The first week of May has now come to an end and it has been quite productive with a total of 153 species so far for me in the county (my highest total ever for the first week of May). I know I could have pushed this total even higher if I was feeling better as my ongoing back issues have kept me from walking in areas that have been productive in the past. Thankfully walking (at least on somewhat even terrain) is one of the only things that helps me loosen up my back. As expected with the first week of May there were tons of highlights as migration increases both in volume and variety and some of those highlights have been covered in earlier posts. The main highlights the last few days have included warblers with two Orange crowned Warblers around, with one found on the 5th at UMASS and another seen at a different spot on campus on the 6th (originally found on the 5th but I didn't see it until the following day). I also found a singing Cerulean Warbler at Quabbin Park on the 6th and it continued into today. Today also produced Brewster's Warbler in Amherst.
I have managed to exceed 100 species everyday for the first week of the month with the following totals by day:
1st- 118 species
2nd- 100 species
3rd- 102 species
4th- 102 species
5th- 106 species
6th- 107 species
7th- 106 species
4 years ago I had such terrible back issues I could barely walk a short distance. I also noticed it when bending a lot such as cleaning out a bunch of stuff out of a friends garage to a lesser extend than walking. Believe it or not after months of physical therapy and it only getting worse I finally found the cause was from sitting at work! It did not hurt at all when sitting but the sitting all day caused some kind of back issue that only showed up when walking. After about three weeks of not sitting at work all day in a chair the issue began to recede and within a few months it was 99% gone
ReplyDeleteWork is the biggest issue with my back for sure...a career of lifting heavy objects and people has really caught up with me. Walking and being active is the best cure I have found so far...a sore back and inactivity is a bad combo that just makes things worse for sure!
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