It was a crisp, cold morning when I ventured out to a local park on January 1, 2015. The time was around 6:45 am, and the eastern sky was beginning to glow with streaks of pink and orange, as if someone took a large paint brush and stroked the horizon back and forth. No other cars were parked in the trailhead parking lot. The sunrise was going to be beautiful, great for photos. But, as much as I love taking pictures at daybreak, there was another reason for my visit to this quiet area on New Year’s Day. I was starting a personal challenge, or maybe I call it my 2015 quest. Some people even nickname it a “Big Year.” My “quest” is to see how many different bird species I can record (see/hear) in Pennsylvania in one calendar year. I’m not getting anything for doing this, asking for sponsorships or competing against anyone else. The only competition is with myself.

 Now, before you go and compare me to any of the characters Steve Martin, Owen Wilson and Jack Black played in the movie The Big Year (2011), keep in mind that I’m only keeping track of birds I see in Pennsylvania. Although, if I had to choose one character that I could relate to, it would definitely be the one played by Jack Black. But, I’m not flying and traveling all over the U.S. I don’t have the resources or bird ID experience to attempt something like that, nor do I want to. I have a FT job, and many other interests. However, on a much smaller scale, I do want to “bird” my home state of PA, meet new people, and discover some places I’ve never visited before. The Keystone State has a lot to offer for outdoor adventurers, as well as birders!

According to the Pennsylvania Ornithological Society (POS), there are currently 426 species listed in Pennsylvania. Of these, 418 are considered to be accepted (called Class I) while 8 others are still to be confirmed (called Provisional). Someone recently asked me what my “goal” is; how many do I think I can realistically hope to see? My answer was simple, “As many I can.” I don’t want to limit myself, or my quest, by choosing some arbitrary, target number that I can’t reach. I just want enjoy the experience of birding in a variety of habitats, with lots of different people and eat some good food along the way! That’s it. Whatever my total species count is on December 31^st, will be my number!

Don’t get me wrong, many birds on this list are considered uncommon or rare, and I want to try and see those ones as much as the next guy, but I won’t be able to “chase” all the rare birds that happen to occur across the state throughout the year. I know this will lower my total number, since many (96) of the birds on the list are categorized as “accidentals,” which means they’ve only been recorded 3 or fewer times in the past ten years. That being said, I’ve already successfully “chased” a few local species with the help of several people, including very welcoming private residents, and many excellent emails on PA Birds. I cannot, and do not, want to continue my birding quest without these fantastic “human resources!” For me, half the fun of birding, is birding with other people! However, a little planning can go a long ways to seeing a variety of species. Many of our birds found in PA can only be recorded at certain times of the year, and as we move into spring, the number of possible bird species begins to increase rapidly, so trying to see new ones each week can become pretty exciting. Timing has a lot do with my birding challenge.

 Here’s a few of my early stats: Recorded birds in 8 different Counties, traveled over 400 miles, met 5 new birders, fell in 3 snow banks, including tumbling down a 5’ embankment while holding my camera and a Wawa turkey hoagie (dropped the camera, but saved the hoagie), got my truck stuck twice, spilled approx. half gallon of coffee on myself (see previous note on stuck truck), managed to have at least 7 thorns impaled into my arms and legs, questioned by 2 different police officers for “suspicious activity,” and lost one glove, twice…………oh, and my total so far-67 species. Birding-you gotta love it! Check back in a few months for my spring update!

For my last day in California, we ventured over to the coast, specifically a seaside village called Morrow Bay-halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, along scenic Highway 1.  Morrow Bay’s most famous landmark is 576′ Morrow Rock, or simply known as “The Rock.” I wanted to visit this area for one main reason-the Endangered California Sea Otter. Our guide, Amelia, had told me this was the best, local location to see them, and I wanted to see them! Amelia was spot on once again. Throughout the morning I spotted (9) of them, including a few adults that had pups with them. We were fortunate to find a momma and her pup very close-up, right where the fishing boats docked. There was momma, leisurely floating with her pup laying on top of her, like they were lounging in a pool. She would roll over (underwater) 360 degrees, and the pup would roll over with her. Once, the pup did let go, and the two of them played for a couple minutes, before resting again. It was fun just to sit and watch them! In addition to the otters, there were many seabirds in the area as well, including Brown Pelicans, Comorants, Grebes and many California Gulls.

As some wicked winds kicked up, we decided to head inland and go for a hike in a local park that showcased many 800-year old oaks, covered with hanging moss. I’m not sure it was Spanish Moss, the same moss you see hanging in the deep south, but it sure looked like it. As we weaved along the narrow trail, ducking and jumping low growing branches, it looked like a scene from Lord of the Rings-a thick, deep, dark forest, where the trees come alive! At a few stops, Tyler kept asking me if I heard something scurrying in the brush, even stating he heard small footsteps. I never really heard anything, and I think he was just playing with my mind!  Among the trees were plenty of skinks and fence lizards, Scrub Jays and a few hummingbirds. Also growing everywhere was Poison Oak, also known as Pacific Poison Oak or Western Poison Oak. This western species reminded me a lot of our Poison Ivy. Both grow as a vine or small shrub, both can take over a forest floor and both can cause severe allergic reactions, but also serve as a valuable food for many wildlife species.

It was a great Big West Trip with my son, and a couple quality days of R & R in central California with Amelia. We look forward to another visit and having Theresa and Darby meet her as well. TYLER-Good luck with your new job, and the next chapter in  your life! We love you and are very proud of you!

Today was a day filled with a variety of activities in Central California. Since Tyler and I saw very little wildlife on our entire trip west, I was determined to try and turn things around today, starting with a simple bird walk in the neighborhood near the hotel I was staying at. It was a great “walk about” and I actually picked up several new lifers, including Acorn Woodpecker, Chesnut-backed Chickadee, Oak Titmouse and Anna’s Hummingbird. As I waited for Tyler and Amelia to pick me up, I tallied 22 species just around the hotel neighborhood-not too shabby for an hour of walking along the sidewalks! I may have gotten a few more, except the last small house I walked near had a pit bull the size of a small cow. I was ok, until I noticed his backyard fence had a large hole in it, and he was headed for it, keeping one eye on me. I quickly waddled around the corner of a warehouse, not stopping to see if the “excited pooch” was following!

Amelia was our local guide today, and she did a great job planning our day. First stop (and 2nd stop, and 3rd stop), was our mini wine tasting tour. Although I’m far from a wine expert (and actually not much of a wine drinker), I did find one that tasted pretty good! Where Amelia lives, here in Paso Robles, there are over 200 wineries in the area! If you can’t find a wine you like here, then you should stop drinking wine! As Tyler and Amelia sampled wine (I became the designated driver after the first stop), I was busy searching for more birds around each vineyard. The locations of the wineries was surprisingly good birding, or maybe it was simply the wine! But, I did manage to see Yellow-billed Magpies, Bushtit, Dark-eyed “Oregon” Junco and Varied Thrush. Four very cool-looking birds!

We then headed south toward San Luis Obispo, or as everyone calls it, SLO. I like the idea they have a shortened “nickname” for their town that actually sounds pretty cool. Not sure it would be very wise for me to return home and start referring to our town as POTT. I may end up explaining the whole town name thing to the local police! Our destination was a weekly street fair and farmer’s market in downtown SLO (I just like saying it!). But, since it didn’t start until 6pm, we had about an hour and half to check out a very cool park in Shell Beach that Amelia knew about. This turned out to be a fantastic stop. The park, with its steep rocky cliffs, overlooks the Pacific Ocean. Down below us, we enjoyed watching Sea Otters floating on their backs eating clams, Harbor Seals lounging on the rocks, and Brown Pelicans, Brant, Comorants, and a variety of seagulls flying back and forth between the ocean, the beach and several, small rocky islands. Amelia even spotted a Black Oystercatcher only 20′ directly below us, picking at barnacles-another lifer for me! Good eye Amelia! As we watched the sun set on the Pacific Ocean, we snapped a few last photos and headed for the street fair. A good day of wine, women and wildlife!

After an exciting, and interesting night in Las Vegas last night, we left a much more quiet and calm strip this morning and headed west, into California. On our agenda for today was the hottest place in the U.S., and the lowest place below sea level in the U.S.-Death Valley. On our way to Death valley NP, we motored through more areas with scenic mountains and high desert, that varied from elevations of 2,000 feet to 5,000 feet. We slowed down as we came upon signs stating “Caution-Controlled Burns Ahead.” Tyler and I were eager to see what they were burning and how large an area they were trying to manage. As we rounded a long curve in the bumpy highway, we laughed when we saw two highway workers burning tumble weeds that had collected (and piled) in the median strip between the two roadways! Their technical equipment: a blow torch and a fire extinguisher, just in case one of the burning tumble weeds try to make a break for it, and tumble into the wilderness.  We were rewarded a few miles later, however, for our many hours of dedicated wildlife looking, when we spotted a beautiful, mature Golden Eagle perched on a nearby power pole.

Death Valley is an incredible, harsh environment. Daytime temps in the summer can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit. It has the lowest spot in the U.S., at 282 feet BELOW sea level. In it’s lowest areas there are miles of barren, dried up salt flats. To the average visitor, it looks like a hot, dry desert, but upon closer examination, it’s really a hot, dry desert! Even today, in early February, it felt hot, as we stood in the dry, 75 degree sunshine (Sorry, to all our friends and family back in PA-don’t worry, I’ll be back joining your lovely weather very soon).   As you stand and look at the miles of dry, barren soil, showing patches of white, salt deposits, you also can’t help noticing the high mountain peaks, covered with snow that seem to stand guard around the hot valley below. Tyler and I debated how wide the valley was, and if either of us thought could walk across it in the summer, without ending up like a French fry, or worse! I wondered if we did run in to trouble, would vultures really show up and start circling? I also pondered if the endangered California Condor might be with them? I think I would be worth an endangered species! We challenged each other to return in the summer and give it a try (I’ll let him know in a few months that I had something suddenly come up, and won’t be able to make it!). Like many other sights we’ve seen, and places we’ve visited on this trip (and described), we highly recommend that you get yourself out here and see them in person. If someone sends you a photo or two to click on, and it looks or sounds interesting, put it on your bucket list to visit .  It may not be the destination of your vacation, but if its only a few hours away, take the time to jump off the beaten path and check some of them out-you might just be pleasantly surprised!

Day 7 has ended, and  so has our Big West Trip. We are thankful (and blessed) to arrive safely at our final destination in Paso Robles, CA. I finally had the privilege of meeting Tyler’s girlfriend Amelia, who is just like he described to us-pretty, warm, funny with a bubbly spirit! She fits in nicely with the Wood crew! We ended our evening with a great dinner at Fish Gaucho, and I look forward to spending my last couple days in CA bumming around with the two of them! Our final trip tally: 3,875 miles. I’ll still be blogging my last two days here, but will kick back and let someone else drive me around! Good night from California!

Just east of Flagstaff, AZ there’s a large hole in the ground. It’s almost 1-mile wide and over 700′ deep. It’s quite impressive. But how it was made is even more interesting. It’s a crater, created by a meteorite about 50,000 years ago. Our short story to view this cater actually started on the evening of day 5, when we showed up at the gate at exactly 5:05 pm, only to find out it had closed at 5:00 pm. The lady guarding the gate would not let us in. Nope, not even budge, even after my pleading with her, which turned into some begging, then ended in a bit of ranting. I whined to her that we had just driven over 2,000 miles “just to see the crater.” Her response, “I understand your frustration, but we’re closed and I cannot let you in!” Tyler sighed and said, “let’s just get out here.”  I wanted to spin rubber-peeling donuts in their parking lot and speed out of there, but Tyler’s Hybrid Prius wanted nothing to do with that and simply drove quietly away. Fortunately, we were staying only 40 minutes away, so, this morning we back tracked a bit and visited the crater-quietly paying our fee,  quietly viewing the natural landmark, then quietly leaving the site without a single comment! I still think they knew who we were this morning and had a special meteor security team watching our every move!

As we headed west toward Las Vegas, we took a quick detour and traveled on the historic Route 66 through the town of Seligman, AZ,  including a great lunch at the famous Road Kill Café, where their motto is “If you kill it, we can grill it.”

Our last stop before ending in Vegas for the evening was Hoover Dam. We were fortunate to get on one of the last tours of the day, including seeing the Powerhouse and getting the opportunity to go into the dam (about halfway down-about 350′). Many of you reading this blog have probably visited this engineering marvel, but it was a first for Tyler and I, and when you see it for the first time, and learn how it was constructed, it’s truly amazing!

As I sit and type this blog, Tyler is in the casino doing his best to increase our travel budget a little. We’ve a great evening checking out the strip, catching a few street performances and, well, you know what happens in Vegas……….! We head into CA tomorrow. To date, we’ve motored 3,256 miles since leaving Pottstown. Almost there!

If today had a theme it would be Changing Landscapes.  Our trek took us across northern New Mexico and northern Arizona, and through some of the most rugged, but beautiful, terrain imaginable. There’s at least a dozen adjectives I could use to describe some of the places we traveled through, but the ones that pop in mind are wild, rugged, majestic and even serene.

Our one goal today was to take a 5-hour detour of our planned route and travel northwest to visit the Four Corners Monument on the Navajo Reservation. Owned and operated by the Navajos, this unique attraction in the middle of nowhere, is the only place in the U.S. where you can stand, or actually kneel,  in four different states at the same time-Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona. While we were there we met some very nice Navajo women, including Lynn who creates hand-crafted paintings of their customs and beliefs on sandstone, along with a complete written story of each, and Barbara and Daisy who provided us a fresh-made Navajo Frybread to eat (kinda like a funnel cake). We had a very enjoyable conversation with Barbara who shared with us that her cousin actually moved to Philadelphia 40 years ago, and about her Angora Goats, which she had brought with her, and were out grazing as her dog watched over them.  Tyler and I really enjoyed speaking to them and learning a little about their proud, Navajo history. We both said that we want to return and spend some more time here!

As we ended our day in Flagstaff under clear skies and a full moon, we were treated to a great visit (and delicious meal) by my dad and Joyce, who had traveled north from Tucson for a few days and meet up with up his son, and grandson! Thanks Pa! We Love You!

As we looked out over the mountains and grasslands of  the Chihuahuan Desert  of SE New Mexico, we couldn’t help wonder what lied beneath-we were about to find out. Day 4 brought us to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in the rugged Guadalupe Mountains. We descended almost 800 feet below the surface to start our guided tour of these caverns, only one of 119 found in the park.

Before the tour began, Tyler and I had a good laugh. Ty had gone over to another area to check something out, and I remained standing at our tour meeting spot. I noticed two other people standing about 20′ away from me, with a man holding a camera and cell phone. As Tyler returned, I watched him walk in the direction of the man holding the camera, with his wife next to him. I knew exactly what was about to happen and being the good dad that I was, I just stood there and let it play out, while holding back my laughter. He walked right up to the guy, stood next to him and started talking to him, as if it were me. Before the guy could say anything, Tyler paused looked at him, then glanced over and saw me, as he said, “Sorry'” and mumbled something else as he embarrassingly walked back to me. I burst out laughing, and he even chuckled a bit, too. The two people were cool about it and got a laugh at it as well.

The caverns were awesome! So many different formations, in such rooms as The Big Room, The Kings Palace (the name of our tour) and the Queen’s Chamber. The tour was about 1-mile in length as we walked, and ducked through a few tight corridors that opened up into some impressive sights. This is one of those natural wonders that you must experience in person. Pictures and video just can’t do it.

Our last stop of the day was Roswell, the location of the (alleged) biggest alien cover up ever. It was here in 1947 that supposedly an alien space ship crashed out in the desert,  but the military denied the event and quickly came in to “clean everything up and take what ever was found, including alien bodies.” Whatever your opinion may be, there were a few witnesses who came forth to say they had  seen the crash site, parts of the spaceship and the top secret military who took over the entire incident. Today, there a few businesses that embrace the entire alien crash story, including the International UFO Museum and Research Center. For $5/person you can read/view all about this historical event, plus learn about alien abductions, crop circles, and every other aspect of UFOs. It was truly an educational, and entertaining, visit! I believe, just like I believe the Boggy Creek Monster roams the swamps around Fouke, AR!

Someone asked me about seeing any wildlife along the way. We’ve seen very little in the routes we’ve chosen, and it’s not due to a lack of looking. We saw one Mule deer in someone’s yard yesterday, but that’s just about it. The only “consistent” wildlife we’ve see are Red-tailed Hawks-lots of them.

Texas. It’s big, really big. Day 3 was all about Texas. Since 3pm on day two, we had been crossing the Lone Star State. Although we had several stops and did not cross it at its widest point, we still put in over 8 hours of driving time, just in Texas! That’s the equivalent of driving from our home in Pottstown, PA, west to Harrisburg, then south through MD, WV, VA and into TN in one day! The highlight was our visit to the famous Fort Worth Stockyards, with a quick stop to check out Billy Bobs, the Worlds Largest Honkey Tonk. Although the huge bar and dance hall had just opened for the day, they let Tyler and I in to have a looksee and snap a few photos. It’s quite a bar, and we wished we could have stayed for a Saturday Night celebration, including live bull riding!

As we left Billy Bobs, we stumbled upon a daily (actually, 2x/day) event that happens in the stockyards-a short cattle drive down main street. Several Texas longhorns are led down the street by cowboys, passing very close to BMWs and minivans that are parked along side. We got a chuckle at one point when one of the cowboys shouted to another that “Chet,” a large-horned cow in the back of the herd, was slowing all the rest of them down, and Chet needed to pick up the pace. We watched Chet closely after the dressed cowpoke hollered, and we think he actually smirked, and slowed down even more, just to piss the riders off a bit. Chet did speed up a little when another cowboy rode back and showed him the steakhouse they were all trotting by!

After leaving Fort Worth, we began our long trek across West Texas. If you’ve ever been to West Texas, you know the landscape is not very exciting to look at. I know that every environment has its own natural beauty, but today, the last day of January, in dreary, rainy weather, we did not witness much of that beauty. Yes, we saw an occasional kestrel perched on a wire, and a raven or two, but that was about it for 5 hours. What we did see were oil and gas wells. Hundreds and hundreds of them dotted the landscape for a hundred miles on both sides of the highway. We didn’t even see a roadkill of any kind! We did catch sight of a single Eurasian Collared Dove in Big Spring. We think it was a Lonesome Dove!

Our last stop of the day may have been the most interesting. We learned that there was a replica of the Worlds Largest Paper Airplane in Abilene, and we HAD to go and see that! We finally found it in the backyard of a small art gallery, except the gallery was closed with a locked gate. So, we noticed a gas station right next door where we could park and sneak a look/photo over the broken down fence. I did notice the No Trespassing signs and respected them. Tyler had ran in to the mini-mart to quickly use the restroom, while I used my stealth skills to sneak a picture. After snapping a quick pic, I noticed a man walking straight toward me, from the direction of the closed art gallery. Uh Oh! Was I busted? The man came right up to me, as Tyler came walking over. I asked him if the gallery was going to open. He walked within three feet of me, stopped and said, “I don’t know, are you supposed to be meeting me?” I looked at him, then at Tyler, then back at him, with a puzzled look on my face. I noticed he was holding a wad of cash in his hand. When he spotted my camera, he quickly turned,  and walked away to a waiting car. Tyler looked at me with a weird smile and asked, “Was he trying to by drugs from you?”  “Dad, I think you just broke up his drug deal-you obviously weren’t the one he was hoping to see!” Tyler said, half laughing. We jumped in the Prius and left Abilene and Texas in the rear view mirror, heading for NM border. What a day!