2025 Chase Blogs and Photographs

Third Time Is A Charm! - Chasing a Gray Gull
Written 9/3/25

Gray Gulls occur along the western coast of South America. They are not an identification problem. The name says it all. For the past couple of years there has been a single vagrant individual of this species along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. It is a very rare bird for North America. A chase bird for serious bird listers. This individual has wandered from points along the Florida Panhandle west to points in Alabama. It has a tendency to be in one location for a period of time but then often disappears for months on end.

Chris Hitt and I chased this bird twice. Both times we were a day or two late to see this bird. In October of 2024 we spent two full days scanning a beach near Destin, Florida. In April of this year, we spent a day and a half at a place on Mobile Bay in Alabama. It was very frustrating both times. It had been seen well before we got to those places, but it was gone when we got there. Local birders and non-birders shared pictures of the bird at those locations. Frustrating.

On Tuesday the 26th of August it was reported to be back at Dune Allen Beach Access near Destin, Florida. This was the exact location where Chris and I spent two full days searching for the gull along with other crazy bird chasers. On that occasion we got friendly with the lifeguards, the beach patrol, the beach chair rental attendant, and a few local residents. Many of them had seen the bird when it was there for several weeks. But that did not help us see the bird since it was gone before we got there. The two question now were…… “Would it stay in this location long enough for me to travel there and see it?” and "Would the third time chasing this bird be a charm?)". The location is a very popular beach in a resort area and Labor Day weekend was looming, making the beach even more popular. I watched the daily reports, and the bird was continuing in that general area. Working to my advantage is that the gull is very used to people on the beach so the increased activity might not affect it.

Chris had a house guest arriving, so he was not available to chase with me. This would be a solo chase. On Labor Day morning I sat down at my computer, and after confirming that the bird was seen that morning, I developed a plan. The key thing was to be at the beach at dawn when the beach was relatively deserted and there was a high probability that the gull would be there. New Orleans seemed to be the logical place to fly into, but I looked at other options including Pensacola, Mobile, and Tallahassee. New Orleans was not the closest airport to the location, but it provided the most flight options. The specific location is a 4.5 hour drive east of New Orleans, 290 miles mostly Interstate 10. Logistics were a challenge, but a chase is always a challenge.

That afternoon (Labor Day 9/1)) Les drove me to the local regional rail station. I boarded a train and was at Philadelphia airport in about an hour. I had a direct flight that evening to New Orleans and it was a smooth, no hassle flight on a small regional jet (American Airlines). We landed in New Orleans a bit early, which was nice. I took the shuttle to the rental car center and picked up my reserved Nissan from Enterprise Car Rental. I settled in and started the drive east. I had plenty of time to make the drive but not enough time to get a motel room for the night. I wanted to be at the location by 6:00 am since dawn was 6:30 am. I took my time on the drive and stopped for a couple of naps at rest stops. Motel Nissan was fairly comfortable, and I did get some rest. I arrived at the Dune Allen Beach Access at about 5 am, set an alarm, and took another short nap. By 6 :00 am I was out of the vehicle and ready to bird. I walked over to the beach overlook and scanned for the target gull or for any gulls. The target had been hanging out with a small group of Laughing Gulls. There were no gulls to be seen. Not a good sign. But I was not worried. I knew the group of gulls moved around a bit and while they were not there at that moment, they were probably in the area. I had a day and a half if necessary. Research had shown that while the gull was often seen at that spot, it and the other gulls ranged up and down the beach, usually to the east. I walked down to the edge of the water and started to walk east.

To make a long story short, about 400 yards along the beach there was a group of gulls, and the target bird was in with them. It was obvious and it was good, really good, to finally see it

.

For the next hour I enjoyed watching it. The gull is gray (go figure), and it really stood out from the black and white Laughing Gulls. My first views of the gull were in the early pre-sunrise light. As the sun came above the horizon, the light kept changing. For a few moments there was very directional and intense sunrise light on the bird, and the Gray Gull was almost golden.

This bird is used to people and beach activity. My presence was not disturbing it as it foraged on the beach all around me. I was able to get many pictures, including a couple of flight shots, and a couple of videos which are on YouTube. . There were other people scattered on the beach but no other birders.

After enjoying the bird, I returned to my rental vehicle. I had planned on staying in the area for two days as precaution if the bird was not there immediately. I called American Airlines and adjusted my return flight. I did some casual birding as I drove back to New Orleans. There is significantly more traffic on Interstate 10 during the day than there is in the middle of the night. There were no flights available back to Philadelphia on that late afternoon or evening (now Tuesday). I checked into a real motel and got a good night’s sleep before I caught a 6:00 am flight from New Orleans to Philadelphia. I was home about 11 am.

The third chase for this particular bird was a charm!

A set of pictures from this adventure is at https://www.thefilemyrs.com/Birding/BirdPhotographs/2025Pictures/2025_09_02/index.html
My eBird list from that morning is at https://ebird.org/checklist/S271065568
A couple of videos are at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfYWCwiulTg&list=PLg2cPyrEQcL-Y9PmPcET51QBSxD06CJZt

Trying For Two and Seeing One
Written 4/5/25

This is the tale of two birds. One that is proving to be elusive – a Gray Gull, and another that isvery cooperative – a Amur Stonechat.

On Monday morning (3/31), Chris Hitt and I met in the Charlotte airport. He flew in from Raleigh- Durham and I flew in from Philadelphia. We both got on a flight to New Orleans and we were on the ground there by about 11:am. We picked up a rental car from Thrifty Rent-A-Car. When you are in a hurry the mechanics of picking up a car always seem to go slowly but that is only a perception not necessarily the reality. Shortly after 2 pm we were on Dauphin Island , south of Mobile Alabama, at the Sea Lab & Alabama Aquarium. Our first target was Grey Gull that has been appearing at various locations along the Gulf of Mexico coast for about two years. Chris and I had chased it in Florida previously. On that occasion we staked out an area for two days and the gull never appeared. We had great hopes that we would catch up with it in Alabama where it had been for about two weeks. But the reality was that it had gone missing from the Dauphin Island site for two days before we got there. To make a loooong story short, we spent Monday until dusk, and Tuesday until noon searching for the gull. There were great opportunities to study Brown Pelicans and Laughing Gulls in spiffy plumages.

I took many pictures of only a few species. By noon on Tuesday it was obvious that the gull had moved to a new and unknown location. While waiting, we had some wonderful interactions with “locals” including Joe, a pilot boat captain. The locals were very cooperative and friendly, but the gull was not. By noon on Tuesday, it was time to start the 6-hour drive west along scenic Interstate 10 to Winnie, Texas.

The Amur Stonechat was an interesting vagrant. It is an Asian species and was first found and identified on a December 2024 Christmas Count. Because it is on a very limited access area of the Jocelyn Nungaray NWR (aka Anahuac NWR) the discovery was kept a secret. After working with the administration of the wildlife refuge the Friends of Anahuac organization was granted permission to lead groups in to see the bird. The process of getting on a tour was a bit convoluted but was very fair. Chris and I obtained a four-person slot for 10 am Wednesday. At the last minute we reached out to Bob Wallace and Laura Keene and they were able to get to the area and fill out two remaining slots in our vehicle. We stayed in Winnie TX on Tuesday night and enjoyed an area appropriate dinner at Tia Juanita’s Fish Camp.

On Wednesday morning the four of us did some birding in the Jocelyn Nungaray NWR (aka Anahuac NWR) before our 10 am scheduled gathering. We were all amazed at the diversity and abundance of the bird life on the refuge. At 10 am we joined the 40 or so other birders who had pre-registered to try for the Amur Stonechat. I cannot emphasize enough how well run the access was. The Friend of Anahuac NWR did an outstanding job of scheduling and coordinating access.

We assembled at 10 am beside a hunter check station and were happy to hear that the 8 am group had seen the bird. The walk to the bird was about .9 miles over a wide and easy trail atop a dike. As we approached the area it was great to see that some leaders from the 8 am group had stayed to greet our 10 am group. They had the bird in scopes. It was truly a walkup mega rarity. The group was restricted to seeing the bird from a distance but that was OK. No one wanted to push or stress the bird. After about 30 minutes of enjoying this rarity we worked our way back to the hunter check station. Lots of happy birders there.

From that point things were pretty much anticlimactic. Laura headed home, Bob headed to Houston for a flight, and Chris and I headed to New Orleans for a very early flight on Thursday morning. As we reinforced on Thursday morning, air travel can be an adventure, but Chris was home in North Carolina by 1:30 pm and I was home in Meadowbrook by 2:30 pm.

It would have been nice to see both the gull and the stonechat but just seeing one of them made the trip very memorable. Hope that gull shows up again!

eBird Trip report is at https://ebird.org/tripreport/347249

Some videos are at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg2cPyrEQcL-Y9PmPcET51QBSxD06CJZt

Pictures at http://www.thefilemyrs.com/Birding/BirdPhotographs/2025Pictures/2025_04_GullStonechat/index.html

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Not A "Classic" Chase, But A Trip to a Special Place
Written 2/8/25

Every birder, and most non-birders, loves to see owls. They are mystical birds and every encounter with one of this type of bird is special. And within this group, the owls of the far north are incredibly special and seldom seen. This includes Great Gray Owls, Northern Hawk-Owls, and Boreal Owls. Because of numerous factors that are poorly understood, every decade or so there is a winter movement south of these species. “South” is a relative term. For people in my home area, the south means the southern part of the US. For Great Gray, Boreal Owls, and Northern Hawk Owls south often means Ontario, Michigan, Minnesota, etc. This once every decade or so this movement is known as an “irruption”.

The winter of 2024-2025 has seen a significant movement south of the owls in question. It is an “irruption” year across part of their range. And that means winter is a chance to see these birds. With this in mind, Chris Hitt and I quickly put together a plan to travel to and bird an area northwest of Duluth Minnesota. This is known as the Sax-Zim Bog Birding Area. Most birders are aware of this area, and many have traveled there. It is a classic winter birding destination.

Chris and I met in the early afternoon on February 3 at Minneapolis Airport where we picked up a rental vehicle and headed north. Our immediate goal was to see a Northern Hawk-Owl that had been seen on and off west of McGregor, Minnesota. We got there about 30 minutes before sunset and were unable to locate the owl. We gave it a try and that is all we could do. We then traveled to Duluth, our base for this adventure, and checked into a motel. We then met three non-birding friends of mine (The Minnesota Divas) at a local restaurant and had a fun time catching up.

Tuesday morning was a bit nippy. On our drive out to the bog the outside thermometer of our vehicle registered -16 degrees. This was the low temperature of our trip, and it should be noted that during our four days of birding the temperature never went above 20 degrees. Driving Route 133, getting close to the bog area, we noticed a couple of cars pulled off to the side of the road and people with cameras and binoculars looking in a specific direction. That is always a good sign when you are birding. We quickly saw the object of interest. A Great Gray Owl was calmly sitting on a broken-off tree about 30 yards off the road. We got splendid views and photographs. The owl was unconcerned by our presence as we stood on the road.

In the bog area there are public lands, lands owned by the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog, and private property. There are also feeding stations maintained for the enjoyment of birds. One of these feeders is at the Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center which is a good place to get information about birding the area. The strategy for birding the area is to visit these feeders and also drive the many roads in the area watching for birds. Anytime you see cars pulled off the road, it is worth stopped to see “what they are seeing”. Chris and I did that for the rest of Tuesday. We did encounter another Great Gray Owl, but we did not see any Boreal Owls, and none were being reported. There is an extensive social network that allows birders to share real time sightings.

On Wednesday morning we drove up the shoreline of Lake Superior and at Two Harbors we headed due north up Route 2. We were heading to an area that has historically been good for Spruce Grouse in the morning hours. As we birded that area, we talked with a local birder who told us that Spruce Grouse had become less reliable in the area during the past several years. He also told us that there was a convenient location in a park in Two Harbors for Great Gray Owls. Two had been hanging out there for several days hunting the brushy fields. We headed to that area and joined several other birders watching two Great Gray Owls hunting. It was a memorable experience, and I took many pictures.

From there we headed out to the bog area for some birding there. Our main target was a Snowy Owl that was reported just south of the main bog birding area. It took a bit of work, but we managed to spot the owl in a distant tree.

At about this time our rental vehicle developed a serious vibration. There was obviously something wrong with a wheel or two and we had to deal with it. We contacted the rental company and drove back to Duluth to have the problem diagnosed at a tires service store. It is a long story that does not fit into this birding story, but the bottom line is that snow accumulated all around the inside the fancy tire rims. When one part of the accumulation happened to break off, that tire becomes unbalanced and causes the vibration we were feeling. By the time we got the problem resolved at the tire service store it was too late to head back to the bog. So, we made a stop at Duluth Harbor before heading back to the motel and a dinner.

The area received about 2-3 inches of snow on Wednesday night, but the roads were plowed and clear when we headed out on Thursday morning for our last day of birding. An issue besides the snow was that the temperature was in the single digits with a steady 20 plus mile per hour wind, with higher gusts. A bit nippy and tough to bird in such conditions. And as expected, owls in the area were hunkered down deep in the woods. There was no chance of them sitting up where we could see them. We birded the roads, feeders, and a couple of boardwalks in bog habitat, but it was pretty quiet. A flock of White-winged Crossbills near a roadside feeder was a pleasure to see.

Midday was time to start working our way back to Minneapolis for an early Friday departure for our homes. On the way we stopped at another area where a Hawk-Owl had been reported. It may have been there, but it certainly was not sitting up and out in the prevailing weather conditions.

Winter birding is not a trip to a zoo. While Boreal Owls had been reported through January there were none sighted and/or reported during our days of birding. Many birders were in the area and most if not, all were looking for this species. That was a “miss”, but it did not make the trip any less memorable. We saw and enjoyed many species that require “winter birding” to enjoy. This was not a chase trip in the classic sense of a chase but was rather a trip to an area where birding is special.

A set of pictures from this adventure is at: http://www.thefilemyrs.com/Birding/BirdPhotographs/2025Pictures/2025_02_Minnesota/index.html

Our eBird Trip Report is at:https://ebird.org/tripreport/324288

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A Goose Chase
(Written 1/22/25)

There are two species of Bean-Geese (Gooses?) that occur in North America. They are the Tundra Bean-Goose and the Taiga Bean-Goose, both of which are native to Europe. When one of these two species wanders to North America it is considered a “mega rarity” in the birding circles. Of the two, the Tundra Bean Goose is the expected species, but the Taiga Bean-Goose has occurred on occasion. I have been lucky to have seen a Tundra-Bean Goose in both Oregon and Pennsylvania. But I have never seen a Taiga Bean-Goose - anywhere. It would be a “lifer” for me.

Recently, there has been a Taiga Bean-Goose in various New York State locations starting on 1/2/25.. This could be the same bird that was seen from 11/9/24 to 12/8/24 in Matane, Quebec. After that sighting, probably the same bird, was seen in New York State in various locations starting on 1/2/25. It was located on 1/9/25 north of Albany, New York and since then it has been consistently roosting along rivers in that area and during the day it often feeds in surrounding fields. It associates with a flock of Canada Geese and there are many such flocks in the area. Many people have traveled to see this bird and most have seen it. But since it moves around it can be a challenge to locate each day. It can be missed.

I decided to take my chances and go to see this mega rarity. On Tuesday 1/21, after having a nice breakfast with a group of former Cheltenham School District coaches, I headed north from the Philadelphia area at 10 am. I had an overnight bag with me in case the goose was hard to find. The weather was clear and a bit cool, but it was a good day for the 250-mile drive to the area where the Taiga Bean-Goose was hanging out.

I had a list of the locations where the goose had been seen. At 2:35 pm I arrived at the location where most recent sightings had been. As much as I was looking for the goose, I was looking for birders. I knew that this bird was being seen by many people so looking for birders was a good strategy. But there were no birders at that location. I looked at social media postings for information and I posted a request for location help. Local birders came through immediately on the Discord app and directed me to the current location of the goose. I was about 5 miles away from that location. I drove there directly and quickly. Following the instructions I was provided, I parked and walked down a path. After walking about 50 yards I saw a group of birders about another 100 yards ahead. Things looked good! When I got to the group, I asked the obvious question, “Is it still here”. It was great to hear several people say “Yes”.

The Taige Bean-Goose was tucked in on a patch of ice across the water with a flock of Canada Geese. It was really tucked in. It was identifiable as being different from the Canada Geese but only showed the barest of distinguishing field marks. It was pretty much a dark lump.

I studied it and hoped it would move to provide a better view. I was told by the birders there that it had not moved for some time. But……..after I watched it for about 5 minutes, the goose cooperated. It stood up, spread its wings and gave great views.

I was ready with my camera and got good images. Then it settled back down and tucked back in. The show was over. Also in the flock was an interesting Ross’s Goose x Cackling Goose hybrid. But that bird remained tucked in, and I only got pictures of it sleeping.

It was now time to head back home. It was an uneventful drive, and I arrived home about 8:15 pm. 525 miles for the trip.
A good chase.

My ebird list is at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S210188990
A set of pictures is at https://www.thefilemyrs.com/Birding/BirdPhotographs/2025Pictures/2025_01_21/index.html