Saturday, August 9, 2014

Height Of Emotion



New England is a gorgeous place to bird.  I found myself drawn towards the borders of New Hampshire and Maine. The mountains and heavily forested areas were rather magical.  So we decided to take a trip into the Rangely District where we would explore several areas. 


We stopped at several hotspots which included rest stops, campgrounds and the infamous Boy Scout's road.  But before we began our walks into the wooded areas, we stopped at this amazing overlook.  Talk about breathtaking!



As the day went on, we had some amazing views of vireos and warblers. The humidity increased and a storm was brewing. 


Blue-headed Vireo
It would be great if someone could invent a light air conditioning outfit that would keep us cool on our hikes:) When we explore new areas(or old), we become wrapped up in all the wonderful discoveries forgetting about the bugs biting or terrible heat beating us slowly down.  But there comes a point when it doesn't matter how many bottles of water you drink or what sun hat you wear......



There comes a point when someone (or everyone) breaks down and says enough is enough.  Yet the bird song keeps us from using our common sense.  What's that?  Who's making that call? Just a couple meters here.  Pangs of hunger. Thirst. Itch. Damn mosquito!  Itch. Blood. Itch! A tick!?! How long has that been there?!  Just a few more minutes. Northern Parula!  Awesome!  And the time flies.  The dearest of friends become grouchy. The bug bites become too much.  And....


Northern Parula
SHAZAM!!!  Like that storm building on the horizon, words become thunder and lightning.


Red-breasted Nuthatch
Wait!  A Blackburnian Warbler!?!  Life bird!!!  And then the storm hits:)


Blackburnian Warbler
I look back at this day and really enjoyed our visit to this region.  The views were beautiful but I remember everyone suffering from humidity and heat exhaustion.  At one point Kathie and I were grouchy with each other and dare I say it.....sounding like a bunch of old farts. Looking back at it, I have a good chuckle. Recently I witnessed another birder duo go at it and realized it's a natural part of any friendship/relationship.....especially when birds are involved. I had a smile. 



It rained hard later that day. A welcome relief from the unrelenting heat. We sat inside of a cute and cozy restaurant watching the thunderstorm take hold. 



I ate my warm chowder and noticed a couple Killdeer running around in the parking lot. On the way home, we spotted yet another porcupine for the year!  I have gone years without seeing them in the wild and within this year alone, I've had 7 different sightings in Arizona, Maine and New Mexico!

Locals know where to go for some relief from the humidity!
I think of all the incredible places we visited in New England, and I have to say that this area and the Lost Pond were my favorites.   Stay tuned for more!


Broad-winged Hawk


For more about birds from around the world, check out Wild Bird Wednesday!



24 comments:

  1. Funny how bugs can make you crazy. All the rest here looks just wonderful. Your bird photography improves all the time and the waterfall... Now that is my cup of tea!!

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  2. A great tally.
    The waterfall is a real gem.

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  3. The heat does get to us! It still sounds like a great day with lots of interesting and beautiful sightings, both of birds and scenery.

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  4. A really beautiful place and stunning photos. Biting insects are such a pain :( but insects and humidity apart sounds like you had a really wonderful time :)

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  5. Beautiful shots, beautiful birds. I still have not had my face melted by a Blackburnian, for shame!

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  6. Funny and true. Everyone needs a break at some point.
    Beautiful place. Thanks again for sharing!

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  7. Your Parulea (sp?) and Blackburnian Warbler are wonderful! And that porcupine. I can't believe you've seen so many! I've never seen one. Love the overlook. It's a beautiful place. And the pond looks like a dream! My sister got married in Vermont and it's the only time I've been to New England.

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  8. Sometimes adventures seem even better in hindsight. Because then you are not hot, tired and who knows what else. Very humorous. And great captures. Definitely worth it!

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  9. The Nuthatch is awesome with the "sculptures" around. And be sure that I am staying tuned!

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  10. Great post and pictures Chris! That first scenic picture is to die for, I want to go to Maine someday. Congrats on the warbler lifers too, Blackburnian is one of the tops for sure.

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  11. such a pretty area! you started off the post with such a pretty paint, too!

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  12. The heat and skeeters can be awful! I guess it depends on how much you really want to see the birds and just how much heat and bug bites you can put with..Your saw some awesome birds, great post.

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  13. I lived in Vermont for 20 year, right across the river from NH in the northern part of the state, so this brought back some sweet memories. Sounds like a great trip, so glad you were able to experience it all with your friend!

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  14. Hi Chris! Such stunning views and birds,all well worth the inconvenience of the insects and humidity in retrospect. Great post
    Chris!:)

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  15. Hi Chris,
    oh I love to travel and I love to travel without moving! Wonderful pictures of a great area! Thank you for sharing. Still somewhere in the woods
    Elisabeth

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  16. What gorgeous scenery. That alone would have been worth going for, but then you saw birds, flowers and other wildlife as well.

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  17. Chris, this was such a fun day, minus the humidity! What great birds we saw and what beauty surrounded us! I think the hunger got to us more towards the end as well as the humidity, but then that Thunder storm, wow! I am glad we came back a different way than we went up as the roads were all washed out in Rumford and Mexico, Maine!

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  18. At first I saw the horse and thought I was at the wrong blog... Haha, not true! My husband and I just passed through New Hampshire on the way back from Boston, I can't get enough of those tree covered mountains. Love the new blogheader photo :)

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  19. Bugs make me pretty cranky, but the worst is humidity. Sweat dripping in my eyes..just miserable. That's when I have to call it quits. Lovely photos today- and that view...WOW!

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  20. Thanks for sharing this part of the story. It's not always roses out there. But you did have some great sightings and those views are to die for. Love the swimming hole.

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  21. That is one soggy looking porcupine :)

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  22. I've never met anyone who isn't cranky when they're hot, tired, and thirsty. The area you were hiking in is so beautiful! It didn't look hot. It looked cool and serene. So glad you found more life birds. :o)

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