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.