Category: Vertebrates

Posted on in Birds, Hotspots

Bajillions of Snow Geese

dsc_0367It was almost 5 am, well below freezing, and I was clumsily trying to attach my camera to my tripod with gloved fingers. The last of the stars had finally given way to the growing light in the eastern sky, but the sun wouldn’t be up for a while yet.

A class of a dozen photography students arrived and began setting up their cameras next to me. Their fancy lenses dwarfed mine. Not for the first time, I wondered what in the world I was doing here!

Of course, I’d love to be back in bed sound asleep, or at least in the coffee shop with a nice hot cup of tea, but 50,000 snow geese, glistening white in their winter plumage, were sleeping on the wetlands in front of me. At some point in the next hour or so, the growing daylight would reach a critical intensity, and the entire flock would lift off as one, circle overhead, and then fly off into the new day. I wasn’t about to miss it.

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Posted on in Birding Tips, Birds, Hotspots

Birding Trails

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When I first encountered the term “Birding Trail,” a mental image flashed into my mind of a migrating flock trudging down the road, heading south with their suitcases tightly grasped in their wings. Turns out that wasn’t quite right.

Birding trails are actually comprised of a series of birding hotspots (places where birds are known to congregate)  connected by a driving route. You pick up the map, hop in the car, and set off on your birding adventure.

Texas started the whole idea several years ago with the establishment of the Texas Coastal Birding Trail. A special map marks out the route, and signs along the highway indicate where to pull over, take a break, and look for birds. The concept is so popular that half the states have followed suit, and birding trails abound.

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Posted on in Bird Profiles, Birding Tips, Birds

Brown Ducks

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This mallard really is a female.

“They’re all females! Where did the males go?”

My friend and I were newbie birders; I’d started keeping a “Life List” only two months earlier. August found us at our favorite spot—the local nature center’s ponds. As usual, the water was covered with ducks and other waterfowl. But the more we stared through our binoculars, the more confused we got. All the ducks were brown! What had happened to the familiar green heads of the mallards? We figured that some of the “females” must be immature males, but where were the adults? (more…)

Posted on in Birding Trips, Birds, Hotspots

Birding Burnt Mill Road

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Patrick, Cyndy (in back), Gary and Jeannie

My birding trip this past weekend reads just like a novel… with goals to be achieved, suspense and uncertainty, good times, and a climatic ending.

I woke two minutes before my alarm was set to go off, groped in the dark for my glasses, and crawled from beneath the covers, shivering as my feet hit the floor. It will be worth it, I told myself. It always is.

Forty minutes later I was on the interstate heading south. The car was loaded with my camera and accessories, scope and tripod, binos, ID books, water lunch, and snacks. The sun, still below the horizon, was just turning the tips of the mountains pink, while the dissipating mist hung like golden glitter in the air. What a beautiful morning!

Reaching our rendezvous point, I joined six other birders as we piled into two cars and headed south again. My primary goal for the day was to enjoy God’s creation and have fun. I was also hoping to take at least one photo I would be happy with. And, there was the possibility of seeing a new bird. While my life list isn’t all that long, I don’t get new birds very often, especially near home. The advertised list of possible species had included a couple I’d never seen, and I was really hoping one would show up.

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Posted on in Birds, Books, Humor, Media Reviews

A Birding Poem by Ogden Nash

I loved this poem, and I hope you do too. In fact, I’d recommend you read the entire book, but it appears to be out of print. However, there are collection of Nash’s poetry available, so I’ll recommend you read those instead.

You Can’t Get There from Here

by Ogden Nash

Bird watchers top my honors list.
I aimed to be one, but I missed.
Since I’m both myopic and astigmatic,
My aim turned out to be erratic,
And I, bespectacled and binocular,
Exposed myself to comment jocular.

We don’t need too much birdlore, do we,
To tell a flamingo from a towhee;
Yet I cannot, and never will,
Unless the silly birds stand still.
And there’s no enlightenment in a tour
Of ornithological literature.
Is yon strange creature a common chickadee,
Or a migrant alouette from Picardy?

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Posted on in Birding Tips, Birds

Bird Gear: A Newbie’s Guide

leslie-birding-cuchara-pass-co-12jul05-plh-006“Birding is really inexpensive! All you need is a pair of binoculars and a field guide!” I was trying to explain to my ever-patient husband why this new fascination of mine was such a great idea.

In a sense I was right. Birding can be very low-budget, especially compared to other ways we entertain ourselves. It doesn’t take up much room—you collect the birds in a list that doesn’t require dusting or storage space. Looking at a wild bird is free. And all you really need to get started is a decent pair of binoculars, a good identification book, and a notebook in which to list your sightings.

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Posted on in Birds, Books, Media Reviews

An Owl Story to Enjoy

wesleytheowlWesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl, by Stacey O’Brien

“Wesley’s eyes were a deep, inscrutable black. Even when they first opened, they harbored a great mystery and held my gaze. Looking into his eyes was like looking into infinity, into something far away and cosmic. It was a profoundly spiritual experience….”

This is not your average birding book. Stacey O’Brien adopted a baby barn owl when he was only days old, naming him Wesley. Nerve damage in his wing meant he’d never live successfully as a wild owl. Her commitment to live with and care for Wesley would span almost 19 years, until his death.

Barn owls can’t be kept in a cage, so Wesley and Stacey truly lived together with mutual love and respect. She adapted to “The Way of the Owl,” and he, having imprinted on a human, developed some very un-owl-like traits. For example, barn owls don’t typically like to get wet, but Wesley delighted in taking baths!

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Posted on in Bird Profiles, Birds

Rufous Hummingbirds: August Fireworks

plh_6895rLike animated jewelry, the bright copper hummingbirds have been rocketing through our yard for the past few weeks. I’m constantly amazed at how something that small can go that fast. Rufous Hummingbirds are our special treat this time of year. In spring they migrate northward along the Pacific flyway, making the enormous trek from Mexico to Oregon, Idaho, or even all the way to southern Alaska, in order to nest and raise their young. Now that they’re empty nesters, it’s time for the return trip.

Some Rufous hummers go home the way they came, flying through California. Others head for the Rockies. No one knows why—maybe they just want a change of scenery. The upshot of their wanderlust is that those of us who live in Colorado get a late summer fireworks display. Starting in mid-July and running until Labor Day, these feisty birds dominate the feeders.

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Posted on in Birds, Humor

You Know You’re a Birding Fanatic if…

hike-cuchara-pass-co-12jul05-plh-575Lately, my husband has taken to calling me a “Beak Geek.” I’m not sure whether or not to be insulted at this or take it as a compliment. I thought I’d ask a few other friends if the label fits. They hedged a lot. Hmmm. So I did an internet search and found the following:

You know you are a Birding Fanatic if…

… There is a strange, but distinct correlation between the last time your house was thoroughly cleaned and the development of your birding interest.

… you’re hopeless at remembering people’s names, yet you know the scientific names of all birds ever seen in North America.

… someone is trying to sell you some swamp land in a 3rd world country and you actually are interested! —Bill Kossack

… you have a trip list from your honeymoon.

… for your wedding anniversary he takes you to the Brownsville City Dump to see the Mexican crow! —Keri Dawkins

[At this point I’d like to point out that, while I’ve never been to the Brownsville City Dump (because we’d heard that the Mexican crows aren’t there any more), my loving sweetie did take me to the Ft. Lauderdale dump to look for birds. In addition, we spent our 25th wedding anniversary at a dumpy motel near Alamosa because it was near two wildlife refuges… and he’s not even a birder!]

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Posted on in Birds

Spittlebugs

spittle-bug-dbg-lah-001rHas someone been spitting on your flowers? What is that collection of tiny bubbles surrounding that stem? If you probe beneath the goop, you’ll find one of a number of leafhopper species called spittlebugs. All leafhoppers resemble stocky, miniature grasshoppers about a quarter-inch long. They have sucking mouthparts used to puncture plant stems. Then they feed on the juices and sugars found inside.

Spittlebugs use a special pore on tip of their abdomen to bubble air though some of those juices. The result is a frothy mass that protects them from predators.

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