We birded in fog. We chased in snowstorms. Early morning. After dark. Every. Single. Day.
At the end of that first year I kinda patted myself on the back and shot for another year.
Lo and behold this morning I made it to a thousand days. Perhaps I should say "we" because the boss has faithfully and without complaint driven me most of those days. He will come to where I am sitting or puttering and make steering wheel motions with his hands. I will nod, yes, and off we go to the river or the hills or the hidden hay fields where woodcocks dance.
Some of those lists were pretty skimpy. Flu and Adenovirus made for days when I staggered to the landing on the stairs, counted the birds on the feeders below, and fell back into bed. Other days we went to Montezuma, or the Outer Banks, or oh, so many amazing places, where we counted with gay abandon.
I was pretty happy to make this milestone on such a lovely day for birding. We didn't see any real rarities, but an Osprey flew over at our Rankin Grove hot spot...and I heard something there that I have never heard before and more than likely never will again.
As I stood in the warming sunlight in the middle of the road...not much traffic...a Turkey Vulture soared over. Then another and another and another until there were an even dozen, using the warm air rising from the road for a frolic.
Normally they would only soar on static wings, bending a primary feather half an inch to soar miles in a different direction. They look like so many solemn undertakers floating on the sky.
However, these birds were dive bombing one another, playing I guess. They cut through the sky as sharply as any falcon, wings bent almost in half. Talk about agile! Swoop! Swish! Slip and slide.
As I marveled at their acrobatics I thought I heard a jet plane in the sky behind me. It was weirdly low.
Then a vulture stooped at another and I heard it again. It was their wings! And it was loud!
How cool is that?
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| This little person was right out in the middle of the road when we first saw him but he sauntered over to the shoulder at our approach. I'll bet his heinie was warm when his mama caught up with him. |
The top photo I took yesterday morning. It was so foggy that it was hard to tell that these were Wood Ducks...eighteen of them all together...except by their weird whooping whistle. Whenever I hear them I think of the jungle.
The rest are non-bird things we have seen over the last few of the thousand day marathon. It sure was fun!
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6 comments:
Quite an accomplishment.
I always thought turkey buzzards were made up names.
WOW! You even got the buzzards in flight! Good for you!
Congratulations! That is something. And I had no idea the buzzards could make sounds with their wings.
Jan, thanks, it was fun!
Linda, of course as soon as I started the video they took off.
but thanks!
Jonna, thanks, it was so much fun! I was astonished by the sound, like something tearing almost, but I truly thought it was a jet at first. I will look at them differently now...as if I know some of their secrets.
Congratulations on such a remarkable achievement! And thanks for your vivid and often amusing account of your birding adventures.
Jacqueline, thanks, it was a lot of fun and we are still enjoying our travels in search of birdies.
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