Bird Counting (Ode to Phil Sary)

I couldn’t take it. I have been talking birds the last year, and when you see those birds in Costa Rica, well, you suddenly have this whole new world opened up to you, that makes you pay a tad more attention. So of the near thousand resolutions I have for this year, this one is still on track after 5 days. Nineteen birds! I’m astounded, because I know I am missing hundreds, hundreds! But this is a journey, and we do have amazing birds, and so this year is a bird count, a sort of what I saw when thing.

I remember many conversations with friend and former colleague, Phil Sary, as he is a birder. Been every where. Seen some rare shit. I thought this is nuts, keeping track of birds. Hey, here I am, Phil. I’m looking for some tips. Binoculars are impossible first thing in the morning, let me tell you. But I can identify 19 birds as of today. Not bad, I’m thinking. Phil, if you read this, will laugh. I know. I know.

The comings and goings of the pelicans are an amazing time here. The osprey, frigates (pre historic beauties), the citreolin trogan, my head spins. I have to get up earlier. This is the worst of it though, I’ll live. When the parrots are here, we wake up to noisy, gossipy, screeching, early anyway. Those pygmy owls could put a serious dent into someone’s insomnia, those suckers go all night long, for weeks. But I am not remembering when these birds show up, disappear, and never leave (age?), so I’m checking it out - I'm keeping a journal. All the local Mexicans have it down. I have consultants, who know when birds should be here, or are here now, and will be coming. My friends, of course, impart to me the Spanish name for the bird, as I cruise my bird book looking for something to give me a hint, they know them all.

The Humpbacks are here right now, speaking of nature. The babies have been spotted, they are on the move north or where ever they go from here, on those incredible journeys. Caryn and Micah were here for the holidays, and we didn’t get a chance to do a boat thing, but I hear that’s what we missed. Next time. Gotta save some stuff for next time. We have seen the beginnings of the pelicans coming in, so know they are getting out of the cold north. They are a sight to behold, as they spend the day diving for food, we watch from our living room. Sometimes Mante Reys come in and do a flopping thing, and with the pelicans trying to get just a little fish please, it is a sight.

Anyway, I should have paid more attention to Phil.