tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26012031805850973692024-03-14T04:57:57.505-07:00BirdingGirlAdventures in New England birdwatching.Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.comBlogger253125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-5890569077076844022014-04-11T06:37:00.000-07:002014-04-11T06:37:05.049-07:00Killdeer Chick in Yellowstone National ParkThese were taken at West Thumb Geyser Basis, along the beach. It was really cool to get to watch these little chicks up close and personal. I had never seen Killdeer chicks before- only adults. These pictures are from our trip to Montana/Wyoming in July 2012.<br />
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Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com1West Thumb Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190, USA44.4185508 -110.5729845999999818.8965163 -151.88157859999998 69.9405853 -69.264390599999984tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-11030631745204892292013-01-20T09:38:00.000-08:002013-01-20T09:38:07.309-08:00Clark's Nutcracker at Yellowstone National Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While visiting the Upper and Lower Falls in Yellowstone National Park we got a great photo opportunity with a Clark's Nutcracker. It was perched atop two different trees at one of the lookout points. Beautiful bird. I remember it reminded me of a mockingbird but was larger, had a longer, narrower beak, and the gray coloring was very distinct.</span>Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-27239410781891752732012-12-19T12:00:00.000-08:002013-01-20T08:50:32.626-08:00Western Tanager and other Montana Birds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Western Tanager</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Cedar Waxwing</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brewer's Sparrow in the sage brush (I think...)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brewer's Sparrow</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dark-eyed Junco</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Cedar Waxwing picture was also taken at the side of the nature preserve along Teton Park Road (Grand Teton National Park). The Brewer's Sparrow pictures were taken at while we were camping with some friends at Taylor Fork, near Big Sky. Sparrows are by nature tricky to identify (especially for me!) but I did my best to narrow down the list, and feel like it's a close match.</span>Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-48778751147703095882012-12-17T21:30:00.000-08:002012-12-17T21:30:03.482-08:00Tree Swallow Preening- Montana Birds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tree Swallow Preening</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> These pictures were taken in Wyoming on our drive from Grand Targhee Resort to Jackson Lake. We were passing by a beautiful view of the Grand Tetons and on the right-hand side of the road was a fenced-off preserve, which must have been part of Grand Teton National Park. While we were stopped to take pictures of the Grand Tetons I also got pictures of this Tree Swallow, and a Swainson's Hawk, which I'll post separately. I'm pretty sure we saw Sandhill Cranes while driving, but didn't stop to take pictures.</span></div>
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<br />Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-79769183664113726592012-12-16T10:20:00.000-08:002012-12-16T10:20:02.961-08:00Mountain Bluebird- Pictures from Montana Trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisq-9ud2ZcrJBkv2akFI7MX8-UUyes14tXZo9sf304IMwP9nNp0V7R8gRdGWkVBA4mc0LHErIePfB_PsEOsXTDQzmC25nWxYx0OPHKjsbF1cQ6loBJJewWKSuf_-jTH76E2Ah-Zg3JkS5r/s1600/Female+Mountain+Bluebird.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisq-9ud2ZcrJBkv2akFI7MX8-UUyes14tXZo9sf304IMwP9nNp0V7R8gRdGWkVBA4mc0LHErIePfB_PsEOsXTDQzmC25nWxYx0OPHKjsbF1cQ6loBJJewWKSuf_-jTH76E2Ah-Zg3JkS5r/s320/Female+Mountain+Bluebird.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Female Mountain Bluebird</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-QVle10XAayQZbeuMK3a06wc6XWam4ypmHqbYkdrHFmQEu2G-T8itLOpWBmH2xHQOcAU1kYMtv8jyZe34ZLJQc4wJIbLquq-ckBxENovkQW5id7G7BNfozHxeOjL5LzpE6rgNFvhGnqo/s1600/Female+Mountain+Bluebird_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-QVle10XAayQZbeuMK3a06wc6XWam4ypmHqbYkdrHFmQEu2G-T8itLOpWBmH2xHQOcAU1kYMtv8jyZe34ZLJQc4wJIbLquq-ckBxENovkQW5id7G7BNfozHxeOjL5LzpE6rgNFvhGnqo/s320/Female+Mountain+Bluebird_2.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Female Mountain Bluebird</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiws2pkyA0CC4Xy0AOEMjS17rLgP81ukU3m7O1K4yIZJ3JBBoPf5MLb5QVxr3aW5qJX9cdltUVFJ5PGdqbkGGZvOGXyy_NoD_m6nWjaw5nrU1eErKT0X7wTkkIO6tmB7lMQlhnbcZxnUv7o/s1600/Mountain+Bluebird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiws2pkyA0CC4Xy0AOEMjS17rLgP81ukU3m7O1K4yIZJ3JBBoPf5MLb5QVxr3aW5qJX9cdltUVFJ5PGdqbkGGZvOGXyy_NoD_m6nWjaw5nrU1eErKT0X7wTkkIO6tmB7lMQlhnbcZxnUv7o/s320/Mountain+Bluebird.jpg" width="191" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Male Mountain Bluebird</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdl7lfmSVCJGAfsmJtJTutFA_TGGfyj4TVEf6GbiJ0z1lJUetaGgHRxtNSujwFz_JeXXH25blr2-fRojSZ8YoSSfcUgahffg8kb918YIXpYY3VdScVaqMVpk4iivcSbTfqCbE6DRr7O83/s1600/Mountain+Bluebird_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdl7lfmSVCJGAfsmJtJTutFA_TGGfyj4TVEf6GbiJ0z1lJUetaGgHRxtNSujwFz_JeXXH25blr2-fRojSZ8YoSSfcUgahffg8kb918YIXpYY3VdScVaqMVpk4iivcSbTfqCbE6DRr7O83/s320/Mountain+Bluebird_2.jpg" width="272" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm catching up on posting pictures from my trip to Montana in July 2012. These pictures of a Mountain Bluebird were taken in Big Sky. The ones at a distance were taken from the backyard of the condo some of our friends rented. We were all in Big Sky for Steve's friend Kevin's wedding. We stayed at the lodge where the wedding took place- up on the mountain-side. The female Mountain Bluebird pictures were taken up there. She was making lots of noise while we were packing up the rental car for our drive to the airport to go home. It took a long time to clean the car and pack our bags for the airport since we had been in Montana-Wyoming-Idaho for a week and a half! The Mountain Bluebird kept us company.</span><br />
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Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-42790574775310255392012-10-24T09:51:00.001-07:002012-10-24T09:51:17.588-07:00Mallard Hybrid Hen in New Jersey<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm not the greatest at identifying hybrids- I've blogged about them
twice before with mixed results (one was likely some kind of <a href="http://birdinggirl.blogspot.com/2010/11/mallard-hybrid-possible-domestic-duck.html" target="_blank">domestic duck hybrid</a>, and the other was a <a href="http://birdinggirl.blogspot.com/2008/02/waterfowl-update-mallard-hybrid-green.html" target="_blank">Green-winged Teal</a>,
which was actually a rarity for the time of year I saw it)- BUT I'll
give it a shot anyway. I'd love to know everyone's thoughts!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was in Beach Haven, NJ this past June for a friend's wedding. As part of the festivities we went to the rehearsal dinner, which was hosted by another one of their friends with a canal-front home. There were two different families of mallard ducks swimming close to the dock- looking for a free meal. I noticed that one of the female mallards (or "hens") had an unusual amount of white on her neck and wing. Does anyone have any idea what type of mallard hybrid this might be?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mallard Hybrid: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span>Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-64514574566290760962012-09-20T19:11:00.001-07:002012-09-20T19:14:02.071-07:00My Interview on AllBestBinoculars.com<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perry from AllBestBinoculars.com reached out to me a few weeks ago to do an interview for his Birder's Corner. AllBestBinoculars.com is a binocular review site and includes a section on <a href="http://allbestbinoculars.com/category/birding-binoculars/" target="_blank">birding binoculars</a>. I'm always happy to connect with other bloggers and writers so this was right up my alley. It took some time and thought but I'm glad he asked me to do it--it made me really reflect on my experiences as a birdwatcher.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check it out:</span><br />
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<a href="http://allbestbinoculars.com/birder-interviews-birding-girl/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7M1L_3dy8_ob6OZYq0ec4aaWdaMR9uc6I4jU-yFMJvRtqwalUrhWEI5d6xivD0HThvMdCVuEekybhx1Sc2Hm_L4oMFamCUaOMHZDiZCz-zYWgHS4mzzpAM4ngbGK0-0g5MDb7K28Fsgb/s320/bestbirdbinoculars.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://allbestbinoculars.com/birder-interviews-birding-girl/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://allbestbinoculars.com/birder-interviews-birding-girl/</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also, fellow BwBTC blogger Larry from the Brownstone Birding Blog did an interview too: <a href="http://allbestbinoculars.com/interview-with-larry-brownstone-birding/">http://allbestbinoculars.com/interview-with-larry-brownstone-birding/</a>. Larry's my go-to source when it comes to shopping for binoculars- he helped me pick out my first pair. Actually, I'm overdue to get a new pair since I'm still using the <a href="http://birdinggirl.blogspot.com/2008/05/birding-binoculars-getting-ready-for.html" target="_blank">Nikon Action 8x40s</a> I bought back in 2008 before my first Bird-a-thon. I'll have to check out Perry's site, and will probably ping Larry again.</span>Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-61372694383862157382012-08-05T07:03:00.001-07:002012-08-05T07:06:16.889-07:00Blue Hills Toads and FrogsHere are some more pictures from our hike at Blue Hills Reservation in Canton, MA back in May. Toads and frogs are fun to try and spot while you're hiking. We tend to take the trails that don't see as much foot traffic so we usually have a better chance of seeing wildlife. With frogs & toads you'll see a flash of movement and then it's fun to try and locate them on the side of the trail since they're so fantastic at camouflaging.<br />
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American Toad<br />
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Wood Frog<br />
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<br /></div>Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-25251625508796894652012-08-05T06:51:00.002-07:002012-08-05T06:53:02.564-07:00Indigo Bunting at Blue Hills ReservationBack in May Steve and I made a trip to the Blue Hills Reservation in Canton, MA. When we go for hikes we usually don't have much time to stop and bird, but luckily I got some downtime when we reached the top of a hill to eat lunch. I first heard, that noticed this beautiful Male Indigo Bunting singing atop a pine tree.<br />
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He was very far away, but at least I was able to zoom with my camera to a certain degree. I believe this was only my second time seeing an indigo bunting. The first time I saw an <a href="http://birdinggirl.blogspot.com/2009/05/indigo-bunting-at-mt-auburn-cemetery.html" target="_blank">indigo bunting</a> was at Mt. Auburn Cemetery in May of 2009.Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-24738117961275582122012-05-28T12:10:00.001-07:002012-05-28T12:10:34.151-07:00Tropical Mockingbird Habits in Mexico<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is the Mexican companion to my <a href="http://birdinggirl.blogspot.com/2008/03/northern-mockingbird-habits.html" target="_blank">Northern Mockingbird Habits</a> post from 2008. We had a lot of fun watching the Tropical Mockingbirds at our resort in Cancun, Mexico. They were very noisy, and actually had a very similar repertoire of songs to our Northern Mockingbird. I was able to pick them out by their sound first before I spotted them. This one was flying all around the back edge of our all-inclusive resort, and enjoyed landing on the fancy stonework of the Excellence Club room balconies. Note the long tail feathers and prominent eyebrow markings. Mockingbirds are one of my favorite species and these ones in Mexico did not disappoint!Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com4Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico20.8398489 -86.887787120.8250089 -86.9075281 20.8546889 -86.8680461tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-52869412941914518972012-05-28T11:12:00.000-07:002012-05-28T11:12:04.599-07:00Brown Pelican Pouch Stretching<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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According to the research I've done so far, Brown Pelicans periodically stretch their gular pouch by putting their heads back and stretching it over their breast. In some cases, they turn their pouch inside out, which is what can be seen in these pictures here. You can see the pink, fleshy inside of the pelican's pouch as he completely inverts it. I thought I'd leave you with at least one presentable picture of the Brown Pelican, looking dapper and smiling. It's the least I can do after intruding on his pouch stretching ritutal! These pelicans we saw relaxing on the abandoned pier at our resort in Cancun, Mexico. The birds enjoyed relaxing and sunning themselves on it. And it made for some easy birdwatching for me!Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com1Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico20.8398489 -86.887787120.8250089 -86.9075281 20.8546889 -86.8680461tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-70232601210581983012012-05-28T10:27:00.000-07:002012-05-28T10:27:25.486-07:00Great-tailed Grackle in Mexico<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Male Great-tailed Grackle<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToEsIuqRWwwYc6XJz8R-kjXVIyeirpmLCluBHU0XcjM1QvahQr8nB0zVwyjtwgAN81zdsTRMBRyOLcPdAnMkAb74-bt5OD3N5u0yYmbJkOGTS1d1dVmeNmSNj2NV18DL1nsAefcZbdkqK/s1600/great-tailed+grackle+male.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToEsIuqRWwwYc6XJz8R-kjXVIyeirpmLCluBHU0XcjM1QvahQr8nB0zVwyjtwgAN81zdsTRMBRyOLcPdAnMkAb74-bt5OD3N5u0yYmbJkOGTS1d1dVmeNmSNj2NV18DL1nsAefcZbdkqK/s320/great-tailed+grackle+male.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Great-tailed Grackle at our resort in Cancun, Mexico</div>
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Female Great-tailed Grackle in a Palm Tree</div>
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Female Great-tailed Grackle</div>
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Female Great-tailed Grackle gathering nest materials on the beach</div>
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There were lots of Great-tailed Grackles at our resort in Cancun, Mexico. Although they're common and kind of a noisy, nuisance bird I enjoyed watching them. Like the female, shown here on the beach, gathering nest materials. I almost thought it was a male at first since it looked so dark in the direct sunlight here on the beach, but it didn't make sense for the male to be working on the nest. All I had to do was compare the pictures side-by-side and then the differences between the male and the female were very apparent.<br />
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These grackles seem almost prehistoric the way they maneuver and use their legs to grab at stuff. I especially like the male's long tapered tail that fans out. They're more interesting than our common grackles here in the Northeast. For more information on common grackles, and the <a href="http://birdinggirl.blogspot.com/2008/06/difference-between-grackles-and.html" target="_blank">difference between grackles and starlings</a> you can check my blog post from June 2008.Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com1Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico20.8398489 -86.887787120.8250089 -86.9075281 20.8546889 -86.8680461tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-58934243100928431532012-05-27T06:39:00.000-07:002012-05-27T06:39:18.164-07:00Sandwich Tern in Mexico<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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These Sandwich Terns were part of the dilapidated pier gang (which included brown pelicans, laughing gulls and double-crested cormorants). They chose to hang out at the very end of this old, out of commission pier at the Excellence Resort Cancun Riviera. At first I thought they were gulls, but the more I researched the more I had trouble finding one with the distinct long, black narrow beak with the white tip at the end. That's when I found pictures of the Sandwich Tern in non-breeding plumage that were a close match!Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com0Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico20.8398489 -86.887787120.8250089 -86.9075281 20.8546889 -86.8680461tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-91073691258987287992012-05-27T06:25:00.000-07:002012-05-27T06:33:58.020-07:00Hooded Oriole in Cancun Mexico<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This was one bird I had a tricky time identifying. At first I thought it as an Altamira Oriole because it seemed to match the pictures, but then the closer I looked at the I looked at the ID notes provided on <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/Page.aspx" target="_blank">All About Birds</a>, and the concentration of these two species in the part of Mexico I was in on <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/map" target="_blank">ebird range map</a>, the more confident I felt that it was a Hooded Oriole.<br />
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As you can see in these pictures, the Coconut Palm is a favorite tree for these birds- they like to forage on the clusters of green flowers and generally just sit here as a good lookout spot. I saw these orioles from time to time around the resort grounds, and also heard them. Their call is very similar to our Baltimore Oriole and sure enough, every time I heard it and looked up sure enough there was the Hooded Oriole.Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com1Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico20.8398489 -86.887787120.8250089 -86.9075281 20.8546889 -86.8680461tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-22142984783783002902012-05-27T05:28:00.000-07:002012-05-27T06:29:28.142-07:00Tropical Kingbird in Cancun Mexico<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Earlier this month we went to Cancun, Mexico for my good friend Lori's wedding. We had a fantastic time relaxing at the all-inclusive resort she and Mark got married at. As an added bonus, I got to do some birdwatching in a tropical location! This is going to be the first of several bird posts from Mexico.<br />
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I noticed this tropical kingbird while we were laying out at the beach. I saw it flying around and landing on the roofs of various structures. This is probably my favorite bird from the entire trip. I love the bright yellow breast, contrasted against the subtle grey. Grey and yellow are a great color combination!Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com0Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico20.8398489 -86.887787120.8250089 -86.9075281 20.8546889 -86.8680461tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-20469814073127929042012-05-06T08:12:00.000-07:002012-05-06T08:12:12.970-07:00Great Blue Heron Roosting in Japan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My friend Phil shared these pictures of a Great Blue Heron roosting in Japan. According to him- there are lots of them roosting in the trees near where he lives and they make a lot of noise and are pretty annoying. I decided to see if I could get more information about Great Blue Herons in Japan, and found this great blog from Jeffrey Friedl with pictures of an urban Great Blue Heron, who is essentially domesticated by the people who live on that block since they feed him platefuls of fish. Definitely check it out because his pictures are fantastic and the story is interesting: <a href="http://regex.info/blog/2007-05-23/466">http://regex.info/blog/2007-05-23/466</a>.Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-89692598381729584822012-03-31T10:35:00.000-07:002012-03-31T10:35:03.853-07:00Green-backed Lesser Goldfinch and More from San Jose, CA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Green-backed Lesser Goldfinch:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was in San Jose, CA last month for a work conference- SMX West. It was great to get the latest SEO strategies and tips from the experts. I was there for 3 days, but I was so busy attending sessions I didn't have a chance to bird until the last day. It worked out better that way anyway- it was finally sunny and in the 60s for my final afternoon in San Jose when I had an hour to kill before my flight home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although San Jose is a large city, I was confident I could find a nice city park to bird. My strategy is to plot my central location (San Jose Convention Center) on Google Maps and then zoom out until I spot a green patch. I found Guadalupe River Park, which runs throughout the city.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJl50VOwZarMKf1Hf4l4iNLT_vfniiBv4q3ORfcpGRGfh76QmSxeVMnXaXTJzmMObKSz9zk8bcd_tdi7awCmT9hmH4BiXgFF9bl5qFe-VAcBT8Zat70gp1v97-oMg3MBuHaCIOzCW2vau/s1600/guadalupe+park+california_3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJl50VOwZarMKf1Hf4l4iNLT_vfniiBv4q3ORfcpGRGfh76QmSxeVMnXaXTJzmMObKSz9zk8bcd_tdi7awCmT9hmH4BiXgFF9bl5qFe-VAcBT8Zat70gp1v97-oMg3MBuHaCIOzCW2vau/s320/guadalupe+park+california_3.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FTteHwiv2DR4P8I-FFZAjHrvggR__gNl05dJAIjztsYIyd7q4ZYEhvDCbQlIJW_pj4pMbGDjDsLYM8sdjUnnkycnU48hyqSss9smfY-E4fX6Jl4zjvpM0kXIlhbcAL2Tj9KthO7-9rV3/s1600/guadalupe+river+park+bird+statue.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FTteHwiv2DR4P8I-FFZAjHrvggR__gNl05dJAIjztsYIyd7q4ZYEhvDCbQlIJW_pj4pMbGDjDsLYM8sdjUnnkycnU48hyqSss9smfY-E4fX6Jl4zjvpM0kXIlhbcAL2Tj9KthO7-9rV3/s320/guadalupe+river+park+bird+statue.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was an entrance just a couple blocks from the Convention Center, which was convenient. I spent some time reading the Google Place reviews, which were helpful because they made me aware that it might not be the safest place to go alone. Some of the comments mentioned homeless people living there, which isn't uncommon but good to be aware of. I remember when I used to <a href="http://birdinggirl.blogspot.com/2008/02/charles-river-bird-sightings.html" target="_blank">bird at the Charles River</a> in Watertown I would sometimes notice a homeless person's tent/shelter in the woods off the path. It's important to be aware of your surroundings and be on alert when you go birding alone. I only go during the day and try to choose areas that are well-populated. If I encounter someone who makes me feel uncomfortable I just move away from the secluded area and go back to the more populated part of the park/path. When you're following the scent of a rare or life bird it can be difficult to pull yourself away, but stop and think about what's more important- your personal safety.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, fortunately I didn't encounter anyone dangerous during my short time birding at Guadalupe River Park, although I did notice some homeless people working on their shelter in the woods across the river. They were shouting and hammering away, which made me notice them. I just simply moved back toward the road where it was more populated and where I wouldn't be bothering them and vice versa. Unfortunately as birders we're rather conspicuous with our binoculars and cameras. I didn't want them to think I was looking at them, which was difficult because there were some warblers down that end of the path, but it wasn't worth upsetting some unpredictable homeless people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In addition to the Green-backed Lesser Goldfinch pictured above, I saw many other life birds. That's the most exciting part about traveling- getting to see new birds. Since I had never seen one before, the Lesser Goldfinch took some research to identify. I always start with the most distinguishing characteristic- in this case the fat beak typical of finches. Since most of my bird guides are for the Eastern U.S., California birds are not usually pictured. In the end it took some searches and my Crossley ID Guide to find this bird.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Allen's or Anna's? Hummingbird:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqirvLKaMQ2CSTP6raw5ttrBHN8ZIICCRDdpneKSREl0U_SeZqSxnQAH0KV6NkUm9amHlw7x6Rtx1jc-urRSEIhCawksS7db48oRa0Qj5LoEnKRS-dcsiOG8-b_JCZBHa4KzU7MCvRmDpD/s1600/allen's+hummingbird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqirvLKaMQ2CSTP6raw5ttrBHN8ZIICCRDdpneKSREl0U_SeZqSxnQAH0KV6NkUm9amHlw7x6Rtx1jc-urRSEIhCawksS7db48oRa0Qj5LoEnKRS-dcsiOG8-b_JCZBHa4KzU7MCvRmDpD/s320/allen's+hummingbird.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMeaXTPpwT9V55gxhbj74eB_dL2JBUpd6APO3bS1Yq6uHYCXzs7MSWpVJjCAtwrC5DJohSNhPTkJck65RndxgQeR-R1f_XKzZfJlxYnsPK2X3mNFKTTl4HLd64-wHikaSsvpMdImOjPskY/s1600/allen's+hummingbird_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMeaXTPpwT9V55gxhbj74eB_dL2JBUpd6APO3bS1Yq6uHYCXzs7MSWpVJjCAtwrC5DJohSNhPTkJck65RndxgQeR-R1f_XKzZfJlxYnsPK2X3mNFKTTl4HLd64-wHikaSsvpMdImOjPskY/s320/allen's+hummingbird_2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Female Allen's or Anna's? Hummingbird:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNEboWyfU6U9G7xiop_iuzEAVJG8iWZ8ULvIE96hes9L2xjZiL1O8MQ4Jk_sovJmDM3jg_26CbNY_pMP05bbFa6icYmtaKwSU_8n6ba3QFYDB0NMwiZit04CehdlSI7kUB9O4YiCtjlxT/s1600/female+allen's+hummingbird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNEboWyfU6U9G7xiop_iuzEAVJG8iWZ8ULvIE96hes9L2xjZiL1O8MQ4Jk_sovJmDM3jg_26CbNY_pMP05bbFa6icYmtaKwSU_8n6ba3QFYDB0NMwiZit04CehdlSI7kUB9O4YiCtjlxT/s320/female+allen's+hummingbird.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgkavpaDqvf3YZ81tx6jjL56bKZ1p9gueR9Rsn4PksHPxtr229Y9nZrN6L7u-IWzTyJYM_4DzEC_LvtDHEJ2AUByVXoQCPgqdEx4VJ2h2MhA_g4slLZBMZyMDn-QPf4OATv8ASd0GTnYC/s1600/female+allen's+hummingbird_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgkavpaDqvf3YZ81tx6jjL56bKZ1p9gueR9Rsn4PksHPxtr229Y9nZrN6L7u-IWzTyJYM_4DzEC_LvtDHEJ2AUByVXoQCPgqdEx4VJ2h2MhA_g4slLZBMZyMDn-QPf4OATv8ASd0GTnYC/s320/female+allen's+hummingbird_2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Hummingbirds are another tricky ID for me. Although I had seen <a href="http://birdinggirl.blogspot.com/2009/05/annas-hummingbird-and-other-san.html" target="_blank">California hummingbirds</a> before when I was in San Francisco, I needed to take a closer look at these. It's been hard for me to find exact matches in my Crossley ID Guide, or through Google Image searches. I'm leaning toward Anna's though. Advice?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Black Phoebe:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8bNdZeRFO0Kyc1J-lgyPPeOIjN7LPFckJpnO6ByVTPzpDDED5U07tFILeOu6tFD4i_Ysc-cFGkuuDkh1JNU-80yvyUOPKxdMadmD_kbp9glmjgol6XJebe9ctwznY8joVtuUQVIFDQz3/s1600/black+phoebe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8bNdZeRFO0Kyc1J-lgyPPeOIjN7LPFckJpnO6ByVTPzpDDED5U07tFILeOu6tFD4i_Ysc-cFGkuuDkh1JNU-80yvyUOPKxdMadmD_kbp9glmjgol6XJebe9ctwznY8joVtuUQVIFDQz3/s320/black+phoebe.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnP0WsrZEld1DPCcPlFZwU0qNL1rqXAF4jPAexm3y-ho6rRAnZmEREj2KWZr8LU2OQ1LP5IfM2I7M_oSwuKy0CmU-_I57ejD1OioGshx8KtQKa1z09ZlNe1vsfDEJaYEIV0TEpQES9XPc/s1600/black+phoebe_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnP0WsrZEld1DPCcPlFZwU0qNL1rqXAF4jPAexm3y-ho6rRAnZmEREj2KWZr8LU2OQ1LP5IfM2I7M_oSwuKy0CmU-_I57ejD1OioGshx8KtQKa1z09ZlNe1vsfDEJaYEIV0TEpQES9XPc/s320/black+phoebe_2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These Black Phoebes were very fun to watch. They were the alarm birds of the park- everywhere I walked they flitted around sounding the alarm call for other birds. Before I ID-ed this bird I called it the "shama" bird because the shape and contrasting colors reminded me of the <a href="http://birdinggirl.blogspot.com/2007/08/kauai-birds.html" target="_blank">White-rumped Shama</a> I saw in Hawaii. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Common Merganser:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSNrBDeXj6nPNqyrYnLfr1lGaLJFYPboar73VYt0YP3t4IOOTAUISoXXaXlThCDB289SOa9PvucjV2MBkh_N8cYggXH5vwJaZp97DU8hdoOxaSoPieDfIjg3WhoZTLEW8A5VqjWWNTKw0/s1600/common+merganser.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSNrBDeXj6nPNqyrYnLfr1lGaLJFYPboar73VYt0YP3t4IOOTAUISoXXaXlThCDB289SOa9PvucjV2MBkh_N8cYggXH5vwJaZp97DU8hdoOxaSoPieDfIjg3WhoZTLEW8A5VqjWWNTKw0/s320/common+merganser.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another life bird for me. I was surprised to see this pair swimming through the murky, trash-lined river as I looked down from the footbridge above. Just goes to show- always be on the lookout for birds!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Audubon's Yellow-rumped Warbler:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKhtY5hDhrr9rA8W29pbyoxF9b21EBwgPH4Z3_CCnRUOMDQYs0hary12D5eRB_KyR3zpDE58nDhMpJzskGZ35FWOhS-roqroeJ9am1qohruKaijkzYpT52NaNX5bsGzPxamt8050hEimxB/s1600/yellow-rumped+warbler+audubon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKhtY5hDhrr9rA8W29pbyoxF9b21EBwgPH4Z3_CCnRUOMDQYs0hary12D5eRB_KyR3zpDE58nDhMpJzskGZ35FWOhS-roqroeJ9am1qohruKaijkzYpT52NaNX5bsGzPxamt8050hEimxB/s320/yellow-rumped+warbler+audubon.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This as an interesting ID- it looked like a yellow-rumped warbler, but with a yellow throat. I just had to look up my Sibley Guide and look at the variations for the yellow-rumped.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Injured or diseased Audubon's Yellow-rumped Warbler:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9PyDY7S5O71WM_5PtQYkWCj5pDusV4I1zGrm5HpZwMNXqksVhsDBM8fd4DxHe2S5GxUXXi7_k3BPU_EbRlcoDeWsnUNeVieHy8TntQXJHPV4hGawfLG1Yto7JYVZi49QyAtjJ3uzFh2v/s1600/injured+aubuon's+yellow-rumped+warbler_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9PyDY7S5O71WM_5PtQYkWCj5pDusV4I1zGrm5HpZwMNXqksVhsDBM8fd4DxHe2S5GxUXXi7_k3BPU_EbRlcoDeWsnUNeVieHy8TntQXJHPV4hGawfLG1Yto7JYVZi49QyAtjJ3uzFh2v/s320/injured+aubuon's+yellow-rumped+warbler_2.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPWo1XNgPkUjCsstD6F_yWymt5poSefZ6SeZyqeHC5YWKnK8ZP_MsBV1y6-Qw4ZruMWzb4OUQNJWkcR07mw7gS4vUjyhyphenhyphenqZ3_hsv-DshzFOdA-Pav-aKvsTL5Y1j99zyVSSLH1RJn34qBU/s1600/injured+audubon+yellow-rumped+warbler.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPWo1XNgPkUjCsstD6F_yWymt5poSefZ6SeZyqeHC5YWKnK8ZP_MsBV1y6-Qw4ZruMWzb4OUQNJWkcR07mw7gS4vUjyhyphenhyphenqZ3_hsv-DshzFOdA-Pav-aKvsTL5Y1j99zyVSSLH1RJn34qBU/s320/injured+audubon+yellow-rumped+warbler.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAF57KCmmt8ysZ4CFBYIwVcvv7c4mDqRZTE6JeKWo0bRVS3VB5mLIhXGMobCwHrPnyO5BuBzZHNSvtqEXMPIfE9pTHAfaW_t6SModbukpSfq8OBNmq2K8ZfCBmqThAHf9eEVP0CA7GTkif/s1600/injured+audubon's+yellow-rumped+warbler.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAF57KCmmt8ysZ4CFBYIwVcvv7c4mDqRZTE6JeKWo0bRVS3VB5mLIhXGMobCwHrPnyO5BuBzZHNSvtqEXMPIfE9pTHAfaW_t6SModbukpSfq8OBNmq2K8ZfCBmqThAHf9eEVP0CA7GTkif/s320/injured+audubon's+yellow-rumped+warbler.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Initially I thought this bird was preening after a bath, but the closer I looked I noticed some raw red spots on its neck. I'm not sure if this was the result of a fight, or perhaps some sort of disease.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And finally, I have a mystery bird. My initial guess is a Warbling Vireo, but I'm open to suggestions!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25fSEwZl4uC2RxDRSP5x8MB9nAWcMbe6DtyPC8J6UJt01oOLzd5pEYZ2_VDZAnAnB5LBaT33vA95Al5_EsUsQkvHzo5sxQqMRs3yTerq4AdHdp_oyevq4Exu-dpqQAgvrNcc_5oRZfqJN/s1600/mystery+vireo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25fSEwZl4uC2RxDRSP5x8MB9nAWcMbe6DtyPC8J6UJt01oOLzd5pEYZ2_VDZAnAnB5LBaT33vA95Al5_EsUsQkvHzo5sxQqMRs3yTerq4AdHdp_oyevq4Exu-dpqQAgvrNcc_5oRZfqJN/s320/mystery+vireo.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<br /></div>Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-40514189423412449462012-03-03T09:49:00.018-08:002012-03-03T14:21:56.902-08:00Google+ Tips for Birders<div style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">
Do you have a Google+ page yet? On the fence about it? Well, if you also have a blog or website you want to promote you had been bite the bullet and do it. Participation in this new social network has a direct impact on your placement in Google Search Results so it's in your best interest to join Google+ and start being social!</div>
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As with any social network it's not just about you. Think about your best friend. Is this someone who dominates the conversation and makes everything about them? If you try to jump in with a story about something that happened to you, do they cut you off and direct the conversation back to them? The answer is most likely no. The best types of friends are the ones who treat you like an equal and have just as much time to listen to you as you make to listen to them.</div>
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And that's how social media should work. So now take that concept (social media should be reciprocal) and apply it to Google+. Birders on Google+ like to post their bird pictures to their Google+ profile. If they're good pictures then it's inevitable the people that have them in their Circles (equivalent of the Twitter "follow") will +1 (the equivalent of the Facebook "like") and comment on their pictures. What happens next? Well, if this a savvy Google+ birder they'll add those people to their Google+ Circles (assuming they aren't spammers and had nice things to say) and +1 and comment on <i>their </i>pictures when they show up in their Google+ newsfeed.</div>
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Now, on to Google search results. If ranking highly in Google (having your blog/website appear at the top of results) is important to you, here are some tips on how to use Google+ to your advantage.</div>
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1. Post links to your website on your Google+ profile.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIojYdvMDSbDQYmOkidzJVbRVuGh5VsA9yrX98dh1NkVNsY60a3O81j5llU8pkdSqv5hCjQIyGwZMRf6R0gVP-YUOVryOGnND2hUulf1YSMmpuOvVpuseSsqe7N63nMlTaaLYAdlq2srPQ/s1600/links+on+google+plus+profile.png" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIojYdvMDSbDQYmOkidzJVbRVuGh5VsA9yrX98dh1NkVNsY60a3O81j5llU8pkdSqv5hCjQIyGwZMRf6R0gVP-YUOVryOGnND2hUulf1YSMmpuOvVpuseSsqe7N63nMlTaaLYAdlq2srPQ/s320/links+on+google+plus+profile.png" uda="true" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">Ideally the pages should have something search-worthy as the title (the bird name or popular birding spot) and a picture thumbnail.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">2. Name your image files.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCgwZwJhJVtdBxb1RWwarNgHvxOpTgOt2UOD_6VfE5pAXHMZalVEMeCV9Yp92EB3IG0uUvii3Z4CIuf8ooFzBIl6iSuwtWRyZJAGyrwn6_OHs3bM5L5o1mYljnbUGK9UtjbtLYxeg4NOK/s1600/image+file+names.png"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCgwZwJhJVtdBxb1RWwarNgHvxOpTgOt2UOD_6VfE5pAXHMZalVEMeCV9Yp92EB3IG0uUvii3Z4CIuf8ooFzBIl6iSuwtWRyZJAGyrwn6_OHs3bM5L5o1mYljnbUGK9UtjbtLYxeg4NOK/s320/image+file+names.png" uda="true" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">Rather than using the number-based names your digital camera automatically assigns, click F2 (on a PC) and rename that image using the bird species name. For more details see my post about </span><a href="http://birdinggirl.blogspot.com/2010/01/seo-tips-for-birders-image-optimization.html" style="font-size: 100%;">image optimization for SEO</a><span style="font-size: 100%;">.</span></div>
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3. +1 Good Pictures and Web Pages on Google+.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXCb8ttL41FImmRcXKOCcMy_udiFVWH11OPZCFvEKPw4kn04UJ6AQTqRY_3vfyw4L8ARsk7T7-r7mCAtOdstBfOM3CVYABaW6DTT5VoTQscH1y1_PDld5Y6I2QfgiVPxWOEr7AWa6ivJl/s1600/plus+one+in+google+plus.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXCb8ttL41FImmRcXKOCcMy_udiFVWH11OPZCFvEKPw4kn04UJ6AQTqRY_3vfyw4L8ARsk7T7-r7mCAtOdstBfOM3CVYABaW6DTT5VoTQscH1y1_PDld5Y6I2QfgiVPxWOEr7AWa6ivJl/s320/plus+one+in+google+plus.png" uda="true" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">By being a good "friend" on Google+ to other birders and photographers, they'll return the favor and start +1-ing, sharing, and commenting on your own pictures and links.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">4. +1 Good pictures and Web Pages in Google Search Results.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZ4Un7m6eaOhKRIQ8sj3TiNd1zC8tLNA92deSfP2EGws-klmQeL8z6Q3UbfILowVd6anBQ2oeHce7EoGEDIrMClCrq-VIObRgyVUF1hLkcvegNr-HBw4tCoRi8m49Kquym8pfNK8SAbgu/s1600/plus+one+search+results.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZ4Un7m6eaOhKRIQ8sj3TiNd1zC8tLNA92deSfP2EGws-klmQeL8z6Q3UbfILowVd6anBQ2oeHce7EoGEDIrMClCrq-VIObRgyVUF1hLkcvegNr-HBw4tCoRi8m49Kquym8pfNK8SAbgu/s320/plus+one+search+results.png" uda="true" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">In this example I was trying to identify a warbler I saw in California two days ago. It looked like a female yellow-rumped warbler but it had a yellow throat. So, I searched "female yellow-rumped warbler" clicked on the Images tab of Google Search Results and found this very helpful photo of one with a yellow throat that identified the bird as a Yellow-rumped Warbler, Audubon's Population. I +1-ed it because I wanted to make sure I sent Google the message that this was a helpful result for my search "female yellow-rumped warbler."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">This might seem a little out of the ordinary but it's incredibly important. Again, by being a good friend and +1-ing good pictures and web pages, your friends will be likely to return the favor and do the same for you. And it doesn't hurt to spread the word about this concept since it's new to a lot of people who aren't familiar with SEO. Mention it next time you're birding with friends and talking about your blogs.</span></div>
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5. Participate in photo themes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimwo5929DW8P6ndXDvF7xNzd8kZ-RgtyMNsaMG-hY-toqja0z1yRzEGaLgCxIsiIzjaFwBmOMMnoTdCkfpOf9Tt2uGSSuYKVbEQqoHQ67d8bTIiyklV06iSM9GBFpDGPYIOSyFdHtuXsFr/s1600/photo+themes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimwo5929DW8P6ndXDvF7xNzd8kZ-RgtyMNsaMG-hY-toqja0z1yRzEGaLgCxIsiIzjaFwBmOMMnoTdCkfpOf9Tt2uGSSuYKVbEQqoHQ67d8bTIiyklV06iSM9GBFpDGPYIOSyFdHtuXsFr/s320/photo+themes.png" uda="true" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">One of the coolest things about Google+ (and relevant to birders) is abundance of photo themes. What are photo themes? They're prefaced by hashtags (#) and many include the </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/104772045073519492155/posts" style="font-size: 100%;">day of the week</a><span style="font-size: 100%;"> in their name (for example </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/105558041176121199627/posts" style="font-size: 100%;">#songbirdsaturday</a><span style="font-size: 100%;">). One of the most popular bird photo themes is </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/s/%23BirdPoker" style="font-size: 100%;">#birdpoker</a><span style="font-size: 100%;"> where you throw down your "card" to try and beat what's already been thrown.</span></div>
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I know that's a lot of information, but hopefully you'll find one or more of these Google+ tips for birders helpful! Find <a href="https://plus.google.com/107494938634101690770">BirdingGirl on Google+</a> and feel free to comment there, or here on my blog.</div>
</div>Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-74983658083070882842012-01-25T07:12:00.000-08:002012-01-25T08:11:25.402-08:00The Big Year out on DVD January 31st<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEr3EADdUlw6JesOLt0CIgAxs5M_C7vPLT2sHWiFbScaYN02tI4yYOT_H4skUDKA4IBefkrd0dNnJU33GPhS9WOW_pnXS9xkuLAkEpGNbPwlWrKXHmVPJrOpPQC2lPJogoSWM7E090xvHx/s1600/TBY_Checklist.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEr3EADdUlw6JesOLt0CIgAxs5M_C7vPLT2sHWiFbScaYN02tI4yYOT_H4skUDKA4IBefkrd0dNnJU33GPhS9WOW_pnXS9xkuLAkEpGNbPwlWrKXHmVPJrOpPQC2lPJogoSWM7E090xvHx/s400/TBY_Checklist.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701594780232333954" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmhEqQw6NBQYCJGy4EEYzHAZYp-jC2CSYAU6aq3k0H_-RNDDA4B7G-hLhfXVjrqMkffo0fJYeA-sXpRitGikVfH2nK_pNghXbHKDf6XUDyG0dYWXr5OkbNx20Rcylj3M4MIvj_5xa8o24/s1600/Big+Year+DVD.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 325px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmhEqQw6NBQYCJGy4EEYzHAZYp-jC2CSYAU6aq3k0H_-RNDDA4B7G-hLhfXVjrqMkffo0fJYeA-sXpRitGikVfH2nK_pNghXbHKDf6XUDyG0dYWXr5OkbNx20Rcylj3M4MIvj_5xa8o24/s400/Big+Year+DVD.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701592886684007058" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;">Were you a fan of The Big Year starring Steve Martin, Owen Wilson and Jack Black? I know many of my birding friends were originally fans of the book and had mixed reviews about the transition to the big screen (and how the story and characters changed), but in general I think it was positively received. Birdwatching and competitive birding doesn't get much mainstream coverage so I think birders were just happy to see our story being told in a major studio release with big stars. I personally thought it was a great movie, yes some parts were a little unrealistic, but I'm a big fan of all the actors involved and it was just fun to see a movie in the theatre ALL ABOUT BIRDING :)<br /><br />The Blu-ray combo pack will be $29.99 and DVD single-disc will be $19.99. Not a bad deal! I don't have a Blu-ray player but will be getting the DVD to add to my movie collection. I'd definitely like to watch it again- especially after reading the book (one of the things on my To-Do list).<br /><br />Just for fun- here's a "What Bird Are You?" quiz courtesy of <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment</strong> as part of their DVD release promotion.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bird Buddies</span>- Comedic Icons Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson Star in the Hilarious Outdoor Adventure Coming to Blu-ray and DVD January 31!<br /><br />Brad (Jack Black) tells his father that he can relate to a certain bird species because both he and the bird are both generally underestimated. Here, after taking this quiz, you'll be able to see what kind of bird you might most closely resemble. Are you an avid decorator like the bowerbird? Do you like to show off your dance moves to impress the ladies like a riflebird? You'll know for sure what bird best suits your personality after taking our test!<br /><br />Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson portray three men from very different walks of life, facing a mid-life crisis, a work-life crisis and a no-life crisis. In the biggest competition of their lives, they undertake an unforgettable trek through North America, engaging in hilarious and bizarre adventures and forming friendships that will last a lifetime!<br /></span><!--[if !mso]> <style> v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> 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10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><p class="MsoTitle" style="text-align: center; font-family:arial;" align="center"><span style="Cambria","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-USfont-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style=";color:windowtext;" >What Bird Are You<br /></span></b></span></p><div style="border-width: medium medium 1pt; border-style: none none solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(79, 129, 189); -moz-border-top-colors: none; -moz-border-right-colors: none; -moz-border-bottom-colors: none; -moz-border-left-colors: none; -moz-border-image: none; padding: 0in 0in 4pt; font-family: arial;"> </div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US;font-size:100%;color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in; font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style=" line-height:115%;mso-bidi-" lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-list:Ignore"> 1</span></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"> </b></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"> </b></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="">1. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?<br /><br /></b>a) Australia, for sure!<br />b) I’ve always wanted to explore a tropical rainforest!<br />c) I don’t like to travel; I’d rather just stay home.<br />d) I can’t choose just one place! I want to travel everywhere!<b style=""><br /><br />2. How do you attract a member of the opposite sex?<br /><br /></b>a) I give make them something unique, or give them a memorable present.<br />b) I woo the opposite sex with my sweet dance moves!<br />c) I show them that I will be committed and protective of them in the future.<br />d) I treat them as my equal and try to find an activity we can share with one another.<b style=""><br /><br />3. What is your favorite color?<br /><br /></b>a) Anything bright and flashy!<br />b) Blue<br />c) Yellow<br />d) Brown<b style=""><br /><br />4. What is your hidden talent?<br /><br /></b>a) I’m really crafty; I can make cool things from common objects.<br />b) I’m a great dancer!<br />c) I’ve been told I have an interesting singing voice!<br />d) I’m super resilient – I can do a lot on little sleep and with few or no breaks.<b style=""><br /><br />5. How would you describe your personality?<br /><br /></b>a) I’m really complex, so I can’t succinctly describe my personality.<br />b) I’m outgoing and independent – the life of the party!<br />c) I’m a homebody, but I’m fun to be around and really protective of the things and people I love.<br />d) I have tons of friends and live a sort of jet set lifestyle – I’m definitely a world traveler.<b style=""><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="">Mostly A’s </b></span><span style="mso-ascii-mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin;mso-hansi-mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8jD9Vp-SAzwyGDo9M6hfFEMQyWNVef-5aH3MF_BCKdrUmn_W2DyjG0ynP16HeusaQWPxFgaHKjvFNlnvpiSMqRzw8sETvkhK-RWqzfXGEJOrefgt36HoVLw10Nx7_MEx9lyHfUD9QUbF0/s1600/bowerbird.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8jD9Vp-SAzwyGDo9M6hfFEMQyWNVef-5aH3MF_BCKdrUmn_W2DyjG0ynP16HeusaQWPxFgaHKjvFNlnvpiSMqRzw8sETvkhK-RWqzfXGEJOrefgt36HoVLw10Nx7_MEx9lyHfUD9QUbF0/s400/bowerbird.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701597030397368274" border="0" /></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"> </b></span></p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;">You are most like a bowerbird! Bowerbirds are renowned for their unique (and crafty!) courtship behavior. Males will build structures (called bowers) out of sticks and brightly colored objects in an attempt to attract a mate. Bowerbirds are also extremely good at mimicking other creatures, including pigs, waterfalls, and human chatter. This complex behavior has led many to believe that bowerbirds are the most behaviorally complex species of bird. Bowerbirds are mainly found in varying parts of Australia.</span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"> </b></span></p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="">Mostly B’s </b></span><span style="mso-ascii- mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin;mso-hansi-mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiha-ZZ2Y63sjYxp2wYBSGaUQtmBOLxOr2xjka7h15DDO-g_Ha9WXJxN8rACBPZ-xRdqj4AMRSfMbJAuNfs1SCB23wSqKBnf7rugpUL6Gs11n0jmjlInUPag64AOPLGEgD_JwZ5NKISW8jR/s1600/riflebird.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 196px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiha-ZZ2Y63sjYxp2wYBSGaUQtmBOLxOr2xjka7h15DDO-g_Ha9WXJxN8rACBPZ-xRdqj4AMRSfMbJAuNfs1SCB23wSqKBnf7rugpUL6Gs11n0jmjlInUPag64AOPLGEgD_JwZ5NKISW8jR/s400/riflebird.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701596383831394242" border="0" /></a></span></p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"> </b></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"> </b></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNoSpacing" ><span style="font-size:100%;">You’re a riflebird! Male riflebirds are polygamous and known for their flashy mating “dance.” During this courtship display, the male will fully extend his wings, raise his tail and hop upward while swinging his head (allowing him to show off his blue-green breast shield). Female riflebirds observe this “dance” and, if satisfied, will reward the male by mating with him. The females then take care of their young without male assistance. These birds are mainly found in the rainforests of New Guinea and Northeastern Australia.</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="">Mostly C’s </b></span><span style="mso-ascii- mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin;mso-hansi-mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB" ><span style="mso-ascii-mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin;mso-hansi-mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:Calibri;" lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-ascii-mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin;mso-hansi-mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:Calibri;" lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNbje_20aFz_QO-WbDnRlRlJX3xEI-TtEUcg7UMGOvkhv1PHTfl5Y2RtrawdgLzkgax-_91BwvXjaS4LrPI1aqsnzxvskrnT_etfq8zn-Cc9DeiMIvapaxPvnllQTPBlgujbieptDb0Nc/s1600/blue+tit.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNbje_20aFz_QO-WbDnRlRlJX3xEI-TtEUcg7UMGOvkhv1PHTfl5Y2RtrawdgLzkgax-_91BwvXjaS4LrPI1aqsnzxvskrnT_etfq8zn-Cc9DeiMIvapaxPvnllQTPBlgujbieptDb0Nc/s400/blue+tit.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701597345181885554" border="0" /></a></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"> </b></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNoSpacing" ><span style="font-size:100%;">You are a blue tit! One thing that blue tits are known for is being “resident” birds, meaning that they do not migrate. Blue tits are very popular garden birds in Europe due to their perky acrobatic performances and interesting calls when feeding. Blue tits are also very protective of their nests and eggs, and exhibit a lot of excited behavior when feeding and nesting. Blue tits will also nest in any suitable hole, including artificial nesting boxes (most birds will not readily settle in an artificial nesting box). </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="">Mostly D’s </b></span><span style="mso-ascii- mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin;mso-hansi-mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB" ><span style="mso-ascii-mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin;mso-hansi-mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:Calibri;" lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-ascii-mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin;mso-hansi-mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:Calibri;" lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-ascii- mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin;mso-hansi-mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:Calibri;" lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-ascii-mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin;mso-hansi-mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:Calibri;" lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6aoLXbHgtZprNudYbEqC2DO84b8D1C-ij4C3dG5huHeVuCd3Y6Ul6FfMLti_UW6uRJtwxZsd7DRif_E3RqXDE6DGa9gDxHQBaZsGr599Z-QcwYiBWhLK7FFIM3ayI7cUJXe7BVxxDs9I/s1600/godwit.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 287px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6aoLXbHgtZprNudYbEqC2DO84b8D1C-ij4C3dG5huHeVuCd3Y6Ul6FfMLti_UW6uRJtwxZsd7DRif_E3RqXDE6DGa9gDxHQBaZsGr599Z-QcwYiBWhLK7FFIM3ayI7cUJXe7BVxxDs9I/s400/godwit.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701597593355873858" border="0" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-no-proof:yes"> </span></b></span></p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;"> </span> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNoSpacing" ><span style="font-size:100%;">You’re most like a bar-tailed godwit! The bar-tailed godwit migrates in flocks to places like East Asia, Alaska, New Zealand, Australia, Africa and northwestern Europe. Bar-tailed godwits take the longest non-stop flight of any bird species, traveling from New Zealand to the Yellow Sea in China! These birds also share the responsibility of incubating and caring for their young between both the males and the females.</span></p><p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNoSpacing" ><span style="font-size:100%;">What bird were you? I'm a Godwit apparently! :-)</span></p><p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNoSpacing" ><span style="font-size:100%;">If you're interested in keeping up on info about The Big Year and other 20th Century Fox releases follow them on Twitter: <a class="standardlink" href="http://twitter.com/FoxHomeEnt" target="_blank">@FoxHomeEnt/.</a></span></p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNoSpacing"></p>Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-12796840044557437872012-01-08T10:54:00.000-08:002012-01-12T16:36:57.151-08:00Osprey drops in to my Cape Cod Wedding!<div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span style="text-align: left; ">The majority of 2011 was spent planning my wedding, but now that it's over I'm finally catching up things I've neglected...like my blog! I still squeeze in birdwatching when I can (today I had pine siskins, black-capped chickadees and white-breasted nuthatches at my bird feeder, plus saw a golden-crowned kinglet while on a walk at Carver Pond), but sadly I haven't had the time to sit down and blog regularly. That's going to change in 2012. I've really missed going birding and now I have considerably more time on my hands. I also changed jobs around the time of my wedding, and instead of commuting 2 hours into Boston I now drive 30 minutes to Plymouth. I found an amazing job at SmartPak Equine, a horse supplement and </span><a href="http://www.smartpakequine.com/horse-tack-supplies-and-equipment-687c.aspx" style="text-align: left; ">equestrian supply company</a><span style="text-align: left; ">.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span>Now that the holidays are over I finally have time to go through all my wedding photos. I've been working putting together a book for us, one for my parents and one for Steve's parents. Hopefully</span></div></div><div><div><div><div><span> that will be done soon!</span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><br /></span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span>While looking through all the photos I keep noticing all the bird ones. We got married at the Lighthouse Inn in West Dennis, MA (on Cape Cod). It's located right on the ocean, so naturally there were lots of shorebirds, gulls, and even an osprey made an appearance. My wedding photographer Lindsey Light was amazing. She and her assistant Mike were very accommodating and when I told her I was a birder and I would love if she snapped some photos of the birds she willingly obliged. In fact- in some of these pictures it wasn't even intentional! The osprey was fishing in the breakwater while we were getting photos taken on the narrow dock. It was hard to concentrate on photos when </span>the osprey was right next to us diving into the water for fish. Here are the photos- enjoy!</span></div></div><div><div><div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>Herring Gull</span></div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SC2DDwrIpL4L6AsHvsNinf7AOq1taTYW7d48hyphenhyphen-ElL0JK4r0MpHZXmYf1t8nob4DwivVnHU2sJcZe1x9Z1glxZ_cGQve0ngwcJf-FPD32hFA5UQXjqK800a6xrb0HZiwmX2697aj1SRw/s400/Herring+Gull.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBs9uKP82UM-5fVmjIgRzRqtjtaef2qJPRMNjufIjBZgmmcY92RRgXFUtsH62ed2WcOxgQhi9-jOT0SXAK6xPEOpb7Nt7eJZOFdJ4cXEXLeT758coDQ_YY6ZcUot8hmaiDCL0iZuaost7/s400/Herring+Gull_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696902048408422626" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " border="0" /></a><div><div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><br /></span></div></div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoo3heTzqkM3K8eWX8IXvp8qqVxGNpTNpfElEMRpvTUrzi4PFcGtgvr7UfrCBqgX8SIiWZf6Jlsow9y78jCXFsjc9IzorAxNADI_Hfkkr25KaH5SS4ZK1itHTp1CQEqyJzaJYfkEX6qyj/s400/Herring+Gull_2.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoo3heTzqkM3K8eWX8IXvp8qqVxGNpTNpfElEMRpvTUrzi4PFcGtgvr7UfrCBqgX8SIiWZf6Jlsow9y78jCXFsjc9IzorAxNADI_Hfkkr25KaH5SS4ZK1itHTp1CQEqyJzaJYfkEX6qyj/s400/Herring+Gull_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696901764218162722" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " border="0" /></a><div><div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left; "></div></div></div></div><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBs9uKP82UM-5fVmjIgRzRqtjtaef2qJPRMNjufIjBZgmmcY92RRgXFUtsH62ed2WcOxgQhi9-jOT0SXAK6xPEOpb7Nt7eJZOFdJ4cXEXLeT758coDQ_YY6ZcUot8hmaiDCL0iZuaost7/s400/Herring+Gull_3.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SC2DDwrIpL4L6AsHvsNinf7AOq1taTYW7d48hyphenhyphen-ElL0JK4r0MpHZXmYf1t8nob4DwivVnHU2sJcZe1x9Z1glxZ_cGQve0ngwcJf-FPD32hFA5UQXjqK800a6xrb0HZiwmX2697aj1SRw/s400/Herring+Gull.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696901493338825698" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " border="0" /></a><div><div><div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>At first I was doubtful this was the Osprey in this photo, but after checking my <a href="http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9417.html">Hawks at a Distance</a> book I'm reminded that the Osprey has a distinct "M" shape in the sky at a distance.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div><div><div><div><div></div></div></div></div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUlPifDFxhioBPDHSItIp7BAkgDpF8i9wM-2fM59HP3SS7DshaKBZ0F7yB2XV7Glifstr_3bAsUE94SoH5Uz3e49dXLFYM0waZtvNQATvpgVA1sLIrD4YqBZuMu6znHj5i-uKCLIfWrpT/s400/Lighthouse+Inn+Wedding.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7z4xuPBJMTIYAuh3rDVufQNVi55PbHOz5tTWn2KdZO-gKdDqo8xdNSH1a5JJtNGnaZQLYEvLeces5kv51ZipcQMu3Ly4SiiLzLYYfdFhqTOmtvb7G0NMMpKf6UbRyoZfWb7B5c_LqRXMz/s400/Lighthouse+Inn+Wedding_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696902703515642818" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " border="0" /></a><div><div><div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>Herring Gull in the background</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div><div><div><div></div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div><div><div></div></div></div><div></div><div><div></div></div></div><div></div></div></div><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7z4xuPBJMTIYAuh3rDVufQNVi55PbHOz5tTWn2KdZO-gKdDqo8xdNSH1a5JJtNGnaZQLYEvLeces5kv51ZipcQMu3Ly4SiiLzLYYfdFhqTOmtvb7G0NMMpKf6UbRyoZfWb7B5c_LqRXMz/s400/Lighthouse+Inn+Wedding_2.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUlPifDFxhioBPDHSItIp7BAkgDpF8i9wM-2fM59HP3SS7DshaKBZ0F7yB2XV7Glifstr_3bAsUE94SoH5Uz3e49dXLFYM0waZtvNQATvpgVA1sLIrD4YqBZuMu6znHj5i-uKCLIfWrpT/s400/Lighthouse+Inn+Wedding.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696902331165633026" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px; " border="0" /></a><div><div><div></div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>Osprey flying in low hunting for fish</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div></div><div><div><div></div></div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7qNYWingcXhwwQsSKRubsK5rEWOY11Ilf1zDd2rJoDhsW5DJ4Xb5edLfV7_vmEx4ZRFehC9ViBoZTCkiBIop8fDh-6v-aRFc2cqMLlYis_0Rk3tf_elEGdYZZs5mk8xV6w6XjVpiJ1Qm/s400/Lighthouse+Inn+Wedding_3.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7qNYWingcXhwwQsSKRubsK5rEWOY11Ilf1zDd2rJoDhsW5DJ4Xb5edLfV7_vmEx4ZRFehC9ViBoZTCkiBIop8fDh-6v-aRFc2cqMLlYis_0Rk3tf_elEGdYZZs5mk8xV6w6XjVpiJ1Qm/s400/Lighthouse+Inn+Wedding_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696903094452938050" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " border="0" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>Osprey</span></div><div><div><div><div></div></div></div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13lXkx4jqSHVXpGqRJ3WiWwFE5ZMK7tzluVMgUTg98kj5lz57L4k6STrY77cKGnoVKUFS-LPMwrhucYJ1Njm0oInESau3RQlzttqqJbVsxBbV6jRPtLSWzAtidBolhzuxv-thITx8ylYw/s400/Osprey.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13lXkx4jqSHVXpGqRJ3WiWwFE5ZMK7tzluVMgUTg98kj5lz57L4k6STrY77cKGnoVKUFS-LPMwrhucYJ1Njm0oInESau3RQlzttqqJbVsxBbV6jRPtLSWzAtidBolhzuxv-thITx8ylYw/s400/Osprey.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696903594060519698" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 282px; " border="0" /></a><div><div><div><div></div></div></div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElodsaEnTJs3E2ZqdrscbQNLzBRMrU4jiIm-ZG6QnBvDZmXa1iSXMJnjSj7NHuiMdIGqPIiIP8tTDmFLEG5hyphenhyphenF3wmmQpC-9o-jtAf8HJ_2otczSPhUvKhQS-2SPL0_HR9exH_oLZDKnXi/s400/Osprey_2.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElodsaEnTJs3E2ZqdrscbQNLzBRMrU4jiIm-ZG6QnBvDZmXa1iSXMJnjSj7NHuiMdIGqPIiIP8tTDmFLEG5hyphenhyphenF3wmmQpC-9o-jtAf8HJ_2otczSPhUvKhQS-2SPL0_HR9exH_oLZDKnXi/s400/Osprey_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696904385183920322" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " border="0" /></a><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmcZEkfaOQOs11x1PSmgze34RRkRFKAqd-4KLcrNNaLgghfbTJeivlm45kKp_Iv_rC9-TYRQA0diFvtSzf2WjAXed6yRu6G9KAbMWYBhNmAgf0BPYm_56vwKvgPpR7EI4V9YbOdVDyIcn/s400/Osprey_3.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmcZEkfaOQOs11x1PSmgze34RRkRFKAqd-4KLcrNNaLgghfbTJeivlm45kKp_Iv_rC9-TYRQA0diFvtSzf2WjAXed6yRu6G9KAbMWYBhNmAgf0BPYm_56vwKvgPpR7EI4V9YbOdVDyIcn/s400/Osprey_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696904870806890834" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " border="0" /></a></div><div></div></div><div><div></div></div></div><div></div></div><div></div></div></div><div><span>All photo credit in this post goes to our amazing <a href="http://lindseylightphoto.com/">wedding photographer</a> Lindsey Light. If you're getting married soon, or looking for portrait photos in general (she does engagement photos, as well as baby and family pictures) definitely check her out.</span></div><div><div> </div><div> </div></div></div></div>Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-46825996147767936842011-11-30T21:04:00.000-08:002011-11-30T21:16:36.589-08:00Learn Bird Songs with Larkwire<a href="http://www.larkwire.com/birdsong/play"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 292px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQepQSeSNFEOGtmyX_FP1Nikh8HS03TGsA2eXhaP7cC2WNI_KtJk5tp7OqpDGiLLij59FDRtJ_X7DF0r5HBFjL5Ja4KcMGBtiKtLCJqUSoNzDA8aHGj8Z8GElKNjSoC25gHBjqciMTQ92D/s400/Larkwire.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681023262967748530" border="0" /></a><div><br /></div><div>I recently got the opportunity to demo this really great software for learning bird songs. It's called <a href="http://www.larkwire.com/birdsong/play">Larkwire</a>. Currently it's available as a web app and also an iPhone app (looking forward to when it comes to the Android market). I tried out the web app and I like it a lot. What sets it apart from bird song tutorial CDs is that it's a trivia game. For competitive personality types like myself it motivates you to really pay attention and learn the different songs.</div><div><br /></div><div>I played two games- the Clear-toned Songs and the Complex Bird Songs. It's nice because it plays more than just one variation of a bird song. That's what I dislike about bird song audio CDs- they only play just a short snippet of the bird's song and we all know that they make many different sounds.</div><div><br /></div><div>Give it a whirl! I'll definitely come back for more. I like the challenge of the games and it's also making me a better birder at the same time.</div>Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-28349578579453969442011-10-29T14:43:00.000-07:002011-10-29T19:24:50.137-07:00BwBTC Connecticut Trip- Allen's Meadow & Schenk's Island<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: arial;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPP1OxjmpnnX053DWybAK8mxqSDFFgaGzpI0sJcxopdOJdspoWu5uRiNA4WhKA2PeTgiVolQiJHj3hNP7hZbqaq4-Y5EKBnAJCnfOQ3DscB-vN2cEGTMT3dyTM8ArJXrs51twIZFk8xNi/s1600/bwbtc+trip.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPP1OxjmpnnX053DWybAK8mxqSDFFgaGzpI0sJcxopdOJdspoWu5uRiNA4WhKA2PeTgiVolQiJHj3hNP7hZbqaq4-Y5EKBnAJCnfOQ3DscB-vN2cEGTMT3dyTM8ArJXrs51twIZFk8xNi/s400/bwbtc+trip.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669095119206831234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:78%;" >I believe this is Vincent, Townsend, Diana and Dawn Fine (our organizer)</span><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrrsnD5BGN1NRj_DdfzHgDcGjSO38LOcPSCu_x1CI_fzDXidw4a7WQbStgIDx-eeawyyZnd0goNqKFOaVIF1vtMyXQE8BQZwzxGRD2_eFIECvpHCyX8f_uaROhUZKXHWS-PXllgv0-H6zw/s1600/bwbtc+trip_3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrrsnD5BGN1NRj_DdfzHgDcGjSO38LOcPSCu_x1CI_fzDXidw4a7WQbStgIDx-eeawyyZnd0goNqKFOaVIF1vtMyXQE8BQZwzxGRD2_eFIECvpHCyX8f_uaROhUZKXHWS-PXllgv0-H6zw/s400/bwbtc+trip_3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669095309396404642" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Love this shot of Cindy & Dan as the sun started coming out.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6v31y-u2TfQBesv1_Hx0_x80tUhMnwRZ1jcVZDWUFuvbcRslAxRRP3Dydr3NhVTQd3_tVCoaa-6VjEQ3zf5RGzUZWG57sAMPq47zvSAd_ey2vm8zKQehSR94g9i2O-p-ygBjRidy9fXM/s1600/bwbtc+trip_4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6v31y-u2TfQBesv1_Hx0_x80tUhMnwRZ1jcVZDWUFuvbcRslAxRRP3Dydr3NhVTQd3_tVCoaa-6VjEQ3zf5RGzUZWG57sAMPq47zvSAd_ey2vm8zKQehSR94g9i2O-p-ygBjRidy9fXM/s400/bwbtc+trip_4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669095211351382274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Group shot in front of the community garden: Townsend, Catherine, Cindy, Vincent, Mardi & Dawn.</span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Back on October 16th we had our Connecticut annual BwBTC trip (Birders who Blog, Tweet, Chirp), organized by Dawn Fine of </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://dawnandjeffsblog.blogspot.com/">Dawn's Bloggy Blog</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> and led by Luke Tiller of </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://underclearskies.com/">Under Clear Skies</a><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">We met at Allen's Meadow in Wilton, CT. This is right near Steve's parents' house in Fairfield so it worked out really well. We just drove down Friday night so it wouldn't be a problem getting up for the 7:30am meet time.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">We spent our time at Allen's Meadow looking for sparrows in the community garden that was past its peak now that summer's over. We also walked around the outskirts, near the edge of the woods. There were lots of soccer games going on (incidentally Steve's mom said she used to bring his little sister there for games when she was a kid), and some British parents even came over to see what we were doing and what kinds of birds we were seeing- I believe the word "twitching" might have been used.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Dawn put it best when she titled her trip recap "Birding and Chatting" because there was lots of chatting and catching up going. That's what I like about these trips- you get to connect with your social media birding friends and do some birding while you're at it. I think my favorite moment of the day was when we were waiting for the rest of our group to come out of Starbuck's, which happened to be right next to a movie theater. There was a poster up right behind us for </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1053810/">The Big Year</a><span style="font-family: arial;">, which came out the night before. As everyone's standing around chatting about the movie there happened to be some hawks overhead so we all got our binoculars up to take a look. It was pretty hilarious and Dawn even managed to snap a pic- check out her recap to see it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">As for the birds- I'm not very good when it comes to identifying sparrows, but I try to learn more each time I do fall birding. That's what I like about trips with more experienced birders- they'll share their tips and each time I learn something new. Obviously the ones with the vibrant colors are easier for me to identify (white-crowned sparrow, white-throated sparrow) but I'm trying to get better with the all-brown ones.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Here are some of my sparrow pictures from the day- they're all from Allen's Meadow. I did make it to the second stop on the trip- Schenk's Island, but didn't take any pictures there. (I couldn't make it to the third stop- Sherwood Island- because we had an engagement party in Nyack, NY later that afternoon.)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSE08hca38KBimS-UhsCpRhyEZfHThpbgCcv3KIF6QAP9VpOtXtbYlfzOtRgKV25yJs1YTmF797CVdsMKhORco7bbuO1skg1Wuc3xnV-LJCDxZ62WOIHdWoHnCMl7ZTNxb7w-pG7S3dJBk/s1600/white-crowned+sparrow.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSE08hca38KBimS-UhsCpRhyEZfHThpbgCcv3KIF6QAP9VpOtXtbYlfzOtRgKV25yJs1YTmF797CVdsMKhORco7bbuO1skg1Wuc3xnV-LJCDxZ62WOIHdWoHnCMl7ZTNxb7w-pG7S3dJBk/s400/white-crowned+sparrow.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669094487492799922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">White-crowned sparrow</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuN_WO1TpfY3aHD3pD7Gb4YllWj76lwG04B_DHBx5l3qHRuY5is8iL_2vDGVHk7oG0ULWuu-sdGsXJMvs4-WL-u73naMUz5KNLy1Zz4fsbmfnh2I-2DW6h5_e_r1k6vdHCvoyVzW9dsfyw/s1600/white-crowned+sparrow_4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuN_WO1TpfY3aHD3pD7Gb4YllWj76lwG04B_DHBx5l3qHRuY5is8iL_2vDGVHk7oG0ULWuu-sdGsXJMvs4-WL-u73naMUz5KNLy1Zz4fsbmfnh2I-2DW6h5_e_r1k6vdHCvoyVzW9dsfyw/s400/white-crowned+sparrow_4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669094774411797714" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrkewmKlVUx3c8yqWmQYl5FS6AvYc6alZk0PQjqY9MinWA2KDsrIK6eEPwy2_i70hgngheLuclqg1jqu-nu1xCBao73lVE_kGPWUk7Ulxqa6YwfJuNvUQTx8hqB9MmVVOZxRA45OzUKI8g/s1600/white-crowned+sparrow_2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrkewmKlVUx3c8yqWmQYl5FS6AvYc6alZk0PQjqY9MinWA2KDsrIK6eEPwy2_i70hgngheLuclqg1jqu-nu1xCBao73lVE_kGPWUk7Ulxqa6YwfJuNvUQTx8hqB9MmVVOZxRA45OzUKI8g/s400/white-crowned+sparrow_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669094638288923234" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7_Lq5N9xGPyencUTWTpAJIYBuYiJCBD2LgQ7KdEMNui3dXT_5eSL1ZWtdgw7uAsrIBZJNoVB0E3Jxf-56QqwF3DhhvqJ6obEHk5myv8LwfncuTgozdgDnwk-E4nwTnD66eB1ndZ80OVn/s1600/sparrows.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7_Lq5N9xGPyencUTWTpAJIYBuYiJCBD2LgQ7KdEMNui3dXT_5eSL1ZWtdgw7uAsrIBZJNoVB0E3Jxf-56QqwF3DhhvqJ6obEHk5myv8LwfncuTgozdgDnwk-E4nwTnD66eB1ndZ80OVn/s400/sparrows.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669094913585383826" border="0" /></a>Please take a moment to check out the amazing photos, read the full bird lists, and enjoy the witty recaps from the other BwBTC birders on this Connecticut trip. Til next year!<br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Vincent Mistretta- </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.vincentmistretta.com/blog/bwbtc-outing-in-wilton-connecticut/">BWBTC Outing in Wilton, Connecticut </a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Dawn Fine- </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://dawnandjeffsblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/birding-and-chatting-bwbtcwilton-ct.html">Birding and Chatting ~ BwBTC ~ Wilton, Connecticut</a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Larry- </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://brownstonebirder.blogspot.com/2011/10/fall-camping-at-pawtuckaway-bwbt.html">Fall Camping At Pawtuckaway & BWBT&C</a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Cindy- </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://cindy-throughthelookingglass.blogspot.com/2011/10/birders-who-blog-tweet-and-chirp.html">Birders Who Blog Tweet And Chirp</a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Dan- </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.natureobservances.com/?p=502">Lovely Little Sparrow</a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Cynthia Cage- </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://longingformaine.blogspot.com/2011/10/sparrows-and-more-allens-meadow-with.html">Sparrows and More, Allen's Meadow with the BwBTC Gang</a>Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-51110279508846235362011-10-08T07:56:00.000-07:002011-10-08T08:11:57.953-07:00Bird Photo Contest- Close Encounters<span style="font-family: arial;">Cornell Lab of Ornithology just announced a fun photo contest. It's called </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.birds.cornell.edu/celebration/challenge/close-encounters/close-encounters">Close Encounters</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> and it's all about showcasing memorable and interesting encounters between humans and birds, birds and birds, and even birds and other creatures.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: arial;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQI-HiML2saH0D7wAFsK98QLqDdh-zF7QR6LEmiO76r8QOhQeIyOTxUx03Dv8sbpoowdNX5JDIXRJa_uBRQoBRlyS1910U_gQ33F2JG1u43RJs6sQGH86vVsM8lpQ9-NJFhqF3aiwNIKWF/s1600/Carolina+Wren+House.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQI-HiML2saH0D7wAFsK98QLqDdh-zF7QR6LEmiO76r8QOhQeIyOTxUx03Dv8sbpoowdNX5JDIXRJa_uBRQoBRlyS1910U_gQ33F2JG1u43RJs6sQGH86vVsM8lpQ9-NJFhqF3aiwNIKWF/s400/Carolina+Wren+House.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661138789971996914" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">What's even more interesting is that entries can take various forms:</span><br /><ul style="font-family: arial;"><li>Photographs</li><li>Stories</li><li>Artwork</li><li>Sculpture</li><li>Video</li><li>Other??</li></ul><span style="font-family: arial;">I've had some interesting birding adventures that come to mind, although I'm not sure how suitable they are for this contest. I imagine most of the entries will be photos, although videos will also be popular I bet.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The deadline for the contest is November 15, 2011. Here are the instructions for how to enter your photos, videos etc. I imagine if you do one of the alternative entries (sculpture/artwork) you can submit it as a photograph.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1. </span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Email entries to <a href="mailto:urbanbirds@cornell.edu" target="_blank">urbanbirds@cornell.edu</a>. If you submit a video, post it on YouTube and send the link.<br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">2. Write "CloseEncounter_yourfirstname yourlastname_yourstate" in the subject line.<br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">3. Include both your mailing address and the location where you saw the bird(s) in your email.<br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">4. Explain why you submitted your entry and what it shows.<br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">5. One entry per person, please.<br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">6. Read the <a href="https://secure3.birds.cornell.edu//page.redir?target=http%3a%2f%2fwww.birds.cornell.edu%2fcelebration%2fchallenge%2fterms-and-conditions&srcid=40053&srctid=1&erid=7970795" target="_blank">terms of agreement</a>.</span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Good luck photo contest entrants! If I decide I have something worthy to enter I'll share it here too.</span>Birdinggirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810581588440800244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-22451748482881977402011-09-22T07:27:00.000-07:002011-09-22T07:38:20.887-07:00Seagull in Dubrovnik, CroatiaThis seagull was getting ready for take-off on the old-city walls of Dubrovnik, Croatia, in September 2011. Any ideas what kind of seagull this is? (Click to Enlarge)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuLm1m6G5ARjWOSAZKlOCp9hFRsTVzkt5svTNCKRE_5JtUp6AK9XUEBjuCU4zHDH3Z393cmcomR7nER3imq2F62RE9rSiXGMXyoa2PjXYpzvrMtPiS_eXl4ZG7QBWKx6EtcMSv8sEVrXqD/s1600/DSC_0558.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 382px; height: 252px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuLm1m6G5ARjWOSAZKlOCp9hFRsTVzkt5svTNCKRE_5JtUp6AK9XUEBjuCU4zHDH3Z393cmcomR7nER3imq2F62RE9rSiXGMXyoa2PjXYpzvrMtPiS_eXl4ZG7QBWKx6EtcMSv8sEVrXqD/s400/DSC_0558.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655190854888007186" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />About the Photographer: Larry Kim is a contributor to the international birding bureau at BirdingGirl. He works for WordStream, a provider of <a href="http://www.wordstream.com/adwords-keyword-tool">Adwords Keyword Tool</a>.Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11845931444379426333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601203180585097369.post-34158963141944946562011-09-21T21:04:00.000-07:002011-09-21T21:19:33.818-07:00Mallard Duck in Plitvice National Park, CroatiaI found this duck swimming in a lake at Plitvice National Park, Croatia in September, 2011. A bunch of lake trout were swimming around.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9K59xZWdZx3STY1MBu4Zv9I13L0tzPraVsAnHW8xYMUP9C759tWiAtSjZUoxFmV7jqf41J89KoXZYlzsasfk8tnFmyoxFGjv8kbfBEMYbJUMeXHHu0N-Kt2UZbLpPcODWQ19nSBlKQBlO/s1600/DSC_2094.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9K59xZWdZx3STY1MBu4Zv9I13L0tzPraVsAnHW8xYMUP9C759tWiAtSjZUoxFmV7jqf41J89KoXZYlzsasfk8tnFmyoxFGjv8kbfBEMYbJUMeXHHu0N-Kt2UZbLpPcODWQ19nSBlKQBlO/s400/DSC_2094.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655033123586561730" border="0" /></a><br /><br />About the Photographer: Larry Kim is BirdingGirl's international bird correspondent. He works at WordStream, a provider of <a href="http://www.wordstream.com/google-adwords">AdWords</a> tools.Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11845931444379426333noreply@blogger.com0