Devin
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Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)
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Activity 1: I knew that birds are an important part of natural ecosystems. I get a lot of personal enjoyment from learning more about the diversity of birds and actually seeing them in the wild. I feel less ignorant about the natural world around me. Activity 2: My wife and I have planted some native plants in our backyard. The initial purpose wasn't to attract birds, but it has been a bonus side effect. We've had a pair of house finches nest in our arborvitae for a few years, and hummingbirds come to drink from our rose of sharon blossoms. I try to reduce my use of plastic, but sometimes I forget to bring my re-usable bags to the grocery store. I could do better with that. Activity 3: I personally haven't noticed changes in bird populations over my lifetime. Sadly, until recently, I haven't paid much attention to bird populations. Activity 4: I want to grow my life list of birds observed! I will continue to use eBird and Merlin ID to learn more about birds, their behaviors, habitats, and songs.
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Activity 2: I signed up for rare bird alerts on eBird.
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Activity 1: I use eBird to record my birding observations. On one of my checklists, I saw a bird that was listed as being rare for my location and date (White-breasted Nuthatch). eBird required me to record comments about my observation of this bird. I just put something simple down, like I saw it climbing a tree. Later, I received an email from a regional volunteer asking for further detail about the observation. I went back in to eBird and documented a more thorough description of the bird's behavior, habitat, and field markings. I can see how the more detailed the field notes are, the more reliance can be placed on the observation (especially when coming from a novice like me). I've also started bringing a camera with me when birding to try and get some photos of birds. The birds don't always stay still long enough for me to get a photo, but I have succeeded in snapping a few pictures of American Robins and Black-capped Chickadees.
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Activity 1: Since I've started birding, I've mainly visited a local hotspot that has a couple ponds with some shrubs and a few trees. I always see the usual group of Mallards in the ponds, and sparrows among the shrubs. According to Merlin ID, one of the most common types of birds in my area is the Woodhouse Scrub Jay, but I had yet to see one. I decided to try a different hotspot near me that is more forested than the ponds and shrubs I've spent most of my birding time in. Well, I immediately saw about five Woodhouse Scrub Jays at the more forested spot. I also saw a Brown Creeper and a White-breasted Nuthatch that got added to my life list. I was happy to have the experience of finding different habitats that are still so near. Activity 2: Looking at the species list for Roger Road WRF, there are some waterfowl listed (Mallard, American Wigeon). There must be some body of water at that location. Mt. Lemmon's species list lacks any waterfowl, but lists hummingbirds, flycatchers, and warblers. I would guess Mt. Lemmon is a high desert habitat with scrubby shrubs.
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Activity 1: I used Merlin to identify a Pied-billed Grebe as it swam along in a slow-flowing river. Then it looked like the bird went underwater. I assumed it was looking for food, but it seemed to stay submerged for a long time. I looked it up in my field guide, and the guide mentioned that this species sometimes hides from intruders by sinking until only its head shows. That was the exact behavior I witnessed. Activity 2: I just watched the American Crow at the feeder cam in Ontario, Canada. It was greedily hording a stash of peanuts. It looked like it completely filled its bill with as many nuts as it could hold. I read in the comments that American Crows will look for places to stash its food and then come back later when it wants to eat. Like it has its own pantry. Activity 3: At my favorite birding hotspot, I've been able to identify the Norther Flicker's call. I also hear lots of Robins. The Black-capped Chickadee has a distinctive hey sweetie call, too.
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Activity 1: Northern Cardinals don't appear to migrate. They pretty much stay in the same region east of the Rocky Mountains all year long. The Blackburnian Warbler, however, migrates between northern South America in the winter, all the way up to northeastern US and into Canada for the summer. The Scarlet Tanager also migrates between South America and the eastern US. The Western Tanager migrates between Central America and western North America. It's interesting to see that some species stick strictly to either the eastern or western part of the continent. Sandhill Cranes, on the other hand are spread out all over North America, depending on the time of year. Activity 2: Some species that are found year-round in the part of Utah where I live, and that I have seen, are the Norther Harrier, American Kestrel, and Norther Flicker. Some species that only appear part of the year are the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Barn Swallow, and Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Activity 3: Male American Goldfinches appear brightly colored in summer, whereas in winter they become more drab. The hood of the Common Loon in summer is completely black. In winter, the hood appears more mottled gray. Activity 4: At my favorite birding spot I expect to see a lot of Mallards, maybe some Canada Geese, and some Norther Flickers. These are year-round residents, so I expect to see them again in six months. It's getting towards the end of the season to see hummingbirds, but six months from now I expect to see some Ruby-throated Hummingbirds again. My new favorite bird is the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. It will be leaving the area to migrate south, but I expect to see it again in six months.
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Activity 2: I scrolled through the list of likely birds for Salt Lake City on Merlin and then went to my favorite birding hotspot. I spotted and was able to ID an American Coot, a pair of Downy Woodpeckers, and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. These all got added to my life list in eBird. I listened to the call of the Downy Woodpecker and recognized it as one that I had heard before, but didn't recognize until now. Activity 3: I looked at the bar chart for the Black-chinned Hummingbird and learned that they will be leaving my area soon. They must migrate to warmer climates for the winter. I see that, according to their bar charts, the Lesser and American Goldfinches stick around my area for the winter. I look forward to still finding them even during the cold winter.
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Activity 1: I went to one of the birding hotspots near my house that was listed on eBird. Used Merlin to ID a Black-capped Chickadee. Still having trouble being able to distinguish between an American and Lesser Goldfinch, though.
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Activity 1: I want to get better at identifying birds in flight. Outside my house I see several Canada Geese flying overhead. I also saw a Great Blue Heron. I noticed the way the Canada Geese extend their necks in flight, while the Great Blue Heron pulls its neck back while in flight. I would think that would cause neck fatigue. Activity 2: The American Goldfinch, Lesser Goldfinch, and Yellow-rumped Warbler all have yellow parts on their plumage. I'm still not good at distinguishing the American from the Lesser Goldfinch. I was able to identify the Yellow-rumped Warbler more easily because of the more limited location of yellow on the bird's rump. Activity 3: I saw an American Avocet feeding in a shallow pond by probing the water with its long, thin bill. Watched a group of Mallards as they feed by going tails up in ponds. Also saw a Northern Flicker feeding in a tree by pecking the bark with its bill. Activity 4: My favorite bird, the Osprey, is dark brown above and white below. It nests near water and feeds primarily on fish by diving down feet first and plucking the fish with its talons.
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Activity 1: I like the Osprey. Once while I was fishing for trout in a high altitude lake in Central Utah I watched an Osprey as it circled overhead and then plunged (more like belly flopped) into the water to catch its own fish. It failed a few times, but then it succeeded in grabbing a fish in its talons. That was pretty cool to watch. Activity 2: I went for a walk along a trail near my house and spotted some Canada Geese, Mallard Ducks, and Mourning Doves. The plumage of some of the Mallards was different. Rather than having a green head with blue wing bars, some had dark heads with white chests and black bodies, including black wing bars. Activity 3: One of my favorite birds is the Black-chinned hummingbird. One day while I was in my back yard, a Black-chinned hummingbird was performing some aerial stunts. It kept flying back and forth right over my head as it did barrel rolls. Must have been some sort of courting display.
Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)