Just When You Thought...

It's all well and good to enjoy birds in one's neighborhood, but it's not quite the same as having them visit your yard, your feeders, your birdbath. Just when I'd been lamenting the loss of the pine siskins and the emptiness of my backyard, the very next day I could hardly tear myself away from my binoculars with all the bird action. A generous flock of American robins descended on the property line trees to feast on the fruit, and they took turns sipping from my birdbath.

A closer look revealed other guests; several cedar waxwings were part of the flock, just as eagerly enjoying the feast, and a northern flicker stopped by to investigate one of the trees for a brief moment. It's a never ending lesson; you never know what may visit your yard, but you have to be looking to appreciate the guests. If I'd stayed in my office at that time, I'd never have known the brief burst of popularity my yard enjoyed.

There have also been a great number of European starlings romping through the neighborhood, flitting from one yard to the next en masse. While many birders don't enjoy European starlings because of their propensity to empty feeders and intimidate other backyard birds, I have to admire a bird with such lovely iridescent plumage and one with such a successful attitude and physiology to adapt to so many habitats and conditions with equal aplomb. They do love our neighbors' apple tree and its residual fruit, as do the American robins, but occasionally I'm fortunate enough to see the flock roost in the tree across the street, affording me a spectacular view from my office. When the ground thaws a bit in early spring they'll likely visit even closer, but they only seem to do so once or twice before the large flock disappears for the season.

I urge all birders never to take their birds for granted. They bring such joy and ask so little, what's not to love and enjoy?

Playing at the Pond

I'll admit, I've not been a fan of water fowl before, but after the St. George Bird Festival and visiting different ponds in the area to see a wide range of species, I'm intrigued. I find it very interesting how so many different birds can share the same habitat, intermingling and feeding together without reservations. At one particular pond, mute swans, mallards, American coots, American wigeons, geese, ruddy ducks, and wood ducks all shared the waters, while a great blue heron prowled the shore (and yes, ate the goldfish).

I've been a snob. I've gravitated automatically toward the songbirds because of their frequent visits to the backyard, and to the raptors because of their innate grace and power, eschewing water fowl as awkward and clunky instead of recognizing them as the graceful, colorful, and amusing birds they can be. Yet the community of birds and their easy diversity has shown me more than ever how ecology is all connected, and we all share the same resources. If they can do it so easily and with such grace, so too can all birders share their joyous hobby with all wings. Now, I can't wait to visit more ponds and shores to find many more species to enjoy.

New Month, New Birds, New Poll

What a wonderful weekend for birding in southern Utah; I've now added 16 new species to my life list, for a total of 69 different birds that I can definitively say I've been privileged to observe. The new arrivals are:

• Hooded Merganser
• Great Blue Heron
• American Wigeon
• Wood Duck
• Ruddy Duck
• Black Crowned Night Heron
• Canvasback
• Common Raven
• Greater Roadrunner
• Red Tailed Hawk
• Pied Billed Grebe
• Burrowing Owl
• Prairie Falcon
• Wilson's Snipe
• Abert's Towhee
• Bald Eagle

Many of these species I've actually observed before, but not been able to spot enough of their unique characteristics for a sure and confident identification -- though the wood ducks were by far the easiest to identify due to their bright colors and distinctive markings. I also saw many species already on my list, including mourning doves, lesser goldfinches, mallards, mute swans, Eurasian collared doves, American robins, white crowned sparrows, golden eagles, and more. It was a true treat to spend the weekend in the field, and I can't recommend such an experience highly enough for any birder. I will share more thoughts on the St. George Winter Bird Festival later this week.

As it is now a new month, it is also time for a new poll. The January poll results proved that the majority of birders who visit here prefer to birdwatch in their own backyard, so this month let's see what number of feeders is most common. I have six feeders currently filled, though I'll have eight or more in the summer months. What about your backyard feeding stations? Share your totals in the poll or the comments!

Singing for New Species

Yet another walk by the Provo River, and yet another bird to add to the life list. On Sunday, my husband and I enjoyed a two hour walk along the river, albeit in a more wooded area in the canyon, not near the lake shore. I am a fortunate birder in that I have a very patient husband, who didn't mind the twenty minutes I spent observing, photographing, and making notes on one small sparrow. That tiny bird is a song sparrow, and the most recent addition to my life list.

Song sparrows are relatively solitary birds, and this one was quite content to feed along the rocks in a narrow throat of the river. His long tail, facial markings, and quick two-footed hop to feed were very distinctive and also made him a joy to observe.

Far too often, birders fail to appreciate the diversity of birds in their own regions. We may all wish to see what to us seem like more exotic species from other geographical areas, but we are each privileged to share space with a wide variety of birds in our own backyards. Whether you define "backyard" as being anywhere close enough for a leisurely walk or just within the confines of your property, you can befriend many birds to share that space.

What are your favorite birding spaces? Vote in the January poll!

New Year, New Birds

Happy New Year to every bird, birder, and bird watcher; may this year be one filled with the joys of finding new species, nurturing backyard birds, and learning more than ever about these fascination creatures who share our skies, brush piles, barns, trees, bushes, and ultimately, our lives.

This morning, one of the coldest we've had this winter, was also a fine day for birding along the Provo River. I spotted two new species to add to my life list already in 2009: white crowned sparrows and common goldeneyes. The former are distinctive sparrows with bold white and dark streaks on their heads that seemed content to keep company with the dark eyed juncos. They flitted quickly from bushes to trees, staying maddeningly out of camera reach, but not out of close enough sight for proper identification.

The second official new bird is the common goldeneye, a water fowl found keeping company with the mallards and American coots that favor the section of the river I enjoy visiting. These winter guests have somewhat oblong heads, and the males have distinctive white bodies and a white oval in front of their yellow eyes. Easily identified, they're a welcome addition to my list.

A third contender, however, has given me grief -- it could be a spotted towhee, a relatively common resident in Utah, but its coloration is more suggestive of the eastern towhee, a much more rare guest. Unfortunately, my camera and the birds in question were not cooperative enough to result in a definitive photo, and I'll have to wait until I visit the river again to be sure of the birds' identities. But that is also just another excuse to enjoy a morning walk along the river among old friends. Also out in force today were the dark eyed juncos, downy woodpeckers, mallards, American coots, and black billed magpies. No wonder this is a magnificent birding spot; if there are any birders here in Utah -- or eager birders passing through on their own migrations -- I'd love to share it.

The Provo River is one of my favorite birding spots - what are yours? Share in the January poll!

Magnificence in Motion

There is nothing more peaceful or graceful than gentle flight, and no bird has this mastered better than the magnificent frigatebird. This beautiful seabird can glide effortlessly on air currents for hours, seemingly without a single flap of its long, tapered wings. I witnessed this throughout my recent traveling, as these birds quickly became familiar sights in the skies each morning. In fact, their flight was the only behavior I was able to witness, as they glide to and fro without cease, unlike other seabird species that frequently dive into the water to feed or find shoreline perches to rest. The magnificent frigatebirds, on the other hand, were content to simply soar.

The female birds have the white breast, while adult males are a rich, deep black. Juvenile birds have a white breast and head. All three have long, slender tails with a strong fork, though many times while flying the tail is held in a point. Each of the birds graced the skies throughout my travels, adding peaceful companionship to a much-needed getaway.

Bird Rich Baja

For the past week I've been enjoying a relaxing cruise along Baja, and finding birds along the way. Three new species have joined my life list -- the Heermann's gull, the magnificent frigatebird, and the great tailed grackle -- none of which are easily found in Utah. It was a joy to find new birds, even though there were several others I wasn't able to identify to my satisfaction. Even though this wasn't a birding trip, there are always birds to be had. I hope everyone (including the turkeys) had a wonderful Thanksgiving; stay tuned for more updates and a new December poll!