Bird Log: Global Big Day 2024

May 11 was the annual “Global Big Day” for birdwatching. The challenge on eBird was to submit five complete checklists that day. The challenge for me was to do that in the context of a regular family Saturday.

Checklist #1: I got up before 6am and walked over to Ruth Woods. I didn’t have time to linger, since I needed to be back before Emily left for rowing practice, but I did see my first hummingbirds of the year, chasing each other around the mulch clearing.

Checklist #2 was a Home checklist, just looking out the windows after breakfast. The Hairy Woodpecker came by for some suet, a Gray Catbird plopped around the back bushes, and I briefly saw an Eastern Wood-Pewee.

Checklist #3 was a quick walk in the local Kaufman Park. No warblers today, but I saw the resident Eastern Bluebird as well as a Chipping Sparrow and a Eurasian Tree Sparrow.

Checklist #4 came during a birthday party for my son’s friend at the new Brentwood park. I didn’t have high expectations for the crowded park – although I saw a Turkey Vulture overhead and a Northern Mockinbird playing its greatest hits from a power line. But the park connected to the Deer Creek Greenway. As I headed down that trail, I saw a Great Egret in a pond, a Mississippi Kite overhead, and two Eastern Kingbirds perched in a tree! Then I found some shallow pools that were visited by a Spotted Sandpiper, a Killdeer, and some brownish swallows I couldn’t quite identify. Not bad for a random half-mile walking trail smack-dab in the middle of a dense residential and commercial district!

Spotted Sandpiper

We came home to rest, and I realized what would make the perfect final fifth checklist: O’Fallon Park. The egrets and herons were back at the rookery. I’d been wanting to visit this year but hadn’t made a special trip for it. Here was the perfect chance. I could stop in, probably finally see a Snowy Egret for real, and then go pick up Saturday night Seoul Taco take-out on the way home.

Checklist #5

O’Fallon park is much more crowded on a Saturday afternoon than the early morning I visited last time. I park on the street by the lake. People are tailgating, fishing, hanging out. The birds in the rookery island in the middle of the pond don’t seem to mind. Gobs of egrets and herons are hanging out in their nests. Most of the white ones are probably Great Egrets, but some might be Snowy. I take closer looks to see if I can tell the difference. I see a few Black-Crowned Night Herons and Cattle Egrets in the midst of them. Birds are constantly flying into the rookery from elsewhere, or out of the rookery to gather nesting material, or just to hang out around the rookery perimeter. I see Snowy Egrets (#146), for real this time – there’s no mistaking them for juvenile Little Blue Herons anymore. I can see the yellow lores behind their eyes, and the funny-looking yellow feet under their black legs! While I’m admiring the birds in the rookery, a pair of cowbirds strut by right behind me. Barn Swallows fly around overhead. I get back in the car, and a Great Egret flies over right to my edge of the lake. I carefully open the car door and take another photo. Then I say goodbye. My first “Global Big Day” in the books!

Snowy Egret

Great Egret

Western Cattle Egret

Brown-Headed Cowbirds

Bird Log: Deer Lake Savannah in Forest Park

There was a light, intermittent rain that Friday morning when I went to Forest Park, so I didn’t bring the camera. I did bring my new waterproof Monarch 5 binoculars. As I walked down the path past the statue at the Deer Lake Savannah, between the creek and the marsh, I almost immediately heard a song ringing from a nearby tree, which Merlin identified as a Warbling Vireo.

Vireos are a group of small migrating songbirds. There are more than a couple dozen species, a few of which are fairly common visitors through Missouri in the summer. But like the warblers, they can be quite difficult to see. I never found any last summer, and this month I’d already heard what was almost certainly several of them, typically in thick woods where it’s typically impossible to see them. But on this morning, one of them was singing from a lone tree, and this time I could see it clearly. With its plainish olive-gray back and yellow-white belly, it was certainly a member of that most common of vireos spending the summer in our state: a Warbling Vireo! (#134) I couldn’t take a photo that rainy morning, so I opted for the next best thing: saving the recording of its warbly song.

Then I heard an interesting sharp, bleating call coming from the next tree down the path, which Merlin thought to be a Great Crested Flycatcher! There are literally hundreds of insect-eating flycatcher species, with a handful that visit the Midwest in the summer. I’ve gotten to enjoy seeing the more common members sallying out from perches to catch bugs on the wing (including the Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Wood-Pewee, and Eastern Kingbird), but I had never managed to find a Great Crested Flycatcher before. Now here was one, calling loudly, and quite easy to see. And wow! I knew they looked cool from the pictures, but the pictures don’t do it justice! It showed off its bright yellow belly and bright orange tail, and then turned around to show me its striking dark wing feathers with bright white tips. What a sharp looking bird! I can’t wait to find one again on a dry day with my camera. (#135)

I saw a lot of other great birds as I completed a circuit around the savannah area. There were several Solitary Sandpipers causing a ruckus in the marsh, jumping around with their pointy wings. I saw a white-tipped Eastern Kingbird and a tail-wagging Eastern Phoebe hunting along the creek. And before I got back in my car, I caught a glimpse of a heron flying off, which I followed to the creek bridge where I looked down to see a Little Blue Heron wading along the edge.

eBird checklist

Bird Log: Yellow Rumps and Golden Crowns

I didn’t have time to do the full loop around Creve Coeur Lake, so when I found a patch of thick shrubbery next to a clearing with a bunch of bird noises, I lingered. The mockingbird and the white-throated sparrow were pretty obvious, but there was more going on. I snapped photographs at the ones friendly enough to reveal themselves for a few seconds, but I wasn’t sure about most of them.

I did get one clear picture of a bird I couldn’t immediately identify – it had an eye ring, a clear border separating gray and white sections on the head, and black streaks coming down the sides of its light breast. When I plugged that into Merlin, it suggested Yellow-Rumped Warbler. What? I thought. I knew that bird was very common at the moment, but I had not found it yet. I even knew that our area should have the “Myrtle” variation, and I had studied its black markings and yellow patches (on the rump, of course, but also the side), and this was not that. But then I realized that this view from the front looked a lot like the bird’s immature form – yes, that facial pattern was that wrapping white cheek! So, yes, this was a Yellow-Rumped Warbler! (#93) And when I looked back at my blurrier photos of birds more hidden in the thicket – some of them even had those famous yellow patches! I decided I’m done feeling like an imposter for identifying new birds by photo. The close scrutinizing leads to a deeper familiarity going forward – after I photo-analyzed that Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, I started seeing and recognizing it almost everywhere I went (including this very Creve Coeur patch!)

Speaking of kinglets, there was one other very common seasonal bird I had yet to find – the Golden-Crowned Kinglet. Merlin had been picking up its high-pitched bleets for days pretty much everywhere I went, but I hadn’t managed to pick any out amongst the high trees. The next morning, however, I took a little walk at Kaufman. In the woods, in pretty much the exact same spot I previously found the Ruby, I heard a high-pitched noise that Merlin matched as the Golden-Crown, and I saw a little bird flitting in the tree above me. Here, it was the only sound and the only bird around, so I was pretty sure it was indeed the Golden-Crown, but I wasn’t satisfied to call it unless I could get an identifying view, ideally of that bright yellow-orange top. Unfortunately, the top of that bird is hard to see when it hangs out so high and mostly only shows you its bottom! I captured what photos I could before it finally moved out of sight.

Reviewing the photos later, I first thought none of them were good enough to conclusively identify as the kinglet of my search. But wait, on one of them, the bird’s face pointed downward, just enough… not to see the crown, no… but just enough to see the black edge on the top and the black line by the eye and the white stripe between and the thin bill (remember what I said about scrutinizing?) … yes, this was definitely not some warbler, definitely not a Ruby, no this was a Golden-Crowned Kinglet! (#94) Maybe next time I’ll see that kingly crown…

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Golden-Crowned Kinglet

Bird Log: More Fall Warblers!

I took a day off work that coincided with a WGNSS morning outing. Still in the midst of the fall warbler migration, that Thursday they met again at the Gaddy Garden in Tower Grove Park. The morning started a little slow; the only notable sighting was a handful of American Redstarts. They were hanging out near enough to the path inside the main area that I got clear views of both male (red) and female (yellow), as well as my first photos. A walk around a more open area of the park yielded a few species, but as we regrouped inside the garden, some experienced members bemoaned the lack of birds this year compared to the golden years of yore.

I followed a couple of newer folks around to the back of the garden, where they were intently studying something high in the trees, binoculars and field guide in hand. They believed it to be some sort of flycatcher but hadn’t conclusively identified it. I never did see the flycatcher, but we soon saw something else in the same tree, which a rather experienced fellow named Matt identified as a Bay-Breasted Warbler. The little creature was kind enough to keep coming into view, and I was even able to shift to a better angle with the sunlight and get some halfway-decent pictures. I don’t think I would have identified it on my own, but with those double-white wing bars and that yellowish head, it definitely looked like the pictures in the app of a Bay-Breasted Warbler! (#82)

As we continued to chase birds and make conversation, we gradually found ourselves breaking off of the main group. Slowly but surely, more birds started revealing themselves: more black-and-white warblers… a magnolia warber (I actually saw the breast streaks this time, and got a photo!)… a flicker, a titmouse, a chipping sparrow. Then we saw a Black-Throated Green Warbler! I had studied this one the previous night in anticipation (there are too many warblers for me to learn them all right away, but this was one of the most common) … The bird came right out onto an open branch, and I got a perfectly clear view: the black eye line, yellow face, the olive color around it, the black throat, the white wingbars… After so many frustrating barely-sort-of-half sightings of other warblers, it was so satisfying to get such a clear classic sighting of this Black-Throated Green Warbler! (#83)

It had been a good couple of hours, and I was wrapping up and getting ready to head back to the car when Misty shouted, “Common Yellowthroat!” While technically a warbler, the common yellowthroat is not a brief migrator – it resides in Missouri from spring to late fall. The male has a very distinctive black mask on its face. And it was one of the more common local species that had still eluded me in all my outings. I trained my binoculars on the indicated grasses along the little creek… and I saw the black-masked face in all its glory! Another clear and confident view of another new species! (#84) And another fun and successful birding experience with a group of friendly birders!

Common Yellowthroat (pic by Mason Maron on eBird)

Bird Log: May 26

When it comes to birding, I’ve decided I prefer open air to forests. Ruth Woods near our house has apparently had nearly a hundred species seen in it, but whenever I take to the trail, it’s so hard to find any birds amidst all the dense foliage – even when I can hear them clearly! But when I walk the sidewalk along the adjacent Ruth Park Golf Course – birds abound! Yesterday’s walk was like a greatest hits of the neighborhood: cardinal, blue jay, house sparrows, song sparrow, robin, starlings, grackles, mourning doves, even a cowbird! And I finally ticked off the Barn Swallow (#27). I had previously seen several critters flying fast and low to the ground along the open field, rapidly beating their wings back and forth, and barn swallow seemed the most likely candidate, but it was hard to see any identifying markers. This time I had my binoculars. It was still difficult to keep track of them – they never slow down – but every now and then I caught a flash of iridescent blue from the backside, or whitish orange from the front side, and finally that sharply forked tail – yes, let’s call it!

After work we went to Forest Park to enjoy the nice afternoon. I brought Emily’s nice camera to experiment with bird photography. I wasn’t expecting much, honestly, since I’m not a specially talented or experienced photographer, and if it’s hard enough to find birds in the binoculars before they skip to another branch, surely it’d be even harder to zoom and focus and get a good shot in time. Indeed, initial walks through and along the Kennedy forest were not very fruitful – Merlin was pretty sure it heard an indigo bunting, but I couldn’t find it. But then I noticed a conspicuous form huddled on the roof of the Art Museum in the distance. It shifted slightly – a hawk, perhaps? And another hawk-like creature soaring in circles not far from it. I got as close as I could and zoomed as far as I could, snapping pictures of both. The one in the air soared out of sight not long after, and pretty soon the one on the roof followed. I was just in time. I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to identify them later, but it was an experiment after all. We played frisbee in the clearing while I kept an occasional eye to the sky. As we were getting ready to leave, I caught glimpses of a bird moving between the tops of the trees on either side of us – flashes of black wing and white feathers. Hmm, a mockingbird? But on its next run I clearly saw the red head. Red-headed woodpecker! It went back and forth a couple more times before we walked off for the car. Just as exciting as the first time!

When we got home I uploaded the photos. I zoomed in on the soaring bird and searched “hawk” under Merlin’s “Explore Birds” tab. Red-shouldered was the one I remembered agonizing over a couple months ago, but this one looked kind of like a Red-tailed. It was listed as being very common year-round, so it was definitely a plausible candidate. The shots of its back seemed a reasonable match, but it was the underbelly shot that really nailed it. Several distinct coloration patterns along different parts of its body and wings – and they all were a perfect match! Suddenly I realized photos could be a better identifying tool than binoculars… rather than relying on my fuzzy memory of a couple of indistinct field marks, I had this permanent photo that gave me all the time I needed to notice and compare so many more features! And when I compared the other bird perched on the roof, it looked like a match too – the red tail feathers with the slight line of white tips at the end was the give-away. Grainy zoomed-in photos of dark backs may be inconclusive, but none of the other local hawks had tails looking anything like that. So there you have it, not one but two Red-Tailed Hawks! (#28) And I wouldn’t have identified it without the camera.

Red-Tailed Hawk (My pic :))

Favorite Books I Read in 2021

1. Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth Bailey (2008). A deep dive into the life and teachings of Jesus, with rich treasures of insight that include the sophisticated literary techniques of “ring composition,” old Arabic Christian commentaries that have been ignored and never translated by the West, and interesting details of historical and present-day cultural background. Yet all these Middle Eastern contextual elements simply serve as ingredients to the core teaching, and the focus is less on the novelty of the “eyes” than on the captivating image of the person of Jesus. The book paints a ravishing, awe-inspiring picture of Jesus Christ, in all his clever genius, deep compassion, and radically generous love, and provides a deep well of wisdom to meditate on what it might mean to dedicate one’s life to following this Man.

2. Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri (2020). A refugee memoir about an Iranian kid who wound up in Oklahoma, this book is meant to help you experience the world through the eyes of an outcast, to mourn with those who mourn over loss and persecution and to dance with those who dance through the resilient overcoming of great challenges – and yes, Daniel (Khosrou) Nayeri excels at all of that. But this story of stories, this lively exploration of memory and truth, is so much more, including, but not limited to: love stories (involving Nayeri’s ancestors), poop stories (involving culturally distinct squatting methods), a pleasant smattering of Tolkien references (including the title itself), and… oh yeah, a harrowing, miraculous escape from militant Islamic authorities (involving the underground Iranian church)

3. Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson (2012). This book is not so much a study in Why Nations “Fail,” as in “collapse”, but rather Why Nations Fail *To Grow and Prosper*. Acemoglu and Robinson do not fatalistically blame persistent poverty on geography, natural resources, or culture. Rather, they brilliantly focus on economic and political *institutions*, defining them as “extractive” (to the degree that ruling elites limit competition and derive wealth from the rest of society) or “inclusive” (to the degree that a broad segment of society has the opportunity to participate in economic and political activity). At times the authors go too far attempting to fit every twist and turn of human history into their thesis, but it’s still compelling and interesting. The fascinating whirlwind tour of history often focuses on old extractive elites trying to stop new expanding circles of participation, sometimes succeeding (as in dwindling 1300’s Venice) and sometimes failing (as in England’s “Glorious Revolution”). Resisting easy ideological classification, the authors see a proper and mutually reinforcing role for both markets and governments in maintaining a playing field for the common citizen to build, innovate, and thrive.

4. Reading While Black by Esau McCaulley (2020). I need to confess that this book did not fit into the box I expected – or any box, for that matter. Esau McCaulley describes his dissatisfaction with the theologies of conservative evangelicalism and mainline liberalism, contrasting both with what he calls black ecclesial interpretation, with sharp insights on theologies of slavery, policing, protest, and more. While McCaulley says his book has in mind first and foremost a black audience, often with encouragement not to abandon the Bible because of historical mistreatment, I believe his perspective is a valuable and perhaps even necessary contribution to the church at large, with challenges to blind spots in multiple directions. Even if you don’t agree with every point, I think you will find this quick and poignant read to be fresh, timely, thought-provoking, and important.

5. The Resurrection of the Son of God by N. T. Wright (2003). At 738 pages, this was by far the largest book I finished this year. While N. T. Wright’s tome appears to be an apologetic for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, it starts as a scholarly investigation into historical concepts of resurrection and a challenge to modern Plato-based ideas of a non-bodily “life after death” with the stunning Scriptural depiction of Jesus’ resurrection as the first transformed *bodily* “life *after* life after death” that we have all been invited into. Culminating in a subtle argument that the unprecedented and unanticipated shift in beliefs about resurrection is best explained by the idea that the resurrection actually happened, Wright’s work, while long and at times dry, is full of remarkable theological, pastoral, and philosophical insights.

6. The Pianist From Syria by Aeham Ahmad (2019). I picked up this one on a whim at the library because the story of a refugee pianist sounded like something that would interest me. And it did. This well-written memoir offers an intimate window into the thriving Yarmouk neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, and its unsettling collapse from the siege during the conflict that followed. The story is told through the eyes of a musically gifted Palestinian refugee who struggles through class and religious differences within his mostly Muslim environment, helped by the remarkable talents of his blind father. It was a deeper look at events I have read about in the news, a bittersweet story that is moving on many levels.

Favorite Books I Read in 2020

1. Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour (1984). Anchored by the Beatitudes, this autobiography of a Palestinian priest wrestles with resisting unjust oppression while still representing the heart of a peacemaker. Suffering mingling with beauty, Chacour shines with love and sympathy for the pain of both Jew and Palestinian. Chacour’s life, teaching, and vision touched my spirit, and I suddenly realized that maybe this is what the Savior meant when he said that his sheep would know his voice. For I recognized that still, small voice in this book.

2. The Unwomanly Face of War by Svetlana Alexievich (1985 – English translation 2017). Svetlana Alexievich goes behind the cold facts and figures that she felt dominated men’s telling of World War II, collecting stories from Russian women (nurses, cooks, snipers…) who provide an intimate window into both the tragic toil and the mundane banality of warfare. We see how ordinary humans are driven to commit horrific acts out of a will to survive, out of a commitment to ideology, or out of a belief (whether verified or not) that the other side did horrible things that merit revenge. Quite unpleasant at times (though the tales of everyday life on the front have their moments of unexpected charm), but a necessary reminder of the potential for evil in every human heart and the need for true redemption.

3. Becoming by Michelle Obama (2018). The first part of the former first lady’s autobiography is an interesting window into the experience of growing up in an overtly discriminated yet relatively stable mid-century urban black community; the second part is a window into the universal toil that political involvement has on the whole family. I’ve had to repent of mostly viewing the Obamas through the abstract dehumanizing lenses of political disagreements; this book was a redemptive chance to hear first-hand her loves, joys, struggles, determinations, and growth.

4. The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen (1992). What a delightful wellspring of wisdom this short book pulls out of the famous parable, as Nouwen walks through his life’s identification with each character and illuminates the heart of God. Whether you are the younger son or the elder son, you have to realize that you are called to become the father.

5. Political Visions and Illusions by David T. Koyzis (2003). “Every political ideology tells a story that mirrors and imitates in some fashion the biblical redemptive narrative. Each of these stories has a counterpart to creation, fall into sin, redemption, and consummation, along with the expectation that someone or some group will play the part of messiah, ushering in the happy ending to the tale.” A wise (yet somewhat dry) tour through liberalism, conservatism, nationalism, democracy, and socialism, discussing the righteous appeals and unrighteous idolatries inherent in all of the above.

6. A Fortunate Universe: Life in a Finely Tuned Cosmos by Geraint Lewis and Luke Barnes (2016). You’ve heard that our universe’s very existence relies on extremely precise constants, but if you want to dive into exactly what those values are, why they matter, and the possible implications of it all (did you know that even the capacity to generate the periodic elements out of star explosions hangs on the narrowest of edges), this is the book for you. With wit and humor, Lewis and Barnes break things down in an accessible style full of physics and wonder.

7. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson (2011). I came for the fun history of nerdy technology, and stayed for the intimate portrait of a fascinating human being. Jobs was the total embodiment of California’s paradoxical radical-hippie-liberalism side-by-side with its radically-innovative-consumerist-capitalism, and he achieved astonishing successes often simultaneously near the brink of utter failure. Jobs was not a good father, a good leader, or a good role model. Yet he undeniably, very perceptively, understood a few things very well, in a way no one else did, and had a major impact on the world.

8. Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson (2015). Forget hyperdrives and perfectly functioning hardware, this sci-fi novel builds a compelling narrative out of a more realistic premise (and thus an indirectly interesting take on the Fermi Paradox). A “generation” ship is on a very long trip through space, but entropy starts taking its toll on the ship and its human inhabitants. And if that wasn’t interesting enough, a fascinating attempt at a plausible path to self-aware artificial intelligence only adds to the fun.

9. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (2016). Trevor Noah is a funny writer, and he manages to make you laugh while simultaneously shocking you with the blatant racism of South African apartheid and dispensing firsthand insights about empowering and motivating disadvantaged youth. I was intrigued by the tension between Noah’s mockery of his mother’s faith with his growing admission of its power, and only disappointed by an occasional lack of empathy for the struggles of others.

10. Africa by John Reader (1997). This is a giant tome attempting to cover the entire history of Africa through the 20th century. It was an engaging read that taught me a lot of interesting things, including the devastation of the slave trade on the stability of communities, the challenges of terrain and shifting climates, the effects of the arbitrariness of carved-up national boundaries, and the backdrop of Belgian interference behind the infamous 1994 Rwandan genocide. I long to see African peoples uplifted into the stability and prosperity enjoyed by other nations, and it’s very helpful to better understand how things got to be the way they are.

Previous entries: 2019, 2018, 2017

Review: This Little Piggy

This Little Piggy by Parragon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This short story provides scathing social commentary on the differences of economic opportunity and income inequality that divide us today (some piggies can afford to go to market and get roast beef; other piggies stay home and have none). The fact that the pig eats roast beef – another farm animal – is a hyperbolic expression of the ruthless lifestyle of the upper class piggy. The brilliant cry of the final piggy (“wee wee wee”) symbolizes the outcry that will undoubtedly spawn a revolution as piggies deny the selfish ‘I’ and embrace the collective ‘we’. The final twist of this finger puppet book is that by allowing the child to use his or her finger to animate the piggy, the child can visualize the metaphorical representation of his or her inner self, and instead of objectifying each piggy as a disparate finger, as in the classic telling, the child can internalize that each piggy is truly the same piggy, as any individual may find himself the “market” piggy or the “home” piggy at different stages of life, and every individual piggy is also part of the same “piggy humanity” that binds us all together. Paragon has molded an instant classic that will undoubtedly be studied for centuries hence.

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Review: Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic

Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic by John De Graaf
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Why are we always busy and stressed out despite the huge advances of the last century? The authors convincing detail how productivity and technology increases have left us much richer than our grandparents – but instead of living the same and working less, we acquire an abundance of formerly luxurious (or non-existent) goods without leaving any more time to clean our bigger houses or reorganize, repair, and refill all our stuff. I disagreed with many of the minor points and prognoses that betrayed liberal underpinnings, and it’s a little dated when it talks about shopping malls, but overall Affluenza is a compelling argument that the short-term satisfaction of consumption is ultimately unsatisfying, and the only path to true satisfaction is to embrace voluntary simplicity. It’s largely a secular argument, but it greatly overlaps with a Christian ethos of materialism and possessions.

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Christian Album Sales – Week of 5/22/12

MercyMe’s latest album debuts at #7. They are one of the biggest CCM bands these days, but their previous album’s debut remains their career-best. After several releases with increasing debut sales, this one was quite a bit lower than their last four. Casting Crowns has twice come close to being the first Christian artist to hit #1 on Billboard, and it looked like MercyMe might have a shot with their career trajectory up to this point, but it’s hard to say now. Their selected discography to date, according to Wikipedia:

Almost There – 2001 – N/A (peaked at #37)
Spoken For – 2002 – #41 (28,000)
Undone – 2004 – #12 (55,000)
Coming Up To Breathe – 2006 – #13 (58,000)
All That Is Within Me – 2007 – #15 (84,000)
The Generous Mr. Lovewell – 2010 – #3 (88,000)
The Hurt & The Healer – 2012 – #7 (33,000)

12 Stones released their first album in several years, and so far it is not looking as successful as previous releases. Their selected discography, according to Wikipedia:

12 Stones – 2002 – #147
Potter’s Field – 2004 – #29
Anthem for the Underdog – 2007 – #53 (13,000)
Beneath the Scars – 2012 = #194 (2,500)