Not that I’m obsessive about birding, but I do try to reach my Recommended
Daily Allowance every day. So that means 30 birds. And so far this year I’ve
not missed a day. 😉
But trying to get to my Highly Recommended Daily allowance of 40 birds,
that’s been a struggle. I’ve come close several times, but #40 has eluded me
so far-until today.
My first treat of the day was a very cooperative Cooper’s Hawk hanging out
at 24th and Brumback. A first of year bird to boot. Then, just off Stewart I
found an immature Sharp-shinned who preened for me as I made sure he wasn’t
another Cooper’s. Yet another FOY bird was the Double-crested Cormorant in a
tree overlooking the back pond at Esther Simplot (ESP). (AKA the “Cormorant
Tree”) And a Bufflehead on the back pond was an additional treat. The rest
of the birds at ESP were the usual waterfowl, but also a Red-winged BB.
So by the time I left ESP, I had spotted a total of 27 birds. That’s a
pretty good total for winter birding, but not a record breaker. Additional
birds were slow in coming (GBH in the river above Veteran’s Pkwy bridge,
Cedar Waxwings at Willow Lane, and a Red-tail just past Willow Lane). But
once I had a solid 30, then I started thinking 40 was possible.
Chickadees and a Downy boosted my hopes, then A. Coots were visible from the
river side of Silver Lake, and Common Goldeneye were in the river below the
closed bridge. So I headed back and detoured to the apartment complex that
sits on the State St. side of Silver Lake. There I found the Northern
Shovelers that have been fairly consistent at the big spray fountain that
keeps the water moving (and kept it from freezing during the coldest
weather). I also found a pair of A. Wigeons that I’d missed at ESP, so I was
at 36 and getting even more optimistic.
On the way down Wylie Lane, heading back to the greenbelt, I heard, and then
saw, a C. Raven, followed quickly by the call of a N. Flicker. So now I was
at 38 birds, at least 4 miles from home, but getting worried that I was
again going to come up short. Fortunately, a Pacific Wren objected to my
presence at the wooden footbridge just downstream from Veteran’s Pkwy, and
now I HAD to find another bird.
But I got all the way back to State St. without seeing or hearing a new
bird. Then I realized that the group of Rock Pigeons sitting on top of the
steeple at St. Mary’s was bird #40! I hadn’t seen any sign of them on the
way out, but they saved me from an ignominious failure on the way back.
(Blessed be the church pigeons for they shall save the obsessed!)
Forty birds in 14 miles and I’m a happy camper.
Tom McCabe, Boise
