We made a quick five day trip back to Delaware so I didn’t have much writing opportunity. Had a great time except for maybe the drive back. The weather was mild and we got out for some nice beach walking and birding. Since the piping plovers aren’t in yet we could walk Cape Henlopen Point, going from the Delaware Bay side to the Atlantic Ocean side. The point gets shut down for the piping plover nesting season. The drive back was OK except for an hour wait in PA to clear an accident and then some really slow driving in snow and ice from Toledo back to Okemos. Those little delays added a couple hours to the trip. Gotta love that winter travel.
Cape Henlopen from the Delaware Bay side. Around the point is the Atlantic Ocean. The little blips on the horizon line are a mass of people out for the State Park “First Day of the Year Hike.”
Sunset looking up the Missisilipin River.
Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge.
Waiting to clear an accident on I-70 in PA.
Why there was an accident – fog.
The aftermath. The whole back of the semi was burned out. Someone was evacuated by helicopter.
We got a few new species to wrap up the year. Christmas Day we were walking the neighborhood and got a sharp-shinned hawk. We rolled in to Cape Henlopen the afternoon of December 31 and got sanderling, surf scoter, red-throated loon, and Northern mockingbird. Those species brought me to 229 and Lise to 226 for the year. Those counts include the Panama Canal cruise, but not the Peru trip. I have a North American list set up, which contains all species we saw on the cruise. It doesn’t have the 168 species seen in Peru. No Andean species. Might be time to make a true life-list, not just a North American list.
Sanderling at Henlopen. Didn’t notice it was banded until I saw the picture.
Taking out the cruise and the Peru trip, we did not have a spectacular birding year. It got bitter cold with nasty weather early in the year, limiting travel and outings. As things warmed up, so did Molly’s schedule. Then family matters and some work issues further cut into recreational activities. We didn’t do some usual outings like Sault Ste. Marie, Marquette, or Grayling trips. Consequently we are missing a lot of fairly common species that we have gotten the past couple years. But, the decks are cleared for the next year and we are ready for action in this next trip around the sun.
At least we started this year out pretty good, with over 50 species starting on New Year’s Day. Really nice to start the year at the ocean with some great birding places right at hand. Some were pretty common species but we are just not going to see a harlequin duck or Northern gannet in Okemos. Tomorrow’s job is getting them into the spreadsheet.
A small part of the hundreds of gulls in a flock at Indian River inlet that was said to contain a juvenile, winter plumage, black-headed gull and a little gull. Said black-headed gull looks just like all these Bonepart’s gulls except it has a dark red and black beak (not all black) and red legs. We didn’t find it.
A fisherman in the rain and waves at Indian River inlet. If he slips off those rocks he is seriously dead.
Other birders in the rain looking for the black-headed gull. Since they are not jumping up and down or pointing it is safe to assume they didn’t see it either.
In the next couple days I need to come up with some goals for this year. Goals that revolve around outdoor activities like birding and photography. Not billiards. Last thing I need is encouragement to spend my waking hours in bars and pool halls.
Ed's and Lise's Biggish Years 