Late Christmas Present

I've been planning on making Aaron a stained glass project for a couple years.  Finally I decided what I wanted to ake and just went ahead and started the project.  It took a few days, but I finished it before he came to visit.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Too warm to stay inside

For the last couple weeks it has been too nice outside to stay indoors.  Naturally that means I have not wanted to spend any time puttering around on the computer.  I've just spend enough time on the computer to look up stuff on bird posting forums & figure out where to go.

We've been watching the nest of a Great Horned Owl in a park close to us.  We first spotted the nest at the beginning of March and have been anxiously waiting for the owlets to get large enough to poking their heads out.  I suspect they'll start coming out of the nest in the next few weeks.  I can't wait! 

Transition Time

Since I've only been officially birding since early last summer I have yet to experience the full glory of SPRING.   Since the weather has started to warm up a bit I'm noticing new birds  appearing (or returning) daily.  I wish I could take a 2-3 month break from work so I can fully appreciate all the changes that are going to start happening.

Although I am eagerly awaiting spring, I'm sad to see the winter birds go.  I haven't enjoyed winter so much since I was a kid. I'm trying to sneak a few more glimpses of the winter birds left while I seek out the new spring arrivals.  It's quite an interesting transition time. I love it.  You never know what you'll see when you head out for the day.

Binocular-less Birding

Beautiful weather = Birding.  Monday was sunny and the temperatures were over 40 F, so naturally I spend a good portion of the day outside looking for birds.  We went to one of our ol' standby local parks and walked the trail.

In an effort to lighten my load, I only took my camera. For the past few months, birding from the car has spoiled me.  I've become used to taking my binoculars, scope, field guide, and DSLR.  Several months ago I read a post from some unknown birder that suggested more birders should head out in the field with nothing but a pencil & paper.  The idea was that many birders become too dependent on high powered optics and spend so much time with their eyes peering through binoculars that they overlook important details about environment.  The poster also went on to claim that many birder's egos are wrapped up in the power and quaility of their optics.  Here is where I stopped reading....I didn't feel like reading a rant.  However, I've been thinking a lot lately about the idea of leaving the binoculars at home.  Binoculars are a great aid and without them I would have missed many a bird, but some of my favorite moments have occured while viewing birds with my naked eyes. There's so much more to birding than just getting a good 'view' of the bird, which is what the optics provide.  Without my binoculars I had to rely on so much more than sight.  I found myself picking out birds more by sound.  Although I haven't spent much time lately on working on my bird song identification skills, I found I was able ID birds and localize where to start searching for specific birds fairly well.  It was more challenging than just seeing a bird shape and bringing up my binoculars for the id, but I loved it.  Sure, I may have missed a Lifer, but I enjoyed the birds I saw so much that I don't feel like I missed anything.  It reminded me that before I had my binoculars or scope, I was just happy to get a glimpse of some of the birds.

Bird of the Day: Rough-legged Hawk!

Since I work Tuesday through Saturday, I view Sunday and Monday as my birding days.  Naturally I try to pack a weeks worth of birding into these two days.  Today was no different.

Today we headed out hoping to see birds of prey.  Almost immediately we spotted a Cooper's Hawk along the highway.  Woo Hoo!  Off to a great start!  Although we didn't count the number of Red-Tailed Hawks, it seemed like there were hundreds (one of which stayed still long enough to gake a pretty decent picture).  Both of us were spotting RT Hawks left and right.  One of the times I spotted a hawk soaring up high to the left of the highway.  It only took a second to realize it had a dark tail band, dark "knuckles," and windows on the wings.  I'm glad there wasn't much traffic because I'm sure I drifted into the other lane while gazing out the window.  :) A quick check with the guide confirmed a Rough-legged Hawk.  Excellent! A Lifer!

Peek-A-Boo!

I feel like they just peeked out to see me.  :)

That bird

I've always been fascinated by the Loggerhead Shrike. I remember reading about them while riding in the back of my parents car on our way to visit family.  I can honestly say I've been wanting to see one for over a decade.  They'd become one of those birds to me...you know, the bird you never think you'll ever actually see.

So when I read that a local birder had seen one on his morning runs recently, I couldn't resist trying to see the bird.  My hopes were not high, but I wouldn't see anything if I didn't look.  Enroute I saw 10+ American Kestrals, even more Red-Tailed Hawks, and a Bald Eagle. 

When we finally arrived at the park where the Shrike had been spotted, I got pulled over by a police officer patrolling the park.  Arghhh!! :) I explained we were driving slowly and pausing often because were were looking at/for birds. He was friendly and allowed us to go about our business with a smile. Not too long after that we were watching a Red Tailed Hawk fly to a new perch and I happened to notice he displaced a small grey/white/black bird.  My hand trembled just a bit as I reached for my binoculars.  THE LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE!!!! We got a few minutes of acceptable viewing before a car pulled in front of us and wanted to know if we needed help.....just as the Shrike was flying to a new perch!  I missed where it landed as I was explaining we were watching a bird to the inquisitive driver.  Unfortunately I couldn't find the bird again. 

However...I saw it!  WOO HOO!!

Feisty Finches!

I've always thought the pictures posted along side Finch feeders were crazy.  Really? Obviously Photoshop helps a lot, but Twenty-Four Goldfinches AT ONCE?!?! How silly.

Apparently I was wrong. This morning we had the usual 4 or 5 Goldfinches hanging around when my mom noticed a fairly large group of birds twittering and zipping around the trees in the yard across the street.  A quick peep through the binoculars revealed they were Goldfinches....and they were headed our way!  Unlike the feeder in the picture, our finch feeder does not have multiple tubes & an abundance of perches. However, they managed to hang and cling to as much as the feeder as possible. 

It was so fun to watch!

Metal Birds

Since I've been unable to devote much time to birding recently, I thought I'd at least post some bird related pictures.  Lately I've been playing a lot with my Canon EOS 50D (!!!).  I would love to be able to take beautiful frame filling pictures, but for now I'll settle with identifiable shapes and colors.  I was able to snap a pic of a friendly little Dark Eyed Junco.  He seemed oblivious to my large form slowly creeping toward him as he picked through the seeds scattered on the ground.  Since the only lens I have right now is a 50mm I couldn't get too close to him.  However, it was quite fun sitting in the yard with the little Junco hopping all around me.  :) I was also able to creep up on a Downy feasting on our suet feeder. I was able to get a bit closer to him than I could the Junco.  He even turned and peered in my direction several times.  Apparently I didn't look too threatening because he just continued pecking away at  the suet. 

While I was playing around with the camera in the yard, I did manage to get a great frame-filling clear shot of a bird...albeit a stationary metal bird.  However, it is a start!

Wonderful Waterfowl

This afternoon my mom and I made a quick trip around Smithville Lake.  I had heard the lake was 95% frozen and I wanted to see it for myself. Except for a few small areas around the Marina, the lake was indeed covered in ice.  Had I not known a lake lurked under the layer of snow, I would have thought it was a beautiful flat field. 

We managed to find a group of waterfowl lurking near one of the marinas in a small area of unfrozen lake.  Among the Canada Geese, I managed to spot some Hooded Mergansers.  I was enjoying watching them fish when I noticed another small bird with flashes of white.  It turned out to be a Common Goldeneye, which was a LIFE BIRD (!!!!) for me. 

I'm constantly amazed by the beauty of each new bird. While the pictures and drawings in the guides are acurate, they never seem to do the birds justice.  Exquisite!

Snowed In!

Today was lovely!  I woke up this morning to a layer of snow and I didn't have to go to work.  Before heading out in the cold to shovel the sidewalk and driveway, I spent some time watching the activity at the feeders. The feeders were busy today!  After shoveling (and shoveling and shoveling.....) I sat outside on the porch with my camera watching the feeding frenzy.  Muff, our cat, was quite interested in what I was doing and kept yowling at me through the door.  Oddly she wasn't much interested in watching the birds...instead she just wanted me to come back inside and hang out with her. 


The first bird I spotted was a House Finch hanging out chowing down on the safflower seeds. There have been several finches in the area and they've occasionally stopped by for a bite, but typically they don't stay long.  Today was a different story!  A group of 4 hung out in our yard for several hours.  A pair of Goldfinches also showed up and chowed down. 

Along with all the finch activity, the neighborhood Carolina Wren stopped by and bullied the other birds hanging around the feeders.  I was suprised to see him hanging around the suet feeder so much.  I was also suprised to see what a chunky little bird the Carolina Wren is in comparison to the other birds.  Hahaha..what a chunky little thug!

It was a great day to stay inside near the window and watch all the activity.  Quite enjoyable!

Feeder Frenzy!

On Sunday I was able to spend some quailty time watching the feeders in our front yard.  There is a band of normal birds that visit nearly daily--BC Chickadee, Downy WP, Red-bellied WP, and an occasional Titmouse.  However, with the recent snow our feeders have become a bit more popular.  The normal crew showed up and darted between the feeders and tree.  It was quite fun watching them and apparently they were making enough noise to attract some other birds in the neighborhood.  Not long after the normal crew showed up, we had a few more visitors to the yard.  A lone Yellow-rumped Warbler darted into our yard and lingered long enough to grab a bite.  This was a first for our yard!  The activity also attracted a pair of Goldfinches and a group of Juncos.  I know these birds are not uncommon, but it was quite entertaining to see them show up in our front yard!

A return visit

Life has been pretty hectic for the past week.  I haven't been able to tromp around seeking out too many birds since I don't get off work until several hours after sunset.  However, I did make another trip to see the Short-Eared Owls today.  This time both my mom and dad came along for the show.  It was just as entertaining this time as it was the first time.

Short-eared Owls

For the past two weeks I've been reading on surfbirds.com about Missouri birders seeing a group of Short-eared Owls in an area just east of Smithville Lake.  Unfortunately I don't get off of work until after dark.....way too late to observe the owl show (what I've been calling it for the past few days).  Today was different though!  Late this afternoon my mom and I headed to the area where the birds have been spotted.  While waiting for the show we saw several entertaining sparrows (mostly American Tree).  We even got some wonderful views of 2 Northern Harriers hunting the surrounding fields.  Mom and I were just starting to doubt that we would see the Owls when I spotted a blunt torpedo shape flying far off above the field.  Within minutes there was a group of 6-8 Short-eared Owls flying between both sides of the road where we were parked.  They hunted in the area for nearly 15 minutes before they flew off into the darkness.  It was overwhelming!  The birds were a joy to watch.  Their wings!  Their swiveling heads!  Those EYES! 

Owls have got to be my favorite.  (Although I feel like I say that with every new bird I have the pleasure of observing)  I feel like I'm catching a glimpse of a secret life every time I see an owl.

Sandhill Cranes

For the past month I've been reading reports by birders in the area that there have been 6 Sandhill Cranes at Squaw Creek NWR.  I've looked for them at each visit in the past month, but I have been unsuccessful....until today!  We made a quick run through the route and happened to spot the small group lingering near the edge of a pool in the Mallard Marsh area of the refuge.  I was so excited (and a little relieved!)  I was beginning to doubt I would ever see these birds.  I took a few pictures of the Cranes just to prove that I saw them (and to remember the moment!).  Hopefully someday I will be close enough to take a picture hat shows more than a fuzzy Crane shape. :)

Another bird that had been reported at SCNWR was a Tundra swan.  Lucky for me I also saw this bird today!  There were three huddled together amongst several Trumpeter swans.  It was wonderful to see the yellow spot in front of the eye and see the size differences between the two swans.  At first I scanned the pool and thought all the swans were Trumpeter swans.  On a second look I realized the three swans were smaller than the others.  A closer inspection revealed the yellow spot near the eye above the bill.  Woo Hoo!  A Lifer! 

While looking at all the Trumpeter Swans we noticed one of them was banded.  It was a little tough to read the numbers on the red band, but I think it is 3K(?)6.  I'm sure it has been reported many times before, but I will go ahead and report it again.  I'm interested in finding out where it is from and where it has been. 

Digiscoping Experiments

Since I got my scope (!!) I've been trying to figure out a way to attach my digital camera to the eyepiece of the scope without spending money on an adapter.  I spent several hours online and finally decided to replicate this adapter.  I made it out of an old peanut butter jar & a lot of duct tape.  I actually had a lot of fun making it and plan on making a new & improved one soon.  

To test out my new set up my mom and I visited Squaw Creek NWR earlier this week.  Although it was cold, wet, and snowy, we managed to see some wonderful birds. 

Mom and I spotted a traveling flock of birds working a group of trees near the entrance to the refuge.  Since I was eager to start trying out my scope/camera set up, I stopped the car and got everything set up.  I managed to get a series of photos of a cooperative Eastern Bluebird sitting 30-35 feet away on a branch.  Oddly, the first picture I took of that Eastern Bluebird probably ended up being the best picture of the day. I had never appreciated how quickly some of those little birds move before.  I also snapped a picture of a Carolina Wren.  Unfortunately he was more interested in buzzing at the intruding birds than sitting still for me to take a photo. I just got one picture of the quick moving little bugger!

On our tour of the rest of the refuge we saw thousands of waterfowl.  Things seemed to work pretty well, but I'm going to have to practice A LOT.  I also will have to figure out the best mode/program/setting to keep my camera on.  That means I'll have to go out and practicve again.  Woo Hoo!!

Fun with Loons

This morning I headed out to Smithville Lake to try out my new scope.  I've been to Smithville Lake many times before and have had variable success.  Either it's incredibly windy and I can't hold  my binoculars still enough to ID the tiny dots floating in the middle of the lake OR the tiny dots are just too far away! 

Today it was drizzly and overcast, but overall it wasn't a bad day for birding.  Naturally I couldn't make out any of the tiny dots congregating in the middle of the lake, but I was able to pick out several (5-6) Common Loons.  They floated about happily and occasionally shook off the extra drizzle.  I was quite content sitting in my car with my scope watching the group mill about.  Sadly, after I got home I read online that a fellow birder had seen several Pacific Loons on the lake today.  Unfortunately I did not happen to see any of them.  Oh well!  I even tried my hand at digiscoping some pictures.  I know they're pretty basic, but I welcome all suggestions for improvevment.

Ever since getting my lovely scope, I've been scouring websites trying to gather as much information I can about digiscoping.  Today I was just holding my Canon up to the eyepiece of the scope which I'm sure accounts for a fair amount of blur, but I'd love to figure out a way to position my camera at the eyepiece without spending extra money on a specifically designed digiscoping adapter.  Perhaps that will be my next project!

The picture about is my favorite picture of the day.  The face just cracks me up!

New Job = Less time for Birding

This past week I have started a new job.  I'm really enjoying the job so far.  However I don't have much time in the day left over for birding because it is already dark when I get home.  Boo!  I do get a good chance to see some hawks on my drive to work in the morning.  I hope I get better at identifying them!

There has been some activity at our feeder lately.  At least I've been able to enjoy some birds.

Growing Life List

Tonight I sorted through my past few birding trips and checked off recent life birds on my ABA list.  Although I do get incredibly excited when I see a new bird while out & about, my primary motivation on all my birding trips is to observe and watch the birds go about their activities. I was astonished to count up my bird list tally.  162!!!!  I couldn't (& still can't!) believe it....especially since I just started in May. 

Woot! Woot! I've enjoyed each bird I've seen so far and look forward to seeing as many more as I can

New Scope!

Last Thursday I splurged and got myself a spotting scope! Friday morning (super early!) I headed out to Squaw Creek NWR and spent the entire day marveling at the beautiful views I was getting through my new scope. Ahh! It was glorious! To add to my elation, I saw four new life birds! The first was a Rusty Blackbird. There was a group working the marsh area at the entrance of the park. It was so nice to be able to see those beautiful pale eyes.


Once I panned out past the Rusty Blackbirds along the shore I spotted several Ring-necked Ducks. Whoo Hooo! Second life bird for the day! In the same pool were hundreds of Mallards, Northern Shovelers, and Pintails. The more I look at them, the more I'm struck by the impressive coloring of Ducks.

My third life bird was a Hooded Merganser. I spotted a group of 5-7 far off in the distance with my binoculars bobbing and diving near a huge flock (1000+) of Snow Geese, but was unable to see them through my scope. Something startled the Snow Geese and caused them to rise up swirling in the sky. Unfortunately the Hooded Mergansers were lost in the chaos.

My fourth life bird was an American Avocet. A group of five were huddled along the shore amongst the Snow Geese and Ducks. Eventually the surrounding Ducks and Snow Geese got to be too bothersome for the Avocets. I held my breath as they started spreading their wings to fly to a new spot. Lucky me! They moved closer and I was able to get some pictures of them. I couldn't have been happier.

Squaw Creek was loaded with birds of prey on Friday. Unfortunately I am terrible at identifying this group. I think I'll need the assistance of experienced birders to help me identify these birds. I did spot several Immature Bald Eagles (along with several mature birds), a Northern Harrier, and the ever-present Red-Tailed Hawk.

I ran into a photographer (Jim) who was out capturing some wonderful images of the available birds. You should check out his photos. They are excellent!

By far this was my favorite day of birding.It was absolutely wonderful!