O.T. Birding

smbishop

Anyone else into birding?

I am so excited to start my five day “Birds in the Classroom” course sponsored by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service tomorrow.  I can’t wait to integrate this into my 3rd grade science curriculum!

StillH2OEgger

I was far better with identification back in the day, but I do enjoy keeping an eye out for the birds. For my money, the Peterson guides are the best.

thetrim

Birds are cool. I have several feeders out back and will keep an eye for what I see when driving the less crowded back roads in the country.  I’m a big fan of the Northern Crested Caracara. 

Botch

I took a birding class from the local comm. college at Grand Forks, ND, more to learn to identify the birds that I'd been shooting photographing than to try to see how many different breeds I could see in a season.  Never would have picked up ID-ing by song, feet, beeks, and flying style from books alone (I too have the Peterson books).  
I live on the edge of a bench to the Great Salt Lake, and have quite a few visitors: hummingbirds, magpies, mountain bluebirds, kingbirds, and I used to have a pretty big flock of California Quail come stomping through (23 of them, a couple years ago) but I haven't seen them this year (did get a photo of a falcon kill of one of them, one winter!)  
There's also a golden eagle that thermals across the bench, I've only seen it once but have heard its distinctive call several times; majestic birds!   
 
A couple shots.  Snowy Owl:
 

 
And a Yellow-headed Blackbird, they're thick down in the Bear River Bird Refuge (where I collect all my Utard mosquito bites):
 

 

StillH2OEgger

Nice photos, @Botch. I used to see yellow-headed blackbirds all the time 20-30 years ago (central Minnesota), but can't recall the last time I've seen one.

Botch

StillH2OEgger said:

Nice photos, @Botch. I used to see yellow-headed blackbirds all the time 20-30 years ago (central Minnesota), but can't recall the last time I've seen one.

Interesting; I grew up in Sioux Falls and had never seen one until i moved to Albuquerque (plenty of red-wing blackbirds in the back slough, however!)  
 
Bemidji State Park was one of my favorite photo sites, ever; once this Coronaphk ends I plan to revisit, especially in June!  

StillH2OEgger

Botch said:

 
Bemidji State Park was one of my favorite photo sites, ever; once this Coronaphk ends I plan to revisit, especially in June!  

Camped at that park (many years ago) and saw lots of birds I would never see where I grew up a few hours south of there. Saw a bunch of evening grosbeaks, which were a treat. Meadowlarks were also common.

JohnEggGio

Cool - I just got birding glasses as a birthday gift.  Initially to watch red-shouldered hawks in my backyard.

saluki2007

I enjoy watching the birds that come to my feeders in the yard.  Nothing special.  I use an app on my phone for identification called Merlin.  It's from the Cornell Lab.  It's a great tool that has help me a lot.

JohnEggGio

saluki2007 said:

I enjoy watching the birds that come to my feeders in the yard.  Nothing special.  I use an app on my phone for identification called Merlin.  It's from the Cornell Lab.  It's a great tool that has help me a lot.

Yup - downloaded Merlin about 2 months ago.

thetrim

+1 for the Merlin Bird ID app.  Eastern Towhee is a pretty solid and elusive find in these parts.  I saw one and confirmed via said app. 

frazzdaddy

We see Bald eagles in the nesting grounds around Jordan lake routinely. Watched a mother feeding the littles on an island a while back. Supposedly we have Goldens as well but have not spotted one yet.