Some Random News

August 16, we went to the zoo. There, I saw many unique birds that I might not have ever seen. I really wanted to mark them off in my field guide. I have come to ask this question, after choosing not to mark them off, Where do you draw the line when spotting birds?

Also, I was checking my email when I stumbled across a neat article located here.

Finally, I'm sorry to report that the Barred owl seems to have moved on. I haven't seen him around and I'm pretty sure he left. If I do spot him again, I'll be sure to tell you! :)

Birding with Purple Martins

This Wednesday, I'm traveling to Presque isle to watch a large roosting of Purple Martins. They are taking a rest on their way to South America and are gathering by the thousands! I hope to see many different birds on my trip, but these bundles of energy are the highlight of the trip. When I get back, I'll post again, hopefully with pictures and stories to tell.

Barred Owl

I was watching Alice in Wonderland when my Grandfather came home had told me he had seen an owl. I'd figure he meant while he was driving, but he continued to tell that me he had seen it in the backyard. Ecstatic, I asked if it was still there. He showed me the group of trees he had seen it fly into and I raced outside, still in my pajamas. I wondered around for about 5 minutes, wondering where it could be. Suddenly, as I approached the farthest trees, a large Barred Owl flew high above me, then landed in another tree. The stories about them where definitely right, both excitement and fear hit me. When I realized that I was safe, I continued to follow its tree hopping, taking mental notes on it's behavior. For what seemed like twenty different trees, I had followed it around the side of the house. There, it flew out of my view. This was the first time I've seen an owl in the wild and my trusty bird guide confirmed it was indeed a Barred Owl.

Eastern Bluebird Sighting!

Being a novice birder, I was very excited when I saw my first Eastern Bluebird. After searching through my bird guide, I discovered it was a female, perched above a special birdhouse.

You see, I was hiking through a dense forest with my Grandfather. We had seen some American Robins darting through the trees and even heard some kind of laughing duck. As we ventured towards the end of the woods, we stumbled upon a group of hyper chickadees.

Still talking about the excited birds, we passed a lone bluebird house. It was one of the many ones placed there to help revive the species. This got me talking about it as we stared at the house. It was placed perfectly, right beside a forest.

Soon, we decided to continue on the trail. Suddenly, a beautiful female Bluebird flew out of the forest and perched happily on top of the birdhouse. Without a camera, I couldn't save a picture. However, I will remember this day forever.

Bald-Headed Cardinal?

I don't have a picture yet, but I believe I just spotted a bald Northern Cardinal. He was a bright-red male with the usual thick orange beak. When I tried to take a picture with my webcam, I just messed up and took a ten minute video of myself looking out the window, which is pretty embarrassing. :)