That sounds so fun!
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Very cool!
I saw Northern Saw-whet Owl banding at Long Point.
I havenât done any banding since the summer, but I have banded some birds. I am able to band birds at the Long Point Banding Lab.
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No, Iâm sick and I had to miss the appointment. Murphyâs LawâŚ
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Very cool! A few months ago I actually saw a banded Carolina Chickadee in my back yard.
Thatâs stinks! 
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Anyone have any cool birding stories from this week?
I got to witness two groups of boreal chickadees calling to each other. Every so often, one of the chickadees in one group would call, and one in the other group would answer.
They are hard little birds to get decent photos of.
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Cool! I went birding this evening and got to see a American kestrel diving after itâs prey.
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I do a daily eBird list and have for 2,141 days now. I added a calling Horned Lark to my yard list as a flyover in early October and then I had a second sighting with a group of 4 yesterday.
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First, I donât call myself a birdwatcher or birder, but when the snow eventually falls, I switchout my macro gear for my bird zoom camera and go out and poke about the bare branches a bit. So Iâm more of a happy bugwatcher or bugger, I suppose.
But birds and bugs are so often synced to species cycles so in general, I enjoy meeting the birders I meet out there. And my list is respectable enough for some nice exchanges. (You saw them feeding on what? Where? When?)
So hereâs my discussion question:
How many readers are mostly winter birdwatchers? How do you find that works for you?
For me, I truly envy the patience and dedication of avid birdwatchers. I wish I had more of that.
On the other hand, even though the bulk of my bug shots are extremely local (backyard, park down the street) I rarely return from my daily walk without a new lifer bug. Often more.
Iâm in Niagara, Canada along Lake Ontario shore. I see a lot of out-of-town birders here so I know itâs quite a good spot for watching. Often in big clusters. Iâve yet to see another macro bug shooter.
Thatâs another major difference between bird and bug watching. Birders seem far more intent on organizing into groups. Is that because it typically requires a lot more travel?
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Thatâs awesome!
Dusky myzomela, Brown honeyeater, Whitegaped honeyeater, Chestnut breasted munia, Double-barred finch were all seen today at our birdbath especially as it is heatwave conditions.
The munia doesnât come in that often so it was good to see one who then returned with a few buddies. The Duskys seem to be about a bit at present.
Our backyard bird list is up to 31 species since September 2020 after we built a new house on our property and effectively restarted the gardens from scratch. We try to ensure that things are either native, edible or nature friendly.
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I saw a red-tailed hawk dive after something right in front of me this morning! I have the observation here. It was neat to see, they donât often get close enough for me to get a decent photo.
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Awesome! I thought the photos were pretty good.
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So cool!
Iâm a winter bird watcher!
During the summer I mainly photograph invertibrates gut wonât hesitate to photograph other interesting things. During the winter I like to go look for birds or hand feed them at the feeder.
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I managed three new birds for my life list this past Wednesday, being the Lark Bunting, Prothonotary Warbler, and Green-tailed Towhee. Itâs been over a month since I got a new bird, but there were a lot of birds to chase in the area. Many times this year, the bird leaves before I get there, or I have to go several times for the same bird, but I got all three of these on first try in one day. All of these are decently rare too, I wouldnât call any of these mega-rarities, but I wouldnât say any of these show up reliably either compared to some birds that can be expected in small numbers every year.
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Congratulations!
Hope everyone is excited for a successful birding weekend.
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