Thoughts about…

Tahoe Big Year Update

As February came to a close, I realized just how tired I already was from grinding for birds (for this year’s Tahoe Big Year aka TBY). With so many people out looking for birds every day and then posting notices about their discoveries on the Tahoe Big Year website, Tahoe Birding Facebook group, and via text message, it just became overwhelming trying to keep up.

Upper Truckee River on February 1, 2024. © Jared Manninen

I’m grateful for all of the heads-up, and I’ll continue to chase birds as time permits. But I had to acknowledge that the constant communication was a distraction, especially while at work, in the middle of a project, or if I was an hour or more away. And since there’s currently plenty of snow on the ground, it’s pretty much guaranteed that I’m out doing any one of those activities on cross-country skis. For example, I’m either working at the xc ski resort, making a YouTube video, or exploring the backcountry.

Lake Tahoe on February 5, 2024. © Jared Manninen

Even if I dropped everything I was doing (in any of the aforementioned scenarios) to go hunt for the bird in question, I’m usually so far away that the odds that it would still be visible by the time I arrived would be very low. I agree that the bird might still be in the general area. But even if it just flew 50 meters around the bend or within a nearby forest, at that point it may as well be 50 miles away. That’s because if the bird is perched in a tree just out of sight, well, then it’s a total waiting game. And, guess what? That bird has way more time on its hands than you or me.

View from Kirkwood XC on February 7, 2024. © Jared Manninen

In my experience, having more than a few minutes of actual “eyes-on” time with a rare or uncommon bird is rare in and of itself. In contrast, I find that it’s much more realistic to expect to witness something wondrous for a mere 3-30 seconds. I agree that this sounds totally ridiculous but, hey, I don’t make up the rules! Birds do what they do, and they’re not beholden to our wishes.

Truckee River viewed from Farad Road on February 9, 2024. © Jared Manninen

But because of my desire to be part of the TBY experience and to stay in the running, however, FOMO (fear of missing out) usually kicks in and I start planning ways as to how I can go about finding that bird. The problem with performing these mental gymnastics, though, is that they completely take me out of being in the moment. So instead of being right here and now, like at my job (!), I’m mentally somewhere else trying to keep up with somebody else. And then I totally become disappointed in myself for falling into this trap because I know those friends are just trying to help me out, and they have no idea what I’m doing at the moment. So I should just be glad for them for finding those birds (and telling me about them) rather than becoming irritated at the fact that I can’t do anything with that information right now because I just clocked into work, or whatever.

Tahoe Donner Cross Country on February 11, 2024. © Jared Manninen

This is not unlike the entire ecosphere of every social media platform, right? That is, the idea that someone somewhere else is doing something way cooler than you or I at this very moment and they’re broadcasting it to the entire world. Honestly, I suspect that a number of people who follow me on social media feel similar when I post yet another cross-country ski video, for example, when they haven’t received more than six inches of snow all winter.

Washoe Meadows State Park on February 15, 2024. © Jared Manninen

So I’m aware of the responsibility that comes with sharing our stories so that we don’t sound as if we’re bragging or boasting about our own good fortune. But, again, this is why I become so frustrated with myself for succumbing to these feelings of being left out or left behind. I’m acutely aware of the fact that birds don’t care about what we had planned for the day! And I definitely know better than to blame the messenger because, again, my friends are just trying to help me find more birds.

Stampede Reservoir on February 18, 2024. © Jared Manninen

What I decided, then, was that until winter was officially over (i.e. no more snow on which to xc ski), I’d heed the call if the bird was rare or very uncommon. This is because you need those rare birds to reach 200+ species for the year. But if it was common and just happened to be in Tahoe out of season (i.e. not usually here in January or February), I’d let it go. I’ll eventually see it on my own time and, in the process, save myself some gas and the headache of rearranging my schedule.

The Big Year is a marathon, not a sprint. So as long as I trust the process by finding my own pace and sticking with it, I’m going to have a great finish.

Pope Marsh on February 24, 2024. © Jared Manninen

The current Tahoe Big Year standings are different than the screenshot below. So visit the official TBY website to see the current top 5 contenders.

It actually felt like winter by the time February arrived, so that inspired me to keep publishing cross-country ski and winter-related videos 🙂

Thanks for being a part of my life. Until next time…

-Jared Manninen

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