Christmas Birding Presents!

I can hardly believe it's been a month since my last post. Actually I can believe it- December was a ridiculously busy month for me with work and Christmas parties on weekends etc.

This was the year of birding/Hawaii presents. My boyfriend gave me everything I need to get started in amateur birding and I was completely surprised when I started opening my gifts. My parents gave us a really nice two-person tent to use during our trip to Hawaii in March. I started looking into it and learned that there are plenty of state forests and other types of parks to camp on the Big Island so I'm really excited about that.

Now to the important part- my birding presents from my boyfriend :)

Present #1: Canon PowerShot S2 IS

I couldn't believe he got me a camera! I had an HP digital camera that he accidentally broke and he felt guilty about it ever since. That happened in July and I finally got another digital camera in October for our trip to Pennsylvania. It was another HP and I picked one of the cheapest models since funds were low at the time and I just needed a quick fix.

He knew that the zoom was less than impressive and he said he did a lot of research and found that this was a great choice for birding.

I haven't had a chance to use it yet since I still have a lot of reading to do in the manual, but hopefully after New Year's when things slow down I'll get outdoors and put it to use.

Present #2: The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America

I was thrilled to get my first Sibley Guide. This book is amazing! It has multiple pictures of each species, including pictures of the birds in flight and juveniles/adults. It's going to play a very important role in my learning about birds. Already we used it during out trip to Martha's Vineyard last week. We saw what we believed were Common Redpolls in the beach rose bushes by the water, although we could be wrong of course. I just checked some pictures using Google Image Search and I don't remember their heads being so red. As always, suggestions are welcome.

Present #3: National Geographic Birder's Journal

This is going to be great motivation for keeping up with birding. Across from each page of identifications it has a page to record date and location of sightings. It even has an accidentals and extinct species section. It's very cool.

Present #4: Hawaii's Birds from the Hawaii Audubon Society

I can't wait for our trip in March and I'm excited to learn about the birds before we arrive.

Present #5: Columbia Sportswear Binoculars Set
Find it on Google Base

All in all it was a great Christmas and I can't wait to put these presents to use. Starting next week I should be back out in the field and will have pictures from my new camera to share!

Difference Between Grackles and Starlings

I saw a sad sight today during my lunchtime jog—a dead grackle. Or was it a starling? I'll get to that in a minute. I was making my way down to the trail along the Charles River when I saw what I thought was an injured bird in the middle of the road. It was just sitting there and I figured it was just stunned or maybe had an injured wing. The bird probably didn't have much of a chance, but the least I could move it out of the road. As I got closer to the bird I saw it had its mouth open and then I realized the gruesome truth—it was dead and was frozen in that position. I just got shivers thinking about it. The poor thing. Anyway, so it got me to thinking 'What is the difference between grackles and starlings?' I use the two interchangeably and haven't really made an effort to sort it out. Until now. I like to use All About Birds from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as an online resource. The site is comprehensive and easy to use. (I also really like the 'Cool ...

Well, Here We Are — Back to Birding Girl After 11 Years

Well, here we are—after an epic 11-year hiatus, I’m sitting back at my Adirondack chair, overlooking the picturesque cranberry bogs we live on now. I've swapped my super strong coffee for a hoppy, locally-brewed IPA to celebrate the end of the work day, and starting work again on my personal project- BirdingGirl. Honestly, it feels a little surreal. If you’re popping in and thinking, “Wait, she’s posting again?”—yep, it’s me! The binoculars are still close by, the dog is snoozing nearby, and yes, the birds have kept me company all along. Life Lately: Birding (Mostly) at Home Let’s get this out of the way—I never stopped birding. Not for a minute! Sure, life looks a bit different now. Marriage and kids will do that to you, right? These days, “getting out in the field” means looking up at the trees lining the trails leading to the cranberry bogs I walk my dog on, listening for great-horned owls and wood thrushes, or watching a flash of yellow as the warblers return each spring. I ...

Killdeer Chick in Yellowstone National Park

These were taken at West Thumb Geyser Basis, along the beach. It was really cool to get to watch these little chicks up close and personal. I had never seen Killdeer chicks before- only adults. These pictures are from our trip to Montana/Wyoming in July 2012.

BirdingGirl

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