[texbirds] The Big Run - The Most Extreme of Birding Challenges
- From: Ron Weeks <ronweeks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2013 15:13:10 -0800 (PST)
TexBirders,
In my never ending quest to combine hobbies, have fun and save time I created a
new birding game for myself. It started out innocently enough with me trying
to get my weekly "boring long run" for marathon training in. Left the house at
0630 and returned 16 miles and 2.5 hours later having tallied 52 species while
on the run. It is very different from a normal Big Day in that while running
binoculars are useless and any small bird almost has to be done with calls or
song. Got a great dawn start on a paved path near the Brazos River with
calling thrashers, thrushes and catbirds before the sun rose. Best birds given
the challenges of running (no stopping or walking to get a better look) were
Bald Eagle, Wilson's Warbler and Lincoln's Sparrow. Misses included Mourning
Dove and White-winged Dove. Full list below. Best part was the formally
boring run was seemingly over in no time.
But, I think tomorrow I will use the car and walk instead.
Ron Weeks
Lake Jackson
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "do-not-reply@xxxxxxxxx" <do-not-reply@xxxxxxxxx>
To: ronweeks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2013 4:53 PM
Subject: eBird Report - Lake Jackson, Dec 26, 2013
Lake Jackson, Brazoria, US-TX
Dec 26, 2013 6:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
16.0 mile(s)
Comments: Inaugural Big Run - started at my home at 0630 and ran for next
2.5 hrs counting birds. Took a few 20 second walk breaks to down sports drink,
but did not count birds during that time. All birs were counted while running.
Pace varied from 8 min/mile at start to over 9 min/mile near end and in best
habitat. Also had WWDO and LBCU during warm down walk in neighborhood/
52 species
Pied-billed Grebe 1 Dow freshwater canal
Double-crested Cormorant 1 Fly over west of Sea Center Texas
Brown Pelican 1 Flyover at Centennial Park
Great Blue Heron 2 Sea Center Texas and along river
Great Egret 1 Brazos River
Snowy Egret 1 Flying up Brazos
Little Blue Heron 1 Perched over canal near hospital
Black Vulture 20 OVer city property on Canna Lane
Turkey Vulture 3 Flyovers
Cooper's Hawk 1 Chasing grackles near Rec Center
Bald Eagle 1 One immatire along Brazos River
Red-shouldered Hawk 2 Along Canna Lane and calling at Centennial Park
American Coot 4 Dow freshwater canal
Killdeer 6 Various fields
Spotted Sandpiper 1 On Brazos River
Least Sandpiper 1 At Sea Center Texas
Laughing Gull 10 Flyovers at several spots
Ring-billed Gull 2 Sea Center Texas
Royal Tern 1 Flying over river; could also have been a Caspian, but it
looked slimmer
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 4 Near Rec Center
Eurasian Collared-Dove 10 Rec Center & Sea Center Texas
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 Canna Lane and Centennial Park
Downy Woodpecker 1 MacLean Park
Eastern Phoebe 1 Neat ball fields
Loggerhead Shrike 2 Near ball fields
Blue Jay 2 Centennial Park
American Crow 10 Calling and flying over at dawn
Carolina Chickadee 5 Centennial Park
Tufted Titmouse 2 MacLean Park
House Wren 1 Along Dow freshwater canal
Marsh Wren 1 Sea Center Texas
Carolina Wren 5 Centennial Park
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2 Centennial Park
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2 Centennial Park
Hermit Thrush 4 Centennial Park - calling at dawn
Gray Catbird 3 Cetennial Park - only one seen
Brown Thrasher 2 Centennial Park
Northern Mockingbird 3 Centennial Park
European Starling 10 On light stansions
American Pipit 7 Mowed fields
Orange-crowned Warbler 2 Centennial Park
Common Yellowthroat 1 Dow Freshwater Canal
Yellow-rumped Warbler 3 Centennial Park
Wilson's Warbler 1 Across street from home
Savannah Sparrow 1 Ball fields
Lincoln's Sparrow 1 Along Dow freshwater canal
Swamp Sparrow 1 Sea Center Texas boardwalk
White-throated Sparrow 2 Cetennial Park
Northern Cardinal 10 Centennial Park
Great-tailed Grackle 20 At sewage treatment plant
American Goldfinch 3 MacLean Park
House Sparrow 5 Near animal shelter
View this checklist online at
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S16079521
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org/tx)
Edit your Freelists account settings for TEXBIRDS at
//www.freelists.org/list/texbirds
Reposting of traffic from TEXBIRDS is prohibited without seeking permission
from the List Owner
Other related posts:
- » [texbirds] The Big Run - The Most Extreme of Birding Challenges - Ron Weeks
