Monday, August 17, 2015

Birding

I am a Birder. I am just beginning but this has been coming for a while. It all started when a Black crowned night heron flew into our dining room window.
(sadly upon his crash he perished but I was glad to see he was nearing the older stage of his life)
found on pinterest


I realize now that he was an older mature night heron after purchasing  this book locally...


So far I have identified 14 birds in my neighborhood. I have heard the call of a pileated woodpecker (and have seen them in the past) but my count began July 25th and I am starting from scratch with my list. When I was in my early 30s, I saw a huge bald eagle fly over my car as I was traveling back home to Batesville. I have only seen 1 small one since then. I hope it isn't another 30 years before I see another! I love how the Bald Eagles are unmistakable. Majestic and bright white feet and head!


I am in desperate need of some binoculars! Most birds are too far away or are moving too quickly for me to identify. Right now my favorite bird is the kind bird. They are white and black and sit at the very tops of the trees (learned this from the book above). The book helped me in identifying this bird. Believe me, there are lots of black and white birds in North America.



I just love how they sit high and look down on their surroundings. There song is quiet joyous and optimistic. Look for a kingbird high up and chirping. He is one determined, happy bird.



As I am sitting here writing this blog post, a hummingbird came to visit. After looking at my book, I realize she is a ruby throated hummingbird. (however she does not have the ruby throat as the male boasts) But she was divine. She checked me and the poodles out pretty closely. Within about 5 feet. She is a brave girl, indeed!

Birding is a bit overwhelming in the beginning. There are over 10,200 different species of birds. There are less than 1000 species in North America.....and probably fewer in your area. In the area that I'm in, there are about 300 or so birds. So as you travel you may see different ones. Add them to your list and take photos if you can. 
Here is a photo of a magpie I took during my stay in Taos this past July. While there I met another birder. Her name is Laura and she spotted her 391st bird while on the trip!! I had so much fun getting to know her and talk about birds with her. She is so inspiring!

ps. The ibird app is a great app for help in identifying birds. I love the "sounds" feature! It helps you identify the song of the bird. Because most of the time you'll hear birds before you see them.

Other birds that I can't put on my list but have seen in the past are:
  1. Northern flicker - yellow shafted (I buried him after he was hit by a car in the front of our house)
  2. bald eagle
  3. pileated woodpecker
  4. Tanager
  5. black crowned night heron



Happy birding!



3 comments:

  1. I am obsessed with birds at the moment. This past week I have seen a Red Kite, ducks and swans as well as the usual crows and magpies that seem to be everywhere I go :) I just created some paintings with hummingbirds too. I love that you are doing this and hope you get some binoculars soon hun x

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  2. If you haven't seen it you must watch the big year with Steve Martin. A great movie about birding!

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  3. I've always adored birds! Who knew there was an app for that? :)

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