Thank You for My Big Year

My girls

Lets face it.  Doing a Big Year is an incredibly selfish thing to do if you're playing the duel role of husband and father.  There were certainly times during the course of 2013 where I could have been a little more attentive to my family, and a little less obsessed with birds.  It is for that reason that I would like to thank my wife, Elissa, and my daughters, Ruby and Audrey, for putting up with me these past 12 months.  During my latest stint in Texas, their absence made my heart ache.  I love my girls so much, and I am undoubtedly the luckiest man on the face of the earth.

As I have mentioned before, my Big Year was made possible by great people as well as great birds.  I joined two organizations this year that I plan to be a part of for years and years to come.  The Toledo Naturalists' Association allowed me the opportunity to bird with some of Toledo's foremost bird experts.  Field trips led by Dr. Elliot Tramer and Matt Anderson helped nab me a few more birds for the list.  Bird Girl Sherrie Duris was so generous in giving me the heads up anytime she spotted a rarity.  I met the Woodlawn Warriors by way of the Naturalists'.  Last but not least, I got to bird with Greg Links.  I learned so much from Greg in just a short time, and for that I'm very appreciative.

Joining Black Swamp Bird Observatory was well overdue.  Multiple people associated with BSBO including Kate Zimmerman, Kelly McKinne, Megan Reynolds, Mark Shieldcastle, and Kenn and Kim Kaufman made my year much more enjoyable.  I plan to volunteer for BSBO next year.  I hope I get to do something fun!

Additionally, I would like to mention the Facebook group, Birding Ohio.  It put me in contact with some of the previously mentioned people as well as many other great birders.  Although next year won't be as crazy, I'm happy to be a part of a great online birding community.

The Texas Crew

Looking back on the year, it's quite amazing to think about the places I've been and the things I've done.  I took a tour of Florida Bay by boat during a stop in Everglades National Park.  I saw birds and crocodiles up close.  A trip to Muskegon, Michigan yielded Long-tailed Duck and White-winged Scoter, and it also provided a nice getaway for me and my wife.  I enjoyed another Spring in Northwest, Ohio, explored Holmes County with Big Year birder Greg Miller, braved the cold weather to experience Whitefish Point for the first time, and went out in the cold yet again to take part in a Lake Erie pelagic trip in downtown Cleveland.  Lastly, of course, I spent three amazing days birding in the lower Rio Grande Valley.

Speaking of the Rio Grande trip, I need to thank a few people there.  First and foremost, I would like to thank my dad.  If it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't have ever given birds a second thought.  You got me outside when I was growing up, and I'm very grateful for that.  The plane ticket to Texas didn't hurt either.  I'm also happy that my godmother, Aunt Woody, got to come with me to Texas as well.  Not only have birds been a common bond between us, but she fostered my appreciation for the greatest baseball franchise in history, the Detroit Tigers.

Texas also introduced me to a wonderful bed and breakfast called the Alamo Inn.  It is centrally located in the Valley near McAllen, Texas, so it really isn't a far drive to any of the birding hot spots.  The inn is owned and operated by Keith Hackland.  During our stay Keith's stepdaughter, Carrie, took care of anything we needed.  She was extremely generous and helpful.  When I visit the Valley again, there is no reason why I would stay anywhere else but the Alamo Inn.

Carrie and your's truly

This year was exciting, enriching, exhausting, and fun.  It increased my interest in birds in many ways.  Ultimately, however, it underscored my responsibility as a husband and a father.  Birding is important to me, but at the end of the day, it's a hobby.  I don't want to be one of those people who obsess over beating a record or have little else going on in their life.  More than anything, I want to be with my family.  They are wonderful in many ways, and I can't imagine life without them.

So today is December 31st.  Am I out by the Ottawa River looking for white-winged gulls?  Am I searching the trees along the bike trail at Maumee Bay State Park for a Saw-whet Owl?  No.  I'm hear, writing this down as my little girls take their nap.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  To all of you who have been following along, I hope you find what's most important to you.  It's comforting.  Happy birding and happy new year!
                                                               - Brandon Brywczynski

Rio Grande Valley: Final Day

Today we went up river for some new habitat.  Stops included Salineno, Starr County Park, and Falcon State Park.  It was an hour and a half drive from our hotel, but like everything else on this trip, it was well worth the effort.

Our first stop was Salineno.  It's a place unlike any other location I've visited.  Salineno Road dead ends into the Rio Grande River.  At first glance, the area looks kind of dumpy.  Birds, however, don't care about curb appeal.  At the river one can find all three kingfishers, American White Pelicans, and Neotropic Cormorants among other species.  The highlight of our river watching was a single Red-billed Pigeon.  Expert birder Mary Gustafson, who was working on a Christmas bird count made the call.  I got a good look at it, but didn't write it down until I confirmed it with Dad's Peterson's guide.  Didn't doubt Mary, but I couldn't write it down on my list unless I identified the bird myself.

Volunteers have been maintaining feeders at Salineno for years.  A wonderfully cheerful older gentleman named Merle is currently taking care of the feeders.  We sat with him and his dog Jake (who was equally as cheerful) for about a half hour.  After a slow start, activity at the feeders eventually began to pick up.  We were able to get stunning views of Hooded, Altamira, and Audubon's Orioles.  We also got unencumbered looks at Green Jay, Great Kiskadee, and Long-billed Thrasher.

After leaving Salineno we went to Starr County Park.  The park is a campground that can be very productive for birds.  Cactus Wren, Curve-billed Thrasher, and a subspecies of the Yellow-rumped Warbler known as Audubon's Warbler were observed.

We then went to Falcon State Park for our final birding adventure in South Texas.  The park was not extremely active, but Pyrrhuloxia and Greater Roadrunner were welcome additions to the list.  Here are our departing images from the Rio Grande Valley...

Great Kiskadee

Yum!

Long-billed Thrasher

Green Jays

Audubon's Oriole and Great Kiskadee

Altamira Oriole

American White Pelican

Curve-billed Thrasher

Harris's Hawk

Greater Roadrunner

Pyrrhuloxia

Three happy birders at the border.

Rio Grande Valley: Day 2

Another fun and exhausting day.  As I type it is 9pm and I could have gone to sleep an hour ago.  Today included stops at Estero Llano Grande State Park and Bentsen Rio Grande State Park.  The group's favorite location was Estero Llano.  We ended up joining a bird walk that took off from the visitor center around 8:30am.  Steve and Susan, our leaders, were extremely helpful.  Others in the group turned out to be wonderful birding companions.

Bentson was a little disappointing.  We did not see a lot of birds in general, but I was able to add Black Phoebe and Loggerhead Shrike to the list.  Here are a few pics from today.  The lighting for photos continued to be poor, but tomorrow will hopefully be sunny and 70 degrees.  Going up river to Falcon Dam.  Once again...I can't wait!  Happy birding.

Green-winged Teal

White-tailed Kite

White-tailed Kite

Least Grebe

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Not a pile of leaves.  Find the Common Pauraque

Anhinga

Green Kingfisher

Tropical Kingbird...probably.

American Coot

Plain Chachalaca

Eastern Screech Owl

Rio Grande Valley: Day 1

Today we visited three spots in South Texas: South Padre Island, Sabal Palm Sanctuary, and Oliviera Park.  I added 16 birds to the Big List.  Here are some pics from today's adventure.  Enjoy!

Green Heron

Black-necked Stilt

Black Skimmers...and others.

Reddish Egret

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Buff-bellied Hummingbird

Great-tailed Grackle 

Willet

Brown Pelican

Brown Pelican

Tricolored Heron

Northern Mockingbird

Laughing Gull

Can you tell Dad likes Brown Pelicans?

Roseate Spoonbills

Eurasian Collared Dove

Black-crested Titmouse

Clay-colored Thrush

Buff-bellied Hummingbird

Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall...I Am a Birder

Ted listens for a response to my Barred Owl call

I have to admit, before this year, I didn't do a lot of winter birding.  I usually got out during peak migration times.  Ducks were big for me because my wife especially enjoyed birding when they were coming through.  Although they migrate in the colder months, we didn't really get out of the car to look at much else.  Not a lot of extensive hiking going on.

Spring migration, of course, was the main event.  Warblers, warblers, and more warblers.  The migration of song birds in Northwest Ohio is often an epic occurrence.  People who weren't birders before frequently find themselves hooked after a few May days near the migrant traps on Lake Erie.  I was fortunate enough to grow up in the area and have enjoyed many spring days at Magee Marsh.

Although I birded sparingly throughout the summer and fall in the past, winter seems to have been the time of year where I hung up the nocs (I'm not a huge fan of people calling them bins.  My 2 year old calls them nocs and I find that abbreviation for binoculars to be the cooler choice between the two options), and hid away from the elements until the Springish duck migration started up.

This year was different.  Doing a Big Year forced me to get out and bird no matter what the temperature was.  And you know what?  I loved it.  The first part of this year was an eye opening experience.  I never knew I could see Yellow-rumped Warblers all year long in our area.  A Golden-crowned Kinglet on March 1st was crazy.  Once I got plugged in to eBird I began looking over the data, amazed at what I was missing during the winter months.  In January of this year I got some ducks, some Pine Siskins, and a Rufus Hummingbird.  A hummingbird...in January!  Once again, after a little reading, I learned that our best chance for seeing a Rufus in Northwest Ohio is when it gets a little colder.

We wish you a very serious, Merry Christmas

So now it is winter again, and I have found myself enjoying the season immensely.  Although I have only picked up a handful of new birds in November and December, I have reveled in helping others get some life birds during this time.  When I joined some of the Woodlawn Warriors back in November at Secor Metropark to get Julie Heitz her first Pileated Woodpecker, I sensed it would be a special day.  Not only did we get a spectacular view of one in flight, but we had a clean sweep of all seven of the likely woodpecker species.  And then, just a few days ago, I helped my Dad and my aunt pick up Greater White-fronted and Cackling Goose at Independence Dam State Park near Defiance, Ohio.  Although my dad doesn't keep a list, he was clearly happy to see something he had never seen before.

Of course there are days like today, where you go out birding in the rain and you don't see anything new or particularly exciting.  I joined the Woodlawn Warriors for their Friday morning walk today.  We didn't have a terrible list.  It was just ok.  Patty Toneff, the associate director at Woodlawn, was almost apologetic to me about the lack of a spectacular species.  "Hey, I'm just happy to be birding.  Some of my best days birding have been on cold, rainy days.", I told her.  My response prompted Patty to call me a true birder.  Yeah...I think I am now.  After 20 years of casually watching birds, I have graduated to a bird brain status during the course of this year.  Even if I don't see anything amazing, I'm still just happy to get outside and watch birds.

One of the great things about my Big Year is that I have been more aware of my surroundings.  I have never noticed the seasons change in such a methodical fashion.  It made me wonder, "Have they always done this?"  Life seemed to slow down because I was trying to pay attention to every detail.  Of course, now that it's almost over, the year seems to have flown by.  Very strange.  Birding, as it turns out, is just another way to gage what season it is.  Kind of funny actually.  If someone had no sense of time and temperature, they could still tell what season it was by watching the birds.

One disappointment for me this winter was not having the opportunity to take part in the Toledo area Christmas Bird Count.  The event was supposed to take place on December 15th, but due to inclement weather, had to be postponed until the 30th.  Unfortunately, I will miss the big day because I will be flying home from Texas upon the completion of my trip to the Rio Grande Valley.  Don't get me wrong.  I am psyched about the trip.  It just would have been nice to take part in the Toledo count because so many of the wonderful people I have met this year who have helped me find birds and learn more about them, will be taking part in count.  I wish you all good luck, good weather, and even better birds.  Thanks for reading and happy birding!

Ross's Goose in Delta

I have said that the Delta Reservoir is nearly devoid of life.  Rarely do I see something extraordinary there, but today was an exception.  On my way home from work I stopped by the reservoir, and to my surprise there was a single Ross's Goose hanging out with a large flock of Canada Geese.  Nice bird for Fulton County Ohio.