Listenning to Birds

 

Grey-crowned rosy finch

As a family we got a bird book for Christmas - 'The Genius of Birds' by Jennifer Ackerman. Stuey read the book and it inspired him to put the Merlin birding Ap on his phone. And it has been a lot of fun! For the last week we have been bird nerds. We have even been listening to birds from the back deck at our house. It is amazing how many birds we hear but rarely see.

In the past I have been a 'semi' inspired birder. Every year I do the local Christmas bird count, and I actually do know most of the local birds. On vacations to places like Costa Rica I've been known to bring along a spotting scope and buy the local bird guide. I even report 'rare' birds that I see around Kodiak to the local bird gurus. But all of my bird watching has been with binoculars. What's been fun is that Stuey and I have barely used the binoculars. We've been listening for the birds and identifying them with the ap. I've also been trying to catch the birds with my camera and at the bottom is a short video of some of the birds we've heard singing.

Practically all of the birds we've heard and seen are pretty common. And some like the Grey-crowned rosy finch or the Three Toed woodpecker never even made a peep. But listening to and learning the bird calls is like getting into birding all over again!

Patrick

Belted Kingfisher with minnow

semi-palmated plover

Savannah sparrow

Fox sparrow

hermit thrush

Savannah sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Hermit thrush

Golden crowned sparrow