The Year in Pictures 2

Back in March, three of my closest friends and I finally made a trip that we'd been planning for years. We escaped the cold of NJ and headed down to Tampa Bay, FL for some spring training baseball! My friends spent a week down there, but due to other vacations I had planned, I only stayed for 4 days. I got to see the Yankees beat the Tigers and the Twins beat the Blue Jays. I think that's what happened... I don't really remember. We also visited the beaches in Clearwater. I brought my binoculars along to make sure I could see the players (and just in case any birds flew by). While watching the games, I managed to see many Osprey, flocks of unidentified parakeets, several different herons, a few raptors, and a ton of Boat-tailed Grackles. My best find is below...


While lounging on the beach, I kept hearing a racket coming from a tree along the street. It sounded like a bird, but not one I had ever heard. I went for a closer look and found the above Black-hooded Parakeet. They are really stunning. Although not "countable", this is a very likely addition to the ABA list in the near future.


The guys and me at the Blue Jays facility in Dunnedin.


I also got a very bizarre sunburn on the beach. Being guys, we didn't want to put subblock on each others' backs. So, I was stupid and barely put it on my back. Here's what I ended up looking like. I still wear evidence of this sunburn today...