BirdingGirl

The Big Year out on DVD January 31st

2012-01-25T07:12:00.000-08:00

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 :)

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).

Just for fun- here's a "What Bird Are You?" quiz courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment as part of their DVD release promotion.

Bird Buddies- Comedic Icons Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson Star in the Hilarious Outdoor Adventure Coming to Blu-ray and DVD January 31!

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!

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!

What Bird Are You

1. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

a) Australia, for sure!
b) I’ve always wanted to explore a tropical rainforest!
c) I don’t like to travel; I’d rather just stay home.
d) I can’t choose just one place! I want to travel everywhere!

2. How do you attract a member of the opposite sex?

a) I give make them something unique, or give them a memorable present.
b) I woo the opposite sex with my sweet dance moves!
c) I show them that I will be committed and protective of them in the future.
d) I treat them as my equal and try to find an activity we can share with one another.

3. What is your favorite color?

a) Anything bright and flashy!
b) Blue
c) Yellow
d) Brown

4. What is your hidden talent?

a) I’m really crafty; I can make cool things from common objects.
b) I’m a great dancer!
c) I’ve been told I have an interesting singing voice!
d) I’m super resilient – I can do a lot on little sleep and with few or no breaks.

5. How would you describe your personality?

a) I’m really complex, so I can’t succinctly describe my personality.
b) I’m outgoing and independent – the life of the party!
c) I’m a homebody, but I’m fun to be around and really protective of the things and people I love.
d) I have tons of friends and live a sort of jet set lifestyle – I’m definitely a world traveler.

Mostly A’s

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.

Mostly B’s

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.

Mostly C’s

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).

Mostly D’s

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.

What bird were you? I'm a Godwit apparently! :-)

If you're interested in keeping up on info about The Big Year and other 20th Century Fox releases follow them on Twitter: @FoxHomeEnt/.

Osprey drops in to my Cape Cod Wedding!

2012-01-08T10:54:00.000-08:00

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 equestrian supply company.

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

that will be done soon!

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 the osprey was right next to us diving into the water for fish. Here are the photos- enjoy!

Herring Gull

At first I was doubtful this was the Osprey in this photo, but after checking my Hawks at a Distance book I'm reminded that the Osprey has a distinct "M" shape in the sky at a distance.

Herring Gull in the background

Osprey flying in low hunting for fish

Osprey

All photo credit in this post goes to our amazing wedding photographer 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.

Learn Bird Songs with Larkwire

2011-11-30T21:04:00.000-08:00

I recently got the opportunity to demo this really great software for learning bird songs. It's called Larkwire. 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.

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.

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.

BwBTC Connecticut Trip- Allen's Meadow & Schenk's Island

2011-10-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

I believe this is Vincent, Townsend, Diana and Dawn Fine (our organizer)

Love this shot of Cindy & Dan as the sun started coming out.Group shot in front of the community garden: Townsend, Catherine, Cindy, Vincent, Mardi & Dawn.

Back on October 16th we had our Connecticut annual BwBTC trip (Birders who Blog, Tweet, Chirp), organized by Dawn Fine of Dawn's Bloggy Blog and led by Luke Tiller of Under Clear Skies.

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.

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.

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 The Big Year, 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.

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.

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.)

White-crowned sparrow

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!

Vincent Mistretta- BWBTC Outing in Wilton, Connecticut
Dawn Fine- Birding and Chatting ~ BwBTC ~ Wilton, Connecticut
Larry- Fall Camping At Pawtuckaway & BWBT&C
Cindy- Birders Who Blog Tweet And Chirp
Dan- Lovely Little Sparrow
Cynthia Cage- Sparrows and More, Allen's Meadow with the BwBTC Gang

Bird Photo Contest- Close Encounters

2011-10-08T07:56:00.000-07:00

Cornell Lab of Ornithology just announced a fun photo contest. It's called Close Encounters and it's all about showcasing memorable and interesting encounters between humans and birds, birds and birds, and even birds and other creatures.

What's even more interesting is that entries can take various forms:

Photographs
Stories
Artwork
Sculpture
Video
Other??

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.

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.

1. Email entries to urbanbirds@cornell.edu. If you submit a video, post it on YouTube and send the link.
2. Write "CloseEncounter_yourfirstname yourlastname_yourstate" in the subject line.
3. Include both your mailing address and the location where you saw the bird(s) in your email.
4. Explain why you submitted your entry and what it shows.
5. One entry per person, please.
6. Read the terms of agreement.

Good luck photo contest entrants! If I decide I have something worthy to enter I'll share it here too.

Seagull in Dubrovnik, Croatia

2011-09-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

This 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)

About the Photographer: Larry Kim is a contributor to the international birding bureau at BirdingGirl. He works for WordStream, a provider of Adwords Keyword Tool.

Mallard Duck in Plitvice National Park, Croatia

2011-09-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

I found this duck swimming in a lake at Plitvice National Park, Croatia in September, 2011. A bunch of lake trout were swimming around.

About the Photographer: Larry Kim is BirdingGirl's international bird correspondent. He works at WordStream, a provider of AdWords tools.

Bald Eagle Habitat Photos from Washington

2011-08-31T06:39:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy planning my September 10th wedding but that's no excuse for slacking on posting the rest of my pictures from our amazing trip to Washington State and Vancouver.

So far I've done just one post from that trip- my Pigeon Guillemot pictures. But I have many more pictures from that trip to Hope Island, including these up-close-and-personal pictures of American Bald Eagles.

Hope Island is the ideal bald eagle habitat. It's an isolated state park, accessible only by boat and as a result it's a "natural area preserve to protect a rare Puget Sound ecosystem," according to the Washington State Parks website. We'll attest to that- the island is really remarkable. We walked around the entire thing, and there were so many different habitats there- meadows, forests, fields, rock outcroppings, and sandy beaches.

We first encountered the bald eagles first in the meadow high atop the bluff overlooking the water below.

Then as we made our way to the other side of Hope Island we cut down from the trail to a sandy beach in a little cove below. Then we started noticing the bald eagles flying above and looked up to realize they were roosting in the trees. We counted a total of 4 but I'm sure there were more we couldn't see.

That sandy beach was a perfect habitat for them- they had their own private fishing hole. We actually watched as one of them dove down to snatch a small fish. In the shallow water Steve noticed one of the fish that got away- floating in the water with talon marks on its body.
Note: for more information about visiting Hope Island go here: http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Hope%20Island%20%28Skagit%29&subject=all

Make sure you look up Hope Island in Skagit County not Mason County. I'm realizing there are two Hope Island State Parks in Washington, and Google Maps isn't very good at pulling up both. (Use the map in my pigeon guillemot post, not the one that comes up when you Google it.)

Pigeon Guillemot Pictures- San Juan Islands

2011-07-27T09:38:00.000-07:00

Google Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=hope+island&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl

Here are some pictures from our trip to the San Juan Islands back in June. We had a wedding in Vancouver June 26th and decided to make a whole vacation out of it. Steve's old co-worker Julie (of J&J's Excellent Adventure fame) lives in Anacortes, WA and invited us to visit and stay with her and her husband Jay. Not only was it great to catch up with our friends, but how often do you get an amazing destination like the San Juan Islands to visit with personal tour guides??

On Friday they both had to work but generously let us use their car and sea kayaks to explore Puget Sound. On their advice we picked up lunch at Gere-a-Deli (the hummus veggie sandwich was sooo good) and then drove to Snee Oosh Beach where we put in. It was my first time in a sea kayak so I was little nervous in the fast-moving water, but at the end of the day I was proud of my accomplishment and celebrated with a glass of white wine. Actually- who am I kidding- I really needed the white wine to calm my nerves once it was all over. hahahaha

Julie and Jay gave us advice about which island to visit, and in the end we decided to go right for Hope Island (see map at the top of the post). Since we had the whole day free we decided to go for a hike around the entire island, which turned out to be an exciting adventure. I'll post a separate post all about that.

So, back to the pigeon guillemots. These cute little guys we saw on the water as we approached Hope Island and after we landed on the beach I took a few pictures, although at a distance. Then, when we stopped on our hike for lunch I had a good view of some of the guillemots standing on a rock. They were making quick a ruckus- lots of squeaky short calls- as they fought for the best spot on this small rock. I turned on my video to try and capture the sounds they were making but as you can see, of course they chose that moment to clam up- there's just a short call at the end of the clip. If you want to heard a better audio clip of the pigeon guillemot call, go to this page on All About Birds: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pigeon_Guillemot/sounds

Boston Peregrine Falcon- Nictitating Membrane

2011-07-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

On June 16th, the Boston Peregrine Falcon (the remaining male of the Christian Science falcon pair) stopped by our office's window ledge. I assume this is the male of the pair because he is so much smaller than the female that we were used to. Another noticeable trait is how big the male falcon's feet are. Just look at the size of those talons!

You can see the falcon's nictitating membrane up on its right eye. I'm not sure the reason for this, perhaps his eye suffered an injury or infection and he was keeping it up to protect it. At least twice I saw him lower it to look directly at us but he then he put it immediately back up. Does anyone know a lot about nictitating membranes? They've always fascinated me in birds. Here's one of a red-tailed hawk nictitating membrane that came up when it was preening/scratching.

In one of these photos you can see part of the falcon's ID band. It looks like it has the letter I and the number 7 on it.

Birding While Jogging- Bridgewater Edition

2011-06-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've blogged about birding while jogging. This was one of my favorite things to do when I lived in Watertown, MA and had the beautiful DCR Charles River trails at my disposal.

Here are a few of my "Birding While Jogging" posts from 2007-2008:

http://birdinggirl.blogspot.com/2008/01/birding-while-jogging.html
http://birdinggirl.blogspot.com/2007/08/birding-while-jogging.html

Since moving to Bridgewater, MA I haven't been as inclined to go running because we lack scenic trails like the ones on the Charles River. However, there is a nice route I like to take that crosses the Taunton River and its off-shoots in a couple of places. Naturally rivers and streams are a jackpot when it comes to birding. So, since I've picked up running again I've also been trying to get in some birding while I'm out there.

Here's what I've seen so far in my jogs this week and last:

Yellow warbler
Pine warbler
Rose-breasted grosbeak
Tree swallows

Here's to hoping I'll see more! It's definitely the motivating factor when I get out there to run. I like having nature and birds to look at to pass the time. This is a great time for it too since there are so many flowering trees and bushes along my route that they're attracted to.

Mt. Auburn Cemetery Birding

2011-06-04T19:37:00.000-07:00

I try to get in at least one day of birding at Mt. Auburn Cemetery each year during peak spring migration.

I made my trip there right on the cusp of peak migration- April 30th. I usually try to get there sometime in late April- early May to see the greatest variety of wood warblers, plus other colorful migrating birds.

The day I was there I got to see some of the usual warblers, and even a lifer for me- the chestnut-sided warbler. Maybe I had technically seen this bird before on a group trip where it blended in with the rest of the birds we saw, but on this day it definitely stood out to me as the most exciting warbler of the day.

Here are some pictures of the Chestnut-sided Warbler preening:

Other (non-photographed) highlights from the day included:
Northern Parula
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black and White Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Baltimore Oriole
Chipping Sparrow

Here's a red-tailed hawk we saw at the end of the day as we were walking back to the car. That's usually where I see them at Mount Auburn Cemetery- in the areas surrounding the main entrance (in the circular parking area, near the entrance to Indian Ridge, near the main office, etc.).

Red-tailed Hawk:

I even have a MYSTERY BIRD to ask for help with. I've tried identifying it on my own, and think it could possibly be a juvenile or female indigo bunting, but I didn't see any male indigo buntings that day, so I can't say for sure how likely it would be to see that bird at Mt. Auburn Cemetery on that date.

Mystery Bird:
The most distinguishable characteristics about this mystery bird are the grosbeak (fat thick beak), the subtle wing bars, and a faint eye line. Click on the images to zoom in more. Thanks in advance for your identifying help!

Christian Science Peregrine Falcon dies

2011-05-20T06:51:00.000-07:00

I hate writing these kinds of posts. First, the Atletico Junior owl mascot was killed, and now this sad update to share.

The Boston peregrine falcon that I'm always writing about and posting pictures of is a nesting pair (they're referred to as the Christian Science Administration Building peregrine falcon pair), and I just learned this week that the female peregrine falcon has died.

I work in the Christian Science Administration Building where their nest is, and a MassAudubon director was here this week looking for the nest since the female was discovered dead on May 4th. I've offered what information I could to be helpful, since I've kept a pretty regular log of their activity over the past year and a half, but that was the extent of what I could do. I could see the band whenever the bird perched on my window ledge but never close enough to actually read it, so I could never be sure which falcon I was looking at. I know the females are larger than the males, but that's the extent of what I know about identifying peregrine falcons. I'll assume that all of my sightings were of the Christian Science peregrine falcon pair.

Here are some of my favorite pictures taken over the past year and a half:

The story goes that the female's body was found on a sidewalk over near the Arlington T stop. If you look at this map, you can see it's a decent distance away from the nest site

The theory is that she might have gotten into a fight with another peregrine falcon (maybe another female trying to encroach on her nest site), died on a rooftop, and after weeks of decaying, her body was blown off the rooftop or ledge and ended up on the sidewalk. Officials from the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife think she might have died in February or March. I'm leaning toward late March or early April because I saw the pair trying to mate on top of a nearby building and it was definitely more recent than February.

This picture was taken by my boss. I think it might be the male because it was taken more recently (March 25th) and it appears a little smaller.

The female leaves behind quite a legacy. She was the founding female of the Christian Science nesting pair- one of 3 Boston nesting pairs established after recovery efforts began. She was originally banded in Acadia National Park in Maine, and was 17 years old when she died (nearly as old as the 19-year old male from the Custom House in Boston). She produced 38 young, many of which survived and went on to nest throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York. Quite an impressive bird. I feel lucky to have had such a close connection to her :)

Red-breasted Mergansers and Other Cape Cod Ducks

2011-04-30T18:12:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken on my birthday weekend, back at the end of March. I went down to see my parents on Cape Cod and my two birthday requests were:

1. I want to go Charlie's Place in Wareham for dinner. I've been going to Charlie's since I was a little kid and I have a lot of fond memories there. We're friendly with the owner, the prices are cheap, and their pepper & onion pizza is my absolute favorite.

2. I want to go birding. So, my parents took me to Bourne Farm in West Falmouth, and then later in the day I went for a walk on the Cape Cod Canal with my mom and my Aunt Marylou.

Here are the duck pictures from the Canal.

Red-breasted Merganser:

Female Red-breasted Merganser:

Common Eider Flock:
I really enjoyed our earlier walk at Bourne Farm. There are walking, biking and horseback riding trails there that feature cranberry bogs, ponds, and an old herring run. Too bad I couldn't get very close to the ducks there since they were in the middle of the ponds. I saw buffleheads and ring-necked ducks.

Ring-necked Duck:

Old house foundation we came upon in the middle of the woods. You can see the chimney to the left and the stairs in the middle.

This is called the "Cattle Tunnel." How in the world can cattle fit through here?? It's very low, and I hit my head misjudging just how low the ceiling was.

Great birthday weekend! Glad I finally got around to posting these pictures because I have some Mt. Auburn cemetery warbler photos I just took today that I can't wait to post.

Google Doodle Celebrates John James Audubon

2011-04-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed today's Google Doodle? It's in honor of John James Audubon's 226th birthday! Yay for birds :)

What is a Google Doodle? It's the picture on the Google Home Page: http://www.google.com. On special days like Earth Day, Christmas, and interesting anniversaries Google switches out their usual Google logo with an image that still spells out "Google."

If you ever see a Google Doodle and are unsure what it means, just hover your mouse over the image and a tooltip will show up explaining what it's for.

And, if you click on the Google Doodle it will show you all results for that topic.

Earth Day Infographic- Is the Internet Killing the Planet?

2011-04-22T07:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day everyone!

Here's an interesting Earth Day infographic put together by WordStream. It's about how energy and CO2 generated by the Internet is affecting the Earth.

Click the thumbnail to enlarge:

Large-billed Crow pictures from Japan

2011-04-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

These large-billed crow pictures come courtesy of my work colleague Phil who lives in Japan. He told me he had some great Japanese crow pictures, and the first thing I noticed about the bird was the large bill. I started doing some research to come up with the correct crow name. First I thought it was a carrion crow since those are a common type of Japanese crow, but the bill wasn't big enough. Then I found pictures of the large-billed crow and those were a match! Duh- "large bill"- it couldn't have been any simpler. These crows are also called jungle crows, but most of the birding sites call them large-billed crows.

Phil said they can get really big, which I believe since American crows are huge sometimes. I have vivid memories of standing my in my parents Cape Cod kitchen doing dishes and getting spooked by something huge in my periphery on the deck. All it ever was was a giant crow, but really they can be scary when they get so big!

Here are some interesting things I learned about the Japanese crow:

Japanese word for crow: karasu
Japanese crow myth: According to Japanese mythology, the karasu tengu is a supernatural being with the head and wings of a crow who serves the tengu, who are depicted as tall men with big noses and red faces who carry fans made of feathers that they can use to stir up winds.
Crows in Japanese culture: They're seen as pests in the cities since they're large and aggressive. They've started coming into cities more to scavenge rubbish. Their numbers in Tokyo are estimated to be around 150,000. Here's a great blog post I found about it: http://japanvisitor.blogspot.com/2009/10/crows-in-japan.html

Boston Peregrine Falcon poses for the camera!

2011-03-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

Our favorite feather friend, the Boston Peregrine Falcon, dropped by our Back Bay office again to pose for a few photos. The people in our office love when he stops by because he perches right on the ledge outside our windows and doesn't mind the attention. How could we not stare?

Photo Credit goes to my boss Larry. He always has his professional camera on hand, which is lucky in moments like this when the peregrine falcon decides to perch on our ledge!

It's rare to get to see a peregrine falcon up close and personal. You really get to see the details in the bird's coloring and the scales on its legs/talons.

I've been avidly reading my new Hawks at a Distance book. It's a great resource for learning more about raptors. I'm trying to educate myself on the proper way to talk about the different parts of their body, the different classifications, and of course how to identify them at a distance.

I'm also learning about the various viewing positions. The peregrine falcon was soaring past my window yesterday afternoon, and I got to see it "head on" several times. It's pretty cool to get to look it in the face as it goes by.

On Sunday I drove down to Cape Cod to celebrate my birthday with my parents. Driving down Rte. 495 and Rte. 25 I got to see two red-tailed hawks standing on the grass in the median (as they like to do), one Osprey flying overhead (those are easy to identify from below- just look for the "M" hooked wing shape, and the white and black markings), and a mystery raptor as I was driving over the Bourne Bridge. I was looking at it from above sort of (it was hovering slightly below the level of the road on the bridge) and it was dark brown all over. Maybe a broad-winged hawk? Or red-shouldered hawk?

Better get back to the book. I have more studying to do!

Fairy Wren and Pheasant Coucal from Australia

2011-03-17T05:49:00.000-07:00

These pictures come thanks to my co-worker in Australia. He knew I was an avid birder and had a birding blog, so he shared two of his best photos with me.

The first is a Fairy Wren:

Interesting fact about Fairy Wrens (also known as the Superb Fairy-wren)- males often latch onto a predator's call to catch the attention of females. Pretty innovative! For more info: http://birdsinbackyards.net/species/Malurus-cyaneus

The second is a Pheasant Coucal:

The Pheasant Coucal is a large cuckoo similar in shape to a pheasant, often seen in backyards. For more info: http://birdsinbackyards.net/species/Centropus-phasianinus

Thank you Brad!

Eco-friendly Lighting- Be kind to your bird friends!

2011-03-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

I try to make a conscious effort to be green, by making choices that have a positive impact on my bird friends. Shade-grown coffee is an obvious one, but I recently started researching various eco-friendly lighting options and discovered that Pendant Lighting is a great option because you can use a lower-watt bulb. Why is pendant lighting eco-friendly? The trick is that the shape of pendant light shades illuminates more than traditional lamps, and since it's suspended from the ceiling it gives more direct light for reading or cooking below.

Here are some cool pendant light examples I found on the Web!

Source: NerdApproved.com

Source: LittleFawns.com

Barn owl mascot for Atletico Junior killed by opposing team

2011-03-02T05:25:00.000-08:00

Representative image of a Barn Owl
Image credit: Brian E. Small
Source credit: Allaboutbirds.org

This was a sad story to see on the morning news. A tame Barn Owl, the mascot for Columbian soccer team Atletico Junior, was thrown onto the field during a game against Deportivo Pereira of Panama. It was sitting there minding its own business, when it was hit by a wayward soccer ball and then laid there stunned with its wings spread out. That's when Deportivo Pereira defenseman Luis Moreno kicked it about 3-4 yards. Supposedly he was frustrated because his team was losing and the game had to be stopped while the players and referees decided what to do about the owl. He claims he didn't know it was Atletico Junior's mascot, he thought it was just a stray bird. Even still! It's unbelievable that he would do that.

If you want to see the video (bird lovers- this is not for the faint of heart), you can see it here http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/75811,life,video,fury-as-footballer-luis-moreno-kicks-opposition-owl-mascot-to-death-in-colombia-video

The owl suffered a broken right leg after the kick, and hung in there for two days until it died Tuesday after going into shock. There are reports that Luis Moreno has been getting death threats, which is upsetting to him and his family of course. I can understand that the Atletico Junior fans are hurt and upset, but violence is never the answer. I do believe that he should be forced to face his actions and somehow try to make amends with Atletico Junior and their fans.

Turns out Columbia doesn't have any laws against animal cruelty, so he's not facing and legal sanctions, but he may face the disciplinary committee for his soccer league.

Some interesting facts about the Barn Owl:

It is one of the most widely-distributed birds in the world, appearing on all continents except Antarctica
It's one of the few species where the female is more showy than the male (with more spots on her chest)
The Barn Owl's ability to locate prey by sound alone is the best of any animal tested.

Using Birds to Control Tomato Hornworms

2011-01-24T08:44:00.001-08:00

Here's a lovely macro shot of a tomato hornworm caterpillar taking a little break from gorging himself on my tomatoes. Ever seen one before? They're huge and pretty startling to come across when you're pruning your tomato plants. They blend right in, until you accidentally touch one- hopefully not with the horned end!

This picture was taken near the end of the season so I wasn't SO upset, but I definitely want to prevent hornworms for next season. I started doing some research on how to get rid of tomato hornworms and the good news is you don't need to use insecticides or crazy home remedies- birds will do the work for you!

This great website I found- the Yardener has a whole section about insect pests in the vegetable garden. According to the site, feeding birds year-round will help you control the tomato hornworm problem in your garden. For bird lovers, this shouldn't be a chore at all. Just keep your feeders full with desirable seed like black-oil sunflower seed and nyjer seed thistle, and in the winter especially, don't forget to put out some suet (Southern New Englanders can get them for just $0.49 a piece at Ocean State Job Lot).

Downy Woodpeckers are just one of the birds that are attracted to suet and love to eat hornworms. Keep them happy throughout the winter and they'll repay the favor by helping to control your hornworm population!

Other birds that like to eat tomato hornworms:

Baltimore Orioles
Bluebirds
Flycatchers
Barn Swallows
Sparrows
Blackbirds
Grackles
Phoebes

I have to admit- I tend to slack off on filling my feeders in the summer. I'll be more diligent about keeping them full this spring/summer and I'll post an update on my hornworm problem then!

Trustom Pond Birds- BwBTC 2010 New England Trip Recap

2011-01-19T07:55:00.000-08:00

The second half of our 2010 BwBTC New England Trip (held in August) was spent at Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.

(photo credit: Dawn Fine)

At this point in the day I was more focused on socializing and simply spotting birds- not taking pictures, so I'm sorry to say all I have is a single video of the Ring-necked Pheasant we all had fun watching:

This was around the time that the alligator was spotted in Rhode Island, so that was a topic of conversation as we were all gathering for our group photo on one of the viewing platforms. We didn't see any alligators, but I did see a huge snapping turtle sticking its beak out of the water to breathe.

BUT I am happy to spread the link love, and share links to the outing recaps on my BwBTC friends' blogs.

Check out Dawn (our BwBTC outing organizer)'s recap for some terrific pictures of the ring-necked pheasant, and the black-billed cuckoo (or red-eyed vireo?). Not to mention a fantastic group shot of our New England BwBTC group. We had some fun trying to get it right with the timer (her husband Jeff had to keep running back to join the group after starting it), but eventually we succeeded. http://dawnandjeffsblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/bwbtc-bird-trustom-pond-nwr.html

This was my first time meeting Cindy, and I had such a nice time chatting with her. That's what's great about our BwBTC outings- they bring together people you wouldn't ordinarily go birding with (she hails from Brooklyn). Her recap features some terrific close-ups of the shorebirds. http://longingformaine.blogspot.com/2010/09/great-bwbtc-birding-adventure.html

My neighbor John (Bird Man of Bridgewater)'s recap: http://johnhmitchell.blogspot.com/2010/08/bwtpc-trip.html He managed to get a picture of one of the many warblers we saw along the Trustom Pond path (Magnolia Warbler- my favorite). How he did it- I don't know! They were very elusive.

Larry of the Brownstone Birding Blog applied some creative color filters to his pictures of the trip. See for yourself:
http://brownstonebirder.blogspot.com/2010/08/bwbtc-find-proof-of-avian-life-on-mars.html

Dan of Nature Observances managed to get some crazy pictures! My favorite has to be his intimate close-up of the ring-necked pheasant hiding in the bushes.
http://forestal-plantedtanks.blogspot.com/2010/08/bwbtc-group-outing-to-charlestown.html

My cousin Susan of The Nature of Framingham met up with the group here at Trustom, and got some really nice pictures of the Osprey. Also- on an interesting note, one of her blog connections pointed out the mis-identification of the black-billed cuckoo. Her reader Ryan said that it's actually a Red-eyed Vireo.
http://natureofframingham.blogspot.com/2010/09/birders-who-blog-tweet-and-chirp-trek.html

Afternoon bird list (thanks to Dawn and Jeff for compiling it):

Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Wood Duck
Mallard
Ring-necked Pheasant
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Northern Harrier
Caspian Tern
Black-billed Cuckoo (or red-eyed vireo?)
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Blue-winged Warbler
Pine Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch

It only took me 6 months, but finally I posted my 2010 BwBTC trip recaps :) *sigh of relief*

Charlestown Breachway Birding Trip with the BwBTC folks

2011-01-13T06:56:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's the feet of snow we have on the ground that's got me reminiscing about warmer, sunnier times in New England. One fond memory I have is the 2nd annual BwBTC New England Trip. These trips are organized by Dawn of Dawn's Bloggy Blog. Last year we did some Plum Island birding, and this past August Dawn organized a trip in beautiful Rhode Island.

On-hand we had:

Jeff and Dawn @DawnFine on twitter/Dawns Bloggy Blog

Dan @Docforestal on twitter/ Nature Observances by Forestal

Larry from the Brownstone Birding blog

Cindy Cage from Living in Brooklyn and Longing for Maine

John (Tucker) from The Birdman of Bridgewater

Susan @natureframingham on twitter /The Nature of Framingham

Cindy @gemswinc on twitter

Bird List for Charlestown Breachway (thanks to Dawn for compiling):

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Snowy Egret

Green Heron

Turkey Vulture

Osprey

Cooper's Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Black-bellied Plover

Semipalmated Plover

Piping Plover

Spotted Sandpiper

Greater Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs

Ruddy Turnstone

Sanderling

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Western Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

White-rumped Sandpiper

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Laughing Gull

Ring-billed Gull

Herring Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Forster's Tern

Common Tern

Caspian Tern (this was an exciting lifer for me- they're huge!)

Here's are links to other BwBTC member wrap-ups of our morning Charlestown Breachway birding trip:

http://dawnandjeffsblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/bwbtc-charlestown-breachway.html
http://forestal-plantedtanks.blogspot.com/2010/08/bwbtc-group-outing-to-charlestown.html
http://brownstonebirder.blogspot.com/2010/08/bwbtc-find-proof-of-avian-life-on-mars.html
http://johnhmitchell.blogspot.com/2010/08/bwtpc-trip.html

To any birder thinking about going to Charlestown Breachway- I highly recommend it. The drive there from Massachusetts was absolutely picturesque- especially once you get onto the winding roads along the Rhode Island coast. The morning sun reflecting off the water was beautiful. It made the early rise worth it :)

Dawn planned it perfectly with tides, and there were only a few points where we had to get wet crossing the channels. Luckily I wore quick-drying running shorts and just carried my camera above my head. Here are some pictures of the BwBTC crew mastering art of Charlestown Breachway channel crossings.

Cindy & Dawn:
Dawn, the other Cindy, Larry, John & Jeff:

Larry, Jeff & John:

John's sister and Dawn:

Here are some of the highlights from the Charlestown Breachway.

Great Black-backed Gull enjoying some breakfast:

Egrets in the trees:
Snowy Egret:
Black-bellied Plover:

This is one of my favs. I'm not 100% sure, but I'm going to so with Semipalmated Sandpiper:

There was a lot of debate over this bird. Some people thought it was a Baird's Sandpiper (I believe one was spotted on the Breachway earlier in the day), but in the end I think we decided it was a Juvenile Sanderling:

Dawn has this one tagged as a Least Sandpiper- I'll take her word on it!

I have more Charlestown Breachway shorebird pictures to share...let's see if I can get motivated to write yet another post.

What a Red-tailed Hawk Eats

2010-12-05T09:15:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. I had a great day at my aunt's house in Sandwich, MA on Cape Cod. I even squeezed in a little impromptu bird-watching, although I wish I had my Canon Powershot with me instead of just my cell phone camera, but what can you do...

This red-tailed hawk eating a Thanksgiving dinner of his own was a nice surprise. We saw it as my mom, Steve and I were heading out for a walk to the beach. We spotted it up in a tree eating what appeared to be a squirrel.

It was pretty gruesome in fact- for a while he was trying to free up a long string of intestines, which you can it pulling on see here,

And you can see it live in this video (I apologize- I can't for the life of me get it to rotate right-side-up. But you can get the picture- you can see it going to town on the intestines):

The red-tailed hawk eats squirrels and other mammals like mice, rabbits, and voles. They also prey on ground birds like pheasants and bobwhites, as well as starlings and blackbirds. They'll even go after snakes! Basically they can carry away anything up to 5 lbs.

Mallard Hybrid - Possible Domestic Duck?

2010-11-17T10:33:00.000-08:00

These mallard hybrid pictures were taken at Scargo Lake in Dennis (on Cape Cod) during our vacation this past August. We were vacationing with our friends Dave and Meg, and I asked Dave what kind he thought they were since he's a hunter, wildlife biologist, and general expert on the subject of birds- especially ducks. He said they looked like a hybrid- probably mallard hybrid and domestic duck.

It's funny because these ducks just wouldn't learn- they kept coming in dangerously close to our rental house's dock, only to be chased off by Dave and Meg's dog Foster, who's a trained hunting dog. He had a lot of fun doing it each time though, so no harm no fowl :)

Just look at this precious boy- such a cutie!

Juvenile Mallard Duck Pictures

2010-11-16T12:55:00.000-08:00

Wow- it's hard to believe it was over 2 years ago that I wrote a post wondering about mallard hybrids. I had seen a green-winged teal for the first time and I was very confused about what I was looking at- is this a seagull with a mallard head? haha

Juvenile mallard ducks are quite interesting because of the blue mark on their wings. I always get excited when I see that- thinking it could be some type of teal, wood duck, or other interesting duck species. Nope- just a juvenile mallard!

These pictures were taken in Plymouth, MA at the beginning of the pathway that goes to the to the Jenney Grist Mill. Steve and I went for a random drive and walk around Plymouth back in mid-October. We live so close! There's really a lot to see and do there, and Plymouth Harbor is also a great birding spot. I saw the Ivory Gull there back in 2009

Birds of Istanbul

2010-11-06T17:01:00.001-07:00

The last stop in our international birding month bonanza is in the Middle East, to Istanbul, Turkey.

These mysterious green birds were seen in the beautiful gardens of Topkapi Palace, the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years (1465-1856) of their 624-year reign. They were photographed in September, 2010. If anyone can help me (Larry, Birding Girl's co-worker) identify these birds, please write something in the comment fields below. Thanks!!

Birds of Botswana

2010-11-06T16:50:00.000-07:00

Here are a few mystery birds that I saw in June 2010 in Botswana. Unfortunately, I don't know what kinds of birds they are, but if you happen to know, post a comment!

This brave bird was standing on the head of a hippopotamus, right in the middle of a pod of hungry hippos on the Chobe river, bordering Botswana and Namibia.

I think this is some kind of wood pecker.

A bunch of birds making a nest in the Chobe River in between Botswana/Namibia.

Another colorful bird.

A bird flies over our boat.

This appears to be another roller of some sort.

If anyone can help me (Larry) identify these mystery birds, write in the comment fields below. Thanks!!

Fish Eagles in Botswana

2010-11-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

This pair of fish eagles were photographed in June, 2010 at the Chobe National Park in northern Botswana.

Saddle Billed Stork

2010-11-06T16:38:00.000-07:00

This Saddle Billed Stork is a rare find in South Africa. Some estimates are that there are only around 100 of these left in the entire Kruger National Park, but thanks to various conservation efforts, the species is on the mend!

Lylac Breasted Roller

2010-11-06T16:28:00.000-07:00

Many people visit Africa to see the big 5 game (Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rino and Buffalo). But I happen to think Africa is just as fabulous (if not better) for birding folks. This Lylac Breasted Roller is one of the most colorful and beautiful birds I saw on my trip. The colors are like a paint color swatch from Benjamin Moore - the colors go so well together! If you're interested in visiting South Africa, there is a non-stop flight from New York JFK to Johannesburg.

Marshal Eagle

2010-11-06T16:21:00.000-07:00

This marshal eagle (who, unfortunately is facing away from my camera, and has a big shadow cast on him from the tree) was seen in South Africa in June of 2010. What i like about this photo is that the marshal eagle has caught his prey! Look at his talons - he's caught a baby water monitor lizard for dinner.

Pair of Tawny Eagles

2010-11-06T16:13:00.000-07:00

This pair (male & female) of Tawny eagles were spotted just outside the Kruger National Park in South Africa in June of 2010. These birds of prey have massive talons, the size of adult human hands and they can carry away a baby impala (deer)!

And look at their wingspan. Nearly 2 meters wide - incredible! For this photo, I just kept the Tawny eagle in the viewfinder and waited (and waited) for it to fly away.

Yellow Billed Hornbill

2010-11-06T13:42:00.000-07:00

Next we travel to Africa!

I think this is a Yellow Billed Hornbill was seen while travelling in Kruger National Park in South Africa, June, 2010. You may also recognize him as the character 'Zazu', the King's advisor in The Lion King. For this picture, I used a manual single point focus on Zazu's eyeball because there were so many trees in the way.

Red Breasted Toucan in Brazil

2010-11-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

This November, birding girl is partnering with Larry (a co-worker) to cover a selection of birds of the world that are outside of the USA.

First up is from south america! I think this is a Red Breasted Toucan. It was photographed in the Jardim Botânico (Botanical Gardens), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in October of 2010. It reminds me of the mascot for Froot Loops cereal. So colorful!

look at the size of that beak!

Bird Feeder Review

2010-10-15T13:21:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago I blogged about a bird feeder review I was planning for the site CSN Stores. It's actually a pretty cool website because they sell all sorts of products- even beyond bird houses and bird feeders (which they do quite well I might add). It's easy to get distracted when looking for something bird-related. Last time I was on there I got completely distracted looking for a bar stool to go with this new work-station area I've set up for my laptop at home. But that's a story for another day...

So I ended up going with the "Our Pets Lighthouse Seed Feeder" which I set up in the backyard, hanging off our barn. I'm using black-oil sunflower seed in it, which always makes sense for tube bird feeders.

One concern I have is the issue of waste, but since the tray at the base is so wide, most of the seed that birds toss around gets captured, eliminating waste. Seed recycling bird feeders (like Tidy Diner) are all the rage right now, and this Lighthouse bird feeder has actually turned out to be a pretty good solution. Unlike most seed recycling bird feeders, the tray at the bottom isn't obtrusive and the feeder still looks nice aesthetically hanging in my back yard.

I can't assess how squirrel-proof it is since we don't have squirrels in our yard in Bridgewater (I know, I know- don't hate me!); however, one of the reviews on the CSN Stores website says that it's the one feeder their squirrel can't hang upside down from to eat the seed. Sounds squirrel-proof to me!

And of course, as a native Cape Codder I love all things relating to the ocean and this is a perfect accent to my backyard decor.

Our yard is pretty quiet right now so I don't have too many good pics, but I'll try to get a representative one that shows the different types of birds that like to visit this feeder.

Pileated Woodpecker in Orono Maine

2010-09-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Steve and I went to Orono, Maine to visit my cousin Heather. This was the first time I had been visit her since she moved up there about a year ago. We had perfect weather, and in between hiking and camping I managed to squeeze in just a little bit of birding!

Here are some pics from our hike to the top of Cadillac Mountain. Isn't it beautiful? Here's Heather on the way up.

Me & Heath at the top of the mountain.

Justin, Heather's boyfriend, Heath, her dog Royce & Steve.

My favorite siting from the weekend was a lifer(?) for me. The Pileated Woodpecker!

The first one I saw during our hike at Cadillac Mountain. I saw something huge flying through the trees after we startled it, and caught just glimpses of its all-dark gray body, and red crown.

When I told Heather what I saw she said not to worry- I'd be able to get a good picture of it when we got back to her apartment in Orono. She said as long as they put out suet, they'll have Pileated Woodpeckers at their feeder. Amazing!

So as soon as we got back to her apartment I was on the lookout. Sure enough I head the woodpecker pecking at a tree and then when I looked I saw its red head up at the top of a tree. All the credit goes to Steve for the above picture. These next ones I took at a much greater distance.I also saw a Hairy Woodpecker while I was watching for the Pileated. It can be difficult to tell the difference between a downy woodpecker and a hairy woodpecker. I wrote a blog post about it a couple of winters ago. The most distinguishable characteristics for me are size (the Hairy Woodpecker is bigger) and the beak (the Hairy Woodpecker has a longer beak).

Finally, on the way back to Orono from Bar Harbor we saw this flock of migrating Kildeer! We had stopped to look at a Boro camping trailer and then Heather actually spotted the birds on the lawn between the parking lot and road, and asked me what they were. I think I've only seen Kildeer once before, and to me the most distinguishable characteristic is their size, and the intricate banding/lines by their eyes.

It was such a great weekend of seeing Heather, Justin & Royce, hiking and camping in beautiful Acadia National Park, and seeing some Maine birds!

Boston Peregrine Falcon drops by for another visit

2010-09-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

One of the perks to working in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood is that I get to bird watch. Specifically- I get to study Boston's resident peregrine falcon right from my desk. I wrote a post about our peregrine falcon back in July actually. I took some pictures of it right before it right before it took a poop. That's one of its favorite pass-times while visiting our 16th floor ledge. That and munching on poor helpless birds.

There is evidence of the carnage everywhere- just see this carelessly left behind wing for example. Anyone have a guess at what kind of bird it was?

Here are some pictures of our friend, the Boston peregrine falcon, from today. He was there in the late afternoon, sitting on the windowsill, looking in curiously:

Don't be misled by the white spot on its breast- it's just the flash from my camera making that spot.
Looking forward to seeing our little friend again soon! I hope to learn more about our Boston peregrine falcon. If anyone local has any information, like its name and how long its been tracked, please let me know.

Carolina Wren House

2010-08-31T07:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of a Carolina Wren house in my parents' yard in Bourne, MA (Monument Beach to be specific). Each year my mom has at least one Carolina Wren family nesting in the yard. Usually they go after some of the more traditional bird houses she has up, but this year they decided to nest in an ornamental bird house, not meant for actual birds!

Since Carolina Wrens are so small, this bird house actually suits their needs just fine. Here are some pictures of the wren nervously looking out and waiting for me to get in my car and leave. Right before this, the bird was bringing food to its babies- specifically a nice green inchworm.

Carolina Wren House:

Carolina Wren House in context of the yard (you can see how small the house really is):

I had hope to capture the Carolina Wren call on video, but I just wasn't fast enough with my camera. But I do have an older video on my blog featuring the Carolina Wren Song.

Rhode Island Birder Spots Alligator in Pond

2010-08-31T05:43:00.000-07:00

Rhode Island birder Dan Cinotti was scanning Sisson Pond for birds and instead caught sight of an alligator sunning itself on a rock.

Photo credit: Dan Cinotti

As of August 30th it was still seen in the pond, and DEM officials still were not able to capture it. To further complicate matters, the southern area of the pond where it has been spotted is considered private so unless the owners request its removals, DEM is not under obligation to return to try and capture it. For more information read the full article here: http://portsmouth.patch.com/articles/update-alligator-to-stay-at-sisson-pond

It's quite sad because obviously the alligator cannot survive a winter in the pond. I hope someone is able to capture it and deliver it to a refuge or zoo. All because some idiot tried to keep it as a pet and released it once it got too big... Speaking of which, anyone remember the move Alligator (1980)? Great movie.

Click here to watch the Turnto10.com video: http://portsmouth.patch.com/articles/update-alligator-to-stay-at-sisson-pond#video-1418970

I recently went birding in Rhode Island with my BwBTC (birders who blog, tweet, chirp) group, but fortunately we didn't encounter any alligators! I did see a huge snapping turtle sticking its beak out of the water to breathe (while at Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, another popular RI bird watching spot), but that was the largest reptile spotted.

Check back for pictures from the BwBTC trip- uploaded but certainly not sorted through yet... I'm getting there :)

Blue-winged Warbler and Eastern Towhee at Tuckerwood

2010-08-03T04:42:00.000-07:00

June 5th we finally got around to visiting Tuckerwood Conservation Area. It's so close to our house, but we just never ventured over to it. Be warned though- it's very buggy so make sure you load up on bug spray first.

It turned out to be an excellent spot for birdwatching- especially the powerlines area. That's where I saw this blue-winged warbler, and eastern towhee. The only thing that made me nervous was that I kept hearing large animals moving around in the bushes and I was worried there were coyotes there. Hopefully it was just deer or something.

Blue-winged warbler:

Look at the worm in its mouth! Clearly this bird is nesting. I'm always excited to see warblers, especially outside of migratory season. I'm still getting to know the warblers that stick around Massachusetts. To help, I've been following the blog "In Pursuit of Warblers" which is run by a gentleman named Larry in Western Massachusetts. Granted, the birds there will be different from Southern Massachusetts where I live, but it's still a good reference.

Eastern Towhee:

Eastern towhees are a bird I've gotten more and more excited about in recent years. Mainly because I've been able to match them up with a familiar bird call I've heard my whole life. That's always an exciting part of improving my birding skills- being able to identify all the calls I hear in and around Massachusetts. Hilke over at "One Jackdraw Birding" recently posted an audio clip of the Eastern Towhee song.

Find more information about Tuckerwood Conservation Area and other Bridgewater Parks.

Attention New England Birders!

2010-08-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

Dawn Fine (of Dawn's Bloggy Blog fame) is coming back our way and is planning another BwBTC (Birders who Blog, Tweet, and Chirp) birding trip for the weekend of August 28th/29th.

Read her full post here: http://dawnandjeffsblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/bwbtc-outing-new-england.html

It's a lot of fun! If you're local to New England you should consider joining us :)

Great White Heron [Correction- Great Egret!] Pictures

2010-07-29T19:09:00.000-07:00

These Great Egret (thanks to my Anonymous commenter for correcting us) pictures come courtesy of my friend Elizabeth's in-laws. She tells me they love nature and wildlife photography, especially birds. I'm grateful to them for sharing these pictures since it adds to the diversity of photos on my blog.

These are from their trip to Magnolia Plantation and Gardens in Charleston, SC. My guess is these are from the Swamp Garden since the link for that section is a picture of a Great Egret! I'm quite the detective... haha

A very similar species is the The Great White Heron- a morph of the Great Blue Heron, a common New England bird. The surest way to tell them apart is to look at their range (they're only found in Southern Florida). For other clues see the comments section of this post. As my Anonymous commenter pointed out- it would be highly unlikely to see a Great White Heron in South Carolina.

Granted this is a Great Egret and not a Great White Heron, I still find it amusing how similar it is to my recent Great Blue Heron eating habits post. The fish that this egret is eating is much smaller, and certainly a different species than the one my heron was eating, but I think it's still cool that we both got similar shots.

In fact, I saw a Great Blue Heron just this morning while I was commuting to work on the train. We pass over a portion of Boston Harbor/Quincy Bay? It was low tide and he was standing out in the middle of the flats, neck up straight as an arrow. I love how diverse their look can be- depending on how you stumble upon a heron, it can look like a completely different bird.

CSN Review- So many Bird Feeders and Bird Houses to choose from...

2010-07-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

A representative from CSN Stores reached out to me to do a review of one of their products. Wow- where to begin... CSN Stores has over 200 online stores, with everything from dinnerware to shower curtains, to hammocks and loveseats! Naturally I gravitate toward bird-themed items. They have some lovely bird whistle tea kettles, and "Living Birds" wall art (stickers). Very cool :)

I'm leaning toward one of the more functional "bird" products though.

Like their amazingly modern bird feeders. Check out the design of this suet hanger and regular tray style feeder. I wonder if they're squirrel-proof? Surely that slick metal must be hard to hang onto with their little feet.

Stay tuned to see what I choose!

Peregrine Falcon in Boston

2010-07-22T06:15:00.000-07:00

Back when I was working in the John Hancock Tower I would see a peregrine falcon fly by, but could never get a picture of it. Now that I'm in a different building (also in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston) I've been able to see better views of the falcon, and I've actually seen it perch on the antenna of a building below us. I attempted to take photos with my new HTC Incredible Android phone (which has a 8 mega pixel camera), but it just couldn't zoom in enough.

Then last Friday my boss shouted out "look at that hawk" and sure enough- there was the peregrine falcon perched on the windowsill of our office (several stories up). Though far away, the first picture shows the bird looking directly at us. It was so close! And that last picture was taken right after it took a poop- hence the tail up. hahaha

Great Blue Heron Eating Habits

2010-07-15T18:57:00.001-07:00

These Great Blue Heron pictures were taken at Carver Pond on Memorial Day Weekend. We stayed in Bridgewater to avoid traffic and decided to take advantage of all of the wonderful parks in the are. (Earlier this day we went to the Tuckerwood Conservation Area, and then went directly to Carver Pond.)

Anyone want to take a guess at what kind of fish it's eating? I haven't a clue, but I do know it's huge! I would never expect to see a great blue heron eating a fish that large, but that just goes to show how much I know about great blue heron eating habits.

What's funny is that I wasn't even trying to sneak up upon this great blue heron eating its dinner. I was simply walking down to the water to (yes- this is gross) wash off the mess of a mosquito I squashed on my leg that happened to be full of my blood- yuck. Once I was down at the water's edge I saw the great blue heron across the way and of course whipped out my camera.

For those of you local to Massachusetts, here are some links about fishing and visiting Carver Pond (but be forewarned that you'll have to compete with these great blue herons!):

http://www.fishingworks.com/lakes/massachusetts/plymouth/bridgewater/carver-pond/
http://www.hookandbullet.com/fishing-carver-pond-bridgewater-ma/
http://www.bridgewaterma.org/Government/Commissions/PSC/Parks.shtml

SEO Tips for Birders- Choosing a Topic

2010-06-30T06:00:00.001-07:00

Some of you may have noticed this box at the bottom of my site (scroll all the way down to see the real thing):

It's an embedded topic-finding tool from my company, WordStream. This tool that I helped develop is very useful when choosing a bird blogging topic. It's free to use, and if you want to send yourself a spreadsheet of the topics (called "niches") and keywords to include in your blog posts, just enter your email address to have them emailed to you.

Here's an example of how you might use the tool:

Let's say I have some pictures of a Great Blue Heron eating a fish (which I do- I'm going to post that next). I type "great blue heron" into the query box and click "Find Profitable Niches." This is what I see:

I can see that "great blue heron eat" is a popular niche topic to write about since it's near the top of the list. I just click on the niche to see the keywords associated with it. Since I have pictures of a Great Blue Heron eating, it makes sense for me to put that keyword in my blog post title, as well as throughout the body of my post. I'll also want to include other popular keywords from this list: "what do great blue herons eat" "what does the great blue heron eat" "great blue heron eats."

This tool is also very helpful if you're not starting with a picture, but rather you plan on writing about bird-related research, facts, tips, etc. You can use it to find out what are the most popular topics and questions for a certain species of bird.

Go ahead! Scroll down to the bottom of the page and try it out for yourself.

Happy blogging! :)

Grackles and Starlings

2010-06-30T05:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of a common grackle at our feeder. We get a lot of grackles in our yard, but usually they just feed on worms/bugs on the lawn. Once in a while we get one at the feeder. They don't bother me too much since we live in a rural area and have a nice diversity of birds at our feeders. But I understand why some people whose feeders are dominated by this "nuisance bird" dislike them.

A lot of people get grackles and starlings confused, and I admit I still have to remind myself of the difference, since I had them mixed up for so many years. In my mind, grackles should look "crackle-y" and the mottled look of starlings with their blend of black and tan feathers looks that way to me. Instead, it's the bird with the smooth black coloring (with a hint of iridescence) that is the grackle. I wrote a blog post about the difference between grackles and starlings a while back.

Song Sparrow Preening

2010-06-21T04:54:00.000-07:00

I have quite the backlog of pictures for Burrage Pong on Memorial Day, here are a few more.

I love taking pictures of Song Sparrows, especially when they're perched atop a post or branch like this against the blue sky. It reminds me of some similar pictures I have of a song sparrow from the BwBTC trip to Plum Island last summer.

During this trip to Burrage Pond we also saw an Eastern Kingbird:

Can you find the Great Blue Heron in this picture? This is a very distance shot, but I wanted to use it because you can see the haze across the bog. People in New England will recall how this Memorial Day smoke from the Quebec wildfires rolled in and created quite the haze.

Burrage Pond is a Wildlife Management Area (or WMA)- a parcel of undeveloped land managed by the Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. (Click here for a map of WMAs in Massachusetts) Naturally, since it's such a great piece of conservation land, there are several research projects going on there. One of which is the bog turtle (note: link opens a PDF). There's a note on the sign when you first enter Burrage Pond to be on the lookout for bog turtles. Well, 2 of the 4 times I've been there I've seen turtles but they weren't bog turtles. I'll keep looking!

Here's a cute little painted turtle I saw on Memorial Day, with quite the dirty shell (kind of looks like rust). How'd that happen? Just to be sure I took photographs of it so I could confirm later what kind of turtle it was. As with birds, I'm always secretly hoping it's something incredibly rare! But that's never the case...

Magnolia Warbler in Fairfield, CT

2010-06-12T05:34:00.000-07:00

Magnolia warblers are my FAVORITE warbler (well, aside from Blackburnian Warblers, but I've only seen one once at Mt. Auburn Cemetery). I don't know what it is- the name maybe? "Magnolia" has such nice connotations. And the coloring- I love the yellow with black streaks, and the gray. All the colors come together so nicely.

I decided to look it up on Allaboutbirds.org to see if they had any information about where the name comes from- apparently the name was originally given to them in 1810 by Alexander Wilson who saw one in a Magnolia tree. Funnily enough he took the Black and Yellow Warbler English name, and added Magnolia to its Latin name, which became the predominant name over time.

We went to visit Steve's parents in Fairfield, CT the weekend of May 22-23 so of course I was on high alert for warblers. I noticed the Cedar Waxwings first. They were flying between the trees in his parents' backyard and the top of a dead tree in his neighbor's yard:

I was so excited to hear a warbler in the trees, used my binoculars to see what it was, and then quickly snapped these shots before it flew away. I never saw it again the rest of the weekend.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak at My Feeder!

2010-06-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

This was a nice little Memorial Day surprise. My parents were over for a cookout and while I was inside putting away the food and cleaning up Steve came rushing in asking me to check out a bird at the feeder.

My mom was the first to notice it and Steve couldn't ID it either so they grabbed me to come out. I've seen rose-breasted grosbeaks at the tops of the trees where our backyard meets the conservation land (Stiles & Hart).

I've observed that rose-breasted grosbeaks like to hang out at the canopy level and feed on the tree buds. I've noticed Baltimore Orioles and many types of wood warblers like to do this too, so it's where I often look when I go birding (or when I hear a rose-breasted grosbeak call and need to figure out where to look).

I can't believe that rose-breasted grosbeaks are interested in my feeders with the abundance of food in the woods behind our house. A nice surprise though just the same!

Pine Warbler in Distress

2010-05-25T10:54:00.000-07:00

This cute little Pine Warbler must have flown over from Fenway Victory Gardens. That's a popular spot for birding right near my office in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood.

I noticed this pine warbler when I got up from my desk and saw him resting on the ledge right in front of my window. My office is on the 16th floor, so I was obviously worried to see a pine warbler hanging out up here. Sometimes we'll see rock pigeons up here, but it's out of the ordinary to see a warbler.

Then I began to see the obvious signs of a bird in distress: open mouth, and flexed wings. There were points that the bird really worried me (like when it was laying face-first on the concrete, with its butt in the air) but then it stood up and when I looked away for a minute it flew away. Let's hope this pine warbler made it back to park safely! :-)

These pine warbler photos were taken with my cell phone, and are in order:

White Throated Sparrow on Cape Cod

2010-05-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy the White Throated Sparrow song. I recorded some audio of the white throated sparrow song back in November at our friend's farm in Connecticut. I hear them all the time now, especially early in the morning here in Bridgewater when I'm getting ready for work.

White throated sparrow photo:

The white throated sparrow range has them moving northward pretty soon it looks. They're winter residents here in Massachusetts, according to my Sibley Guide, meaning they'll soon be headed north to their summer territory in Canada it appears.

Yellow-rumped Warbler on Cape Cod

2010-05-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

I spent last weekend at my parents' house in Monument Beach on Cape Cod. My dad had to work on my car, and it was great because while I was at the house I noticed some yellow-rumped warblers in the side yard on the border of the conservation land.

The only warblers I saw were yellow-rumped, except for one mystery warbler. It was very small (4.75" or smaller), and all yellow except for a gray mask/hood. The gray went on either side of its face. I only watched it through my binoculars- by the time I got my camera up it was already gone and I didn't see it again the rest of the weekend. There are so many yellow and gray warblers that I knew my odds weren't good. I guess I can just hope I see it again so I can positively ID it.

Picture of yellow-rumped warbler:

There were many female yellow-rumped warblers in the yard too, but I didn't get any pictures of those. They're actually very similar in appearance to males, but are just slightly more drab in color.

Yellow Warbler Photos from Pratt's Farm

2010-05-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

These yellow warbler photos were today this morning at Pratt's Farm in Middleborough, MA. One of the easiest ways to identify a yellow warbler is to look for the red streaks on the male yellow warbler's breast. They're also uniformly yellow (whereas lots of other warblers have tinges of gray on them) and they're very small.

Yellow Warbler Singing:

Yellow Warbler photos:

Blue-winged Warbler at Pratt's Farm

2010-05-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

It's the height of migratory warbler season and I've been trying to squeeze in birding every chance I get. This morning we dropped off some friends in Middleborough and asked if there were any good parks or conservation areas nearby. They told us to try Pratt's Farm- a small piece of land owned by the Middleborough Conservation Commission. This time of year I'm confident I can find warblers just about anywhere so we decided to try it out. There's even a small pond there, so even better- we had a feeling our odds were good.

There are lots of grassy, meadow areas there, complete with honeysuckle bushes, and other flowering trees and bushes. Perfect spot for warblers and orioles.

We saw and heard lots of blue-winged warblers. The blue-winged warbler call is something like a "buzzy beeee-BZZZZZZ" according to my Sibley Guide. To me it just sounds very "buzzy" and we followed the sound all around the patches of meadow.

Northern Mockingbird Song

2010-04-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

The Northern Mockingbird song is truly impressive. I have been observing northern mockingbird habits since I lived in Watertown, MA and had one nesting in the bushes out front. I love encountering mockingbirds in situations where I'm not looking for them- like in Winthrop during Bird-a-Thon.

Today I got to enjoy sitting through a full repertoire of a northern mockingbird song. Mockingbirds are well-known for their imitation of other birds' songs and calls. Watch the video below to hear a short sampling of this Northern Mockingbird's repertoire. Can you name that Mockingbird tune? Comment to let me know which ones you hear in the repertoire!

Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area

2010-04-18T17:00:00.001-07:00

Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area in Halifax, MA is a very popular spot for birding in Southern Massachusetts. I first discovered it during a South Shore Bird Club trip.

Here are some pictures from my trip there on Good Friday.

Song Sparrow:

Garter Snake:

Eastern Bluebird Nest Site- Burrage Pond

2010-04-18T16:17:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if where the Eastern Bluebird nest sites are at Burrage Pond in Halifax, MA, but they are definitely out in full effect there.

I love spotting Eastern Bluebirds- there are eastern bluebird nest boxes on Bridgewater State College campus. I see them when I'm driving by in the early morning.

Tree Swallow House

2010-04-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

There are several tree swallow houses, and many more tree swallows at Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area in Halifax, MA. These tree swallow pictures were take when I went there on Good Friday. I was introduced to the area during a South Shore Bird Club trip, organized by my neighbor John- Bird Man of Bridgewater.

Eastern Towhee Pictures

2010-04-18T14:49:00.000-07:00

When I was home a few weekends ago I got these pictures of an Eastern Towhee. Actually, a lifer for me I believe! My mom yelled to me from the kitchen and said "there's a bird out back that's black on top and brown on underneath and my first instinct was to say that it's just a robin, but she assured me that it wasn't. So I went to look and it was a towhee!

Common Eider - Provincetown, MA

2010-04-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some Common Eider pictures from when I was in Provincetown at low tide. I was really fortunate to have low tide the morning of our trip. This Common Eider duck didn't really spend any time on the sand bar (except on a very narrow peninsula to preen). Mainly it was swimming around in the channel. There was actually a pair, but I don't have any pictures of the common eider female.

Common Eider swimming:

Common Eider in Flight:

Common Eider Bill:

Male Common Eider:

I have another Common Eider photo taken during Bird-a-thon last year, when I went birding in Winthrop with my friend Abbie. But those were taken while the bird was in much rougher waters, although it was cool to see it stretching its neck and standing up as the waves went by.

I think they are beautiful. I would love to see a King Eider sometime. I wonder where my best bets are to see those...

Black Brant Goose

2010-04-02T11:36:00.001-07:00

Here are some more pictures from our trip to Provincetown March 20th. These were taken early Saturday morning as I walked out on the flats during low tide. This was my first time really observing black brants- they're pretty cool! Often compared to Canada Geese, I think these are far more interesting probably just because of the short time they're around (winter). Therefore, their friendly disposition, and bugle-like calls were much more appealing by default.

You can hear the Black Brant Call in this video:

They respected my personal space, as I did theirs, when walking around on the flats. Canada Geese on the other hand, would have been much more obnoxious, not moving an inch to let me by. This has been my experience with the Canada Geese monopolizing the Chestnut Hill Reservoir in Brighton, and also the portion of the Charles River in Watertown Square. They're not very obliging when you're trying to carefully pick your way around on the path. Also, they're far more photogenic- look at this Black Brant posing for me:
Here's a picture of a Black Brant dabbling. What do Black Brants eat? They eat plants- vegetation found in shallow water.
Black Brant Prints:
Black Brants in Flight. They kind of look like B52s coming in for landing.

American Black Duck Pics

2010-03-26T06:28:00.000-07:00

These American Black Duck pics were taken last weekend we were down the Cape looking at potential wedding venues. Naturally I wanted to go birding while we were out there. One of the places we were looking at was in Provincetown, and we stayed overnight Friday since we had a morning appointment on Saturday. The hotel we were staying at is out on the end of the point, right on the beach. I was excited to see what the birding would be like in the morning, and just my luck- it was low tide! I got up around 7:00 and walked out to take pictures of the various ducks out on the sand bar.

Here you can see the male feeding. American Black Ducks are dabbling ducks- they feed either by skimming the surface of the water, or by dabbling and reaching items in shallow water as shown in my pictures below. The American Black Duck diet includes aquatic insects, crustaceans, and small fish, which this duck may have been after:
In this picture you can see the male preening. You can also see one of the identifying features for black ducks- the blue patch on the wing. The main difference between the male and female American Black Duck is the beak as far as I've been able to tell- the male black duck's bill is more yellowish.
More Provincetown duck pictures to come!

Red-tailed Hawk at Stiles & Hart

2010-02-22T04:53:00.000-08:00

Steve and I celebrated Valentine's Day by going for a hike to Blue Hills on Sunday, and then for a in our backyard- Stiles & Hart Conservation Area- on Monday (President's Day). Trying to keep things cheap now that we're saving for a wedding!

We had gorgeous weather- temperatures were mild enough to go out with just a fleece & vest- yet there was still snow on the ground, which made for some pretty photos. All the ones in this post are from Stiles & Hart.

Notice Steve in the background throwing a snowball at me:

We were out midday and didn't see anything too interesting, although these was this red-tailed hawk hovering over the marsh area. I was inclined to think it was a Cooper's Hawk, since my neighbor, the Bird Man of Bridgewater, has one regularly stalking his feeders. Upon closer inspection though, the red tail is distinct.

See the hawk using its "rudder" in this picture?

Not the brightest picture, but the red tail is distinct, even with just a little bit of light behind it. Also notice the black band across the chest and the dark head. For more tips on red-tailed hawk identification visit All About Birds.

I saw even more red-tailed hawks on Sunday when I drove to the Cape to visit my parents, and then to Foxboro, MA to meet my friends Meg and Amanda for lunch. I counted a total of 4 hawks during my time on the highway (one standing on the median grass, and 3 in trees), and 1 in flight once I got back to Bridgewater.

I love watching raptors! But I have lots more to learn about them, and I definitely need to start checking more off my life list. Sounds like Cape May is a good spot, according to John's recent post about Cape May raptors.

South Shore Bird Club- I'm a Member!

2010-01-24T14:49:00.000-08:00

On the advice of my neighbor John (Bird Man of Bridgewater) I recently joined the South Shore Bird Club. I attended their annual member's dinner last night, held in Norwell.

It was a lot of fun to meet other South Shore birders, and it was certainly inspiring to watch the slide shows of the pros.

There was a short presentation from Joan Walsh, Coordinator of the Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas 2, and I have to say her speech was motivating- I would love to participate and help them finish the breeding atlas. I'd definitely need to go out with a pro and have some coaching on how to look for breeding behavior, but the biggies (like if they're carrying sticks/nesting material, and obviously if you see them going back and forth to their nest) I think I've got down.

Has anyone participated in a breeding atlas before?

SEO Tips for Birders- Image Optimization

2010-01-22T12:41:00.001-08:00

This week's SEO tip for Birders (image optimization) is an important one since most bird bloggers like to post pictures of their sightings.

Many of you have noticed that when you search on a bird species there are image results blended in with the rest of your search engine results.

Example of bird species image results:

SEO Tip for Birders: Optimize your images for bird species names.

Bird Blogger Image Optimization Tips:

•Always use the species name in your image file name- do this when you are reviewing and editing your digital images for your blog post. To rename a file simply right-click on it in the folder and choose "Rename." If you have multiple images of the same species use a - (hyphen) or a _ (underscore) to add a numeral to the end.

For example: female+common+yellowthroat.bmp and female+common+yellowthroat_2.bmp

If you are unsure of the exact species name then get as close as possible- "sparrow.jpg" Every little bit helps when it comes to SEO!

•Include captions or descriptive text- As a best practice I try to precede images with the species name:

That way they get indexed nicely in the image search engines:

•Use smaller images for optimal download times- If you have lots of huge images on your blog, these will take a long time to load, which will make the entire page load slowly. Page load time is one of the factors search engine ranking algorithm take into account, so this could hurt your chances of showing at the top of results.

My solution? When I import images I usually go with Blogger's "medium" size. That way my pages will load quickly, and users interested in seeing the larger version can click on the image to view the enlarged (full-page) view.**

•Include keywords in the Alt Attributes (sometimes mistakenly referred to as "ALT tags")- ALT attributes are meant to help users who are having trouble viewing pictures since the image is replaced with text. You can view ALT attributes by mousing-over an image when you are on a website.

Here is an example of an image with an optimized ALT attribute on the 10,000 Birds website:

If you don't see anything, then the image does not have its ALT attribute optimized. Some content management systems will automatically optimize the ALT attributes, so if yours does great! If not (which I just realized is the case with Blogger), there is a way to do it manually by editing the code, but it's probably more effort than its worth.

In my opinion it's a nice-to-have, but if you're also optimizing the image file name and are using good captions immediately before the image you don't need to optimize the ALT attribute. If you want that extra search engine ranking boost- go for it. Email me of you would like more information about how to do it manually.

**Important note about including enlarged pictures in Blogger- my friend Larry from the Brownstone Birding Blog was the first to point out to me that in blogger when you add a picture and drag it to the point in the post you want it to appear, it loses its hyperlink to the enlarged view. That's why when you first import it you have to click on the hyperlink button, copy the URL for the enlarged picture, move it, then click the hyperlink button again to paste and add the hyperlink back in.

Next week's SEO Tip for Birders will be about external linking.

SEO Tips for Birders- Keyword Research

2010-01-15T06:15:00.000-08:00

In my last post I covered the titles of your blog posts and how you should include the most important words at the beginning of your titles. However, I didn't mention how to determine what the most important words should be. That brings us to my next SEO Tip for Birders- keyword research.

SEO Tip for Birders: When doing keyword research identify words that a lot of people are searching for, but that you also have a chance of showing up on- it's a fine balance.

There are many ways to generate ideas for your primary keyword phrase (the word/phrase you want to put at the beginning of your blog post title, and include in the body of your post), and your secondary keyword phrases (related terms that should be sprinkled throughout your blog post).

Here are just a few ways to generate ideas for your targeted keyword phrases:

1. Your content: If you have a picture of an Ivory-billed Woodpecker then by all means choose it as your primary keyword phrase! In addition to the names of rare species, popular birding spots, birding clubs, and "celebrity" birder encounters all make for good primary and secondary keyword phrases.

Source: Whatbird.com

2. Bird news: Subscribe to RSS feeds for bird-focused blogs and websites, follow birders on Twitter and ChirpTracker, and generally be on the lookout for bird-centric content in mainstream news outlets. I'm fortunate that my daily paper, The Cape Cod Times, has a dedicated bird columnist, Vernon Laux, and bird-centric stories outside of his regular column often make it into the paper. Join the Birders who Blog, Tweet, and Chirp group to connect with other birders active in the Web 2.0 community.

Source: Dawn Fine- dawnandjeffsblog.blogspot.com

3. Keyword Suggestion Tools: There are many free SEO tools available online, including keyword research tools. Use keyword suggestion tools to explore a bird topic you're interested in blogging about. Tools like the Google Keyword Tool can generate ideas based off a single topic or a URL. Since birding is a very specific hobby, consider using a niche keyword tool like WordStream's Keyword Niche Finder. Simply type in a broad term like "woodpeckers" and the tool will suggest various "niches" and topic areas to explore.

So if the first phase of keyword research is generating ideas, the second phase should be vetting your keyword ideas, since you're likely to have a huge list at the end of your research. To do this:

1. Get the estimated search volume for the keywords you are considering. If you've been using a keyword suggestion tool you should already have this information. Sort the list from highest to lowest volume keyword phrases. This way you can focus your efforts on the what people are searching for the most.

2. Even better, search trends for the topics you're exploring. Google Trends, and Bing xRank will help you catch a topic while it's hot and lots of people are searching for it.

3. Scan the list for topic ideas that make sense for you and check out the search engine results. Use the major search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo! to evaluate the number of results returned for a keyword phrase (the higher the number, the less chance you have of showing up on it), and also what sites show up on the first page of search engine results (sites like Wikipedia, About.com, and Cornell Lab of Ornithology make for stiff competition).

4. Pick your primary keyword phrase (to go at the beginning of your blog post title). If the competition for a keyword phrase is too great, get creative! Say you checked out "downy woodpecker" in the major search engines and doubt your blog will stand a chance. Why not choose "difference between downy woodpecker and hairy woodpecker" for your primary keyword phrase? I did, and I'm ranking above Cornell Lab of Ornithology on that query!

Next week's SEO Tip for Birders will be about image optimization.

SEO Tips for Birders- New Series!

2010-01-08T13:59:00.000-08:00

Some of you may already know that I work in Search Engine Marketing. I shared a few tips when I met up with the BwBTC (Birders who Blog, Tweet, Chirp) group this past summer, but I thought it might be nice to reach out to the rest of my readers, and make it a regular occurrence. I'll be sharing one SEO tip, customized for bird bloggers, each Friday.

Some of you may be wondering, "What is SEO in the first place?" SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Other names for it are Natural Search or Organic Search. This is to differentiate it from Paid Search, also called PPC (pay per click) or SEM (search engine marketing).

SEO is the practice of crafting your content (in our case our bird blog posts) so that it shows up at the top of search engine results. And most importantly, so that you are showing up on the keyword phrases (things like "peregrine falcon pictures" "binocular buying tips," etc.) that you want to be found on.

The first tip I want to share is also the most important! I thought I'd start with the good stuff first to entice you :)

SEO Tip for Birders: Put the most important words at the beginning of your blog post title.

Why? Search engines will consider this your "primary" keyword phrase and therefore; the main topic of your blog post. It will appear in the URL of your blog post, which is crucial to showing at the top of search engine results.

Take a look at some of my blog posts for examples of how this is done. You'll notice that I'll often lead with the bird species name or the topic that I want to be found on in my blog post titles. You'll also notice when you hover over my blog post links the primary keyword phrase appears in the URL.

Stay tuned for my next tip, which will be about choosing the right words and phrases to target in your bird blog posts.

Carolina Wren Pictures- Bridgewater Snow Day!

2010-01-04T19:21:00.000-08:00

I was so happy to be home this past weekend so I could do some backyard birding, and count birds for Project Feederwatch. Actually, I recently connected with another Bridgewater birder, the "Bird Man of Bridgewater," who also took pictures in the snow over the weekend. John is good at identifying the gender of birds in his pictures, something I blogged about last spring.

I love this picture- I'm excited to have my very own picture of a Carolina Wren at a suet feeder. It's such a common picture for carolina wrens, and I'm glad this guy came around on Saturday to pose for me. This suet actually was a Christmas gift from my mom- it's a Berry blend and the birds love it.

Carolina Wren and Downy Woodpecker:

On a related note- not sure how to tell the difference between a Downy Woodpecker and a Hairy Woodpecker? I wrote a post about it nearly a year ago.

Red-bellied Woodpecker:

Winter Goldfinch:
Dark-eyed Junco (I like how you can see the darker feathers with its neck stretched):

Dark-eyed Junco (tossing up the snow!):

Northern Cardinal:

The birds love to hang out on our grape arbor. Especially in the morning- it's the first spot in the yard to get direct sunlight.

I thought this would be a nice closing pic since it's so sharp, you can see the falling snow, and there are so many birds visible in the shot.

Purple Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, Carolina Wren:

Dark-eyed Junco Pictures

2010-01-04T19:02:00.001-08:00

You can tell where I get my love of birding- my mom always takes good care of her backyard birds. You can see how she sprinkles bird seed on top of the snow for ground foraging birds like dark-eyed juncos.

These pictures were taken Christmas Day. I didn't need a bird blind- I just had to open a 2nd-floor window and my zoom lens did the rest of the work.

Dark-eyed Junco (with a mouthful of black-oil sunflower seed):

Song Sparrow:

There were also lots of black-capped chickadees, tufted titmice, and northern cardinals. Great backyard birdwatching and great holiday! It was so nice to have some days off and spend time with my family.

Cape Cod Winter Birds

2009-12-21T10:41:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great holiday. It was so nice to have a white Christmas in the New England area. On Cape Cod more often than not snow turns to rain and have a very wet Christmas, but this year the snow from Dec. 19th's storm (SE Massachusetts got 2 feet) was still on the ground.

Here are some pictures taken by my cousin's cousin Megan (but I consider my cousin too) in Sandwich. Look at those waves!

Tufted Titmouse:

Purple Finch:

White-throated Sparrow Song

2009-12-18T12:28:00.001-08:00

Back in late November I did some birding while staying at Steve's friend's farm in Baltic, CT. Naturally I wanted to put my sparrow identification skills to the test. We had done a walk at dusk Saturday night but my camera batteries died. But I couldn't disappoint my BirdingGirl readers and come back empty-handed! Even after staying up pretty late Saturday night (there was a party with a bonfire) I dragged myself out of bed at 7am when I heard the birdies calling to me!

Still had some poor battery life to deal with, but got these shots and accompanying audio.

Song Sparrow(?)

White-throated Sparrow:

White-throated Sparrow Song:

Female Yellow-rumped Warbler at Blue Hills

2009-11-15T11:59:00.001-08:00

Back in early October we went for a hike to Blue Hills and I snuck in a little bit of birding. I'm not sure I've mentioned this before, but Steve and I set a goal a few years back to hike every trail at Blue Hills. When we go, Steve is very serious, carefully planning a route that will cover the most ground. We don't stop until we get to the summit marked for that day (remember, this is Blue Hills- so the summits are quick to get up, but there's always a nice view of Boston). There's little time for birding, so I have to choose my birds carefully.

I recognized a unique call and stopped to take pictures of this female yellow-rumped warbler. Of course I identified her afterward, but at least I knew enough to stop and take notice of the call! :)

Also in October I got Steve to go with me to check out Borderland State Park. We used the entrance off Bay Rd. in Easton, I believe. Since moving to Bridgewater I had wanted to go birding there, and although we didn't see any lifers, I still had some nice lighting for these shots of this mallard pair:

I also saw some ducks sitting out on the "sand bar" although not really a sand bar, but are of low water in the middle of the pond. I noticed the blue bars and thought it was something interesting, but then went back and consulted my Sibley Guide and realized it was most likely a juvenile mallard duck.

UPDATE: Thanks to Hap in Minnesota for sharing his insights- he thinks the duck on the right is a Black Duck, and based on these Google Image Results I agree. Thanks for teaching me something new!

Project FeederWatch is Fast-Approaching!

2009-10-01T17:08:00.000-07:00

Have you signed up for Project FeederWatch yet? I mailed in my renewal a few weeks ago. Better stock up on black-oil sunflower seed and nijer seed/thistle!

Here's the press release from Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Help Project FeederWatch Track Backyard Birds—Bird watchers needed to help scientists discover changes in bird populations

Ithaca, NY—What happens in the backyard should not stay in the backyard—at least when it comes to bird feeders. By sharing information about which birds visit their feeders between November and April, backyard bird watchers can help scientists track changes in bird numbers and movements from year to year, through Project FeederWatch, a citizen-science program from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada.

Project FeederWatch begins on November 14 and runs through early April. Taking part is easy. Anyone can count the numbers and kinds of birds at their feeders and enter their information on the FeederWatch website. Participants submitted nearly 117,000 checklists last season. Since 1987, more than 40,000 people from the United States and Canada have taken part in the project.

“To get the most complete picture of bird movements, we always need new sets of eyes to tell us what species are showing up at backyard feeders,” says David Bonter, leader of Project FeederWatch. “Participants always tell us how much fun it is and how good it feels to contribute to our understanding of birds by submitting their sightings.”

Project FeederWatch is for people of all ages and skill levels. To learn more and to sign up, visit www.feederwatch.org or call the Cornell Lab toll-free at (866) 982-2473. In return for the $15 fee ($12 for Cornell Lab members) participants receive the FeederWatcher’s Handbook, an identification poster of the most common feeder birds, a calendar, complete instructions, and Winter Bird Highlights, an annual summary of FeederWatch findings.

Participant Nancy Corr of Harrisburg, Oregon, sums up her Project FeederWatch experience: “Thanks for the wonderful opportunity to share our love of birding and to participate in something meaningful!”

Here are links to my 2008-2009 FeederWatch posts:

Project FeederWatch- Week 1
Project FeederWatch- Week 2
Project FeederWatch- Week 3
Project FeederWatch- Week 17

I'm excited for the new season because of my new zoom lens and tripod combo! I hope to get better pictures this year. Well, and more interesting visitors too of course.

Female Common Yellowthroat at Central Park

2009-09-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

I squeezed in some birding while I was in New York last weekend. I was there for a "Girls Weekend" with two of my best friends from college- Kristin and Lori. Lori just moved there in January, which is very exciting.

I forgot my binoculars, and we were on a tight schedule, but I still made a few interesting sightings.

Female Common Yellowthroat

Mystery Thrush (it's Friday and I don't have the energy to try and ID it from this poor picture):

We stuck to Strawberry Fields, but it was really cool being there on a nice Saturday with lots of other birders. We encountered:

- A dad and his 4 year-old son who each had their own binoculars. The dad told us about the ruby-throated hummingbirds and then the little boy piped in and told us exactly where to go and added "I hope they're still there for you. I hope you get to see them." SO cute.

- A scary homeless man over by the ruby-throated hummingbird site (looked like a patch of honeysuckle surrounded by a fence, but I'm convinced it was some other type of flowering bush). He got right up in my face and told me "You're going to be dead like that fence." He was really obsessed with the fence and keeping people away from it. There was a man with a scope set up, focused on the bushes, and there were plenty of other people around so I didn't feel scared. But we did end up leaving the area shortly after that since we weren't seeing any hummingbirds.

- Another homeless man, this one sleeping on the grass in the clearing where I was following the female common yellowthroat. At one point I had to step around him to get closer to the bird but he didn't wake up! haha

- Last but not least, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones casually walking through the park with what seemed like an agent or producer.

It was a great trip! Next time I'll have to schedule some more extensive birding time while I'm there, and when I can go alone. No one wants to hang out while I bird, it's very boring...

Fossilized Feathers Resemble Starlings and Grackles

2009-09-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

Here is some interesting news I just came across—the first traces of color in a bird feather were discovered in a 47 million year-old fossil.

Image Source: ScientificComputing.com

Here is an excerpt from the New York Times article:

To find well-preserved feathers, the scientists traveled this May to a famed
fossil site in Germany near the village of Messel, where exquisitely preserved
47-million-year-old bird fossils are regularly dug up in an old quarry pit.
The scientists inspected several fossils and removed small pieces from 12
fossilized feathers. They returned home to put the material under a scanning
electron microscope. “You can see a surface of beautifully packed together
melanosomes,” said Richard Prum, a Yale expert on feather colors. “This looks
exactly like a grackle or a starling, where you have a dark glossy bird with a
metallic sheen.”

To read the entire New York Times article visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/science/01feath.html

I personally think Grackle feathers are more metallic-looking, but I'm not expert. Clearly, since I have trouble keeping starlings and grackles straight!

Laughing Gull at Monument Beach

2009-08-31T16:21:00.000-07:00

I was excited to see a laughing gull for the first time on Cape Cod. When my friend Kristin got married on the Jersey Shore last year I saw plenty of them, but for some reason never in Massachusetts.

I was waiting for my mom to meet me at the beach when I heard it- it really sounds like it's laughing. It was definitely not a regular herring gull, which made me take notice. I caught her before she left the house and asked her to bring my camera. For most birders, a laughing gull is not too exciting, but for me it was.

He was a little itchy:
Looking for food- of course: