Just Getting Ready for the Season

Title reminds me of Caddyshack when Ty Webb has a guest over and he says he's just getting ready for the season. The guest asks whether that season is duck. His reply is golf. Much of my free time has been me getting ready for the season, in this case birding. I have grander plans this year than those of the past where I specifically didn't allow myself to chase many birds and instead focused on birding regularity and trying to extend my birding activities well past spring migration.

This year I have already been chasing a little bit within reason and also taking several birding trips that never happened in the past. This shows in my having a great many more birds this year already than I have in any prior year.

My planning has been centered on the North and South Dakota circuit I plan on taking in advance of our family reunion for Melissa's side in the Black Hills. I have been tracking down sighting patterns during July for many key birds of the area and figuring out what driving locations are worth the effort along with what trails will be of value to hike and explore.

Spawning out of this has been my desire to include some spring activity that includes key new sites that are a bit further flung than most short day trips. This has brought into play the need to figure out if I need a bird festival in some areas or if I should just explore on my own and at my own pace. Things like the Detroit Lakes festival in NW MN and the Prairie's and Potholes festival in ND. I know my comfort level jumped a lot when I did the Sax-Zim festival last year allowing me multiple individual trips now with targetted efforts. I just wonder if all of that is really needed now and if I should just strike out on my own and explore the areas I spotlight.

Involvement: I'm signed on via Kevin Smith to volunteer at the Hastings Bird Day being sponsored by the Carpenter Nature Center this April. This should be a good opportunity to learn some things and also hopefully help others learn something about birds and birding.

Joining: I'm looking at joining one of the local Audubon groups in order to be more involved in birding and bird conservation efforts. I think so far the MRVAC group that meets at the NWR headquarters near the MOA (Mall of America) is my best bet. It's the closest meeting location of the 3 local groups and is a pretty strong member base.

Study: I have been putting a good amount of time into study on bird groups in order to be more preparred for this years birding efforts. Focus has been on the Flycatchers based on songs and look when possible. I have also been working on Gull and Shorebird groups as well lately. I have noticed an uptick on my gulls this year as I was able to read lots of content, but also apply some of it while up at Duluth Canal park multiple times this year already. That helped bring in Herring, Thayer's, Iceland, and Glaucous gulls. I'm starting to be able to pull appart the multiple cycles of birds present in a location as well as seperate species that are pretty close. I probably have a lot of work to do with stuff like Herring vs Thayer's, but I am much better now than I was. Sparrows are also getting more attention as I look to increase my life list this year with Brewer's, Le Conte's, Baird's, and Nelson's. These will need sound and visual work for me, but it's all enjoyable study time as I look forward to time in some prairie settings and canyon settings.