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.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

to those who wait....

Golden Eagle bitches!

My yard is pretty good for hawk-watching being up on a hill and all, and with sunny skies and SW winds I thought I should do some yard birding. Of course, me being me- I decided within 2 minutes of yard birding that it was time to go else where and spent most of my morning on a wilderness ridge north of town watching Goshawks try to kill one-another. But all good things must come to an end and after a few hours out, it was time to come home and get work done. Being the procrastinator that I am- I thought "well might as well watch the skies for a few before going inside.

Well just imagine my surprise when a blooming adult Golden Eagle came streaming right over the house- fantastic looks, and a species I have dreamt of as a yard bird, but never thought it would happen! If my prof Lindsay is in his yard he may get it too as the eagle was headed right towards his place.

slowly but surely I began my ascent to winning this years competition- complete with style points!

8 comments:

  1. Great bird -- welcome back from hibernation .. . .. . .. hope you had a nice rest.

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  2. Way to kick off spring raptor movement up there! Plenty of SACR headed your way (see post).

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  3. Have to admit, for a man that directs a lot of trashtalk at my first ever winter yard GCKI (in habitat with no conifer and not near water), that you sure do talk up an expected, dare I say uncommon, Lake Superior shoreline migrant (GOEA)! Of course, the double standard shouldn't surprise me. Rarer than RBGR wintering in OH my butt.

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  4. ok:

    how many Golden-crowned Kinglets are in the Great Lakes region?

    now how many Golden Eagles are in the Great Lakes region?

    nuff said

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  5. Yeah that's a tough call for me, I mean it's rare but in the UP maybe not as much. Still think it deserves a place in the top end of the rarity list

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  6. ya know boys, I was really hoping we could turn this around into mocking Caleb a bit more- come on, who's with me!!!

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  7. In the UP a Fox Sparrow in winter is rarer than Golden Eagle in spring. The rules are simple (though Caleb did confuse the contest with his mircrohabitat musings) -- species status in context to your location. Which bird is more likely to get a line-item in the Seasonal Survey? Golden Eagle is a great yard bird, no argument there but in the proper context it ranks at least 3. Nuff Said.

    Also, the contest was proposed by season, so Golden Eagle shouldn't even be competing with RBGR and FOSP.

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  8. Oh luck does play into it, but Dave you are not incorrect in stating skill as a factor.

    I would hate to invoke some recent large white birds........

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