Goodness, I am tired. A mere 26 hours after returning home from Utah, I was heading out the door for two whirlwind days of private guiding. Lynn, from Texas, hired me to find some Maine specialties for her as she is currently doing a “Big Year.”

A “Big Year” is an attempt to see as many birds as possible within one calendar year within the ABA area (the continental US and Canada). Despite having recently eclipsed 600 for the YEAR (good grief, I just eclipsed 600 in my life!), we were able to add 7 new species in two days here in Maine. I had met Lynn 7 or 8 years ago in the middle of the Bering Sea (St. Paul Island) and then Jeannette and I ran into her in South Texas a couple of years ago. Knowing that I now live – and guide – in Maine, Lynn contacted me earlier this year as she began her summer planning for the Big Year run.

As for as she knows, Lynn is the first woman to do a Big Year, and as far as she knows she now holds the record – eclipsing her previous record Big Year, set only within the borders of Texas a few years back. I was honored to play a small role in this pursuit. She had 5 main target birds: Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Roseate Tern, Bicknell’s Thrush, Spruce Grouse, and Atlantic Puffin. I then had her recite her “wantlist” to see if there were a few gaps in the checklist that could be filled in over the next two days.

We began in Sprawlborough Marsh early Tuesday morning, immediately getting great looks at Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow (#605, if I remember correctly). Roseate Tern soon followed, with good looks at Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrows, five lingering Black-bellied Plovers, and a single Greater Yellowlegs (coming or going!?) also being noted.

With such quick success with our first two targets, we diverted down to Biddeford’s Rotary Park for Blue-winged Warblers, a bird Lynn missed in Texas this spring. Although this is probably the only reliable place in this state for this species, I have seen them well here on my last two visits, so we took a shot.

On Saturday, I joined the Jordanelle Reservoir field trip. Our first stop was the Heber City farmlands, for grassland birds such as Bobolink (very local in Utah) Savannah Sparrow, and great looks at displaying Wilson’s Snipe. We then birded the reservoir’s spillway, which yielded the expected riparian birds, and produced a Yellow-breasted Chat. A real highlight was a Sandhill Crane with a colt (probably less than a week old) foraging in some short grass of a dike – it’s rare to see colts this young, as they are usually hidden in tall grass, so this was a real treat.

Our local guide, Colby – who was also the one who took us to the Flammulated Owls the other night – had a few unexpected tricks up his sleeve, including a stop at a new subdivision, that produced a few good birds, including an exceptional view of a Virginia’s Warbler – a life bird for some (including me!), and a “life-look” for most everyone else. This rather shy warbler – looking like a bleached version of a Nashville Warbler – is usually not nearly this cooperative. Of course, this stop was rather bittersweet, as the habitat – such as the rock pile inhabited by a Rock Wren – will not be here much longer (which apparently, is par for the course in the rapidly expanding Park City area).

When we finally reached the reservoir itself, we were treated to great studies of both Western and Clark’s Grebe – and a possible hybrid thereof, along with a very unseasonable Common Loon (a real rarity in the summer in these parts). A highlight here for many was the show put on by foraging Common Nighthawks overhead. Surely busy foraging to feed hungry nestlings, the birds were out and about despite the afternoon heat and sun. A few would land on occasion, providing excellent scope views. One last stop on our way back to Snowbird did produce a good look at Dusky Flycatcher, among others, but a brilliant wildflower show was a real treat.

Early Sunday morning, I begrudgingly hopped into the shuttle to the airport, to begin the trek home. I left Utah with a real appreciation for the diversity of habitats and birdlife that it holds. Four life birds, out of 116 species total for me, weren’t bad, and as always, the chance to catch up and hang out with friends, both new and old, adds to the excitement. And hopefully, I convinced a few folks that they must visit St. Paul Island!

So, my plan was to arrive at work early on Monday, and immediately begin getting caught up, including sorting photos and posting a photojournal for the trip. Instead, I am sitting here typing away on the tarmac at Chicago O’Hare Airport, continuing my travel day from hell.

I spent another day here in Little Cottonwood Canyon, taking the tram up another 2900’ (in 8 minutes; much more efficient than hiking it!) to 11,000ft. There’s not much at this height, other than Violet-green Swallows nesting in the rafters of the tram building, and some “Audubon’s” Yellow-rumped Warblers bouncing around. But, as I slowly trudged through soft snow down the hill back to Snowbird, I picked up a few more species here and there, including gorgeous Mountain Bluebirds and at least one calling Black Rosy-Finch.

The bigger adventure was in the evening, when a group of us set out owling, with Flammulated Owl being the primary target. We tried a little “fishing” here in Little Cottonwood Canyon, but then our local expert, Colby, took us to nearby Mill Creek Canyon. There, we hiked about ¾ of a mile in the dark (flashlights were of some help) to some prime habitat.

To make a long story short – and due to serious exhaustion at the moment, a short version will have to suffice – we called a “Flam” in to within about 30-40 feet, providing unbelievably crippling views of what is quite likely the hardest owl to SEE in North America. In the flashlight beams, we could even see its distinctive purple eye-shine. A few members of our group of 8, who had experience with this species before, were downright flabbergasted by our views. Plus, at least 3, likely four other “Flams” were heard. Really, this was a remarkable experience. This was not only my “lifer” Flammulated Owl, but it was also likely the best look that I will ever get in my life! Now, that’s how all Life Birds should be!

Although my life and “ABA area” lists are of very little consequence to me - I rarely even know that number any given species will be - this one was a little more special, as it marked my 600th species in the ABA area (the continental US and Canada). Lists are unimportant to me – well except my local patch lists, as you all know! – but milestones, such as #600 are pretty neat!

Anyway, after a mere 2 hours of sleep, Robert and I played hooky from the convention today, and escaped for a half-day of birding and good conversation. We began with Black Swifts (another lifer!) tooling around with a number of White-throated Swifts near their only nesting location in the state. Black Swifts are wicked cool birds, who nest only in caves behind cliff-face waterfalls – it doesn’t get more specific of a niche than that! An American Dipper fledgling being fed by its parents, however, did indeed steal the show.