2013 and beyond

It's pretty simple: the most birds seen or heard from one's yard during 2013 will be the "winner". Want in? O.k....then do it despite that.

2013 promises to be a lot less mean but still a carbon-free birding competition, even if slightly less exciting than a MEGA x EPIC hybrid.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

A little non yard birding from yesterday

Well, at least 4 yardbirders were out of commission yesterday, as we were kayaking the Muskegon SGA and generally making idiots of ourselves. Here are some photos from a memorable outing which included Curtis's life (and self-found, I might add) LEOW.



Posted by at

9 comments:

  1. Caleb PutnamMarch 23, 2010 at 12:37 PM

    and oh yeah, our eBird checklist:

    Location: Muskegon SGA (Big Cedar Creek)
    Observation date: 3/22/10
    Notes: 1 white-winged gull seen (tallied as part of 'gull sp'). Rick Brigham, Curtis Dykstra, and Dave Slager. Paddled by kayak from River Rd bridge to US-31 (Creston Rd) takeout.
    Number of species: 42

    Canada Goose 15
    Mute Swan 1
    Wood Duck 25
    Mallard 13
    Common Goldeneye 2
    Hooded Merganser 21
    Wild Turkey 4
    Turkey Vulture 4
    Bald Eagle 5
    Red-shouldered Hawk 1
    Red-tailed Hawk 6
    Rough-legged Hawk 2
    Sandhill Crane 10
    Ring-billed Gull 8
    gull sp. 7
    Rock Pigeon 11
    Mourning Dove 3
    Long-eared Owl 1
    Red-bellied Woodpecker 15
    Downy Woodpecker 7
    Hairy Woodpecker 3
    Northern Flicker 3
    Pileated Woodpecker 5
    Blue Jay 11
    American Crow 6
    Black-capped Chickadee 16
    Tufted Titmouse 15
    White-breasted Nuthatch 11
    Brown Creeper 6
    Winter Wren 1
    Golden-crowned Kinglet 2
    Eastern Bluebird 2
    American Robin 27
    American Tree Sparrow 38
    Song Sparrow 69
    Dark-eyed Junco 2
    Northern Cardinal 4
    Red-winged Blackbird 107
    Rusty Blackbird 4
    Common Grackle 74
    Brown-headed Cowbird 5
    House Finch 2
    American Goldfinch 14

    ReplyDelete
  2. Swamp KatMarch 23, 2010 at 12:51 PM

    Nice, a dozen birds on that list would be welcomed in my yard.

    Nice egg-sack Caleb -- when do you expect it to hatch?

    Slagger is a tall fella isn't he? You got game?

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Owl RanchMarch 23, 2010 at 1:25 PM

    congrats Curtis- there is no better lifebird than one that is self-found

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ben WarnerMarch 23, 2010 at 1:26 PM

    Haha, Slags might be able to play basketball if he ever put down his bins. Its nice to bird with him because I can ask him what he sees over top of the cattails and I can walk in front of him and not get in his way since he can see over my head just fine.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Caleb PutnamMarch 23, 2010 at 9:17 PM

    Kapstick- yeah, pregnancy is rough and I am ready to pop. Plus, I am really stylin with my man skirt, aren't I? You know you like it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. HarryMarch 24, 2010 at 6:23 AM

    It's always so strange for me looking at pics of Long-eared Owls taken in North America: over here, they have orange eyes, not yellow...hmm, anyone done genetic analysis, or compared vocalisations? The pattern of the underparts looks slightly unusual as well compared to our birds here.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Caleb PutnamMarch 24, 2010 at 9:11 AM

    Yeah, Harry, I had the same reaction to seeing European photos of LEOW- they look strange and 'unnatural' with those orange eyes and paler plumage.http://www.surfbirds.com/media/gallery_photos/20060413043727.jpg

    ReplyDelete
  8. Curtis DykstraMarch 24, 2010 at 12:15 PM

    Skye, yeah it was a very nice suprise for sure. I certainly wasn't expecting it, but will take it non-the-less! It's one of those species I had pursued (and missed) a couple of times since moving to MI from NC 3 years ago. So it was satisfying to finally get it and especially so in the manner of having found it myself!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Rick BrighamMarch 24, 2010 at 8:05 PM

    This was a blast. I haven't laughed so hard in a LONG time! Today my abdominal muscles hurt! Besides Curtis's LEOW, the most memorable scene was a lanky crane of a guy running around in tights with bins. Slogger you kill!

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)