ABA Blog

ABC and Partners in Flight Meet This Week in Utah

Editor's Note: The ABA is pleased to welcome American Bird Conservancy President Dr. George Fenwick to the blog to introduce the 5th International Partners in Flight Conference and Conservation Workshop, held this week in Snowbird, Utah.

In addition to the critical conversations and trans-hemispheric planning sessions occurring at the meeting this year, the ABA is proud to announce our presence there as well. We'll be taking our acclaimed conservation program Birders' Exchange on the road, distributing optics and equipment to deserving researchers from all over the hemisphere right on site.

Without further ado, here's Dr. Fenwick.

--=====--

I don’t write a lot about meetings, especially in advance.  This post is the exception that proves that rule.  There is a meeting that will take place outside Salt Lake City, Utah, August 25 – 28 and if this meeting does what it’s designed to do, it will be a banner day for birds but more specifically, it will be a banner day for declining neotropical migratory birds found in the Western Hemisphere.

The meeting in question is the fifth international meeting of Partners in Flight (PIF) and is being hosted by American Bird Conservancy. PIF (www.partnersinflight.org) was formed as a collaboration of hundreds of groups and agencies in 1990, in response to growing concerns about the decline of many of our landbirds, especially neotropical migrants.  Its partner list is a Who’s Who in bird conservation in the Americas; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service supports the only paid position in the partnership – the Partners in Flight National Coordinator.  

PIF has been described as one of the most ambitious conservation efforts ever launched, but it doesn’t do a lot of conferences – roughly two per decade. That’s a useful thing when the economy is tight and travel is expensive. For that reason, bird conservationists took note when this fifth international PIF conference and workshop was scheduled for this summer. At this point, hundreds of ornithologists and other scientists are expected to attend. Participants include not only home-grown NGOs concerned with these migratory bird problems, but a range of bird experts from 14 countries and almost 100 organizations from Canada and Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.

PIF and ABC are doing everything they can to help ensure that this year’s meeting shapes the future of bird conservation, which is a tall order indeed.  Our target - simple to voice but exceedingly complex to implement - is a better life for the declining migrants found in the Americas. We hope to reach that goal  by working together on a set of “conservation business plans” designed to identify and prioritize actions needed to improve the habitats used by the migratory birds. In recent years, “business plans” have become attractive to donors because they are necessarily very specific in identifying what will be achieved for a given commitment of resources.

To that end, collaborative teams are being formed for eight different ecological regions used as wintering grounds, geographically linking north and south to cover wintering, breeding, and transit areas. These teams and conference attendees will develop specific sets of programs and projects to address the most pressing threats for these regions and their migratory birds. The result: a “conservation blueprint” for our most imperiled migratory species.

We have set up the meeting to be inclusive, inviting all who are concerned about birds and their conservation to attend, participate, and contribute. It is an opportunity that does not come along often on a stage this large.  It seems like the pieces are in place for this collaboration to produce a lasting legacy for conservation. Such things have happened before -- prominent scientists and conservationists coming together and significantly changing the course of conservation. In 1917, Victor Shelford gathered scientists and formed the Ecological Society of America, leading to the publication of The Naturalist’s Guide to the Americas (1926) and launching the modern conservation movement in the United States.

Another historical moment in bird conservation occurred in 1985, when research showed that waterfowl populations had plummeted to record lows. Concerned groups and individuals came together to create the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, recognized by both the United States and Canada in 1986 and later joined by Mexico. That plan has generated more than $5.3 billion to purchase and enhance waterfowl habitat on more than 20 million acres in these three countries­—a remarkable legacy of coordinated public-private action.

In addition to the working sessions, the meeting also offers plenary sessions that run the gamut from provocative:  Can Conservation Save Birds?  – to international:  The Challenges and Success of Migratory Bird Conservation in the Wintering Grounds, from the Latin American Perspective – to fresh approaches: The Partners in Flight Full Life-Cycle Approach: New Directions for Bird Conservation.  See the full line-up of plenary sessions here. 

Special sessions – nine in total -- have something for everyone, including:  A Western Hemisphere Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for All Birds; Understanding and Overcoming the Social Challenges of Bird Conservation; and Migration Stopover and Bottlenecks for Long-distance Migrants within the Western Hemisphere. Check out the full schedule.

And of course they have a full set of birding field trips after the heavy lifting of the meeting has taken place: 

For more than 20 years, under the banner of Partners in Flight, thousands of our best scientists, conservationists, and educators have labored to understand, address, and enlighten us about the disappearance of migratory birds. These are great people. Let’s hope they can make a difference again. If you care about bird conservation and you haven’t signed up for this meeting, you should check it out at www.pifv.org.

Open Mic: Bird Feeding Standards to Live By

At the Mic: Ernie Allison

Ernie Allison is a self-proclaimed bird nerd with a particular interest in environmental conservation. He prefers to spend his time going on nature hikes with his grandkids and tending to his yard. He’s been told that his bird feeders collection is out of control but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

--=====--

As the temperatures rise I find myself spending increasingly more time sitting on my back porch and watching my bird feeder with a glass of iced tea in hand. I enjoy sitting in the shade and watching the birds eat at my bird feeders and bathe in my bird baths. The more birds that I have in my yard, the happier I am. I have become attached to my backyard companions, so much so that I find myself constantly searching for new ways to attract them into my yard and to care for them.

This has made me wonder what the limits are in terms of feeding the birds and I’m sure many other bird lovers wonder the same thing. How much is too much? How many feeders are too many? Are there specific things I should be avoiding when trying to bring more birds into my yard? My goal has always been to have as many birds frequenting my yard and feeders as possible while keeping their best interests at the forefront of my efforts.  In order to do this, I have a few standards that I follow when feeding wild birds.

Feeder Placement

Where you place your feeder is extremely important. I like to try to make my feeders visible from almost any location in my yard so that I  can enjoy them at all times but there are a few general rules that need to be followed with deciding on feeder placement.

Windows-Take note of any windows or glass doors on your property, whether they are on your house or on a shed. It’s common for many birds leave the feeders and crash into windows. This can result in an extremely injured bird that may never be able to recover. You should place your feeders either as close to the windows as possible or as far away as possible. Placing feeders as close to windows as possible may seem counterintuitive but the idea behind it is that birds will not be able to get up to full speed before hitting the window when they take off. Closer than 6 feet to a window is usually recommended.

Trees and Shrubs- Placing feeders close to trees and shrubs may seem like a good idea but it may actually be putting the birds in danger. Cats and other predators can hide out and attack and unsuspecting bird who happens to be frequenting your feeder. If you happen to have a lot of trees on your property, select your feeder location carefully.

Food Choice and Amount

With obesity being such a hot button issue, it can be easy to get caught up in portion control when it comes to you and your pets.  While portion control is important for you and your pets, it’s really not necessary for wild birds. Some birds may look a little chubby, but their fluffy feathers make it impossible to determine their weight with only a visual inspection.  Wild birds are also disciplined in that they only eat until their stomachs are full. Most of them also have a sort of insurance policy against gaining weight in the form of a crop. A crop is just a little pouch near a bird’s gullet that helps to digest food and only allows a certain amount of food to reach their stomachs at any given point in time.

You should be less concerned with how much you are feeding the birds and pay more attention to what you are feeding them.  Don’t get carried away and put out whatever food you have available just to bring birds into your yard. Just because donuts are treats for us does not mean that you are doing birds a favor by setting them out. Never set out processed foods or breads because many species are unable to digest it. Processed foods and breads are also high in salt which can be extremely bad for birds because they are unable to excrete it the way humans can.

When choosing food for your feeders, you should gravitate towards high quality seeds and fresh produce. Black oil sunflower seeds are usually winners when it comes to satisfying wild birds. They crack easily, are high in protein and fat, and are easy for small birds to handle.

Feeder Maintenance

You need to maintain your bird feeding stations much like you do so in your own kitchen. Dirty and unkempt feeders lead to disease which can kill of birds, sometimes an entire flock, not to mention any other wildlife that may come into contact with it. Throw out any food that has molded or gone stale and give your feeders a good cleaning every now and then. Be sure to stay away from chemicals when cleaning because they may be extremely toxic to birds.

If you want to keep birds frequenting your yard on a regular basis, make sure you avoid letting the feeders become completely empty. When birds come across an empty feeder, they will move on to the next and that next feeder or source of food may not be in your yard. 

Open Mic: Wader Quest hits the road to Washington

At the Mic: Rick Simpson

Rick Simpson of Newport Pagnell, UK, is a bird guide, illustrator, author of Confessions of a Bird Guide, and a Birdlife Species Champion. 

He previously wrote about Wader Quest at the ABA Blog,  in Thailand, the UAE, and Florida. 

--=====--

If we thought the wind in Florida was strong, we were in for a bit of a surprise when we got to Washington. As our plane approached the runway I nervously glanced over, looked out of the window and was dismayed to see the runway approaching us from the side! I take my hat off to the pilots of this world, at least I did that day, the landing, despite the aforementioned approach, was one of the smoothest I have ever encountered. Wader Quest’s host in Washington, Knut Hansen just happens to be an airline pilot too, and dismissed my story as being a normal everyday occurrence at that particular airport. Either way, safe and sound we jumped into Knut Hansen‘s car hoping to add to our quest total of 68 and headed for Ocean Shores on the northern edge of Grays Harbour.

We drove down through torrential rain and strong winds, all the time hoping that this maelstrom would blow itself out, alas, our hopes were forlorn. We got out of Knut’s car and headed across the beach littered with logs and other flotsam and jetsam brought in by the strong winds. We headed across to the harbor protection jetty and started searching for ‘rockpipers’ as Knut called them, Black Turnstone, Surfbird and Rock Sandpiper.

The last of these was the most important of the three, seeing these birds later further south was not likely so we had to get them there, and the weather did not help matters much. We quickly came across a small group of these birds that kept popping up from between the boulders only to quickly drop back down to shelter upon realizing their folly. We saw Black Turnstone and Surfbird, but we could not find a Rock Sandpiper among them. As we left, a beached Great Northern Diver, that’s a Common Loon to US birders, gave us excellent and privileged views, but that did not compensate for the lack of Rock Sands!

Black Turnstones, photo by Elis Simpson

We drove around the vast harbour heading south and stopped at a sewage treatment plant near Hoquiam where Elis spotted a couple of phalaropes, these turned out to be Red Phalaropes which pleased Knut far more than it did me! It turned out that these were a vanguard and we were to see many more of this species before the day was done with us.

We then headed around to Westhaven where we spent the rest of the daylight fruitlessly searching for the Rock Sandpipers both at the State Park, where we came across more Red Phalaropes sheltering on puddles in the car park, and at the rocky breakwater jetties near the marina. As night fell, weary and soaked to the skin, we sought shelter at a motel. The beer and warming food that evening in a bar nearby went some way to cheering us up, but the news that the weather the following day would be “the same; but worse” did not.

However, when we awoke in the morning it was to a cloudless sky and a much abated wind speed, optimistically we headed out in the dark and realizing this was a bit silly stopped at a diner for a sumptuous breakfast to await the anticipated dawn. We then headed back to the jetties, this time enjoying our birding so much more. We split up, Knut headed west, Elis east and I stumbled along somewhere in between the two. It wasn’t long before Elis was waving her arms frantically and I joined her at the viewing platform. I discovered she had found a flock of ‘rockpipers’. As I arrived they flew off, out across the harbor mouth! My heart was in my mouth as I watched them go, I could see that there were three species there, the Black Turnstones and Surfbirds again and yes, a smaller bird, this was surely our target. I watched and feared we’d have to relocate them back at Ocean Shores when suddenly they turned, changed their mind about leaving and flew straight back to the jetty in front of us, the flock comprised 12 Surfbirds, 7 Black Turnstones and to our utter joy and intense relief, 4 Rock Sandpipers! A shameless display of joy ensued with the waggled dance being performed by all three of us, Knut had joined us by then and his pleasure at our sighting was plain to see.

Rock Sandpiper, photo by Elis Simpson

We then had a pleasant and relaxed day’s birding, even adding another tick for Wader Quest in the form of Wilson’s Snipe at Bottle Beach State Park, before heading back to Seattle for our flight back to California the next day.

On the last evening of our stay Knut helped us get directions for a flock of Mountain Plovers that had been seen in Carrizo Plains north of Los Angeles. Armed with maps downloaded from ebird, a GPS, a map and a great deal of optimism we set forth and, as we pulled up at ‘x marks the spot’, I started to tell Elis that we should start scanning for these precious birds. As I was doing so, to my amazement and joy, I found one, then another, then another. We had come across the flock exactly where they were supposed to be, all 22 of them.

Mountain Plover, photo by Elis Simpson

There was little else for us to do than return to Los Angeles, spend the night in Hollywood, do the touristy thing of looking at the famous sign (which provided good birding too incidentally) and then head south to San Diego, stopping en route at Bolsa Chica where we finally got our Long –billed Curlew.

San Diego awaited us and for our part, we couldn’t wait to see what it had to offer.

2013 Camp Colorado: The Experience of a Lifetime

By Sam Brunson

Sunday, July 21, 2013, I landed in Denver, arriving with a group of young birders from Georgia to attend the ABA's Camp Colorado 2013. The moment the plane's landing gear touched the runway, a seemingly 144+ hour birding marathon began. I had never birded in the western bastion for birds of Colorado, and couldn't wait to start seeing all the birds, going to all the amazing locations, and getting to know all the leaders and my fellow campers. 

I knew before going that the trip was going to be amazing; however, it turned it out to be more than just amazing. Camp Colorado was the experience of a lifetime.

Camp Colorado was the experience of a lifetime for a plethora of reasons, but three things will always shine bright in my memory: the birds I saw, the places I went, and most of all, the people I met. 

Black-billed Magpie (Photo by Caden Haines)

The Birds I Saw
We woke up relatively early every morning, with some days having earlier starts than others. For some, waking up at 4 a.m. might seem a bit tedious and exhausting, but the thought of seeing all the new birds and exploring new areas always helped everyone get up and at 'em in the wee hours of the morning.

Usually we ate breakfast at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado, where we stayed for the duration of camp, but for the days when we had to get up early we dined on the go. Speaking of food, we had one of our best birds of camp while we were all stopped for a brief snack: the Black Swift. While most of us campers were snacking on granola bars and trail mix, Steve Howell, one of our fantastic leaders, called out a pair of Black Swifts circling high in the sky.

Right then I, along with my fellow campers, learned an important lesson: you are always birding. When you are in the field, you are birding. When you are taking a break, you are birding. When you are eating a snack, you are birding. If you lose you focus while birding, you might miss seeing an amazing bird, such as a Black Swift.

The Places I Went
One of my favorite birding spots of the week was high up in Rocky Mountain National Park at Medicine Bow Curve. After driving for a while through the park and making a few stops, we arrived at our destination to find one of the target birds of the day: the White-tailed Ptarmigan. 

We didn't have to wait long on our mini-hike along the tundra as we spotted the well-camouflaged birds lurking around a large hill. The ptarmigans were tough to see, but with our army of binoculars, spotting scopes, and birders, the entire group was able to get great looks at the elusive species.  

A group of us kept going in search of more ptarmigans, but only saw Mountain Bluebirds, American Robins, and a lone Horned Lark. As we headed back, we noticed that those in the group that had stayed behind were all looking intently around a wide-spread bush, and once we were within talking distance learned that an adult White-tailed Ptarmigan and her four chicks were walking around the bush. Everyone rushed as fast as they could (making sure to stay quiet and not disturb the birds), so that they could look at the birds.

Earlier in the week, we had an amazing experience seeing a Golden Eagle. We driving on the highway on the way to the Pawnee National Grassland in northeastern Colorado, and spotted a raptor sitting on a fence post 5-10 feet from the road. From far off we campers assumed that it was some type of hawk, but it turned out to be much more than just "some hawk." As we got closer and closer to the raptor, everyone realized at the same time that the bird wasn't a hawk, but an eagle. A Golden Eagle. A mad scramble for binoculars and cameras soon ensued as all the campers plunged to the right side of the vehicle trying to get closer looks at the amazing bird.

Golden Eagle at Pawnee National Grassland (Photo by Marky Mutchler)

The van was able to get parallel with the massive bird, who proceeded to allow photos for only a few seconds until it flew off in the opposite direction. Thankfully, it didn't go too far off so everyone was still able to get to see the beautiful bird.

The People I Met
Without a doubt the leaders were one of the highlights of Camp Colorado. Camp Directors Bill Stewart and Jennie Duberstein did an extraordinary job keeping the week running smoothly and organizing every day of camp. Joining Bill and Jennie on staff were Jeff and Liz Gordon, Jeff Bouton, David La Puma, and Steve Howell. We also were able to bird with Ted Floyd, the editor of Birding Magazine, and many other great birders during the week. 

Common Nighthawk at Crow Valley Campground (Photo by Sam Brunson)

All of the leaders did a fantastic job of teaching us about birding and without them, camp would not have been the same. The numerous talks, pieces of advice, lessons, and tips given by each leader helped shape every single camper into a better birder

Another highlight of the camp was having the opportunity to meet other birders my age. I made life-long friends at Camp Colorado and can't wait to bird with them in the future. 

Finishing Up
Camp Colorado wasn't just about seeing as many new birds as we could. Camp Colorado was much, much more than that. It was about learning to become a better all around birder: learning how to identify birds better than before, learning how to fully utilize a field guide, learning about bird behavior, learning about the amazing world of radar ornithology, learning how to lead a bird walk, learning about the importance of bird conservation, learning how to digiscope, and learning about what it means to be a birder. 

American Three-toed Woodpecker in Rocky Mountain National Park (Photo by Ben Thesing)

If you ever have the opportunity to go to Camp Colorado, go! You won't regret it, I can tell you that for sure. Another thing I can tell you for sure is that I will never forget Camp Colorado, because without a doubt, it was the experience of a lifetime.

About the author: Sam Brunson, 17, lives in Savannah, Georgia and has really gotten into birding in the past four years. He and his cousin run their blog, Two Birders and Binoculars, a website dedicated to helping others become better birders.

This post is cross-posted at The Eyrie. 

Related articles

Birding a Fourteener

2013 Camp Colorado Dispatch

More from 2013 Camp Colorado!

The Stars at Night, a Wood-Rail in verse

The Rufous-necked Wood-Rail of New Mexico, sadly having most likely moved on now, has inspired no shortage of excitement among birders in the ABA area and beyond. Even those of us stuck on the wrong side of the continent - like yours truly - have really enjoyed watching so many birders so excited about a single sighting and the carnival-like atmosphere that resulted.

photo by Jeff Gordon

 

Perhaps the most creative response to the wood-rail was sent to me by poet Tom Crawford. I share it with you now.

 

THE STARS AT NIGHT

Tom Crawford

I wanted to be a more serious poet,

grind my teeth in the dark,

get existential with my emotional fatigue

but with one good bourbon on ice

I was always in bed by 9:00.

And in the morning, couldn’t help it,

the early light dazzled me

and like clock work, here come the birds

again, right through my window.

Of course, by then I’m lost

to any feelings of hopelessness

which also meant I had no chance

with East coast magazines where celebration

tends to raise a stink. My up beat,

excitable poems, well—you can blame it

on the birds, their variety, colors, habits, long

evolution—I’ve been unable to resist.

There are lots of people, I’ve discovered,

not all that comfortable with happiness.

Now I’m resigned to a small circle of friends

who have also turned to birds.

That’s right, they put out suet and seed.

And they won’t live where they can’t see

the stars at night. The other day someone spotted

a South American Rufous-necked Wood-Rail

in the Bosque del Apache in New Mexico of all places.

The news went viral. Birders came in by car and plane

from all over America just to glimpse this darling.

Everybody was happy.

--=====--

Tom Crawford is a teacher and the author of 7 books of poetry, the most recent, The Names of Birds which is available through his web page: tomcrawfordpoetry.com. His love, besides birding and writing about birds, is presenting at bird venues. Most recently, Mono Lake's Bird Chautauqua in Lee Vining,  California.

Open Mic: Wader Quest in the USA

At the Mic: Rick Simpson

Rick Simpson of Newport Pagnell, UK, is a bird guide, illustrator, author of Confessions of a Bird Guide, and a Birdlife Species Champion. 

He previously wrote about Wader Quest at the ABA Blog here,  to Thailand here, and the UAE here. 

--=====--

North America has some of the most interesting waders and our quest would not be complete without at least one visit there. We touched down in Miami, Florida late at night with 55 on our Wader Quest list having added Red Phalarope and Green Sandpiper in the UK and a lucky Eurasian Woodcock over the car on the way to the airport. After a bit of stressful searching we managed to find somewhere to rest our weary heads for what remained of the night and hit the sack.

In the morning we awoke to the dreaded sound of torrential rain beating down on our motel roof, undaunted (well, to be honest a little daunted) we headed out and across town to Key Biscayne. We had an appointment with Rangel Diaz, ranger at Crandon Park so loafing in bed was not an option, however appealing it may have seemed.

We were early, the gates were shut and a strong wind was coming in off the Atlantic, but at least it had stopped raining by the time we got there. Soon enough the gates were opened and after pottering around enjoying the early morning birds (this was Elis’ first trip to Florida), we went and met our host Rangel. With him we found Jim King, erstwhile Crandon Park manager, who had come down especially to meet us and together we all jumped in the buggy and set off for the beach.

The wind was still whistling in from the sea when we alighted from our vehicle, we were finding it hard to stand, bracing ourselves against this natural force. Yet somehow, the large gathering of lightweight waders a little further along the beach from where we were, seemed to be standing, each on one leg, with little difficulty. Scanning through them it was apparent that the bulk were Black-bellied Plovers with a smaller number of Short-billed Dowitchers.

We edged closer and saw some smaller birds, Calidrids, mainly Dunlins and Sanderlings, then we noticed the plovers. A small group of them were sheltering behind a lifeguard hut. This hut made a good vantage point for us to check them out. It was immediately obvious that we had a mixed flock of Semipalmated and Piping Plovers in about equal numbers.

Piping Plover was one of our big targets for the trip and we were pleased to see them so early in the day. In among the plovers a few peeps started to get noticed, both Least and Western were also Wader Quest ticks. Turning my attention again to the plovers one bird caught my eye, it looked bigger and heavier in the bill, surely this was another of our targets, Wilson’s Plover, and happily, so it proved, one of two, another being found nearby.

As we watched the birds we were joined by Daphne Rodriguez another ranger at the park, Robin Diaz a local bander who told us a delightful story about one of the colour-ringed Piping Plovers called Rocky (read Rocky’s story here) and Charlotte Miller from the local newspaper who was covering our visit. There we stayed, sheltering from the wind, enjoying the close proximity of some of our favourite birds and chatting at length about birds and waders in particular.

After a short dash to tick off a Western Spindalis nearby (couldn’t resist it), and a further chat at the centre, we said our goodbyes, thanked Rangel and the gang for their hospitality then we were off, heading for The Everglades National Park.

Our brief visit to the Everglades was not altogether successful, arriving as we did with little time to spare and at high tide, therefore no waders. We quickly left and headed back towards Miami. After an overnight in a hotel we headed west along the Everglades Parkway heading for Bunche Beach near Fort Meyers. Guess what? When we arrived it was high tide and what was visible of Bunche Beach was about three foot across! We saw one or two waders such as a Western Willet that was a new species for us and then headed for the Ding Darling Sanctuary where we added Spotted Sandpiper, Killdeer and Greater Yellowlegs.

In the morning we headed back to Bunche Beach which was much more visible this time, the tide being out and all, timing is everything with intertidal birding. We wandered around the sand and mud and enjoyed close encounters with some more Piping Plovers, noting their colour rings so that we could find out more about them later (results here) and many assorted peeps and larger waders. The only new addition to the list however was a distant view of a couple of Marbled Godwits but there was no sign of the hoped for Long-billed Curlew. As we were leaving the beach we had a close encounter with Bald Eagle, these birds are impressive and always a joy to see, but this bird flew so close we could see its thoughts reflected in its eyes.

This pretty much concluded our stay in Florida, after an overnight in Miami we took a flight to Los Angeles and just had time to bird the LA River adding a much anticipated American Avocet there before the next morning heading north to Seattle, Washington.

Open Mic: Alexander Wilson, the Father of American Ornithology

At the Mic: Roger Bird

The great ornithologist Alexander Wilson died 200 years ago this month. Lifelong birder Roger Bird, a retired journalism prof who works as a freelance editor and writer, offers a remembrance. 

--=====--

Alexander Wilson, a Scottish immigrant who became the father of American ornithology, was just off the boat when he started his scientific career by “collecting” – shooting – a Red-headed Woodpecker.

This jarring note for a modern birder happened in July of 1794, when Wilson was walking from Newcastle, Delaware to Philadelphia, after emigrating from Scotland.

 “The first bird that presented itself as he entered the forests of Delaware … was a Red-headed Woodpecker, which he shot, and considered the most beautiful bird he had ever beheld,” his friend and biographer George Ord recorded.

Wilson, then 28, would go on to research, write and illustrate (color plates which rival Audubon’s), and peddle door-to-door the multi-volume American ornithology; or, The natural history of the birds of the United States. He died 200 years ago this month.

He was, like many other new arrivals in that time, a failure in his homeland looking for a better future in America: a failed weaver (weaving bored him), and a failed pedlar who paid much attention to Scotland’s countryside and wildlife and little to the profit-and-loss ledger.

 

Alexander Wilson, American Ornithology; or The natural history of the birds of the United States, 1808-1814, 1. Maryland yellow throat. 2. Yellow breasted chat. 3. Summer red bird. 4. Female. 5. Indigo bird. 6. American redstart, pp. 6 ff.

 

Along the way he supported himself by teaching school, editing an encyclopaedia, and travelling town to town and door to door to sell “subscriptions” – payments in advance for the expensive books coming off the press in Philadelphia.

The bulk of Ord’s biography consists of Wilson’s own words, mostly in letters (some topping 5,000 words) to colleagues, friends and family.

Ord and others who accompanied him in the field praised his focus: “When in the forests, in pursuit of birds, he was deliberate and attentive – he was, as it were, all eyes, and all ears.”

He travelled thousands of miles “from the shores of the St. Lawrence to the mouths of the Mississippi, and from the Atlantic Ocean to the interior of Louisiana,” he wrote in the preface to his life’s work. He did it on foot, horseback and rowboat (720 miles from the upper reaches of the Ohio to Lexington, Kentucky), shooting birds for study in an age without binoculars, spotting scopes or field guides. At first he drew birds by candlelight at home after a day as schoolteacher in a village on the Schuylkill River, learning as he went – “the face of an owl, and the back of a lark, have put me to a nonplus.” Later he did the same in a tent in the wilderness of Kentucky, the Carolinas, the Indiana and Mississippi territories, and all over the central and eastern states or soon-to-be states.

At first, in his home near Philadelphia, he just wanted to fill the gaps and correct the errors of European naturalists with “their caricatured figures, fanciful theories, fables and misrepresentations” of North American wildlife.” By 1804 he was confident enough to write a friend about “my plan of making a collection of all the birds in this part of North America.”

Many of those birds were unknown to naturalists.

 

Alexander Wilson, 1766-1813. American Ornithology, or, the Natural History of the Birds of the United States: illustrated with plates, engraved and colored from original drawings taken from nature. Philadelphia: Bradford and Inskeep, 1808-14.

Returning from a trip to Niagara Falls in late 1804 (two months, 1,200 miles), “I shot a bird of the size of a Mockingbird, which proves to be one never yet described by naturalists.” Later “I shot three birds of the Jay kind, all of one species, which appears to be undescribed.” (Wrong this time: it was a Canada jay, already known to naturalists.)

 

He sent some of his drawings to President (and scientist) Jefferson, who replied, “The jay is quite unknown to me,” but on the “general observation” that all North American birds and mammals are different species from similar European ones, “I conclude with confidence that your Jay is not a European bird.”

In 1806 he proposed to Jefferson an expedition by boat “from Pittsburgh to the Mississippi, thence to New Orleans” down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers “and to continue my researches by land in return to Philadelphia.” No dice. Pike, and Lewis and Clark got the nod from the president.

Field work then and now could be frustrating. He wrote about a nuthatch hunt: “After jumping a hundred fences, and getting over the ancles in mud, (for I had put on my shoes for lightness,) I found myself almost at the junction of the Schuylkill and Delaware, without success, there being hardly half an acre of woodland in the whole neck; and the nuthatch generally frequents large-timbered woods. I returned home at eight o’clock, after getting completely wet, and in a profuse perspiration.” (Timberland was being converted to farms; loss of habitat was starting.)

He was critical of some names assigned to new species as naturalists tried to establish standard lists: “A name should, if possible, be expressive of some peculiarity in colour, conformation, or habit; if it will equally apply to two different species, it is certainly an improper one. Is migratorius an epithet peculiarly applicable to the robin? Is it not equally so to almost every species of turdus (Latin for “thrush”) we have?”

The first volume of American Ornithology came out in September 1808. Samples in hand, Wilson headed out on the first of many trips, “to exhibit his book, and procure subscribers.”

At Princeton “the reverend doctors of the college” left him unimpressed, especially a professor of natural history, who “scarcely knew a sparrow from a woodpecker.” In Newark, people “repaid me with the most extravagant compliments [for showing them the printed book], which I would have very willingly exchanged for a few simple subscriptions.”

Later he went south, “visiting every city and town of importance” as far as Savannah, Georgia and met with Jefferson, who impressed him, in Washington. He found the South disagreeable, and was dismayed by slavery and its effects on its victims and their owners: “The extreme servility, and superabundance of negroes, have ruined the energy and activity of the white population.”

And as he travelled, he continued “making excursions with my gun.” Some casualties would make us flinch: Near Wilmington, North Carolina, he killed two Ivory-billed Woodpeckers – which went extinct in the 20^th century – and injured a third. “This bird I confined in the room I was to sleep in, and in less than half an hour he made his way through the plaster, the lath, and partly through the weather boards; and would have escaped, if I had not accidentally come in.”

He studied bird behavior as well as anyone could without binoculars, webcams and sound equipment. A bird he called “Catesby’s Cowpen-bird,” likely a Brown Cowbird, “never builds itself a nest, but, like the cuckoo of Europe, drops its eggs into the nests of other birds … I have found no less than six nests this season, with each a young cow-bird contained in it.”

“As I entered the state of Tennessee … coursing along the rich valley of Manskers creek,

where I again met with large flocks of paroquets … I made some interesting additions to my stock of new subjects for the Ornithology … many of the birds are altogether new.” Those “paroquets” were the now-extinct Carolina Parakeet. 

A letter from “Natchez, Mississippi Territory” in May 1810 asks whether drawings he had sent earlier had arrived. The drawings, which had taken months of work, were never found, a constant risk in an era of wobbly postal service. This loss came on top of an attack of malaria after too much time in swampy terrain.

To sell subscriptions, he knocked on wealthy doors and talked his way inside to show his sample volumes. Often he was welcomed. One householder wrote, “You seem to be travelling for the good of the world; and I cannot, I will not charge you any thing. Whenever you come this way, call and stay with me, you shall be welcome.”

But not always. In Haverhill, Mass. during the 1812–14 war, the locals thought he was a Canadian spy and jailed him until the local magistrate “dismissed him, with many apologies for the mistake.”

In April 1813 he was elected to the American Philosophical Society of Philadelphia, published volume 7 of American Ornithology, and went to New Jersey to work on sea birds. By August, he had completed the text but not the plates for volume 8, but he died of dysentery and overwork on August 23.

Ord took over the almost finished project. Wilson had produced eight of an eventual nine volumes in just seven years. 

IFO Report: Tubenoses of North Carolina

by Alvaro Jaramillo    

    Tubenoses… sounds like a 80s New Wave band? Or we could fancy it up and call them the Tubinares, now they sound upscale, perhaps European? Well, they can be European, they can also be from the south, the very far south. I am talking Antarctica and the southern oceans! These guys are the seabirds with tubes for their noses, not gulls, terns, gannets, penguins, cormorants, puffins or any other of the myriad of seabirds, but the “top shelf” seabirds, the group that includes the petrels, albatrosses, storm-petrels, fulmars, and shearwaters.

    What is so special about the tubes you might ask, well it is unique in birds, and gives them a certain look when up close. The tubes may be there to partially have better aim at finding food, as many of the species use smell as a way to find it, but it also may be to forcefully eject salt water as they get that all important salt balance right. These two characteristics get at the fact that these are ocean going birds, and for all of them the ocean is their life, land is only a place to keep your eggs dry. They only come to land to nest, and at no other time; they eat, sleep, preen, rest, migrate, and any other activity you can think of, on water. Some of the bigger species have several years of immaturity before they are ready to come to breed, and for these many years they roam the oceans learning to know the sea, to be a seabird.

Black-capped Petrel

            There are seabirds, and then there are seabirders. To say that seabirders have a romance with the tubenoses is an understatement; it is a great passion, and sometimes borderline obsession that develops. You see, when you see a petrel arcing high up over the waves, in a stiff wind, as if nothing mattered, as if nothing can stop it, you realize that as a human you are so limited. That while freedom and ability to do something amazing is within our reach, nothing we can do can ever be as effortless, poetic and poignant as watching a shearwater, petrel, or albatross out on the open ocean. Tubenoses are not chock full of color like a tanager, but they have nice lines, and they handle their environment with grace, style and mastery. I will stop there though and clarify, that yup I am one of these people who loves seabirds. So it was with great happiness that last year my friend George Armistead upon his hiring as events coordinator at the ABA mentioned some magic words to me: Hatteras, tubenoses, teach, next year! Whoa, what? The ABA was bringing back the Institute for Field Ornithology (IFO), workshops and this was going to be the first. Three pelagic trips and land birding near Cape Hatteras, to explore and learn about the tubenoses of the North Atlantic. Was I in? George had me at pelagic….

            So there we were, plan in place, with Nate Swick to offer backup and before you knew it the IFO was full! The North Atlantic Tubenoses IFO happened in early June and it was a heck of a good time. In Norfolk, VA the early arrivals met up for drinks the eve of the tour, we met new faces, re-acquainted with friends, and planned the next day’s activities and exchanged birding stories of course. The questions came up, on what seabirds had been seen recently, what was the weather looking like, the latter question of particular significance as a tropical storm had gone over just the previous day. Not a huge storm, but enough to drive a few Magnficent Frigatebirds, and Brown Boobies to shore. Folks also asked me how many times I had been out here on these boats, and some were a tad surprised when I said none!

Great Shearwater

    Yep, I was a Hatteras virgin. Although I have spent tons of time leading my own pelagics in California, Chile and have traveled in the southern Atlantic, I had never made it to Hatteras and how sweet it was. Apart from the fact that I would be as excited and eager to see even the commonest birds on this trip, like others who had never been out there, there was a longer term reason for my involvement here. Next year George and I are doing it all again, but in my home turf of California, so keep looking out for those announcements and hop aboard quick as this year’s was maxed out quickly.

            One thing I had not realized was that Hatteras is not close to any place. You really have to want to get there, and make an effort. For the birder this is not an issue, as the birding along the way is super. We stopped at various spots, including Bodie Island, Oregon Inlet, and Pea Island. The birding was good, great looks at various terns, shorebirds, and surprisingly out of season Common Eider and American Pipit! Ironically the pipit may have been the rarest bird of the trip, as they should not be anywhere near here during this time of year. There were Lesser Black-backed Gulls, some messy looking ones, along with very nice Least Terns, Black Skimmers and American Oystercatchers, all birds I see as emblematic for the Atlantic/Gulf coasts. For the westerners extra exciting were the American Black Ducks, White Ibis and common species such as Northern Cardinal, Blue Grosbeak and Eastern Towhee to name a few. But this was icing, as we had come for tubenoses, not just regular noses!

Wilson's Storm-Petrels

            Our first encounter with tubenoses was not in the field, but indoors! Part of what makes an IFO different than a birding tour, is that there are classroom sessions to give background, context and preparatory information to help understand and identify what we see in the field. This makes for a richer, and well-rounded birding experience and you do come out knowing a lot more than when you came in. This is particularly useful on pelagic trips, as often you do not have much time to get on the birds, and you can’t chase them down or call them in as you might on land. In addition sometimes there is trepidation about pelagics, particularly for beginner or intermediate birders, so it was helpful for some to have this additional information to add a certain comfort level to these ocean going outings. Also to our favor of getting ample experience with these seabirds was that we had booked a total of three pelagic trips with Brian Patteson on the Stormy Petrel II out of Hatteras. This was a lot of time at sea, and part of the key to success out there is time!

            To sum it up we had some great birding offshore. The first trip was a great one with a wide variety of sightings, a nice species list and pretty nice weather. The second day was flatter and dead calm, almost windless but not as good for birds save for some better views of some species observed on day one, but additionally some sightings of marine mammals and Loggerhead Sea Turtle! The final trip was at first an iffy one, weather was windy and nasty the day previous and it was unclear if it was going to be messy out there. Brian looked at his weather resources and decided that very same morning that it was a go! We lucked out as the weather was really favorable and we saw some superb birds out there, this was the best day yet. It wasn’t luck really; this was Brian’s ample experience out there which we were lucky to have on our side.

Loggerhead Sea Turtle

            Having had a lot of experience in the Pacific, including Easter Island, I had seen the “real” Herald Petrel out there many times. But I had never seen the Atlantic version which often is separated as the “Trindade Petrel.” I told George, if I see that sucker I will write up a proposal to the AOU committees to consider separating the two species based on the recent and historical data we have on these birds. Well on day three a quick fly by of a dark morph Trindade Petrel had me partly wishing I had not said anything, but elated on the other hand as it was a lifer for me! So I stuck to my promise, and now this proposal is going through the South American committee and will be sent to the North American committee soon, so we can resolve this taxonomic issue.  

    Staying with the taxonomic issue I had a sort of double lifer involving one species! Serious, I did. Having never been to this part of the ocean the Black-capped Petrel was a new one for me, and we saw this local specialty on all three of our trips. Some years ago Brian Patteson and Steve Howell noted that this species comes in a paler white-necked version, and a darker necked/faced version. They also saw that the wing molt, which is timed according to the breeding season, occurred at a slightly different time in these two types suggesting that they bred at slightly different times. Hmmm, all very peculiar, and suggestive that there is more to learn about Black-capped Petrels. Well just recently a new paper was published looking at the genetics of Black-capped Petrels and they confirm that the two types differ genetically by an appreciable margin, and the suggestion is that there may in fact be two species in the Black-capped Petrel. If so, one of these may be unnamed, so a new species to science! Great for us was that on our second and third day we saw the darker version of the Black-capped Petrel, so if there are two species, we saw both!! So that is how you get a sort of double lifer.

Bridled Tern

            They were memorable trips, with awesome birds, and a great crew of birders, and real crew with Brian and Kate Sutherland as first mate, chum-master! Over the three trips we had amazing views of some nice seabirds, including a Great Shearwater that we could have hand fed, Bridled Terns that went by so close you could practically smell them. A surfing Bridled Tern that we all though looked hysterical hanging ten (or actually hanging 8) on its longboard. There were Audubon’s Shearwaters, a distant Manx Shearwater, Pomarine Jaeger, Cory’s Shearwaters, as well as the above mentioned petrels. The other set of regional specialties are the storm-petrels, and we saw more than our fair share of Wilson’s Storm-Petrels behind the boat. Some were amazingly close and came in to the joy of the photographers on board. The Band-rumped Storm-Petrel was rarer but observed on each of the trips, and some were pretty nice views. By the molt pattern and overall look, we decided we saw the possible split, “Grant’s Storm-Petrel.” There is a complicated and unresolved situation of potentially several different species involved in what we currently call the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel.

"Grant's" Band-rumped Storm-Petrel

The birds are what we came for, but we were thrilled by the flying fish, the Long-finned Pilot Whales, offshore Bottlenose Dolphin, Atlantic Spotted Dolphin and some distance beaked whales which we never were able to see well unfortunately. Birds, whales, turtles, fish, fried fish…it was quite the trip! We made new friends, re-acquainted with old ones and just had a fun time while learning and enjoying one of nature’s wonders, the Gulf Stream!  

 The California version of this IFO will happen next year in August, and it promises to be birdy and educational. We will have the classroom sessions as well as three pelagics, perhaps two from Half Moon Bay and one from Monterey Bay. This year the IFO filled fast, so keep that in mind when the official announcement is made. 

 

Open Mic: Wader Quest in the UAE

At the Mic: Rick Simpson

Rick Simpson of Newport Pagnell, UK, is a bird guide, illustrator, author of Confessions of a Bird Guide, and a Birdlife Species Champion. 

He previously wrote about Wader Quest at the ABA Blog here and about Wader Quest's trip to Thailand here.

--=====--

    Arriving in the hot and dry UAE after the muggy climate of Thailand was something of a relief; our Wader Quest total after Thailand was 46. We landed in Abu Dhabi, but intended to stay in Dubai where our good friend and guide Tommy Pedersen lives. It also happens to be near to some of the best places to look for waders in this desert sheikhdom. The drive up to Dubai was interesting if not wholly exciting but as we approached the city it seemed to rise out of the desert before us, it’s glass panelled skyscrapers twinkling like millions of fairy lights, reflecting the scorching sun.

    Despite Tommy’s grave warnings we booked a hire car the next day, driving in Dubai turned out to be significantly less stressful than I had become used to in São Paulo and we headed out to the Pivot Fields with eager anticipation. The pivots referred to in the name of the site are huge wheeled irrigation contraptions that trundle slowly around pouring water onto the soil, enabling crops and the like to be grown. They are fixed at one end and describe huge circles of fertility in the desert.

    We knew that some Sociable Lapwings had been seen there recently, we were very keen to see these as it would most likely be our only chance for them during our quest. On arrival we parked outside the gate and walked in. There were a few birds around that were immediately obvious, the striking Hoopoe, the equally striking and common White-cheeked Bulbul and the odd Grey Francolin scurrying across the track. There were also many migrating pipits and wagtails, but their identification went undecided as we pressed on in the direction of the last sighting of the lapwings.

    The most obvious wader was the Red-wattled Lapwing, the same noisy species we had seen in Thailand, but here the Thai version’s white cheek patch merges into the white on the underparts forming a bold white line down the side of the neck.

 

Red-wattled Lapwing

    As we were scanning through these a darting movement behind them caught my eye. As I looked all I could make out was what appeared to me to be two bright yellow sticks poking out of the ground. As I tried to decide what they were, they moved and revealed themselves to be legs supporting one of our target species, White-tailed Lapwing. The colour of this otherwise rather undemonstrative bird, blended so well with the surroundings that when it stands absolutely still it all but disappears. That said, those splendid yellow legs do draw attention, but until they are used for what legs are designed for, i.e. walking, they don’t give the bird away, looking like a couple of disembodied sticks distracting would-be predators from the juicy, plump and edible body perched on top of them.

 

 

White-tailed Lapwing

 

    Much heartened by this success a more determined scanning of the fields ensued. Out beyond the birds that we had been looking at were more, smaller waders. The first to be identified was Little Ringed Plover along with several Common Snipe which were hunkering down in the ploughed furrows. With these was a surprise, two ruff trotting about on the bare earth, then several Common Ringed Plovers and three Pacific Golden Plovers.

 

Pacific Golden-Plover

    I was watching these Pacific Golden Plovers and talking out loud to myself, giving a sort of running commentary,

 

                “Pacific Golden Plover, no, two, three… fo… hold on a moment, that’s a (expletive deleted) Sociable Lapwing… yes!” High fives, broad grins and the customary Wader Quest waggle dance became the order off the day, good job there was no-one around to witness it.

 

Sociable Lapwing

    The following day we were being guided and transported by Tommy. This was going to be an exciting day, we were going to be whizzed around the desert looking for birds and also interviewed by a national newspaper into the bargain.

 

    We met along a deserted desert highway north-east of Dubai, it almost felt clandestine, certainly out of the ordinary for us. Our reporter friend arrived and we headed over a nearby sand dune which, to our surprise, was hiding a wetland area. This was the silted bay at Umm Al Quwain, as we headed along its southern edge, in the distance, we could see what looked like a large gathering of avocets, large black and white birds wading in the shallow water, but these were no avocets; these were our target for the morning, Crab Plovers. These peculiar looking and exquisite birds are unique in that they nest in burrows, the only wader species to do so. We approached quite close in the vehicle, but these birds were wary and started getting agitated, so we stopped to admire them from a safe distance. Tommy counted 237 of them and then told us the sad news that this bay was destined to be turned into a marina for the rich and famous. This left us feeling rather low despite the wonderful sight of the birds.

 

Crab Plovers

    After our interview with Colin Simpson, (no relation) for the newspaper, we set off once again with Tommy driving along good roads through the desert. We now headed south-west of Dubai and pulled off the highway at Ghantoot. Here there is a jockey club where Cream-coloured Coursers frequent the manicured polo lawns, this is what we had come to see. These birds are spread right across the desert but they are significantly easier to find on these lawns.

 

    Unable to get close to the bird we settled for scope views under the sizzling desert sun, ravenously consumed the delicious sandwich that Tommy’s wife Maja had prepared for us and after a brief stop at  the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary in Dubai where no new birds were added our short, but successful, desert stop-over drew to a close.

    After a short break in the UK, a planned visit to the great United States of America was eagerly anticipated. 

Open Mic: Wader Quest heads to Thailand

At the Mic: Rick Simpson

Rick Simpson of Newport Pagnell, UK, is a bird guide, illustrator, author of Confessions of a Bird Guide, and a Birdlife Species Champion. 

He previously wrote about Wader Quest at the ABA Blog here. 

--=====--

The first major trip of Wader Quest, I suppose inevitably, was to Thailand in pursuit of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper, supporting that species being the reason the project was created in the first place.

We were ably assisted on the first day of this trip by ex-pat Swede Peter Ericsson whose intimate knowledge of the Pak Thale and Lampkbia region of the gulf coast of Thailand was to prove invaluable.

Naturally concentrating on seeing the spoonies first we headed for Pak Thale. Inevitably though we saw many waders along the way and as wader lovers it was impossible to simply drive past large flocks of Great Knot and Broad-billed Sandpipers, we had to stop. In doing so we also saw our first Long-toed Stint, Common Greenshank, Greater Sandplover, Black-winged Stilt, Wood and Marsh Sandpipers and Red-wattled Lapwings… you see what I mean? You couldn’t simply by-pass that lot with a clear conscience.

 

Great Knots

 

On arriving at Pak Thale we were really tense and nervous. Would we see the spoonies? Today was our best hope if we were to see them we reasoned, with Peter’s help, what if we miss them? Would we be able to find them ourselves? Looking across the salt pans at the thousands of shorebirds including many Red-necked Stints that were a similar shape, size and colour, we realised that looking for these diminutive waders was a ‘needle in a haystack’ situation. Careful scanning and identification was obviously what was required, or, alternatively a good guide who knew where to start looking! We had an anxious half hour scouring the flocks when the birds were not where Peter had last seen them, but returning to the same spot a little later, we noticed a bird photographer out at the next salt-pan along. We walked out to where he was and joy of joys he indicated that he could see the spoonies. The only problem was, we couldn’t, we’d have to move closer to see them and risk disturbing them. Bravely and perhaps selfishly we moved closer, the birds were unconcerned, now Peter and Elis could see them, but I couldn’t. As birders you will all know how this situation feels, everyone has seen the bird but you, a nightmare. I scanned and scanned and in the end admitted defeat and asked where the hell these birds were. Elis pointed at the nearest bird! Well, who’d have thought of looking there?

 

Spoon-billed Sandpipers

With this success under the belt we moved on to look for more species, vowing to return to see more of these little beauties another day.

 

Next stop revealed another sought after species, Grey-headed Lapwing, I love Vanellus lapwings and then, although not the greatest of views against the light, another mega Nordmann’s Greenshank. Stopping at various spots in Peter’s itinerary we added Curlew Sandpiper, Pacific Golden Plover, Common Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Black-tailed Godwit and Ruff before catching a boat ride out to the famous sandy spit at Lampakbia.

 

Gray-headed Lapwing

This is another must-do destination for visiting birders, especially those with waders on their mind. This is the best spot, probably on earth, to see the newly rediscovered White-faced Plover. This bird has had a chequered career taxonomically, but now is considered a true species again, especially by us that have seen one! In addition to this lovely little bird there are the equally lovely and almost as rare Malaysian Plovers. These two gems shared the beach with Kentish Plovers, Mongolian Sandplovers, Sanderling and a single Terek Sandpiper.

 

As we enjoyed these birds a large flock of Eurasian Curlews flew over, I noticed something odd among them, a darker looking bird. Through the bins it was obviously a curlew, but it appeared darker. As they turned in the light it was clear that it had no white back and was a warm cinnamon colour, we had found our first and, in the end, only Eastern Curlew of the trip.

After that initial day of a thousand delights new birds were difficult to come by. We added Common Redshank for the trip the next morning on our way to the King’s Project ponds that we had visited the day before with Peter. Here we found Temminck’s Stint that we had not been successful with the day before and were delighted when a couple of snipe we flushed proved, by their lack of white trailing edge to the wing, to be Pintail Snipe.

Another spot that Peter had shown us was, we were told, good for Greater Painted-Snipe. So we trudged up and down looking for them, but to no avail. There was a drivable track alongside the boggy area from which I reasoned we would possibly see these birds on the deck from the car, sadly dodgy parking by an unknown motorist rendered this plan unworkable so we walked the track instead and sure enough we flushed a Greater Painted-Snipe. Good enough views but I was still convinced my plan would work.

 

Greater Painted Snipe

The rest of our time at Pak Thale and Lampakbia was spent divided between passing time with the spoonies, often hours at a stretch simply enjoying the privilege of being in their company, and driving around allowing Elis to get photographs of as many waders as we could get close to, it was most enjoyable and relaxing.

 

We then had to return to Bangkok, but before setting off I was doggedly determined to have a go again for the Greater Painted-Snipe from the car. This time no impediment. I drove as far as I safely could, but we saw nothing. As we were driving out again Elis simply said,

“Stop the car!” Who was I to argue? I backed up a little and there, underneath a small scrubby bush was our target. I love it when I’m right! (Doesn’t happen too often.)

Back at Bangkok we had two more target birds to see, Bronze-winged and Pheasant-tailed Jacanas. To me Jacanas don’t really feel like waders, more like gallinules, but they are grouped in with the others so we had to see them. It was very hot, still and muggy at the Fish Farm, but we did see both before hastily retreating from the intensity of the local climate.

After this we visited the Asian Bird Fair in Bangpoo and our time in Thailand was done, next stop the United Arab Emirates!