New Look

I got tired of the blog template I was using (just seemed a little blah) and decided to change it up. I like the rain in this template (probably because it has been so hot and dry lately) and hope you like it too. But let me know. I'm in the mood to experiment.

Good birding!

Consider eBird

I have kept track of my sightings for years. I have also moved around a lot.

My master life list was recorded in my copy of Clements' Birds of the World--a couple of years ago that book came up missing. I am hoping the next time I move, the book will miraculously reappear, since all of my European sightings are there. My nightmare is that it was in the trunk of the car I sold a few years back, and I didn't notice when I cleaned it out. I can't imagine why that thought has been bouncing around in my head for years, but it is a recurring nightmare. It has GOT to be in this house somewhere.

I keep my field notes in little notebooks I can carry around, and some of those are missing.

I tried AviSys, but when my computer hard drive died, so did my list.

Frustrating.

I have been meaning to start using eBird for some time. My hope being that once the sightings are posted there, they cannot be lost. In addition, the information entered by birders is a source of information for many scientific studies.

eBird is another project of one of my favorite organizations, Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Audubon Society. I am going to spend some time over the next several weeks going back through all of the notebooks I have and loading that information while inputting information from my current birding outings. Let's hope this eliminates my observation storage problem while contributing to the general knowledge about birds.

Good birding!

Ivory-billed Woodpecker Article/Photos in Smithsonian

Interested in the history of the ivory-billed woodpecker. In this month's Smithsonian there is an article you can read online.

Good birding!

Want a Chance to Win a Bird Book?

I received an email today that Princeton University Press is having a drawing from those who "like" their Facebook page or fan them on Twitter.

The books they are giving away to some lucky folks who sign up are:

Birds of Western North America: A Photographic Guide
Birds of Eastern North America: A Photographic Guide

Princeton University Press publishes a lot of books of interest to naturalists and birders, so no hardship on me to sign up at their page.

The drawing is Friday, so sign up at one or both of their social media sites.

Good birding!

Sunday Morning In Lucy Park

Once fall arrives I try to bird Lucy Park every few weeks. Lucy Park is river bottom deciduous woodland and sometimes draws some excellent migrants. With TEXBIRDS reports of migrants heading through the area, I gave it a try today. It wasn't a fruitful morning, but even a poor morning birding is better than a morning doing most anything else.

I didn't see many different birds, but there were a lot of Mississippi Kites. Since we are having a good crop of dragonflies, the kites should be eating well. I saw several fledglings in the tree tops.

In addition to the Mississippi kites, birds seen/heard this morning included: blue jay, cardinal, mourning dove, white-winged dove, Eurasian collared doves, chickadees, European starling, red-bellied woodpecker, downy woodpecker, mockingbird, great-tailed grackle, rock pigeon, robin, Canadian geese, and mallards.

Since I didn't see a lot of birds in the park, I drove through Riverside Cemetery. Not a lot of species there either, but again several Mississippi kites as well as hundreds of red-winged blackbirds and dozens of white-winged doves.

Good birding!

Interesting Articles on Painted Buntings and Titmice

Painted bunting photo courtesy of Doug Jenson, Wikimedia Commons.

Two wonderful little birds in our area are the Painted Bunting and Tufted Titmouse. The recent edition of the occasional Oklahoma Biological Survey Newsletter has interesting articles on each of these birds (as well as other topics.)

I had a talk with someone recently about painted buntings. Many people aren't aware of these colorful birds in our area because they inhabit the county, not the city. I have had a female at my feeders before in spring migration, but it was only for a day and she hightailed it out of town into the surrounding countryside. This is the time of year, the painted buntings are leaving us for their wintering grounds (see the article cited above).

We do get to keep the tufted titmouse all year around and we do have both the tufted and black-crested species. Whether we are in the hybridizatioin area mentioned in the newsletter article, I am not sure.

It's always a good birding day when seeing or hearing either of these birds.

By the way, if you're interested in receiving notice when the Oklahoma Biological Survey newsletter is published, you can email Amy Buthod at amybouthod@ou.edu to be placed on the distribution list.

Good birding!

North Texas Bird and Wildlife Club Meeting

The North Texas Bird and Wildlife Club met at Wild Birds Unlimited (Smith's Gardentown) tonight and heard about some new products for bird lovers. Many thanks to Bill from Smith's for his time and interest.

A couple of the products I found most interesting were a new easy clean feeder with anti-microbial properties and well as a product called Feeder Fresh which is to help keep feed dry in the feeders. Both sound like good products to discourage molds and other noxious things that cause disease among birds. And anything that makes a feeder easier to clean is a good thing.

For those of us who buy large quantities of bird food each year, the Daily Savings Club may be an option to consider. I am generally opposed to things I have to pay to join, unless I am sure I can get all of my money back and then some. In this case, the Daily Savings Club is $25 annually but has many benefits. Stop by the store and look into it--whether it is a good deal for you depends upon how much feed you buy.

Bill gave out some samples of the no mess feed and bark butter to an appreciative bunch of birders. I know my samples will be put to good use.

Smiths is now an authorized dealer for Tilley hats--a great favorite of outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds.

There are still some openings on the Costa Rica trip in November, so if you're interested, be sure to sign up soon.

Good birding!