Ticking the Tweeters

We share our home with a milky-eyed Yorkie. He tolerates his own company - halitosis & flatulence his bedtime mates - to the dismay of most everyone else in an ever-widening circle of influence... He's done his time; is a steady fixture & knows his way around the place but if there's a rat in the kitchen, he'll get bitten on the arse. #BBD2018's Wilge River Valley proved to be 'our kitchen'... & we ended a handful short of 300; our target for the day. Others were more successful. 

You may think hero-worship, in our 40-something years, bears witness to levels of antisocial behaviour yet undocumented, but I don't care & if I was you, I'd listen to me. Them 3 or 4 (300+sp.) teams, who whipped us gud & proppa, deserve their ribbons. They're that good. These are our avocation's true A-listers; the rest of us & the hit, tick & run brigade, the beggared cousins in an eclectic family blessed with more than most. 

That out of the way - we're not comfortable out, looking in - & we'll be back for more, in the next. This time we'll come packing.  

Mkhombo Dam - on the very brink... [That's us in its middle]

In the early 80s the late, great Ted Parker & compatriot, Scott Robinson, legendary ornithologists based in Peru's Madre de Dios, obliterated the Birding Big Day record; & Madre de Dios it was; still is. They put to bed the hitherto moot point that field-craft is its own reward but experience and planning are key. 

Some years later Kenya bettered their score, by a handful, but it was only 35 years later that the 'impossible' was achieved & the standing record shattered by more than 20%. The previous record of 350-odd is today's Ecuadorian 431 - a record in which South Africa played a minor part. Their achievement is a staggering display of field-craft; a function of that country's biodiversity merged & centred into a small geography; & mostly, the result of careful planning. 

When it comes to 'So you want to compete in a 24-hour birding challenge' mortals rely on these few obligate rules:

1. 'Scout, scout & scout some more' [ref. John Arvin, ditto 2 - 13].
2. Review & practice the route [outcomes-based learning].
3. Weather happens [Plan B].
4. Learn the birds [... duh].
5. Every bird counts as one [move along]. 
6. Cellphone & contact numbers are useful [a select few will do]. 
7. Compile a hit-list [of the birds that is]
8. Make the night hours count [bring a light]
9. Maximise the night hours, Part 2 [somewhat confusing initially but clear when the sun sets 10 short of a whole number].
10. Maximise the most important time of the day [Dawn chorus].
11. Plan the route to coincide with 'typical' bird activity [assuming 'typical' is the new normal].
12. Make the most of the 2nd-most important time of the day [sandwiched between afternoon tea & pre-evening prayers].
13. Utilise the twilight hours [crepuscular bits & bobs].

How'd we do:

1. Scout sum more - Scout? Tick; a morning's session, the week before. None since November's #BBD2017. Scout some more? Nope.
2. Practice the route - Nope. Sorry.
3. Weather happens - Blue skies & hail the size of small peas - our usual Highveld smoothie. 
4. Learn the birds - we're gold-star members... [I was wrong...once; on a Tuesday I think... & Tuesday is a work-day; doesn't count.] 
5. Every bird = 1  [(tick tock - tickety tock)] 
6. Contact numbers are useful - particularly when Mkhombo's false-crust grabs @ yer! Ask them 3 who was stuck; bravado / naivety & al' that. We were cool. To be honest, in our halcyon days, we spent 20 hours in Mkhombo's loving embrace; hours plastered in fresh cow pats & reeking of the nougat-gloop; a gloop comprised, at face value, of raw sewage & fish long deceased  ...  u n f o r g e t t a b l e.      Since those show-off days, an adjusted insurance excess demands a lighter brush. We tread more lightly.  
7. Compile a hit-list - the least we could do: in vibrant colour on excel - the week before; & printed in B&W, the night before. A shade of dark grey for green & a darker shade of grey for red; 'green' the must-haves; & in 'red': the nice-to-haves... To say that the Two Shades of Grey tested Lish's vows, in darkness, is an astonishing understatement. 'Love & cherish' [obey?] etc. - it's in the contract, dear. 
8. Make the night hours count - like thieves with a stolen bag, we hurtled into the night & stood around, feeling foolish when the spotlight's globe stretched; said "pop" & then promptly rolled over & went back to sleep - for sh*ts & giggles, I think. 
9. Maximise the day's last hours [night] Part 2 - we were in bed by 9pm.
10. Maximise the important times of day - Social birdies @ dawn; ducks & wadey-things, on water [duh... @ midday]; birdies in parties for a late snack & a sundowner chat - late afternoon; & night critters @ night. Tick. 
11. Plan the route to coincide with 'typical activity' & make use of the afternoon - see 'travelling birdies' etc. above. That said, bush first then the cliffs, next time. 
12. Utilise the twilight hours - we did, for sandwiches, tea & rusks. We keep an open mind & an even sharper ear. 

Sorting through the muck

So... an F then!

Given our levels of commitment & commensurate preparation, an F was the inevitable consequence of birding blind where even the one-eyed could be king. In particular, at the first salvo of the pre-dawn's chorus, we found ourselves out-back, begging in. A bum wrap really & we scratched as best we could; acting on instinct rather than on know-how. We hadn't a clue -  the same underlying fear that featured most of the day. We missed a handful of the Wilge Valley's localised sp. & those 5 or 6 added-up to us falling-short by ...  5 or 6. 

The dogma implicit in competitive birding, is knowing where the birds should be. Knowing where the birds are, however, is the hack that actually wins the race. Truth is, we blundered blindly about the kitchen & were nipped on the bum, pants down. Perversely, however, the Wilge Valley's good graces lent us Klaas's Cuckoo & an Alpine Swift - 2 omissions on the 'prep. list'. These & others are the testament to 'luck' - our guiding principle & the source of our limited success; however inconsequential. 

Further afield, we turned the corner [literally] on Bronze-winged Courser, African Grass Owl & a pair of roosting Caspian Tern. Where experience proved invaluable, however, was in 'knowing where & when' to bumble for rare & localised individuals including the Short-tailed Pipit. The Lesser Masked Weaver's range-expansion, into the northern-most edge of our encircled traverse, was also unexpected. That area's unimaginably dry conditions are at the root cause of change - the birds included. 

The 'bird of the day' provided instant gratification but failed to make the list. We'd 'gone-in' to find Pygmy Goose & White-backed Duck - & those were nice. On the periphery - a tern... Too far away to be sure & behind the 'Staff Only' stay-out or be-killed notice. The "Gull-billed Tern" circled the vignette at the very edge of the scope's vision. The tick [invaluable usually but just one on a list of others, remember?] - would have been a 30 minute scramble into 'no-access' &, in context, a 'tick' that could never be, given the late-afternoon's demands - tick-tock; tickety-tock. The tern proved an untickable compromise on a self-'adjudicated' list; a list determined by the strength of its weakest link and, let's be honest, a tainted list is the worst kinda post-match edit. 

[File image]

At the 19th hour we made our final stand in the far north-western corner of the traverse for hoped-for stragglers & I must admit, we were lucky. Our last & final addition was a Southern White-faced Owl; a hoot really & testament to the day's fun. We could have transferred back to Rust de Winter, 40-odd kilometres back from whence we'd just come, for Verreaux's Eagle Owl - our bankable, last-minute 'break in emergency only' bolt-on, but the spirits were low. That & a threatening electrical storm cooled the adrenaline that had flowed strongly since late Thursday. I suppose 295 means more, but in increments of 'we've fallen short', 5 or 6 didn't matter (much). 

If structure & planning are the pillars of preparation, it's little wonder our roof caved when the storm threatened. We were under-gunned & we'll fix that, next outing. Where we won-out, however, was in the time spent in the field. The morning's sunrise will live-on long after '294' fades into darkness. The thunderstorm's light-show flashing intermittently over dusty plains, was equally compelling; the hail not so much. Mkhombo Dam, a fixture on the local circuit, is a shadow of its glory-days - & perhaps a reminder that 550 kilometres chasing birds is an indulgence we can ill-afford. That said, we've spent the best of times, often under trying conditions, pursuing the avian waifs that get us out o' bed, in the middle of the night. It's a shared experience. That & more are the pillars of why we do what we do, if anyone cares to ask - & it's also why we'll do it again; just better [with luck]. 

  

#Birding Big Day 2018 - 'preparations'

Birdlife's Birding Big Day [#BBD2018], juxtaposed on our local Wider Gauteng Challenge, lends some black & white authenticity to what is usually a colourful year; at least it should do, but doesn't.

We're committed to another #BBD, at the 11^th hour, in a farcical quest for 'exclusivity' that is almost an obsession. It's laughable and ... & we've had that chuckle. What fun eh, if you can't have a poke in the mirror?

...usually a colourful year

For those of you who don't know, Birding Big Day is a sub-regional, 24-hr birding marathon usually held in late November. Teams [max. 4 pax], select their preferred route and record as many bird species as they can within the allotted time. All routes are limited to the habitat within the confines of a 50 km radius; the radius calculated from any selected, central point.

Teams cover most of the region's geography & yes, it's competitive & no, nobody gets culled from the flock. Crying is universal if the weather or 'the list' fails to meet expectations. Almost certainly this year's attempt will be our last; at least it will be in Gauteng's North Eastern Woodlands, the same route we return to [again] this year.  

What fun eh, if you can't have a poke in the mirror?

In 2005, the Raiders of the Lost Lark, a pioneering, competent team of 4, broke through the magical 300 barrier; that's 300 species recorded [seen / heard / 'suspected' (perish the thought)] in 24 hours. Their route traversed the North Eastern Woodlands east and NE of Gauteng's Pretoria. Since then, other teams have tried to emulate their success & failed. I know we have, without much joy and I'll tell you why - no imagination.

In recent years, the Limpopo's Zonke iNyone have set new highs, recording lists in excess of 325 species. Fair dinkum - nicely done & al' that, but 330 falls short of 350 and we know 350 rounds-down to the next break-thru, up. The record's better, of course - revolutionary, probably not. Elsewhere, Mpumalanga has seen its own winning crack @ 300. I'm not aware of a KZN 300, a hinterland 300 or even a coastal 300 - ducks ripe for the plucking, methinks, if these haven't, in fact, been plucked before. 

The Raider's accomplishment is detailed in their co-authored [& locally funded] book - 'The Chamberlain Guide to Birding Gauteng' [page 201]. Local birders, worthy of that recognition, consider a copy essential reading. It's that good and I mention the book because therein lies the nexus of the farce. Within its pages are a lifetime's learning & experience laid out like a Japanese karesansui - i.e in neat, cleanly-raked piles. Extensive, easy-reading text covers the subject matter broadly without detracting from the more technical aspects of the many routes recommended, the habitats traversed and the species represented en route. In fact, all but a complimentary silver spoon is included. 

Those of us, & we are legion, who follow the original trail & don't tip a hat to its founding members, are bastions of plagiarism & residents on Cloud Cuckoo-land. It's peacocking at the pub with a pretty girl - the same girl whose favours are sure, rather than pure; for a small price, that is. This is a small community and we're all strangers to sobriety. There'll be a few sniggers. 

Over the months preceding the Raider attempt, the team logged 4000 km of preparatory reconnaissance, criss-crossing the North Eastern Woodlands multiple times in an effort to fine-tune the *time [*'of day' & minutes] spent @ each locale. By way of comparison, Alisha was out yesterday &, pink-slip in-hand, I spent that time 'cross-checking' the current conditions against the given theory - i.e. driving segments of the Raider-route. We haven't been to the North Eastern Woodlands since #BBD2017. Additionally, we kept an eye on the mini-#BBD results [something new] & noted the current gen. - the who, where, what & why. No point ignoring tickety-boo research, is there? Facebook gave me... nothing. To be fair, attempts have been made to collate & publish current gen. on the local conditions; a request that largely went un-mucked; manure flying everywhere. One luminary requested help timing the Raider-route; i.e. to optimise their yummiest score (presumably). These be new standards for 'birding by numbers'. Get out there man - do your thing.

To be honest, a fair-to-middling breakfast, some literacy, a working knowledge of local bird calls and a tankful of fuel - clockwise or anti-the clock - & viola - you've shot & scored. 'Tis that easy & yes, Dear Socialite - if you don't get to 250 on the Raider-route; well now, there be sniggers...

Extending the 'Research' effort ([i.e. sifting] through Facebook) - an unwinding of the clock, à la Dr Strange, if you will - I came across one or two rehashed / recycled posts - completely unrelated to this  blog btw. [... yes, yes - the attention span of a gnat. I know]. The posts had, as a common thread, the gnashing of wills & the wringing of hands. These lamented the veracity of some of the species 'seen' and subsequently recorded on the Wider list; species deemed impossible, questionable &, in a nutshell: - the jolly-good-rogering of Ol' Man Plausible hisself! Not nice. Fact is, most were fat finger errors - & a fairly obvious observation... Even so, giving in to these terrors of the night, these Post-tits publicly harangued **Birdlasser [**listing software & a local delicacy @ no cost; bless 'em (get it)] to automate intellectual space & weed out these enfante terrible for eva... If only the punters knew who 'they' were - handles, avatars & alter-egos the fog on the antagonistic claim & ironically, the antithesis of good judgement.  

Erratum included two Dodos, a Moa, a partridge in a pear tree and, heaven's above - a Dusky Indigobird; an extant species not noted for its notoriety in suitable habitat but a celebrated poltergeist in Wider, if ever there was. The African Firefinch, an uncommon resident here, & the recipient of said Indigobird's unsolicited attentions, is not complaining. Who wants an unwanted cock in the hen-house? 

Others lament the inclusion of the migratory (ubiquitous) Eurasian Reed Warbler, a dead-ringer for the African Reed Warbler; & species considered 'inseparable' in the field. Nobody likes a smart arse but... 

A competent ringer [them who knows & them who rings] knows that moult characteristics, during a brief, annual window are such that the two can be / are / should be (?) reliably separated, open-minded views & a physical presence at the sighting, essential reading of course. 

Therein lies the rub - thee hav' t'get thee 'ands dirty, often. It's the same 'scruff of the neck' attitude implicit in the preparatory regimen of the most successful #BBD participants. Anything else is sloppy.

Nobody likes a smart arse but... 

Here's hoping fresh-faces break new ground during #BBD2018 - & by 'new ground' I mean new routes, new habitats - new exciting venues. Isn't that the point? 50 species recorded from the confines of a three-legged pot, in cramped conditions, sans salt & in a single, dank crepuscular period, is surely more impressive than my 250 sp. on the long walk to boring? These & more I'd like to see, hear from - & read sum-more (on). Please.

Whatever we do on #BBD2018; how ever many we record - 200 or 302+, whatever - the fact remains, these are chartered waters; documented waters and kudos to the Raiders, lest we forget. They are the true pioneers & the exclusivity of the claim is theirs. Theirs is an achievement not matched in contemporary ticks, however incremental and even if the ensuing years refine the recipe. 

The measure is the success that comes from imagination & hard graft. Basking in the shade of the four-fathers is fool's-gold & unoriginal. 

This year we haven't walked the extra mile & that devalues the claim and I, for one, am sorry for it. Then again, if we get to 350... all bets are off the table. 


...if we get to 350... all bets are off the table.