down but not out - dream yr update

GREGORY.B.MILLER@bge.com
Tue, 4 Aug 1998 08:45:51 -0400 

Howdy all!

   Zero new birds for the year.  Zip.  Zilch.  Nada.  It's the seventh
inning and the weather pitches me a shutout.  The red flags were flying on
the beach all weekend.  It may have been good for the Wright Brothers, but
it's a coffin lid closing on pelagic trips.  The 40-50mph winds were
incessant.  Being out on the beach had all the pleasantries of having your
face sand-blasted.  Both Patteson pelagics were cancelled for Saturday and
Sunday.  Curlew Sandpiper was not found and I struck out again in Great
Dismal Swamp for Swainson's Warbler.  Needless to say, I'm temporarily
blue...

   On Saturday morning, I was pleasantly surprised to meet Ohio birding
friend Ben Morrison.  After the morning's cancellation, we headed North to
Pea Island NWR to hunt for whatever goodies got blown in by the Nor'Easter.
The conditions were good for Curlew Sandpiper. It was Ben's first trip to
this area, too.  He needed Gull-billed Tern and Seaside Sparrow for his
life list.

   The North Pool had a higher water level than I had seen in the 4 yrs
that I've been coming down to Hatteras.  It was pretty poor for shorebirds.
The South Pool, however, was loaded with shorebirds. Jillions of 'em.
Unfortunately, it is the North Pool that has the greatest access and is
easiest to view.  There are only three vantage points for the South Pool
that I know of (South Overlook, Observation Tower, and along the busy
highway).  None of these points are satisfying when you see shorebirds for
as far as the eye can see...

   Nonetheless, by late morning, we had added Ben's two lifers, Gull-billed
Tern and Seaside Sparrow.  We also had Royal, Sandwich, Common & Forster's,
Least, and Black Terns.  We had some good shorebirds, too including Marbled
Godwit, Whimbrel, and Baird's Sandpiper.  I drove Ben back down to Hatteras
around noon.  I went back to my room and took a long overdue nap.  Ok.  I
*slept* for 3 hrs.  I was exhausted, physically and emotionally.

   I drove back to Pea Island in the evening.  The only additions were
Stilt Sandpiper and some molting Sanderlings.

   Up early again Sunday morning, I was excited with anticipation.  My mind
was trying to calm the inner birder with some reason.  After all, it *was*
still windy.  Finally, we got the announcement.  We would be going out, but
it would be wicked.  Anyone with any feelings of doubt should stay.  Ben
and I were elated.  We got our seats and the boat headed out.  As we
rounded the end of the inlet, we headed into the 6-8 foot surf.  It was not
long before many of us were covered with salt spray.  I looked at my watch.
I was already calculating when I should be looking for my first
shearwaters.  I made my first predictions, too.  Cory's Shearwater would be
the first tick.

   Half an hour out we started hitting some larger swells that made the
boat feel quite a bit smaller than its 72 ft length.  The size and the
frequency of the swells increased.  In 94, I had been out on a rough trip.
Then, the waves came in fairly evenly and all from the same direction.  But
not today.  Today, the waves were coming from different directions and
would sometimes collide causing huge, angry, grayish green mountains of
foam and turbulent water.

   The boat stopped after we had climbed several of these mountains and had
raced into the troughs.  "The seas are disorganized", the PA system
crackled, "and we're heading back in.  It is no longer safe for us to
continue."  One of the birders aboard was an oceanographer.  He thought the
largest swells were 20-25 ft.  The inner birder was disheartened, but the
mind, I must say, felt quite a bit relieved as we headed back to shore.

   Ben and I headed back to Pea Island, determined to turn up a Curlew
Sandpiper.  After 5 hours of intensely scouring the flats and straining for
ID on every bird, we called it quits.  The only different bird we had saw
was a White-rumped Sandpiper.  I headed back to my motel room to take a nap
and try to wrangle together a good plan B.

   I walked to the Channel Bass Restaurant for feel-sorry-for-myself
dinner.  The seafood was delicious.  From across the dining room I heard
someone ask how I did today.  I looked up.  It was Jerry Bertrand (sp?),
president of the Massachusetts Audubon Society.  He was in North Carolina
with a group of about 16 participants.  Some of his group had gone out on
the boat in the morning.  After finishing my meal, I walked over and
enjoyed some company.  With them was fellow Attuvian (Attu participant),
Dr. Petti Staub.  It was a pleasant ending to an unfulfilled day.

   I joined the Massachusetts group early Monday morning.  We made the
60-minute journey North to Pea Island in the wind and rain.  We didn't stay
long.  It was too dark, wet, and windy.  We made a couple stops further
North, and then headed for Great Dismal Swamp (drove in Jericho Lane and
hiked Jericho Ditch).  The skies magically cleared and the sun came out.
Although I was unable to bring myself to be optimistic about getting
Swainson's Warbler, it was some comfort knowing I had 16 extra pairs of
eyes and ears for birding.  We spent a couple hours in the dead of mid-day.
I was surprised we saw as much as we did.  There were Yellowthroats,
Prairie, Prothonotary, Black-and-White, Hooded, and Worm-eating Warblers.
A decent afternoon out this late in the year.  Oh.  And there were
virtually no biting bugs and the temperature was also very pleasant--an
unusual combination in GDS!

Still nursing the wounds,

Greg Miller
Lusby, MD