BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Birding Let's Get a Discussion Going

I'm in training to be the new birding editor, and I see nobody has posted in two months. Let's get a discussion going! What birds have you added to your list in 2009? I can think of four off hand (without consulting my field guide--there might be more). In Maine, I saw my first Eider Duck, Puffin, and Guillemot. Back home in New Jersey, I saw a Great Horned Owl. I also added the semi-tame Monk Parakeet to my list. They live in a colony of escapees by a strip mall a few miles from my home. So, five exciting birds for me--a better than average year, I think. There might be a couple more from earlier, too, but I'm too lazy to get up right now and get my list. :sick: Oh, yeah, now I remember. I saw an ovenbird, as well. What have you seen? Was 2009 a good year for you?

I love birding but don't do any serious birding. Maybe my DH and I should start. What a peaceful activity.

When we do walk about, I love to see the snowy egrets. Can you tell me more about them? Are they a type of crane?

As a Japanese person, I have a love of cranes. My name means a thousand birds or a fluttering bird, depending on how the name is written.

Western New York

Pileated Woodpeckers have become more numerous and are now staying year round.

I also had a pair of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks nest near my wetland. Did not see the babies though but hopefully the nest was successful.

One sad thing I have noticed is a decline in owls. We used to have a breeding Great Horned pair but the last few years I have not heard any Great Horned calls at all. Will be listening intently this winter for their mating calls.

Egrets and cranes are both very long-legged, but they are not in the same family (remember that from bio?/ Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus species.) I like cranes, too. The only one I've ever seen in the wild was on the side of the road by Orlando International Airport. They are not common in my area at all. You should take up birding. It can be done at many levels. I hardly spend any money at all, but some people travel the world and buy $1000 binoculars. It's a fun hobby for all.

I LOVE birding! And I am a lister, too. I know that some birders look down at those of us who keep track of the birds we've seen, but for me it adds a little extra enjoyment to a good day out birding to know that I've added something new to a list.
Last week I drove 30 miles to see an unusual bird, an Arctic Tern that was hanging around the sewage treatment ponds in the little town of Three Oaks, MI. It was the first Arctic Tern on my Michigan list!
Birding is usually the focus of my vacation travels. I recently took a 3 week birding trip to (drum roll, please...) New Zealand! It was wonderful! Beautiful country, friendly people, good food, and exciting birds. I saw 85 species, 60 of them new to me. A perfect trip!

Wow! Good for you! I would love to go to New Zealand. Last year I went to Maine tyo see puffins and had a wonderful time (until my flight was canceled and I was dumped at a Portland bus depot at 3:00 in the morning). I don't keep a lot of lists myself (just the big one of everything I've seen). Maybe I'll start this year.

Having lived on the Pacific flyway a good portion of my life I had the opportunity to spend considerable time hiking the wetlands such as the Cosumnes River Preserve which is recognized one of California's most significant natural areas with around 250 different bird species. I got to cover that spectacular event (California's most significant natural areas) as well as many others at the preserve as a reporter). It was a blast to check in with the visitor�s center each morning, on a chalk or was it a white board; anyway, visitors listed each animal they had sighted that day on the board.

I loved the sand hill cranes, the green herons, great blue heron, the egrets, geese, ducks, teals, osprey, bald eagles, American Bittern, grebes, and the list goes on and on. Having the luxury of living near this remarkable place was paradise.

The Wetlands Manager Holden Brink taught us a great deal about native species, non native species, even how to do bird counts. The staff at the preserve were wonderful.

However, one of the most amazing sights was after I moved to South Dakota. We are near the Mississippi flyway and saw a great number of geese and ducks. One day we went for a drive. I was watching all the formations heading north. I looked straight up into the sky; and as far as I could see were thousands of what looked crochet patterns, hundreds of crochet patterns made of migrating birds. There was not a single spot in the sky without a big pattern. WE NEVER go anywhere without our camera. Having just recently moved to the area somehow we got out of the house without a camera. In California we could leave the camera in the car without having to worry about its little circuits freezing. In South Dakota we have to bring our electronics in which a pain for two people that has fantastic memories they are just really short.

Birding is an amazing hobby, what is wonderful it really takes no money, just a decent pair of feet.

The new year is starting out well for "the usual suspects" on the feeder; so far, we've seen Red and White breasted Nuthatches, Tufted Titmice, Chickadees, House Finches, Downey Woodpeckers, and, of course, the everpresent House Sparrows.
We're in Southeastern Michigan, in town, and on a main highway, but natural adaptation keeps our guest list full on the feeders.

What is everyone else seeing this year?

My back yard is a winter wonderland, with piles of snow on all of the tree branches. Today while eating lunch I saw a crow carrying a big chunk of bread fly into a tree. He stuffed the bread into a heap of snow, then brushed more snow over it to completely hide it from view. A nice litle cache, I hope he finds it again before the wind picks up and blows the snow down.

Isn't that cute? It's so windy by my house that I don't think I've seen any birds at all in the last couple of weeks. I see some ducks if I go down by unfrozen salt water, but that's about it. Besides pigeons and house sparrows and starlings, of course. It's supposed to be 46 on Friday, I hope it really is.