2024 Chase Blogs and Photographs

Chasing Two Birds in Florida
(Written 10/29/24)

There have been two birds in Florida of interest to “chasers”. One is the long staying Yellow-headed Caracara just north of Miami and the other is a long staying Gray Gull along the Florida Panhandle east of Destin. Both of these are singleton birds that represent mega rarities in the North American bird world. Chris Hitt and I had tried for the caracara on two occasions with no luck, but the Gray Gull would be a new chase for us. The caracara has an established territory including the campus of Florida University campus, Oleta River State Park and Haulover Marina. The Gray Gull has been appearing regularly at one particular beach access area. Chris and I have been trying to schedule a trip for these birds for some time, but we have never been able to coordinate schedules.

On Wednesday afternoon Chris called me, and he said that his schedule had suddenly cleared up for a few days and would I be interested in a quick chase. I said yes. The Gray Gull seemed to be a high probability, but the caracara would be the roll of the dice. We missed it twice and there were few recent reports. Logistics of this chase were an issue because these birds were 650 miles apart. A plan developed. We would fly into Miami, head north for the gull, then return to Miami for the caracara. It would require lots of driving, but rental car drop-off charges made this the best solution.

On Thursday morning (10/24), Chris and I left on our flights from North Carolina and Pennsylvania to Miami. By 11 am we had arrived there, picked up a rental car and were on our long drive to the Destin area. On the way we did a brief drive through the Florida University Campus to get the lay of the land and hopefully see the caracara. We got the lay of the land but as expected, did not see the caracara. Then it was the sizable drive to Destin. We arrived at our motel near Destin at about 9:45 pm (Central Time).

We were up and out early on Friday morning and were at the beach access by 7 am. In the parking lot we unexpectedly met Scott Lewis from State College (PA), another chaser who we knew. The more eyes the better.
We went to the beach and started looking. And looking. And looking.

Some Laughing Gulls were there but not the Gray Gull. Mid-morning we realized that we were about 200 yards from the prime viewing area, so we moved our attention over there. The bird was not there and had not been there so far that morning. We had not missed it. Chris, Scott and I worked the area. We walked the beach both east and west, and we maintained a steady lookout at the beach accesses. Over the past two years this bird became a local celebrity. Residents told us where it “always” was and shared many pictures they had taken. We made friends with the beach umbrella/chair rental person, the lifeguards, the beach patrol, and the code enforcement officer. If the gull showed up on the miles of beaches centered around the prime location, we would know. These people had beach vehicles, radios, and cell phones. Another birder showed up midday. More eyes would help. The day wore on and the cloudless sky and warm temperatures tested us, but we continued to look and look. No luck. The sun went down, and our birding day ended.

We had hoped to be on our way back to Miami by then, but we chose to stay another day.

The Saturday sunrise found us back at the location.

Again, we looked and looked. The last solid sighting was Tuesday and now it was Saturday. Things were not looking good. By now we now had five birders looking plus all the local people who had helped us the day before. It got hot and there were no clouds. By noon it was just Chris and I looking. At 4 pm we realized we were not going to see the gull and we needed to head back to Miami. We had missed one of our target birds. It is always tough to leave a chase location without seeing the target.

Saturday night was spent in a motel near Orlando. Early Sunday morning we were again headed to Miami and the caracara. On the way we stopped at a nature center where there was a Bananaquit appearing. We never saw it. But there were lots of butterflies there. We gave it about 1.5 hours before we left and got back on the road. This was not a target bird for either Chris and I and we wanted to spend our time looking for the Caracara. It would have been nice to see the Bananaquit, but we had other things to do.

The caracara has a rough pattern of being seen at Haulover Marina early morning eating scraps, disappearing at midday and then being at Oleta River State Park in the evenings where it scavenges for scraps left over from picnickers. There were a few sightings at Florida International University mid-day and at dusk. On our two previous attempts at this bird, we spent multiple hours at both the marina and at the park. We knew the place far too well. We arrived at the park about 1 pm and started to look for the caracara. The strategy was to wander the parking lot including the area near the dumpsters, the picnic areas, and the kayak rental center. These were all areas where the bird had been seen. Wandering around with binoculars and a camera drew the attention of the park rangers. They knew about the bird and had seen it many times. They were quite interested in helping us. I gave one of the rangers my cell phone number and asked that she call me if she, or any other ranger, saw the bird.

Chris and I walked a good bit and sat for a bit looking for this bird with no luck. By 5:30 we were sitting in one of the picnic areas where the bird had often been seen. We were certainly familiar with that area from previous trips. There were multiply groups picnicking, enjoying the nice weather, enjoying the beach, and sharing their loud music with everyone. It was not a wilderness scene. We sat watching the area and the trash cans. As 6 pm passed, only 30 minutes before sunset, we were not optimistic.

Shortly after 6 pm my phone rang, and I saw that it was a number that my phone did not recognize. The call went to voice mail, but it was from a Florida area code, so I looked closely. The transcript of the voice mail had “Park Ranger” as the first two words. I did not read any more. Could this be a sighting? I quickly called the number back and yes it was a Park Ranger, and he had just seen the caracara at another picnic area. That area was fairly close, and Chris and I high tailed it over there as quickly as we could. When we got there, we met two park rangers who were able to show us exactly where the bird had been. “Had been” are the operative words. It was gone. They had pictures and even a video of the bird taken right before we got there. We were about 3 minutes late. We were crushed.

But at least we knew that the bird was in the area, and we could only hope that it might come back. We had no choice but to be hopeful. I stayed in that area and Chris went back to the area we had been in. We hated to split up because it meant one of us might miss the bird if it made a brief appearance, but we wanted to cover a maximum area.

I stood near the area where the rangers had seen the caracara and watched vultures fly in, land, and eat small scraps. I debated going into the nearby trash cans, getting more scraps, and putting out caracara bait. While I was thinking of this, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something fly into dense foliage of a nearby tree. I looked and could not see any bird in the backlighted leaves, but I knew a bird was there. I thought it might be the caracara, but I could not see it. As I watched, it stuck its head out a bit and I saw the distinctive bill. It was the caracara!!!!!! As I started to take pictures, I called Chris on the phone and as soon as he answered I said “Here” and went back to getting terrible pictures. Chris knew what I meant. Chris was 4-5 minutes away and I hoped he could get there in time. Then the bird flew. Not away but to a bare snag which was close to me. I kept taking pictures. And waited for Chris to appear. After two minutes on the snag, the caracara flew again. But not away. It flew to the ground and started taking a dust bath. An amazing sight. But no Chris. How long would this bird stay? Then I heard behind me “Bert!”. It was Chris! I pointed to the bird on the ground and Chris saw it. Mission accomplished. Both of us saw the bird. We marveled at the bird which was unconcerned by our presence about 20 yards away. Finally, it flew to a nearby tree, stopped briefly where some lingering picnickers saw it, and then it was gone. Time stamps on my photos show that there were about 6 minutes from the time the bird first appeared to when it was gone. It was a wonderful sighting. Lots of smiles and high fives. Many people have seen this bird, and some people have gotten less than satisfactory views. I am sure no one has gotten better views than we got.

Beer and food that night tasted really good. Everything after that was anticlimactic. The next morning, Monday, at Haulover Marina we met a couple of birders from Pennsylvania who I know. They had gotten a brief glimpse the previous morning and were trying one more time before driving home. The caracara did not show that morning. Chris and I did some local birding before heading to the airport and our flights. By 2 AM Tuesday morning we were both back at our home.

We were thrilled to get one of our two target birds and see it very, very well. It should be noted that the gull continues to go missing as I write this. It has not been seen for 6 days.

eBird Trip report is at https://ebird.org/tripreport/288331

A full set of pictures of birds and other things from the adventure is at
https://www.thefilemyrs.com/Birding/BirdPhotographs/2024Pictures/2024_10_Caracara%20Chase/index.html

A Short Distance Chase For A Mega Rarity
Written 5/20/2024

It always helps to be in the right place at the right time!
This past weekend I volunteered at New Jersey Audubon’s Cape May Bird Observatory Spring Birding Weekend. My role is to be a leader on multiple bird walks at multiple locations in the area. By doing this I am able to remain connected with that birding community plus I have the opportunity to bird at great birding locations.

On Friday morning (5/17) I lead a walk at Higbee Beach WMA. It ended at 9 am. I had another walk scheduled at 1:30 so I had an opportunity to do some local birding on my own. I weighed all the possibilities and decided to drive a bit north to see the shore birds feeding on horseshoe crab eggs at Delaware Bay. It was spectacular. Multiple species of shorebirds were there and from the roped off area I was able to get excellent viewing and photographic opportunities. The stars of the show were Redknots in breeding plumage.

Also in the area were Seaside Sparrows that allowed close views. After that I drove back down to Cape May Point where a handsome male Lark Sparrow was feeding alongside Lily Lake. This bird was quite cooperative.

By now it was shortly after 11 am and as I was photographing the Lark Sparrow, the local birding alert sounded on my phone. The message was that an unusual swift was being seen at Cape May Meadows. It was identified as a Common Swift (Apus apus). It came out later that an “unusual” swift was spotted in the area about a week before but was never relocated. Common Swifts are very, very rare in North America. There are only a handful of confirmed reports on eBird. Most of those reports are single sightings by a single observer.

I was less than 3 miles away from the location of this exciting sighting. I quickly drove over to the parking area at the Meadows and the small parking lot was already full. Very full. This bird was drawing a crowd. I got lucky and someone was leaving and I got a legal parking space.

The actual location of the sighting, in the management area, could not have been further from the parking area. Sometimes these things happen. I gathered my gear and hustled off to where the sightings of the Common Swift were occurring. As I got closer, I saw people pointing and cameras raised. Good signs. Once at the location of the viewing group, other birders pointed out the bird circling overhead. I got my eyes on it and took many pictures. It was not the best photographic situation with a dark bird against a light sky but I did manage to get diagnostics images.

This species summers and breeds across Europe and winters in Southern Africa. Once it leaves its breeding grounds it spends 10 months on the wing before returning to Europe. We were not going to see this bird perched. As I watched, the swift would disappear for short periods of time before returning into view. More and more people arrived. It was a gathering of the Cape May clan.

I hung around for about an hour enjoying the situation. Then I walked back to the parking area, It just so happened that I was scheduled to lead a walk at this location at 1:30 pm. I spent time in the parking lot and at the appointed time about 40 festival participants plus 5 other leaders assembled for the walk. Normally we split the large group into two smaller groups but based on the sighting of the swift we took the entire group to the sighting spot. It obviously is very difficult to get 40 people on a quickly moving bird, but we were successful on getting most of the participants on the bird. The bird had started to range further than the original overhead situation which created a challenge. After about 30 minutes there, we resumed our usual 2-hour walk. I and the other leaders hoped the participants realized how special this sighting was.

The swift was seen on and off the rest of the day. Some people who drove several hours to Cape May were able to see the bird before the day ended. The next day people looked for the bird. As the day went on, no one saw the swift. But late on Saturday there was a eBird report, with a photograph, that suggested that the bird was still around. Other than that report, there have been no other sightings.

It was amazing enough that this bird showed up and was identified, it was even more amazing that it showed up at a central location during a birding festival and I was there.

It always helps to be in the right place at the right time!

Chasing Three Rarities in Florida
Written 4/20/2024

A Gray Gull (Leucophaeus modestus) has been frequenting several locations along the Florida panhandle. It first appeared in the fall and then disappeared for the winter. Recently it was refound. Chris Hitt and I made plans to see (aka "chase") this bird and then spend a couple of days birding the High Island (Texas) area. As we got closer to our planned departure on Monday April 15th it was apparent that the bird was not being seen on a regular basis. We knew of a person who spent two days looking for it with no success. So, on Saturday the 13th we cancelled that trip.

Then on Sunday the 14th things changed. The gull was still being elusive, but a Piratic Flycatcher (Legatus leucophaius) was being seen near St. Petersburg Florida and the Pearly-eyed Thrasher (Margarops fuscatus) was refound in Key West. These are two mega rarities in the birding world. Chris and I quickly put together a plan. We would fly to Miami on Monday. Dash to St Petersburg for the flycatcher and hopefully see it with no problem. Then we would dash to Key West and look for the thrasher. After spending time there either seeing or not seeing the bird, we would drive to North Miami Beach and make another attempt to see the Yellow-headed Caracara (Daptrius chimachima). It had eluded us last month.

Travel is always an adventure. I was scheduled to fly out of PHL at 6:40 am on Monday but at 5 am there was a departure change. The flight was now going to go at 1 pm. That would really put a monkey wrench into our well-crafted plan. Using the services of the Admirals Club I was rebooked on a flight that was going to get me to Miami at 11:20 am. That would put us 2 hours behind our planned schedule. Not the best solution but it was the only solution. I arrived in Miami and I was met by Chris. We quickly picked up our reserved rental car and headed to Fort de Soto State Park near St Petersburg, a four-hour drive. We monitored reports as we drove and we knew that the bird was seen that morning. A good thing. We got to the park about 4 pm and quickly walked to the spot where the bird was being seen. There we were greeted by the news that the bird had not been seen since noon. Up to that point the bird was feeding in a particular bush about every 20 minutes. It obviously changed habits. Not good. We had a tentative schedule to keep! But we wanted to see this bird. We stood and waited. And waited. And waited. Other birders came and went. The sun got closer to the horizon. We had planned to see the bird and then drive 5 hours south to Florida City that night. It looked like we would need to spend the night in St Petersburg and try again in the morning. But then, at 6:50 pm the bird flew in. And it gave us excellent looks. We were part of a happy group of birders. After a few minutes the bird flew off and it was time for us to depart. We drove five hours to Florida City and by about 1 am we were in a motel room. It had been a long day. I had left my house 22 hours before
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Piratic Flycatcher at Fort De Soto State Park

The plan for the next day was to get an early start and drive the three plus hours down to Key West. Our target was a Pearly-eyed Thrasher at the Key West Botanical Forest and Garden. This bird was first found and identified about 3 weeks before. It was not refound until a couple of days before we were going to try for it. If accepted this would be the first American Birding Association record of this species. The two previous sightings of this individual had been at a specific spot in the Key West facility. Unfortunately the facility does not open until 10 am. Birds are most active before this time of the day. We left Florida City at 6 am and were in Key West about 9:30. The facility opened a bit early and by 10 am we were in the gardens and at the “spot”. A couple of other birders were there also. We all focused on finding the skulking thrasher. To make matters a challenge there were numerous Gray Catbirds in the understory. After a few minutes one of the catbirds flew across a trail followed by another bird that was a catbird. Was it the thrasher? Hard to tell but it was a thrasher type bird with a brown back. A good sign. Then we scanned and scanned the underbrush. About 15 minutes later Chris got a brief but diagnostic look at our target bird. It appeared out of the thick understory and then quickly went back in the understory. He had a sense that it headed in a particular direction. Chris stayed at the location of his sighting, and I worked the foliage in the direction it had flown. Again, the numbers of catbirds were distracting. While I was peering deep into an opening in the foliage, the thrasher popped into my view. A quick but diagnostic view. It certainly was a thrasher, and I got enough field marks to separate it from the only other thrasher species in the area - Brown Thrasher. We worked for a couple of more hours but we, and other birders who were there, never relocated the bird. It had moved out of the immediate area and there is so much habitat there for it to hide in.

We finally decided to “move on” and drove down to Fort Zackary Taylor State Park. There were lots of people there enjoying the park and it was not very birdy. It was time to make the drive back north up the Keys while birding a few spots on the way. We managed to have good timing and at dusk we were near the entrance of the Everglades National Park west of Florida City. Outside the park we enjoyed watching and hearing Common Nighthawks over agricultural fields. Inside the park there were multiple Chuck-will’s-widows calling and flying around. We had hoped to do more birding there, but it had been another full day of birding/driving and we were tired. And the mosquitoes had quickly found us.

The plan for the next day (Wednesday) was to bird during the day in the Everglades and then position us for the location where the Yellow-headed Caracara was often seen at dusk. We had a nice drive through the Everglades NP. All the wintering herons and egrets had moved north. An interesting sighting was several Manatees by the Visitor’s Center at Flamingo. They were eating vegetation around an outflow.
After driving back out of the park we made the traditional stop at “Robert is Here” to enjoy milkshakes and the “Southernmost Purple Martin Colony in the US”. We had time to stop at a few small parks and nature centers before heading to Oleta State Park and Beach.

There has been a single Yellow-headed Caracara in the North Miami Beach area since November of 2022. Recently the Florida Bird Records Committee added it to the official Florida list, and it is now countable in Florida. It is hoped the ABA will also accept this species before too long. The bird has an inconsistent pattern of often being seen near the bait shop of the Overhaul Marina in the mornings and often near the Pelican Pavilion in Oleta Park near dusk. Chris and I had tried to see this bird about a month ago. At that time, we put about 9 hours in at these locations and we never saw the bird. But this time we were optimistic. It was seen Monday evening and that was only two days before.

We arrived at Oleta Park plenty early and started the “Caracara Watch”. The area around the pavilion was active with picnickers but that had not made a difference during previous sightings by numerous other birders. The bird often came there to scavenge food and was not bothered by humans. We set up on a picnic bench and watched and waited. It certainly was not a wilderness experience. Lots of loud music, great food smells, and loud conversations. The sun moved across the sky and then dipped below the horizon right on schedule. The caracara did not appear. We left about 8 pm and headed to dinner and a motel.

Oleta River State Park, Pelican Pavilion area

The next morning, we headed to the location where the bird often showed up in the morning. We were there before dawn, and we watched and waited. We were joined by another birder from Chicago and more eyes makes a stakeout better. We watched and waited until well after 9:30 am, long past the time it “usually appeared”. The caracara did not appear. We went to get a real breakfast and did some casual local birding. Burrowing Owls at Brian Picollo Park are always a treat. Then we headed back to the motel for some much-needed rest. Later that afternoon we were back at Oleta Park and were feeling good about having the caracara show up. Chris, I, and our new friend from Chicago watched and waited. Despite our optimism the result was the same as the evening before. The caracara did not appear.

Burrowing Owl at Brian Picollo Park

On the next day, (Friday) we were back at Haulover Park well before sunrise. The three of us projected good and positive thoughts as we waited for the caracara to fly in. And once again, the caracara did not appear. Over the four sessions of the “Caracara Watch” of this trip, we spent at least 12 hours watching and waiting. Combining that with the hours we had spent earlier in the month we certainly had put in our time. There was nothing else we could have done differently. We were in the right places, and we were patient. The bird did not cooperate. As the saying goes, “Birding is not a trip to a zoo. If you want a sure thing, take up geology”. After leaving Overhaul Marina we headed to Miami Airport and our flights home.

It was a wonderful trip. We had three target birds and we saw two of them. Not a bad percentage considering how rare these three birds are in the ABA area.

Now on to the next adventure.

Postscript
We found out this morning (Saturday the 20th) that the caracara was seen Friday evening at a location somewhat near where we watched and waited. It is still around but it is hanging out in a new place. And...the Gray Gull has been seen again.

eBird Trip Report

Pictures from the adventure

Chasing a Yellow-headed Caracara - Waiting and watching.
Written 3/6/24

Recently there have been two rare and chaseable birds in the US that have interested Chris Hitt and me. One was a Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) in Wisconsin. This thrush like bird from Europe is a rare visitor to the US. The other was a Yellow-headed Caracara (Daptrius chimachima) in Florida. This relative of the more common in our area Crested Caracara has been there for a period of time. The Florida records committee recently accepted it. This is the first accepted record in the American Birding Association area. It is assumed/hoped that the ABA will follow the lead of the Florida records committee and accept this record. Both of these birds would be great birds to see. But we only had time to chase one of these.

So, the choice was Miami or Wisconsin. Hot or cold. Both would have been interesting chases. When it got down to it, Chris and I really did not have to decide between the two. As we started to determine logistics it became apparent that the Fieldfare had moved on. It had not been seen for several days. So that bird was off the table. The caracara had established a pattern of being at one park just north of Miami in the mornings and at a different, but close by, park in the late afternoons and early evenings. Both Chris and I had many things on our schedules, and I had been on the road multiple times recently. But, we did manage to work up a plan. We would make a quick trip for the caracara. We would fly to Miami on Monday night and return home on Wednesday early evening. That would give us plenty of time see the bird.

We flew into Miami separately on Monday evening (3/4). We met in the Miami airport and quickly picked up a rental car. And we quickly got a bit confused in the maze of roads around the airport. But we worked things out and after a scenic tour, in the dark, on some back roads near the airport we got to our motel by about 11 pm. On Tuesday morning we were out of the motel by 6 am. After a quick stop at a McDonalds for breakfast, we arrived at Haulover Park and Beach. This is where the caracara has spent time in the mornings. It sometimes sat in the palm trees in front of the Bill Bird Marina building and more often in the palm trees by the bait shop. These two locations were separated by a couple of hundred yards. We got the lay of the land and in cooperation with several other birders who were also there we covered both areas. And we waited and we watched. And we waited and watched. After about three and a half hours we decided that the bird was not going to make a morning appearance. Most, if not all, morning sightings were around 7-8 am and it was well past this time. Chris and I went and scouted out the evening location and then headed back to the motel to get out of the heat and check past sightings for any information we could use.

By 3:30 that afternoon we were at Oleta River State Park which was the afternoon location favored by this bird. We knew the specific area the caracara came to. It had been seen there by multiple observers on multiple recent days. We staked out the area and we waited and we watched. And we waited and we watched. Time passed and the sun went down, and it got dark. The bird never appeared.


Sunset at Oleta River State Park on Tuesday evening.

The next morning (Wednesday) we woke up to the sound of heavy rain and thunderstorms. But that did not stop us from heading back to Haulover Park. This time we got there even earlier than we had the day before. It was dark and the rain was pouring down. But just at dawn, the rain let up and we could get out of the car and wait and watch. There were a couple of other birders there and we had the place well covered. A couple of employees spoke to us and told us exactly the morning pattern of the bird. They even showed us pictures of the bird in the trees and on the roof of the bait shop.and told us the time it “always” showed up. So we waited and we watched. And we waited and we watched. By 10 am it was obvious that the bird had changed its pattern. Again,most, if not all, morning sightings were around 7-8 am and it was well past this time.

The bait shop at Haulover Park on Wednesday morning

At this point we had spent over 10 hours waiting and watching for this bird at the two usual locations. It was time to give up. The bird had obviously changed its pattern. We had planned on a short trip and we saw no reason to extend the trip. We had plane reservations that evening which precluded us from another session of waiting and watching at Oleta Park. Chasing birds is “not a trip to a zoo”. If you chase birds, you will see great target birds on many occasions, but you will also miss great target birds on occasion. This was one of the few times we missed a great target bird. Chris and I had been on a winning streak for multiple recent chases but that has come to an end. It will be interesting to see where and when this bird reappears.

After leaving the park, we did a little local birding then headed to the airport. We were both able to change our plane reservations and we got home earlier tonight than expected.

While waiting and watching I took some pictures of birds in the area.
A set iof pictures is HERE
Our eBird trip report is at https://ebird.org/tripreport/209850

Going For Three!
Written 1/8/24

While much of the birding community has been focusing on the rarities in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (TX) this winter, there have been several rarities in the northeast part of the American Birding Association area. Specifically, a Red-flanked Bluetail, from Asia, showing in New Jersey, a Common Gull, from Europe, showing in Connecticut and a Gray Heron, also from Europe, showing in Nova Scotia. Each one of these vagrants is considered a “mega rarity”, and having three such rarities at the same time is a very, very unusual occurrence. Maybe even unprecedented
On Wednesday (1/3/24) Chris Hitt and I put together a plan. Chris had not seen any of these birds in the ABA area and while I had seen two of them in the area, there was one I had not.

This is how it played out.
On Thursday (1/4) Chris left his home in North Carolina mid-day and started driving to my house in suburban Philadelphia. That evening I attended a Delaware Valley Bird Club (DVOC) meeting but left early to be at home when Chris arrived. After a short night’s sleep, we were on the road at 6 am. By 7:30 am we were at the location of the now long-staying Red-flanked Bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus) in Ocean County, New Jersey. The homeowners whose yard the bird has frequented, have come up huge and created a great viewing situation. We were quickly in their side yard scanning the bushes for the bird. It could be hours before the bird appeared. We did not know how long the stakeout would last so we brought lawn chairs. We never even sat in the chairs. In about 10 minutes Chris, myself, and the only other birder who was there, spotted the bird tucked under a nearby bush. We got good views of the bird as it sat quietly. Photography was a bit tough but I managed a couple of diagnostic shots. It would have been nice if the bluetail was out in the open, and in bright sunlight, but that was not going to happen within our projected time frame. We had to keep moving. We had places to go and birds to see.

We got back in the SUV and after working our way through the morning traffic in New York City, we were at Cove Island Park in Fairfield, Connecticut. A Common Gull (Larus canus) had been reported there for about a week. Common Gulls are very similar to Ring-billed Gulls and they were once lumped with Short-billed Gulls and were called Mew Gulls.
There was no shortage of Ring-billed Gulls at Cove Island Park to sort through trying to find the one that was slightly different. We did a lot of scanning with no luck. Checking with local birders who were also looking, and having done some research in advance, we knew that the target bird had been seen occasionally at another nearby park. We drove over there and after a bit of scanning we located the gull on the west beach at Cummings Park. We got great views and photographic opportunities in nice light. Between checking the two parks and finding the target we were there just short of 2 hours.

Now it was time to head north to seek out our third target – a Gray Heron (Ardea cinerea). This is a rare visitor to North America from Europe and like most if not all other records of this species, it was being seen in a maritime province of Canada. This particular individual had been found in Nova Scotia. It must be noted that Nova Scotia is not a easy place to get to even in the summer much less in January. After a short stop in Portsmouth NH at a nice restaurant for dinner, we drove up to St. John, New Brunswick. We arrived about midnight, which included a time zone change. It had been a long day and we had covered 750 miles driving. It was a good thing that we did not linger at the locations of the other two target species.

By 8 am the next morning we were sitting in our warm SUV waiting to board a 9:00 am ferry for the 2.5 hour ride across the Bay of Fundy to Bigby, Nova Scotia. Loading was easy and it was a smooth trip across the bay. Upon arrival we had a 90 minute drive to an area east of Yarmouth. The heron had been hanging around a small marsh and often roosted in a set of trees beside the marsh. This whole small area is visible from the road. We had a plan on the assumption that the heron was in one of the “usual places”. Our plan was to get there, quickly find and see the heron, and then drive back to Bigby to catch the 4 pm return ferry to St John. That was our plan but the heron had other plans. It chose not to be in the marsh or in the trees. We scanned and scanned. We kept changing locations and scanning the marsh and the trees from every possible angle. We had no luck. Several residents of the area stopped by and assured us we were in the right place. A local birder stopped and chatted with us. It was Alix d'Entremont who, along with his wife, had found the bird on a recent Christmas Bird Count. He assured us that it did disappear for periods of time but had always returned to the marsh. That made us feel better but not great. We tried to be patient as we scanned the marsh, the trees, and now the sky. Alix and his wife came up big for us and went to check out other places the heron could be. A great gesture. As we sat and scanned, and scanned, we realized that we would not make the 4:00 pm ferry and we also realized we would probably have to spend the night in Yarmouth. That way we could be at the marsh at first light the next morning. This was doable but not part of Plan A. We continued to scan and scan, Then, after many hours of scanning, Chris shouted, “There it is. It is flying in!”. I was on the driver’s side of the SUV and I could not see it flying. I quickly got out of the car and got my bins on the heron as it decended into the marsh quickly disappearing. It was brief look but we had both seen it well. At the same time, Alix and his wife drove back from scouting and excitedly asked if we had seen the heron fly in. He and his wife had followed it down the road as it flew towards us. He hoped we had been vigilant and we had been. Alix’s checklist about them seeing it fly along the road is at https://ebird.org/checklist/S158350910

We were happy birders! Very happy birders! The heron was not close, and it played hide and seek with us in the marsh, but with patience we did get great scope views and I got decent photographs. What a wonderful bird and what a wonderful experience.

Now it was time to head home. Since the ferry only runs once a day, and we had missed it that day, we decided to not hang out in the Yarmouth area until the next day but rather drive around the north end of the Bay of Fundy and work our back home that way. We drove 5.5 hours up to the town of Moncton and spent the night. We got to the motel about 10:30 pm. Another long day. But another wonderful day. All this time we were concerned about a developing major east coast snowstorm but there was nothing we could do about it.

We knew the snowstorm would affect our trip home. A long trip back home could become much longer. The next morning (Sunday) we were on the road from Moncton at 7:30 am knowing we needed to drive about 750 much miles through a major snowstorm to get home. The trip home started out well, but we hit the snow about mid-Maine. At first it was light snow then gradually heavier snow developed. Driving was a challenge. Chris and I decided not to try to get all the way home that day. It was a situation it be cautious. Our first plan was to stop in Portsmouth, have dinner at the same restaurant we stopped at on the way north, and then get a motel there for the night. When we got to the restaurant, we found it had closed due to the weather. At this point the snow seemed to have let up, so we chose to drive an additional 2.5 hours south to lodging in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. As it turned out, we were driving into the most intense part of the storm. With Chris doing some impressive winter driving, we made it to Sturbridge slowly but safely. We checked into a motel and hunkered down. A Cracker Barrel Restaurant next to the motel provided a nice casual dinner. The next morning (Monday) we were on the road about 6 am. The skies were clear, and the roads were dry. Much nicer driving conditions than the day before. We easily navigated around NYC at rush hour thanks to Google/Waze, and were at my house at 11 am. Chris did a quick turnaround and headed to his home North Carolina, about an 8 hour drive from my house. As I write this he is still on the road.

Total miles over the 4 days – 2043 miles. Chris had about 900 additional miles
We only had 35 total bird species for the trip, but we did see and photograph our three target species. And that was what this chase was all about.

eBird Trip Report is at https://ebird.org/tripreport/191563
A few pictures are at https://www.thefilemyrs.com/Birding/BirdPhotographs/2024Pictures/2024_01_HeronChase/index.html

And now on to the next adventure.