floraphile Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 I've been adulting for the past couple of weeks and it cut hugely into my birding time. Hubby & I plan to do GBD Saturday, so that should help with my withdrawal symptoms. Is anybody else participating? We are going to get up early & start with the hotspots at the south end of our county (the Gulf portion) and work our way north parallelling Mobile Bay and into the delta. If time permits--which I doubt it will, this being our inaugural GBD--we will head over to adjoining Mobile county and bird north to south until we again reach the Gulf. Any tips or suggestions? Do you all set time limits for each birding spot during GBD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avery Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 (edited) 15 minutes ago, floraphile said: I've been adulting for the past couple of weeks and it cut hugely into my birding time. Hubby & I plan to do GBD Saturday, so that should help with my withdrawal symptoms. Is anybody else participating? We are going to get up early & start with the hotspots at the south end of our county (the Gulf portion) and work our way north parallelling Mobile Bay and into the delta. If time permits--which I doubt it will, this being our inaugural GBD--we will head over to adjoining Mobile county and bird north to south until we again reach the Gulf. Any tips or suggestions? Do you all set time limits for each birding spot during GBD? Good luck! My first Big Day last year was in a blizzard, but it put 100s of HETHs on the dirt roads! I’m planning on going out, though I haven’t set out a route yet. My only suggestion is really think about where you’re going to be when you start. The hardest to find birds will be easiest at sunrise (in general, as they are more likely to sing). I’ll probably start at a marsh. Edited May 7, 2021 by Avery 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floraphile Posted May 7, 2021 Author Share Posted May 7, 2021 14 minutes ago, Avery said: Good luck! My first Big Day last year was in a blizzard, but it put 100s of HETHs on the dirt roads! I’m planning on going out, though I haven’t set out a route yet. My only suggestion is really think about where you’re going to be when you start. The hardest to find birds will be easiest at sunrise (in general, as they are more likely to sing). I’ll probably start at a marsh. I didn't think about that! There is a NWR with marsh in that area, so we can start there. I am hoping for an Eastern Screech Owl in the wee hours. I haven't heard one in 10 years. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 I’ll be doing some birding then, but won’t be going out of my way to bird everywhere. A major cold front is coming in so it’s supposed to snow. Hoping for a fallout! I’ll probably start at the Ravine before sunrise and then walk around the storm water ponds. I’ll also be heading down to a spot by the river as I’m going to be down there anyways. If you submit 5 eligible checklists on the day, you get entered to win the zeiss binoculars. Main goal I guess is to try and find the Harris’s sparrow who is surprisingly still around. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 I'm taking a pass on this one. I had a two-hour excursion last weekend turn into four plus travel. The previous week I extended an out-of-town trip with a side visit to a coastal park. I have the NASCAR race at Darlington on Sunday, which will include birding the swamp running through the middle of the parking lot before the race starts (Prothonotaries!). So Saturday will be spent catching up on chores. Y'all have a good time! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birding Boy Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 I’m taking my SAT in the morning tomorrow, but hopefully in the afternoon I can get some birding in. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 Usually, I’d think to do a massive day. But, we have family over that we haven’t seen in over a year, so I can’t do much. Probably just a short little neighborhood walk or so. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 On 5/7/2021 at 5:40 PM, Birding Boy said: I’m taking my SAT in the morning tomorrow, but hopefully in the afternoon I can get some birding in. How'd you do? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birding Boy Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 1 minute ago, Charlie Spencer said: How'd you do? I felt pretty good about it, but I haven’t gotten my scores in yet. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Cochrane Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 26 minutes ago, Birding Boy said: I felt pretty good about it, but I haven’t gotten my scores in yet. That's good. When I feel good about tests normally they go pretty well. Luckily I still have a year before I really have to start preparing for the SAT. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BirdNrd Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 Pretty good day. 128 species. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 1 hour ago, BirdNrd said: 128 species. WOW!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 I only got to 39 over 4 places... though absolutely a miserable day. Wind was over 41 km/hr and constant Snow and rain. I was hoping for a major fallout but nothing too exciting. Did get a few year birds though. Also appears that I missed an Iceland gull and a snow goose that were at the same location, but I’m gonna blame that on the snow that was falling horizontally. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avery Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 Accidentally posted my Big Day Write-up here : 116 species and one unexpected lifer! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipperatl Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 We are still lagging on migrants I think. I was tearing up my previous best pace, but the past 5 days have only been 1 FOY each day. Now have fallen behind with lots of easy ones still not seen. Not for lack of effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jefferson Shank Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 (edited) We got 105 species on Big Day. Could have gotten more, but we ran out of time. It was raining a lot of the day with some hail. Edited May 9, 2021 by Jefferson Shank 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Cochrane Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 I only had 40, which is horrible, but I was vert busy yesterday, and I could only get out for an hour just around my house. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colton V Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 I had 77 species. My goal was 75 so I'm satisfied. Got 7 year birds, 2 county birds, and 1 lifer! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bird Nuts Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 (edited) I got 2nd place in our county with 87 species. And you can probably guess who's in 1st... Edited May 10, 2021 by The Bird Nuts 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floraphile Posted May 10, 2021 Author Share Posted May 10, 2021 On 5/8/2021 at 10:17 PM, BirdNrd said: Pretty good day. 128 species. I thought I was doing well with 80ish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floraphile Posted May 10, 2021 Author Share Posted May 10, 2021 We had a great day for our first GBD. Nice weather, plenty of birds, 11 miles hiking, & quality time with my spouse. We decided not to kill ourselves by arising in the wee hours. We left home about an hour before sunup and birded a local preserve. We then birded by car along the route down to the shoreline of the Gulf. We birded a NWR & the historic fort site that occupy the peninsula that juts from the eastern side of Mobile Bay and has both bay and gulf sides. We stopped and picnicked on granola bars, cheese biscuits, peanuts (which we shared with a curious Blue Jay), and sandwich crackers. Several Lifers for the day and the previous "casing" day at the site, including Dickcissel, Common Nighthawk, Whimbrel, & Bobolink. At the moment, we are at 75 species, but I have not sorted out our shorebirds as of yet. I'm going to need y'all's help with that... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avery Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 6 hours ago, The Bird Nuts said: I got 2nd place in our county with 87 species. And you can probably guess who's in 1st... How do you find that? I can only figure out how to do it by year using Top 100 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bird Nuts Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 1 minute ago, Avery said: How do you find that? I can only figure out how to do it by year using Top 100 Go here https://ebird.org/globalbigday then search for your region and the Top 100 eBirders of the day are there. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BirdNrd Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 1 hour ago, The Bird Nuts said: Go here https://ebird.org/globalbigday then search for your region and the Top 100 eBirders of the day are there. I got 1st in the county and 5th in California. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floraphile Posted May 10, 2021 Author Share Posted May 10, 2021 2 minutes ago, BirdNrd said: I got 1st in the county and 5th in California. Way to go! Impressive, especially considering it's California. Congratulations, @BirdNrd! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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