What Are You Doing Here?

[Yellow-rumped Warbler at my water drip (perhaps the greatest addition to a yard's bird attractiveness), October 19, 2019. Click to enlarge photos.]

Hello, yeah, it's been a while. . .

So on the morning of October 19, 2019 I was out listening for NFC's - that's shorthand for Nocturnal Flight Calls - and a nice thrush flight was underway. On my eBird list I placed a single unidentified thrush, although I knew exactly what it was.

I knew what it was, but the date made it unlikely.  Here is an important law of birding, if there is such a thing: A BIRD OUT OF ITS NORMAL DATE RANGE IS AS RARE AS A BIRD OUT OF ITS GEOGRAPHIC RANGE. It's something I've known for years and years, but I first heard it said by Paul Lehman, who said it so emphatically it deserves capital letters.

But later in the day I heard this "pep-pep-pep-pep" out the window and I said to myself, I KNOW what that is. It was this:

[Wood Thrush, Del Haven NJ October 19, 2019. Not the latest Cape May county record, but late enough to use caution. It's a hatch-year, aged by the molt limit in the wing coverts, meaning it started from its egg last summer.]

Why You Should go to Maine in June

[Above: Atlantic Puffins performing near Eastern Egg Rock, off famous Hog Island, during our June Joy of Birding program. Plenty of puffins and other alcids were also seen on the pelagic trip during the Acadia Birding Festival the week before. Click to enlarge all photos.]

I've fallen into the pleasant habit of birding coastal Maine every June. You can't lose: exciting seabirds, exciting landbirds, marine mammals, great scenery, great lobster . . . and for the events referenced above, outstanding leaders. We even found a Brown Booby in the Gulf of Maine during the Acadia Festival, and had one "get away" during the Hog Island camp.

The dates for Hog Island's joy of Birding camp will be June 2-9, 2019. The 2019 Acadia Festival will likely be the week before. Both are HIGHLY recommended.

[Above, Northern Parula, Harbor Porpoise (the most common inshore cetacean in Maine) and Red Squirrel, all at or near Hog Island, ME.]

Wayward Warbling Waif

[This tiny Warbling Vireo dropped onto our San Diego, CA pelagic trip boat last Sunday and wound up between my feet - about 20 miles offshore! Not an uncommon happening, having migrating landbirds take a break on a pelagic boat. The trip also featured Black-footed Albatross, Scripps' Murrelet, Black-vented AND Manx Shearwaters, and sightings of Guy McKaskie and Paul Lehman, new and old friends respectively.]

Ruff Day

[This male Ruff made the day at Heislerville WMA for me and friends. April 26, 2018. Click to enlarge.]

In Another Country

 [Common Redpolls love to feed on weed seeds. These are at Wisconsin's Crex Meadows Wildlife Area, a place I didn't even know existed a few weeks ago - and a place I will be returning to. Click to enlarge photos.]

Business had me traveling to the Great Lakes states last week - from the Rio Grande Valley, no less, where I visited friends, saw the wall (ugh) at Santa Ana, and shared my son Tim's excitement with all his  lower Valley lifers, my old friends. By the way, White-collared Seedeaters were easy at Salineno. Just saying.

After notching my last two U.S. states (Oklahoma and Iowa), we arrived in far northwestern Wisconsin, we being me and Boone. It really felt like a different country: nice people, no traffic, wonderful woods and meadows, and a few northern birds despite the fact the land there is still snow covered and at night our frozen breath coated the inside of the truck cap. Birds like Northern Shrike, and the species pictured.

[Trumpeter Swans, also at Crex Meadows. Waiting for the thaw. Trumpeter swans were extirpated from Wisconsin in the late 1800's but were re-introduced in  the late 1980's, with great success.]