One Eye Open and Always Listening

Call me a curmudgeon, but I just have not been pumped up for migration this spring and often let the world of birds buzz around me without taking notice.

Eastern Screech-OwlMaybe it’s work, maybe it’s my unfinished taxes, maybe it’s the fact that the regulars have become blasé, but my obliviousness is mostly due to my OCD over ESOWs for TOBY (Tommy’s Owl Big Year).  Nights are filled with mining the data, pumping the contacts, and even prowling the woods.  There has been little time for the ordinary.  This indifference should not be mistaken for a lack of awareness of my surroundings or of the current events in the birding world.

Eastern Screech-OwlSometimes things do catch my attention requiring me to investigate matters further.

Eastern Screech-Owl

As I’ve been Screeching lately, some of the ordinary birds have stopped me cold–only because I thought I was taking machine gun fire.  Turns out it was just a Good God Bird.

Pileated Woodpecker

Screech-Owls love tree cavities.  So do Wood Ducks.  Still, I was astonished to find no fewer than six pairs of Wood Ducks in the treetops in two small city parks.

Wood Duck

Wood Duck

The Eastern Screech-Owl focus has been pretty laser-like, but I am still doing my due diligence when it comes to listing/chasing.

I recently went after a lifer Red-throated Loon in Brainerd which had a decidedly not-red throat and even more decidedly un-Loonlike appearance, as in it didn’t appear at all.  The consolation was a small flock of Bohemian Waxwings under a blue sky.

Bohemian Waxwing

Bohemian Waxwing

Bohemian Waxwing

Also in recent birding adventures, I picked up MN #299, Mountain Bluebird, after two attempts. I even have a crappy photo to prove it.

Mountain Bluebird

A nearby American Tree Sparrow was slightly more accommodating.

American Tree Sparrow

At the county level, progress on the list has been steady, albeit unexciting. Ross’s Goose was a solid add and bonus points were earned for a three-Goose photo.

Ross's GooseAnother overdue addition was American Woodcock, peenting style. (Turn the volume way up)

Though not a new county bird, I continue to document the rare ones, like the Mute Swan, for eBird.

Mute Swan

One only knows what more will show up this migration.  One bird that migration won’t drop in my lap is the Eastern Screech-Owl.  For that I must fight the good fight and play the numbers game.  I’ve got two months to figure it out.  The truth is I love the focus of a singular goal, even more so when it’s a challenging one. Bring it on, Screech.

Eastern Screech-Owl

An Unadvanced Birder working on a VIB’s Advance Team

Every so often in our quirky, obsessive hobby of birding, someone gets the idea of doing a Big Year in the hopes of becoming a record holder for his or her county, state, or continent. Pursuing such a number is nothing new and most birders succumb to number seeking in one way or another. Maybe I’m a bit biased because of my personal investment, but when Tommy DeBardeleben announced his Owl Big Year, I was genuinely intrigued.  According to Tommy, he must see and photograph all 19 species of Owls that regularly occur in the United States in 2016.  Seeing all the Owls in one’s lifetime is quite the achievement, let alone seeing them all well in a single year. Tommy got off to a good start in Minnesota in January and has continued knocking out Owl species left and right since he got back to Arizona.

Just as surprising as Tommy’s Owl Big Year announcement was his decision to return to Minnesota in June. The TOBY immediately makes Eastern Screech-Owl the number one target for his return to the land o’ lakes.  Not only does he need it for the TOBY, but it would also be a lifer for him.  As Tommy’s host, the pressure is on…again.  Unlike those winter Owls, though, I have only ever seen one ESOW in my life and not by any skill on my part {gulp}.   ESOW is a year-round resident that can be found throughout the state.  That does not translate into them being easy finds.  I’ve made seeing/finding the easternmost Screech species my main goal for 2016.  It is a good goal, a solid goal. It has given some direction to this new year of birding in which I was just drifting along.  It is a goal that requires a great deal of inquiry of wise old Owlers as well as searching on my own–no stone unturned as they say, or more appropriately, no cavity unchecked.

Eastern Screech-OwlThis Eastern Screech-Owl was brought to the public’s attention this past week when  skillful Twin Cities Owler Erik Berg discovered it on a regular cavity check in Minneapolis.  Since then, the bird paparazzi have been encamped underneath this tree.

Will this Owl be around for Tommy? Doubtful.  Still, it had been a long time since I had me an ESOW sighting. I had to go check it out and scope out the lay of the land for the TOBY, just in case. Also, I had never seen ESOW eyes before.

Eastern Screech-OwlSince this Owl was just 5 minutes from my brother’s house, the kids came along and got some solid cousin time.  Jason joined me on this Owl check-up and got some great looks through others’ scopes.

Eastern Screech-OwlAfter going back to Jason’s house, I came back a little later for one last check hoping the Owl would be more in the open.  It was slightly better this time.Eastern Screech-OwlRest up, little buddy, you may have quite the visitor to entertain in a few months.

Eastern Screech-Owl

All Tied Up at 15 Apiece

Long-time followers of this blog may recall in the early years how upset Evan would get if I got a life bird and he didn’t.  Over time, though, his interest in birds has waned to a level that is healthy. Unlike Evan, my addiction has only continued to rage, and I have gone on many chases or birding outings in recent years without him.  And it doesn’t bother him when I then add new birds.  There was one bird, however, I saw a couple years ago that Evan didn’t that did kind of bug him.  I’m referring to the Long-eared Owl I saw in Arizona with Laurence Butler when Evan opted to go back to the car with Grandpa.  That’s the kind of missed opportunity that can haunt a person.

But here’s the good news: Evan got his Long-eared Owl lifer this winter, and–newsflash–it happened on the epic Tommy & Gordon Owl Expedition!  Time and circumstances have not allowed me to share until now.  We made a stop to look for Long-eareds…somewhere in Minnesota…on our way south that last day.  And Tommy, who was responsible for originally finding the AZ Long-eared, delivered for us here in Minnesota by spotting Evan’s lifer and my state LEOW.  That gave us an incredible SIX Owl species for that trip (Great Gray, Snowy, Northern Hawk, Barred, Great Horned, and Long-eared).

Long-eared OwlSo the Long-eared got Evan caught up with me on Owls at 14 Species. Then there was that Northern Saw-whet I went to see, which for reasons I still cannot figure out, Evan opted out of that easy, guaranteed, short chase and instead went to his sister’s dance practice. Once again the Owl numbers were askew.  However, our whole family recently made a stop at the Saw-whet location so my coworker, Brad, could collect the pellets for some science students to dissect.  Evan got his lifer and tied me once again.  A bonus was that we saw it with an un-pelletized deer mouse.

Northern Saw-whet OwlEvan and I both now stand at 15 Owl species apiece.  Here are the species we have seen listed in the order that Evan saw them:

  1. Great Horned Owl (MN)
  2. Great Gray Owl (MN)
  3. Barred Owl (MN)
  4. Snowy Owl (MN)
  5. Northern Hawk Owl (MN)
  6. Eastern Screech-Owl (MN)
  7. Burrowing Owl (AZ)
  8. Elf Owl (AZ)
  9. Western-Screech Owl (AZ)
  10. Northern Pygmy-Owl (AZ)
  11. Spotted Owl (AZ)
  12. Barn Owl (AZ)
  13. Short-eared Owl (MN)
  14. Long-eared Owl (MN)
  15. Northern Saw-whet Owl (MN)

There are 19 species of Owls that occur regularly in North America.  The four that we have not seen are Boreal Owl, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Flammulated Owl, and Whiskered Screech-Owl.  As our good friend, Tommy DeBardeleben, pointed out, all 19 can be seen by visiting just Arizona and Minnesota. That’s a pretty fun fact for a couple of MN birders that go to AZ annually. The Boreal is the only one of the four remaining Owls that can be found in Minnesota, making it the number-one most wanted bird here.  Next year is supposed to be an irruption year.  Boreal Owls irrupt every four years, and the winter of 2012-2013 was incredible for them. Hopefully by this time next year we will have secured that bird.  Regarding the other AZ Owls, I’m sure it’s just a matter of a couple more trips…