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Archive for Birding
September 14, 2008 at 7:52 pm · Filed under Birding
I just got back from Swift Night Out with the Baltimore Bird Club. It was quite a sight: we saw 3,090 Chimney Swifts!
The evening began with thousands of swifts circling around the chimney at the Book Bindery. Then, at about 7:25 p.m., the first one dove into the chimney. Then, they went in spurts: a few hundred would dive in, they’d all circle around some more, then another set would dive in. I forgot to look at my watch when it was over, but I think they got into the chimney in less than half an hour. Pretty amazing!
January 22, 2008 at 10:03 pm · Filed under Birding
After quite a few late nights, we’ve finally launched Birdstack! It’s an online bird listing web application that makes keeping track observations and sharing them with others easy. The best thing about it is that all observations are stored in a powerful database that is capable of producing many representations of observation data. One example of this is the “stack” I’ve added to my sidebar.
I’m hoping to post some more updates to this blog after I move to Maryland (later this week!) and start birding there. And certainly, I’ll be keeping my Birdstack profile up to date with all my latest observations.
June 28, 2007 at 3:11 am · Filed under Birding
6-16
We had some time to wander around while waiting for a video capture to complete. There wasn’t much activity because we had waited until it was mid-morning, but I still saw some new things.
Lodgings in Yaounde
- African Thrush
- Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird
- Yellow-throated Leaflove
- Black-and-white Mannikin
- Rufous-crowned Eremomela
6-22
After breakfast
Lodgings in Yaounde
- Green-throated Sunbird
- Collared Sunbird
- Grey-headed Negrofinch
Afternoon
Lodgings in Yaounde
6-23
Afternoon
Lodgings in Yaounde
- Mosque Swallow
- African Palm Swift
- Blue-spotted Wood Dove
The Blue-spotted Wood Dove was in nest in the tree where the Sunbirds hang out. We got an even better view the next day and were even able to watch her feed her young.
6-24
In the morning
Lodgings in Yaounde
I also saw several species of Sunbird. I keep thinking that I’ll remember enough detail about what they look like to identify them when I have a chance to compare with the field guide, but I haven’t had any success thus far. They’re all too much alike!
6-26
In the morning
Lodgings in Yaounde
This one definitely looked exotic. Not quite as cool as the African Paradise Flycatcher, but still pretty exciting.
6-27
In the morning
Lodgings in Yaounde
- Yellow-fronted Canary
- Common Fiscal
I also got a much better view of the Pin-tailed Whydah today. Apparently it likes to stay around a little clump of grass toward the back of the center where it can find tasty insects to munch on.
6-27
In the morning
Lodgings in Yaounde
Today is our last day in Cameroon. Overall, things were fairly quiet this morning, and I didn’t see any new birds. I did get a last look a few Sunbirds. I’ve pretty much given up trying to tell the different kinds apart, and since this was my last chance to see them for this trip, I decided to just enjoy their beauty instead of trying to analyze them. We also got one last look at the Pin-tailed Whydah that’s been hanging around the back of the center. It felt kind of like saying goodbye.
I’m looking forward to going home, but I will miss all the interesting and colorful birds we’ve seen here.
June 16, 2007 at 2:23 am · Filed under Birding
We’re back in Yaounde now. I haven’t seen as many birds here because, as usual, I tend to sleep in until the last possible moment, and we’ve been pretty busy since we got here.
6-15
Lodgings in Yaounde
This one looks pretty unusual. It’s a black and white with clear lines between the two colors, kind of like a Mannikin, but it has this big red flap above its eye. When I first saw it, I though the red thing actually was its eye. I think it would be painful to have a big red eye.
June 11, 2007 at 9:44 am · Filed under Birding
Yesterday was a pretty good day for birding. I got to see a few new things in the morning and then a real treat while we were in Kejom-Ketingo in the afternoon.
6-10
Lodgings in Bameda
- Mousebird
- Black-necked Weaver
- Pygmy Kingfisher
And, I’m pretty happy to say that I identified the Black-necked Weaver all on my own. :-) I only got a brief glimpse of the Pygmy Kingfisher, but it’s the second brief glimpse I’ve gotten of it, so I think I’ll count it.
Baptist church in Kejom-Ketingo
This one was awesome! We got to watch it swoop around and catch flies. The red wingtips flashed brightly in the sunlight as it gracefully maneuvered around its prey. Why couldn’t that crazy Shakespeare fan have brought this kind of Starling over? It’s way better than the European variety.
June 9, 2007 at 3:34 pm · Filed under Birding
Now that I’m in Cameroon, I’ve been trying to keep track of all the birds I’m seeing. I haven’t been quite as diligent as Bolt at the whole birding thing. Unlike him, I like sleeping in the morning. But I have enjoyed what I’ve been able to see during the “in between” moments of the day.
For the most part, I’ve recorded only the first time I’ve seen a particular bird.
5-26
CABTAL Center in Yaounde
- Northern Grey-headed Sparrow
- Bronze Mannikin
- Village Weaver
- Pied Crow
5-27
Lodgings in Tombel
These things really are common. They seem to be pretty much everywhere.
5-29
Bible Translation Office in Tombel
I also got to see Black and Village Weavers actually weaving for the first time here. The process is really quite complicated and impressive. They make little upside-down baskets using strands of leaves for their nests.
Near the Presbyterian Church in Nyasoso
I took some video of this one that should show up on Bolt’s blog eventually.
5-30
Lodgings in Tombel
5-31
Driving out of Tombel
This one was fun because I actually helped Bolt identify it in the field guide instead of just having him figure it out for me.
6-2
Lodgings at Bambalang
- African Green Pigeon
- Red-eyed Dove
- Tropical Boubou
- Splendid Sunbird
- Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu
- Splendid Glossy Starling
At the lake in Bambalang
- Intermediate Egret
- Squacco Heron
- Long-tailed Cormorant
- African Jacana
- Grey-headed Gull
This day was definitely good for birding. I was so used to waking up early that I had some extra time in the morning. Then, while we were out at the lake, we had some time to kill while Alan was taking photos.
The birds here in Africa sure seem to be more colorful than the ones from back home. Our Rock Pigeons really can’t hold a candle to the African Green Pigeon, and the iridescent Splendid Sunbirds and Splendid Glossy Starlings are splendid indeed! I guess our European Starlings are a little bit shiny too, but they’re not bright blue like the Splendid Glossy ones.
6-3
Walking around Bamunka
- African Paradise Flycatcher
This one was particularly amazing. The Scissortails back in Texas have always been a favorite of mine, and this one looks even more incredible than those.
6-4
Lodgings at Bamunka
- Western Grey Plantain-eater
6-7
Lodgings at Bafanji
May 23, 2007 at 4:20 pm · Filed under Birding
We’re in Paris, but of course, since I’m with Bolt, we managed to get some birding in our schedule.
In the city, Rock Pigeons and Wood Pigeons are the most common birds. The Wood Pigeons were new to both Bolt and me. They’re enormous! We also saw House Sparrows, Carrion Crows, and European Starlings quite a bit.
To see more birds, we went through the Garden of Luxembourg (a park close to our hotel) and walked along the Seine. In the park, I saw Eurasian Jays, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Common Blackbirds, Mallards, Eurasian Nuthatches, and a Chaffinch.
Along the Seine, we got a great view of a Grey Wagtail. This one was particularly fun because it stayed in one place long enough for us to get the guide out and determine whether it was a Grey or Yellow Wagtail. They’re pretty close to each other, so it took us a while. We also saw quite a few Herring Gulls.
May 18, 2007 at 9:06 pm · Filed under Birding
As a part of all the crazy activities I tried to squeeze in before graduation, I went on a birding trip to the Gulf Coast with Bolt.
Over two days, we birded at the Anahuac Refuge, High Island, Galveston, and Bolivar Flats. I saw so many new things on the trip that it’s hard to even begin to pick a few highlights, but I will anyway:
I definitely enjoyed seeing the Purple Gallinules. They look like something that should be in some exotic location, not Texas.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen as many alligators as we saw at Aanahuac–and they were all pretty close to the road!
The rookery at High Island was pretty amazing. The Roseate Spoonbills we saw there looked almost as crazy as the Purple Gallinules.
I was impressed by the variety we could see with the scopes at the Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary.
I’d never been on a ferry before, so riding the one to Galveston was pretty fun. We even got to see dolphins the second time we rode it!
I was hoping to write more about this trip, but since Bolt and I are heading out to Africa on Monday, I thought it would be better to just get it finished rather than postpone it indefinitely. He’ll probably be more lengthy in his posts about the trip, so if you want more, head over to Search and Serendipity.
My best guess is that I saw about 70 life birds! The following is a list of what all I saw (including non-life birds), roughly in the order I saw them:
Day 1
- Barn Swallow
- Black-necked Stilt
- Snowy egret
- Short-billed Dowitcher
- White-faced Ibis
- Orchard Oriole
- Anhinga
- Common Moorhen
- American Coot
- Pied-billed Grebe
- Tri-colored Heron
- Marsh Wren
- Blue-winged Teal
- Northern Shoveler
- Mottled Duck
- Cowbird
- Nighthawk
- Purple Gallinule
- Catbird
- American Redstart
- Black-bellied Whistling Duck
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak
- Yellow Warbler
- Scarlet Tanager
- Bay-breasted Warbler
- Inca Dove
- Eurasian Collared-Dove
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Roseate Spoonbill
- Neotropic Cormorant
- Black-throated Green Warbler
- White Ibis
- Tennessee Warbler
- Black-and-white Warbler
- Summer Tanager
Day 2
- Laughing Gull
- White-tailed Kite
- Magnificent Frigatebird
- Willet
- Least Sandpiper
- Gull-billed Tern
- Savannah Sparrow
- Forster’s Tern
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Sanderling
- Black-crowned Night Heron
- Yellow-crowned Night Heron
- Brown Pelican
- Great Blue Heron
- Sora
- Sandwich Tern
- Painted Bunting
- Loggerhead Shrike
- Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
- Greater Yellowlegs
- Reddish Egret
- Least Tern
- Black-bellied Plover
- Royal Tern
- Dunlin
- Least Tern
- Whimbrel
- Piping Plover
- Semipalmated Plover
- Herring Gull
- Snowy Plover
- American White Pelican
- Wilson’s Plover
- Long-billed Curlew
- Horned Lark
- Caspian Tern
- Seaside Sparrow
- Common Tern
- Lesser Yellowlegs
- Clapper Rail
- Green Heron
March 17, 2007 at 8:43 pm · Filed under Birding
Two weeks ago, Spence and I skipped school to do some research at the State and National Archives in Austin and Ft. Worth. Lucky for us, Bolt lives in Duncanville, which provided a convenient place for us to stop between our trips. Bolt and I had been trying for a while this semester to get together and do some birding, so my staying at his house proved convenient for that purpose as well.
All three of us got up early on Saturday morning and got ready to head out to Joe Pool Lake. While we were still in the parking lot outside Bolt’s apartment, he pointed out some White-winged Doves, a first for me.
When we got to Joe Pool Lake, we discovered that the weather had turned surprisingly chilly. Despite the cold, we managed to see Coots, a Great Blue Heron, a Yellow-rumped Warbler, some Juncos, a Carolina Chickadee, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, several Savannah Sparrows, and a Downy Woodpecker. We also saw a good number of birds I was more familiar with like Robins, Cardinals, and Turkey Vultures. We tried to walk across the dam, but the bitter, cold wind finally turned us back.
From there, we headed over to a small pond in a nearby subdivision. At first we thought there weren’t any birds on the water, but then we saw one! After straining at our binoculars and discussing what kind of neck and markings it had, we reached a conclusion: it was a beer bottle.
After that, it was off to Cedar Ridge Preserve. I was happy to go there because I had gone there several times this summer without much luck, so I hoped that with the help of Bolt, we’d be able to make some good sightings.
Unfortunately, the most exciting thing we spotted during the first leg of our journey was June’s house. She lives close the preserve, so we decided to go visit her. While we were at her house, I got to see some House Finches, which I had never seen before, at her bird feeder. After a pleasant visit, we went back to the preserve.
Our next few hours were very productive. We got several excellent views of a Northern Harrier. We also got close to a Bewick’s Wren several times. We never got a really good view, but by mentally piecing what I did see together, I think I have a good idea of what they look like.
When we got back to the entrance of the park, we also got to see a Brown Thrasher, but he was quite a ways back in some brush, so we didn’t get a good view. We also saw an Eastern Phoebe in a tree next to the entrance road.
From there, we made one final stop at a park to try to find some Monk Parakeets. We were successful in that and got to see some Cedar Waxwings as well.
December 23, 2006 at 10:15 pm · Filed under Birding
I had been wanting to do some birding over the Christmas break, but the local CBC happened the day I was driving back from college, and I started working full-time right after that. This morning, however, I accidentally woke up early. So, I decided to make the best of that unfortunate circumstance and go see if any birds were around in our backyard forest.
The world was still as I made my way along the frost-covered ground of our nature trail, heading toward the back clearing. Well, mostly still. A few calls I didn’t recognized mingled with the distant sounds of cars, dogs, and even a train whistle. I enjoyed the chilly quiet.
As I neared the clearing, I finally saw some movement in the trees and was able to catch a glimpse of my first bird of the morning, a Red-bellied Woodpecker. I continued to the clearing where I was greeted by another Red-bellied Woodpecker. As I started walking to the far side of the clearing, a lone Canada Goose flew overhead, issuing regular honks as it passed. I could hear some of its friends in the distance, but they never showed themselves.
The next thing I saw wasn’t a bird, but a White-tailed Deer. I could barely make it out through the trees, and it scampered off before I had a chance to grab my binoculars for a closer look. White-tailed Deer are pretty common in the area, much to the delight of hunters. I hoped that the shouts I could hear from our neighbors in the distance didn’t indicate another “accidental” hunting expedition on our land…
As I continued my journey to the other side of the clearing, I saw quite a few more Red-bellied Woodpeckers. Two American Crows passed, cawing, overhead. On a scraggly branch sticking out of the top of a nearby dead tree, I saw what I thought to be two Red-bellied Woodpeckers, but as I looked closer, I noticed their bellies were spotted. I think they were Northern Flickers, but they flew away before I could get a very good view.
By this time, I had reached the edge of the clearing, so I started to head back. On my way, one Red-bellied Woodpecker was kind enough to forage for food on a tree very close to where I was standing. His brilliant red crown was amazing to see up close.
Nothing else caught my eye, so I started back toward home. As I neared the entrance of the trail, I briefly saw a small group of Black-capped Chickadees. However, they didn’t seem too interested in letting me get a good view, and my fingers were chilled from the sub-thirty degree weather, and I decided to go back inside.
Hi there. My name is Curtis Hawthorne, but most of my friends call me Fjord.