So it can go without saying that I've not blogged in a long while now this year. The main reason for that is this 10,000 ticks goal effort has been the most intense effort of my life. I've sunk everything I have into this goal and have often left nothing in the tank to reflect, write, or do much of anything else. Those moments where I did take a breathe I was actually doing guide work or presentations for groups. I presented an inspirational talk to the St. Croix Birding Club in River Falls, WI about my State Park big year in 2018, I also provided emcee support for the annual MOU spring primer a role that was very new to me and was an amazing experience. In the guide category I provided my 5th year in a row doing guide support for the Hastings Earth Day Bird Festival and then followed that up with guide support at Grey Cloud Dunes SNA for our 3rd (4th?) Big Sit put on by Sharon "Birdchick" Stitler.
Of course much of this fits with my interests as I continue to expand my presentation and public speaking skills while also working on birding in groups and guide support in general. Though I don't personally think I'm a great guide, I enjoy the process and getting people on quality birds along with providing tips and tricks for identifications that can be challenging.
So back to the 10K effort and where things sit today and what has happened. I just wrapped up 3 weeks of vacation from work (literally all I had available) and in that time I touched 75 of the 87 counties in Minnesota with serious birding efforts in all but a couple of those 75. (I personally drove over 5,000 miles during this time.) The weather was a challenge in some cases and in others the birds were just plain late. Having timed my efforts in the far north to the best window possible I still ended up several days ahead of the migrant crush and often struggled to pull in large numbers that should have been much easier to get.
Where I had hoped to knock out a dozen counties in a single shot almost none breached the 100 mark meaning I will definitely need to return this summer or early fall for more species. (Not the end of the world.) All else has fallen into place though as I pulled in nearly 4,000 ticks in the month of May and really put myself in great position for the remainder of the year. At this point my total is over 100 days ahead of pace to complete at the end of year. (Meaning if I get basic numbers daily to about September I will finish the goal of 10,000.)
I have many stories to tell and pictures (Instagram - hj70ft for some of the pics) to share, though I'll continue that process with written articles for Minnesota Birding Newsletter (MOU publication) and then begin to outline a broader effort that will go into the book I wish to write in 2020. It is not always the case that we can have things mapped out for the future, but I feel more clear on this than on many things in life. Working on this goal after last years State Park big year and then mentally working out my desires to write something big and fun like a novel are all on a roadmap in my mind that continues to arc in the directions I'd hoped they would. I'm confident that I can write something of substance and value to the birding community and hopefully something others on the fringe of birding can appreciate and enjoy as well. I don't want that written form to be just a recounting of the events of the year, I deeply desire to delve into many topics and peel back my own feelings and interpretations of the things and situations I found myself in throughout the last couple years.
