"Why is that girl staring at a tree?"

This, I think, is what many people must think to themselves as they pass by me throughout the day.  On any average day, I usually stop about 5-10 times to search for or examine birds.  This might not seem like an entirely large number, but you must keep in mind that these stops are almost always in between classes on a campus with over 20,000 students.  It always seems that the most interesting birds pick the most populated places to stop and do something intriguing.  I am certain I have received more than one odd look as I stare up at a tree, circling beneath and more often than not sneezing because the sun is in my eyes. I have come to the realization, however, that I really do not care.  Unlike most of my college-aged peers, I've lost the ability to care if people are judging me for doing what I love.  If anyone ever asks me what I'm doing, I simply look at it as an opportunity to get someone else interested in birding.  I have gone past the quirky level and succeeded in becoming that obsessive bird girl, and I don't care who knows it.  I've tried getting a group of Wildlife Society members together to go see The Big Year tomorrow, but unfortunately no one seems to really care.  I'll keep working though, don't you worry your pretty little face.

In other news, today in my Principles of Fisheries and Wildlife class we talked about human dimensions in wildlife management and birding was used as an example several times.  The professor brought up a point that has stuck with me all day.  What is it that makes a birding experience good?  What motivates people to get involved in an expensive, time-consuming hobby such as birding?  Is it seeing many species in one day?  Is it seeing your favorite bird, even though you've seen it countless times before?  Is it the solitude of your favorite birding patch?  Is it socializing with other birders in your area or learning from well-respected birders in your community?  I think it's a culmination of these things, and this lecture made me want to take a moment to just appreciate all the wonderful aspects of the birding lifestyle.  I think one of my favorite things about birding is that you can do it all the time.  I'm birding all day as I walk from class to class.  I see warblers among the willows and mallards in the Duck Pond, and Red-Tailed Hawks getting mobbed by crows as I walk across the Drillfield, and it always seems to give me an instant boost to get me through a busy day.  I detest being late for class, but on several occasions I have lost track of time while simply watching a Carolina Wren hop among some branches.  I can constantly be quizzing myself on bird calls when I hear them, and more times than I can count I have texted myself some syllables hoping to try to look up an unknown bird call later online.  Birding has become what occupies my mind in moments of dullness (i.e. when I should be paying attention in Evolutionary Bio) and what motivates me to do more, be more, and see more.


I just wanted to share with you all my joy and love for the world of birding, and make it known that I am happy to be a part of it.  Good birding my friends, and may you make the most of the time that is offered to you.

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 :)

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 :)

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.

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!