Update on the year of Jon

In January I started posting on state/life birds that I hoped to get this year.  Here's an update on how I've done so far:

Mottled Duck-A life bird that shall elude me no longer!  I guess this really depends on the water levels at CB and Q.  If they are good, this is a distinct possibility.=I actually think I had a Mottled Duck at Webster...I just didn't have a camera and couldn't rule out ABD.  What could have been...!

Scoter-Any of the three would be a state bird.  They will be mine; oh yes, they will be mine!=Nothing yet...nothing even remotely close.

Lesser Prairie-Chicken-This is my promise to you, dear reader: I will get Lesser Prairie-Chicken this coming year!=Calhoun took me to a lek in April...it was awesome!

Scaled Quail-The "cottontop" will bite the dust if I make a trip down to SW Kansas.=I'm going to Morton Co. on September 20.  If I get it this year, it will be on that trip.

Clark's Grebe-A new scope will do wonders of my chances of identifying one of these.  A new scope huh....=Got one on Spring KOS.  If I was by myself, I wouldn't have called it, but others had better scopes and more experience.

Red-shouldered Hawk-One trip out East with a little birding involved should nab this state bird for me. Now, if only I can figure out how to make that trip....=No birding trips out East yet this year; therefore, no R-s H.

Black/King Rails-These little buggers cannot avoid me much longer!  Please, Quivira, have good water levels this year!=Tried for them in late April/early May...nada!

Mountain Plover-How did this bird ever get its name?  Did someone see one in a mountain at one time?  Not likely!  This lifer is a real possibility if I make the long-awaited trip to SW Kansas.=I think I could still get them in Morton Co. on Sept. 20.

Long-billed Curlew-Does its bill really need to be that long?  Really?  Another SW Kansas specialty that could appear in my area as well.  State bird.=Lake Coldwater in April!

Sabine's Gull-Not many this year.  Next year?  A lifer t'would be.=I will be looking this Fall!

Caspian Tern-Oh, Prince Caspian, will I ever find you in this state?  Me thinks t' answer would be "yes."=Think I had one at Wilson Sp last weekend, but the bird was in flight and the look was too fleeting.

Inca Dove-Why is it called an Inca Dove?  Hum, I wonder?  Where could I find this little guy?  SW Kansas; that's where.  Well, I think I'm starting to see a pattern here....=Sept. 20?

Long-eared Owl-One of those tree branches will turn out to be a Long-eared Owl one of these days!  My life is not complete without it.=They have still all been tree branches:)

Short-eared Owl-One of those harriers will turn out to be a Short-eared owl one of these days!  My Kansas list is not complete without it.=Pawnee County in the Winter=Short-eared Owl!
To be continued....

Pics of 2013

So it's been waaaaaaaaaaaay too long since I posted.  This year has been a strange one as far as birding goes.  I've had some great experiences and odd sightings interspersed with some long periods of "drought."  I haven't gotten a new year bird in quite some time, so it currently feels like I'm in a slump.
Things at Webster were weird this summer, too.  Because Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira were so dry at the beginning of the summer, I got a lot more birds at Webster.  I also got breeding Piping Plovers and probable breeding Snowy Plovers.  I'm going to post what birds I still need for this year (Snowy Egret!?) soon, but I'm going to dedicate this post to pics.

 Juvie Red-headed Woodpecker near my house

 Black Terns at Webster August 2013

 Six-lined Racerunner at Wilson SP in August '13

 Yellow-billed Cuckoo at Wilson SP (August '13)

Juvie Mississippi Kite in Stockton, KS (August '13)

One of hundreds of Bank Swallows at Kirwin NWR in August '13

Yellow-billed Cuckoo at Rooks SFL

Piping Plover doing a distraction display at Webster Reservoir.  The first confirmed breeding record of the species in Rooks County.

Say's Phoebe that has been around my house since April

Adult and juvie Snowy Plovers.  Although I never confirmed breeding, it is likely that the juvie was born at Webster.

One of 4-5 juvie hybrid towhees found at Webster Wildlife Area in Summer '13

2013: The year of Jon!

Okay maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but it's always difficult to keep perspective as a new year rolls around.  My mind is busy creating lists of all the cool birds I might see.  Here is a list of likely life/state birds I might get in 2013:
Mottled Duck-A life bird that shall elude me no longer!  I guess this really depends on the water levels at CB and Q.  If they are good, this is a distinct possibility.
Scoter-Any of the three would be a state bird.  They will be mine; oh yes, they will be mine!
Lesser Prairie-Chicken-This is my promise to you, dear reader: I will get Lesser Prairie-Chicken this coming year!
Scaled Quail-The "cottontop" will bite the dust if I make a trip down to SW Kansas.
Clark's Grebe-A new scope will do wonders of my chances of identifying one of these.  A new scope huh....
Red-shouldered Hawk-One trip out East with a little birding involved should nab this state bird for me. Now, if only I can figure out how to make that trip....
Black/King Rails-These little buggers cannot avoid me much longer!  Please, Quivira, have good water levels this year!
Mountain Plover-How did this bird ever get its name?  Did someone see one in a mountain at one time?  Not likely!  This lifer is a real possibility if I make the long-awaited trip to SW Kansas.
Long-billed Curlew-Does its bill really need to be that long?  Really?  Another SW Kansas specialty that could appear in my area as well.  State bird.
Sabine's Gull-Not many this year.  Next year?  A lifer t'would be.
Caspian Tern-Oh, Prince Caspian, will I ever find you in this state?  Me thinks t' answer would be "yes."
Inca Dove-Why is it called an Inca Dove?  Hum, I wonder?  Where could I find this little guy?  SW Kansas; that's where.  Well, I think I'm starting to see a pattern here....
Long-eared Owl-One of those tree branches will turn out to be a Long-eared Owl one of these days!  My life is not complete without it.
Short-eared Owl-One of those harriers will turn out to be a Short-eared owl one of these days!  My Kansas list is not complete without it.
To be continued....

Catchings Up

You would think that a life bird that is rare in the state would merit a post.  And I had very good intentions.  Had the bird not been in the middle of the lake and a decent photograph been possible, I swear there would have been a more recent post.  But alas, all my good intentions are worth about as much as Monopoly money.  You see, I saw a Pacific Loon on November 29.  It is now December 9th and I am just now posting about it.  Sad, so sad.
I had mad my usual run around Webster and was about to head back when two birds caught my eye.  I first thought, "loon!" but when I think that, the bird often turns out to be a cormorant.  These two passed further inspection, though, and were clearly not cormorants.  The aspect that struck me, though, was that they were clearly not the same type of loon.  One was a bit larger with a much larger bill.  This  left me two realistic possibilities for the smaller: Red-throated and Pacific.  I guess Arctic is also a possibility, but c'mon...let's be serious here.  Although the bird was distant, I could tell that the demarcation of dark and white was too distinct to be Red-throated.  The bird also never held its bill up as Red-throateds are wont to do.
So there I had it, a new life bird.  Pacific are more expected in Kansas in stark contrast to the arrangement in Michigan.  But they are still not "expected" at any time.  I was thrilled needless to say.
With time winding down and commitments keeping me from birding much the rest of the way out, it is likely that I have seen my last new species in Kansas for the year.  Not a bad year: 251 Kansas birds!

The Days Grow Shorter...

and the year reaches a close.  A birder looks back on the year's list and remembers the special ones.  He looks forward to the coming year when even a House Sparrow brings excitement because its the first of the year.  He ponders on the misses and grins at the fortuitous finds.
As November reaches its dusk and December lurks around the corner, I look back at the birding year 2012.  I set out to see 245 Kansas birds, not a lofty goal but a realistic one considering the arrival of a new family member and the tight budget hindering long birding trips.  I now sit at 250 birds for the state in 2012.  More impressive probably is my 229 birds found in Rooks for the year.  In fact, there were only 2 county birds I saw in 2011 that I did not see in 2012: Black-necked Stilt and Eastern Wood-Pewee.
As 2013 draws ever closer, I wonder what my goals for the coming year should be.  Will it be another "stick close to home" year?  Will it be a "scour the state" year?  Who knows, but I'm excited no matter what lies ahead.

Photos

Here are some decent photos of some of the birds I've seen recently.  I won't bore you with any more words....

 "Just" an American Pipit

 A Pipit in Profile

 A songbird's bane

 Female Merlin

 By far the best shots of a Merlin I've ever gotten

 Here in Kansas, this is already the Winter of the Red-breasted Nuthatch.  I've even got it as a yard bird.

Townsend's Solitaire.  One of a group of four.  Isn't that an oxymoron?  A group of Solitaires?

A Few Surpises

The past few weeks have been pretty crazy in terms of my schedule.  I have made it out some, though.  Unfortunately, I've missed some primo opportunities to take some weekend trips with Henry.  Sooner or later, I'll get to go.
There has been quite a bit of migration going on recently.  The early songbirds and shorebirds have given over to waterfowl, later sparrows, and some "winter" birds.  Here are a few photos of a few nice "winter" birds:

 I love all nuthatches, but these guys are, for some reason, way cooler than their White-breasted relatives.  Maybe it's that cool facial strip, or maybe it's the Red-breasted's nasal voice.  Whatever it is, this awesome guy was frolicking near a maintenance building at Webster SP.

Thanks to Tiff's suggestion, I was sitting on the porch with Caid just taking everything in...and more to the point, trying to keep Caid from fussing (He already loves the outdoors!), when I heard a "jip jip" sound.  Now I wouldn't have told you before that I could pick out a Red Crossbill by voice, and I'm still not sure I can, but "Red Crossbill" immediately popped into my head.  Anyways, this guy landed in the tree in the lot across the street.  He called repeatedly, long enough for me to get my camera and get some documentation shots.  When I came out of the house, he had a girlfriend with him!  They took off not too long after, but not before I had landed another awesome yard bird!

While not really a "winter bird" the next bird was a new county bird for Mitchell County and one that I've had a lot of success finding lately in the surrounding counties.

The bird on the left is smaller, has a noticeably smaller and thinner bill, had a longer tail, and had no yellow/orange on the lores.  All of these traits add up to the first Mitchell County Neotropic Cormorant.  I've been finding quite of these birds in the surrounding counties.  I hope that this continues because they break up the monotony of looking at Double-crested after Double-crested.

I hope to get out some more in the coming weeks to pick up a few more year/county birds.  I'm sitting at 249 for Kansas for the year, so 1 more would put me at 250, which sounds a lot better than 249.  Here a few "likely" candidates: 

Common Loon

Scoter

Short-eared Owl

Long-eared Owl

Le Conte's Sparrow

Marsh Wren

Clark's Grebe (if I can get a good enough look at them to differentiate them from Western)

Sabine's Gull