Ned the Crow

I miss this crow more than you can understand.

The Big Year Promo Clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMHlzAuYnfs&feature=player_embedded

Glen Alton Birding (and an eBird update)

I'm a little behind on updating, but last weekend I went to Glen Alton Nature Education Center in Southwest Virginia (I don't actually know what town it's in, and I'm too lazy to look it up).  It's in Jefferson National Forest right on the border of West Virginia.  There are a few miles of wooded trails, a small man-made pond, and a fabulous wetland area surrounded by lush mountains.  I went with the New River Valley bird club, who was also going to Hanging Rock Hawk Observatory on Peters Mountain in West Virginia afterwards, but my group wanted to head back early, so we only went to Glen Alton.  Here's a tally of the most exciting birds of the day:

Solitary Sandpipers

Northern Flicker

Cape May Warblers

Pine Warblers

Cooper's Hawks

Goldfinches galore

Red-Eyed Vireo

Hermit Thrush NEST

White-Breasted Nuthatches

Blue-Headed Vireo

Wood Thrushes

Downy Woodpecker

Yellow-Rumped Warblers

Indigo Bunting

Broad-Winged Hawks

Eastern Phoebes

Red-Bellied Woodpeckers

Female American Redstart

(Magnolia, Tennessee, Prairie Warblers, Brown Creeper) - I didn't see them so I'm not counting them, but they were there apparently

Black-Throated Blue Warbler

Bald Eagle

The bold ones are my lifers (all the ones in parentheses would have been lifers if I'd been fast enough to see them...g-dangit).  But 6 in one day is nothing to complain about, that's for sure!  I would have loved to go to Hanging Rock, but I suppose I'll get out there at some point.  The most exciting ones for me were the Redstart and the BTB, as I've been wanting to see them for awhile and they definitely lived up to my expectations.  I was the one who spotted the Bald Eagle through the trees, and it was fun being congratulated by the rest of the group (who are basically my heroes).  I've updated eBird with all of my sightings since the end of July (which is when I started keeping lists on my outings) and I've seen 50 species since then!  Most of them are fairly common, but there are a few rarities to brag about in there.  Seeing as that's about half of the species I've seen in my life, I'd say my knowledge and life list are growing exponentially at the moment.  I guess that's what happens when you're a newbie.  All I know is I'm having a blast, and I want to make the most of the Fall migration before it starts to wane.  I saw a Cape May Warbler and a Prothonotary Warbler on campus last week, so I didn't even have to travel to get some benefits of the migration.  The monarchs have been flying up a storm, and it's fun to watch them as I walk from class to class.  I did a speech in my public speaking class about competitive birding yesterday, and it seemed to be very well-received.  Maybe I inspired a birder or two.  Probably wishful thinking but you never know.  Anywho, I'm off to do some homework.  I'll update you after my birding trip this Saturday. 

Good Birding!

I'M ON THE RADIO!

Talkin' Birds Radio Show #337

Listen to me winning the mystery bird contest on Ray Brown's Talkin' Birds Radio Show in Massachusetts!


Thank you Parasitic Jaeger!

Sightings On Campus

Yesterday I walked out of Derring Hall on the Virginia Tech campus and noticed a tiny yellow bird flitting around in a tree next to me eating some berries.  It turned out to be a Cape May Warbler (to the best of my knowledge) and it was an exciting result of the fall migration.  Already ecstatic about my bit of luck, I never expected to see another little gem on campus on the same day, but luck stayed with me.  Later that day, I looked up and saw a Common Yellowthroat flitting about in a Japanese Maple.  Yay for fall warblers :)

Ebird Fall Quiz

So hard but so fun (that's what she said)

http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/fall2011quiz

TAKE IT!

Daily Organism: Kea | A different organism each day brought to you by a zoo keeper

Daily Organism: Kea | A different organism each day brought to you by a zoo keeper

Ray Brown’s Talkin’ Birds does a show from Massachusetts every Sunday at 9:30 AM and it’s all about birding.  Every week they play the call of a “mystery bird” and give a few hints as to what it is, then people call in to guess.  Whoever guesses the correct bird first wins a $90 thistle feeder that’s squirrel proof.

AND TODAY I WON.

The bird was a Parasitic Jaeger (which I’ve never seen before) and I had to look it up to be sure, but it was probably the most exciting thing that’s happened to me in quite awhile.  So, go on the website in a day or two and listen to today’s (9/18/11) show to hear me on the radio! It’s also a podcast and a great show, so follow them on tumblr and tune in!

Here’s the bird that got me my feeder :)

A Bird a Day Keeps the Homework Away.

I've decided to make flashcards for myself to help study up on my North American bird ID.  I'm starting from the beginning...Anatidae through Zosteropidae (whatever, these are all Asian species, but I needed a Z family).  Actually, I'm going through my National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America one page at a time and writing down the name and scientific family of the bird on one side, and its description, range, call, etc. on the other side.  This way I can start off easily by reading the description and guessing the name, and then get harder by doing the opposite.  I'm going to try to do a page or two a day, making this into what's likely to become a year-long project.  This, along with actually getting outside and practicing, will help me immensely in the details of identification.  So far I've got:

Greater White-Fronted Goose


Bean Goose

Pink-Footed Goose


Snow Goose

Ross's Goose


Emperor Goose

Barnacle Goose

I tried to post pictures of all of them, but my internet is so terrible it turned off my computer.  You'll just have to look them up yourself.

Today was the day!!!

Today was my first birding trip of the new school year.  It was quite a large group, since many of the Master Naturalist students were there as well as the regulars from the bird club.  Unfortunately, it was quite humid and foggy, making the surrounding habitat look monotone and gray.  It also had the unfortunate effect of silhouetting birds against the gray sky, making colors and patterns harder to identify.  We actually ended up seeing some more cool bugs than birds, but it was enjoyable all the same.  Here's a list of what we saw:

Chimney Swift
Carolina Chickadees
Tree Swallows
Female Indigo Bunting
Juvenile Cedar Waxwings (and then a whole flock of them, they were gorgeous)
Song Sparrow
2 House Wrens
Eastern Towhees
2 Downy Woodpeckers
Cooper's Hawk (an excellent view of a young male surveying the land from a silo)
Ruby Throated Hummingbird
and we heard a Brown Thrasher

we also saw you basic robins, crows, mockingbirds, starlings, etc. but you know....whatever.

The most exciting part of the day, ironically, was when I went to drop off my boyfriend, and noticed a flycatcher sitting on the fence nearby.  It turned out to just be an Eastern Phoebe, but it was still the most exciting bird of the day.  It had more yellow on it than I've ever seen on a Phoebe before, and it was bobbing its tail like mad.  Ah well, we did see some AWESOME garden spiders.

LIFER ALERT: Common Nighthawk

As I was just walking up the stairs to my apartment, about 20 Common Nighthawks flew over and I nearly had a heart attack from excitement.  I've been wanting to see one for quite some time, and just by chance I got an awesome view of a whole flock of them!  Naturally, I leave my binoculars in my car, so I didn't have time to run back down 4 flights of stairs to get them.  They were flying fairly low, though, so I could clearly see the notched tail and the white wing bars.  They fly almost like gulls with a little bit of bat flight thrown in, it was very interesting.

In other news, I went to an ecological seminar today where a professor from UConn talked about Salt Marsh Sparrows, and the effect climate change will have on them in the future.  These unique little birds build dome nests in the high tidal marshes along the Atlantic Coast (there's a high concentration in Connecticut).  Every 2 weeks, high tides flood their nests, and the dome shape helps keep the eggs from floating away, and the chicks (older than about 5 days) have developed a way to climb to safety during the high tide.  However, with the increase in global temperatures, the ocean levels are predicted to rise about 30 cm in the next few decades, and these guys don't seem to stand a chance.  It was quite a dire presentation, but so much research went into it and so much is being done to try to give them a fighting chance, it just blew me away.  He was basically who I want to be when I grow up. 

Another wonderful day for birds in the New River Valley :)

Heritage Park Birding

I decided to take a little walk through the park after classes today and here is what I saw:

Cedar Waxwing
Song Sparrows
Goldfinches galore
Tree Swallows everywhere
Mockingbirds - these little devils keep tricking me on my quest to see a Loggerhead Shrike :/
Eastern Towhee -  a nice close up view
Brown Thrasher
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Meadowlark! - the best sighting of the day...I had to walk through a field of knee-high nettles (in flip flops) to flush it up into the air.  His yellow breast was quite the spectacle on this drab, gray day.

I also saw some bluebirds, a great blue heron and a Northern Flicker on campus. Yay.

Birdy Campus

Today on campus there were hundreds of Chimney Swifts flying around the chemistry department.  It was like my dream come true...birds and chemistry.  Then, later on this evening, a Cooper's Hawk flew over the drillfield and was mobbed by some crows, which made for an exciting walk in the rain.  Last but not least, I heard a House Wren in a nearby tree, so of course I stalked over to it in the middle of a crowded sidewalk, probably gaining some odd stares from my peers.  I don't see House Wrens on campus very much (or ever really) though so I couldn't resist.  Good thing I have a boyfriend who accepts my random stares into the distance at the first note of a bird song.  I also saw a rain-drenched, bedraggled cardinal looking forlorn that I just couldn't leave out of this post.  All of this, along with Bird Night (we watched Raptor Force videos in an empty classroom), and along with The Big Year trailer coming out made for a wonderfully busy Tuesday.  I ALMOST FORGOT...this morning I got to learn how to take a blood sample from a canary!  I'm doing undergraduate research in the ornithology lab, and I got to learn how to hold them properly so as not to stress them out, how to sterilize their bracheal vein and pierce it, then use a capillary tube to get a small amount of blood for later use.  We'll be doing this on captured house finches once the experiment starts, but I got to practice on canaries (who were very docile and patient with me, bless their hearts) before we get the finches.  A VERY BIRDY DAY TO YOU ALL.

THE BIG YEAR AHHHHHHH

THE PREVIEW IS HERE!  It looks absolutely nothing like the book, but it looks like it's sure to be a laugh!

Here, my 3 loyal followers, is the preview:

Hiking (with a little birding in between)

For our student chapter of The Wildlife Society we go camera trapping every Sunday, which is basically hiking through the woods on a mountain all day.  It's an excellent opportunity to look for mountain-dwelling birds, unless your group walks too fast and leaves you in the dust.  I know there are a bunch of species of warblers that nest up there, but I have yet to see them.  Today, however, I saw an Eastern Wood Pewee, a few Turkey Vultures, heard a Hairy woodpecker, and I heard all of these tinny, high-pitched chippings that were so frustratingly hard to identify I almost went insane.  They were all over the woods, chirping back and forth to one another to warn each other of our trespassing.  I'll have to go back up there and find them once and for all.  Today they only gave me a glimpse of fleeting shadows through the leaves.  Someday...

It was, however, chipmunks galore up on the mountain.  I find it such a treat to watch these little rascals scamper through the woods.  We had a pair of them living in our yard in Virginia, but when we moved to Pennsylvania, I pretty much never saw another chipmunk ever again.  Being back in Virginia, it makes me appreciate these little devils in all their hyper glory.  Mountain Lake is a wonderful place for hiking, birding, and chipmunk watching, and it was the location for the set of Dirty Dancing.  What could be better than spending the day up there.

Today was my first birding trip of the new school year.  It was quite a large group, since many of the Master Naturalist students were there as well as the regulars from the bird club.  Unfortunately, it was quite humid and foggy, making the surrounding habitat look monotone and gray.  It also had the unfortunate effect of silhouetting birds against the gray sky, making colors and patterns harder to identify.  We actually ended up seeing some more cool bugs than birds, but it was enjoyable all the same.  Here's a list of what we saw:

Chimney Swift
Carolina Chickadees
Tree Swallows
Female Indigo Bunting
Juvenile Cedar Waxwings (and then a whole flock of them, they were gorgeous)
Song Sparrow
2 House Wrens
Eastern Towhees
2 Downy Woodpeckers
Cooper's Hawk (an excellent view of a young male surveying the land from a silo)
Ruby Throated Hummingbird
and we heard a Brown Thrasher


we also saw you basic robins, crows, mockingbirds, starlings, etc. but you know....whatever.

The most exciting part of the day, ironically, was when I went to drop off my boyfriend, and noticed a flycatcher sitting on the fence nearby.  It turned out to just be an Eastern Phoebe, but it was still the most exciting bird of the day.  It had more yellow on it than I've ever seen on a Phoebe before, and it was bobbing its tail like mad.  Ah well, we did see some AWESOME garden spiders

and a Monarch Caterpillar (we also found a chrysalis).  Then we saw some grasshoppers and praying mantises doing the nasty.  Another cherry on the top of a delightful day. 

The most exciting news, however, came when I found out that the group leader, who teaches ornithology at my school, is going to be holding "Bird Tuesdays" in a classroom.  Basically he's just going to be showing movies about birds (this week's is Raptor Force).  I'm so there.  My life is wonderful.  I also found out that the park we were at was a great location to find Loggerhead Shrikes, so I'll be going back there regularly until I find one.  It's my goal for the year to see a Shrike in action.  I think they're fascinating birds.

That's about it for today, but I'll keep you updated on the Shrike hunt and Bird Tuesdays :)

Good Birding!

I just joined the ABA :)

I am now an official member of the American Birding Association!  I'm also going to apply for a student membership award for The Auk.  Gotta get a kick start to my ornithological career!

Upcoming Birding Events

Just so I can get my calendar organized in my own mind, here's what's going on in the near future:

First NRV Bird Club trip - Saturday 9/3/11
Seminar on Campus - Conservation in an era of climate change: Can we
save saltmarsh birds as the oceans rise? - 9/8
Rocky Knob Hawk Watch - 9/10
Midwest birding Symposium - 9/15-9/18 (Oh, how I wish I could go)
VSO Chincoteague Trip - 9/16-9/18
Glen Alton and Hanging Rock (hawk watch) Birding Trip - 9/16 also
Heritage Park Birding Trip - 10/1
Eastern Shore Birding and Wildlife Festival - 10/7-10/9 (another wish-list trip)
The Big Sit! - 10/9
Seminar On Campus - Galapagos finches and the unfinished
business of Charles Darwin - 10/27
Seminar On Campus - Understanding the social and reproductive dynamics
of a cooperative lek-breeding bird - 11/3

Looks like it's going to be a bird-filled Fall :)

As if I do not have enough social networks to check daily...

So here I am, succumbing to the world of bird blogs.  Along with my facebook, tumblr, twitter, and the various other bird blogs I check daily (most of which are on blogspot, which is why I created this one) I now have to update the cyberworld with my birding ventures in the field.  But first for an introduction:

My name is Casey.  I am a 19 year old Wildlife Science student at Virginia Tech in the lovely Appalachian foothills of southwest Virginia.  I have been fascinated with birds since I was very young, but I never really put in the time to study and learn all of the North American species.  I have been to Cape May during the Spring Weekend several times, but each time I found my knowledge sorely lacking.  It was not until last year (my freshmen year of college) that I really became serious about birding.  I began going on outings with the New River Valley Bird club, and I met some wonderful and skilled birders along the way.  This past summer, I worked at a wildlife rehabilitation center, where I got some up close views of native birds of Pennsylvania (where I'm from) and I went on several birding trips with the local bird club there as well.  Now that I'm back at school, I have scheduled a birding trip for most every weekend and every bit of free time I can manage.  I just finished reading The Big Year by Mark Obmascik and I'm almost done with Kingbird Highway by Kenn Kauffman.  Next on the list is Wild America, Roger Tory Peterson's classic.  All this talk about Big Years is so inspiring to me, I hope to someday try one for myself.  As for right now, I'm simply trying to learn as much as I possibly can about birds, meet the awesome people in the birding community, and have some fun along the way. 

Good birding!