I never thought I'd say this: I'm not obsessive enough. Yesterday, while we were at Brig, two cool birds were reported in this area--the Northern Shrike we looked for at Whitesbog last week, which was refound in the last couple of days, moving over the line into Ocean County; and a Snowy Owl on the beach at Barnegat Light SP. Neither would be lifers, one of the reasons I didn't feel compelled to run up to Sandy Hook to look for the two SNOW up there. Both would be Ocean County lifers, though and since two of my current (apparently not overwhelming) obsessions are my county year and life lists, I should be out there chasing one or ideally both birds at either end of the county.
But.
The temperature and the winds are the same: 26. I hate the cold and I hate wind more. Birds don't like the wind either, so the chance of shrike's appearance decreases and the owl at Barnegat would be a long trudge through sand and 40 mph gusts.
Leaves are whipping past my window, the feeders are swinging like pendulums, I'm staying in. If I were ever to consider a "Big Year" the rule would have to be "to see as many birds as I can without making myself utterly miserable."
and "to ride the hardest thing I can while still having some fun." Same thing, or close.
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