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a place to express my love for birds |
This is a blog/journal about birds and birding. I grew up watching birds, as I lived in a rural area with farms, fields and forests. As an adult, I got into "serious" birding around the year 2015 when I went on my first "guided" bird walk at a local state park in Pennsylvania. In 2017, I kept track of how many different species I could spot in one year, which was 137. In 2017, I saw 201 species! So I have some goals for 2019: Five "lifers" (A "lifer" is a bird I have never seen/identified before) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Enter a checklist every day on www.ebird.org Visit 10 new "hotspots" (popular birding sites like parks, gamelands and sanctuaries) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.  Sharp-shinned Hawk in my backyard, December 2017  Snowy Owl in Fleetwood, PA, January 2018 |
Correction: #31 is actually a Rough-legged Hawk, not a Harrier! A lifer!  They're considered "rare" for the area where I was birding. They typically spend most of the year in the Arctic but will come down into the US during Winter. A birding friend of mine saw the same hawk a few days ago, so it seems it has found a place to stay for a bit!It's funny how after single digits with high winds, 30+ degrees F can feel warm!  I took a long walk (about 1.75 miles in two hours) this morning at state game lands. On my drive there, #31, a Northern Harrier Rough-legged Hawk  flew across the road in front of my Jeep and landed in a tree next to the road! I pulled over and got a couple photos before it took off. (I saw a Harrier at the gamelands about 15 minutes later, and I can only assume it was the same one) Harriers are so cool! They're hawks with almost an owl-like face. Very cool birds!Lots of noise and activity at the game lands this morning! Although it was a grey, overcast morning, there was lots of bird activity! When I got there, I heard Blue Jays and American Crows making lots of noise, so I figured a raptor was probably nearby. I heard #32, Eastern Towhee, in the brush. It's an unusual bird for Pennsylvania in Winter but I also heard it at the same location with another birder in December and he heard it recently, too, so I was sure that's what it was. I watched the Harrier fly across the field and land in another tree, the cause of all the noise. I don't know why Blue Jays and Crows love to harass larger birds... I guess because they can! I also did a short drive through Tuscarora State Park to check that hotspot off my list for the year. Later while driving for work on the other side of the county, I saw #33, an American Kestrel, on the side of the road (I saw a second one a little later, too). They're cute little hawks! I like them.  I think I saw a Northern Mockingbird today, but I was driving past and I wasn't 100% sure. I think I'll wait until I know I've seen one to count it. |
| I had one new bird since I last posted, #30, Mute Swans. I drove to a nearby state park but the lake was frozen over and I didn't see a single bird! On Sunday I went to the gamelands since the temps were way up in the single digits! I saw some birds, but nothing new. Earlier today it was in the 20s, so I went to a marsh/dam area. Again, I saw some birds, but nothing new. I did get one decent photo of a Tufted Titmouse . I'm always trying to improve my photos of birds. They can be tough to capture!I bought some new bird seed that was on clearance at Walmart. It has some kind of pepper added to it to keep squirrels away. (I don't necessarily mind feeding squirrels. They have to eat, too! But when one sits in my bird feeder eating all the seed...) The Blue Jays seem to like the new seed!My sister found an Eastern Screech Owl sunning in a hollowed out tree today! That's pretty darn exciting! Even the expert birders I know say they've never spotted an owl in the wild! Very cool! |
| It's been slow birding due to the weather. Temps are in the single digits (F) but it feels more like negative teen temps with the wind chill! So I'm stuck inside birding at my feeders, which I really enjoy, too, but it doesn't give me much opportunity for new species. I did see #29, White-throated Sparrow yesterday at my feeders! I've been waiting to see one because they tend to hang out with Dark-eyed Juncos, and I have plenty of those!It looks like Saturday and Sunday are going to be just as cold. Monday's 33 forecast will feel warm compared to what it's like right now outside! Local birding groups are starting to plan bird walks. There's one on January 27th that I hope to join. It's in a neighboring county. My sister and I are currently the top #1 and 2 birders in that county! We went out on January 1st and saw a lot of different species, so we got the early lead. We'll enjoy it while we can because we won't have it for long! |
| (The first days of January usually add a lot of species rather quickly. The rest of the year goes slower. ) Today I drove to Fleetwood, PA, to see #26, a Snowy Owl ! I saw one last year in Leraysville, which was about a 2 hour drive. Fleetwood is less than an hour from me! So I went last week with my sister to see it (we only found it because there were several cars parked in a lot next to the road and people with cameras and scopes looking into a field). Today it was a little bit closer and I think I might have been able to spot it even if there weren't people parked and holding binoculars. It was on top of a ridge so it really stood out against the sky! Owls are amazing, and Snowy Owls just feel magical! On the drive home, I saw #27, Red-tailed Hawk, flying over the highway and then #28, a Mourning Dove on a power line. I can't wait for this cold snap to pass so I can go for walks again! Sub-freezing temps just aren't for me. I don't mind standing in it for a few minutes to see a bird (like the Snowy Owl), but walking long distances is out of the question for now! I'll wait until it's a little warmer before I start tackling my county's birding spots! |
| Last year, on January 1st, 2017, I saw/heard 18 different species of birds! I thought that number would be tough to beat, particularly because we're in a brutal cold snap right now, but I saw 25 species today! I visited my sister in a neighboring county and we drove around her neck of the woods. It's a cool area because it's a mix of rural and suburban with some creeks and rivers! So my day started with #1, Dark-eyed Juncos, the first at my feeder (and also the first species I saw last year). I ran out to get coffee and had to stop at Walmart (anyone else like to go there super early to beat the rush?). On my way back to my car, I heard, #2, American Crow and then at home in my driveway, I heard #3, Blue Jay. On my drive to my sister's house, I saw #4, Starlings and Bald Eagle in a tree right by the side of the road! (I took the photo after picking up my sister. We stopped on the road but stayed in the car and took photos through the car windows) At my sister's in-laws' house, they have a feeder set up, and there I saw #6, American Tree Sparrow, #7, Northern Cardinal and #8, House Finch.Our first stop was near a covered bridge over a creek. We saw #9, Downy Woodpecker and heard #10, Carolina Wrens. Farther up the creek, we saw #11, Canada Geese, #12, Mallards, and #13, Common Mergansers, as well as a ton of #14, Rock Pigeons, huddled together on a light post over the fairgrounds parking lot. Our next stop was the "confluence" where the creek meets a river. It's normally a pretty active spot, but we only saw one bird here, #15, Pileated Woodpecker (a very cool bird, one of my faves!). Next up was a park in town along the river where we heard #16, Belted Kingfisher, #17, White-breasted Nuthatch and #18, Black-capped Chickadee. (I have to say that learning the calls of common birds really helps! You don't need to see them to count them.) At another park/field, we saw #19, Northern Flickers and #20, an Eastern Bluebird. Back at my sister's house, we saw #21, House Sparrows and #22, a Tufted Titmouse. On my drive home, I saw #23, a Common Raven flying overhead and back at my own feeders again, I spotted #24, two Song Sparrows, and #25, a Carolina Chickadee (or a hybrid between Black-capped and Carolina. We're right along the hybrid line here.) That was a busy first day of birding! I was glad we could do a lot of it by car since it was soooo cold! One bird I was surprised I didn't see was the Mourning Dove. I typically see a lot of them! I expect to see one soon. Happy birding! |
| I think some of the best hobbies are those that don't require a lot of equipment or preparation. Birding is one of those. Sure, a few items, like binoculars and field guides, are helpful, but to start, you just need to look for birds. They're found everywhere, rural areas and cities alike! There are some great, free resources, like apps and websites that can help you identify birds, too! I started with binoculars (Bushnell 10x50) and a camera (Canon Rebel T3 with 55-250mm zoom lens). For me, trying to get photos helped me ID the birds later, though be warned: Birds can be very difficult to photograph and they tend to take off when you lift your camera up. I had some guides that weren't so great, but they did help me ID common birds. A really good guide will show variants and the difference between the male and female of the species (as they often look quite different) as well as maps showing where the birds are commonly found.I now have a copy of Sibley Birds East, which is my main field guide. You don't have to keep track of how many birds you've seen or what species you've seen, but it can be fun to keep track! The website I like is www.ebird.org. You can view other birder's checklists and sightings and enter your own! It's really a great tool for professionals, scientists and amateurs! Another great thing about birding is the kindness of other birders. At least in my experience, other birders have been extremely friendly and helpful to beginners! No one laughs at you if you get an ID wrong. There are even Facebook groups just for providing identification help! Mostly birders seem to enjoy sharing their hobby and love of bird-watching with others! So my plan is to use this blog to keep track of my sightings and to maybe share some photos and adventures or stories of my birding trips. I saw 137 different species in 2017! I don't plan on leaving my state on trips as much as I did last year, so I'm setting my goal at 140 for the year. Here's hoping I have a good birding year in 2018!    |
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