Friday, March 30, 2012

Feathered Friday: the American Robin

Want to become a birder but don't know how? Join me here every Friday--on Feathered Friday--where I'll post an online video featuring the bird of the week. Keep a running list of these birds to add to an Online Life List. Then when you identify the featured bird outside--in your yard, neighborhood, or park--add it to your actual Life List of birds seen or heard. "Collecting" birds is great fun, but more, you open your eyes and ears to a whole new world of beauty and song!

Let's start with a bird almost everyone knows, the American Robin.



And don't forget to check back next Friday to see meet our next Feathered Friend!

Until next time . . . Keep birds in your heart!

Georgia Anne

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Song Sparrow Taking a Break . . .


Song Sparrows are, as you can guess, great singers, but their songs vary considerably, so when first learning, you may find it difficult to identify them. But here's a good tip: if the song starts with a few crisp notes (3 or so) and ends with a trill of some sort, then it's likely you're listening to a Song Sparrow.

Of course, if you can see the singer, all the better. Then look for a reddish-brown and gray bird with heavy stripes on his chest. The Song Sparrow's has a dark central spot on his breast and a pair of malar stripes to match (on either side of his throat). These stripes are sometimes conspicuous and sometimes not. But if the sparrow you see is perching on bush or small tree in some open area, with nearby water, it's a good chance he's a Song Sparrow.

Until next time . . . Keep birds in your heart!

Georgia Anne

Friday, March 9, 2012

Rendezvous with a Red-tail


Almost daily I rendezvous with one or more local Red-tailed Hawks. I see them flying or soaring above a huge pasture where I take my dog Bridget to run.

Yesterday I watched two hawks flying opposite one another, gracefully drawing inward and outward again, weaving a twine of intimacy in the blue sky. You see I suspect this is a courting pair, preparing even now to build their nest and mate ... and if all goes well perhaps this summer I'll be enjoying the flights of their fledglings, following their parents to learn of the hunt.

Till next time . . . Keep birds in your heart!

Georgia Anne