Save the Date! Great Backyard Bird Count Coming!

I really enjoy the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) every year. This year's GBBC will be February 18 - 21.

Whether a new, novice birder or an old hand, the GBBC is a fun activity. You can participate for as little as 15 minutes, so is a good activity for parents/grandparents to do with their children. It would also be a great way to learn more about birds for scouts, school classrooms, or as a home school science activity. You do not have to be able to identify all of the birds you see, so even a person that knows only a handful of birds can take part.

Members of the Rolling Plains Texas Master Naturalists will have a group count in conjunction with Wild Bird Rescue at some time during this count period--I'll post details when they become available.

I will be going to several locations during this 4-day period to make counts. If you want to go with me, email txbirds@gmail.com and we'll try to hook up.

Good birding!

Birding Big Year

I always tell myself that "one of these days" I am going to do a birding big year. It probably won't happen, but you can never tell. So I admire those folks who "just do it."

Matt Stenger is one of those people--2011 is his year, and he is out looking for birds. Due to the price of gas and his budget, he is sleeping in his vehicle during his quest. His goal is 716 birds--not a record, but an extremely good number.

I'll be watching Matt's blog to see how things are going.

Good birding!

New Local Birding Blog

A friend of mine has started a new birding blog, and I highly recommend it. Elizabeth is an excellent photographer and often posts her bird photos to her other travel blog and has been kind enough to occasionally allow me to use her photos to illustrate this blog.

However, she has LOTS of bird pictures, so we have a new outlet to enjoy them. Please join her over at "Feathers and Flight" and enjoy photos of local birds.

Good birding!

Wham!

Whenever you have lots of prey in a small area, you are going to have predators. Anyone who has fed birds has had the occasional predation loss, whether to cats or birds of prey. I look at the predation losses to birds of prey as just part of the birdwatching experience.

I was sitting in the living room reading and heard a loud "wham!" on one of the windows in the kitchen area. I thought to myself, "Well, there goes one of my birds hitting the window." But the noise was exceptionally loud, and I go to lengths to make sure my windows are not shiny clean to reduce reflection and window strikes.

I went to investigate and found a good sized puddle of blood on my back covered porch with a few feathers and a Cooper's hawk struggling to fly away with a large burden in its talons. Although I didn't get a clear look at what the Cooper's hawk was carrying, my guess is one of the obese white-winged doves that hang out in my yard. The hawk should be able to eat off of one of those birds for a week, at least. I'm assuming that the dove hit the window at speed in an attempt to evade the Cooper's Hawk, was stunned, which gave the Cooper's hawk the opportunity to ensure the bird was dead and under control for carrying away to a convenient place to perch and eat.

Good birding!

Whooping Crane Photo

Many thanks to Wayne Holbert for allowing me to use his photo of the whooping crane out near Electra. There weren't many folks who were able to get a reasonably good photo.

Now I understand tundra swans have been seen in Clay county near Lake Arrowhead. There was a great hue and cry a few years ago when we had some tundra swans in Wichita County. I was able to see them and hope to have a chance to find the tundra swans this time as well.

Good birding!

Inca Doves

Photo of Inca Dove from Wikimedia Commons, taken by Clinton and Charles Robertson.


The tiny Inca dove is one of my favorites and I have been discouraged that I have been seeing so few of them lately. Bob Lindsay of Wild Bird Rescue tells me he has several that regularly come to the feeders there, but to me it seems we are seeing fewer in our area all the time.





I had a pair of Inca that were visiting the yard, but I hadn't seen them since last winter. Yesterday, I looked out the window to check my feeders, and there they were. On the ground, eating away. Of course, there is no way to know if these are the same birds, but I was thrilled to see them anyway.





I have rarely heard an Inca dove call and I have been able to find only one recording online. I usually hear them when they fly--their wings sound like dry leaves rustling. Although a pale gray when sitting, in flight they show russet colored feathers under the wing.

Good birding!

Lifer! Birding New Year Starts with a Bang

Photo of sandhill cranes, Bryan Miller

Somehow over time the first bird sighting of the year has taken on some sort of significance in my brain. I have no idea why as the first bird is almost always one of the common yard birds and therefore, unlikely to be super special. But still, many yard birds are wonderful--last year, my first was a cardinal.

This year, my first bird sighting was a house sparrow, which was a let down. But fortunately the day went from mundane to spectacular before it was over.

For some days, there have been reports of a whooping crane near Electra--which is a major birding event for this area. I went out with my husband on New Year's Eve and found the flock of 20,000 sandhill cranes, but in spite of an hour looking, did not see the whooping crane. Several other birders also were out--none that I know of got a good look at the bird.

I decided to go back out on New Year's day. I again encountered several birders in the area, all of whom were looking for the same needle in a haystack. The sandhill cranes were spectacular. Just imagine 20,000 of these elegant birds in a small area. Even without the added bonus of a possible whooping crane sighting, this was worth the time and effort by itself.

I spent about 2 hours looking for the whooping crane, with no luck. I told Terry and June McKee (two other birders looking) that I was going to make one last pass and then head home to try again the next day. They were also about ready to pack it in. They went on down the road and I started looking again through various groups flying overhead and finally, there was the distinctive white whooping crane in a small group. Nothing like starting the new year with a lifer! Terry saw the bird a short time later when some hunters stirred up the flock again. I received an email from Bob at Wild Bird Rescue that he and his wife went out later in the day and Phyllis got a sighting. Bob is going out again for another attempt.

As more people look, I am sure there will be more sightings--I just hope some folks get a good photo. If anyone gets a photo they don't mind having posted, please send it to txbirds@gmail.com.

Good birding!