Progne subis
May 8, 1993: South Bend, St. Joseph County, IN
(Progne subis subis) Saw one briefly over the pond at St. Patrick’s Park.
Continue reading “Purple Martin”Off the Edge of the Map
May 8, 1993: South Bend, St. Joseph County, IN
(Progne subis subis) Saw one briefly over the pond at St. Patrick’s Park.
Continue reading “Purple Martin”April 16, 1993
As my interest in birding has grown, I thought I would see if there are any birding organizations in the local community. This led me to the South Bend Audubon Society, and this trip to Bonneville Mill is the first official birding trip I’ve ever gone on with this group. So exciting!
Continue reading “Bonneville Mill County Park”April 16, 1993: Goshen, Elkhart County, IN
I saw several of these flying over a barn while walking through a farm neighborhood in Goshen. Very cute. I’ve since seen them all over the place, especially in the middle of cities, where I don’t expect much in the way of bird life!
Continue reading “Chimney Swift”March 28 through April 22, 1993: Osceola, Indiana
We put up a nest box in the backyard specifically to attract ☆Eastern Bluebird☆, and to my great delight we were successful. My first sighting was of a male and female pair in my own backyard, and they soon moved into the nest box.
Continue reading “Eastern Bluebirds, Osceola, Indiana”Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
December 19, 1992: Niles, Berrien County, MI
(Branta canadensis maxima) Although I’ve seen these geese before, this is my first documented sighting. I’ve actually seen LOTS of them – singly, in pairs, families with juveniles, and in flocks of several hundred – in flight, on the ground, and in the water. Very common. But pretty!
Continue reading “Canada Goose”December 19, 1992
Niles, Michigan
I signed up to participate in the annual Christmas Bird Count for southern Michigan. We started out at Fernwood, and I was teamed with Fernwood naturalist Rob Venner. I arrived at the nature center before dawn, a little bit nervous and not really sure what to expect. But once we got started, I had a lot of fun, and learned a lot about the winter birds, as well. Rob is a great birder, and a nice guy, too. We drove around to various places and counted the species and individuals that we saw. Rob helped me to ID them and told me lots of interesting info, as well.
Continue reading “Berrien County Christmas Bird Count”December 19, 1992: Niles, Berrien County, MI
This bird was spotted in the company of the dozen or so mallards we spotted swimming in the St. Joseph River during a Christmas Bird County. If not for the expert skills of Rob Venner, I’d have never noticed the difference.
Continue reading “American Black Duck”1991 and 1992 (various dates)
Very soon after we moved into our new home in Indiana, I put up some bird feeders in the backyard. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but almost immediately, birds began to arrive, along with squirrels and chipmunks. The first I remember seeing were a deep, gorgeous red with black markings on the face, whose whistled song. I discovered that I wasn’t satisfied to just watch them go about their business anonymously – I needed to know their names. Field guide in hand, I was easily able to identify the ☆Northern Cardinal☆, as well as a good variety of other birds in the yard. And, just like that, I’d started out with this glorious (and sometimes consuming) pass-time of birding.
Continue reading “Elkhart County, IN”December 23, 1986: Kennedy Space Center, Brevard County, FL
This little critter was seen at Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. I have only a dim memory of it (and I didn’t remember it happening on this trip), but my aunt recently reminded me that she and I saw an Armadillo together when I’d visited her in Florida all these years ago. OH YEAH!
Continue reading “Nine-banded Armadillo”December 23, 1986
This was my first ever trip out of state, when my grandparents took my sister and I to visit our Aunt Andi and Uncle Larry in Florida. I wasn’t really keeping track of wildlife back then, but I saw a few things that made an impression. We visited Kennedy Space Center, and while on a bus tour of the facility, the bus driver pointed out a number of ☆Bald Eagle☆ nests. Although they weren’t all that close to the road, we were able to see both adults and juveniles. Even from a distance, these birds are so impressive! We also saw many ☆Atlantic Brown Pelicans☆, which are plentiful in Florida. Even though I’d seen the California subspecies regularly as a child, this is my first documented sighting.
Continue reading “Kennedy Space Center, FL”1970s (various dates)
These are all wildlife sightings that I remember happening at or very near my childhood home in Los Angeles. I don’t have dates for these sightings, as they are all from memory, but I have noted anywhere I have a doubt about the species identify.
Continue reading “Los Angeles County, CA”October 31, 1971
Early evening
This ☆Great Horned Owl☆ is the first wild bird I have a clear memory of seeing. On Halloween night when I was around five years old, I was trick-or-treating with some neighborhood children (and parents) when an owl flew down right in front of us and landed in the middle of the Holzer’s front yard. It made a big impression on me, especially since the bird seemed to be about the same size that I was at the time. How can you forget an event like that? This early birding experience definitely made an impact on my young psyche, probably predisposing me to my current fascination with birds, and maybe especially owls.
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