(photo copyright Matt MacGillivray)

Getting Out
I actually got out of the office last evening and took a group in search of calling and displaying American Woodcock. The day didn't look so good with significant winds and intermittent showers even up to the the time we arrived on site. Earlier, I was thinking of hedging my bets and rescheduling for an evening later in the week, but I thought that if I did, I would later regret it on a number of fronts. Well, as it turned out, the winds subsided to nothing, the rain ended, and a nice sunset spread across the woodlands and fields. After some great views of very crisply plumaged White-throated Sparrows and a vocalizing, territorial Brown Thrasher, the woodcock gave us an outstanding show of calls, spirals, and dive bombs; the best show by this species I have ever seen! Glad I didn't cancel! If you want ot go out, I am happy to give you a private tour.

Now, I am back in the office working on a few new itineraries including one to Myanmar, the former Burma. Nestled between China, India, Laos, Bangladesh, and Thailand, Myanmar really is an often overlooked birding destination. It shouldn't be, because it touts over a thousand bird species, many rare species, and four endemics. This is a very cool place with lots of birds, history, great sight seeing, and culture. Let me know if I can send you the itinerary. Our local guide is Dr. Htin Hla, considered Myanmar's foremost ornithologist with outstanding rediscoveries of numerous bird species not seen in years (90+ years in one case). The escort from Connecticut Audubon will be Frank Gallo, a superb birder and the Director at the CAS Coastal Center.