{"id":651,"date":"2011-08-06T16:05:11","date_gmt":"2011-08-06T16:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fanagrams.net\/blog\/?p=651"},"modified":"2011-08-06T16:05:11","modified_gmt":"2011-08-06T16:05:11","slug":"spring-diary-chapter-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/2011\/08\/spring-diary-chapter-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring Diary: Chapter 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

April 26th<\/span><\/sup><\/span>:<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The woods are now teeming with yellow rumped and palm warblers.\u00a0 <\/span>The noise level has risen to a surrounding white noise, but instead of standing befuddled in the midst of a cacophonous UN debate, I can begin to sort out individual strands.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Most of the songs are from the quintet of song sparrows, yellow rumped warblers, ruby crowned kinglets,<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>robins and goldfinches.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>And every now and then, I can pick out something new, which is how I found the new warbler, waterthrush and vireo today.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The blue headed vireo is interesting\"\"<\/a> since between my original field guide and my new Peterson guide, the bird has quietly changed names from the Solitary Vireo to the Blue Headed Vireo.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I imagine committees of impassioned birders, arguing forcefully for some sort of name change, and the undercurrents of vicious politics.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Perhaps, \u201cI will vote for your blue head if you vote for my yellow rump.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Oddly the Latin name remains the same, <\/span>vireo solitarius<\/span><\/em>.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Perhaps the Latin name is etched in stone.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>And the name blue headed vireo is only somewhat descriptive, as the blue is sort of a dark dusky blue.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>If I were going to change the name, I would really go for it and use one of the wacky color names that you seen in clothing catalogs.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>How about, Gun Metal Headed Vireo, or Storm Tossed Marine Headed Vireo.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

New Birds Seen<\/span><\/p>\n

Black Throated Green Warbler<\/span><\/p>\n

Northern Waterthrush<\/span><\/p>\n

Blue Headed Vireo<\/span><\/p>\n

Pied Bill Grebe<\/span><\/p>\n

Northern Shoveler<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

April 29th<\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The last few days have been windy and darn cold and I have not seen much, though today did turn up a few new species.\u00a0 <\/span>I think that birds do not flit about in a heavy wind and the wind drowns out the sounds of the bird songs.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It is difficult to rely on visual cues alone, since it is harder to pick up the sudden movement of the bird among branches that are already swaying.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I am pleased with the yellow throated vireo, since this is a bird I have only had pointed out to me once, and this is my first solo effort with this vireo.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yellow throated Vireo<\/span><\/p>\n

Turkey Vulture<\/span><\/p>\n

Northern Parula<\/span> (by voice only)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

April 30th<\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It continues to be cold; there was even frost today.\u00a0 <\/span>A north wind has discouraged any new arrivals, and the current residents are silent.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I did see an Eastern Towhee (another mysterious name change from the more descriptive Rufous Sided Towhee), and a few water birds.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The yellow legs is a migrating water bird that comes in two sizes, greater and lesser, and otherwise is indistinguishable.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It is very difficult to tell relative sizes unless the two birds cooperate and stand side by side for comparison, but otherwise it is just a toss up.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>My field guide says that the ankle joint of the greater yellow legs is much more prominent, but that hardly seems adequate to hang your hat on.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

New Birds Seen:<\/span><\/p>\n

Yellow Legs, greater or lesser, you pick \u2018em<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

May 2nd<\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Another day of minimal activity.\u00a0 <\/span>With nothing else to do, I dwell on my birdwatching technique, which involves a complicated series of movements.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>As I scan the trees with my bare eyes, I hold the bird guide under my arm.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>If I spot something, I quickly move the book to between my legs, scooch my glasses up unto my forehead and lift the binoculars to my eyes.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>This all must take place within no more than a second, otherwise the bird is likely to flit off somewhere.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It can be difficult to find the exact spot with the binoculars that you saw with the naked eye, and sometimes you need to take a few steps from side to side.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>This means that with my otherwise fabulous system, I am trying to walk with a book between my legs.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Old fashioned etiquette training required young women to walk with a book on their head, but I am sure that walking with a book between your legs was not considered stylish. If the bird is particularly provocative and I have to take a few large steps, the book just plops on the ground.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Anyway, as awkward as this may sound, this system has served me well for twenty years, but this year I have one slight modification.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I am using a new field guide.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>For twenty years I had used the Golden Guide to Birds, but last year I was told that this book was not professional enough.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>My new selection was a Peterson Guide.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Roger Tory Peterson is a giant in the bird watching field and revolutionized field identification in the 1930s by helpfully pointing out key features.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>All birdwatchers stand on the shoulders of this innovative naturalist.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>This current edition is very sleek with a handsome glossy cover that is intended to be somewhat waterproof.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The problem is that this book is too slippery for my system.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>As I try and take tiny steps the book slips down between my legs – a major distraction.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I definitely need improved traction, either in my pants or on the book.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Here is yet another use for duct tape.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

New Birds Seen:<\/span><\/p>\n

Green Heron<\/span><\/p>\n

Blue Winged Warbler (song only)<\/span><\/p>\n

Rough Winged Swallow<\/span><\/p>\n

Sora (song only)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 1st<\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Today starts the beginning of bird banding at Shaw Prairie, so for the moment I have abandoned my usual route.\u00a0 <\/span>Thirteen mist nets are set up in the morning, and then checked each hour for the unfortunate birds that happen to fly through.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Every hour, the \"\"<\/a>team of volunteers checks the nets, extracts the birds, puts them in a muslin bag, and then returns to the central station where they are weighed, measured and banded.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>And then after thanking the birds for their forebearance they are happily released.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The banding information is submitted to a national database to gather information on migrating patterns.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I am somewhat equivocal about the banding process, since I am a little hesitant to handle these fragile looking birds, many of them weighing no more than the heft of 4 pennies.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>But these looks must be deceptive, since the birds have survived a several thousand mile commute.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>One of the attractions is that you spend several hours in the company of very\"\"<\/a> knowledgeable birders, who so far seem extremely patient with my na\u00efve and silly questions.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Since you get an in depth look at these birds, you can also confirm your somewhat tenuous sightings.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>For example, I was able to confirm that what I was calling a swamp sparrow really was a swamp sparrow.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>One of my concerns was that the swamp sparrow did not exactly match the book, and I was startled when I was told that the picture in my Peterson was inaccurate.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Like any spectator sport, you cannot tell the players without a scorecard, and I was aghast to think that my scorecard, the standard Peterson, was basically wrong.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Many birders like to use multiple field guides – since the birds can be presented different ways, in different poses and some even use photographs – so that a final identification represents an amalgam of Gizzes from different sources.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>But toting multiple copies into the field is problematic.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>My cousin Terry likes to use three guides at once, and his system involves wearing cargo pants with deep pockets.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>So when he walks around, he has a virtual library clunking around his knees.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>But for a single reference, I thought that the Peterson would be the best.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I am told the Sibley is the new standard.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

New Birds Seen:<\/span><\/p>\n

Northern Oriole (song alone)<\/span><\/p>\n

Brown Thrasher<\/span><\/p>\n

House Wren<\/span><\/p>\n

May 2nd<\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I again stand at the precipice of the slippery slope of the honor system, as I must decide whether birds identified only through netting can count on my life list.\u00a0 <\/span>This strikes me a little bit like going to the zoo instead of <\/span>Africa<\/span> so I dig in my heels and stand firm.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>This means that the Sharp Shinned Hawk, which had the misfortune of being netted twice, and\"\"<\/a> with whom I exchanged meaningful glances, is not yet on my life list.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>However, other raptors seem to abound today.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>There are several red tailed hawks and kestrels gliding over the fields.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The sun just catches the kestrel and his blue wings and red tail are perfect.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

New Bird Seen:<\/span><\/p>\n

Common Yellowthroat<\/span><\/p>\n

May 3rd<\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Another cold day with few birds.\u00a0 <\/span>To protect the birds while waiting to be banded, we put them inside our fleece jacket.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It is an odd sensation to feel the fluttering bird against my beating heart.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\nFollow Liza Blue on: \"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>Share: \"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"reddit\"<\/a>\"pinterest\"<\/a>\"linkedin\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

April 26th: The woods are now teeming with yellow rumped and palm warblers.\u00a0 The noise level has risen to a surrounding white noise, but instead of standing befuddled in the midst of a cacophonous UN debate, I can begin to … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nature"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7iVc8-av","post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=651"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":658,"href":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651\/revisions\/658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fanagrams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}