EcoStrides

Dock at Ancón, near Lima, Peru

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, June 21, 2009. And I thought Minnesota winters were long!

Erica Marshall of muddyboots.org

I spotted my first Cedar Waxwing—ever. A year ago I had never heard of this bird, and now I can say I’ve seen dozens of them. Yesterday there was a flock of them on my neighbor’s silver maple. Today there was another flock of them on my other neighbor’s green ash tree. The distinctive markings of the Cedar Waxwing include exquisite taupe plumage, light yellow belly, black mask, pointed crest, bright yellow tip on the tail, and red tips on the wings. I plan to add a serviceberry bush to my yard to attract this lovely bird.

I’ve started to become interested in birdwatching—learning the species, being observant enough to find the birds and identifying them by their markings and songs. If that’s not challenging enough—try to photograph them! Spring is a great time for birding because the birds are very active and vocal, and the leaves on the trees have not appeared yet, making it much easier to spot birds.

I spent this morning counting birds for Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count. This annual event occurs throughout the Americas and its purpose is to assess the status of bird populations.

This was a new experience for me, as I haven’t done much bird watching. Four men and I drove around a specified territory and we counted all the birds we saw. We went through cemeteries, trails, wooded areas, busy streets, and residential neighborhoods. We got out and walked at times. I appreciated the opportunity to learn from long-time birders.

What I discovered:

• I can be much more observant than usual if I try.
• I can now identify the dark-eyed junco.
• There are several nearby trails that I didn’t know existed.
• When birders drive a car they don’t keep their eyes on the road!

It was a very snowy day, so the birding supposedly wasn’t very good, but I was impressed with our numbers. We saw (or heard) 17 different species and a total of 369 birds.

With the gift-giving season upon us, Stan Tekiela’s field guides are a good choice for budding naturalists. I personally own the Minnesota versions of Birds of Prey, Mammals, Trees, and Wildflowers. I also have the Birds field guide and its companion CD of bird songs. Matching the song to the plumage is a good time, and requisite if you want to get into birding.

These field guides are great because they have just the right amount of information without overwhelming you, and the photography is stunning! Some of the reviews on amazon.com are negative, saying Tekiela’s guides are too basic. But if you’re a novice like myself, basic is what you want!

We were surrounded by dozens of prehistoric creatures. I was struck by their color—black. They were well camouflaged, swimming through the dark waters of the canal. Then the boat sped forward and an enormous white creature appeared from nowhere. It spread its wings and took to the air in front of us. The most beautiful creature in the Everglades—the Great White Heron—shares its home with the alligator.

• Walking around the neighborhood with my dog
• Lying in a hammock in the backyard looking up at the leaves
• Seeing how the garden goes from nothing to something during the season
• Enjoying a drink in the porch while watching the snow fall
• Waking to birds singing in the springtime