BirdingGirl

Check out these great pictures posted by Charlie over at 10,000 Birds: Horned Lark. Jones Beach, NY. These birds are stocky, chubby, and wet-faced, shown foraging in the snow. They're in sharp contrast to the ones I took at Crane Beach in Ipswich, MA. You can see my pictures in my January 13th post: Horned Larks at Crane Beach . The birds I saw appeared taller, sleeker and behaved like plovers. I just had to share the link to 10,000 Birds' post since these are some great close-up pictures. I also have some exciting news to share—this morning I finally bit the bullet and got a Mass Audubon membership. Can't wait to start taking advantage of it! The first thing I will do is sign up for the Mass Audubon Birder's Meeting March 15th. I'm really looking forward to the event. As a matter of fact, BirdingGirl will be featuring an interview with one of the presenters at the meeting, David Scarpitti, this weekend. His break-out session is on Habitat Management Opportunities ...

Ever wonder why I don't talk about the birds visiting my backyard feeder? It's because I don't have one. I often post about birds I see at my parents' home on Cape Cod, or even the birds that friends spot at their own feeders. Unfortunately I can't have one since my apartment is on the second floor and although we have a back porch, I resent the mess it makes on our porch, as well as the first floor apartment's porch and yard. That's not to say we haven't tried—I have made two separate attempts to hang a feeder and suet basket from the porch roof, but those darn House Sparrows make such a mess, strewing birdseed everywhere and messing all over the floor. They're even so bold as to feast right on top of our furniture. Bird poop on the table is not too appetizing at a barbecue. My boyfriend was the one who was really on top of the cleaning, but of course I chipped in and helped sweep and scrub the floor with Windex. I think one of our biggest problems ...

I have yet another update on my Nation Audubon Society membership saga. It started back in mid-January when I was charged right away, didn't receive any materials until a few weeks later, and as of yet I still haven't received a copy of the magazine. All along I've suspected that national membership does not cover my local chapter membership (which happens to be Massachusetts) because there is such a high discrepancy in membership dues ($20 vs. $44). I decided to get on the phone Monday, as I posted , spoke with a very nice woman from the national office and then waited to hear back from my local chapter. Then I got a call on Tuesday explaining that the National Audubon Society is not affiliated with the Massachusetts Audubon Society. So now I have a national membership that offers me no value (except for the magazine) and I have to start from scratch in getting a MassAudubon membership. I hate to complain so much, especially when I know the funds I've donated still g...

Massachusetts Bird Conference Saturday, March 15, 2008 Bentley College, Waltham, MA The theme is "Massachusetts Birds: Our Common Wealth and Natural Heritage." Here's a brief description: "Whether you feed birds at home, seek birds with binoculars, spotting scopes or hunting gear, you are sure to find topics that appeal to your interest in Massachusetts birds including: research findings, waterfowl identification, youth bird clubs, conservation stamps, bird calls, habitat management techniques for birds in decline and many other bird related topics." I'm seriously considering going to learn more about birding and get some ideas for the blog and things I'd like to start doing. Here are the prices (they go up $10 after March 10): $48 Mass Audubon members $58 Non-members The prices may seem steep, but all proceeds go toward Mass Audubon’s Important Bird Area (IBA) program and Mass Wildlife’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. There are 3 morn...

I went jogging on Saturday and this time I left my camera at home to focus on my time. Despite not taking any time to stop, I was still able to catch a few sightings. I saw the resident Great Blue Heron, actually prompting him to take flight as I ran by. This was strange because the last time we were jogging my boyfriend picked up on him after I had already gone by and he stayed still while we took pictures before continuing on. Maybe he was in a more 'fleeing' mood due to the warmer temperatures this weekend. The previous time he was hunkered down into his shoulders trying to keep warm wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. The only other interesting sighting I had was a Common Redpoll. This one crossed the path low in front of me and started hopping around the underbrush. My Sibley Guide says they're almost always seen in flocks (and when I saw them before on Martha's Vineyard there was a good number of them) but in this case I think they were there, but I just didn...

I got an email promoting this Audubon-sponsored game to help promote the Great Backyard Birding Count (GBBC). It's great practice for real-life birding where you may only have 5 seconds to absorb and memorize every detail about a bird's size or coloring. You can adjust the time limit and even go for unlimited time (which I admit I resorted to in the end...). Try it out by clicking on the image below: Audubon Eagle Eyes Game Let me know how you do!

So I received my national membership materials a week or so ago. The welcom letter clearly states: "In addition to your membership card, please find enclosed out brochure which outlines benefits of Audubon membership: Membership in your local Audubon chapter..." It's just vague enough though that I'm still not sure. It just seems too good to be true: a one-year National Membership for $20 that carries the same benefits as an individual Massachusetts Membership for $44 . I'm not complaining, but as you can understand I'm just highly skeptical that it's going to work out that way. I just called the national membership services number and the woman said I should contact my local chapter to go about getting membership materials (most importantly the sticker for my car and the card needed to get into certain sanctuaries). I called the local chapter number she gave me but the office was closed due to the holiday. I left a voicemail though so hopefully someone ...

Thanks again for all the tips in identifying the 'Mystery Bird' from my jogging trip a few weeks ago. As I explained, I initially thought it was a mallard hybrid, I received multiple tips that it was a green-winged teal, and my friend Dave also got in on the action, sharing that he thought it was an American Widgeon. This was based on his knowledge that green-winged teals should not be this far south this time of year ('they are one of the first birds to head south in the fall'), and that it did not look small enough among the mallards in the picture I had posted. I kept trying to cross-check it but I kept forgetting the name he used, thinking he said 'midgeon.' Finally I was able to get confirmation that it was widgeon and just look a moment to look them up. I can see the similarities but it's not the same bird I captured. I found this picture on The Bird Zoo . Click on the picture to visit the duck section- it's worth scrolling through the whole list- ...

Thanks to everyone for their helpful tips and information about National vs. Regional Audubon memberships. My plan is to wait and see what comes with my national membership and then probably get a dual membership for my boyfriend and me. That would be $58 for two vs. $44 for one. Thanks to Bennet for the tip about seasonal promotions. He and his wife paid just $25 for the two of them! I'll see how long I can hold out, but I may just bite the bullet and pay the $58 so we can gain access to some of the most desireable sanctuaries. Bennet also shared his goal of visiting all of the Massachusetts Audubon sanctuaries (45). What great motivation to get out there and bird! The Mass Audubon Website has an interactive map that links to the individual sanctuaries: Bennet also posed the question of which Mass sanctuaries I would recommend. After reviewing this map I realized I've only been to 3! Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, Blue Hills in Canton, and Ashumet Holly in East Falmouth. Of the...