Hi all
A few weeks ago some American Robins were in the back yard and an odd one
caught
my eye. It was engrossed in the leaf litter and let me get a shot::
http://home.comcast.net/~jjfoxfox/AMRO.jpg
Of course I tried to turn it into an Eyebrowed Thrush, but it's just a Robin.
The white supercilium is known, a guy in California has a good writeup about
it::
http://montereybay.com/creagrus/AMRO_v_EBTH.html
On 12/16 the Super Sport, now renamed the Rudee Angler, went out 60+ miles and
I
gave it a try. Pretty slow out there for one guy on a fishing boat. One largish
Shearwater with a brownish upperside went unID'd. Three distant Alcids flying
in
a line for a brief second; bigger than Dovekies was the best I could do with
them. A pair of Sooty/Bridled type Terns were a little suprising. Nice looks at
5 Common Dolphins was a bonus.
I'm getting a different perspective on fishing by going out on these trips. I
didn't grow up fishing and hunting and they've always seemed alien. But a guy
landed a 12 pound Ling Cod and everyone got excited, and someone hooked a 5
foot
Mako Shark before it broke the line, and again there was a big buzz. Chatting
with a lady on the looong run home she told me she goes out on almost every
trip. "It's like you and the birds," she said, "I've just gotta find the fish".
Island 1 of the CBBT the next Monday had 4 Purple Sandpipers, nice to compare
to
Ruddy Turnstones in case I ever stumble onto Rock Sandpipers on
the west coast (dipped on 'em on three trips, so far) (Trivial ID note:
winter Ruddy Turnstones have brighter legs than winter Black Turnstones.)
Bonaparte's Gulls were steadily streaming into the Bay between islands 1 and 2.
The odd bird of the day was a Red-shouldered Hawk just that sat on the rocks
for hours:
http://home.comcast.net/~jjfoxfox/DSC_9631.jpg
until I got too close:
http://home.comcast.net/~jjfoxfox/DSC_9633.jpg
I was halfway to Norfolk on that trip when I realized I had forgotten to bring
a
field guide, so I stopped and bought the 5th edition National Geographic guide.
It is excellent. The printing is superb, which is the most important thing.
Ducks are now in the front, which seems to be the new way, there are 7 thumb
indents on the edge to break up the book for flipping through to find your
bird,
a family index on a fold on the front cover, a quick index on a fold on the
back
cover that is handy and easy to use, and a fantastic map of the hemisphere from
the equator to the pole on the inside back cover. ABA rarities are grouped
together in the back and have an utterly fascinating writeup about the records.
For example, Eurasian Wryneck:
"Two fall records from Alaska: a specimen (chinensis) taken at Cape Prince of
Wales, 8 Sept. 1945, and one photographed at Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, 2-5
Sept, 2003. A dead bird found in southern Indiana was believed to have been
artificially transported"
Official but kind of gossipy, you know? Many records are from Paul Lehman's
initiative to bird Alaska in the fall in recent years and many are from former
Virginian Brian Patteson's initiative to do pelagic trips on the East Coast
over
many years. Kudos to both of them.
And speaking of Brian, since he just came up like that :-), has he given up on
Virginia? He's posted his 2007 schedule at:
http://www.patteson.com/
and our home state ain't there. Brian, if you're out there please consider
running some trips up here. You can still use the Nancy Anne or another local
boat if bringing the Stormy Petrel up isn't feasible.
My bold prediction for 2007 is that Black Swifts will be documented nesting in
Arlington Co, along the Potomac river cliffs opposite Georgetown U near the
Windy Run waterfall. There will be speculation that they've been around but are
so damn hard to get on that they've gone unnoticed. You heard it here first!
I'm signing up for rappelling lessons, if I don't chicken out or kill myself
I'll
get some photos. Or, I'll go down in a heap of ridicule. Either way, I'll be
out
there looking, learning and having fun. I hope to see everyone out there
somewhere.
Best to all next year,
John Fox
Arlington
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