What drives me nuts! (1 Viewer)

One of the (many) things that drive me nuts about birding is the total unpredictability of sightings. When I get to work each morning, I take a 20-minute walk around a soccer pitch and a nearby shrubby area. One day it's hopping with birds and the next it's almost deserted. Here are my bird lists from two consecutive mornings this week: same place, same times, same weather.

DAY 1
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Northern Harrier
Loggerhead Shrike
Savannah Sparrow
American Pipit (2)
Killdeer (15+)
European Starling (40+)
Mourning Dove (20+)
Western Meadowlark (15+)
Northern Mockingbird (25+)
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle (7)
Great-tailed Grackle (2)

DAY 2
Loggerhead Shrike
Savannah Sparrow
Northern Mockingbird (8)

I don't know Jeff, I'd say the unpredictability of sightings is one of the great things about birding. If you knew what you were going to see, you probably wouldn't bother going out as much. Sounds a great couple of days to me, all but three would have been lifers!

E

You're right, of course!

Edward said:

I don't know Jeff, I'd say the unpredictability of sightings is one of the great things about birding. If you knew what you were going to see, you probably wouldn't bother going out as much. Sounds a great couple of days to me, all but three would have been lifers!

E

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You're right, of course, Edward. It would be boring if we always knew what we were going to see. On the other hand, isn't it great when you find one of those sites that always (well, virtually always) provides lots of sightings? I know several sites, here in Texas and in California, where I never seem to see fewer than, say, 40 species during a 2- or 3-hour visit, irrespective of the weather, the season or the time of day.

Have you ever visited the USA for birding?

No, Jeff, I've never been to North America. My first trip there is very long overdue, perhaps next spring.
In Texas you have a far greater variety of birds than we do here in Iceland. Sometimes I find myself falling into the trap of being too lazy to walk down to the sea at the end of my road because I figure I know what I'll see before I go out, i.e. Eider Duck, Long-tailed Duck, Iceland Gull, Red-breasted Merganser, but it only takes a scarce local bird such as a King Eider or Little Auk to make it worthwhile. A couple of weeks ago I saw two Harlequin Ducks at the end of my road, most unexpected there. There can be surprises in store even in the depths of the Icelandic winter.

E