87 species!

Purple Martin

I have slowly added a few species in the past month, as birds start moving again.  Most recently a few Purple Martins, a species that I now know with greater intimacy, have taken to foraging in the airspace over our place.   They are wonderful birds and truly a delight to hear chattering away to each other.   A week or more ago I heard a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker calling from the forest about 200 metres up Boucherville just before it ends in Gatineau Park while returning from a run.  I quickly finished my run, ran upstairs, opened the window facing the street, and strained my ears the direction of the bird . . . and voila, I heard its distinctive voice.   Finally, just like magic, as I was about to tell Cris while we were having dinner on the balcony about my expectation to observe a Black-crowned Night Heron any day (while I am not making this up, I realize that I must sound like a very boring husband), a Night Heron flew past.   Probably five seconds later and the words would have started flowing.   Experienced birders know that this sort of thing happens, but it always feels like magic, and likely looks like magic when the words actually do come out before the bird flies past!

So that puts me at 87 species from our place so far in 2014, two more that the entire 2013 campaign, and 3 more than 2012.   I am into new territory and have 5 months to get to my ultimate goal – 100 species in one calendar year from our second floor apartment in Gatineau Quebec!

While my World Cup predictions may have been off, I hink that this one is attainable.

Ted