purplish Copper, Purplish Fritillary, and Acmon Blue. We arrived at the Chalet too late to make the trek up to Sperry Glacier and so after enjoying the fantastic views we turned around and headed back down the smelly horse trail. We heard an Olive-sided Flycatcher singing. Dozens of people were hiking down the trail as it was Sunday and they were concluding their stay at Sperry Chalet; this must have accounted for the abundance of horse droppings. On the way back we stopped at the bridge over Snyder Creek and cooled our throbbing feet from our 13.6 round trip hike before descending back to the car. Next we drove to Inner North Fork Road and had a shower by placing the solar shower on top of the car. As luck would have it no sooner was it my turn and I was completely naked than some idiot pulled up and started sawing down trees in the forest and putting them in his truck. Some Cedar Waxwings came and landed in a tree by the car and we found a bush full of ripe huckleberries which we ate. After the thief left everyone else had their turn and then we returned to our cute little camp at Fish Creek and fell fast asleep.

Monday, July 16, 2007
We packed up our camp gear, loaded up everything in the van and headed up Going-to-the-Sun Road. This road is one of the park highlights as it ascends dramatically up to Logan Pass at 6680 feet with dramatic views of the many waterfalls including 682 foot Bird Woman Falls. Alpine daisies, Brown-eyed Susans, and Bergamot were blooming all along the road. We drove all the way past Logan Pass to Rising Sun Campground and set up camp for the remainder of the trip. The campsite was nestled in huckleberry patches that were dripping with ripe huckleberries that John enjoyed picking and putting in his cereal in the mornings. After our camp was set up we drove to Many Glacier Road where we saw a black bear up a hillside. We parked at Swiftcurrent picnic area and headed for the Grinnell Glacier trailhead which we were extremely disappointed to find closed three miles ahead. When Sharon and I went to Glacier Park in 1999 we were unable to make it to Grinnell Glacier on account of a tremendous amount of snow on the trail with a treacherous angled snowbank making passage impossible. So it was particularly disappointing to find the trail to the glacier again closed. We decided to go ahead as far as we could. It was hot again and very hazy so that the normally incredible view back down to emerald green Grinnell Lake and the surrounding mountains was dulled. There were dozens of people on the trail making picture taking of the many butterflies challenging. We finally made it to the three mile marker where the trail was closed due to bear activity which we later learned was a carcass across the trail, and were not even able to see Grinnell Glacier just a big snow bank and a hazy view of a waterfall of melting glacier. We took our time moseying back down the trail to the car. On the way back John spotted a Dusky Grouse along the trail. Near the end of the hike we stopped by the lake and dipped our feet in the water. While resting, an Arctic Blue butterfly perched on my foot and then a Pearl Crescent butterfly landed on my shoulder and stayed there part of the way back down the trail. At the pond we saw a Rubber Boa swimming across. After our hike we decided to drive back to Logan Pass and take the Hidden Lake trail. It was late in the day but there were still people on this very popular trail. This trail is so popular in fact, that the park had to build a boardwalk all the way to the pond with the famous view back across to Reynolds Mountain reflected in the pool. American Pipits were standing in the meadow with some singing White-crowned Sparrows. Our view was dampened by the haze which still lingered in the air. But we still enjoyed the flower filled meadow. Glacier lilies were still blooming there in huge swaths along with heather, paintbrush, and many others. We saw some Big Horn Sheep browsing in the meadow. At the Hidden Lake Overlook we turned around and returned the way we came.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007
A Warbling Vireo was the first thing up and his sweet song woke us up. A Western Tanager perched in a tree during breakfast and serenaded us. We again drove to Many Glacier Road where we had planned to hike to beautiful Iceberg Lake. When we got to the entrance station we were so disappointed to learn that it too was closed due to bear activity. The ranger suggested that we try Swiftcurrent Pass so we followed her advice and were greatly rewarded by doing so. We parked at the end of Many Glacier Road and started up the Swiftcurrent Pass trail. This spectacular trail starts off flat as it passes through flower filled meadows with singing MacGillivray’s Warblers, three waterfalls, and two large lakes, Red Rock Lake and Bullhead Lake, before ascending steeply up challenging switchbacks up 2700 feet to the pass. It was still hot and hazy but we were unaware as we were dazzled by the magnificent scenery. In the meadow a MacGillivray’s Warbler popped up in a tree finally giving us a look at this elusive bird. At Bullhead Lake we saw a Moose with a calf far across the lake. We had lunch on the switchbacks near one of four streaming waterfalls. Near the pass American Pipits were singing in the meadow. When we got to Swifcurrent Pass we were very tired but John insisted that we also make the 1600 foot climb up to the lookout. I didn’t want to because it was so hazy but we trrudged up the trail anyway. While taking a break Susan spotted a raptor. As soon as I got it in my binoculars it flew off and I could make out the dark axillaries of a Prairie Falcon. We huffed and gasped for air before finally summiting for a 360 degree view of the park. What a shame it was so hazy; you could see that on a clear day it would have been an incredible view something to draw you back again and again if you ever were so lucky to have that chance. After munching on some huckleberries and snacks we started back down the steep switchbacks. Half way down the steep switchbacks I was surprised to see a White-tailed Deer with a huge rack resting under a rock. Susan got mad because she was relieving herself in the woods and I didn’t yell that Sharon was coming quickly enough. She stormed down the trail not stopping at all until back at the creek. I have never seen her hike so fast. Nearly back to the car Sharon and Susan stopped at Fisher Cap Lake, a small lake before the two main lakes, and saw a very close male moose. Just as we finished our hike a light rain began to fall. As we headed back down Many Glacier Road we came upon a traffic jam. We looked up the hillside and saw a grizzly bear with two cubs. We tried to take pictures but the ranger asked us to move on. We drove back to Rising Sun picnic area across the street from our campground and had our dinner. The picnic area was empty but it stopped raining long enough for us to have dinner. After dinner John hung his solar shower up in the men’s room and showered and then I hung it up in the women’s room and showered while Susan and Sharon waited in a long line at Rising Sun for the pay showers. We slept well after our grueling 17 mile hike with a 3500 foot elevation gain, even though it rained all night.

July 18, 2007
I wanted to hike the Belly River trail but after reading the summary John refused because horses are allowed on the trail; he didn’t want to take anymore trails with horse piss and pooh. We stopped at the brand new St. Mary Visitor Center and John asked the backcountry ranger to make a suggestion. Out in the parking lot an Osprey was on her nest with her chicks. The ranger suggested Siyeh Pass so we took her advice and drove to Siyeh Bend and parked the car. Most people walk the 11 mile hike one way ending at Sunrift Gorge and taking the shuttle back to Siyeh Bend. We intended to make it a long loop by continuing along St. Mary Lake back to the bend. We started up the trail and soon came to two large gray birds in the forest which I believe were Northern Goshawks. We were greeted with many meadows of wildflowers before starting a steep ascent up a rocky talus slope to 7750 foot Siyeh Pass with commanding alpine views. Despite the harsh conditions wildflowers were blooming along the talus slope, lousewort, St. John’s Wort, and many others. The views were amazing at the pass but it was too windy so we dropped down a bit before enjoying lunch in front of Sexton Glacier. A Gray-crowned Rosy-finch flew onto a rock nearby. After lunch we descended the pass through incredible wildflower filled fields with many butterflies, Queen Alexandria’s Sulphur, Rocky Mountain Parnassian, Milbert’s Tortoiseshell, and several species of fritillary. The views on the other side of the pass were breathtaking. As we descended three glacier fed waterfalls far below came into view. It was the kind of scene that is hard to take your eyes away from. There were many people on the trail riding our rears; I don’t know why they were in such a hurry. They didn’t stop for a butterfly, a flower, a waterfall; I don’t know why they didn’t just stay at home and ride a treadmill for pete’s sake. The end of the trail came to a redrock lined waterfall before ending at sunrift gorge where we saw a Lorquin’s Admiral right next to a White Admiral. Sharon and Susan took the shuttle back to Siyeh Bend and John and I took the St. Mary Lake Trail. John forgot his binoculars on a rock and had to run about a mile back up the trail to get them. Back on the trail first we passed uninspiring Baring Falls and then walked along St. Mary Lake with outstanding views of towering mountains in the background. We passed on St. Mary falls and continued to Deadman Falls before making the steep ascent out of Gunsight Pass trail back to Going-to-the-Sun Road where we were too exhausted to make the last 2.5 miles back to Siyeh Bend. Fortunately Sharon and Susan drove by on their way back from the store and picked us up. Sharon and Susan again stood in a long line at Rising Sun pay shower while John and I went to Sun Point picnic area and hung up the solar shower on the car. While John was completely nude a guy in a truck made two slow passes making sure to look down between the car where John was bathing. As we left we saw a man preparing to camp illegally at Sun Point. I wonder if bears were attracted by the smell of our soap and attacked the illegal camper after we left.

Thursday, July 19, 2007
I woke everybody up at 5:00 AM to give us plenty of time to drive into Canada to Waterton Lakes National Park. Shortly after going through customs I saw a Ruffed Grouse in the road so I pulled over to get some pictures. Later we stopped and saw Red-naped Sapsucker, Rufous Hummingbird, Hairy Woodpecker, Townsend’s Solitaire, Northern Flicker, and Fox Sparrow. There were many other birds but we had to go in order to catch the 9:00 AM boat across Waterton Lake to Crypt Landing where we planned to hike to Crypt Lake. Across the lake from the boat launch sits the historic Prince of Wales Hotel. The hike was horrible and I will never take it again. Because you must take a boat to get to the trailhead it basically funnels 50 people shotgun style up the trail in a long line. There is no chance to get pictures of butterflies or look at birds because if you stop to do anything 45 people will pass you and you will be stuck marching with a bunch of obnoxious people all day long which is exactly what happened. The boat company claims it is rated the number one hike in Canada but if that’s all Canada has to offer then I would prefer to continue hiking in the US. The hike made a steep ascent up past a waterfall and then through a 2.5 foot wide tunnel before ending at an uninspiring subalpine lake where we were forced to eat lunch with 40 noisy people. The only interesting thing at the lake were three species of trout, Brown, Rainbow, and Cutthroat. At the end of the hike we took a side trip to Hellroaring Canyon Falls where we again were stuck in a line of hikers on a single track trail. It was awful. Back at the boat dock we were trapped with the same 50 people waiting for the boat to pick us up. I couldn’t wait to get out of there. After the boat dropped us off we drove past the famous Prince of Wales Hotel. Susan wanted to stop inside to have high tea but then changed her mind. So we drove to the end of Redrock Canyon Road and walked out on a bridge over lovely Bauerman Creek. I had to pry everyone off of the bridge to get them to take the Blakeston Falls trail where we saw more wildflowers. We had our dinner at the picnic area there and then it was a long drive back to Rising Sun campground.

Friday, July 20, 2007
It was Susan and my fifth anniversary. I had planned a hike to Cobalt Lake in the Two Medicine Area. John was skeptical of my choice but it turned out to be the best hike of the trip in my opinion. Sharon and I had taken the hike in July 1999 but a snow storm came the night before blanketing the area and we couldn’t see much, only enough to tell that we should come back again one day. The trail started out on the south shore of Medicine Lake through wildflower-filled meadows before coming to a pond where we saw several Common Yellow-throats. Sharon and Susan stopped to look at some flowers and John was about five feet behind me when I saw a grizzly bear about 30 feet away. I had my video camera out and started filming it. It was eating something in the meadow and didn’t notice me at first. Then it looked up and looked me right in the eye. John started backing away leaving me standing there all by myself. I kept telling Sharon and Susan to come up to me because I didn’t think the bear would mess with four people. But no they just left me standing there alone right in front of the bear. Fortunately the bear decided to cross the trail instead of eating me and hopped into a pond and swam away. That is the first grizzly bear I have ever encountered on a trail; I think I would have fainted if I had been alone. There were more alpine birds along the trail, Winter Wren, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, and MacGillivray’s Warbler. We took a side trail to Aster waterfall before crossing Paradise creek on a suspension bridge and then beginning a relatively gentle climb up past red and black towering Mount Rockwell. We came to another waterfall, Rockwell falls, where we stopped to have lunch. While eating, John spotted an American Dipper in the falls. After lunch we continued our climb a little more steeply. We found some ripe blueberries along the trail which we stopped to pick and eat. They were delicious. Next we passed through an ineffable wildflower display along the creek. There was one enormous patch of Lewis’s Monkeyflower and endless patches of other flowers all along the creek. The scene was indescribably beautiful. Finally we came to Cobalt Lake nestled in Paradise Peak. While cooling our feet in the clear blue lake John detected an animal he thought was a badger on the hillside on the far shore. Later we determined it was a Long-tailed Weasel. A Spotted Sandpiper was on the shore of the lake and two Hoary Marmots were running up the hillside being chased by a bird and pecked on the back. After resting a bit we turned back the way we came. I heard a warbler giving a chip note in some willows so I pished and a MacGillivray’s Warbler shot out and nearly flew into us. That night at camp I heard a Great Horned Owl hooting.

Saturday, July 21, 2007
We got up, packed up all our things, and left Rising Sun Campground. We drove back to Logan Pass and parked. It was extremely windy and cold in the parking area. We crossed the road and started the Highline Trail along the Garden Wall, a very famous section of Glacier Park with commanding views of the glacier filled alpine country with its many waterfalls, wildflowers, and butterflies. There were a few people on the trail but they were spread out and it wasn’t too bad. We soon came to some Big Horn Sheep right off the trail. Mountain Goats walked right past us. Not far down the trail I found a Pine Grosbeak perched right out in the open on a Subalpine Fir. Two more flew in and a Calliope Hummingbird also flew in while I was admiring the Grosbeak. The trail is carved out of the side of the mountain and passes through intermittent forests and then meadows. In the forested area I found two Townsend’s Warblers. At 6.8 miles we came to a spur trail that climbs 1000 feet in just 1 km. We stopped and had lunch before making this arduous climb. It was well worth the effort as it ended at a tremendous view down to Grinnell Glacier. Finally after eight years I saw Grinnell Glacier. It was extremely windy at the overlook but Susan and I found a crevice in the rocks where we were protected from the wind and could enjoy the view. While sitting admiring this ancient glacier that will one day be no more, two Calliope Hummingbirds buzzed right past our heads and over the pass. After everyone had his or her fill of this spectacular overlook we walked back down to the trail junction and on to Granite Park Chalet where people make reservations a year in advance to stay and enjoy the amazing views of Mount Gould and the Haystack. We were so tired hiking back to the car. Most people continue past Granite Park Chalet on the shorter, 4.4 mile Loop trail and take the shuttle back to their car, so we saw few people as we re-traced our steps. We stopped and soaked our tired feet in one of the many dripping pools along the way. After our hike we stopped at Avalanche Creek picnic area and had our last picnic before heading out of the park to Kalispell to the Outlaw Hotel where things went terribly wrong. We were so tired after hiking nearly 100 miles all week. But the hotel sent us from room to room every time only to find it already occupied. Finally after four tries Sharon and John got situated and everybody went to sleep. I was awoken at the ungodly hour of 5:00 AM by John telling me the shuttle did not come to pick him up. So I had to get up and drop him off at the airport. Then no sooner was I back in bed than Sharon came to have breakfast. After breakfast we went back into the park for a last leisurely walk to Rocky Point along Lake MacDonald where we saw a Red Squirrel. After taking Sharon to the airport Susan and I went back to the park again and hiked the Johns Lake Trail to Sacred Dancing Cascade where we saw some Gray Jays and some more Winter Wrens. We had intended to hike the entire loop but the bridge over McDonald Creek had been slammed into by trees during a violet flood. A Compton's Tortoiseshell was perched right on the demolished bridge: we ended our travels there and headed back to Glacier Park Airport where it was still a balmy 93 degrees. Our flight was delayed two hours due to an air traffic hold at San Francisco Airport on account of fog. As the plane passed over the glacier filled peaks of the Rocky Mountains I looked down at them in awe. These ancient remnants of the last ice age will one day be gone and with it too probably all the precious sacred places I treasure so much, destroyed by endless development and demands for housing for our burgeoning population. As the plane moved on and the mountains moved out of view, I looked down ruefully, sad to leave it behind but happy and satisfied that I'd had the wonderful opportunity to see this majestic place again.

Eastern Sierra: June 29-July 4, 2007

2007-07-07T22:07:00.000-07:00

Susan had food poisoning on Thursday and still felt ill Friday, so I had to drive all the way from her office to our little primitive campsite at Mono Craters myself, June 29. We arrived around 10:30 PM and after admiring the planets Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter, that were regaling the sky all weekend, and setting up the tent, fell fast asleep. I woke in the night and heard a Great Horned Owl hooting.

Saturday, June 30, 2007, Susan felt weak from the food poisoning so I planned an easy hike to Glass Creek Meadow in the Inyo National Forest. It is only a 4 mile round trip hike with little elevation gain. After breakfast we drove to the trailhead which is off of Highway 395 south of Mono Lake at the turn off for Obsidian Dome, a giant remnant of an ancient volcano with a large lava flow. Pumice and obsidian were everywhere. We only saw a couple of people during our hike but lots of birds, butterflies, and wildflowers. The hike has one hill to make it up right after the trailhead as it passes a small waterfall on Glass Creek. Then the trail flattens out as it follows along the creek to the meadow. As soon as we started we heard Warbling Vireo, Western Wood Pewee, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Cassin’s Finch. There were Sulphur flowers and Brewer’s Lupine all along the first part of the hike. At the first forested area we came across a flock of Red Crossbills giving their kip kip call and eating pine cone seeds which they live off of in their nomadic lives. There were many Clark’s Nutcrackers giving their noisy vocalizations. After the forested area the trail opened up to a field of pumice sand before finally arriving at the flower filled meadow. The creek runs through the meadow making it lush with wildflowers and butterflies which were everywhere. A whole section of the meadow was a field of Meadow Penstemon. In the wet mud were many Blue butterflies, Melissa Blue, Western Tailed-blue, Anna's Blue, and other blues we could not identify as well as a Sulphur butterfly, Lustrous Copper, and many Western Tiger Swallowtail butterflies. We sat on a log enjoying the meadow for a while with its ring of trees and backdrop of the 10,000 foot high San Joaquin Mountain but there were too many biting flies so we decided to head back. On the way out of the meadow we heard Mountain Quail and Sooty Grouse calling from the forest. As I was admiring a Pine Siskin through my binoculars somehow an insect got between my left pinkie finger and my binoculars and stung me. It must have left a stinger in my finger because it swelled to the size of a sausage and caused unbelievable pain in my hand. Near the creek we saw a Gray Flycatcher, Mountain Chickadee, Townsend’s Solitaire, and White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatch. We only saw two people on the trail. Before leaving we had lunch at a picnic area near Obsidian Dome then we drove the long drive to the Ancient Bristlecone Forest near the tiny town of Big Pine, CA. After winding up the White Mountains where we saw a Rufous Hummingbird, we pulled into the Shulman Grove and walked the Discovery Trail which tells all about how Professor Shulman discovered the oldest tree in the world in this grove of gorgeous twisted old Bristlecones in 1952. The tree is over 4000 years old but the Forest Service won’t tell you which one it is for fear that some lunatic will cut it down. No matter—they are all gorgeous old trees fantastic to look at. There were the tiniest most minute little blue butterflies on the Discovery Trail and dozens of Mountain Bluebirds. After hiking the one mile loop we decided to drive to the Patriarch Grove further up the White Mountains. This grove is 12 miles further up and at 11,000 feet instead of the 10,000 feet we were at in Shulman Grove. The road turns into dirt almost immediately and is very bad and full of large rocks. I was amazed that people were driving their passenger cars on it and wondering why they were not concerned about flat tires. We finally got to the Patriarch Grove and walked the two short nature trails admiring the largest Bristlecone in the world and some other beauties before driving back down the awful road. As we proceeded down this horrible dirt road I heard an upsetting sound of air escaping. I pulled into the nearest pull off and was horrified to see my rear left tire completely flat. Worse than that the hatch wouldn’t open so I had to remove our cooler and all our camp gear and crawl into the back of the car to get the jack out. As we were contemplating where to put the jack two ladies in a US Forest Service truck stopped and asked if we needed help. Susan told them that she had never changed a tire before and yes could they help. I most certainly have changed many tires in my day but was not looking forward to kneeling in the sage to change one. After a couple of failed attempts at placing the jack we finally got the tire changed and the nice ladies left but not before several cars passed us, I am sure joking the whole way back about how many ladies it took to change a tire. We didn’t get back to our little campsite at Mono Craters until 10:30 PM leaving no time to do anything but crawl into the tent.

Sunday, July 1, before I even arose I could hear the Pinyon Jays on the move through our camp site. My pinkie was hurting a lot each time I used my hand the pain darting through my hand. We drove north of Lee Vining to the turn off for Green Creek which is also a dirt road. I was worried because we had a flat for a spare so I drove as carefully as possible and with the window down also listened for birds. The road passes through sage flats before arriving at the Green Creek Campground in the Toyaibe National Forest. In the sage flats we saw lots of desert birds such as Sage Thrasher, Brewer’s Sparrow, and Green-tailed Towhee and prickly poppy with its beautiful white flowers lined the road. This trail is 11.6 miles round trip to the Hoover Lakes in the Hoover Wilderness. We took our time on this beautiful trail as there is much to look at. First of all, wildflowers line the trail from the first step to the last. At first we passed through a field of Richardson’s Geranium and a lot of Swamp Onion along the creek. In addition to all the great flowers the whole trail was full of birds and bird song. We saw all the Sierra Mountain specialty birds, Pine Siskin, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Hermit Thrush, Western Tanager, Clark’s Nutcracker, Violet-green Swallow, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Brown Creeper, Raven, and the ever present Yellow-rumped Warbler. We stopped many times to admire the many butterflies as well-- Clodious Parnassian, Pine White, Western Tiger Swallowtail, Bosduval’s Blue, some type of Fritillary (possibly Nokomis), and many others. The first lake the trail comes to is East Lake which is stocked with trout and consequently attracts a lot of anglers. We had lunch beside the lake and Susan spotted a Golden Trout near the water’s edge. We continued up the trail and I noted that the only mountain bird we had not found was a Williamson’s Sapsucker and how I wish Susan would conjure one for me. Next we came to lovely Green Lake which is actually bright blue and surrounded by gorgeous red and black mountains. After leaving this little gem we ran into a US Forest Service worker, Scott, who talked our heads off. Poor guy must not have anyone to talk to. He was hiking with a six foot saw to cut trees that were blocking the trail. I was amazed that they cut those huge trees with a saw. He had just finished cutting a huge White bark pine and was on his way to the next blockage. He told us his life story about how he backpacked for three days when he was just fourteen on the Pacific Crest Trail and just fell in love with it and has been outdoors ever since apparently not running into many people along the way with whom to converse. After Green Lake we passed Gilman Lake and little Nutter Lake before the trail opened up and we could see Burro Pass high above us before finally crossing a hairy passage over Green Creek to Hoover Lakes. At Hoover Lake we found a few Gray-crowned Rosy Finches and White-crowned Sparrows, a subspecies of which lives high in the mountains, and an Edith’s Checkerspot butterfly. We barely had time to enjoy the fantastic view before we had to turn back. As we again approached Blue Lake I saw a Williamson’s Sapsucker flying away. I thought that another one was behind a pine tree so I told Susan to wait while I walked around it. As I got to the back of the tree which was very near the trail I heard babies crying inside a tiny woodpecker hole. Susan and I sat on a rock nearby and waited for the mother to come back to feed them. Soon she came and I was able to watch her feeding her little Williamson's Sapsucker chicks which would protrude slightly from the hole. It was very thrilling for me. Scott was just a few feet away completely oblivious sawing away at a gigantic fallen pine tree. When we had our fill we waved goodbye to Scott and headed back down the trailhead. We were exhausted at times feeling like we couldn’t make it. We had taken so long standing taking pictures of the numerous flowers, birds, and butterflies that our little 11.6 mile hike was taking us a total of over eight hours. I stopped to dip my throbbing pinkie in a creek and when I bent down saw a Yosemite Toad in the water. When we finally made it back to the car my body ached from head to toe. We drove south on Highway 395 to Mono County Park where we planned to have dinner. It was very windy and unpleasant at the picnic area. We walked out on the boardwalk and saw hundreds of Wilson’s Phalaropes on Mono Lake where they congregate and breed this time of year. After dinner we drove back to our campsite and had a much needed shower with my solar shower. The owl came again during the night.

Monday, July 2, 2007, the Pinyon Jays woke me as usual with their noisy chatter. They are very gregarious. When I got out of the tent a Common Nighthawk was circling overhead. After breakfast we drove just north of Lee Vining on Highway 395 to the famous and wonderful Lundy Canyon, one of the best hikes in all of the Sierra. This amazing hike follows Lundy Creek as it meanders over three waterfalls, passes numerous wildflowers, and many birds and butterflies. I wanted to get a picture of a Calliope Hummingbird which is fairly common in the Sierra but of the six or seven we saw none would stay put long enough for me to photograph, so no pictures of this darling little hummer. After the first waterfall we walked through a field of Monk’s Hood mixed in with yarrow, stickseed, Pride of the Mountain, Swamp Onion, Monument Plant, and Scarlet Gilia. We took the trail to the last waterfall at the scree which goes up to Helen Lake in 20 Lakes Basin but we decided not to climb it this year and turned back instead. The scree was full of Colville’s Columbine, Western Rose root, White heather, Red Heather, Rock Fringe, Indian Paintbrush, Meadow Paintbrush, and Applegate Paintbrush. At the second waterfall we stopped to have lunch. As we were eating a MacGillivray’s Warbler started singing. I was thinking to myself, “hmm that MacGillivray’s is very close” when suddenly it perched on top of a pine tree right in front of us. This was pretty unusual for this elusive bird. A Calliope also zipped by. After lunch we headed back down the mountain and at the beaver pond we found a Red-breasted Sapsucker and an American Dipper. We stopped at the Mono Lake Visitor Center on the way back and saw Cliff Swallows feeding their chicks right on the side of the center. One poor baby had fallen out and was just sitting on the ground I’m sure to be eaten by a hawk or other predator later. We had dinner at the June Lake picnic area and then retired to our cute little private campsite. I was sound asleep when a pack of coyotes began to howl. I was terrified because the alpha sounded just like a crazed person. Here we were two ladies camping alone in the wilderness with a crazy person on the loose. Weird how your mind conjures the craziest thoughts sometimes—it was just coyotes.

Tuesday, July 3, 2007 we drove a short way to the June Lake Loop off of Highway 395 to the Walker Lake turnoff which we took up and up 10 miles to the Walker Lake Trailhead in the Inyo National Forest. I drove slowly on the dirt road on account of the flat spare and in doing so saw a sapsucker flying. We stopped and were treated to a Red-breasted Sapsucker feeding her chicks. On this incredibly beautiful trail which is seven miles roundtrip to lower Sardine Lake we only saw two people all day. The trail first drops down several hundred feet to Walker Lake another stocked lake which attracts hordes of anglers before flattening out through a meadow. There were very few wildflowers at this low elevation. However, the trail is gruesome in its intense elevation gain thereafter gaining 2700 feet in just three miles. We were gasping for breath as we ascended but were rewarded with awesome views back down to Walker Lake and Mono Lake in the distance. As we gained elevation we started to pass through more and more wildflowers and encountered many birds. After ascending about half way we came to an aspen grove that was full of birds one of which had us stumped. It sounded like a Cordilleran flycatcher but that would be rare. I never could locate it and just held my camera up to record its strange song instead. Upon further review I can only surmise that it is some strange song of a Gray Flycatcher and not the much rarer (for this area) Cordilleran. Also in the aspen grove we saw Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Wilson’s Warbler, and many other birds. We were running out of gas when we finally came to a waterfall at the top of which was pretty Lower Sardine Lake. We had lunch beside the lake and then continued around the lake where a creek flowed into it. The creek was lined with willows and fields of wildflowers, Davidson's Penstemon, columbine, yarrow, paintbrush, larkspur, monkeyflower, cinquefoil, St. John’s Wort, Swamp Onion, and many others. We were tired but decided to continue up to Upper Sardine Lake. As we continued to gain elevation we saw more wildflowers shieldleaf, Labrador tea, Elephant’s Head, one lone Timberline Phacelia, Western Roseroot, Wooly Sunflower, Oval-leaved Eriogonum, Meadow Penstemon, Davidson’s Penstemon, Bridge’s Penstemon, Rydberg's Penstemon, and on and on. The flowers were attracting many butterflies as well and we saw Mourning Cloak, Northern Cloudywing, Milbert’s Tortoiseshell, Sara’s Orangetip, Western Tailed-blue, Melissa Blue, Lupine Blue, Blue Copper, Sierra Sulphur, Field Crescent, some type of Fritillary, Clodious Parnassian, and a checkerspot. After wetting our heads in the lake we headed back down the trail. We stopped at a waterfall and found an American Dipper in the water. At the end of this wonderful hike we decided to just go back to our campsite for the rest of the evening. It was very hot that day and the solar shower scalded us as we showered. We then enjoyed a relaxing evening with the Pinyon Jays, Common Nighthawks, and Violet-green Swallows, and as evening fell bats and stars and planets. During the night the coyote pack returned and howled but this time exhaustion took over and I slept through it.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007, we got up early and broke camp. We stopped at the South Tufa Reserve at Mono Lake and walked down to the water. A California Ground Squirrel sunned on a rock. There were Sage Thrasher, Vesper Sparrow, Brewer’s Sparrow, California Gull, Common Nighthawk, and Violet-green Swallows to enjoy on the boardwalk plus the outstanding views of tufa in the morning sun. Next we drove up Tioga Pass into Yosemite National Park to the Porcupine Creek trailhead on Tioga Road. We were planning to take it 14 miles round trip to the top of Upper Yosemite Falls before driving back to San Francisco. In order to expedite the hike I left my binoculars behind and only carried my video camera, water, and lunch. The trail was harder than I remembered it going down quite a bit to the falls. Along the way I saw the back side of a Black-backed Woodpecker flying away and Susan spotted a Black-tailed Deer. There were numerous fritillary butterflies wichh I merely admired in my haste but did stop long enough to get a photo of this Pine Drop plant. At about the half way mark the trail crossed over a creek which was full of flowers and many different fritillary butterflies. I was surprised to see Western Azalea still blooming and found one beautiful Alpine Lily. Near the falls we also saw another Williamson’s Sapsucker and a Red-breasted Sapsucker right on the trail. As we approached the waterfall we were treated to magnificent views of the valley and Half Dome. The granite was dotted with Stone Crop. We descended down to the falls, over the creek, and up to the viewpoint. There was still a little bit of water flowing in the upper falls but it was hard to see from the fence. It was time to hussle back anyway. It was tough hiking uphill most of the way at that clip. I stopped only to film two White-headed Woodpeckers and take a photo of a Police Car Moth at the creek. It was very hot and dusty but we made it back to the car in just 5 hours 50 minutes—not bad for an old lady. It was the hottest day of the year it turned out, topping 105 degrees in Oakdale but we soon left that behind as we returned to my home in the foggy city. I hate the fog and I can't wait to get back to the mountains which will be very soon but not soon enough.

Yosemite: June 15-18, 2007

2007-06-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

Yosemite National Park: June 15-18, 2007

June 15, after work I drove to Yosemite National Park taking the southern route through Oakhurst on Highway 41. Just before the tiny town of Fish Camp I turned off on a dirt forest road and drove for six miles to Big Sandy Campground in the Sierra National Forest where I set up camp in an expansive camp site right along the Big Creek. All sixteen of the sites in this scenic campground were well spaced and provided a lot of privacy. A White-headed Woodpecker came and pecked at a tree just over my camp site. Willow trees lined the creek and held some Fox Sparrows and Song Sparrows and many butterflies, many of which were Boisduval’s Blues. I heard a Red Crossbill calling but never could see it. I walked around the campground and saw some Red-breasted Nuthatch chicks in a tree. After setting up my tent I drove into Yosemite Park; driving back down the dusty dirt road back to Highway 41. It was just four miles from the entrance station but then another 16 miles to Glacier Point Road. I took that road to McGurk Meadow and walked the trail to the meadow and back. I heard Mountain Quails calling from the woods and saw Western Wood Pewee, Dark-eyed Junco, Western Tanager, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Golden-crowned Kinglet but no owls. I then stopped by the Four Seasons of Yosemite at Yosemite West, where my brother, Chris, and his family would be staying but they treated me like a criminal and would not let me have the key. So I returned to my campsite which was just as well. The stars were magnificent and the camp site was very quiet and peaceful.

June 16, I took down my tent and proceeded back down the dirt road to Yosemite West to meet Chris and his family. A Hammond’s Flycatcher was singing in a tree beside the road. Yosemite West is just a few miles from the entrance to Glacier Point Road but we decided to make the long drive to Tioga Pass Road for our hike. We drove all the way to Porcupine Creek where we planned to hike to North Dome which has expansive views of Half Dome and maybe the top of Yosemite Falls too. A Williamson’s Sapsucker crossed the trail in front of us. Chris’s son, Kevin, found a black bear that we all got good looks at before it fled into the woods. A Mountain Quail called from the woods. There were lots of Mountain Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Fox Sparrows, Brown Creepers, and Steller’s Jays. A Hermit Thrush made its ethereal call. Just one mile from the dome, Chris wandered off trail and he and his family had lunch. They claimed they thought it was the end of the trail even though the dome was looming before us. While waiting for them I saw a Townsend’s Solitaire in a tree. I started down the trail to North Dome but got off trail and ended up in thick intertwined Manzanita mats before finally emerging at the Haystack, another granite dome, that parallels North Dome. No one was on the Haystack since there is no official trail to it but it actually has closer looks at Half Dome. I started back through the woods trying to get to North Dome but the Manzanita was so thick it scratched and tore at my legs and arms to the point I didn’t think I would make it. I could hear White-throated Swifts overhead as I finally struggled my way back up the slope to the official trail but couldn’t see Chris or his family so I walked back to the trail junction. There were many butterflies including many Zerene Fritillaries and lots of California Sisters. Finally Chris and family came to the trail junction and we headed back to the car deciding against proceeding to the top of Upper Yosemite Falls as we had planned.

On the way back down Porcupine Creek Jenny saw a Calliope Hummingbird, the smallest bird in the world at 3.25 inches, which still was not enough to get the permanent snarl off her face. After our hike we drove down Tioga Pass a little further stopping at Olmstead Point for the view of the valley before finally turning back at Tuolumne Meadows. There were some California Gulls in Tenaya Lake and some Brewer’s Blackbirds.

June 17, I tried to get Chris’s family up for an early start but they had trouble getting the lead out and we didn’t get to the Chilnualna Falls trailhead in Wawona until the shamefully late starting time of 9:00 AM. We headed up the steep trail where it soon came to the first fall where we saw an American Dipper in the fast flowing creek. There were a lot of birds on this trail. After passing the first falls we passed through a mixed oak, pine woodland where there were Nashville Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak, Warbling Vireo, Cassin’s Vireo, Western Tanager, Spotted Towhee, among other things. When we crossed over wet areas there were many butterflies flitting about, Western Tiger Swallowtail, more Zerene Fritillary, Propertius Duskywing, Clodius Parnassian, Sheridan’s Green Hairstreak, Field Crescent, and many more. All along the trail Mountain Misery aka Kit Kit Dizzy covered the forest floor. After 4.2 miles we came to the upper falls where we saw Western Azalea blooming beside the creek. Many wildflowers were blooming along the trail, Sierra Fringed Gentian, Mariposa Lily, Harlequin Lupine, Sierra Onion, Pussy Paws everywhere, and lots of miniature lupine. We walked about a mile beyond the falls thinking there were more and heard a MacGillivray’s Warbler singing in the thicket. I tried to pish it out but it only popped up briefly. We stopped at the creek and had lunch and saw many butterflies including Pale Swallowtail and others. There were more flowers blooming along the creek, White heather, Blue Penstemmon, and Thimbleberry and Megan found a Sonoran Skipper butterfly. After lunch we headed back down the trail the way we came. I saw the MacGillivray’s Warbler again briefly but not long enough for a good picture. After our hike we drove to Glacier Point Road and stopped at the Taft Point trailhead. There were more Clodius Parnassian butterflies and I finally found one spread on a marsh marigold and got a picture. We walked out to the fissures which are huge cracks in the granite which you can see through to the valley floor thousands of feet below. At Taft Point we stood on the granite platforms that jut out over the valley. A Violet-green Swallow flew over. After our little jaunt we drove to Washburn Point for the amazing view of Vernal Falls, Nevada Falls, and Half Dome. As I gazed out at this magnificent mountain scenery, I was reminded of why I could never really leave California. We made our last stop the crowded Glacier Point viewpoint before heading back to Yosemite West. We were very hungry and it was father’s day and Sharon’s birthday. As Sharon was cooking dinner, the evil woman, Marcie, from the front desk called and told Sharon they had been there three days and she and her whole family needed to come to the office and check in or else. Sharon asked if that included her sixteen year old and the idiotic woman said yes. I had seen this woman on the first day when I tried to get the key. She had shaved off her eyebrows and painted on fake ones. She was skinny and looked like a shriveled up miserable old cow.

June 18, I got up early but I couldn’t get Chris’s family moving so after breakfast I drove up to McGurk Meadow again to look for the owl again. As I drove up Glacier Point Road a huge black bear walked in front of the car. I walked the trail to the meadow but saw no owls. I heard the Mountain Quail again but it never came close. A Dusky Flycatcher was singing in the woods. When Chris’s family was finally ready we drove to the Valley to Happy Isles. We started up the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls and then Nevada Falls. The trail is very steep and Sharon was scared at some points crawling on all fours. A rainbow was formed by the mist from Vernal Falls. At Nevada Falls many White-throated Swifts were flying over. I also was thrilled to find two Black Swifts flying by. There were more Nashville Warblers, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Cassin’s Vireos, among other birds. We had lunch at Nevada Falls and then Chris insisted we take the John Muir Trail back down because Sharon was scared to take the Mist Trail. The John Muir Trail is very scenic at first as it crosses over Nevada Falls. The trail is carved out of the granite and has views back across to the other side of the falls. Water flowed down the granite and dripped onto the trail making for lots of wildflowers and butterflies including lots of Coral Bells, maidenhair fern, columbine, and Stone Crop, and Purplish Copper, Propertius Duskywing, and Melissa Blue butterflies. After leaving the gouged out section with views of the back side of the falls the trail is mundane and dusty and full of horse piss. After our hike we drove around the valley floor to the south side where we parked and walked out on a boardwalk into the meadow at the suggestion of Megan. Oaks lining the Merced River held lots of birds. I spotted a Bullock’s Oriole in the meadow. It wasn’t a Baltimore Oriole which is rare in the west but it was Chris’s first ever oriole of any kind. There were also Yellow Warblers and Warbling Vireos in the trees. We walked across Sentinel Bridge and then to lower Yosemite Falls which was crawling with people. We saw lots of Showy Milkweed growing in the meadow. On the way back we found an Acorn Woodpecker beside the trail. Then it was time for me to go. I think Chris and his family were sad to lose their mountain guide and I was sad to leave the splendid granite wonderland that I am so lucky to live so close to.

North Carolina Pelagic & Mountains

2007-06-09T17:04:00.000-07:00

May 31- June 6, 2007
North Carolina: Sea to Sky
I arrived at the Raleigh-Durham Airport on Thursday afternoon. In my sister’s front yard I saw a beautiful Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly. There was not much bird action though.

Friday morning I got up early and my brother John and I went to the Korstian section of Duke Forest in Durham, NC. Lots of birds were singing but they were hard to see in the thick canopy. I heard Hooded Warbler, Ovenbird, Indigo Bunting, and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher as we made our way down to the creek. John pointed out a Brown-headed Cowbird. We saw a male and female Scarlet Tanager way up in an oak tree. Blue Jays were squawking overhead. At the creek I heard a Louisiana Waterthrush singing. It flew up over John’s head briefly. A Hooded Warbler also popped out very briefly and I heard a Northern Parula singing which also made an all too brief appearance. I think John was getting frustrated just hearing the birds and not seeing them. Back in the forest away from the creek there were Red-bellied Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Great-crested Flycatcher, Acadian Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, and Eastern Wood Pewee. Back at the open field we were able to see the birds better. There was a Field Sparrow singing and a Mourning Dove and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird zipped by. A Great Blue Heron flew over. Next we headed over to Umstead State Park in Raleigh, NC. We took a trail that followed along Sycamore Creek. It was full of birds especially many Acadian Flycatchers and Red-eyed Vireos. We heard a Wood Thrush giving its eerie call and also heard a Pileated Woodpecker and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. It was getting toward lunch and we had no food so we returned to my sister’s house. Then Sharon and I packed up and drove to Cape Hatteras.

It is a long drive to Cape Hatteras from Raleigh taking about five hours. We stopped at Pocosin NWR to use the restroom and saw many Purple Martins. Then we headed over the bridge over Oregon Inlet down the thin strip that makes up the Outer Banks. I was only able to pick out a few birds from the car, Laughing Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, and Common Grackle. After checking into our hotel, the Comfort Inn in Buxton, we headed over to the Lighthouse. It was getting late and we didn’t see much but we heard a Chuck-will’s-widow calling as dusk approached.

Saturday, June 2, 2007, we got up before dawn and drove down to the marina at the very end of Cape Hatteras Island barely making it in time for our 6:00 AM departure on the Stormy Petrel II for our pelagic trip with Brian Patteson. We were so lucky to have famous birder, Steve Howell, on board to assist with spotting and identifying the birds. Steve is a fantastic birder and I have been so lucky to have had him on every pelagic trip I have ever been on. Steve has just released his latest book, Gulls of the Americas. He is also working on a book about tubenoses (the kind of birds we would soon be seeing which is why he is on so many pelagic trips) and probably the foremost authority on them in the US. The first two hours of the trip we only saw a couple of Northern Gannets and that was it. The boat sped along trying to get out to the Gulf Stream where we would see all the fabulous birds. There was no time to stop even if we had seen something. I like that Brian drives the boat himself because he could spot birds and then quickly get the boat turned around so that everyone could see them. He also gave the spotters walkie-talkies so they could let him know when they saw something. The only gulls I saw were Laughing Gull and Great Black-backed Gull, and those were close to shore; there were no gulls further out. In the first part of the trip I also saw Royal Tern and Least Tern. Finally we made it to the Gulf Stream. The water turned from a soupy green to a brilliant clear blue. The Gulf Stream is where we would have our best chance to see something rare. A Cory’s Shearwater flew by and the people on the boat hardly even noted it even though it was a first for me. It was the first of many we saw but I never was able to get a photo because most were far from the boat. I also saw a distant Sooty Shearwater, the only one of the day. Soon we came across a few Wilson’s Storm Petrels which are very common on the east coast but not the west coast so again it was a first for me. Someone yelled out bird and a Greater Shearwater flew by the boat. It looks very similar to a couple of other birds and it took me a while to identify them. I was positioned perfectly at the back of the boat next to one of the spotters, Chris Sloane, when someone yelled out. I got my binoculars on the bird and noted the white belly and white under wings. I thought it was a Black-capped Petrel. I asked Chris what it was and thought he was mad when he said, HERALD PETREL! A Herald Petrel is very rare off the Outer Banks. They nest off of the coast of Brazil and this would likely be the only one I would ever see in my life. But I was not convinced. Later I asked Steve Howell if he had seen the Herald Petrel and he said yes. I said was there a Black-capped Petrel next to it and he said no and then when he described it I knew I had seen my first ever Herald Petrel. Sibley says that most US records of this species are the dark morph so I was expecting it to look like a Sooty Shearwater. But Steve showed me a picture of the light morph and it was exactly what I had seen. Yes! As we proceeded along the Gulf Stream we threw chum out from the boat trying to attract birds. Soon a Black-capped Petrel flew in, another first for me. In fact, everything we saw was new except for the Sooty Shearwater. Steve said there might be a flock of hundreds of Wilson’s Storm petrels behind the boat and I should study them to get used to their flight pattern so I could tell them from other birds later on. The big flock never materialized but I was able to study them in great detail. While watching the Wilson’s Storm-Petrel you look for other petrels that are slightly bigger. Soon a couple flew in and Brian could spot them even while driving the boat and called out big storm petrel. There was a Band-rumped Storm-Petrel flying by. I got a good look at it. Steve happened to be nearby and made sure I got on it. They fly faster than the Wilson’s and are a little bit bigger but otherwise look incredibly similar. Soon a Leach’s Storm-Petrel flew by. They are also bigger but a little easier to pick out because they have a very notable carpal bar across the topof the wings. Then I Pilot Whale swam by the boat. Brian said not enough birds were coming to our little chum slick so we moved further out to sea and started another one. Soon we had a small flock of Wilson’s Storm-Petrels with some Leach’s and one or two Band-rumped’s There were also a few Audubon’s Shearwaters flying around, all new to me and so exciting to see. Then a Pomarine Jaeger started circling the boat over and over. I have never seen one so close. It went around and around terrorizing the other birds. Jaegers like to harass other birds and steal their food. We had quite a flock going with the Pomarine Jaeger, Audubon’s Shearwaters, Black-capped Petrels, and Great Shearwaters along with the storm petrels but Brian said we had to go because it was getting late and we were 30 miles from shore. So we reluctantly turned back to shore. On the way back we saw a Manx Shearwater but there was no time to stop even for that. Back near the shore I saw a Brown Pelican, Glossy Ibis, Parasitic Jaeger, and on the shoreline a Black Skimmer. When we got off the boat Sharon and I drove back toward the Lighthouse. As we proceeded down the road we saw a female Wood Duck with ten chicks. I got out to get a picture which would have been so cute but a redneck zoomed by right in between me and the ducks and scared them off into the bushes. There are some little seasonal ponds before the beach that we checked and saw some American Black Ducks. On the beach we saw only a few Ruddy Turnstones, Black-bellied Plovers, Sanderlings, and Common and Least Tern.

Sunday, June 3, I had planned to check Cape Point for Roseate Tern. Unfortunately a fierce storm had moved in and it was raining and the wind was howling. I could barely walk up the beach. Sharon had sprained her ankle on the boat and could barely walk so she waited in the car. We drove to the Buxton Woods Nature Trail since it is wooded and protected from the wind. The only bird we saw was one Green Heron. However, there were hundreds of dragonflies and I heard a Common Yellowthroat singing in the pond. The storm began to die down so we drove to Cape Point. We didn’t have a four wheel drive so we had to walk to the point. There were dozens of fishers in their trucks driving up and down the beach which is so annoying. It is just inconceivable how the National Park Service can justify allowing this criminal behavior where birds nest. On the beach were some Ruddy Turnstones, Black-bellied Plovers, and one Red Knot. I checked the salt pond for the tern colony but there were very few birds and they were mostly huddled on the inaccessible side of the pond. I had not brought my scope because it was raining when I started out. It was hard to make out the birds on the other side of the pond but I was able to pick out Black Skimmer, American Oystercatcher, Royal Tern, Least Tern, Common Tern, and Dowitcher sp. It was clearing up and turning nice but we decided we better go. On the way back to Raleigh we stopped at Alligator NWR. We heard dozens of Prothonotary Warblers singing along the entrance road but we never did see one. I also heard a Louisiana Waterthrush and Prairie Warbler singing. We took the boardwalk to the end of the nature trail and heard a Barred Owl calling from the woods and a Pileated Woodpecker. Sharon’s foot was swollen and it looked like it might rain again so we decided to head back to Raleigh. About 30 miles outside of Raleigh, this ferocious storm with torrential rain descended on us. We could barely see the exit signs but people were driving like nothing was happening. Soon we saw numerous cars in single car crashes in the ditch, in the median, in the guardrails and all along the roadway. People are so dumb.

Monday, June 4, I got up early and drove east toward the mountains. I decided to make a detour and headed north to the tiny town of Jackson, NC to New River State Park. I entered at the Highway 2311 entrance and took all the trails in that section. I saw many more Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies plus some Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, Little Yellow, Cloudless Sulphur, and a Red-spotted Purple. I heard Wood Thrushes singing in the wooded trails. There were lots of Eastern Towhees and Indigo Buntings. I also heard Ovenbird, Black-and-white Warbler, Summer Tanager, and Northern Parula and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. I was not able to find any Black-billed Cuckoos though. After hiking all the trails I drove along the river on some dirt roads and heard a Willow Flycatcher singing. I saw some Tree Swallows and one Northern Rough-winged Swallow. I drove to the Wagoner Entrance and took all the trails there. There were most of the same birds as the other entrance but also Acadian Flycatcher, Eastern Wood Pewee, Brown Thrasher, Yellow Warbler, and Eastern Bluebird but no Black-billed Cuckoo. I drove to the Blue Ridge Parkway and got on it. I got off at Linville Gorge and took the short trail to the Linville Falls. There were a lot of people even though it was a week day. I heard mountain birds in this area. I had definitely left the piedmont. I heard Red-breasted Nuthatches calling from the trees and I saw Black-throated Blue Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Northern Parula, Ovenbird, and Veery. I saw the first Dark-eyed Junco of the trip and one Ruby-throated Hummingbird and one Brown Creeper. I heard lots of Golden-crowned Kinglets. I drove to Davidson River Campground in Pisgah National Forest near Brevard, NC and set up camp for two nights. There were two separate families one in front and one behind with gigantic tents as big as my house in which the entire family slept. They were very noisy and I was concerned I would never get to sleep. Around 9:30 PM the family in front began singing kumbaya to a drum accompaniment. I was horrified. But right on queue at 10:00 PM when quiet hours begin the place went dead silent so I was happy.

I got up at 5:00 AM on Tuesday and tried to be respectful and quiet since the others had been. I got back on the Blue Ridge Parkway and headed south stopping briefly at Black Balsam where I easily found a definite Alder Flycatcher singing away near the parking area. I drove much further south on the parkway enjoying all the blooming mountain laurel, rhododendron, hibiscus, and numerous wildflowers before turning off on the Heintooga Spur Road which starts out in the Blue Ridge Parkway but ends in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. I took the 5.2 mile Flat Creek Trail. It was lush with growth and green and full of bird song. It was a great trail and I was so happy to have it all to myself. There were many Blue-headed Vireos, Black-throated Blue Warblers, Chestnut-sided Warblers, and Black-throated Green Warblers. I also heard a couple of Winter Wrens giving their lengthy song. I found one Least Flycatcher along the trail. This species is at its southern most limit in this location. So that was a good find. I saw four Elks that had been tagged and one White-tailed Deer. At the end of the trail I found my only Pine Siskin of the trip. After my hike I walked along Heintooga Road looking and looking for a Black-billed Cuckoo in vain. I did see a Wild Turkey and a Broad-winged Hawk flew right past me. In the Great Smoky Mountains I saw many butterflies, more Red-spotted Purple, Little Yellow, Hobomok Skipper, Orange Sulphur and some others I could not identify. While looking for the evanescent cuckoo I heard a warbler singing loudly and looked into a tree to find a Chesnut-sided Warbler singing his cute little head off. After thoroughly exploring Heintooga Road I had to drive to the nearest town, Cherokee, NC, the tackiest town in North Carolina, to get gas as I was nearly out before heading back north on the parkway to Pisgah NF. It was a long drive and I didn’t get to Pink Beds Loop Trail in Pisgah NF until nearly 8:00 PM. I walked the trail until it came to a bog where I found the Louisiana Waterthrush we had seen on my previous trip in April. The bog had diminished greatly and I was able to get across it to the other side and film the bird as it foraged for food. I spent too much time and barely made it back to my car just before 9:00 PM with it nearly dark. The pink mountain laurel for which the trail was named was blooming all along it.

My last day, June 6, I got up early to the sweet song of the Whip-poor-will. Before day even breaks the Eastern Towhee starts to sing, next comes the Eastern Phoebe, and then the Robins. So that by sunrise there is a symphony of song. Unfortunately I had to go. I drove toward Ashville and then north on the Blue Ridge Parkway to Craven Gap to again look for Black-billed Cuckoo but it was fruitless. There were lots of birds just no cuckoos. I saw Hooded Warbler, a very close Worm-eating Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Ovenbird, Pileated Woodpecker, Scarlet Tanager, Wood Thrush, Black-and-white Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, Carolina Chickadee, Chestnut-sided Warbler, and White-breasted Nuthatch. Then it was time for the grueling drive back to Raleigh to catch my flight home.
Total species =128
Life birds = 9
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel
Leach’s Storm-Petrel
Cory’s Shearwater
Greater Shearwater
Audubon’s Shearwater
Black-capped Petrel
Herald Petrel
Alder Flycatcher

Pt. Pelee & Eastern Michigan

2007-05-20T18:13:00.000-07:00

Pt. Pelee & Eastern Michigan
May 12-20, 2007

May 12, 2007
I flew into Detroit Airport which is actually in Romulus, MI, then drove west 19 miles to the nearest Whole Foods Market in Ann Arbor, MI, even though it was the opposite direction from my final destination. Ann Arbor looked like a tidy town. In fact, all of Michigan seemed very neat and tidy; I saw little to no trash anywhere and most of the homes were well kept. I drove back east from Ann Arbor, through Detroit, across the Detroit River, onto the Ambassador Bridge and into Canada to Wheatley Provincial Park in the tiny town of Wheatley, Ontario where I planned to camp for several days. The customs agent grilled me. When I said I was going camping in Wheatley Provincial Park, he said, “come on, you drove all the way from San Francisco to camp at Wheatley?” I said I was just camping there and planned to go birding at Pt. Pelee. Then he said do you have any alcohol? I lied and said no. I was not about to turn over $25 of special Michigan craft brew I had bought specially in Whole Foods. I didn’t know it was illegal to even possess alcohol at Wheatley. They must have a big problem there. As I entered the town the first thing I saw was a big sign that said, “Crime Stoppers call ….” It didn’t make me feel secure. As I set up my tent at Wheatley an American Woodcock began to give its “peent” call. After a few peent calls it began to display to attract a mate by flying high into the sky while making a wing whir and then fluttering back to the ground. It was spectacular to watch as I had never seen it before. Unfortunately they only do the display at dawn and dusk so it was difficult to film. It didn’t get dark until 9:30 PM and after that I fell soundly asleep in my tent. Almost everyone there was tent camping with just a few campers and very few RVs. During the night some hoodlums made some noise but they left after the weekend and the rest of the time it was quiet.

May 13, 2007
I got up at 5:00 AM and other birders camping in the park were already up and at ‘em. It was a chilly 42 degrees. From Wheatley I drove about 10 minutes to Kopegaron Park and walked a boardwalk through a virgin forest. Pink and white trilliums were blooming in huge patches, though the trees were not nearly leafed out. It was quite chilly and the sun was not warming the tree tops yet and I only saw Ovenbird, Gray Catbird, White-throated Sparrow, and Red-bellied Woodpecker here, all things I could see in NC. So I headed another 15 minutes south to Pt. Pelee National Park, which is the southern most point in mainland Canada in the tiny town of Leamington, Ontario. I drove as far as I could to a large parking area at the visitor center and walked the rest of the way to the tip. Except for two weeks in May when the park is inundated with birders you can drive all the way to the tip but because so many people come to Pt. Pelee to see the spectacle of the amazing spring migration there everyone must either walk or take a tram to the tip. Pt. Pelee is a 15 kilometer triangular-shaped piece of land jutting out into Lake Erie. It sits at the crossroads of the Atlantic flyway, the park's protected forest and sand spit (eroding rapidly) offering a much needed respite to weary birds making their long spring migration northward across Lake Erie.

There were people everywhere I looked. I took a trail behind the visitor center and started walking. I have never seen such a collection of Baltimore Orioles which nest in the park. They were everywhere I looked with their black heads and bright orange bodies making a splash of color in the nearly leafless trees and making them easy to spot. There were also many Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. On the ground sweet cicely was blooming in huge carpets as were more trilliums, red columbine, fairy bells, and jack-in-the-pulpit. On the woodlands trail to the tip I saw a Wood Duck in a tree, a Carolina Wren, and Black-and-white Warbler. I walked to the tip where hordes of birders were surrounding a Chuck-will’s-widow that was asleep on a log beside the trail. This species should not be this far north so most people were thrilled to see it; indeed it was probably a life bird for many people there. A Mourning Warbler was singing away in a bush nearby but this shy bird never revealed itself to me. Somebody told me about an Eastern Screech-Owl in a tree and I went and looked at it. Then I walked back up the woodlands trail. There were ten people ahead of me and 20 behind. The place was just crawling with people. I don’t know if there were more birds or birders. On the return trip I saw Black-throated Blue Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Nashville Warbler, many more Baltimore Orioles and some Orchard Orioles. There were literally thousands of Yellow Warblers in every tree. Later I walked the Tilden’s Woods trail and saw Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Wood-pewee, Great-crested Flycatcher, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Least Flycatcher, and Wilson’s Warbler. In the afternoon I took the woodland trail again and found one Worm-eating Warbler which is very uncommon in the park and much sought-after. I saw Swainson’s Thrush, Veery, and Hermit Thrush and American Redstarts were plentiful. Out over Lake Erie there were Common Terns and Forster’s Terns and Bonaparte’s Gulls. Very late in the day I stopped at Hillman Marsh and was surprised to find yet more people. There weren’t many shorebirds to study just Lesser Yellowlegs, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, Lesser Scaup, Spotted Sandpiper, Bufflehead, and Blue-winged Teal. I heard a Ringed-neck Pheasant calling.

5/14/07
I got up at 5:00 AM and went to Kopegaron Woods again where I saw Lincoln’s Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Black-capped Chickadee, Black-throated Green Warbler, and Tennessee Warbler. Then I went back to Pt. Pelee. There were many birders. The Mourning Warbler was still at the tip and this time I actually saw it for about two seconds. There was a photographer trying to get a picture; he was the first and only black birder I have ever met. There are three kinds of birders at Pt. Pelee—serious birders who are looking for that rare bird that gets blown across Lake Erie into Pt. Pelee, bad birders who don’t know anything and have just heard about Pt. Pelee, and photographers. These are not just your ordinary photographers either; these people are crazy. They walk around chasing around these poor tired birds with these five foot long cameras with giant flashes and diffusers all sitting on massive tripods that they lug around for miles on the trails. Most of them have camouflaged hoods on the end of their enormous cameras. Someone would report a bird and seven photographers with seven foot long cameras would surround the bird and snap away. I found a Philadelphia Vireo in the trees, a Sandhill Crane flew overhead, and I found a bright red male Scarlet Tanager at the Dunes trail but I could not find a Cape May Warbler anywhere. I asked everyone but they all said they were on the Sanctuary trail the day before, a trail I had not taken. I drove to Sanctuary and walked the trail but only saw more Black-throated Blue Warblers, Northern Parulas, Blackburnian Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Ovenbird, Canada Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, American Redstart, and one Blackpoll Warbler. Even though I was not finding my target bird the sheer numbers of warblers I saw was astounding. That night at Wheatley campground the Woodcock was displaying and it was not nearly as cold as the day before.

5/15/07
I got up at 4:30 AM to try to get to the tip at day break. Birders were already in the parking lot waiting for the first tram ride. I started to get on and someone said there was a warbler in a tree: I looked and there it was my first ever Cape May Warbler and what a beauty! I took the tram to the tip. There were warblers dripping from the trees. It was going to be a good day. All day long I saw warblers everywhere including many beautiful Cape May Warblers. As the day progressed it warmed up to 80 degrees—the only day I wore shorts and the only day I saw butterflies which were 99% Red Admirals except for one Morning Cloak. Large crowds of people would swarm any tree where a photographer set up. Someone yelled out Yellow-bellied Flycatcher and I saw it in the trees. Any time more than two or three people stopped to look this would attract even more people so that huge crowds would gather around various warbler filled trees and of course the photographers with their ten foot long camouflaged cameras were swarming the birds as well. I wish I had filmed the photographers just because it alone was a spectacle to behold. After lunch somebody said there was a Golden-winged Warbler on the Shuster trail so I went over and there it was in the thicket. I also heard a Northern Waterthrush in the swamp. I looked for birds all day long until my feet were so tired I felt I could not go on. I ended up seeing 22 species of warblers in just this one day – amazing! In California if I see more than four it’s a miracle. As I was resting at a picnic table two people pulled up and peered into a tree. They left and I dragged myself up and there was a Common Nighthawk perched in a tree asleep. A crowd gathered around a willow tree. I practically crawled over to see what the fuss was about and they were excited about an Orange-crowned Warbler (whop-te-do—they are common as mosquitoes in San Francisco) and a Willow Flycatcher—why couldn’t it be the incredibly similar Alder Flycatcher that I have never seen before? Alder and Willow Flycatcher look nearly identical except Alder has a slightly more noticeable eye ring whereas Willow has nearly none. The vocalizations are similar but distinguishable and unless they vocalize often they cannot be distinguished in the field. Some “expert” birder called this one a Willow (Willow Flycatchers migrate through San Francisco in the fall and are fairly easy to see) even though it never vocalized. I left Pt. Pelee exhausted as it closed at 9:30 PM and crawled into my tent. I didn’t sleep well though as a storm descended and pelted my tent all night long. It rained and the wind blew the tent flaps constantly.

5/16/07
I got up at 4:00 AM and drove a long arduous drive east of Pt. Pelee around Lake Erie three hours to Toronto and then another hour and a half to Carden Plain a Nature Conservancy site. It was a hellish drive. I had to get directions from Susan who did a google search to find it. I ended up on a single lane dirt road in the middle of nowhere in Canada. It was drizzling steadily. I parked at a bridge where a local birder named Roger told me I could find Sedge Wren, a bird I have been looking for a long time, Yellow Rail, and Upland Sandpiper. As I got out of the car an American Bittern began to gallump. If you have ever heard one you know it makes this sound like water coming out of a jug. I did not hear or see any Sedge Wren. I drove to the end of Wylie Road and parked. It continued to rain so I just left my camera in the car. What a mistake! As I walked up the road I saw Vesper Sparrow, Grassshopper Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, and Savannah Sparrow. Four male Bobolinks perched right in front of me on a fence. Wilson’s Snipes were displaying everywhere. They also make a wing whir as they end their display and descend to earth. Then there they were four Upland Sandpipers flying across a field making their strange call. I walked all the way back to the bridge and nearly there I found another Golden-winged Warbler. This one perched on a branch in plain view. I was supposed to meet Ken at the Visitor Center at 5:00 PM. It was a five hour drive back. I wanted to stay and go back and get my camera since the rain had stopped but there was no time. So I sadly had to leave with no video or pictures of this mysterious bird I will probably never see again. It was a hellish drive back and I didn’t even get to the VC until 6:00 PM anyway. Around 6:30 PM I found Ken and he said he never told me to meet him at 5:00 PM. We walked around and saw many of the same birds I had seen the two days before. Then Ken headed for his camp site at Wal-mart parking lot and I headed to Wheatley with the Woodcock for company.

5/17/07
I got up at 4:30 AM and met Ken at the VC. We took the tram to the tip but there was not much activity compared to the previous days. Everyone said there had been many cuckoos the day before. Ken was dying to see a Mourning Warbler or Connecticut Warbler. All day long he surreptiously played bird song tapes, even though this is verboten at Pt. Pelee, trying to draw in either of these two highly sought after warblers. He did manage to call in four Black-billed Cuckoos one of which landed just inches from his right shoulder at one point. These are very cool birds with a very unusual underside of their tail. I have seen Yellow-billed Cuckoos in southern California and South Carolina but never the much more sought-after Black-billed Cuckoo. We wandered around for hours seeing many great birds but not the ones Ken wanted. Ken complained bitterly out loud if any birders passed us. I was wondering the first day I got there why he even liked the place when there were so many birders. He yelled at a couple of people and grumbled a lot. It was overcast and quite chilly so there weren’t even that many people compared to the previous three days. I suggested we try the De Laurier House which had been a hot bed two days ago. We walked out to a cemetery but there was nothing really there. Ken just wanted to rest because his video camera weighs about 20 pounds and he carries a heavy tripod too. I said we should go over to the pond where I saw all the Cape May Warblers on Tuesday. We started seeing some warblers at least but Ken was disappointed that none of them was a Connecticut or Mourning Warbler. We stopped to go to a look out to see an alleged eagle nest, which we never saw. While we were resting a Mississippi Kite snatched a swallow out of the sky and took it to a tree to eat it. I was amazed. This was very far north for this species. As it ate, a Common Grackle or Red-winged Blackbird repeatedly swooped at it once even pecking its back. I thought it was pretty cool but Ken was unimpressed because it was too far for videotaping it. He only cares about birds he can videotape. Ken is working on a project to videotape all the species in North America. So far he has probably about as many as I have on my life list. But the project seems so massive to edit when he takes about nine or ten hours of video on every trip he takes, that it seems inconceivable he would ever be able to complete the task without professional help. I wanted to stay longer but we had a five hour drive ahead of us to Mio, Michigan in Huron National Forest where we were to take a tour at 7:00 AM the next day. So we reluctantly left Pt. Pelee National Park. At first I was following Ken but he refused to go even one kilometer over the speed limit and it was a painfully slow drive. An 18 wheeler truck even passed us which has never happened to me before. So eventually I passed Ken too. At the border the customs agent asked me what I did in Canada and I said looked at birds which they must hear a lot given how famous Pt. Pelee is. But he wanted to tell me about flying squirrels they have in the east. I did see some Eastern Black Squirrels in Pt. Pelee but no flying squirrels. I was so long at the border that Ken got ahead of me and I lost track of him. I stopped at two rest stops and got gas and still found Ken puttering along Michigan Highway 33 around 11:00 PM with five cars behind him. After they all passed him I followed for a while but when I saw a forest service campground I decided to camp there and turned off Hwy 33. Ken went ahead to the ranger office. I slept soundly at a nearly empty quiet little forest service campground on Wagner Lake. I got up at the late hour of 6:00 AM to 25 degree weather! It was so chilly in upper Michigan. After breakfast I drove to the ranger station which had moved to McKinley Avenue in Mio. Ken was already complaining about how many people were there and how he wasn’t going to go, etc, etc. I just went in and paid my $5. They had a video playing in the visitor center with ultra close up shots of the endangered species we came to see, the Kirtland’s Warbler, feeding chicks in a nest which they build on the ground. Before we started our tour to find one, the forest service had us watch a short video. It’s good that it was dark because I almost started to cry when they said in the video that there are only 2000 breeding pairs of Kirtland’s Warblers left in the world, a species that is sure to go extinct in our life times. Michigan is very pretty in a subtle way. It doesn’t have the gorgeous cliff lined coasts or majestic mountains or even a real beach but the trees stretch for miles, everything is very clean, it is surrounded by the incredible great lakes, and it has the last remaining breeding pairs of the endangered Kirtland’s Warblers. After the video Ken tried to get the forest service to give him a private tour but they said no. So he had no choice but to join the others. Chris with the Huron National Forest Service which oversees management of the Kirtland’s Warbler sites, led us to a spot where we would look for one. We drove to a managed Jack Pine forest. Kirtland’s Warblers are going extinct because they only breed in Jack Pines that are 4-10 feet high. Jack Pines get higher than that but historically there were many the right size for the warbler because of naturally occurring fires. The cones of Jack Pines will only release with fire. Fires have been suppressed for many years by the Forest Service and this along with loss of habitat by development caused the Kirtland’s Warbler numbers to decline dramatically. Now the forest service sets proscribed burns and replants the Jack Pines to keep these few remaining Kirtland’s Warblers alive. We started down a trail in some pine trees with a few scattered Pinoaks. Within five minutes one flew up right in front of us. Unfortunately it was right in the sun making for bad photos and video. I got a good look at my first ever Kirtland’s Warbler with its bright yellow breast, black face, and eye arcs. He perched in a pinoak and sang away. After everyone had satisfying looks we headed over to an area where they capture Brown-headed Cowbirds. These birds are native to the central US but their numbers have increased dramatically with the dramatic increase in the cattle industry. Now Brown-headed Cowbirds occur in large numbers throughout the US. The problem is that they are obligate brood parasites. This means that they build no nest. Instead the female lays her eggs in another bird’s nest and lets that bird raise her chicks. This causes the other bird’s chicks to starve. It is illegal to kill any native bird but the forest service has special permission from Congress to euthanize these cowbirds in order to help the Kirtland’s Warbler which would otherwise be parasitized by the Cowbirds. The number of nests which are parasitized by Cowbirds has been reduced to 6% since the introduction of the capture project. While looking at the cowbird pen we saw four more Kirtland’s Warblers and some Clay-colored Sparrows and one Vesper Sparrow. Two Trumpeter Swans flew overhead and a Scarlet Tanager flew into a tree. As I stood in front of the Jack Pine forest planted by the US Forest Service and intensely managed by it, I knew it was only a matter of time before the Kirtland's Warbler would go extinct. I could imagine 20 years into the future when the demands of overcrowding and overpopulation would cause the government to turn the land over to developers. I could imagine the argument the developer would make: "The Jack Pine wood is only good for particle board and this real estate could be put to better use as a housing development with condominiums and a golf course..." My picture of the Kirtland's Warbler is not very good but I think I will keep it as it may be the last Kirtland's Warbler I ever see. After the tour we went to a burn area to look for Black-backed Woodpecker which we did not find, just one Red-headed Woodpecker. Then it was time for Ken to head north for Minnesota and me to head south closer to the Detroit Airport. I went into what’s known as the Thumb Area of Michigan, an area surrounded by Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron, to the Minden State Game Area. I walked out about two miles but didn’t see anything but very common birds but it was interesting nevertheless as it is a peat bog. As I walked along I flushed a Wild Turkey out of the bog which was strange. After I left the bog I headed south along the shores of Lake Huron. There are many picnic areas and public parks along the shore but I didn’t see any suitable campgrounds. I was debating driving back to Pt. Pelee but dreading crossing the international border again. It was getting late and I was ready to go back into Canada when I found a state park campground, Lake Port. It was $31! And when I got to my campsite which the ranger made sound like it was huge and private there were hundreds of RVs! And not only that but they were bunched together like an RV condominium. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was like a shanty town. I wanted to go back and get my money back. Instead I just crawled into my car not even putting my tent out and fell fast asleep in the car. I got up before anyone and was out of there by 6:30 AM. I drove to Port Huron, MI which is along Lake Huron but at the base of the Thumb region. I went to the Port Huron State Game Area and spent the entire day there at various spots looking for birds. At the first stop on Vincent Road there was a sign which made it amply clear that the area was made possible by the money extracted from hunters. This is a story I have heard many times before—that birders do not support their sport and that hunters do and that’s why we have to bird in dangerous areas with crazed hunters. Fortunately for me it was not hunting season. I was the only person there the first two hours. I started down a well worn trail past the spent shotgun shells in the parking area. Immediately I began to see many warblers including four Golden-winged Warblers. This is another prized warbler. Their numbers are threatened by hybridization with Blue-winged Warblers. The problem is that where the two species’ ranges overlap as in Michigan the Blue-winged will edge the Golden-winged Warbler out (if they continue to hybridize it threatens by definition the existence of the species). I did not see any hybrids but I did see a fair number of Blue-winged Warblers. A Cooper’s Hawk was perched in a tree but took off. I heard a Hooded Warbler which is uncommon this far north and I saw two more Cape May Warblers and one Palm Warbler. I next stopped at the Black River and was dismayed to see several cars and a table set up. Some people were walking the trails with binoculars but it was obvious they were rank amateurs. I stepped onto a flooded side trail and there in a tree was a male Mourning Warbler. Before I could even get my camera turned on it flew into the tangle which is so typical of this shy bird. I met a man and asked him why so many people were there; he said it was a mist netting and banding event (what this actually means is a time for amateurs to come and torture birds by capturing them in nets making them vulnerable to prey and then putting on an uncomfortable piece of metal on their little leg). I asked him if he had seen any Alder Flycatchers and he looked at me like he didn’t know what it was. He said he wanted to see a Golden-winged Warbler. I told him about the previous spot and told him it was at the end of Vincent Road. He left and within two minutes I heard and then saw a Golden-winged Warbler. He obviously did not know the bird’s song. What a moron. I ended up seeing four more at the Black River. I walked the trails around the Black River for about two or three hours and eventually found an empidonax flycatcher that was singing which I think was an Alder Flycatcher. There were a few Baltimore Orioles and a lot of eastern species like Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, Indigo Bunting, Least Flycatcher, and Great-crested Flycatcher. Later at another location on the Black River I heard a Mourning Warbler singing but it never popped out. Next I drove to Bruce Road which was just incredible. I saw a Mourning Warbler right in a tree over the trail, Magnolia Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler (very common it seems in MI), more Golden-winged Warblers, Hooded Warbler (rare here) American Redstart, Ovenbird, Wood Thrush, and the only Tufted Titmouse of the day. Unfortunately it began to rain. I ran back to the car and got my raincoat and continued my walk seeing more warblers and one Ruby-throated Hummingbird. I stopped at Kingsley Road and found a Veery and Nashville Warbler and in a weedy field Field Sparrow and Bobolink. It was getting late in the day and I still hadn’t found a definite Alder Flycatcher. I drove to Graham Road and parked in the parking area. There were a few cars. A sign said Firing Range Closed but I heard gunshots anyway. I walked up Graham Road listening for Alder Flycatcher. I stayed in the middle. A car came tearing down this dirt road about 60-65 MPH. Some brat teenager was driving some rickety old car with a broken side mirror dangling. It was getting hard to hear between the gunshots and racing car. Then some jackass started driving his lawn mower down the dirt road for about one mile. It was so noisy. Do you have any idea how loud a lawn mower is on a dirt road? I glared at him and after he passed I turned my camera on him and called him foul names. I could not find an Alder Flycatcher. A kid walked up in fatigues and asked if I had seen anything interesting which was amazing for a teenager. I said it was too noisy and he said they were playing paintball but somebody came and tore down the Firing Range Closed sign and began shooting so he quit. He walked home and I turned back to my car as it was getting too dangerous here. These people living out in the country are crazy; South Carolina has nothing on them! A few minutes later the jackass in the car with one mirror pulled up. He was some pimple faced impudent obdurate child and the churl that was driving the lawn mower in the road was in the passenger seat. The driver said impudently what are “you guys” doing? I thought maybe in Michigan they don’t know that “you guys” is plural just like in Texas they don’t know that y’all is plural. I glared at him with a withering look and said I’m not doing anything. I’m looking for birds jackass. He said something I couldn’t hear; I think they were worried I was videotaping him riding the lawn mower on the road. The little morons I’m sure will grow up to be full blown criminals. I found another parking area said to be good for Alder Flycatcher in the Birding Michigan book. I walked out into a muddy weedy field. I played the Alder Flycatcher tape and an empidonax flycatcher flew into a nearby tree. Sing I yelled, sing! But no, it would not sing and I still don’t know if it was a definitive Alder. Why wouldn’t it sing? I deserved for it to sing after putting up with those crazy Michigan red-necks. It was getting real late. I walked a very scenic woodland trail but it just had Red-eyed Vireo and Wood Thrush. I had one last stop and that was Wadham Road for Upland Sandpiper or possible Sedge Wren neither of which were in the field. Good thing I made that long drive to Carden Plain in Ontario and saw the Upland Sandpiper. The Sedge Wren will have to wait for a winter visit to SC or NC. There was a Bobolink in the field and a Cliff Swallow. Then it was time to drive back to Detroit for an early flight back in the morning. I really enjoyed my day of birding in Michigan. It had superb numbers of warblers without all the big crowds of Pt. Pelee. But every birder must make the trip to Pt. Pelee at least once in his or her life time just for the sheer spectacle of both man and bird and beast.

5/20/07
At the airport security the agent took my ticket and identification and said, “what happened to your hair?” I said Michigan happened to my hair.

Total number of species = 167
Total number of life birds = 4 maybe 5
Cape May Warbler
Upland Sandpiper
Black-billed Cuckoo
Kirtland’s Warbler
Possible Alder Flycatcher

Birding SC &NC: April 21-May 5, 2007

2007-05-06T15:53:00.000-07:00

A Journey Back in Time: Birding South Carolina & North Carolina
April 21 – May 5, 2007
Total species: 187
Life birds: 8 (in caps)

I was born in South Carolina but made my escape years ago when I moved to San Francisco. It was only then that I became interested in birds. I have always wondered what I missed out on all those years by not paying attention to all the colorful birds that migrate to and through the south every spring. So I planned a spring trip to SC and NC to find out. On Saturday, April 21, I flew into Charlotte, NC and drove from there to Carolina Sandhills NWR in McBee, SC. It is a hellish drive as there is no direct route. At first I drove through the ugliest outskirts of Charlotte, with endless strip malls, Walmarts, McDonalds and other ugly accoutrements of ex-urbia. Finally as I entered South Carolina the road opened up through rolling hills. Lots of Common Grackles flew by. It took so long to get to the wildlife refuge that I only arrived at 6:30 PM leaving just 1.5 hours to explore. The park has some active Red-cockaded Woodpecker cavities but I didn’t have time to track them down. I walked a couple of the trails and saw Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Pine Warbler, Tufted Titmouse, Eastern Towhee, White-throated Sparrow, Great-crested Flycatcher, and Red-bellied Woodpecker, some of the birds typical of the southeast. I didn’t really have sufficient time for this park as it soon began to get dark. A Chuck-will’s-widow began to call at dusk. A weird looking all white dove with a black tail flew by and I’m still not sure what that was, maybe one of those country folks out there breeds rock pigeons. As I was about to leave I heard some American Woodcocks giving their “peent” call. As I left the park I saw a Wild Turkey crossing a field.

It is a 2.5 hour drive from Carolina Sandhills NWR to Huntington Beach State Park, SC. The gate to this park closes at 10:00 PM so I called in advance and got the combination to the gate lock. The person who answered the phone just told me to check in the following morning. I arrived at Huntington Beach around 10:45 PM and unlocked the gate but could not determine which site was mine. The campground was nearly full so I just pulled into an open space and camped there for the evening.

April 22, 2007. Huntington Beach is South Carolina’s premier birding location and indeed I saw more species of birds there than anywhere else I went in either state. It has many diverse habitats from salt marsh to fresh water marsh, tidal flat, coastal scrub, and maritime forest. It was a chilly 46 degrees when I woke up. After breakfast the first thing I did was walk out on the boardwalk. I saw one Clapper Rail but not much else in the salt marsh. Next I took the trail behind the fresh water lagoon where I saw Red-eyed Vireo, Brown Thrasher, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Northern Parula, and Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Then I stopped by the office to check in. There was a stern looking man with a crew cut and an ex-marine attitude. I said I would like to check in for my camp site. I said I stayed at number 13 last night. He said that site was rented to Andrew Brown; you trespassed. He turned around to enlist the support of his supervisor who walked out just about then in a University of South Carolina sweatshirt, saying what should I do to her. I said I did not trespass; I already paid for my site. He started yelling at me that I cannot just camp wherever I want to. I said I told you I already paid and called ahead and said I would be late and she gave me the combination. He said well you weren’t supposed to camp in Andrew Brown’s camp site. I said it’s water under the bridge; he didn’t come so why are you going on and on about it? He again turned to Mr. USC sweatshirt who said, just get her out of here, as if I had done something wrong. I was so ashamed to have attended the same university as that knucklehead. On the other hand he was working in an office at a SC State Park campground so possibly he only liked the Gamecocks football team and never attended that fine university. I was so angry at my treatment that I was planning to rob Andrew Brown’s site again after the gate was locked. I drove back to the campground and unfortunately it was taken by an RV as most of the camp sites in SC are. I checked on my site and was horrified to see that it was out in an open field encircled by a posse of RVs. I was mortified. There was no way I was going to throw up a tent surrounded by six RVs. All day I was so angry at the mistreatment I had received from Mr. Crew Cut and the horrible camp site I had been assigned that I could barely enjoy myself.

I walked out to Sandpiper Pond and there was just a Common Moorhen, Blue-winged Teal, and Pied-billed Grebe. But then a Least Bittern flew out of the marsh and into some reeds. They breed at Huntington Beach and finding the nest would have been very cool but I never could find it as I walked around the sandpiper trail. There were many Pearl Crescent, Carolina Satyr and Little Wood-satyr butterflies. A flock of Cedar Waxwings flew overhead. After walking the trail I walked out on the beach all the way to the jetty and the marsh behind it where all the rarities are usually found in SC. Northern Gannets were flying over the ocean and an Osprey was patrolling the beach. There was one yellow butterfly flying just at the breakers which I found odd; it was probably a sulphur. I remember my father telling me that one year hundreds of yellow butterflies flew down the beach while we were there. All the gulls were Laughing Gull except for one Herring Gull. Caspian Tern, Sandwich Tern, and Royal Tern were flying up and down the beach. At the jetty I was surprised to see a Gadwall and some Red-breasted Mergansers. There was one lone Piping Plover, Savannah Sparrow, two American Oystercatchers. Semi-palmated Plover, Black-bellied Plover, Dunlin in breeding plumage, Short-billed Dowitcher, and a Ruddy Turnstone. After lunch I drove over to Brookgreen Gardens, which is across Highway 17 from Huntington Beach. I walked around there until dinner. My family has been taking a family vacation on the Grand Strand in SC for many years and this trip almost always entailed a trip to Brookgreen Gardens, an outdoor sculpture garden left by the Anna Huntington Estate. There are two things I remember from these outings--we always had to stop to see the big statue of Don Quixote and to read the Pelican Poem, "A wondrous bird is the pelican, his beak can hold more than his belly can. He holds in his beak enough food for a week but I'm damned if I see how the hellican." There were a lot of Boat-tailed Grackles, Orchard Orioles, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Yellow-throated Warblers, and many other birds as well as many alligators along the trails but I could not find that pelican poem. I did find Don Quixote looking exactly as I remembered him with Pancho by his side. I had dinner at the picnic area while admiring the many butterflies attracted to the gardens including the incredibly beautiful Zebra Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, and Palamedes Swallowtail. While eating my dinner at the Brookgreen Gardens picnic area a Broad-winged Hawk flew into a tree nearby and perched briefly. I had cherry pie all over my hands and was unable to get any video of it at all. After dinner I went back to Huntington Beach; a Wood Stork and a Great Blue Heron were right next to the causeway. I checked the feeders at the boardwalk and there were many Painted Buntings and a Blue Grosbeak. I waited until the sun went down, took my shower, and only then would I crawl into my car where I slept, not even setting up my tent while corralled by all those RVs.

April 23, 2007: In the morning I drove to the picnic area at Atayal, the Huntington’s historic home or something (I have never really checked it out) to have my breakfast before leaving for Francis Marion National Forest in McClellanville, about an hour south of Huntington Beach on Highway 17. I planned to spend the entire day at Francis Marion following a route recommended by Nate Dias, director of the Cape Romain Bird Observatory. It turned out to be one of my favorite days of the trip. It was again very chilly in the morning, somewhere in the low 40s. I drove down I’On Swamp Road into the forest first checking Clayfield Road where I heard a Hooded Warbler singing. I continued down I’On Swamp Road stopping at each bridge over the many swamps to check for birds. There were dozens of beautiful bright yellow Prothonotary Warblers in the swamps. They were very easy to see mostly at eye level out in the open. I stopped on I’On Swamp Road and took the I’On Swamp Nature Trail. This fascinating trail follows an old dyke made by the early settlers who actually managed to convert this wild thick swamp into a rice field! After it became a national forest it was allowed to convert back to a swamp which it easily did. When you go to South Carolina you realize that it is basically half swamp and half jungle and it makes you wonder why those first colonists actually stayed after they realized that. I have come to the conclusion that this is why South Carolina is the lost cause state; it was founded by crazy people and it will always be filled by crazy people-- people crazy enough to think they can tame a swamp and a jungle. Walking through I'On Swamp it was hard to imagine how those settlers were even able to cut it down to make the rice fields. Swamps are fascinating places to visit. On the I’On Swamp Trail I was able to walk along the old dyke and easily see into the swamp where the tupelo and cypresses with their strange knees poked through. There were many alligators and Yellow-bellied Slider turtles. I kept hearing something falling from the trees like a light rain but there was not a cloud in the sky. On the trail I saw a lot of these small bright metallic green beetles, Six-spotted Tiger Beetle. Not far into the swamp I heard a Swainson’s Warbler singing. It flew up into a branch hanging over the trail and I got an excellent look at this most sought after and elusive bird, a South Carolina specialty bird. Continuing down the path I came within 10 feet of a Barred Owl perched in a tree. It just sat there patiently while I filmed and photographed it. There were a lot of birds on this fascinating trail through history including Pileated Woodpecker, Acadian Flycatcher, Great-crested Flycatcher, White-eyed vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo (heard only), Hairy Woodpecker, and Hermit Thrush. Back at the car I found a caterpillar on my hat and realized that all the falling noise was caterpillars falling from the trees.

At the end of I’On Swamp Road I stopped where it intersects with Willow Hall Road, a magical place. A Prairie Warbler was singing in the field across from Willow Hall and a BACHMAN’S SPARROW was singing away in the trees. This was one of my target birds. So I braved chiggers by walking out into the field to track it down. I was probably too close to some Red-cockaded Woodpecker trees which are all marked in Francis Marion NF by double white bands but I could not track down that darn bird. I was so frustrated. I finally gave up and continued my route in Francis Marion. I saw many more Prothonotary Warblers and two more Broad-winged Hawks flew out of the trees beside the road. Near the end of the suggested route the road came upon a hunting camp with abandoned trailers and clothes, used cars, and some creepy looking campers. I got scared and made a wrong turn driving all the way back out to Highway 45 whereas I was supposed to end up on Forest Road 204 to the Wampaw Creek Bridge to look for Swallow-tailed Kites. The best time to see this bird is from 1-3 PM according to Mr. Dias. I wasted so much time getting lost and driving back the same way that it was 4:00 PM by the time I made it to the bridge. I saw no kites at all but there were a lot of warblers in the tree-lined road. In the evening I returned to the intersection of Willow Hall and I’On Swamp and waited for dusk when the woodpeckers return to their cavities. Around 7:00 PM a RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER flew into one of the marked trees near where the Bachman’s Sparrow had been singing earlier. Two life birds in one day at the same location—this was a very special place. As darkness descended I drove back down I’On Swamp Road to Highway 17 and heard a Whip-poor-will singing. Across Highway 17 is the Buckhall Campground where I planned to camp the next two nights. The campground is beside the Santee River and is very peaceful and romantic. A Wood Stork flew up the river as I set up my tent. As the sun went down a Chuck-will’s-widow began to call and continued well into the night and again before dawn the next day. During the early evening I also heard a King Rail call from the river and later during the night a Great Horned Owl hooted.

April 24, 2007
I drove a short distance up Highway 17 to Ferris Landing to catch a ferry to Bull Island on the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. I stood on the pier waiting for the ferry and saw my first ever GULL-BILLED TERN fly by! I had been looking for this tern for years. At 9:00 AM just I and nine other people took the ferry on a beautiful bright sunny day out to this pristine wilderness barrier island. On the ferry ride over in the estuary I saw American Oystercatcher, Whimbrel, and a Bottled-nosed Dolphin.

Once on the island I took all the trails looking for warblers but there were no passerines at all. I tried the beach but it was windy and I only saw Willets and Sanderlings. So I walked around the marsh area. There were a lot of alligators and I also saw a Bobcat and an Eastern Black Squirrel. Two more Gull-billed Terns flew over the marsh. I did not have my spotting scope with me which was unfortunate because there were many shorebirds in the marsh. Along the canal I found a Solitary Sandpiper. Further out there were Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Black-bellied Plover, Tri-colored Heron, Little Blue Heron, Mottled Duck, American Black Duck, Green Heron, and lots of peeps I could not identify. A Northern Harrier came and they all scattered. So I walked around to the viewing platform. There were a lot of Palamedes Swallowtails and Cloudless Sulphur butterflies. On the trail I saw an interesting animal that was all black with a long thin tail and a triangular head. I think it was a Mink though the boat driver thought it was a black Fox Squirrel. Back at Buckhall Campground I wearily crawled into my tent around 9:30 PM and fell asleep only to be awoken by a selfish moron in an RV who thoughtlessly turned on his TV at full volume at 11:00 PM. He blared his TV for a solid hour before I could take it no longer and yelled for him to turn it down. He ignored me so I had no choice but to get revenge in the morning.

April 25, 2007
I got up at 5:00 AM as usual and took my tent down. After breakfast and putting everything away I got in my car and turned on NPR full volume. I moved my car directly in front of Mr.TV's stupid RV and let Steve Innskeep yell at that moron for a while before I left the campground. I went from there to Santee Delta WMA and walked out on the dyke. I saw a bunch of Indigo Buntings and Blue Grosbeaks. I was surprised to see five Swamp Sparrows. There was also a rail, King Rail, maybe calling from the marsh and I heard many Northern Parulas and Prothonotary Warblers. I saw a Viceroy butterfly land on some thistle.

Next I drove over to Santee Coastal Reserve, a wonderful reserve that goes through long leaf pine forest, marsh, and riparian habitat. I walked the Maslyck trail and saw a ton of birds including Northern Parula, more Bachman’s Sparrows, Red-cockaded Woodpeckers foraging, Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Wood Peewee, Great-crested Flycatcher, Blue Grosbeak, Summer Tanager, Indigo Bunting, Brown-headed Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Pine Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-throated Warbler, and Yellow-rumped Warbler. Next I drove to the Hike-Bike Trail and walked along a canal where I heard a Swainson’s Warbler singing. In the marsh I saw a Bald Eagle and one Mississippi Kite. I was always with my eye to the sky looking and looking for the elusive Swallow-tailed Kite but with no luck. I was so busy looking for the kite that there was no time to identify all those swallows flitting about. I stopped to have lunch and thought to myself, wow the Tree Swallows in SC sure are a lot bigger than at home. As I was eating my lunch a “large Tree Swallow” perched in a tree and I looked at it only then realizing that all those large Tree Swallows were actually Purple Martins. I noticed an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly as I was looking around. After not finding the kite in the sky over Santee Coastal Reserve I drove again over to the Wampaw Bridge. As I stood on the bridge looking for the kite an old geezer stopped and started telling me about a bright yellow bird he saw while canoeing the Wampaw Creek. He said it was probably some king of finch or something. A few minutes later another geezer stopped and asked me what animals I was seeing. I said I was looking for birds and he too told me about a bright yellow bird he had seen in the creek. I said it was a Prothonotary Warbler. He just stared at me clearly unable to even repeat the words. He began to relate his life story to me. It was hard to scan the sky with this man talking to me. The dreaded question came, where are you from? It was too complicated and would illicit a negative response so I just took the easy way out, I am from Aiken, SC, which is true. His eyes enlarged the size of saucers, incredulous that somebody would travel that far to Francis Marion NF. Before finally departing he advised me to be careful because of all the crazy people out there. It was past 3:00 PM, the witching hour for kites so I decided to go ahead and leave. I drove up I-95 to Santee State Park on Lake Marion, a large lake in the middle of South Carolina. I walked around the nature trail. There were many Brown Thrashers, Wood Thrushes, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. At the lake I saw a River Otter. That evening I decided to leave my camp stove out with a little bit of cereal in a double plastic bag in order to save time in the morning when I got up. I fell asleep and woke to a crashing sound on my picnic table. In my confusion I was convinced that grackles had robbed my site. I got out of my tent and found my entire bag with a half pound of Peet’s Coffee and my cereal gone! It was my coffee for the entire trip. Oh no!. I went back to sleep completely distraught. I saw some Common Grackles in the morning and cursed them. Then I thought some more about it and realized that was insane. A grackle couldn’t have picked up that big bag. It was a raccoon! I was mad. I went all day long with no coffee.

April 26, 2007: I drove from Santee State Park to Francis Beidler Forest. This beautiful pristine swamp is a South Carolina Treasure. Anyone who visits SC should most definitely make it over to this fantastic area. There is a visitor center and then a boardwalk over the swamp with many interpretive signs along the way. I saw lots of Prothonotary and Hooded Warblers right next to the trail. I also saw a Louisianna Waterthrush, Black-and-white Warbler, and Northern Parula. I saw one Yellow-billed Cuckoo and a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. Everywhere along the boardwalk there were these beautiful black damselflies called Ebony Jewelwing. There were also some interesting butterflies including a Spring Azure. After walking the entire boardwalk which I had entirely to myself for almost the whole walk, I drove to the nearby town of Harleyville, SC to visit my niece, Rebecca, and her two kids. It’s a nice old southern town but there is not a lot there. We sat in the back yard and I heard a Wood Thrush calling and some other birds but she was not interested. She showed me the St. George grocery store before I left which had a pitiful selection of coffee, all of it a poor substitute for the excellent Peet's coffee I had brought from home and been robbed of. Before returning to my camp at Santee State Park I checked out Santee NWR on the opposite side of Lake Marion. I walked the nature trail at the Bluff Unit and saw Painted Bunting, Prothonotary Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Summer Tanager, Wood Duck, Osprey carrying a fish, Eastern Kingbird, Red-eyed Vireo, and Wild Turkey. Before it got dark I checked the little trail behind my camp site that goes down to Lake Marion. There on the trail was the empty plastic that was my cereal and completely intact my coffee that little bastard raccoon had abandoned. That evening at my camp site at Santee State Park I was horrified to find that my new RV neighbor (and they are all RVs) had brought a lamp post with him and set it up to shine the light directly onto my camp site! What an idiot. I cannot believe how dumb people are. Did he not think it might annoy a camper to have a light shining in her eyes all night? My god those RVs should be outlawed. I wanted so badly to smash his stupid light to smittereens before I left.

April 27, 2007
I got up at 5:00 AM amd turned on my headlights pointed directly at Mr. Lampost RV. I was out of Santee State Park by 6:00 AM so as to meet my sister, Karen, who was going to join me for part of my trip, at Congaree National Park. It took a little longer than I thought but I was there by 7:30. Since the gate doesn’t open until 8:30 we started on the Bluff Trail from the after-hours lot. We walked the entire boardwalk seeing many great birds my sister had never seen before. I could pick out their song and she was excellent at finding the bird. On the Bluff Trail there were Pine Warblers, Northern Parulas, Acadian Flycatcher, Great-crested Flycatcher, Downy Woodpecker, and Pileated Woodpecker. On the boardwalk I heard, “beer, beer, beer, bee" --my first ever BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER. They were easy to see at eye level from the boardwalk as they jumped around in the tupelos. As we turned to take the Weston Lake Loop I heard the song of a Kentucky Warbler. Karen found it up in a tree and we both had excellent looks at it. We heard a Northern Waterthrush but it never revealed itself. We took a five mile loop trail before finishing the boardwalk loop and saw lots of great birds in this wonderful park. In addition to the great birds we saw a Plain-bellied Watersnake, Yellow-bellied Slider turtle, Five-lined Skink, Zebra Swallowtail, Question Mark, American Lady, Carolina Comma butterflies and a green Anole lizard. We trudged back from our long hike to our cars and then made the long drive up to Brevard, NC in the Blue Ridge Mountains where we planned to camp the next two nights. We camped in Pisgah National Forest at the Davidson River Campground, a very well maintained and peaceful campground. As we set up at our campsite a Whip-poor-will came and sang over my head. Karen just slept in her car while I slept in my one person tent that has served me so well on my birding expeditions. I got up early and made coffee waking Karen when it was ready. When I knocked on her door again she set her car alarm off. I was so embarrassed. When I asked her why she had locked her car she explained that someone might want to break in. Then I reminded her that I was in a tent.

We drove from Bevard a short distance back into SC to Caesar’s Head State Park. I have not been to this park for 33 years. I still remember my father taking us up to the look out at Table Rock, a prominent rocky outcropping which you can see from Caesar’s Head; it made a big impression on me. At the park we took the popular Raven Cliff Falls Trail. It was chilly in the morning. We didn’t see a big number of birds but had a good variety mostly birds my sister had never seen before. We saw Blue-headed Vireo, Black-and-white Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Summer Tanager, and Scarlet Tanager. We heard Ovenbird and Hooded Warbler singing. We were the only people at the falls due to our early start. On the way back we had great looks at a beautiful Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Near the start of the trail I thought I heard a Brown Creeper but then realized it was a Black-throated Green Warbler singing his "tree, tree beautiful tree" song. Then a Broad-winged Hawk flew overhead. We next drove to the visitor center and waited for another sister, Ree, who would also be joining for this part of the trip. While we waited we saw the only Dark-eyed Junco of the trip. After Ree arrived we had our lunch at a picnic table looking out over the Blue Ridge Mountains and then took a five mile loop trail, Cold Springs Branch Trail. There were not many birds but lots of wild flowers were blooming and it was a very beautiful trail with lots of rhododendron and laurel draping over the middle fork of the Saluda River. Part of the trail was very jungle like with thick vines and roots to stumble over. Many trilliums were blooming along the trail and lots of butterflies including the only hairstreak of the entire trip, a Red-banded Hairstreak. About the only birds were another Worm-eating Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Pileated Woodpecker, and Red-eyed Vireo. After our rigorous five mile hike we drove to the highest point in South Carolina, Sassafras Mountain at 3540 feet. Typical of SC it is not owned by the state but is private property owned by Duke Power Company. There is a right of way though it on the foot trail to Caesar’s Head. We walked to the top on the foot trail and Karen found a Ruffed Grouse in the laurel. We returned exhausted to Davidson River Campground and were again greeted by the singing Whip-poor-will. Karen and Ree had not heard a Whip-poor-will since we were children. A Whip-poor-will nested behind our house where we grew up in Aiken, SC. There was also a Wood Thrush singing.

April 29, 2007
I woke everyone up bright and early at 5:00 AM for our big day to visit Stecoah Gap. It was an anxious drive over a mountain road taking nearly two hours. We found the place and parked. A birder got out of her car and asked if we were there for the bird walk. Ree asked her if she was there to see the Cerulean Warbler and she said no she had already seen one but maybe she could add one to her NC list. I said oh, you are one of those listers. We didn’t know exactly where to go so we started up the Appalachian Trail. It was full of variously colored trilliums. At the start of the trail we heard it singing. There it was a CERULEAN WARBLER right in a tree by the parking lot to the trail (OK, this picture is not very good at all but hey this bird is going extinct so I can't delete it). We all had excellent looks at this beautiful endangered bird that os sure to join the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Carolina Parakeet, and Bachman's Warbler (all extinct) in our liftimes. I called down to the lister, “Ma’am, there is a Cerulean Warbler right here.” She came up and said I don’t see any blue on it; are you sure?” I wanted to smack her. The thing was singing away plain as day. What a moron. The trail was so lovely with all the wild flowers. It was a picture perfect day with perfect weather and birds everywhere. Warblers were flying all around us—Blackburnian Warbler, Ovenbird, Black-throated Green Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Hooded Warbler, American Redstart, and of course Northern Parula. We heard but never say a Chestnut-sided Warbler across the street. This was what I had come all this way for-- to see all these beautiful warblers in all their spring glory and to hear them singing too. After we had our fill of warblers we had our lunch at the picnic tables near the Cerulean Warbler tree before heading even further west to almost the furthest point west in North Carolina to the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest. This virgin forest is full of gorgeous gigantic poplars straddling a stream. We all enjoyed our hike in this beautiful mountain setting. On our hike we kept hearing an unfamiliar song but could never draw the bird out. I am pretty sure it was a Canada Warbler. At Joy Kill Mem For we also saw Northern Parula, Black-throated Green Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Hairy Woodpecker, Ovenbird, Wood Thrush, and Broad-winged Hawk. There were also many butterflies here, Falcate Orangetip, Spicebush Butterfly, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, and one West Virginia White. On the drive back I saw a Red Fox. The drive along Highway 276 is interesting. There is no planning whatsoever and lovely well maintained mountain villas are right next to used car lots with broken engine parts and rusting combines in front of dilapidated houses. That night at camp Karen and Ree decided they could not get up at 5:00 AM to join me and would just look around Pisgah NF before heading home.

April 30, 2007
I got up super early as usual and was at Jackson Park in Hendersonville, NC while it was still dark and cold. I waited for the sun to come up and then walked the nature trail in this regional park that is a major stopover in spring and fall migration. At first I just saw Blue Jays, White-throated Sparrows and such but when the sun finally hit the tips of the trees I started to see Ovenbird, Hooded Warbler, then one Blue-winged Warbler, one Magnolia Warbler, American Redstart, and one Least Flycatcher. A Broad-winged Hawk flew by. Then I saw a Blackpoll Warbler, one Field Sparrow, only one of the trip, Pine Siskin, and Chimney Swiftsflying overhead. A beaver stood right out in the open 10 feet away wiping its face. I did not have my camera with me though. Hendersonville turned out to be very close to our campsite so I called my sisters and we met back up at the Pisgah NF Visitor Center. We took a hike in the Dupont State Forest to a Triple Waterfall. Not much was happening here with the birds although there were lots of butterflies to enjoy. My sisters were hungry so we went to the Sycamore Picnic Area back in Pisgah and had lunch. An Eastern Phoebe was flycatching while we ate. In the car from the picnic area Karen was reading from a Transylvania County Bird List she had picked up, “Wood Stork and White Ibis, Abundant”, she said. I was flummoxed. Did they have some super attractant lake or something? Wood Stork and White Ibis would be incredible this far inland.

We went for a hike to the Pink Beds in Pisgah NF. I really enjoyed this hike along a creek to a bog. Warblers were swirling around our heads, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, and Northern Parula. We saw a singing Louisianna Waterthrush at the bog. Other birds here were Red-breasted Nuthatch, American Goldfinch, and Blue-headed Vireo. After our great hike Karen and Ree left for their respective homes. Karen probably added 30 birds to her lift list. It was a very memorable trip for all of us. I then had to move my tent to a new site as the one we had been using was reserved by an RV for the following day. After setting up camp and showering I got in my car to head over to the Blue Ridge Parkway. An elderly couple in a golf cart waved me down in the campground. The woman got out and stormed up to my window, “Lady” she said, “that is a one way street!” There was hardly anyone in the campground and I was frankly shocked that she had the audacity to call me “lady.” I just said, “oh really. I’m so sorry.”

Near dusk I drove to Devil’s Courthouse, a little rock outcropping where owls are known to nest. Three other people drove up and interrupted my solitude. They were birders too. As it darkened a Hermit Thrush sang and then a Veery too. I also heard some Golden-crowned Kinglets, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Winter Wren sing. Near dark a pair of Peregrine Falcons flew into a tree. They have been nesting here for a number of years. Darkness fell but still no owls called. Finally I asked if they minded if I whistled the owl call. No response came. One of the other birders tried and I thought I heard one way in the distance. The birders gave up and left. Finally I could finish my beer and play a taped call. Immediately four or five responded back. I heard my first ever NORTHERN SAW WHET OWL. That evening at my camp I was going over the birds I had seen and was looking at the Translyvania County Bird List when I saw next to White Ibis and Wood Stork, a big “A”—accidental!

May 1
I broke camp at Davidson River CG and headed back to Jackson Park. I didn’t really like it there but it seemed like my best opportunity to see a migrating Cape May Warbler. There were too many birders there and they were of the supercilious variety too. When I ran into them on the nature trail they said, "mornin" through gritted teeth and didn't even ask the universal birder question, "seen anything good?" On the nature trail I again saw a Blackpoll Warbler, a migrating bird and not a NC nester. There were also Yellow-rumped Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, and Ovenbird. I tried the trees near the road and found a Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Palm Warbler, and Yellow Warbler. I passed some birders who grudgingly said good morning through clenched teeth. What is wrong with those people anyway? I left Jackson Park and drove to Hooper Lane hoping for a migrating Upland Sandpiper but was unsuccessful. I was running out of time before I had to drive the long boring drive in long North Carolina to Raleigh. On a whim I stopped at Craven Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway and got out and started hiking the Mountain to Sea Trail. Even though it was close to midday there were warblers swarming all around and singing too. I saw Hooded Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, Pileated Woodpecker, Wood Thrush, and heard a Cerulean Warbler and Wild Turkey. In addition I saw a Southern Pearly-eye butterfly. It was a spectacular 30 minutes of birds, butterflies, and mountain scenery.

My butt was so tired after driving all the way from the Blue Ridge Parkway to Raleigh that I stopped first at Eno River State Park in Durham to take a walk. I took a cute little trail to the river and saw Ovenbird, Northern Parula, Wood Thrush, Red-eyed Vireo, Carolina Wren, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Hairy Woodpecker, and Red-bellied Woodpecker. Then I continued to Raleigh and had dinner at my parents house with my family and spent the night there.

May 2, 2007
I got up super early and drove to Greenville, NC. The directions to the Voice of America site in Birding North Carolina are very bad and I got lost. I had to call Susan in San Francisco to google some directions for me. She got me to Site A. You are not allowed into the site and can only bird the perimeter. I was looking for allegedly breeding Henslow’s Sparrow. I was unsuccessful. I walked around the perimeter but only saw Eastern Meadowlark, Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Kingbird, Turkey Vulture, Killdeeer, Savannah Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, and Prairie Warbler. I tried to find Site B but got lost and found myself in downtown Greenville. I was surrounded by Walmart, Best Buy, strip malls, and traffic noise when I should have been surrounded by birds. So I turned around and left that hell hole. I started down I-95 and stopped in at Four Oaks, NC at the Howell Woods. What a little gem in the middle of nowhere. This 2500 acre preserve is owned by the Johnston Community College for research and is an Important Bird Area (IBA). Even though it was hot and the middle of the day I saw plenty of birds, Kentucky Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Red-eyed Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, and finally I saw a YELLOW-THROATED VIREO. I also saw Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Acadian Flycatcher, Great-crested Flycatcher, several Red-headed Woodpeckers, Pileated Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Howell Woods is a super spot and it’s too bad I wasn’t able to be there in the early morning but I had to move on.

The next thing I did was very unpleasant. I figured the only bird I had a realistic chance of adding to my life list at this point was Swallow-tailed Kite which I had missed in two previous attempts. So I drove for four hours from Howell Woods back down to the SC Coast to Georgetown hoping that I could get a camp site at Buckhall CG. I arrived around 9:30 PM and the moon was coming up over the Santee River. It was beautiful so I pulled out my camera to film it when the campground host pulled up. I said are any of these tent sites available and one was so I took it for two nights. The mosquitoes were starting to get bad. So I showered, put the tent up, and got ready for bed. The Chuck-will’s-widow came and started to sing and the Great Horned Owl hooted. I was sound asleep when around 11:00 PM a huge party boat slowly moved down the Santee River. People on the boat were making a big ruckus and it took forever for the boat to pass by the Campground. That should not be legal.

May 3, 2007
I got up early and tried the Santee Delta WMA area first thing in the morning since Santee Coastal Reserve doesn’t open until 8:00 AM. The mosquitoes and yellow biting flies were bad. It hadn’t been too bad the week before when it was cool in the morning with a breeze. I sprayed myself liberally with poison but those yellow biting bugs would shoot right under my hat and go for my face. They got me several times. I didn’t see any new birds so I gave up and headed over to Santee Coastal Reserve. The mosquitoes were bad there too. I walked the Old Mazlyck Road again and got a great look at the beautiful Yellow-throated Vireo. There were many other birds there including another singing Bachman’s Sparrow. I then drove to the parking area for the hike-bike trail. The Swainson’s Warbler was singing but the yellow flies were too awful to try to wait around for it to pop out. I walked out on the dyke and there were a lot of shorebirds to study. There were many Least and Western Sandpipers and I also picked out a White-rumped Sandpiper and a Semi-palmated Sandpiper and Pectoral Sandpiper. I kept my eye to the sky looking for the kite. A Wood Stork flew over and then two Bald Eagles, a Northern Harrier, two Anhingas but no kite. There were Forster’s Terns fishing in the marsh and then two Gull-billed Terns flew by as well, and one Least Tern. I was very surprised to see a Greater Scaup and ten American White Pelicans. An Osprey flew out of a tree with a fish in its talons. I flushed a Black-crowned Night-heron. There were a few Orchard Orioles in the shrubs around the marsh. It was noon and crunch time for the kite. I didn’t want to but I figured I had to try Santee Delta WMA before the Wampaw Bridge in case the geezers came by again wanting to talk. The bugs at Santee Delta WMA were bad. I went to the blind and scanned the skies. This time at least something more than a Turkey Vulture flew by. A Red-shouldered Hawk landed in a tree and screamed. Then an Osprey flew by and then a Common Nighthawk circled several times but still no kite. A Sora and a Marsh Wren called from the marsh. An Eastern Kingbird was flycatching from a tree. It was getting late. I had one last chance so I headed over to the Wampaw Bridge in Francis Marion National Forest. I looked and waited and saw no kites. It was 3:15 and I was completely dejected. I was born and reared in SC. I couldn’t go home not having seen this SC specialty bird. How embarrassing. I was just about to leave when there it was the SWALLOW-TAILED KITE! It was flying at eye level away from the bridge toward the trees. I realized it was the same bird I had seen 10 minutes earlier but only from the back. I could see a ton of nesting material in its bill but nothing of its front. Yippee! I jumped up and down on the bridge in sheer delight. Now I could go. Before I left I went to the magic spot, corner of I’On Swamp Road and Willow Hall Road. The Bachman’s Sparrow was singing. I’m not sure but I thought I heard a Northern Bobwhite calling. Near dusk the Red-cockaded Woodpeckers came to their cavity. They foraged a while before going in for the night. It was time for me to go as well. I returned to my cute little camp site on the Santee River at Buckhall and the Chuck-will’s-widow sang me to sleep.

May 4, 2007
I drove from Georgetown, SC back to Congaree National Park. I figured I at least had a shot at some migrating warbler there like a Cape May. I didn’t see one but I heard a Northern Waterthrush singing and a Louisiana Waterthrush. There were more Black-throated Blue Warblers, and Prothonotary Warblers, Kentucky Warblers, and Northern Parulas. There was nothing new and no exciting migrants but I did see the Veery again on the Weston Lake Trail After finishing up the boardwalk I drove over to Congaree Bluffs Heritage Preserve. This was an interesting area. It has a trail that goes to an observation deck of the jungle bordering the Congaree River and a trail that goes down to the river. I checked the observation deck and then took the trail to the river. The vegetation was very thick and the mosquitoes were numerous. I wondered what made the colonists want to stay in such an inhospitable place. No wonder SC is so backward. The kind of person who would have stayed in a nearly submerged area that is half swamp and half jungle, would had to have been crazy. A Ruby-throated Hummingbird shot out of bush right for my head and began to display. There were lots of the same southern piedmont birds, Indigo Bunting, Blue Grosbeak, Summer Tanager, Acadian Flycatcher, Barred Owl. Out in the open pine area I found a singing Prairie Warbler. I left Congaree Bluff and headed north on I-95 to nearly the border with NC. I was so tired. I found a state park, Andrew Jackson State Park in Lancaster, SC and decided to camp there for the night. A Black-and-white Warbler and an Ovenbird were singing at my campsite when I arrived. There were no nighjars or owls that night just some strange animal that prowled my site after I went in my tent making me nervous.

May 5, 2007
It was my last day. I drove from Andrew Jackson SP to Raleigh, NC to see my family one last time before I left. I went to Ree’s house in Durham and we drove to nearby Duke Forest to the Shepard Nature Trail. It was overcast and chilly. There were few birds. We then tried the Korstian Unit of Duke Forest. It is a lovely trail through oak woodlands to a creek. A light rain began to fall. I heard a Hooded Warbler and gave my binoculars to Ree to look at it. She said that it had a yellow flower in its mouth. I said that I had never heard of a warbler carrying a flower. It turned out she was confusing its bright yellow head with a flower. For my last stop I tried Mason Farm in Chapel Hill. It rained a little more steadily and there were few birds, just the same brightly colored birds I had seen in other places the past two weeks. That evening I went to my sister Sharon’s house in Raleigh for a Kentucky Derby party. I looked out her kitchen window at a male and female Cardinal, the forgotten Northern Cardinal. I had only added eight birds to my life list in the two weeks I had been in NC and SC but the Cardinal reminded me why I was there. All those years in SC I never knew or noticed all those brightly lit birds. South Carolina is a lost cause as a state but it has one thing and that is many brightly colored birds, Indigo Bunting, Blue Grosbeak, Summer Tanager, Scarlet Tanager, and all those gloriously colored bright beautiful warblers. I will miss all those bright beautiful birds and yes that includes the underappreciated but beautiful Northern Cardinal.
Michelle Brodie
5/10/07

Pied-billed Grebe
Northern Gannet
American White Pelican
Brown Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Anhinga
Least Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tri-colored Heron
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Glossy Ibis
Wood Stork
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
American Black Duck
Mottled Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Gadwall
Greater Scaup
Red-breasted Merganser
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Swallow-tailed Kite
Mississippi Kite
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ruffed Grouse
Wild Turkey
Northern Bobwhite
Clapper Rail
King Rail
Sora
Common Moorhen
American Coot
Black-bellied Plover
Semi-palmated Plover
Piping Plover
Killdeer
American Oystercatcher
Black-necked Stilt
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Solitary Sandpiper
Willet
Spotted Sandpiper
Whimbrel
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Semi-palmated Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Dunlin
Stilt Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
American Woodcock
Laughing Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
Royal Tern
Sandwich Tern
Forster's Tern
Least Tern
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Common Nighthawk
Chuck-will's-widow
Whip-poor-will
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Acadian Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Winter Wren
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Veery
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
Cedar Waxwing
European Starling
White-eyed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue-winged Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Pine Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Palm Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Swainson's Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Kentucky Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Canada Warbler
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Painted Bunting
Eastern Towhee
Bachman's Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Boat-tailed Grackle
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Santa Clara County Big Day: April 15, 2007

2007-04-16T23:01:00.000-07:00

Santa Clara County Big Day
April 15, 2007

Jennifer Rycenga and I spent an entire day in Santa Clara County, CA looking for as many species as possible in one day, April 15. We ended our arduous task with 128 species, giving up with four hours still remaining in our allotted time due to exhaustion and the prospect of only adding one or two species at best.

We met at the Page Mill Road Park and Ride lot off of I-280 at 4:45 AM (I was only three minutes late). From there we drove to Almaden-Quicksilver County Park, McAbee Street Entrance. We walked up the trail until we came to the historical marker for an old quicksilver mine and listened for Poorwills. Jennifer did her best poorwill imitation but they were either absent or unimpressed. However, we managed to call in two Great Horned Owls and two Western Screech Owls. The dawn chorus began even before darkness gave way to light with the Spotted Towhees being the first to awaken. There must have been fifteen. Next a California Thrasher began to sing his head off a short distance away from us. Then there was a cacophony of song of typical oak woodlands species, Wrentit, Oak Titmouse, Bewick’s Wren, Orange-crowned Warbler. I did not have sufficient clothes on and was becoming quite chilled in the cool early dawn hours of the Santa Clara Valley. We started back up the trail and saw Allen’s Hummingbird and Anna’s Hummingbird and near the entrance Wilson’s Warbler.

We got in the car and drove a short distance to Guadalupe Oak Grove Park, a San Jose City Park at Thornton off of McAbee. This small oak grove yielded a large mixed warbler flock that was mostly Yellow-rumped Warbler but also contained Black-throated Gray Warbler and Orange-crowned Warbler. Along the trail we heard a Pacific-slope Flycatcher and Nuttall’s Woodpecker. There were many Acorn Woodpeckers in the oak trees. We saw a White-breasted Nuthatch gather nesting material and head for a nest cavity. On our way out we saw gathering swallows twittering in the skies that included Violet-green Swallow and Tree Swallow. After making a pit stop in the well maintained bathroom we drove over to the Santa Clara Valley Water District. We walked around the contaminated water where two people were fishing and saw a few Black-crowned Night-Herons and lots of Cliff Swallows. While looking into what Jennifer said was the Guadalupe River I spotted a Spotted Sandpiper. On our way out we saw a female Brown-headed Cowbird.

Our next stop was the lovely Ed Levin County Park in Milpitas off of Highway 237 which turns into Calaveras Road. We ran into a vicious group of birders gawking at some birds in the trees surrounding the parking area. We opted to pass on that and to walk up the trail to a sycamore grove instead. In a small tree in the parking area a gorgeous Bullock’s Oriole was perched. Along the trail numerous Grasshopper Sparrows were singing. As we came to the sycamores Jennifer pointed out a Lazuli Bunting, my first of season. While stopping on the trail to catch our breath I noticed a white bird over the pond which turned out to be a Caspian Tern. Jennifer found a singing House Wren and up the trail slightly more was a Rufous-crowned Sparrow perched on a fence post making an excellent photo. A Sharp-shinned Hawk flew over and later we saw a Northern Harrier just over the ridge. We descended the trail back to the trees around the parking area and found a few Lawrence’s Goldfinches. We drove to another section of the park and witnessed a White-tailed Kite locked in battle with a Red-shouldered Hawk. The earlier reported sapsuckers had apparently departed but we saw a couple of White-throated Swifts overhead, one Western Bluebird, and a few Wild Turkeys. Not having seen any kingbirds we went back to the main park and scanned the fenceposts until finally Jennifer found one.

We made a side trip on a narrow one lane winding road, Calaveras Road to the Calaveras Reservoir where Jennifer said a Bald Eagle was nesting. We made a dangerous stop to just barely get a glimpse of mom’s head before making a dangerous turn around. It was then we came across a few Yellow-billed Magpies in the road. As we headed back down Calaveras Road an idiot in the Miata speed demon club tried to send Jennifer and me to an early grave but he and she slammed on brakes just in the nick of time. My heart was in my throat as I’m sure Jennifer’s was as well.

Every morning it is my habit to make my lunch for the day so as to maximize my time for more important things. Jennifer insisted on going to the odious MacDonald’s again. I persuaded her to at least buy it to go and count and strategize in the car. Then it was off to the birding magnet but desolate and ugly Alviso section of the San Francisco Bay NWR. Alviso has been host to numerous rarities over the years but it is ugly, trashy, and unpleasant. We scanned the Spreckels and State Street ponds and came up with American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Semi-palmated Plover, but not much else. So we moved on to the boardwalk. We looked into the owl box and saw a Barn Owl inside. On the boardwalk the wind was howling. We could not draw out a sora nor were the snipes on the little pond on the drive in. Out on the boardwalk we saw Herring Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Western Gull, Glaucous-winged x Western Gull, Ring-billed Gull, California Gull, and Bonaparte’s Gull. We also saw on Forster’s Tern and were surprised to see an American White Pelican. There was one Greater Scaup, a Gadwall, one Western Grebe, and one Eared Grebe. When we could tolerate the wind no longer we turned back and checked the pond again but still no sora. There was however, a Cinnamon Teal. We parked at the mega-church parking lot and scanned the ugly field looking for meadowlark without success. We did see two Burrowing Owls which we graciously showed to some Christian lady who probably would run us off the road under other circumstances but no meadowlark. We were about to leave when we heard the Western Meadowlark give his melodious song.

Next we drove to San Antonio Road off of Highway 101 to Charleston Slough. At the pond we saw our only Surf Scoter of the day, Green-winged Teal, and Clark’s Grebe. We drove a short distance to Palo Alto Baylands where we ran into more odious birders who chastised us for not fund raising for Santa Clara Audubon. They asked how many birds we had and when Jennifer said 115 they admitted to only having 80. How pathetic. As Jennifer was chatting with them (I was largely ignoring the self-congratulatory amateurs) they did point out to us a Peregrine Falcon flying overhead. We walked between some ponds whose name I cannot recall and played a yellowthroat tape. Jennifer saw a Common Yellowthroat; it was the only bird of the day I did not also see. How embarrassing. We stopped at the feeding pond and could not locate the Cattle Egret but saw several nesting Snowy Egrets making weird sounds and saw a Black-crowned Night-Heron on top of some chicks. We parked on the side of the road where Jennifer assured me we would get Ring-necked Pheasant but to no avail. Next we took our scopes and walked out on the boardwalk. It was super windy. In fact, it had been windy and cool all day long but it was extra windy out on the boardwalk that goes over the bay. We stopped at clapper alley and played a tape but saw nothing so we continued to the end. The wind was shaking our scopes badly but we finally found a Dunlin in breeding plumage. A few Black-bellied Plovers were also in full breeding plumage. When we could stand the wind no more we turned back stopping again at clapper alley and there out in full view was indeed a Clapper Rail.

It was getting late in the day and we were running out of options. We drove to Stevens Creek Reservoir and scanned it. There were people in it or near the edges and it looked bleak. But just when we were most dismayed a spotted a soaring Osprey. Jennifer said we could see a dipper at one of the bridges over the creek. So we drove along and stopped at the most likely one only to find a family swimming in the creek where the dipper nests-- so no dipper for us. We checked two more to no avail. I saw one of only three butterflies of the day, a pitiful, Cabbage White near the creek. While looking for the proper direction to the Upper Stevens Creek trail we pulled over and heard a Black-headed Grosbeak. We walked Upper Stevens Creek and only heard a couple of Chestnut-backed Chickadees and that was it. It was getting very late but the birds were getting fewer and fewer.

For our last stop of the day, we drove to Monte Bello Open Space Preserve, a Mid-peninsula Regional Park. We walked down the trail to a pond hoping once again for sora. Along the trail Jennifer spotted a coyote sunning in the grass hill. There was no sora around but we were delighted to find five Ring-necked Ducks on the pond. We lingered and looked and played tapes and cajoled all in vain as nothing else revealed itself to us. We walked back up the trail completely defeated and dejected. It was still an hour until sunset and it was quite obvious we were not going to meet my goal of 160 nor break Jennifer’s personal Santa Clara County best of 126. We sat in the car deciding whether to cut our losses or await darkness and only a dim chance of pygmy owl or even more remote, Saw Whet Owl. We decided it wasn’t worth it to just add realistically one species so we got in the car ready to go back to the Park and Ride. Jennifer decided to stop at the bathroom at the Stevens Creek Nature Trailhead. A White-tailed Kite was hawking rodents in the hillside and a Band-tailed Pigeon flew by. After Jennifer got out of the car and started toward the bathroom I heard and then called out—Purple Finch! It turned out to be our last species of the day, number 128, not bad for someone who has never birded Santa Clara County even though not even close to my completely unrealistic goal of 160. Our butterfly count was even lamer at only three—Monarch, Field Crescent, and Cabbage White. We did well in the mammalian department with Jack Rabbit, Brush Rabbit, Coyote, Black-tailed Deer, Western Gray squirrel, and Mule Deer. All in all, despite the annoying strong winds and numerous failures to pull out easy birds, it was a fine day of birding. As Jennifer says, bird on!
Michelle Brodie