Ammodramus - Exton Park

Oh yeah, I just dropped some Latin on you! Boom goes the dynamite...at least I think it's Latin. Yeah, I have an ego. I hide it better on some days but it's there. I hate it when I don't know as much about a topic or subject. I don't want to be the student, I want to be the teacher. I want to be put on a pedestal, receive trophies and told over and over again how wonderful I am. Then I start my day and that's over...

Birding is humbling for me too. Almost all my birding friends are better birders than I am. While that's good in most ways it's also a frustrating, humbling place to be. I have to defer to them because they are usually right. I'll catch myself saying something stupid like "Hey what is thatt?" When I should probably know. So, sometimes my joy is tempered by the fact that I'm not the alpha dog.Oh, my bird buds are very cool about it. Indulging me in my barrage of questions and tolerating my insecurity. It's all good really.  Besides, I'm better now than I was a year ago and I keep getting better. Blah, blah, blah, this is an self indulgent post but, then again, blogging is self indulgent. 

Back to my Latin lesson. 

"I swear it was a Le Conte's sparrow! It had to me. I've seen Nelsons' and...arent' they done migrating yet. And...what other sparrow is orange like that and...it's just like the book photo!". 

This is what I say to my friend Brian Raicich.  He saw the bird too but I got a better look. He's agreeing with me but I can tell he's not as excited as I am. I think his excitement is tempered because we can't really be sure especially when the Le Conte's Sparrow is really rare in PA. Only 11 documented sightings ever I think. This is a really secretive bird so getting another look, or a photo is tough. Not a whole lot is known about the bird since it's hard to see. Only a few hundred have been banded and none of those have been recovered. 

After some time and discussions with the Chester County eBirding compiler, Holly Merker, we decide to post it as "An Ammodramus sparrow". An Ammodramus sparrow is a nice way to say "we don't really know". There is a small win in our uncertainty. Some people would post it confidently as a Le Conte's even if they weren't 100% sure. Most birders know that the "game" as well as some real research can be compromised if we aren't completely accurate about what we see. So we can take pride in our ethics and honor. 

As you can see below the two likely candidates are really similar. 

Le Conte's Sparrow

Nelson's Sparrow

The full description of Brian's post on our behalf to eBird is below. 



An Ammodramus sparrow with bold white crown stripe, very fine streaking along the side of the breast, and overall yellowish orange tone in the face and top of the chest, buff sides and white belly. Located on south side of Exton Park, along "Sparrow Alley", south of main pond and east of beaver ponds, on the south side of the hederows that meet the meadow north of the Chester Valley Trail. The bird was observed skulking low in grasses and weeds when it briefly perched on the sediment fencing. It gave a second view perched in weeds. The brief observations gave field marks consistent with Le Conte's Sparrow however it dropped out of view before photos could be taken. It was not relocated after considerable time was spent in the area.


And yet...in all this somewhat frustrating study and observation I am exhilarated  Brian and I go back again the next morning and are joined by our friend Arthur. We don't find it so we may never know but the chase is half the fun. 

Hey, if this was easy it wouldn't be fun.

Bird Geek Heaven - Chambers Lake and Exton Park

Birding, like many things, can mark the time. Please indulge me for a sentence or two.

I've recently have had an epiphany. That word is so dramatic, but I don't know what else one would call a deepening spiritual understanding. This ties to my birding in a really ironic and...dare I say "blessed" way.

In the same timeline as my epiphany,  I've seen the following fantastic, rare, uncommon, lifer birds during a handful of visits to Chambers Lake and Exton Park.

1. Nelson's Sparrow
2. Clay-colored Sparrow
3. Sandhill Crane
4. Stilt Sandpiper
5. Pectoral Sandpiper
6. Vesper Sparrow

Do non-birders realize that some of us birders will actually high-five, fist-pump and/or literally hoot and holler when we get a new or rare bird? That's how I celebrate it. I imagine it looks odd when some car is driving by and they see a guy making karate chop motions at his thighs toward a lake. What can I say, I'm emotional. I can't help but thinking that this is God's way of giving me a reminder. (Not to mention the miraculous win that my Nittany Lions had in 4 overtimes against Michigan.)

Back to the birds...

The bird most folks would get excited about is the Sandhill Crane. The reason? Because it's big! Big birds are dramatic and surprising. This guy below is about 4 feet tall with a wingspan of 7 feet.They are bigger than Great Blue Herons.

Sandhill Crane - photo by Brian Raicich

I'm pretty sure that all of the other birds on my list wouldn't get much of a second glance from a non-birder. I'll admit, if they weren't rare or uncommon in my neck of the woods I probably wouldn't be as excited. But in my game the uncommon makes it so much more fun an exciting. This also forces me to slow down, take a closer look and remember (again) about the beauty in the details and the beauty in the mundane.

The Nelson's sparrow sighting took on an extra meaning too. I ran into a guy I met once before. Jeff Loomis is an amazing photographer and I've been following him on Flickr for a couple of years. I hadn't seen him in awhile and we struck up a conversation about our kids and their special needs. It was one of those random chats that can occasionally happen with people where you dive immediately into something meaningful and person. During this chat Jeff spotted a suspicious looking sparrow. After 45 mins of waiting it popped out and showed us that it was a Nelson's sparrow. Karma?  (I should note that this bird popped out 10 seconds after my friend BQ showed up. That's serious karma!).

My photo above isn't great, but you can see the yellow/orange on the head, throat and chest. It's subtle but it's still beautiful. To truly appreciate it take a look here http://www.jimburnsphotos.com/pages/nelsonssharptailedsparrow.html

Yes, I felt lucky, blessed and surprised once again by the beauty under my nose.

Who gets up this early to look at birds? - Exton Park

Met my Brian's the other morning at 6:30 am to bird. The first thing I said to Brian Rachich when getting out of the car "What kind of whack job gets up this early to look at birds?" He proudly retorts "We do!"

Yes, we do.

Our other friend George reported hearing a Sora the previous day. This time of year they aren't giving their full blown mating call. Just a short, "weep" sound. Not a very exciting thing to search for but it "counts" as a Sora so we all wanted it. Which leads me to an awesome fact my friend BQ told me.

Fun fact: Birds sing more in the spring because their gonads are larger. In the fall they shrink so they don't sing as much.

I giggle at this fact like a 10 year old boy. The word "gonad" is funny on it's own but this fact makes it even better.

We hung out quietly waiting for the small gonad "weep" call of the Sora in the fall. In the spring, when their gonads are massive, they give a loud sound that many people think sounds like a dolphin. I guess breeding makes men do crazy stuff. After some intense listening we hear it in about 15 minutes. Pretty amazing that it was so reliable. But that's it. Just a distant "weep". It was very anticlimactic. But it still counts as "Sora". I almost feel guilty about it. I didn't see it. I didn't hear it's full, enlarged gonad song. Just a "weep". But it's unmistakable especially in this area where they are seen semi-regularly.

Sora - photo by George Tallman

Still we have a muted celebration and move on.

I've birded Exton Park several times in the last couple of weeks and it's been amazing. It's such a diverse ecosystem in a small area. It includes marshy, swampy areas, a stream, young stands of trees and 2 acre pond and open shrubby fields. Part of the park even has thick mature deciduous forests. I've seen Cape May Warbler, Palm Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Marsh Wren, and many others.

One of the more exciting sightings was during a Birds and Brews walk with some friends at Exton Park. We go birding then we have beers at Victory Brewery.

My friend George again finds this rare bird called the American Bittern. This bird has been on decline in the area and it is exceedingly hard to see. Note the photo below. Can you see the bittern? It will sway in the wind with the reeds to stay hidden. Take a look at the 3 photos below and you can get a sense of how hidden they can be.

Bittern pretends to be a reed

Can you find the bittern?

Bittern next to a Great Blue Heron

It's interesting to see the contrast next to the obvious Great Blue Heron. 

Warbler migration is almost over..stay tuned for waterfowl and winter residents of Chester county. Sometimes the birds can carry you over during the blah winter months. 

Subtle - (Chambers Lake)

It's easy to get people excited about a Bald Eagle or a a bright red Scarlet Tanager. Even a flock of migrating geese will even get the casual observer to turn their head and at least acknowledge their presence. But sometimes the "new" bird is what we birders will occasionally refer to as an LBJ (Little Brown Job). Many sparrows fit this category. On the surface they are the common little brown bird that barely gets a second thought when they visit a feeder. The Song Sparrow is such a bird. It's brown and it's small and it's ....well it's got streaks. Yeah they are brown too. Boring? Honestly...yeah, a little boring. Ironically, as I started really thinking about it. This is where things start to get interesting.

This brings me to yesterday I was chasing for a Lincoln's Sparrow. The Lincoln's sparrow is about boring little brown bird. It looks so much like the common Song Sparrow that it's often overlooked. Add the fact that it's much more shy and less common than a Song Sparrow and it's very often missed.

At this time of the year the Lincoln's passes through our area and can be reliably seen in a corner of Chambers Lake where there is brushy, weedy habitat that they enjoy. Due to family and life schedules I can't make it out there until 3:30 pm (basically the worst time of day to bird). I am staring through my binoculars for about 30 minutes looking for it and I start to wonder what's wrong with me. I'm standing here staring at a patch of weeds just so I can check off another bird. And for what? So I can try to be in the top 10 of birders in Chester county where only about 15 people take it seriously? That's like being a small fish in a small pond.

And yet...I can't stop. No, it's more than that...is it some sort of OCD quality? As I said before it's not like I can rationalize that I'm going to see some super rarity or some fantastically beautiful thing. As I continue to search I notice the familiar teal of my friend BQ pulling up. This makes me smile inside because it's always fun to bird with him and I feel less like a lunatic because I know he's chasing the Lincoln's sparrow too.

BQ immediately dispels my negative spiral. "Dude, check this out. Chester County is beautiful! Look at this light! We should do a calendar of all the spots we bird!".  BQ is extremely upbeat and optimistic all the time but I turn around and take in the scene with fresh eyes. Holy crap he's right! Sure, I still want the bird but I'm missing the simple fact that I'm outside and it's beautiful.

 Back to the sparrow.

We prowl around the edge of the lake, no luck. We head back to the car and I have to get back home shortly. About 10 minutes before I have to leave BQ spots one. I get my binoculars on it. Sometime interesting happens to me. I can really see it! Sometimes I see a bird and another birder will tell me what I'm seeing. But I can really see the subtle differences. Not just the text book comparison but I feel like I "get" the Lincoln's sparrow now. It's shy and it's back deeper in the brush than the other sparrows. It has fine, cleaner breast stripes. It has a slight peak on it's crown. I've actually seen this species before but now I know what I'm really looking at. I get it now. See below and you can see what I mean. Very subtle.

 

 

 So as I see this bird and I look at this picture I start to appreciate the subtle differences. I'm also guessing that to a Song Sparrow, a Lincoln's must look REALLY different. It's not like they have babies with each other.

Zen Birding - Cape May Point State Park

Don't worry. I'm not going to get too pretentious about the Zen thing. Some people might hear that word and immediately picture a monk on a mountain in Tibet levitating. To me it's just the ability to be fully in the present. To exclude all thoughts except for one. Spirituality 101 = be in the moment, be present, blah, blah, blah. It's not a complex or new idea but I think it's hard to do.

Sometimes when I walk or hike I'm perseverating over past events or worried about the future. Birding is my refuge from wasteful thoughts and brings me into the now.  I was reminded about this by my new friends Joe Polumbo and Elizabeth Bender.

It's early on a Saturday morning and I head out to Cape May Point State park. My kids have been cat sitting for a neighbor who has a home in Cape May. They generously offer us their house in Cape May as thanks! A weekend in Cape May in September. Jackpot! Hell yes we'll take it! Cape May is one of my favorite places.




Cape May Point Light

I am a lister. I like to list things like birds. When I was a kid I used to list all the trolleys, model and number like some sort of OCD lunatic. I also collect people. At least that's what my mom calls it. Yeah, I love people. It sounds so stupid when I say it but it's deeply true for me. When I bird I always introduce myself to other birders. It's almost always rewarding too because I'll get tips, told where to find the warblers in the area or even make some lasting friends. This morning in Cape May was no different. I had a great walk and saw many birds but equally as fun was talking with Joe and Elizabeth. They were long time friends who had travelled all over the world birding, exploring museums, eating in fun restaurants and enjoying culture. I felt like it was an image of the life Tracy and I will live as we get older and that pleased me. In many ways it was also like looking into a mirror and seeing how we already live that way...I'm so freaking blessed it's stupid. Anyway, full circle, Joe said "Birding is so Zen" as we looked at another American Redstart. It wasn't as if I was like "oh wow I never thought of that" because I HAVE thought of that before. But it was nice to be reminded. It's like when someone states the obvious to you and  you are just reminded about a thing and it's brought back into focus.



American Redstart

Cape May is a world famous birding spot. It's close to Philadelphia, New York and DC so it gets tons of birders. It's at the tip of New Jersey and "funnels" migrating birds into Cape May, especially during fall migration which makes it get tons of birds. My new friends and I were able to ID almost 50 species in a 3 hour period. Highlights included Solitary and Least sandpipers, many warblers including Black and White, Magnolia, Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Nashville and really good looks at  Red-eyed Vireos which usually hangs out high in the canopy. The Red-eyed Vireo is one of those really common birds that are easy to overlook. This day I was able to really see the bright olive green back and appreciate it even more.

Red-eyed Vireo (I didn't take this shot but wish I did)



Bald Eagle flyover

Later that day at the house I saw a Bald Eagle flyover. These birds are way more common now that most people realize but I still think they are one of the most majestic and beautiful birds. Then again, I'm am American so I'm programmed to like the eagle.





At the beach we saw an Osprey with some food. That seems like a lot of fish for one bird.


Osprey with breakfast

Birding is a game, a refuge and even spiritual. I swear I'm totally levitating right now.



Lead or Follow? - (Rushton Farms)

It's easy to cheat if you want to cheat.

If you ever played golf you know what I mean.  You hit the ball into a pile of raked leaves. "Oh that's a leaf ball I can get a free drop." or "it's winter rules" on a course that's in a little rough shape. You can even start to rationalize in your head why it's not cheating.  But in the end you are the only judge.

This holds true for birding too. The classic "cheat" is to ID a bird without being truly certain. Sometimes it's hard not to rationalize what you saw into something you want to see.  To help this some folks use try to have at least 2 identifying characteristics that make the ID.  But this isn't always the case. I know what a Cardinal sounds like. I can ID that just by hearing the call and I know for certain. But if I see a new bird, especially one that's harder to ID, I'll try to get photo evidence and get confirmation from other birders.  Many of the flycatchers that are common in the Northeast are so hard to tell apart you can only do it by hearing the call or getting DNA evidence.

Then there is the in between stuff.

My friend Brian Raicich contacted me with great excitement the other day about tons of warblers in Rushton farms. "Mike, I used to hear people say that the trees are dripping with warblers and I never really knew what they meant until yesterday at Rushton. We have to go there tomorrow morning". Of course I was up for it, so the next day I met him there at about 7 am. Brian told me he was going crazy with his camera and took hundreds of shots of the many warblers he saw the other day. He said there were so many that he had to use the photos  to ID them later. He confessed that it felt a little like cheating.

Personally I don't think that's cheating at all. He saw the bird and was able to provide evidence. Plus, warblers in the fall don't have their full breeding plumage and it makes their differences very subtle. Take a look at this link and you will see what I mean.

Link to fall warbler guide

Sadly that day we didn't get much. It's like that sometimes. Some days are amazing and rich and some days...with the same circumstances it's nothing.

But I'm obsessed so I show up the very next morning alone to try again. I arrive at 7 am again and start walking and looking. I wait at the same tree where Brian original had his warbler fest. Nothing.

I walk all over the property for 45 minutes. Nothing. I take a few photos of the golden rod to amuse myself. But I want warblers.

Sometimes the nothing times allow me to be introspective. That's not always a good thing. Today I start questioning myself about following Brian's discovery. Shouldn't I blaze my own trail? Shouldn't I try to find my own sightings instead of just chasing where others have gone? Is that cheating? Wouldn't I rather be a leader than a follower. Of course I start to globalize all my thoughts and think about how this applies to all my interactions. Then again, I have been a leader. I've made the discoveries and I have been first before!

So I mentally smack myself in the head. "Stop beating youself up Mike!"

I start to think about leaving and then they start coming. It's around 7:45 am and in the same area Brian showed me the previous day the warblers start coming in. It only lasts for about five minutes but I'm frantically trying to ID and shoot some photos.

- Black and White
- Black throated Green
- Redstart
- Magnolia
- Chestnut sided
- Common Yellowthroat

It's not as rich as Brian's day but pretty amazing for me none the less. I mistakenly IDed some of these birds at the time but was able to clarify later with my birding friends.

Magnolia Warbler - fall

Chestnut-sided - fall

 

I walk away from the morning of birding very satisfied. In the end who cares how you see these interesting beautiful creatures. It's about the appreciation and the game.

 

 

I love migration.

 



That was a fast 6 hours - (Chambers Lake and Hibernia Park, Chester County)

I was sick the day before I was going to get up at 5:45 am. I'm guessing most people would have "tapped out" but it's fall migration and I need to be outside.

I meet Brian Quindlen (BQ) at his house at 6 am with coffee and we zip out to Chambers Lake to meet the other Brian (Raicich). Having both of these guys with me is great not only for the extra pairs of eyes and ears but they are better birders than I am and I am learning a lot from them. Plus they are funny. Yes, I value people more for their comedic value than most other attributes. I'd say that's a life value I can easily defend.

Anyway...

I ignore the last vestiges of my cold and lack of sleep and the stupid, sick humidity and we gather at the Chambers Lake "curve". Often during migration you will see birders sitting at this corner of the lake by the road looking for shorebirds. We take our thorough scans of the lake and BQ picks up a Pied-Billed Grebe. As I write this he just texted me of a "Black Crowned Night Heron" in this exact spot. Damn it! 


Caspian Tern - photo by Brian Quindlen

We start skirting the edge of the lake for a little while and pick up a few of the usual suspects. For me the female Bobolink is pretty cool. But we just get hotter and it gets quieter so we double back.

Suddenly 4 large Caspian Terns swoop down over the lake. The Caspian Tern is the largest tern in the world with a wingspan that's about 4 - 4.5 feet. These big birds fly into the place calling and swopping and diving and basically taking over. Their call is a rough and aggressive sounding like a combination of a bark and  screech mixed in with high pitched sounds you'd expect from a gull-like bird. Even the handful of fishermen and kayakers seem to take notice. It appears that one of the birds is immature and the others are helping it. I read later that the young will stay with the adults often a long time to learn  how to fish. Makes sense to me. Learning how to dive 30 feet down into the water and catching a fish can't be that easy. We spent a long time watching the birds. The splash down periodically and come up with fish. They seem to intimidate 2 Great Blue Heron's and circle and dive.

Raicich breaks us out of our reverie and we drive a few hundred yards down the road the entrance for Hibernia Park. We've seen reports of some birds that we "need" for our Chester County list. To those of you unfamiliar with this idea, some birders like me enjoy the game aspect of birding. I keep a life list and a county list and many other lists. One of those lists is the year total for Chester County. It's a lot like a golfer. Golfers compete with other golfers but primarily compete against themselves. For me, birding is similar in the scorekeeping aspect.

We don't get far up the driveway/entrance to Hibernia before pulling over to the side of the road. There are a log of birds in a little copse of trees over the roadway. For a moment I wonder if this is a legal parking spot but I stop caring when I see how much activity is happening. We nab many species in this spot including Chestnut-sided warbler, Black and White warbler, Red-eyed vireo, Hummingbird, Chickadee's, an unknown flycatcher and,  my favorite, a really good look at a pair of Canada Warblers. Someone once said "birding its like going to an art museum where the paintings hide." The Canada Warbler with it's mane makes me think or that quote. Click here to see it ==> http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_Warbler/id it's very cool.

What's crazy is that we probably spent over 1 hour standing in this one area looking up so much our necks hurt. I think birding is a good way to exercise my patience and tenacity...and my neck. I hope all this looking up doesn't give me a stroke.

BQ and I headed back home but scouted out a few corporate ponds and retention ponds for migrating shorebirds. Nothing special but we feel good about the scouting value. I check the clock and I've been out for 6 hours.
I guess time flies when you are birding.



In Nashville (Bells Bend Park)

Work travel bites.

But like most people I try to make the best of it. In the past I'd make sure I explored something that seemed unique or special. Now I try to bird.

I just got this new app called "hotspots" from Birdseye. The idea is that it shows the closest parks and latest sightings. I noticed that a Black Tern was seen on the river near this park about 10 miles from my hotel. I'd never seen a Black Tern so that was enough for me to explore Bells Bend Park.

I ended up passing the main park entrance and got some guidance on the side of the Cumberland River from a guy fishing with his kids. Scanned the river but no Black Tern. Finally I pulled into the main park lot. No one else was here. "That's weird", I thought. But I pressed on and started walking what is supposed to be a 2.3 mile loop. Today that feels really long.


Bells Bend Park, Nashville TN

It was hot and I was hearing a ton of bugs. I think they were cicadas. This was a foreshadow of what would be my brief foray. Finally saw one of these buggers. Bugs can be awesome, beautiful, alien and creepy  at the same time. Add to this scene the heat and humidity and add to this scene sweat pouring off me and the mosquitos that start to bite me each time I stop to look. Few birds and all bugs. I am hating these bugs.  However, I don't hate this guy below. He's big and cool and isn't biting me.

Cicada?

I'm walking and stopping and swatting bugs and not seeing much of anything. "Just make it to the river", I think to myself. Maybe I'll see a Black Tern or something. Still no one else is out in this park. A few sparrows shoot by. I hear a Field Sparrow. I hear a Song Sparrow. I can't ID some others.

 

I'm sweating.

 

A sign says that a pond is about a half mile away. "OK, forget the river I'll just peek at the pond then get away from the bugs".  But I stop.

 

Here's the part where simple activities start to press into my psychology. I want to stop and turn around. My multiple personalities kick it. "Press on don't be lazy!" then my mind goes to "Who cares it's just a walk in the park, literally, why so hard on yourself" then to "You are going to miss something rare, something worthwhile, no pain no gain".

 

I finally get a grip and turn around. I must be mad.

 

Sometimes it's nothing special and sometimes I have to look harder for what is special. This time I decided to make up a new game. Submit a bird list from every state in the US. I'm a lister so listing games are fun.

 

I did manage to see a pair of Magnolia Warblers on the way out, a pair of hummingbirds and some Killdeer on the drive in. Plus I have successfully resisted the urge to stay in my hotel and click around on the TV for hours.

 

 

 



Am I really allowed to go here? (Westtown Lake)

I admit it. I'm not afraid to trespass on someone's property if I think I can see a new bird. Does that make me a bad person? Selfish? I'd rather think of myself as irreverent and a rebel. I better think about this some more. Damn it, all my baggage even comes up during birding!

Westtown Lake early

I went to Westtown Lake to bird with some friends (Brian Raicich and Chad Hutchinson).  Westtown School owns the property and decided to close it's property to the public but Brian has a special letter of permission to bird there. I guess they are worried about us as a menace.

I've been working on converting Chad to birding. It's pay back to him for making me try good beers, thus costing me more money.  So, up at 6 am and we slink into the parking lot. Chad is driving so I'm afraid to tell him that I'm not 100% sure we are allowed to be here. I figure it's probably fine. We immediately see Northern Oriole, Kingfisher and Green Heron. Chad's never seen a Green Heron and this pleases me. I really love birding with someone who is just starting to become aware of the many species nearby. He's interested enough to get up at 6 am on a Saturday morning so it's nice to see him rewarded with something cool.

It's a really nice morning and we walk about 3 miles. Brian is dazzling with his ability to hear and identify birds. He's got a lot of knowledge about nature and it's always fun to hang with him. Chad is soaking it all in and occasionally making a joke.  It rarely gets better than this, hanging with some cool people and experiencing nature.  We manage to see 41 species in about 2 hours, including a wood frog.  Brian says the wood frog sounds like a duck being strangled. Here's a link to the sound. I have to agree. http://youtu.be/tSLInPZkLH8

Highlights are a pair of Black and White warblers, 6 hummingbirds  including one that perched on top of a tree to pose for us, a Redstart and one warbler we couldn't ID. Fall warblers are sometimes hard to identify and this was a classic case. We saw this bird. Yes, look down. Brian managed a few decent shots. We still have no idea what it is other than "warbler". Our guesses range, mostly to birds we want it to be. Brian shared the photo with our expert friend Holly who cleared it up. Pine Warbler.

Pine Warbler (I wanted it to be more rare)

Oh well, if this was easy it would be boring.

Mid-day birding and patience (Ashbridge Preserve and Rushton Farms)

I must be a little crazy. I was out of my mind happy today to be outside. Isn't wild mood swings a sign of crazy? But it's just so damn nice outside and nature makes me happy. If you don't enjoy flowers, butterflies and birds on some level you are either totally lame or a complete liar.


Ashbridge Trail Map

Patience is hard. Typically I will move through a park very quickly, looking as I go, listening and only slowing or stopping when I see or hear something interesting. Today, for some reason I felt less restless and was able to slow down. Some things came into focus for me as I slowed.

1. When you sit still and listen it's amazing how much human sound you hear. The traffic in the distance airplanes overhead.
2. When I stop and look for 10 or 15 minutes in one good spot, you are able to see more and more detail about that spot as time goes on.

Yeah, not exactly earth-shattering, Yoda-like wisdom. But today I feel like I translated this knowledge to something more real.

Today I was able to spend about 2 hours birding. It was in the middle of the day which is the worst time to bird, but sometimes you take what you get. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I was able to see at Ashbridge and Rushtown. I saw 24 different species of birds in Ashbridge in about 1 hour. Probably 6 different types of butterflies as well.

Migration is so on! I was excited to see several warblers today. Black and white, Black-throated blue, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart and my first Blackburnian Warbler.


Common Yellowthroat

Ashbridge Preserve is a really cool little park near my house and part of the Williston group of parks. They do a nice job taking care of these parks. It's a very quite place and oftentimes I go there and don't see other people.

Sometimes that's a good thing.

I didn't have to sneak in this time (Longwood Gardens)

We have a family membership to Longwood Gardens and I think it's well worth it. But it wasn't always that way. When I was 16 my buddy and I were into 35mm photography. We thought Longwood would be a great place to practice our "art". Mostly our photos were attempts at art, humor or something surreal. Longwood seemed like a perfect place. Even then I leaned toward nature photography trying hard to capture wildlife photos with a 80-200 mm zoom on my Canon AE-1. However, when we tried to enter imagine our surprise when they actually wanted money! I was 16 and barely had money for film and processing, let alone paying to see plants. We did what most red-blooded men children would do. We hopped the fence.

Me in the 80s, don't judge



 

 

After a nice, free afternoon of snapping wise ass shots like the one above, we left. I'm sure we were smug about our discount.

 

Fast forward to 2013.

 

It's a beautiful Friday and Tracy wants to have a date. I'm stressed about work, and even want to work a little that night but being the most excellent husband I say "sure". I was trying hard not to selfishly focus on birding. Sure, I'll look at the plants, sure I'll have dinner on the patio area, sure I'll listen to the bluegrass concert a little. So we went. Tracy is pretty cool about my crankiness and birding so she indulged me as we walked around.

 

Longwood is pretty cool. Obviously it's got the wild diversity with plants, but it also has a neat, international/hippie with money vibe. So, it culturally stimulating. And birds.

 

On the birding side, we saw a Scarlet Tanager among other birds. I barely reacted. Tracy was excited. This bird holds a special meaning. When Tracy and I were dating I turned her on to birding. She saw a photo of the Scarlet Tanager and wanted badly to see one. We listened to recordings of it's song. which is often described as a Robin with a sore throat. So, whenever we see one it's a big deal. Never mind that it's a truly beautiful bird.

 

Anyway, I finally chilled out as we walked and looking back realized that I must have been PMS or something NOT to appreciate that one. Here's a link to the bird if you don't know it. The male is bright, bright, red, with black wings. It's one of those birds that is common and turns someone into a birder when they see it.

 

Scarlet Tanager

 

 

My only Scarlet Tanager shot. I'd love to get a good one

 

I have to also admit that walking around, sipping beer, having dinner on the patio and listening to a little blue grass was cool too.



More birders than birds...almost - (Exton Park - Church Farm School)

I don't just love birds I love people. This last week I had a chance to combine both. I was originally planning on birding with my friends George and BQ and to meet a new birder names Art (alias Temujin).  I'll just leave that alias thing alone for now.

George and I decided to make it a party. So we invited away.

I think we ended up with 20 plus people showing up. All those people loving nature and many of the better birders in Chester county in attendance. I'm slightly obsessed with the top 100 in the county, so it's always fun to meet someone else on the list. I guess it's of my obsessive compulsive listing.

The birding didn't disappoint. We saw 45 different species that evening. The highlights were several bank swallows, indigo buntings, little blue heron and a handful of peeps that included lesser yellow legs, solitary and least sandpipers. The peeps pumped me up. It's a sign of migration which is always fun.

 

Lesser Yellowlegs

 

 

The walk wrapped up for a nice view of a goldfinch. A supremely common bird. Sometimes birders almost miss the common beauty too. "It's just a gold finch" can be heard sometimes on a walk. I've even said such things. Sometimes it's good to be reminded.

 

 

American Goldfinch

 

 

After the walk about 10 of us went to Victory Brewery in Exton to have a few pops and some dinner. Birding, beers and friends (old and new) is basically a perfect night for me.

 



Simple beauty and rarity - Exton Park (Church Farm School)

Bam!! That's right suckers Defina was first on a Snowy this year! *Pumps fist*  Yes, I just high-fived myself.

One of my favorite places to bird and observe nature is Exton Park behind the Church Farm School in West Whiteland, PA. It's close to my house and has a very diverse ecosystem. Hundreds of species of birds have been observed, some of them extremely rare. There are also many species that breed here.

My last walk here was a few days ago. Most noteworthy was a fairly rare Chester county sighting of a pair of Snowy Egrets. I've been told that Snowy's usually appear in Chester county as a single bird but that a pair isn't common. I wasn't 100% sure that they were Snowy Egrets, but the photos confirmed this. Immature birds often don't have the clearest markings that an adult bird will show.

Anyway, I was pretty damn pumped when I saw them. Always cool being the first to snag a species and see all the other birders come get it, or try to get it.

More on Exton Park at www.friendsofextonpark.com

Immature Snowy Egret

Not to be lost was the great views of a Green Heron. This bird is way common but it's still pretty spectacular. My photos kind of suck but you can get the idea of the collar, contrast and crest of the bird. It's call is a duck-like bark. I love to see birds like this and be reminded of the simple beauty of a common thing. I wish I could show all my non-birding friends what I'm seeing. I guess I'm a nature evangelist.

Green Heron

We saw nothing new and it was awesome - Crow's Nest Preserve

I literally pray "God please give me a new bird sighting" when I go out. It feels childish and bratty but I do it anyway. Usually my prayers are answered with something cool. A new species, a baby fox, a beaver working.  The other day I was pumped. I was hitting a new place called Crow's Nest Preserve with some friends. These guys are awesome birders and knowledgeable about nature. I'm certain to see all kinds of stuff.


We met at around 5 and immediately logged some Indigo Buntings, Blue-winged warbler and Yellow Throated Vireos. Very cool to see with the yellows and blues but all fairly common birds. I was hoping to see a Hooded Warbler. As we walked along and time went on I started to think my hunt for the Hooded was not going to be successful. But a funny thing happened. It was still fun!

We prowled the woods and fields and meadows and kept seeing birds, but we also had a chance to shoot the shit about life...mostly around nature, but we fell into a friendly banter that men can have. No girls, we didn't talk about our feelings, just...stuff.

This Crow's Nest is a Chester County gem. We found a lot of diverse plant life and it's the first time I've ever seen Cardinal flower blooming in the wild.  Looks like something a hummingbird would dig on.

Cardinal Flower



Adventure? Damn right!

Yo friends and people who don't know they are my friend!

You might be one of two groups. The first group is like "Birding! Awesome, love it, tell me more". The other, likely larger group is saying "Adventures? Really? Isn't that word a bit strong?"  To the latter I must say I have made an amazing discovering! Sure, roll your eyes more and my daring, my brazen tone but it's true. Over the last 2 years I've been spending a lot of time running around in forests, fields, swamps and near rivers, lakes and ponds mostly within 30 minutes of my house and I've found really cool, neat stuff that I never knew was so close. My child like delight of being outside has returned! Tons of birds, but also fox, beaver, beautiful settings and the amazing natural beauty under our noses. You know that expression "stop and smell the roses"?

Sometimes I am chasing down a bird that I heard about on ebird.org. Like yesterday, when I ran over to Exton Park in my business casual clothing, speed walking in the mud and getting eaten by bugs and stuck my sticker bushes (yeah, I'm hardcore) just to see an immature little blue heron.

Once I ran out to see a Glossy Ibis in my PJ's and slippers. Dork? Definitely. But bite me, it's fun!

So I begin my journal/adventure log.

I will try not to be too crude, but if you met my dad you'd understand if I slip up once in awhile.

Finally, stealing something cool from the documentary "Central Park Effect"

In his “Seven Pleasures of Birding,” Chris Cooper explains how these small creatures enhance the lives of the people who come to Central Park to watch, listen and learn from their avian neighbors. We find:

1. The beauty of the birds.
2. The joy of being in a natural setting.
3. The joys of scientific discovery.
4. The joy of hunting, without the bloodshed.
5. The joy of puzzle-solving (identifying the birds).
6. The joy of collecting (listing each sighting).
7. “The Unicorn Effect” (finding a bird that you know only from the field guide).