Long time catch up

Absolutely no excuse for taking this long to update.  Chaos hasn't been kind, but I've had time to do it.  Despite the really great number for the year I missed a lot of Fall Migration, and didn't really feel like I was getting a lot of birds.  I've mostly just picked up stuff specifically here and there, and lucked into others.  Honestly I can't imagine what my number would be if I had a year with no issues, and all the time.  I've not been able to bird in the county for 9 weeks this year because of Chaos.  

I can hardly believe where I am sitting at right now with 2 months left to go and just over 2 weeks of vacation time to have to burn off also.  Since my last update I have amazingly added 8 more FOY birds, with 5 of them happening in October.  I am now at 217 for the year.  

The first of these 8 was an American Avocet, #209,that Dr. Kennedy found at Homer WTP.  Not as good of looks as last year's but no doubt about the ID.  Both Duck Lake WTP and Homer WTP have been the worst I have ever seen it.  Duck Lake WTP had water level higher than ever, and Homer was just covered in weeds.  No real shots at shorebirds, so it was surprising to get this bird for sure.  Especially with no fluddles in play.  Having said that it wasn't until around October I realized that the backwater here had quite a few exposted mudflats from the continuing drought.  

By the end of August I was able to get out more and hit up Woodland Park.  The park wasn't being very well maintained wiht overgrown trails, but I managed to find one of my few target birds in an Olive-sided Flycatcher.  Bonus it was calling, which was a first for me in hearing them.  A week or so later I had a Barred Owl calling at Woodland Park around 10 in the morning.  I managed to get recordings of both calls.  My last expected owl of the year was heard while sitting at my desk with an Eastern Screech-Owl calling on back to back days in mid-September.  Now I wouldn't have to go out at butt crack dawn to find one.  Also unexpected as I was again limited in my birding for these few weeks.  

October has turned into a sprint for me though, and it started off with a Winter Wren I targetted at Grever's.  Sure enough Herc and I ran into one that showed long enough to flash its backside, and show me its rather plain face and then disappear.  That bird officially made this the Biggest Year I've had in the county with #213.  Later that same day I nabbed Surf Scoters out at Duck Lake.  The Surf Scoters tied the full county with #224, same as last year.  

Two weeks after the Surf Scoters showed up for a while I managed to pick out a Red-necked Grebe mixed in with the Ring-billed Gulls at Duck Lake.  My #215 and the county's #225.  Best years ever.  A week later I found 2 more out there for a total of 3 on the lake.  The next day the Grebes continued, and Duck Lake gave up a Lesser Black-backed Gull for me finally.  That was a catch-up bird I missed earlier in the year.  A day later I finally found the Peregrine Falcons in a different spot than Heritage Tower.  Another catch-up bird, and one that hadn't been reported since August.  

This put me at #217, out of #225 in the county.  This is not only my highest number, the county's highest number, but also the best percentage I've ever had at any end of month.  I did miss hitting 100 birds in October, by 1 bird.  We have had so many southern winds the ducks are just not moved down here in numbers yet.  Really great for moths, but not so much for birds.  

I definitely feel a little better about hitting 220 for the year.  Evening Grosbeaks have been showing up all over...except down a swatch that fits right in with the I-69 construction bizarrely.  

There are still lots of corn up in the fields, so blackbird flocks have been hard to find.  Still I look at the bar charts and there might still be a shot to pick up Brewer's Blackbird.  I've still got the 3 little geese to pick up potentially, Ross's, Greater White-fronted and Snow. I have plenty of room on the feeders for Pine Siskin.  Black Scoter, the unicorn (Red-throated Loon, and various Gulls (Glaucous, Great Black-backed, Iceland) as options also. Nearly all of these are basically Duck Lake targets, so lots of birding later in the day will be happening as long as water is open.  Evening Grosbeak or Red-throated Loon would actually put me at #250 lifetime for the county.  Never thought I could hit a number like that.  

Here are some shot from the last 3 months.  Not a lot to brag about.  The Mothing really took up a lot of my attention as it was easier just walking out the door 10 feet.