Time warp blues... Dream Yr Update (very long)
GREGORY.B.MILLER@bge.com
Tue, 27 Oct 1998 11:06:10 -0500
Howdy All!
For those of you on a tight schedule, here's the executive
summary:
Northern Jacana -whiff
Lesser Prairie-Chicken -whiff
Eurasian Tree-Sparrow -CHA-CHING! (#706)
---------------------------------------------
MIRAGE IN THE DESERT
October 23. I got up at 3:30am (Eastern time) to get to
Baltimore in time for the earliest flight to Tulsa, OK. Tulsa?
My previous plans had me set to drive to southwestern Kansas for
Lesser Prairie-Chicken this weekend. Not wanting to lose money
on the nonrefundable tickets, and not willing to pay the
exorbitant prices for a last minute trip to Phoenix or Tucson, I
decided to drive...2200+ miles round-trip in 2 1/2 days...
I arrived in Tulsa at 12:30pm (Central time) and was on the
road by 1:00pm heading West. I stopped 600 miles later in
Roswell, NM around 10:30pm (Mountain time). My driving time was
hampered by my 200-mile range before having to stop at whatever
bathroom was immediately available. In addition to having some
stupid stomach ailment, my back decided to spasm irregularly as
it balked at having to live inside the rental car. Sigh.
Upon arrival in Roswell, I called the Tucson RBA to check on
the status of the Jacana. It was there as of Thursday night. I
decided to continue my quest. Between having to wake up multiple
times during the night to visit the bathroom, not being able to
get comfortable because of my back, and having this gnawing
feeling about the Jacana sticking around, I had a fitful 4-hr
night.
THE GREAT CHICKEN CHASE
October 24. Groggily, I got up at 2:30am and headed out the
door by 3:00am. In a little more than 500 miles, I arrived at
Arivaca Lake, AZ at the Jacana location at around 11:00am
(Arizona time--still the same as Pacific time). Though
exhausted, new adrenaline was pumping as I pulled into a parking
spot. Upon getting out of my car, I received the most
devastating news one can hear as a twitcher: the bird had not
been seen all day. I felt my heart rise up into my throat.
Immediately, the thought of my cheap, skinflint decision to drive
instead of fly started to buzz around my brain like an unwanted
fly buzzes around your face, but which is impossible to swat.
Any extra energy immediately drained from my body. My legs felt
like they would not hold me up. I felt confused, disoriented,
and helpless. What do I do now?
I spent an obligatory 2 1/2 hours at the site. There were
Lazuli Buntings, Abert's Towhees, a Green-tailed Towhee, and a
few sparrows. The weather was beautiful and the fall air was
fresh. Others' stories of how beautiful the bird was, how easy
it was to see, and how it was there every day, did not do much
for my morale. I felt like part of my life had just been sucked
out me...
I got back into my car and made it only 300 miles to Deming,
NM before I felt unfit for driving. I pulled into a motel at
8:30pm (Mountain time), looking forward to the "extra" hour. My
stomach was still causing me problems, my back was worse, and the
Jacana funk just would not go away. I set no alarms and allowed
myself to sleep.
October 25. Somewhat refreshed with a better night's rest,
I was out the door by 5:00am (Mountain time after falling back an
hour). I popped my drugs (Ibuprofen, Immodium A-D, and Pepcid
A/C). By 11:00am I had reached Roswell, NM. Decision time
again. Although it's the middle of the day, do I go for the
Lesser Prairie-Chicken, or do I keep on driving? It's gonna be a
long day regardless. I decided to drive the 40 miles out to
Caprock, NM and try for the chickens anyway. If I don't go after
them, my chances are a flat 0% instead of some remote chance.
There were dozens of Sage Sparrows present, as well as a
couple Sage Thrashers and Western Meadowlarks, but little else.
I was amused as I watched the Sage Sparrow's habit of cocking
it's tail forward over it's back, stretching it's head forward,
and running several feet on the ground. An hour and half later,
I left Caprock, chicken-less. Now I was 0 for 2. Ouch. My back
was now bad enough to cause me to perspire sometimes when it
spasmed. My stomach was so bloated I found it hard to breathe at
times. All I felt like eating were pretzels...lots of them. My
body felt like a wreck and I felt emotionally zapped from the
missed birds. I was taking this far too seriously. Where's the
fun I've had all year? I had been fortunate enough to always
have more target birds. Now, I had to be content to just have
the opportunity to chase a bird like a Jacana...an unplanned bird
anyway. Besides, all I can do is put myself in the right place
and hope for the best.
My pep talk was working. A Golden Eagle's powerful, slow
flight found a tiny spark in my heart. A few minutes later, the
sight of a beautifully pale, Ferruginous Hawk actually made me
smile. Flocks of Horned Larks were everywhere. A flock of
Sandhill Cranes flew high off to the right as I neared Amarillo,
TX. A Red-tailed Hawk (Harlan's) was a real treat in the Texas
panhandle. I arrived in Tulsa, OK at 11:00pm (Central time).
Having seen 5 accidents during the 2400 mile trek, I was
happy to be alive. Making this trip was not one of my best
decisions this year, even if I would have seen the Jacana...
URBAN BIRDING
October 26. On five more good hours of sleep, I felt quite
refreshed. My back was only stiff, my stomach was nauseous but
hadn't caused me to wake during the night. My attitude had
changed, too. I was actually looking forward to seeing the
Eurasian Tree-Sparrow. I had another rental car by 8:00am (yes,
still on Central time) and made the 10-mile trip down to Dogtown
in St Louis during Monday morning rush-hour traffic. I followed
my directions: S on I-170, E on I-64, S on McCausland, E on
Nashville. I'm in the neighborhood now. I found a parking spot
and got out and walked around the block a couple times. I found
three active feeders at the building on the SW corner of Central
and Berthold (this is where the ETS was). I counted a total of
21 House Sparrows and 2 Eurasian Tree-Sparrows (#706 for the
year) during my 15 minute stay in Dogtown. I turned in my rental
around 9:40am. I took the shuttle back to the airport. My total
time from the airport to get the sparrows (at a leisurely pace)
was about two hours. I had allowed myself five hours, two of
which I used for some necessary sleep (ahhhh...nothing like
airport slumber).
I returned to Baltimore about 5:00pm (Eastern time) and
headed South towards home, only to find a bad accident had
totally blocked the main road. I took the long way home and
walked in the door, absolutely frazzled, at 8:30pm. I opened my
mail and found a couple of free flight coupons on Southwest.
Timing...
-Greg Miller
Lusby, MD
http://www.erols.com/gregorym (birding dream year on-line)