I was so excited—I was flying to Washington to visit our daughter and her family. Of course, the main point of the trip was to hug our baby granddaughter, but I was also hoping to do a bit of birding while in a different state. The problem was, I didn’t know a single birder near Everett (north of Seattle), I didn’t know where the good birding sites were, and even if I did, the roads were unfamiliar enough (and traffic crazy enough) that I was sure I’d get lost.
In light of their successful 2013 calendar, Aiken Audubon is offering a “Birds of Colorado” calendar for 2014. They sell for a suggested donation of $12. Any profits over the cost of printing go toward the chapter’s education fund, used primarily to pay high-caliber speakers for their free monthly programs. It’s a great calendar for a good cause.
To refresh your memory, here is the photo from September’s Bird Quiz. It was taken in Colorado during the month of September. Don’t read any further if you want one last chance to identify this bird.
Can you identify this bird? The photo was taken in Colorado during September.
I was watching a skein of geese flying south for the winter, individuals arranged in a typical V-shape, each bird pumping its wings up, down, up, down, hour after hour after hour. Just watching them, knowing how many hundreds, thousands, of miles they had to go before they reached their destination, made me exhausted.
Then there are the songbirds, who migrate so high that we don’t even notice them. How do they travel such long distances, exerting themselves where the air is so thin? Even more, they can fly and vocalize at the same time. (When I’m hiking at high elevations, it’s all I can do to gasp for air; I can’t even talk, much less sing!)
Last spring, our Audubon chapter organized a field trip to a Nature Conservancy property, the Brett Gray Ranch. Located out on the short-grass prairies east of Colorado Springs, the ranch has widely diverse habitat. Dry grasslands, riparian cottonwoods, marsh and pond attract birds from miles around to eat and drink at this oasis on the plains.
Our group included several “power birders,” luminaries who excelled at spotting and identifying rarities. I was eager to follow in their footsteps. Lugging my largest lens and bulky tripod, I just knew I was going to get spectacular photos.
To refresh your memory, here is the photo from August’s Bird Quiz. It was taken in Colorado during the month of May. Don’t read any further if you want one last chance to identify this bird.
Can you identify this bird? The photo was taken in Colorado during May.
What’s a birder to do, once we’ve checked off all the easily seen local birds? I, for one, can’t afford endless trips to exotic places. I don’t have time to chase rarities (which is why I missed the Red-necked Rail at Bosque last month). And I don’t keep year lists, or county lists (or even state lists).
How do you maintain your interest in species you see trip after trip? I turned to photography. There’s always the possibility of a better photo—a different pose, interesting behavior, surreal lighting. The more I practice, the better I get, although I have a long way to go before my photos are gracing the cover of National Geographic!
Backyard chickens are pretty popular, and for good reason. What other pet delivers affection, entertainment, companionship, plus fertilizer and fresh, tasty eggs? If you’ve been smitten by the burb of a motherly hen—or if you’d like to know what it’s like to raise your own flock—have I got a treat for you!
Hasten thee to the library or bookstore and pick up a copy of Once Upon A Flock: Life With My Soulful Chickens, by Lauren Scheuer. (If that name sounds familiar, you might have read her delightful blog, Scratch and Peck.)
