They are certainly not the bird days here in Ontario. Any reports that are coming out are for early fall migrants. So, in order to see anything new at this time of year I have to head out of town. South-West, to be exact. A return trip to Arizona and then a road trip adventure to Missouri and Kansas and Minnesota, including stops in St. Louis for the Eurasian Tree Sparrow and the outskirts of Minnesota and an exploration of the Sax-Zim Bog.
I will be leaving late in Sunday and driving 12 hours to St. Louis and getting on a flight to Tucson, where I will get a quick sleep and be ready for a full day of birding with Melody Khel on the final day of July. So far, July has been quiet, with just 14 new species, but that will change in Arizona and I hope to add at least 20 on July 31. I will then spend the day on my own, on August 1 and pick up whatever remaining birds I can before heading north again. While out with Melody, Arizona bird guide extraordinaire, we will be concentrating on owls and hummingbirds and a few of the rarities that might be along our way. I will then follow the Arizona Rare Bird and E-bird reports on my own the next day.
With 48 species to go for 500, I hope to get close in Arizona and perhaps hit 500 while on my mid-west swing. One can dream, I guess. Or hallucinate.
Speaking of which, the character of Steven Furca, in my short story from the other day was, essentially, me. I love story telling and the events of the day seemed so far fetched, as they were happening, and the jumble of thoughts and tangents my mind was going through that day, rather leant themselves to fictional prose. The fact was, other than the use of a fictional character to drape the story around, everything that I described that day happened. Would I do it again? Not without proof that the bird had been seen within an hour or so of my arrival. And never again alone without good shoes and lots of water.
What was the significance of the name Furca? You tell me :)
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