Holyhead

We visited so many wonderful places in Wales thanks to friends Bonnie and Steve. One of my absolute favorite places that Steve took me to bird was Holyhead(pronounced Holly head).  

Purple Sandpiper

All I know about Holyhead is that it's a major sea port serving Ireland and Wales. There's a cool looking lighthouse that attracts a lot of people during the summer months. They walk down the stairs and cross the bridge to eat ice cream and then climb the stairs back up to the parking lot.  As a birder, I learned that this area is a natural breeding ground for several amazing birds like Razorbills, Common Murres and Atlantic Puffins. 

It is notable to mention that there are many great birding hotspots along the way to Holyhead. When Steve mentioned our itinerary for the day, I was excited.  I love ocean birding.  The rocky coastal area was full of fantastic sea life.  In a future post, I'll focus more on those things but for now, let's enjoy the amazing world of Holyhead. It's the furthest point you can go in Wales before hitting the ocean waters to Ireland. 

Northern Gannet

My first lifer was the Northern Gannet.  I was SUPER thrilled to finally see this bird.  What a beauty!

Once we reached Holyhead, I didn't know what to expect.  It was INCREDIBLE!  We walked down the steep stone stairs into the incredible secret world of Razorbills. Steve told me to gaze through the stone hole.  What I saw blew me away!

Little did I know but on this day I would get stellar views on one of my most anticipated lifers, the Razorbills. Observing these birds come alive from the pages of my bird guide was a total high. 

They were actively flying in and out of their sea cliff homes pairing up and preparing for the breeding season. 

These birds can be found along the Atlantic coast of the United States in places like Maine. This summer we'll get up close and personal with them again on Machias Seal Island with Ms. Kathie Brown. They are one of my focus birds this year.

Once Steve saw that I was ready to move on with more observations, he took me further down the stairs to Mordor:) 

We went to the furthest point before reaching the locked sky bridge.  To the left of the bridge, I could see more Razorbills and ........Common Murres!  They call them Guillemots. So I was a bit confused at first, but I began to mentally translate their Guillemots, Goosanders and Divers into my American equivalents. 

Take a closer look above and you'll find the Common Murres/Guillemots to the left and bottom of the picture. 

Black-headed Gulls

All around the birding world of Wales, we could hear and see other coastal birds like the Red-billed Chough below. 

This is one amazing bird.  We saw them along coastal areas near sea cliffs and rocky shores that always had some grassy areas. 

There was a gift shop nearby and so we stopped by and I did some card shopping. One could also get coffee or tea here.  And more ice cream. 

Black Guillemot

Being along the ocean is a treat, especially when I don't have a lot of large water areas around the Tucson area to bird:)

The gray skies were heavy.  The sea mist was refreshing. And I tried to memorize all of the little details like the ocean smells or new landscape views that seemed to be straight out of a wonderful foreign film.  It was really quite something to experience.  

I work and I work.  Every moment of my life is planned.  Currently, we're doing a survey for New Mexico and will be heading to Texas to find some new birds.  I do work as well.  This is the only week I have left before finals begin and then it's my nose to the grindstone as a teacher for the rest of April and May.  But even then, when I'm not in the classroom, we'll meet new friend Homer(from Florida) find our amazing Arizona birds.  And then our Tucson Audubon Birdathon with the Wrenegades begins as we raise money to help protect Southeastern Arizona's birds.  It's all a balancing act.  This post is dedicated to birder and naturalist Pete Moulton.  He passed away this last week and it was a shock.  He was a good man with a great big heart always helping others with ID's on their dragonflies and birds.  Pete was also an amazing photographer.  He will be missed.  Until next time.....

600 Life Birds

Oh the road can be sooooo slow!  Life birds?  What are those?  Last year in April I was at 500 life birds.  Throughout the year, I added birds regularly every month.  This year it has been a trickle:) I suppose it gives me a chance to absorb all the amazing observations of the birds without feeling rushed.  I do hope to make up for the birds down in Mexico this year. Will I be able to make it to 700 by the year end?  Here are the stories behind each of the top ten birds.

Monk Parakeet

The Monk Parakeet was seen downtown Ft. Myers, Florida near a swimming pool.  I grew up with these birds at home as they are sold in the pet trade as Quakers. In fact, this is how they invaded the US! Loud, ruthless and quick to multiply, the Monk Parakeets have become established in many US communities which include cities like cold Chicago and tropical Florida.  My bud Sydney and I played a hunch and followed the human trail to several nest sites and voila! There they flew in great numbers with twigs and branches making nests around power lines and palm trees.

Wilson's Plover

The Wilson's Plover was number 510.  I went to Bunche Beach, Florida to count hundreds of shorebirds only to come out with thousands of chigger bites!  It took nearly two months for my body to heal!  It rained after I heard and saw the bird.  I was able to help several birders get their scopes on the this plover.  Later in Mexico, I would see this bird once again under much better circumstances.  Sunny and bug less! It's call is distinct and easy to pick out.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

At 520, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak made its way into Willcox, AZ.  I went to chase the bird and hung out in a very kind man's backyard.  There we watched this beautiful bird feed off of his fruiting mulberry tree.

Bobolink

By life bird 530, I was in Maine visiting Kathie.  Together, we went to a field near her home and discovered the magnificent Bobolinks.  There they called and collected caterpillars for their young ones. This is one unusual and gorgeous blackbird.

Black Guillemot

Life bird 540 happened near Eastern Egg Island.  This Black Guillemont went after what looked like twizzler's licorice.  I braced myself on the rocky boat as I snapped off several shots of this bird flying near the side of our boat.  At this point both Micheal and Kathie were under the weather and very seasick!  Now THAT was an adventure I won't forget anytime soon:)  Nor will they.

Blue-headed Vireo

In the dark mossy forests of Maine, we discovered a Blue-headed Vireo.  This lovely bird graced the branches while we sweat it out in the woods:)  This bird made 550 on the list. 

Prairie Warbler

At 560, the Prairie Warbler made its swirly call as the rain began to fall.  I was able to briefly see this bird before it went back into hiding as two young morons revved up their truck and sped past us on the dirt roads of Maine. 

the exotic Northern Red Bishop

At 570, I was alone again in California.  Here I spotted the exotic invading Northern Red Bishop.  What a beauty!!!

Wrentit

By December, it all began to slow down.  Again, I returned to Southern California where I stood silently near a city park lake and watched the Wrentits move around me.  This was Life bird 580.  

At 590, the Black-throated Blue Warbler was a real shyster. Not all life birds play nice.  We sat and waited and waited for this warbler to come out.  When he did, the tiny warbler was so far away! I finished in the US with number 599, the Painted Bunting.  But I wondered which bird would mark the magical 600.  Drum roll...............

Green Parakeets

We flew into Southern Mexico during the night hours.  At dawn, the first bird that made itself known was the Green Parakeet. They seemed to be flying everywhere around us.  And so in my life, number 600 marks the Green Parakeet. The adventure continues next week as we begin our exploration into Chiapas, Mexico. 

Rocky Shores

The scenic view from the harbor and the allure of seafood captured our attention.  

It was a special day. We were going to find the Atlantic Puffin and visit one of their nesting grounds on Eastern Egg Island!

The morning began with a bit of a breeze.  As the day went on, the breeze became something stronger. 

Gulls, like the Great black-backed gull, soared and swirled above our heads. 

We boarded our vessel and began to leave dock.  By now the wind had become rather gusty.  The waves grew large as we left the harbor. 

Common Eiders

 As we passed Common Eiders, passengers were warned of the rough conditions.  But we had come for the Atlantic Puffin.  It was a life bird for all of us.  There was no turning back. 

Eastern Egg Island

The boat began to rock.  Waves began to splash the passengers.  Three boys on the bottom deck screamed with delight as each cold spray hit their faces.  The Audubon guide bravely stood his ground as the ship pitched and turned. Yet even after being pelted by shards of ice water, he kept going. The ship seesawed even more.  As we crept closer to the island, I began to see little white darts in the sky.  Terns!  And rare ones!  Several passengers became sick.  Others attempted to lock their bodies around rails.  This was going to be a challenge. 

The vessel lurched forward throwing some passengers to the side rails. Someone screamed, "LOOK!  A PUFFIN!"  For a brief moment, the ship stopped moving long enough for everyone to observe the amazing Atlantic Puffin!

Atlantic Puffin

The Atlantic Puffin disappeared from the coast of Maine during the early part of the last century.  They were hunted for their eggs, meat and feathers. After years of work by Audubon, these birds have made a comeback to the coast of Maine where they now breed once again. 

Everyone locked their binos and cameras on the birds.  Or at least tried.  Some had their heads in a bag.  Others clung to their loved ones.  Was it worth it? 

As we approached the island, I noticed my second target bird!  The Black Guillemot!!!  It was a thrill to see so many around the rocks! The vessel rolled and I was knocked over a bench. Ouch!  I CAN DO THIS!  CONCENTRATE!  FIND THEM!  OBSERVE THEM AS MUCH AS YOU CAN!  YOU'LL HAVE TIME TO COMPLAIN LATER ON!

I tried to keep my shaking hands steady.  Focus you desert rat!  There will not be another opportunity to do this again!

Black Guillemot

And the Guillemot flew with what looked like a twizzler in its' beak!  Puffins were gathering small fish and eels as well.  I would stare, amazed, at the crazy things they were pulling out of the water.  

On shore, the "Hilton" was home to several human guardians.  They observed the nesting birds, collected data and protected the Puffin's breeding grounds. 

TERNS!  The true test for me began.  Not many people were interested in the terns twisting and gliding around our vessel at light speed.  I was.  

Another sway and rooooooollllll!!!

Two terns would be life birds for me......IF I could ID them.  A lot of my energy went into finding the endangered Roseate Tern and Arctic Tern. There were a few scattered in between many Common Terns.  With the boat constantly pitching back and forth and the terns banking sharply around us, it was hard to focus visually.  As Obi-Wan told Luke in the first Star Wars movie....."Luke, let go.  Use the force."  I switched off my eyes and listened for the calls to hone in on their location.   

Roseate Tern

ki, RIK!!!  ki, RIK!!!!  HIGH UP!  A CLOUD OF "NOT" COMMON TERNS!  SOMETHING DIFFERENT!  ROSEATE TERNS!!!!!!  One banked sharply to the port.  CAMERA ON!  NOW!!!  SNAP SNAP!

Arctic Tern-bill is reddish, but in this pic the lighting makes it look a tad orange

LURCH!!!  I HEAR YOU!  I HEAR YOU!  THE STARBOARD! keeeyuuuuurrrr! And SNAP! 

A seal passes by our vessel

And just like that, it was over.  It was one of the most satisfying experiences in my life.  I did it!  All target birds achieved with great observations.  However the aftermath wasn't pretty.  I'll let Kathie tell her story:) Both of my comrades fell ill during the voyage.  However, they survived the experience and won't forget their encounter with the Atlantic Puffin anytime soon. Some life birds can be painful.  

As the last Atlantic Puffin flew from my sight, I looked over the rough ocean waters and thought about how exciting this life of discovery is.  

This is just the beginning of our Maine story.  There is still so much more to come.  As of this write, I have observed and discovered 432 birds this year in North America.  We began in California, scoured Arizona, got a taste of New Mexico, walked the beaches of Northern Mexico and explored Florida.  Life is truly a dream. For more about the Puffin tour, check out the Hardy Boat Cruises. And for more birds from around the world, check out Wild Bird Wednesday!