On December 30, I was in Fort Zachary for the morning, hoping to find a White-crowned Pigeon, or any new last ditch effort birds for my Big Year, and was chasing a small "vireo-type" bird into a bush, got a fleeting look at it and then when I snapped the photo, the bird had flown and after as much time as I could devote to the search, headed back up to the Botanical Gardens hoping for a photo of the Western Spindalis I had seen earlier in the day. I stayed the night in Miami, where I had unsuccessfully tried one last time for a White-winged Parakeet before heading up to Cape May to finish off my Big Year.
As I was heading to the airport in Miami, an e-mail came through informing me of the sighting of the Thick-billed Vireo in pretty much the same spot I had been chasing the bird the previous day. I didn't get enough of the field marks to positively identify it, so I did not count it.
And now to the present. I had planned the day today well in advance. Reports of a White-cheeked Pintail and Brown Booby on the east coast, along with a white morph Great-blue Heron had been the plan until 6:40 this morning, when a NARBA report of a Thick-billed Vireo was seen yesterday at Bill Baggs Cape State Park. Plans were changed in an instant and I headed straight there, no stops, other than gassing up and coffee. I filled a bag from the breakfast buffet at the hotel, so I'd have what to eat on the way down.
The directions to the location were easy to follow and as I was walking up to the location, after parking, I saw a fellow in the standard birding hat and could see a hint of the black strap around the back of his neck. I approached expectantly, and before I could say anything he asked, cryptically, "Has anyone seen it yet today?" Of course, I easily decoded his birder-speak, and said I had just arrived. We went and looked for it together, never uttering the name of the bird, yet both knowing what we were looking for.
I checked the photo on iBird and gave a quick quite listen to it's call, so I'd recognize it. and then bagan pish-ing. It didn't take more than 5 minutes for the flitting bird to appear, although the first visitor was a Northern Parula, my first for 2013. My new birding buddy, Richard, spotted the Thick-billed first and then we were both able to get good looks at it before it disappeared again. I started pish-ing again and then the vireo started calling. It was pretty distinctive and we both identified it by ear and it made it easy to follow back and forth from one side of the fenced off path to the other.
I had a lof of photos of the bushes and tree limbs until it finally landed on a bare branch,(they almost never do that), and I snapped off a few photos before it vanished again. Not long after we were joined by the park ranger and Robin Diaz, whom I met a year ago, in almost the same spot, just after the La Sagra's Flycatcher had flown the coop. Another few minutes of pish-ing got the bird to come out for all to see and sing for all to hear. It was a Lifer for me and Richard and just the second time for Robin.
It was a great day, and now I am pretty sure I did see this bird back in December in Fort Zachary.
Though I drove 4-1/2 hours each way for one bird, I had a fantastic time, met some lovely people and wouldn't have spent my day off any other way.
Some of the other birds for the day
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