#BigYear2017 in review

Happy New Year!!! 2018, can you believe it? Wow has the time gone by fast.  This post is a recap of the year that was #BigYear2017, all the fun stuff, places visited, good times and future plans. Below are some of the highlights.

Family, in memoriam 

Pescadero Beach SP, California

Team Ruddy Turnstoned 2017

• 18 lifers--Wow!! I had a really good year, 2016--12, 2015--13 new and in 2014 I had 29 lifers. I traveled to new places like California/Pelagic trip and Washington in springtime, which produced new birds. Ohio produced +2 new lifers!! I am still thankful of the trips taken, birds seen, and friends I've been with making memories and good blog posts! Thank you all and God Bless. That puts me at #604 Life Birds so far. That's 97 new birds in less than 6 years.                                                                                                                  
• My ABA Bird of the Year is . . . .the code 1 California Quail during my California trip. I choose this bird because it was life bird #600 for me!!! And since life bird #500 was in Cali in 1991, I wanted the next big milestone to be in Cali.  Of course, the pelagic trip the day before helped with 9 lifers on the boat.

California Quail

#590 Yellow-billed Magpie

#602 Western Screech Owl

My Ohio Bird of the Year, is a 3-way tie!!!  I birded Ohio so much this year, trying to pickup many FOYs, that when rarities/lifers flew into the state, I was lucky enough to have time to drive and see them. So the following triple threat Ohio birds of the year are . . .

                 Sooty Tern, code 2--September hurricane blew this Atlantic Ocean bird all the way into eastern Ohio. Lucky, I've seen SOTE as a lifer back on July 6, 1988 in Hatteras, North Carolina.  But this was a second chance look and so close to home. Great state of Ohio life list bird!
                Long-tailed Jaeger, code 1--September, Labor Day drive up to Findley Reservoirs
               Calliope Hummingbird, code 1--October. The last code 1 hummer I need as a life bird. The Calliope lives west of Denver, and at 4000 ft elevation. Why was it here in Delaware?? Just so every birder in Ohio could come see him.

Sooty Tern, hard to picture

Sooty Tern

#603 Long-tailed Jaeger

Unfiltered in Findley

Calliope Hummingbird #604

• 5 states visited--Ohio(166 birds), Texas(137 birds), Washington(+28 foys), California(+35 foys), Nevada(+11 foys)

• 377 total species--Finishing it strong!! That's my personal best and all because I birded more in Ohio, oh and California too.  I ticked many Ohio common birds this year. This puts me at a 351 species per year average over 5 years. STATS.  In 2013--338; 2014--359; 2015--322; 2016--360; 2107--377

Pic of the year, from WA

Tulip Town in Skagit, WA

Below is a list of some of the major new first of year birds(FOYs) I saw in Ohio, during the last 45 days of birding in 2017.

#365 Long-tailed Duck
#366 Red-Throated Loon
#367 Black Scooter                                                                   

Dusk in Ohio, pointing out Short-eared Owl

#368 Snowy Owl
#370 Snow Goose
#371 Ross Goose
#372 Rusty Blackbird
#373 Snow Bunting
#374 Lapland Longspur
#375 Short-earred Owl
#376 Great-horned Owl
#377 Mew Gull


**heard only 2017**
Great-horned Owl, White-tipped Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Worm-eating warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Hooded, Prairie & Cerulean warblers 
 

Rarities seen in 2017--
             Code 4  none
             Code 3  Aplomado Falcon, Tropical Parula, Clay-colored Thrush,
                          White-collard Seedeater--all seen in LRGV, Texas 

• Misses--Not as many of them, especially Ohio species. I  birded OHIO more, alot more. Getting out every Sunday since May helped me see/hear them, so I'm thankful. So in 2018, my goal will be to get them early and keep trying.  Misses included: 

        Greater White-fronted goose, Greater scaup, American Woodcock, Least, Yellow-bellied & Alder empidx., Franklin's Gull, Upland Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Baird's SP, Long-eared Owl, Connecticut, Mourning & Pine warblers. That's only 14 Ohio birds, the least amount of misses so far.

• 2018 trips--So far two planned trips, but likely some to follow. 

           1. March--Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas--lifers needed Mountain Plover, Tamaulipas Crow and other Mexican rarities
           2. March--Corn Creek, Nevada--lifers need Sage & Bendire's Thrashers, Sagebrush Sparrow
           3. Sometime--Seattle, Washington--7 years in a row out there, still could use a Northwest Crow
           4. Ohio-- I still need Iceland Gull!!  I need cold snowy ice weather.  Biggest week in American Birding--you know where to find us in May
           5.  South Carolina/Florida--I smell a beach trip this summer
           6. Chase a rarity. Can this be the year of a Code 5 chase??

**I'd like to dedicate this #BigYear2017 to my grandmother, Louise Gambill, thank you and God Bless


Next up: Let's start off #BigYear2018 with a . . . .??

Debie Shearwater Pelagic

The Boat!!

Hello everybody!! This late post is from my summer trip to California. It was all based around doing a west coast pelagic trip in hopes of getting enough new life birds to put me over the 600 mark, and I did just that. I decided that if I was going to make this trip, I wanted to do it with my birding friends and go on the best pelagic trip in the business. Ms. Debie Shearwater of Shearwater Journeys. http://www.shearwaterjourneys.com/

So with everything set, and the gang all here, we meet at 7am at the dock at Half Moon Bay marina.

We ended up with 29 birders, 6 guides and 2 crew members, so it was a full boat. After the welcome and safety instructions, we where off. We took about an hour birding around the marina and rock jetties, we saw several birds up close.  American Brown Pelicans, Heerman's Gulls, Elegant Terns, Black Oystercatcher, Surfbirds, Black Turnstones

The Ohio people

Debbie in Aqua

The puke bucket!!

Harbor departure

Jetty birding

How about some videos!!!

Common Murres, by the 1000s

The boat headed north from Half Moon bay up to Pacifica along the coast, then up to Devils Rock. I was surprised how many Californians where enjoying the water sports early on a Saturday.  In the marinia, there where several boats loaded with people for whale watching and salmon fishing.

GPS

Surfers

Once we got to Pacifia, there where 50 surfers, paddle boarders, solo fisherman kayak's, big boats with fisherman, Humpback Whales feeding, birds. It was crazy busy. Everyone just out enjoying the ocean on a Saturday.

Devils Rock w Sam

Deep water

Looking for BIRDS!!

Look, Buller's Shearwater

 Then we made the turn west, and headed out to the Continental shelf. We were around 400 ft depth in the morning, but by afternoon, when we got to the shelf, it dropped to 1200 ft depth, and that's when the birds showed up!!

Inside the cabin

Puker!!!

Stellar's Sea Lion

Happy Brad, +9 lifers 

And with that, by 4pm, we where back in the harbor, ready to dock.  The sea sickness was not bad. I took Dramamine and ate snacks/water all day on the boat, so that really helped. I good Mexican dinner and off to bed early, I was tired.

Next up:  Viva Las Vegas!!!! Fall birding in Nevada. 

Western Screech-Owl #602

So this is how a story in bird watching goes. One of the hardest species of birds to see are owls. Why?  Well, there's not that many of them, only come out at night, stay up in trees all day, more often heard not seen, you know . . . they are wise owls after all. So when to plan to search for a life bird owl, and you only have limited time and a place to bird during a trip. You think how can I see an owl?

So thanks to ebird.org and reports of local birders, a spot was reported and pictured of this new lifer owl for me. Blackberry Farms Park, at dusk, and pictured in a hole in a sycamore tree at this park. So a plan was made to visit that park while in California. We stopped by on Friday night at the park, and find it to be a community pool area and back end of a golf course. There is a parking lot, we get out and look around, and I see a guy in a Brown shirt, riding a golf cart, towards the entrance area. I know from birding, to always ask a person with a Brown shirt or hat on for/about birds. They will help! Sure enough, he says "yes, the owl is in this tree, and comes out at 8pm pst. Great!! We know the place, see you Sunday night mister owl.

Sure enough, Sunday night, after the boat trip Saturday, and 11 hours birding Sunday around, we get to set up shop at 7pm and wait.

And we wait some more . . .

And then at 8 p.m., just like clock work.

Western Screech-owl ABA lifer #602

These compact owls—not much taller than a standard pair of binoculars—hunt in woods and deserts of western North America, where their wide-ranging diet includes everything from worms and crayfish to rats and bats. Found in urban parks and residential areas as well as wilder places, Western Screech-Owls nest in tree cavities, and will readily take to backyard nest boxes.

They are superbly camouflaged birds with a base color that can be grayish, brownish, or reddish-brown (rufous). The face is pale, outlined with dark arcs. The eyes are yellow.

Next up: West coast pelagic with Debbie Shearwater

Im going going back back to Cali Cali +13 Lifers!!

Good things do come to those who wait . . . . like 25 years wait.  You see back in November 1991 was the last time I birded southern California. I was with my grandparents during Thanksgiving break, visiting my great Aunt, and the instruction from my father was to have Red&Louise take me out so see enough new life birds to hit #500. And I did just that! I was a freshmen in high school, and just about done with birding. I was about to get a job, car, school and sports. So no time for birds.

Fast forward to March 2012 when on a visit to LRGV to see grandparents, they take me to Benston SP to see a rare code 5 Black-Vented Oriole, and that's when I picked up my binoculars again. The past five years, I've been traveling, birding, and documenting all the new ones I've seen. This has lead me up to almost getting bird #600. So I had planned on doing a west coast palegic, and who better than in the business to go to, Debbie Shearwater of http://shearwaterjourneys.blogspot.com/

The Ohio People

We booked in March for the August 12th, Half Moon Bay boat trip. So with that planned, and some much needed land life birds too, an itinerary was planned to make the most of this trip. After all California is expensive, so I had to make every bird count!!

Below is a  review of the trip, places visited, birds seen and food eaten!!  Birds listed are FOYs(bold)/Lifer(#)

Friday August 11th:
Don Edwards NWR
Marbled Godwit
Western Sandpiper                                                                

The Boat

Red-necked Phalarope                                                
California Gull
Black Phoebe
Western Kingbird 
California Towhee
Ed Lavin Dog Park, Milpitas
Yellow-Billed Magpie  #590
Acorn Woodpecker

Saturday August 12th:
Half Moon Bay Palegic
Elegant Tern #591                                                                               

Yellow-billed Magpie, #yolo

Sooty Shearwater #592
Pink-footed Shearwater#593                                                
Cassin's Auklet #594
Buller's Shearwater #595
Black-footed Albatross #596
Tufted Puffin #597
Ashy Storm-Petrel #598
Northern Fulmer #599
Heerman's Gull--Missed in Washington in April, fall bird there
Western Gull
Northern Gannet--Devils Rock. It's the worlds only Northern Gannet in the Pacific ocean. This seabird is an east coast only bird, which I've seen before, FL, NC, & ME, but somehow this particular Gannet flew over and down probably from the top of Canada, or something. Debbie said it's been there on Devils' Rock now for five years!! Wow what a treat.   

Northern Gannet, far left, white bird

Elegant Terns, can't miss lifers:)

Sunday August 13th:
Burliegh State Park
California Quail #600 Finish line?
Pacific-slope Epmdix. 
Wrentit
Pygmy Nuthatch
Pescadero State Beach
Sanderling
Whimbrel                                                                                     

Cali Quail, male, #600

Black Oystercatcher
Black Turnstone
Surfbird
Wandering Tattler--My #500 ABA bird in 1991. Its the one that started this gig!!
Alemada
missed the Red-necked Stint. Birded for hours but never clean good countable look
MLK marsh
Ridgeway Rail #601
Forster's Tern
Blackberry Farm Park
Western Screech-Owl #602                                                                  

Ridgeway Rail, lifer

Nuttall's Woodpecker
Alemada 2nd time
missed the Red-Necked Sting again.

Whimbrel, neat

Wandering Tattler, #500 in 1991--FOY 2017

Black Oyster Catchers, 3 birds

Surfbirds!!!

 Final bird stats:
94 species seen
35 FOYs
13 Life birds

 California is huge state, and defiantly deserves to be visited/birded in often.  The state list is over 500, for just the state!
I will be back Cali . . . I will be back

Pescadero State Beach, off US 1

 
Food Review:
  Welcome to a new section in the blog, I'll be reviewing food/meals while on trips. So with that said, how was the food??

Free Breakfast

Fajita Salad w Steak

 Breakfast: Served daily at the Comfort Inn, all the staples, fresh waffles, processed eggs, bacon & sausage helped give you a good base to start the 11-hour day birding, everyday. Saved money, came w room rate. Grade: B

Inn N Out Single, Animal style

Udon Soup w Pork & beer

TacoTruck: El Pastor tacos grande, $2.10 each, delicious, always count on a taco truck. Grade: B

 Dinner: Tres Amigos. Wow, my kind of place. Look at that Fajita Salad pic. Included are chips, 3 types of salsa(including green) & pickled carrots and jalapenos. Grilled steak, black bean, lettuce, red onion, cheese, beautiful garnish. $12.95 Grade: A+


Lunch: Inn N Out Burger. Good, tasty burger, get it animal style. Fries of bad bad, like straws. $7.95 with drink. Quick and easy. Grade: B   no fries next time, just double burger Animal, potato chips

Airport lunch: Udon soup w Pork and Soba Buckwheat Noodles, Japanese beer and sriracha. $12. Very very good, again I love noodle bowls, just what I needed for long flight home. Grade: A

Half Moon Bay, CA

Nissan Pathfinder, 358 miles, 22.4MPG

Next up: Gambill is gambling in Vegas!! Nov 2-5th. Birds too +10 foys maybe?