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| A Maine Great Egret |
So today is the fall version of Big Day for birders. The idea is to go out and see how many birds you can count in a day. I don't usually do too well on these sort of things, as they always seem to fall when we are busy with real life.
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| Cute little Black Guillemot |
And after having such a Big Weekend last week it is probably going to be a bit anticlimactic. We were taken to Maine by kids and grandkids, had a great time, and of course there was birding. 46 lovely Maine species, including two lifers, Common Eider and Black Guillemot. There were also lighthouses, landmarks, Moose Questing, good food and a lot of fun....so thanks for everything plus the turkeys.....
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| Maine Double-crested Cormorant |
Anyhow, I will get out as much as I can today, hopefully starting soon, and see what can be found around our acreage. The place is shaggy and unkempt, which is just how the birds like it. About the only ones that like manicured lawns are the robins and starlings. Sparrows are passing through just now and we usually see some nice ones.
The highlight of the past week after returning home btw was a Ruddy Duck up on the pond by the home of a certain popular race car driver we know. Big deal for me, as I have been looking for one in county for several years.
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| NY Song Sparrow |
Even if today is not a Big one for you, I hope you have a great one! Meanwhile, I am listening for the first cardinal to start chirping on the front lawn feeder. He is usually first bird these days...
Wishing you a great Big Day! Your blog history proves you are one of the region's great birders. Here's hoping you find some wonderful surprises.
ReplyDeleteI have never worked too hard at a "big day" for birding. My partner and I have done a Birdathon several times but alway just stay on our property so a count of 30 is a fairly big deal. (I do remember one time going out with one of the areas better birders on an outing years ago. He identified and counted one 100 birds before the sun came up and we did not see one. It was all by ear. I decided to stick to wild flower identification.)
ReplyDeleteJacqueline, even though we are sharing a car and cannot always get out and go, we did have a wonderful day. Nothing new for the year, but lots of birds we have only seen once or twice, including a Sharp-shinned Hawk, Ruffed Grouse, and an actual photo of a Palm Warbler. It was fun, thanks
ReplyDeleteOW, 100 birds before sunup! Wow, what an incredible accomplishment! I also do a lot of ear birding as my sight isn't what it used to be...and it never was that great. Big Day for me is an excuse more than anything, to devote more resources to doing what I love. I am not anywhere near as cognizant with flowers and plants as I would like to be, alas.
I hope you got the 100 bird goal!!!
ReplyDeleteLinda, alas, I don't think I have ever seen 100 species in a single day, but we did have a great time...lots of fun!
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