The Green Big Year fall strategy, or lack there of

Ok, so I started this a month ago with some ideas. I have barely had time to chase birds, feed the kids, be dad/husband, work, and sleep, so the blog is behind. I'm scribbling a lot of notes so I can flesh this whole year out more sometime down the road. I guess I better type those scribbles because they are hardly legible now!

Anyway, here is my strategy in bullet fashion. It's all I have right now :)

I may need to let some birds go. I have already sort of given up on a couple birds that were just too much time/physical commitment or at a busy time of the year and I simply can't do it all. I can't just get in the car and drive 30 min for a bird. I have to consider time commitment, whether it's a work day or weekend (when I need to be dad), and other factors when jumping on a big chase or ride.
I'm considering riding into the foothills again for a bird or two bird, but that'll be a major time commitment. I could be sore and tired for a week. Last time I rode up into the hills, my back hurt for a month. Sigh. I also need some birds sort of staked out. I can't push limits for a whole day for nothing.
Marsh Wren - find one! I found one! Success!
There is a balance of scanning Chatfield State Park or other places for shorebirds/gulls/jaegers vs. working the woods for passerines. This is tough and tricky! Basically I just need to make a decision, go with it, and have no regrets!
I am thinking about a couple Big Sits at the Chatfield Marina Sand Spit. Birds come and go all day, so a couple mornings camped out there may be good. It could also be a total bust. These need to be planned, but you can only plan too much since success may be more weather dependent. I thought today (13 Sept) would be good and it was largely a bust and too windy. I got Sabine's Gull for #259, but that was expected and my last code 1 in the bag!
Always eat breakfast like you're going for a 30 miler, even if you're not planning on riding. Or better yet, eat like you're planning for a 50 miler as I wasn't quite prepared for the day that Joey Kellner found the Long-tailed Jaeger and I was 18 miles east of Chatfield. That'll be an amusing blog spot.
Maybe missed the boat on Northern Waterthrush, oh wait, I got one! Success!
I'm giving the monthly talk to Denver Field Ornithologists in 2 weeks. I better get started on that presentation!
Always keep the bike and gear ready to go. A quick chase may need to happen and I can't spend 20 min finding my binoculars and Clif Bars.
Stretch more. Do more core work.
Finally, just follow Joey Kellner around. Duh. This will make more sense when I write up my jaeger day.

Comments

Big ride for big time green year birds.

First and foremost, thank you for all the pledges and donations! The total pledges so far have been astonishing! Between donations and pledges per species (assuming I hit 250 species), we are about 70% of the way to our $20,000 target! I think Joe would probably roll his eyes and tell a joke about the time we chased what would be his first Arapahoe county Brown Thrasher at Cherry Creek State Park. We saw the thrasher fly away and vanish and then Joe gave me slack for not getting him better looks! Please consider a tax-deductible donation or pledge per species (pledges do not need to be paid until the 2021 green year ends). The pledges and donations are motivating me to get out and get birds. I'm truly humbled. Thank you. This is going to be such a fun year! Click the link (scroll to the bottom) to pledge or donate! https://cobirds.org/CFO/Grants/ January 2021 overview (and then the birds!). I thought I'd start off with a little overview of my general strategy for this ...

A sparrow, a sapsucker, and a shrike, oh my!

I've been able to take advantage of dry roads and nice weather lately. I had a couple very successful adventures in the last week and picked up some green avian targets for the year. January 20, 2021 A Harris's Sparrow was frequenting a private residence in Littleton (JeffCo) and despite arriving in the early afternoon, to find no birds anywhere, a flock of White-crowned Sparrows showed up a few minutes later and the Harris's popped up! Talk about luck! I also had taken my camera (a first for a bike ride) and lucked out with a couple decent photos for the blog! A sharp looking Harris's Sparrow! Harris's Sparrow (Green year bird #75) With the grand luck on the Harris's Sparrow, I decided to swing by the ball fields at Kipling and 285 (still in Litteton) to see if there were any Snow Geese around. Not a goose to be found, so I kept going north to Bear Creek Greenbelt to look for either of Winter Wrens that had recently been found between S Estes St and S. Kipling ...

Tis the end of the Green Year

27 January 2022 Well the Joe Roller Memorial Green Big Year is over. As the year was winding down, the reality of the end of this amazing year started to set in. I admit that I was a little bummed that it was coming to an end. Of course, one person said to just do it again 2022 and let's raise more funds for the Roller Grant. HAHA! I'd be sleeping on the couch if I had considered doing that again! I'm also pretty sure my bikes and body (and leave balance at work) wouldn't hold up either! Joking aside, it was a little bit of a downer as the last days of the year came fast like a Peregrine Falcon on a flock of unsuspecting shorebirds. Suddenly the year was over. I've done 98% of my birding on foot or bike from my house since the pandemic began, so I thought the shifting of gears was likely going to be a shock to the system. I think the end of the year snuck up on me because of the "winter" was unseasonably warm with 50 and 60+ degree temperatures, incredibl...

Joe Roller Memorial Green Big Year

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