Greater Prairie Chicken, Prairie Ridge State Natural Area, Illinois

Northern Harrier chasing a Greater Prairie Chicken

On March 27, I was able to join the Indiana Audubon Society for a field trip to Prairie Ridge State Natural Area to witness the rare Greater Prairie Chicken. This particular property is in the State of Illinois just 2 1/2 hours from my house. I could not believe it!

Greater Prairie Chickens... doing what they do. Although I wanted to see a much more aggressive display of land ownership, the short disputes were still cool!

We arrived to the property about 5:00a in the morning where we were escorted by a great property associate to two blinds that were set up just for the opportunity to witness these great birds displaying. It was important to get in the blinds prior to the displays starting so not to disturb the birds. After about 30 minutes of our arrival to the blinds, we began to hear the birds calling and could see their faint shadows moving closer to us. By the time light arrived, their were Greater Prairie Chickens everywhere no more than 25 - 50 yards away. Some moved as close as about 20 feet from the blinds. It was absolutely amazing watching the males strut their stuff to the few rather non-caring females. Periodically the males would squabble with each other but the fights were normally short and non-violent.

In all, I believe we counted 17 males. I can't remember the female count but I believe there were no more that 3 or 4.

As a bonus, we were able to witness the birds being disturbed by a very rude Norther Harrier that seemed to be having a great time stirring up the chickens.

Other highlights during the day were Short-eared Owl, Great Horned Owl, and Loggerhead Shrike. Not too bad!

Our hotel rooms the night before the big event! Thank goodness for Walmart. I did not bring a sleeping bag and it got cold but inside the sleeping bag it was great.

Greater Prairie Chicken in full display

STA - 5, A Florida Birding Hotspot!

As a birder, every once in a while you come across a place that leaves you almost speechless. A place that leaves you looking in all directions and an excited stressed mess because you don't know where to focus your attention. A place that drives you absolutely nuts and gives you the feeling that you never want to leave. You want time to stop for just a little while. STA-5 is one of those places.

American White Pelicans... lots to be seen, a very picturesque bird.

Roseatte Spoonbill... who could get enough of this?

STA-5 is not open to the public so you have to pre-register with the local audubon society that sponsor's auto tours of the property about 1 time per month. The representatives from the local Audubon are great people and take the tour very serious. As you arrive, you will check in at the gate and then line-up behind a caravan of other cars. Carpooling is encouraged. Walkie talkies are shared so that the caravan can share sightings. If you wish to move a little slower around the tour, you are encouraged to stay at the back of the line.

Osprey with a HUGE fish!

Woodstork... a highlight for me. They were everywhere.

From the moment you start, you will be thankful you're there. White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Roseatte Spoonbills, White Pelicans, American Coots, and Fulvous Whistling Ducks fill the waters on all sides. Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures filled the sky and Norther Harriers hovered all over the place!

A Snail Kite... not a great picture but an awesome bird nonetheless. Lifer.

Turkey Vulture... with a 6ft wingspan, the picture doesn't do this bird much justice. This has been one of my favorite species since I was in middle school.

Fulvous Whistling Ducks... In this particular spot there were at least 500! Lifer.

Cattle Egret... this bird was everywhere. Not a bad problem to have in my opinion. A gorgeous bird.

All birds were highlights but the biggest highlight species for me were Limpkin, Snail Kite, Bald Eagle, Purple Gallinule, Eurasion Wigeon, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Fulvous Whistling Duck, Western Kingbird, Tropical Kingbird, and Black Skimmers.

Black-necked Stilt... they were everywhere. Very nice.

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. Again, all over. Amazing!

Black Vultures... the dominated the sky. This was a gathering of the minds I think.

Black Skimmer.... I really liked this picture because this particular bird seemed to be playing with fire tormenting this Alligator. It went back and forth inches away from becoming supper.

American Alligator... What would Florida be without this site? STA-5 was full of these lovely creatures. Big ones too!

If you haven't been, GO! All three of our destinations, Corkscrew Swamp, Ding Darling NWR, and STA-5 are highly recommended and are must go's for anyone that loves nature - especially birders. If you go to STA-5, be sure to take your camera, sunscreen, insect repellent, scope, binoculars, and a full tank of gas. Do not get to close to the water's edge as Alligators are everywhere!

STA-5 blessed me with 6 wonderful life birds! The entire trip blessed me with 14! Can't beat the reward for going. However, lifers or not, I would definitely go back to this birders paradise.

For more information on STA-5, go to www.tropicalaudubon.org

Ding Darling NWR and Corkscrew Swamp

Painted Bunting.... Corkscrew Swamp. This bird was no doubt one of my top highlights of the trip. There was two pair in and out of the shrubs near the feeders behind the visitors center and unfortunately, they did not make picture taking very easy. This was the best out of many. It doesn't get much more gorgeous than this.

Anole? I think?? Corkscrew Swamp

My best friend John and I were able to spend some time birding the first week of March in South Florida. We made "Ding" Darling NWR and Corkscrew Swamp two of our three primary destinations. Both were winning destinations that I would highly recommend to anyone, especially birders.

Our first day was at Ding Darling NWR. From the moment you step foot into this refuge you know you are in a good spot. It just feels birdy! The main attraction is the auto tour through the refuge. The drive winds you through mangrove waters that are connected to the Gulf of Mexico so as you tour you are able to witness the tide and the change of landscape throughout the day. Everywhere you look there are Great Egrets, Tri-colored Herons, Snowy Egrets, White Pelicans, and Anhingas. The list goes on and on.

Barred Owl... Corkscrew Swamp. This lovely creature was a great daylight surprise! Not only were we able to get some great looks but we were also able to get some good looks at its dinner. Can you see its prize?

Ovenbird... Corkscrew Swamp

Our second day was spent at Corkscrew Swamp. A property owned by the National Audubon Society, Corkscrew Swamp in nothing short of absolutely amazing. I mean, how can it not be, I got two lifers in my first 10 minutes! Shiny Cowbird and Painted Bunting. Could it get any better? Yes! We spent about 4 hours on a two mile boardwalk soaking up of the atmosphere as possible. The boardwalk takes you through several eco-systems that are each unique and all beautiful. Some of the amazing birds we saw during the visit were Black and White Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, Ovenbird, Yellow-throated Warbler, White Ibis, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Anhinga, and many, many more.

If you haven't been here, you have GOT to go!

Cattle Egret... near Corkscrew Swamp. There was no shortage of this species especially along the roads, in the fields, ditches, etc. I was excited every time I saw one.

Red-shouldered Hawk... Corkscrew Swamp. This was one of several Red-shouldered Hawks I saw during our visit. Each one of them seemed to be more unique than the previous. They made a ton of racket!

Osprey with prey... Ding Darling NWR. A day or two in the area and this was one of the most common sights. What a pity, right? This particular one is enjoying a rather large fish.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron... Ding Darling NWR. This was the first close encounter we had in the refuge. I couldn't believe it. The bird was so focused on food that it could have cared less about our presence.

Tri-colored Heron... Ding Darling NWR. This is one of my favorite birds to watch hunt in the shallow waters. Very sleek and very good at catching food. Awesome!

Snowy Egret... Ding Darling NWR. There were hundreds of these beauties throughout the property making all kinds of racket. They (like most of the birds) weren't at all concerned about our presence and displayed themselves like movie stars!

To learn more about these two awesome properties please visit their websites.

http://www.corkscrew.audubon.org/

http://www.fws.gov/dingdarling/

Great Backyard Bird Count!

The Indiana Young Birders Club had their first official event on February 13 promoting the Great Backyard Bird Count at the Eagle Creek Ornithology Center in Indianapolis, IN. I am happy to report that the event was a huge success! We (volunteers from the IAS, AWBAS, and IYBC) along with 13 young nature lovers joined forces to count species around the Ornithology Center for 3 hours. The count produced a 18 species that included, Carolina Wren, Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Red-breasted Woodpecker, and White-breasted Nuthatch just to name a few. One lucky participant will receive a Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America!

White-breasted Nuthatch... this particular bird provided us all with some additional entertainment as it did not want to share the peanuts with any other bird. It put on an interesting intimidation display that you can see in this picture! Very funny!

I guess these White-tailed Deer made 19 species... well, I guess they are not birds. The kids enjoyed them nonetheless.

Downy Woodpecker... a common but always welcomed sight during any birding adventure.

IAS Meeting at Turkey Run State Park!

Gorgeous scenery at the park. This is directly behind the lodge. Awesome!

Last Saturday and Sunday (23/ 24) the Indiana Audubon Society, Inc. has their annual board meeting at Turkey Run State Park in Marshall, IN. It was my first board meeting since joining the board and WOW was it a great time. We have some fantastic board members and with the leadership of Amy, our president, we really got some things accomplished! There are a ton of great things going on in the IAS (the oldest conservation organization in the state) including... the Indiana Young Birders Club, Field Trips, Events... the list goes on and on!

I would recommend that anyone who loves birds in the State of Indiana (or anywhere) check us out at www.indianaaudubon.org and become involved in something great!

Blue Jay... I love this bird!

Hairy Woodpecker... just a cool bird.

Don't forget to check us out!

Birding with the Kids!

It's been pretty dreary here in Indianapolis for the past several days. A constant overcast complete with fog has all but sapped most of the happy energy clean out of me. However, my zest for life was reinstalled this past Sunday when me and 3 of my kids went birding at the nearby Southwestway Park. Birds always cheer up a nasty day but when I am able to add my kids to the experience - it becomes quickly apparent of what its all about!

MY Young Birders! Lovin' nature!

Birds seemed all but extinct for the first part of our walk. The snow had just melted and it was fairly warm so I wasn't really sure what we would end up seeing. But, as good birders would, we kept moving forward. We arrived near the bank of the river to be welcomed by a Belted Kingfisher. Shortly nearby we were welcome by a honeypot of birds! Carolina Wrens, Song Sparrows, Cardinals, White-breasted Nuthatches, Downy Woodpeckers, Mourning Doves, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, and American Goldfinches. For the most part, this whole gang of birds was within a circle of 4 trees. I am not sure what food was there, but they were all taking turns going to the ground to take their share.

Song Sparrow... even in drab lighting, its striking details are awesome!

Carolina Wren... not the best pic but he made such racket, it deserved a picture!

We birded for about two hours. Along the way we found some cool leaves, some good walking sticks, and I listened to my kids share some pretty amazing stories... very exaggerated I might add! A few lat minute birds included a Red-tailed Hawk and some American Crows! We had a great time! I can't wait to go again!

Reflections of 2009!

Although in 2009 I did not hit my birding goals, the year still turned out to be nothing short of absolutely fantastic! This was a big year in my world of birding! I was blessed to bird in both Florida and Ecuador as well as attend several birding events for the first time.

I wrapped up the year with 330 species total - 173 Life Birds! This brings my World List to 425, my ABA List to 230, and my Indiana List to 199. Indiana brought me 165 birds in 2009, 1 more than 2008. Not much of an increase but, an increase nonetheless.

2010 is going to be another awesome year! I can feel it! So far, I have planned trips to Florida, Denver, Lake Erie, San Blas, MX, and hopefully the Outer Banks. I am hoping that these trips will help me achieve my year goal this year of reaching 525 World Species - 100 new birds!

So... in no particular order, here are some memories from 2009 - a year that...

brought Indiana's first official Young Birders Club!

gave me the opportunity to take my family to Mammoth Cave, KY.

allowed me to see my first Florida Scrub Jay.

gave me a glimpse of these Roseate Spoonbills in Florida!

took me took Ecuador to see more than 20 species of Hummingbirds, including this Purple-bibbed White-tip...

a Booted Racket-tail, and and Purple-throated Woodstar.

gave me the best picture of a Blue Jay I have taken to date.

let me and the family see more that 7,000 Sandhill Cranes at Jasper Pulaski in Indiana.

has given me a record low backyard bird count thanks to our neighborhood Coopers Hawk.

gave my son and I a chance to bird Lake Erie with the Kaufman's and other fine birders!

my kids took turns looking through the scope at Eagle Creek, Indianapolis.

I witnessed a murder before my very eyes!

my neighbors had a Golden-crowned Kinglet in their garage that did not want to leave.

introduced me to the experience of trampling around in a wet mess in the rain to see a LeConte's and Nelson's Sparrow... and to get a chance to bird with some very good birders!

gave my nephew a chance to experience how nuts birders can be at Lake Michigan, IN.

miraculously gave me an opportunity to see a Kirtland's Warbler while at the Midwest Birding Symposium along the coast of Lake Erie!

let me bird with the team from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology... OMG!

gave me another lifer... a Philadelphia Vireo at Magee Marsh.

gave me a chance to see this gorgeous sunrise at Ottawa NWR.

let me get a picture with THE Kenn Kaufman! Yeap, THE Kenn Kaufman!

made me appreciate those who spend their time to saving wild birds. This gorgeous Peregrine Falcon was a patient.

made me appreciate the ugly beauty of this baby Indigo Bunting.

brought a good number of Caspian Terns to Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis.

I realized how photogenic a birder can be!

I saw a copycat of the Hummingbird.

I saw my first Dickcissel at Goose Pond, IN.

my House Finches drank more sugar water than the Hummingbirds did.

my insect-eating plants bloomed as if they were normal innocent flowers.

my kids continued to learn that being outside is always more fun than sitting behind a TV.

I come to appreciate even more that there is nothing more relaxing or peaceful than being able to spend time outside watching birds!

Now, I am off to 2010!