My 29th birthday took place on January 18. To celebrate, my good friend, Keegan Canty, flew down to Tallahassee from Cleveland. The two of us went to the beach, saw manatees, and went out on the town. After work the next day, we headed north to Athens with the Grateful Dead providing the soundtrack.
After a night spent exploring the bars of Athens with Heather and her friends, Keegan and I were wiped out. We slept in and didn't get on the road until about 10:30 the next morning. Rain was forecast but we hoped to get some birding in before it did. Heather and I have to make the most of any opportunities we have to see birds together and add to the Big Year.
The two of us investigated eBird before driving down and determined that one particular spot would give us the best chance of several new species in a limited time frame: Rogers Bridge Trail.
Unfortunately, this trail wasn't so easy to find. We mistakenly pulled in to Rogers Bridge Park, on the opposite side of the Chattahoochee River, where a strange event was taking place. Several people, each with their own type of vicious dog, were doing some sort of training. The dogs were barking and snarling, causing us to walk as quickly as possible away from them. We spotted a couple of birds, including our first wood ducks of the year, but the dog barking had clearly made birds scarce. Sigh. Off to the next place.
Fortunately for us, the next place was the spot we had originally set out to find. Rogers Bridge Trail consists of a single paved lane that descends through a surprising diversity of habitats before it dead-ends at the Chattahoochee River. High-end subdivisions straddle the natural area contained within the small park, concentrating life in a narrow stretch not too far from the trail.
I have to say, as the cold rain fell on our heads, the three of us didn't expect to see much. We soon reached a glade-type habitat consisting of eastern red cedars growing from an open, grassy habitat between forested areas. We scanned the vegetation, knowing that a nemesis bird for Heather liked these open environs. Nothing presented itself, until I heard Heather yell, "Fox sparrow!"
Sure enough, there on the ground, was a fox sparrow raking back leaves with its little feet. We walked in to get a closer look and realized that two additional fox sparrows were nearby! Heather hadn't seen this species before and, needless to say, it was new for our Big Year.
Shortly after this experience, a friendly man with binoculars walked up to us from the opposite direction. He asked if we had seen anything interesting, and we told him about our recent experience. Apparently, this was his home spot so he told us some tips on how to find birds we never would have thought to look for there otherwise. This is why you wear your binoculars with pride, friends!
The trail descended to a swampy, floodplain forest punctuated by pines. Not surprisingly, this change in habitats caused a change in species. Though common, our first pine warbler and hermit thrush of the year both made an appearance along the trail. The largest group of kinglets, both ruby-crowned and golden-crowned, that I've ever seen flitted around us while we viewed the thrush and warbler. As always, just because these birds weren't "new" didn't detract one bit from how incredible it was to watch them go about their lives.
The man we met earlier told us to walk through a flooded field for a chance at marsh wrens. No wrens, but we did have some pretty, overcast views of habitat that had clearly once been far more extensive before development had swallowed so much of the region. Turning back, we decided to cross the trail and venture into another area suggested by the friendly local. A strange bump in the landscape stood out in front of us. Had we not received the tip, we would have had no clue what it hid. But the man had said that a sizable reservoir sat behind the hill and, so, we climbed it.
Sure enough, the reservoir held water and, thus, held birds. Immediately, we noticed hooded mergansers, our first ones of the year, and several gorgeous redheads. Keegan, Heather, and I scanned a back corner of the pond and realized that some different ducks were hanging out back there. Gadwalls! Two new species for us in a place we never would have found had the man not shared his knowledge. This is why you say "hello" and be friendly to those you meet on the trail!
The walk back was leisurely, until the sky opened up and absolutely dumped its contents upon us. We sprinted back to the car and, though we planned to hit another spot in the afternoon, our birding day was over.
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