Bicknell's Thrush

Bea's Restaurant in North Conway opens at 5:30am, but Denny Abbott and I weren't there until 6:30am. Aaah! It was indeed the early morning place to eat recommended by our congenial host at the motel. It turned out fine. Denny and I both ordered eggs and corned beef hash, and I had plenty of hot coffee to go with it. From there it took exactly the half hour to get to Mt. Washington that the motel host said it would. We were second in line to pay our $31 fee and drive on up to mile post 4 at 4000 feet where we came out of the tall forest and into the krummholz, a stunted forest. This is the beginning of the zone for Bicknell's Thrush. When I stepped out of the car, my heart stopped. The wind was blowing 50 mph and I could hardly stand. This was my shot at the thrush and I was being blown away. Not to worry. Denny (photo) recommended we drive a little further along this optimum section to a spot where we'd be much more out of the wind. It worked wonders. Once out of the car I began to hear the call notes of the thrush and eventually the song. Then one teed up on a spruce and I was able to shoot a quick pic (photo). Bird #651 was in the bag. We drove to the top of the mountain, but it was so socked in that you could barely see one car length in front of you. Back down at the bottom of the mountain we visited the center across the road where we both got cups of fresh very hot coffee. From there we drove to Vermont where Denny knew a place where White-winged Crossbills might be possible. After walking an hour, we decided there were no crossbills around and headed for lunch at a market with a deli on the Connecticut River in northern Vermont. Back in New Hampshire we tried the Kancamagus Highway for crossbill spots with the same lack of luck. After a few phone calls trying to connect with someone who could put us onto a nesting goshawk, we called it a day and found a motel. Tomorrow we'll pursue more goshawk opportunities before I have to get to Manchester for my flight back to Norfolk.