On Wednesday, my online friend, Shayne, invited me to join her on a birding outing at Duke Farms in Hillsborough. I had been toying with the idea of trekking into the city to attend a literary salon at NYPL, but a quick check of the times and distances revealed that doing both was possible.
The birding was to begin at 8:30 AM and the suggested arrival time was 8:15. Google Maps predicted a drive of 1 hour, 15 minutes. I set out around 7 to leave time for wrong turns and such. I watched the sun rise in my side and rear view mirrors on Route 80, listened to a disc of Reached by Ally Condie and arrived in the parking lot a little after 8.
Our group was supposed to be 8, but there was 1 no-show. The weather was brisk and breezy. I quickly pulled my hood over my cap and pulled on gloves. Otherwise, my layers and down coat did the trick. Once the clouds moved away from the sun, it was quite pleasant. Our guide, Michael, was soft-spoken but knowledgeable and enthusiastic. He also lugged a scope and tripod, which is so cool to view through, but must be a real chore to carry!
The grounds are lovely, there's an area where wetlands are being restored, there are man-made lakes, meadows and wooded areas. Perfect for birds and their lovers. We joined Michael for a bowl of vegetarian chile, which he (rightfully) raved about while he did a count of the birds we saw. He tallied 31. I know that I missed a few of his. I did not see the harrier or the kinglet.
The walk was scheduled to end at noon, which would've left me plenty of time to make my way to either the Lincoln Tunnel or the ferry to Manhattan. But, we fell behind what with the easy conversation and plethora of birds to view and look up. At 11:45, Michael revealed that we were behind and pointed the path back but we hadn't made it to Research Woods, where he claimed he saw a Great Horned Owl the previous outing. He also mentioned the delicious vegetarian chile. Sorry Betsy Bird, maybe next month.
Here's a partial list of what I saw:
Ring-necked Duck
Bald Eagle (way high and would've missed it w/o the eagle eyes of one of our group)
American Kestrel
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (why do I always think of a cartoon character whenever I hear that?)
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Eastern Bluebird
Sigh. What a day. I made the mistake of turning my audiobook on almost immediately as I back-tracked my way back to 287. It was only three turns. What could possibly go wrong? I got so engrossed in the story that I headed south on 287 instead of north and didn't notice for 5 or 10 miles or so. I came out of my book fugue when I passed the exit for Rutgers. Rutgers? I asked myself. Oops.
When I got home, I took a two hour nap. All-in-all a satisfying way to spend a gorgeous winter's day. AND, meeting my online friend in person just cemented our friendship. I will return to Duke's Farms. I would like to do so at least once per season and it would be great if Shayne could do so as well. The location is just about halfway between our two homes.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Happy New Year
Bergen Audubon Society's FB page asked what was the first bird spotted in the new year. Two juncos were hopping around in the slush on my deck under the feeder. I love those perky little birds.
Later, there were chickadees, tons of sparrows, mourning doves, bluejays, a pair of cardinals, and squirrels, sigh.
I didn't make the New Year's walk, nor did I do yoga, but I did take one of my labs on a long jaunt skirting the woods by the reservoir. Unfortunately, I spent most of it in training mode since it has been awhile since we've been a long trot and he wanted to dash off and sniff everything!
Here's to a better birding year! Happy New Year!
Later, there were chickadees, tons of sparrows, mourning doves, bluejays, a pair of cardinals, and squirrels, sigh.
I didn't make the New Year's walk, nor did I do yoga, but I did take one of my labs on a long jaunt skirting the woods by the reservoir. Unfortunately, I spent most of it in training mode since it has been awhile since we've been a long trot and he wanted to dash off and sniff everything!
Here's to a better birding year! Happy New Year!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Yikes!
Nearly a year since posting! I've been a bad birding blogger. I haven't been the best birder either. Most of my birding has been in the backyard or on walks with my dogs. I haven't been on a birding outing since my mom died in April. My five siblings and I have devoted Sundays to clearing out our childhood home of 51 years of family history. My mom kept EVERYTHING! Most of my local birding outings occur on Sundays and Tuesdays. I was not free to attend the occasional Saturday outings. So sad.
There's a New Year's walk tomorrow, which I had planned on attending until I learned that my sister (and Yoga teacher) is running her Tuesday morning class. Another conflict.
Here's to a better birding year!
There's a New Year's walk tomorrow, which I had planned on attending until I learned that my sister (and Yoga teacher) is running her Tuesday morning class. Another conflict.
Here's to a better birding year!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
LBI Birding
I went on a field trip to Barnegat Inlet on Saturday morning (1/28). I nearly missed it. For some reason, I (again) misread/ misremembered the date and thanks only to my husband, I made it.
I saw: common eiders, common loons, red-throated loons (both of which looked very similar and when I asked why I didn't see a red-throat, learned that they are in their winter plummage), double-crested cormorant and another type of cormorant (great?), harlequin ducks, plovers, purple sanderlings, gannetts, common turnstones, a carolina wren, a yellow-bellied woodpecker, and others that I am forgetting b/c I did not write them down.
Then, this morning, I was lucky enough to rise before sunrise and watched the dawn come. As I snapped photos, I happened to note some birds floating on the water. About five or six. From their silhouettes, I venture to guess that they were loons.
I saw: common eiders, common loons, red-throated loons (both of which looked very similar and when I asked why I didn't see a red-throat, learned that they are in their winter plummage), double-crested cormorant and another type of cormorant (great?), harlequin ducks, plovers, purple sanderlings, gannetts, common turnstones, a carolina wren, a yellow-bellied woodpecker, and others that I am forgetting b/c I did not write them down.
Then, this morning, I was lucky enough to rise before sunrise and watched the dawn come. As I snapped photos, I happened to note some birds floating on the water. About five or six. From their silhouettes, I venture to guess that they were loons.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
New Year Bird Walk
Oops! I haven't posted since April! Yikes! Bad birder, Brenda!
It was one year ago when I participated in my first birding outing. What a difference a year makes! Last year, DeKorte Environmental Center was bathed in fog and there was plenty of snow on the ground. This year, temps hit 55 and I shed my coat. The walk was at the Mill Creek Marsh. Plenty of people showed up. I saw a red-tailed hawk, 2 kestrals (or the same one twice), Ruddy ducks, a great blue heron, four red-winged blackbirds, tons of mallards, some teals, a mockingbird and a few sparrows. Didn't take any pix. Just enjoyed the day, the birds and the company.
It was one year ago when I participated in my first birding outing. What a difference a year makes! Last year, DeKorte Environmental Center was bathed in fog and there was plenty of snow on the ground. This year, temps hit 55 and I shed my coat. The walk was at the Mill Creek Marsh. Plenty of people showed up. I saw a red-tailed hawk, 2 kestrals (or the same one twice), Ruddy ducks, a great blue heron, four red-winged blackbirds, tons of mallards, some teals, a mockingbird and a few sparrows. Didn't take any pix. Just enjoyed the day, the birds and the company.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Happy Birthday Mr. Audubon!
Today is the 226th birthday of John James Audubon. Funny that it wasn't mentioned at the chapter meeting I attended for the first time last week. I learned through a blog I subscribe to called Book-a-Day. If there's a birthday or theme for the day, the moderators try and celebrate it.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Birding for Beginners - Last class
Oops! I just realized that I did not record anything about last week's class! So bear with me while I recall last week's class.
The talking part of the class had to do with binoculars and high powered scopes. They had a selection laid out on tables for trying on. What I found most useful was learning how to hold them and how to adjust them to my eyes. Oh. And how to raise the binocs to my eyes while keeping my eye on the bird. Very useful tip.
Don, the leader of the birder teachers also introduced the head of the complex down in the meadowlands. One second while I look his name up; I can't remember his first name...Jim Wright. He spoke a few words of welcome and came on the walk. I happened to be in his group and it was so cool to see his enthusiasm. He blogs too: The Meadowlands Blog and The Celery Farm Blog. And he'll be the guest speaker at this month's Bergen County Audubon Society meeting. Here's a link to that site.
Then, we went on our walk. Luckily for me, I posted what birds I saw to my FB page. I saw an osprey, three cormorants, a barn swallow, tons of tree swallows, a few red-winged blackbirds, buffleheads and a gadwall duck, as well as five or six pairs of mallards.
The topic of this week's class was field guides. What makes a good one. Also, birding by ear cds and a bit about birding apps. Too much info for me. I have collected quite a few guides over the years and dug them out and dusted them off last week. Don carries these laminated trifold things that look awfully familiar. I could've sworn I had a few, but I can't find them. Those are more my style for the field. I am the worst traveler. I like it light. Invariably, I forget things. I would rather deal with it than pack for every possibility (like my husband does) and be dragging bags everywhere. As cool as high powered scopes are, I can't envision myself, 1. making that sort of financial commitment and 2. actually carting it and the necessary tripod everywhere I bird.
There was a torrential downpour throughout Bergen County last night and the water levels were way high, so the boardwalks were closed. I dropped in on David Hall's group today and he chose to stay on the shoreline close to the center and climb the hill, so I didn't get to the trails on the other side today. After the first two classes, I took a loop on the opposite side to where the class walked before leaving.
Today, was quite sunny and very windy. We saw tons of red-winged blackbirds today. Many more than last week. The tree swallows are still around. I saw three Black Ducks, which I learned cross-breed with mallards. I saw two cormorants or the same cormorant twice, lots of robins, a junco, and a couple of male cardinals, which is apparently unusual down at DeKort since there aren't that many trees. The thing that got David quite excited was a yellow tailed warbler. When he first spotted one, I didn't get a good look at it. Later, up on the hill, I saw a flash of yellow and pointed it out and learned that it was the yellow tailed warbler. This guy stuck around and gave the group a show. He had beautiful markings too.
Warbler season is coming up and this makes birders very happy, I surmise. Oh, that reminds me, last week Jim Wright saw a brown creeper, but I didn't eyeball it myself. He was excited about that.
So, that's the birding news. I enjoy these people and admire their commitment to, not just birds, but wildlife and conservation. I think I'd like to join the BC Audubon Society and find ways of getting more involved. I'd also like to start a birding club at my school.
Happy birding.
The talking part of the class had to do with binoculars and high powered scopes. They had a selection laid out on tables for trying on. What I found most useful was learning how to hold them and how to adjust them to my eyes. Oh. And how to raise the binocs to my eyes while keeping my eye on the bird. Very useful tip.
Don, the leader of the birder teachers also introduced the head of the complex down in the meadowlands. One second while I look his name up; I can't remember his first name...Jim Wright. He spoke a few words of welcome and came on the walk. I happened to be in his group and it was so cool to see his enthusiasm. He blogs too: The Meadowlands Blog and The Celery Farm Blog. And he'll be the guest speaker at this month's Bergen County Audubon Society meeting. Here's a link to that site.
Then, we went on our walk. Luckily for me, I posted what birds I saw to my FB page. I saw an osprey, three cormorants, a barn swallow, tons of tree swallows, a few red-winged blackbirds, buffleheads and a gadwall duck, as well as five or six pairs of mallards.
The topic of this week's class was field guides. What makes a good one. Also, birding by ear cds and a bit about birding apps. Too much info for me. I have collected quite a few guides over the years and dug them out and dusted them off last week. Don carries these laminated trifold things that look awfully familiar. I could've sworn I had a few, but I can't find them. Those are more my style for the field. I am the worst traveler. I like it light. Invariably, I forget things. I would rather deal with it than pack for every possibility (like my husband does) and be dragging bags everywhere. As cool as high powered scopes are, I can't envision myself, 1. making that sort of financial commitment and 2. actually carting it and the necessary tripod everywhere I bird.
There was a torrential downpour throughout Bergen County last night and the water levels were way high, so the boardwalks were closed. I dropped in on David Hall's group today and he chose to stay on the shoreline close to the center and climb the hill, so I didn't get to the trails on the other side today. After the first two classes, I took a loop on the opposite side to where the class walked before leaving.
Today, was quite sunny and very windy. We saw tons of red-winged blackbirds today. Many more than last week. The tree swallows are still around. I saw three Black Ducks, which I learned cross-breed with mallards. I saw two cormorants or the same cormorant twice, lots of robins, a junco, and a couple of male cardinals, which is apparently unusual down at DeKort since there aren't that many trees. The thing that got David quite excited was a yellow tailed warbler. When he first spotted one, I didn't get a good look at it. Later, up on the hill, I saw a flash of yellow and pointed it out and learned that it was the yellow tailed warbler. This guy stuck around and gave the group a show. He had beautiful markings too.
Warbler season is coming up and this makes birders very happy, I surmise. Oh, that reminds me, last week Jim Wright saw a brown creeper, but I didn't eyeball it myself. He was excited about that.
So, that's the birding news. I enjoy these people and admire their commitment to, not just birds, but wildlife and conservation. I think I'd like to join the BC Audubon Society and find ways of getting more involved. I'd also like to start a birding club at my school.
Happy birding.
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