Yo Ho Ho and a Bag of Popcorn

Alfred Hitchcock eat your heart out!

Pelagic.  The word comes from the Ancient Greek for "freezing birders on a boat."  Actually it means "open sea", so the trip that a handful of birders took yesterday in Cleveland was more like a diet pelagic.  Choppy conditions out on mighty Lake Erie prevented the Holiday ("My was she yar!") from venturing beyond the break wall.  That did not prevent us, however, from seeing some really cool birds.

Personally, I needed one bird to hit my pre-Texas goal of 275.  I would get it, but I needed to work for it.

One of many

Before we even boarded the vessel (I'm going to try and squeeze in as much nautical terminology as possible), I was already impressed with the numbers of Ring-billed Gulls that were congregating in the channel.  These are sea gulls I thought.  These are the stereotype.  Some call them garbage birds.  However bad a rap Ring-billed Gulls get, it is an impressive sight when you see an estimated 35,000 to 40,000 in four hours of birding.

As we made our way down the Cuyahoga towards the lake, a few nice but not necessarily unexpected birds made an appearance.  We had a beautiful male Wood Duck, an adult Cooper's Hawk, and...gulls.

Bonaparte's Gull (my favorite)

Once out of the channel we turned west towards Edgewater Park.  The marina harbored Red-breasted Merganzers, Hooded Merganzers, and one Pied-billed Grebe among other species.  As we headed back east, we got our first look at a Snowy Owl.  We would end up seeing three individuals on the trip, and they certainly didn't mind posing for the birders who instantly turned into the paparazzi.

As we continued on the safe side of the break wall, we picked up more wonderful winged creatures.  A Ruddy Duck delighted many by flying more than a few feet.  A few Bufflehead streaked by.  I spotted a Bald Eagle circling far out beyond the break wall.  Great Black-backed Gulls successfully made all the other gulls seem as small as sparrows.  Oh yeah, we saw those two other Snowy Owls.

After two hours at "sea", I was beginning to get a little antsy.  When I signed up for this trip, I thought I could potentially add up to 5 birds if I really got lucky.  Now, the trip was half way over and I hadn't added a single bird to the big list.

Snowy Owl

These thoughts vanished from my head almost as fast as they had cropped up there.  The reason?  "Purple Sandpiper on break wall!"  I saw it fly.  It disappeared.  I had seen a shorebird but I didn't get a great look.  Was that it?  Was that the only shot I would get at a new bird?  "There it is again!"  The bird flew up from the rocks and towards the bow of the boat.  I was in the stern, and again, all I could say for sure was that I saw a darker colored shorebird.

The boat chugged along, and few moments later the Purple Sandpiper was relocated.  This time I did not let it get away.  Actually, the bird just decided to be very cooperative and I was even able to get a cruddy, but diagnostic photo of it.  Bird #275!  The notable birds were rounded out by the Cleveland Brown Pelican that has been hanging out for months in the rock and roll town.

Purple Sandpiper

As it has been throughout my Big Year, I have found that meeting new people is just as rewarding as seeing new birds.  This trip was a good mix of characters.  There was Cleveland birder extraordinaires Chuck Slusarczyk and Donna Owen.  Great photographers and fun to talk to.  I met a pair of archaeologists named Dale and Brittney who were relatively new to birding.  Dale picked up 10 life birds on the trip and is planning on checking out Magee Marsh next spring for The Biggest Week festival.  Hope to see you guys there!

The real treat for me was riding on the BSBO bus with three knowledgeable, intelligent, and generous people.  Mark Shieldcastle is a founder and current Research Director for BSBO.  I have met him a few times, and he always impresses me by how willing he is to talk at length about the findings he has gleaned from his research.  I talked with him about my upcoming trip to the lower Rio Grande Valley, and he told me that I had to go to Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge.  I had previously decided to skip Laguna due to time constraints until I talked with Mark and he through a wrench into my plans. SHIELDCASTLE!!!  Anyways, it was a blast talking to him.

The other two BSBO peeps included Aimee Weidner and Kelly McKinne.  Aimee is an Education and Outreach Specialist, and Kelly is a naturalist who has volunteered with BSBO for years in addition to working with the Black Swamp Conservancy.  Aimee was lucky enough to pick up 3 life birds.  She was especially excited about the Snowy Owls.

Where Aimee was more quiet, Kelly was a talker (It takes one to know one).  We obviously talked birds, but we also spent a good 15 minutes discussing the recent Detroit Tigers trades.  Baseball and birds.  Story of my life.

The number of birds I see this year continues to decrease in personal importance.  The number itself is not important, but doing a Big Year has pushed me to do things I probably would not have done otherwise.  It's allowed me to meet wonderful people and really enjoy life in general.  With only 23 days remaining, it's hard not to feel a little down about it ending.  Come the 1st of the year I plan on throwing myself into job hunt overdrive.  Until then however, I will enjoy the birds.  Happy birding!