Sunday morning we got out birding with our friend Barb. This is after an overnight Friday-Saturday water polo tournament in Rockford followed by a great Saturday night dinner with Barb and Ellen lasting to about midnight. Nothing like birding on five hours sleep. Amazing what you can see and hear when you’re in a stupor.
We went down to Dansville State Game Area. It’s a heavily managed, really worked over area, designed for people to shoot things. Usually animals but you never know. Migrants are rolling in so the area was fairly productive bird wise. We got 12 new species there.
I almost stepped on a turkey sitting on her nest. Not much of a nest, just a bunch of eggs on the ground, but boy she stood her ground. I was only about two feet away when she flushed out in front of me. Now, that’s something that will knock you out of a stupor. My heart is still racing. 
Turkey nest. Not much engineering but it seems to work.
We also had a very late junco. Usually these guys are up north by now. I guess this guy decided he likes the warmer climes a bit better. Maybe thinking of retiring down on the Gulf Coast? Not a new species but interesting to see something this late in the season.
Where did everyone go?
Right now we need to put some focus on getting the migrants coming through, headed for parts north. Most of the nesting species we have somewhere from weeks to months to get. It’s those that are only here for a couple days that are most important for the big year list. Which means we need to use whatever flexibility in our schedules water polo will allow us.
Lise and I both have 198 species, with a combined total of 202 species. Lise has a great egret, Anna’s hummingbird, ruffed grouse, and a hepatic tanager which I do not have. I have a Brewer’s sparrow, whip-poor-will, black vulture, and a ring-necked pheasant she does not have. The immediate goal is to make number 200 a really good species. Being a lifer and number 200 would be just peachy.
Ed's and Lise's Biggish Years 