Thank you to Larry Arnold for posting the Caspian Tern for me yesterday. I
have only seen CATE’s a few times along the river and I got pretty excited
when I realized the large white bird cruising the back pond at ESP was not
just another gull. This was not just a FOY, this was first in several years.

Yesterday’s ride had begun with a slow cruise through Hull’s Gulch, which
was more crowded than usual, but the birds were cooperative. I left there
with over 30 birds, stopped at the house to refuel and headed to the river.
The pair of Western Grebes at Quinn’s Pond were #40 and the Caspian was #41.
I cruised to and through Ann Morrison and found my 2d Cooper’s Hawk of the
day, terrorizing the RWBB’s near the footbridge. By the time I left, I was
up to 49 birds and I was already obsessing about nice round numbers.
Fortunately, #50 came on our evening walk with another noisy flyover by a
Common Nighthawk.

So last week it took 32 miles to get 59 birds, but yesterday it only took 15
miles to get 50. Of course, when it comes to birding from the back of a
bike, I’m not sure cost-benefit analysis is appropriate. They’re all great
days when you’re out there looking for our feathered friends, but some days
you have to work a little harder.

Tom McCabe, Boise