Time to get a trip bird list....

After camping and driving, A LOT (3900+ miles so far), plus poor weather here near Mt. Rushmore, I have time to get a updated trip list up. To put it very bluntly, these past 2 weeks have been stupid hectic, so actually resting on a bed and typing is relaxing.

Here is what I've gotten so far (again, going by Sibley's taxonomy):

1. Common Loon
2. Red-necked Grebe
3. Horned Grebe
4. Eared Grebe (lifer)
5. Pied-billed Grebe
6. Western Grebe
7. Am. White Pelican
8. DC Cormorant
9. Am. Bittern
10. Least Bittern
11. GB Heron
12. Great Egret (seen near CT/NY border... still counts!)
13. Green Heron
14. BC Night-heron
15. Tundra Swan
16. Canada Goose
17. Cackling Goose
18. GWF Goose
19. Snow Goose
20. Wood Duck
21. Mallard
22. Am. Black Duck
23. Gadwal
24. No. Pintail
25. Am. Wigeon
26. No. Shoveler
27. BW Teal
28. GW Teal
29. Canvasback
30. Redhead
31. RN Duck
32. Lesser Scaup (it is SO neat to see 'our' winter waterfowl up here in breeding plumage)
33. Co. Goldeneye
34. Bufflehead
35. Hooded Merganser
36. Co. Merganser
37. Ruddy Duck
38. Turkey Vulture
39. Black Vulture
40. No. Harrier
41. Sharp-shinned Hawk
42. Cooper's Hawk
43. No. Goshawk
44. Red-shouldered Hawk
45. Broad-winged Hawk
46. Swainson's Hawk
47. Red-tailed Hawk
48. Ferruginous Hawk (lifer)
49. Golden Eagle (3 so far)
50. Bald Eagle
51. Osprey
52. Merlin
53. Am. Kestrel
54. Peregrine Falcon
55. Gray Partridge
56. RN Pheasant
57. Ruffed Grouse
58. Sharp-tailed Grouse
59. Wild Turkey
60. Common Moorhen (lifer)
61. American Coot
62. Virginia Rail
63. Sora
64. Sandhill Crane
65. Am. Golden Plover
66. Semipal Plover
67. Killdeer
68. Am. Avocet (lifer)
69. Gr. Yellowlegs
70. Lesser Yellowlegs
71. Solitary Sandpiper
72. Spotted Sandpiper
73. Upland Sandpiper
74. Dunlin
75. Pectoral Sandpiper
76. White-rumped Sandpiper
77. Semipal Sandpiper
78. Least Sandpiper
79. Buff-breasted Sandpiper
80. Am. Woodcock
81. Wilson's Snipe
82. Wilson's Phlarope (lifer)
83. Boneparte's Gull
84. Franklin's Gull
85. Ring-billed Gull
86. California Gull
87. Herring Gull
88. GB-backed Gull (again, still counts as I was on the road)
89. Caspian Tern
90. Common Tern
91. Forster's Tern
92. Black Tern
93. Mourning Dove
94. Rock Dove
95. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
96. Black-billed Cuckoo
97. Short-eared Owl
98. GH Owl
99. Barred Owl
100. E. Screech Owl
101. Whip-poor-will
102. Co. Nighthawk
103. Chimney Swift
104. RT Hummingbird
105. Belted Kingfisher
106. RH Woodpecker
107. RB Woodpecker
108. YB Sapsucker
109. Downy Woodpecker
110. Hairy Woodpecker
111. No. Flicker (red and yellow)
112. Pileated Woodpecker
113. Olive-sided Flycatcher
114. E. Wood-Pewee
115. YB Flycatcher
116. Willow Flycatcher
117. Least Flycatcher
118. E. Phoebe
119. Say's Phoebe (lifer)
120. GC Flycatcher
121. E. Kingbird
122. W. Kingbird (lifer)
123. Loggerhead Shrike (lifer)
124. Red-eyed Vireo
125. Warbling Vireo
126. White-eyed Vireo
127. YT Vireo
128. Blue-headed Vireo
129. Blue Jay
130. Black-billed Magpie
131. Co. Raven
132. Am. Crow
133. Fish Crow
134. Horned Lark
135. Purple Martin
136. NRW Swallow
137. Bank Swallow
138. Tree Swallow
139. Cliff Swallow
140. Barn Swallow
141. Tufted Titmouse
142. BC Chickadee
143. RB Nuthatch
144. WB Nuthatch
145. Brown Creeper
146. Carolina Wren
147. House Wren
148. Winter Wren
149. Sedge Wren
150. Marsh Wren
151. RC Kinglet
152. BG Gnatcatcher
153. Mountain Bluebird (lifer)
154. E. Bluebird
155. Am. Robin
156. Wood Thrush
157. Veery
158. Swainson's Thrush
159. Hermit Thrush
160. Gray Catbird
161. No. Mockingbird
162. Brown Thrasher
163. Euro. Starling
164. Sprague's Pipit
165. Am. Pipit
166. Cedar Waxwing
167. No. Parula
168. OC Warbler
169. Tennessee Warbler
170. Blue-winged Warbler
171. Nashville Warbler
172. Yellow Warbler
173. Chestnut-sided Warbler
174. Magnolia Warbler
175. Cape May Warbler
176. BTB Warbler
177. Cerulean Warbler
178. Blackburnian Warbler
179. YR Warbler
180. BTG Warbler
181. Palm Warbler (brown and yellow)
182. Pine Warbler
183. Bay-breasted Warbler
184. Blackpoll Warbler
185. Yellow-throated Warbler
186. Worm-eating Warbler
187. Prothonotary Warbler
188. B&W Warbler
189. Am. Redstart
190. Ovenbird
191. No. Waterthrush
192. Mourning Warbler
193. Co. Yellowthroat
194. Wilson's Warbler
195. Canada Warbler
196. Hooded Warbler
197. Yellow-breasted Chat (lifer)
198. Scarlet Tanager
199. No. Cardinal
200. RB Grosbeak
201. Lazuli Bunting (lifer)
202. Dickcissel
203. Spotted Towhee (lifer... 'great plains')
204. E. Towhee
205. Field Sparrow
206. Clay-colored Sparrow
207. Chipping Sparrow
208. Baird's Sparrow (lifer)
209. Grasshopper Sparrow
210. Henslow's Sparrow (lifer)
211. Savannah Sparrow
212. Vesper Sparrow
213. Lark Bunting (lifer)
214. Lark Sparrow (lifer)
215. WT Sparrow
216. WC Sparrow
217. Fox Sparrow
218. Song Sparrow
219. Lincoln's Sparrow
220. Swamp Sparrow
221. Chestnut-collared Longspur (lifer)
222. W. Meadowlark (lifer)
223. E. Meadowlark
224. Bobolink
225. BH Cowbird
226. YH Blackbird
227. RW Blackbird
228. Brewer's Blackbird (lifer)
229. Co. Grackle
230. Bullock's Oriole (lifer)
231. Baltimore Oriole
232. Orchard Oriole
233. House Finch
234. Am. Goldfinch
235. House Sparrow

-MoJo-

Howdy from Rapid City, SD

I packed up my truck Sunday morning (5/23) at Lewis & Clark S.P. after some amazing sight-seeing, camping, birding, and learning. Some new life birds I added were Mountain Bluebird, Lazuli Bunting, Spotted Towhee, Say's Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, Baird's Sparrow (for real this time), Lark Bunting and Lark Sparrow, California Gull, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Bullock's Oriole (f), and Ferruginous Hawk.

I made pals with a really nice ranger who gave me a free 'pop', as they call them out here, for making a tally of the birds I saw while there. My list got to 149 species. My drive from Fargo to the park yielded my 3rd Golden eagle of the trip. The wind whipped off of the lake that laid right behind my tent. It reminded me of Long Island Sound... one morning it was glass, and I was able to scope several Western Grebes.... the next it was white-capped.

I can honestly say they only down side is driving 30 miles to get one bar of cell phone service to the closest town, Williston. Even that was alright because it drove me past a Prairie dog town.


Each night, and Elk 're-marked' his territory, right where I was during the night! Sharp-tailed Grouse and RN Pheasants called at dusk and dawn, coyotes sang out from the canyons, and my closest neighbors for the 3 nights/days were a Brown Thrasher, Orange-crowned/Yellow and Magnolia warblers, Clay-colored Sparrows, Western Kingbirds, a Screech owl, and Mr. Elk.... along with some passer-bys.




After saying my goodbyes and taking a few photos of the rising sun over the lake, I headed south to where I am now... Motel 6 in Rapid City, SD. About a half hour from Mt. Rushmore, Deadwood, and the Black Hills Nat'l Forest. I drove through Sturgis to get here, which was FILLED with Harley bars, dealers, shops and the like. Before I got that far, I stopped half-way at an really neat bar called 'The No.3 Saloon' in Buffalo, SD. Coincidentally, two identical twins came in, which is interesting to me because my good friend feeding my pets my mother won't even look at is a twin. I was outside talking on my cell phone to a different friend back home, and as they left, one of them tossed me a 65,000 year old turtle shell fossil as a souvenir for my trip. It went in the cup with interesting rocks and petrified wood I found on my own.

Unfortunately the ratio of living mammals (not live-stock) to road-killed mammals is around 300:1.... Dead:Alive. I did pass a few Pronghorn Antelope on the drive, and saw a few free-roaming Bison as well. The grassland and badland roads are all lined with wired fence to keep our burgers and lamb from getting out, and birds perched on what seemed like ever 100 feet of them. So again, unfortunately, I saw many road-killed birds too. One of which was a hawk of some sort.

I've now seen 3 sub-species of Red-tailed hawks on the trip, and the drive here gave me great looks at different morphs of Swainson's and Ferruginous hawks. I have another night here, and will probably do a bird tally tonight.... or today, as it will be heavily raining and storming, with winds up to 50mph. Tomorrow will be sunny and 65, though. There are caves to see, and gold to find, and Deadwood to enjoy while I am here. A lot of the stories and characters from the HBO show 'Deadwood' are based on real people/events, and I can't wait to see Wild Bill Hickock's grave... as he was killed in Deadwood. Not sure if Calamity Jane is buried in the same cemetery. I do know I will walk where they did, as well as Wyatt Earp.


The weather for Yellowstone N.P. is NOT what I had expected.... snow and sleet for the next several days, so camping there is out. I will do a drive through and tour, take some photos, then haul to Boulder, CO... where it will be 70-80 and sunny until Friday.


It is now 7:47am (now in Mountain time.... it follows the Missouri I believe.... zig-zags like crazy) in Rapid City.

Signing off for now,

-MoJo-

The freedom of the road....

It is 8:46a(central) in Fargo, and I am going to head to Lewis & Clark State Park in North Dakota for some camping/birding/hiking/photography(finally!) until Sunday morning (5/22).

The campground sits close to great walleye fishing, amazing birding (duh), and is close(relatively... CT is SMALL!) near/on the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers, and the northern section of Theodore Roosevelt Nat'l Forest.

On April 17th, 1805, the park's namesakes camped very nearby as they explored then unknown. To me, very cool.


Next WiFi probably in Salt Lake City, maybe a week or so away. Still awaiting my first Ferriginous....


From Fargo,

-MoJo-

PS:

I can't find Brainard! I want to photograph the Paul Bunyan Statue from the movie. They changed the names, due to the true events, so perhaps the town as well. I'll ask a local. =)

Off to the Dakotas...

I'm in Fargo, ND now, getting ready to camp out for 3-4-5 days in Little Mizzou Nat'l Grassland (far west end, mountain time).

My drive to Fargo added a Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, an intermediate morph Red-tail, and my first Swainson's of the trip. I pulled off to check a pothole which was drying up, and filling with shorebirds... Least, Semipal Plover, and a single Pectoral Sandpiper.

I also spied two Tundra swans in a pothole with a few waterfowl.

I love the potholes.... a Pelican here, Snow goose there, waterfowl anywhere, migration shorbirds... gooood stuff.' Through Minnesota I saw several Cackling geese on their own.

Sandhill cranes fly-over and show up quite often now.


I am adding that sparrow as Henslow's, due to a lot of guide checking and note reviewing. The bird did not have the white lores of a LeConte's, a white eye ring, rusty(er) upper wings, and a big... almost seed eating bill.


Current trip count: 185 (186 if you want to count the Cacklers)

I lost, and bought a new SD card for my camera, so now I can actually take some photos of the birds from here on out!

No WiFi for a while after now...

Next stop, SW South Dakota and the Black Hills...

-MoJo-

...too add from a drive to Dunkin...

(1) Olive-sided Fly perched in the only tree in the field (Madison, WI)
(2) Cackling (Richardson's) goose in field w/other Candada geese.


Sooo... that is now (178) species, and one subspecies since I left Stratford, CT.


-MoJo-

What a week....

(LOTS of birds at this stop in middle Indiana)

CT to NJ, NJ to Cleveland, Cleveland to Chicago, Chicago to Columbus, Columbus to Ann Arbor... the Detroit, now typing from Madison, WI.

I camped out in an truly beautiful area about 20 minutes from the University of Michigan Campus, in a place called Pinkney Rec Area, at 'Crooked Lake' camp ground. My early morning buddies for the two days were singing Worm-eating and Magnolia warblers, Chipping and Clay-colored sparrows, YT Vireo, Common Loons, red squirrels, and dozens of catbirds.

I was in Ann Arbor, because I got to see the SOX LOSE against the Tigers @ Comerica Park in Detroit, which was about an hour away in traffic. Another hour trying to find where I parked (a frequent occurrence so far in the big cities... downtown Cleveland, Chicago, and then Detroit). Birding was done when possible (of course I'll squeeze that in!), but timing and driving length to places had me running all over. My first chance to really bird was in Ann Arbor. I set-up camp around 7:15 (est), done by 8:30p, by 1:00 I heard the loons, CanGos never shutting up all night, Barred and GH Owls, Tree frogs, bull frogs, peepers, and the sounds of calling coyotes that, to me, never gets old. The next morning I had some time to walk the area (huge, many lakes,, several many mile long trails through THICK, mature broadleaf woods, some mixed woods, HEAVILY wooded swamps, powerline cut, and the thickets along the lakes and between campsites.

I left out of Ann Arbor around 3-4p (eastern), and arrived at my Motel 6 (my new best friend when I need a good 8 hours and a shower.... $40 bux for a smoking room w/WiFi. Which bring me to now....

It is 6:15a (central time) here in Madison, and I have one day to just chillaxinate, then be outski tomorrow late morn to the Dakotas. A troop from here.... I think about 14-15 hours. My next )planned) destination is Cedar River Nat'l Grassland on the southern ND border. SD is all rain for the next few days, ND is 65-70s and sunny/partly cloudy for the next few+ days. So... easy decision when you are camping.

To the birds...

I have (not even close to joking) have seen at least 6-700 vultures driving these roads. Only Blacks were in NJ when I left out from my buddies house in Nanuet, NJ.

So far, here is my complete (relatively, I have one to nail down to an ID) trip list:

(1) Common Loon

(2) Horned Grebe

(3) Pied-billed Grebe (almost to the Western and Clark's!)

(4) Am. White Pelican (4 fly-overs)

(5) DC Cormorant

(6) Am. Bittern

(7) Least Bittern

(8) GB Heron

(9) Green Heron

(10) BC Night-heron

(11) Canada Goose (close to real ones in MI!)

(12) Snow Goose (a few fly-overs, one of about 200, and 3 loners in a restoration pool in WI)

(13) Wood Duck

(14) Mallard

(15) Northern Pintail

(16) BW Teal

(17) Ring-necked Duck (interesting sounds from these guys)

(18) Hooded Merganser

(19) Turkey Vulture

(20) Black Vulture (NJ)

(21) Northern Harrier (6 Gray ghosts in the middle of nowhere Illinois/Indiana)

(22) Sharp-shinned Hawk

(23) Cooper's hawk

(24) Northern Goshawk (through Pocono Mnts, PA)

(25) RS Hawk

(26) Broad-winged Hawk (several small kettles the whole way so far... one amazing dark adult)

(27) RT Hawk (many)

(28) Golden Eagle (2 so far)

(29) Bald Eagle

(30) Osprey

(31) Merlin

(32) Am. Kestrel (tons in the grasslands, like the harriers)

(33) Peregrine Falcon

(34) RN Pheasant

(35) Ruffed Grouse.... jamming out on the drums... but I can never track one down!

(36) Wild Turkey

(37) Am. Coot

(38) Sandhill Crane (3 separate times, one in a field, 2 fly-over groups)

(39) Killdeer

(40) Gr. Yellowlegs

(41) Solitary Sandpiper

(42) Spotted Sandpiper

(43) Dunlin (same spot as Solitary and spotted, small restoration pool in bumblescum, IN)

(44) Least Sandpiper (same as above)

(45) Am. Woodcock

(46) Wilson's Snipe

(47) Boneparte's Gull

(48) Frankin's Gull (more since the first)

(49) RB Gull

(50) Herring Gull (CT/NJ... none since.. gone north, right?)

(51) Caspian Tern (lifer)

(52) Common Tern

(53) Forster's Tern (all terns on large lakes or in CHI)

(54) Black Tern (bigger of the lakes in Ann Arbor)

(55) Mourning Dove

(56) Rock Dove

(57) Black-billed Cuckoo (TONS on tent caterpillars in my campground)

(58) GH Owl (juv. response is so neat)

(59) Barred Owl

(60) E. Screech Owl

(61) Whip-poor-will (still haven't actually seen one, heard 3 times in life... Ann Arbor)

(62) Common Nighthawk

(64) Chimney Swift

(65) RT Hummingbird

(66) Belted Kingfisher (one saved in CT very recently from Silver Sands, released next day)

(67) Red-headed Woodpecker (almost numerous in the woods of my campground)

(68) Red-bellied Woodpecker

(69) YB Sapsucker

(70) Downy Wp

(71) Hairy WP

(73) N. Flicker

(74) Pileated WP

(75) E. Wood-Peewee

(76) Yellow-bellied Fly

(77) Willow Fly

(78) Least Fly

(79) E. Phoebe

(80) GC Fly (calling all day in Ann Arbor... well, technically Pinkeny, MI)

(81) E. Kingbird

(82) RE Vireo

(83) Warbling Vireo

(84) White-eyed Vireo (2 places)

(85) YT Vireo (another morning singer at campground)

(86) Blue Jay

(87) Common Raven (leaving NJ)

(88) A. Crow

(89) Fish Crow (drive from Stratford to NJ...actually in BPT)

(90) Horned Lark

(91) Purple Martin

(92) NRW Swallow

(93) Bank Swallow

(94) Tree Swallow

(95) Cliff Swallow

(96) Barn Swallow

(97) Tufted Titmouse

(98) BC Chickadee

(99) WB Nuthatch

(100) Brown Creeper

(101) Carolina Wren

(102) House Wren

(103) Winter Wren (campground trails)

(104) Sedge Wren

(105) Marsh Wren

(106) RC Kinglet

(107) BG Gnatcatcher

(108) E. Bluebird

(109) Am. Robin

(110) Wood Thrush

(111) Veery

(112) Swainson's Thrush

(113) Hermit Thrush

(114) Gray Catbird (I had to tell them to shut up... about 5 around my site)

(115) N. Mockingbird

(116) Brown Thrasher

(117) Euro. Starling

(118) Cedar Waxwing

(119) N. Parula

(120) Orange-crowned Warbler (never heard one sing until this one)

(121) Tennessee Warbler (FOY)

(122) Blue-winged Warbler

(123) Nashville Warbler

(124) Yellow Warbler (tons, everywhere)

(125) Chestnut-sided Warbler

(126) Magnolia Warbler (morning singer at campground, both days)

(127) Cape may Warbler (Lake Shore Blvd in d/t Chicago.... excellent migrant spot)

(128) Cerulean Warbler

(129) Blackburnian Warbler

(130) Yellow-rumped Warbler

(131) BTG Warbler

(132) Palm Warbler ('brown/western')

(133) Pine Warbler

(134) Bay-breasted Warbler (same spot in Chicago)

(135) YT Warbler

(136) Worm-eating Warbler

(137) Prothonotary Warbler

(138) B&W Warbler

(139) Am. Redstart

(140) Ovenbird

(141) No. Waterthrush

(142) Mourning Warbler (Ann Arbor rec area powerline cut)

(143) Common Yelowthroat

(144) Wilson's Warbler (female)

(145) Canada Warbler

(146) Hooded Warbler

(147) Yellow-breasted Chat (lifer.. finally!!)

(148) Scarlet Tanager

(149) N. Cardinal

(150) RB Grosbeak

(151) Indigo Bunting (FOY, somehow)

(152) Dickcissel

(153) E. Towhee

(154) Field Sparrow

(155) Clay-colored Sparrow (with chippers, had to ID by song)

(156) Chipping Sparrow

(157) Grasshopper Sparrow

(158) Henslow's Sparrow ** (not Baird's, not that far west yet, my mistake)

(159) Savannah Sparrow

(160) Vesper Sparrow

(161) Lark Sparrow (lifer)

(162) WT Sparrow

(163) WC Sparrow

(164) Song Sparrow

(165) Swamp Sparrow

(166) E. Meadowlark (I was on the line... white malar)

(167) Bobolink

(168) BH Cowbird

(169) Yellow-headed Blackbird

(170) RW Blackbird

(171) Brewer's Blackbird (lifer)

(172) Common Grackle

(173) Baltimore Oriole

(174) Orchard Oriole

(175) House Finch

(176) Am. Goldfinch

(177) House Sparrow

I need to ID (think I did), but have an good idea already, was either Henslow's or LeConte's Sparrow. I am leaning towards Henslow's due to a smaller bill, rustier wings, no white/gray lores, white eye-ring, and a pretty thick bill. I'm on the fence to add it... either would be a lifer, but one thing that stood out was the lack of white tertials on the bird. So I say Henslow's.... but hey, that's birding.

3, maybe 4 lifers and few FOYs. I'd love input on my notes on the Henslow's/LeConte's

The beach along Lake Shore Blvd in Chicago must be a resting point for northern breeders, it was a GREAT stop!

Birding was done by hiking, driving, song IDs, and random pull overs in bumblescum. Waking up in my tent I IDed about 20-25 birds before I even sat up.

I am in Madison until tomorrow morning, so I think I'll look for a nice spot to bird for the day.... after I take a swim in the indoor pool (!) and shower.

So long for now,





-MoJo-

Day 3 (ish... again)... Cleveland to Chicago w/spots between....

Right now it is 6:00am (central). Yet to sleep... 5+ from Cleveland to Chicago. Though before I left for downtown, I spent like 1 1/2hrs in Cleveland, mostly downtown, but was able to stay below the storm and bird Cuyahoga Falls Nat'l Forest (going back tomorrow after Indiana Dunes Nat'l Lakeshore). The normal migrants, plus a few we don't get at home. Gotta grab the notebook to get the list. Best was an amazingly striking female YT warb, with some brown on the back... normal??

I headed out of Cleveland towards Chi-Town to get my lost licence.... and I did quick stops at random 'birdy-looking spots' (like the one in PA), and had 17 Sandhill Cranes migrating north, YH Blackbirds all over like the grackles at home, about 200 Snow geese in splendid formation, my FOY Tennessee warb, several Blackburnians, Blackpolls abound (early this year, right??), a few Ceruleans (FOY), 4 bay-breasted warbs (FOY), and my favorite of the quick 2m walk through the Falls..... a migrating adult Golden Eagle (also 2 Baldies seen in the area.) A male Wilson's warb let me pish him in too.... another (FOY).


The big thing was the amount of Bonie's acting like RBGUs. Dumpster diving, picking fries from BK in the lot.

Cliff swallows nesting in MANY buildings in D/T Cleveland. Tomorrow I'll grab my licence, then head back to Cuyahoga. Also there were many RB Gros, various vireos, YB Fly, Wood-pewee, Clay-colored sparrow in with Chippers, migrating Peregrine (lots of pigeons!), S. Tanagers up the ying-yang, White-eyed vireo (FOY) in with the norms, another kettle of BWHA (6 this time) over I-80.... one the darkest of the dark morphs I've seen. Daylight Barred owl, 10+ warb species, Wood ducks... not a bad outing. It was actually sunny for a bit.


In D.T Cleveland, two Rastas (Studio Upstairs) were jammin outside, taking requests.... extreeeeeely good vibrations. They played Handsome Johnny (Richie Havens), and the best version of 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' I ever heard.... they changed the key, and slowed it up. Wow. I wish my SD card hasn't been screwing up or I'd have amazing vids of them jamming out.


I skipped the R&R Hall of Fame, because I got free tickets (all free) to watch the Cavs BLOW IT on the megatron screen at Quicken Loans Arena.... game started at 8, by the time I got out of great pub clled the Rascal House, walked around taking photos, the museum would hve been closed..... me, and my music enlightenment need much more than 1-2hrs for a place like that.

The Cliff swallows (if I remember right) were also a (FOY). I also added A. Bittern and Green Heron to the trip list.

Total trip tlly has jumped to over 70 so far... day 3, didn't even make it to the Dakota's yet! Then the great beyond.

I'm checking out the CTBirds list.... good stuff going on! Especially after the storms roll through!


Best from Chicago,

-MoJo-

Tornados, 1" hail.... I'll take a detour!

I am just about out the door in Cleveland to go see the R&R Hall of Fame Museum in D/T Cleveland. Afterwards, I'll swing south (away from these storms) to Cuyahoga Falls Nat'l Forest for a bit of birding, then to Chicago.


I dropped my damn licence at Bank of America in Jersey by my buddy's house, and the gracious manager sent it to Chicago for me... for free! Dope.

So after the rain starts (I'm on the bottom edge of the hard stuff... check the weather!), I'm off to Chicago for a night or two.... unless the rain clears, then I'll camp at CFNF for a couple days. Just gotta be in Detroit for the 1:05p start time of the ball game.



Right now (10:14 am, est) Chipping sparrows are singing, a Yellow warbler is singing, a female Orchard Oriole is looking slendid... even under the grey skies that have been over me since Jersey!! And another lifer..... a pair of blackbirds who required Sibley's.... Shiny Cowbirds. Their iridescence is almost MORE than a C. grackle from home. Chimney swifts, 2 male RT Hummers loving the Lilacs and some other flower I don't know. Last night a flock of maybe 2-300 C. Nighthawks made a pass north. Cliff swallows in D/T Cleveland yesterday, Bonie's flew over this morning.

I guess my Franklin's was a good find.... juuuuuuuust on the edge of their range. Size and call discerned the two.

Hopefully Indiana Dunes Nat'l Lakeshore isn't a monsoon.....


...until next time...


-MoJo-

Quick Change of Plans...

I'm heading up north to see Detroit take on Boston at Comerica, Sunday @ 1:05pm. I selected visitor seats in the home run area.... plan to wear my Jeter shirt, show off my Yanks tat, Hartford Whalers hat.....

.....and cheers my balls off for Damon. I met him after a game (not taller than me!), and he was the coolest dude going.


Until next time.....



-Brian-

(AKA -MoJo-)

Day 1-2 (kinda)

Day 1-2(ish):


I decided, instead of dealing with stupid NYC/NJ/CT traffic in the morn of Tuesday (check engine light went on Sunday night!!!... just a gas cap contact, whew!), I drove to Nanuet, NJ to see a good buddy Kenny who I go to festivals w/and hang out with from time to time. Arrived there (about 75min in traffic... yea, skip traffic.....) about 10:30 and we took in some jams, took in some DBs, and I crashed there.

I set out around noon, after going to the bank an buying a fireproof safe (marked as $40, night crew marked it $18... score!). And just like The Merritt and Hutch.... tree/construction/one lane shit.... so I stayed in Cleveland instead of Chicago. Especially since I would have gotten there by like 5am today (5/12). Motel 6, 5 mi from the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame and downtown Cleveland. I check out tomorrow (5/13) at noon..... on to North Dakota, with a stop at Indiana Dunes Nat'l Lakeshore in Indiana.

I was only about 3 hours in before some (some.... haha) storms rolled in (get ready CT!), so I pulled off I-80 in a place called The Village of Lighthouse. I made sure nothing would get wet, grabbed a snack, wrote in my journal/book, then heard the mojo....

This place was Cabella's, Bradely, Strong Rd, and Griswold all rolled into one. Bobolinks, Baird's Sparrow (lifer), RB Grosbeak, Field Sparrow, Yellow warbler, Catbirds abound.... but the best was a stunning..... stunning, female Prothonotary warbler who came to my pishing. She picked up my MoJo and refused not to chip and show off that blazing white undertail coverts. This was about an hour stop.

(Awesome little town......)

(Where the grassland and migrant birds were in PA)

I got back on the road, as soon as I jump back on I-80...more construction. Now in Ohio at this point, but I did see several Brewer's Blackbirds crossing the highway from grassland spot to grassland spot. A lifer for me! I noticed the smaller size of the grackles coming from the same areas. One nice point in traffic is when I watched an adult Red-tail devouring prey a top a lamp post.... going 1 mph, I got good looks!

40 Species so far... best being female Protho and HUGE 1st year Goshawk coming into a tree on the side of I-80 in the in the Poconos, PA.

Here for one more night.... off to see Cleveland!

-Brian-

Wow that came up faster than the last 4 months!!

I am off and about by 5:00a Monday morning. I just hope I stay awake for Breaking Bad!!


These last few days have been chaotic/hectic/exciting/anxious, etc..... from packing, gather, yada yada.

At least my Blue-wings came home before I left! Still no Indigo Bunting!!!!


This will be my last post until stopover #1.... somewhere near Chicago.


3 days........ then 3 months of anything I want. I am going to leave a tape recorder at various spots over night to pick up historical Americans.... where Kennedy was shot, the Alamo, Gettysburg, etc.... not for me so much, my buddy is big into the ghost mojo.


See you out west!!!!

-Brian-