What is that in the tree?

While birding at Antelope Island State Park, an Island on the Great Salt Lake, we drove past a few stands of trees that had these large dark clumps in them.  My girls thought they were magpie nests, but as we got closer, we saw that they were awful furry for a nest!  What in the heck are these big round balls of fur?!

Why, of course!  They are are porc espin, or quill pigs, commonly known as Porcupines!

When I was about eight years old, my dad, the Scout Master over a big group of boys let me come on one of the overnight camping trips.  After an intense game of "Capture the Flag" we slept under the stars in sleeping bags laid on top of a crunchy plastic tarp.  Right as the sun began to rise and there was a faint glow of daylight, mother nature inflicted her worst on a little boy too scared and too cold to crawl out of his dew covered sleeping bag...I had to pee.  Eventually the overwhelming urge purged my fear and I stepped a little ways off to do my business as a man does in this the purist and most natural form.  Suddenly I heard a tremendous chomping sound, like bark shattering.  Just feet in front of me was a huge beast.  I thought it was a bear!  (Cue the shy bladder)  I scampered back to my dad and woke him up.  He woke up the scouts to show them the impressive porcupine eating bark off a fallen log near our campsite.

That was the first and last porcupine I saw until birding at Camas NWR in Hamer, Idaho last Memorial Day weekend.  There I saw a porcupine sleeping high up in a tree, which I had not previously known that they did.   So, when we saw around two dozen porcupines, sometimes two or three to a tree, you can imagine the amazement and impression it made on me at Antelope Island!

Their dexterity with their front paws reminded me almost of monkeys.  Their faces reminded me of the several carpincho (capybara) I saw and ate in Argentina.  Their slow movements reminded me of a sloth.

This is the same porcupine shown in the photo above, but notice how it eats the bark off the branch.  Once they had removed the tasty bark, they dropped the branch to the ground.  Nature's little pruners, I guess.  I read that most porcupines are nocturnal, but I'd say half of these were up and slowly at 'em.  The rest were tucked into a ball snoozing the day away as shown in the photo at the top of this post.

Each porcupine was a different size and shade of color, from dark almost pure black to the lighter color shown in some of these photos.  Having never had such close-up views, I found them to be far furrier than I expected, rather than spiny.  When they moved along the branch and exposed their backsides to us, it was then I could see the spiny quills.  I suppose if you are getting chased by a predator, your rear-end is a good place to have some defense.  Just hunch yourself up and give your attacker a nice mouthful of barbs.

Anyway, Porcupines are cool and a fantastic sideshow while birding!

How Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake got its name

The Utah State Park's brochure for Antelope Island states "John C. Fremont and Kit Carson made the first known Anglo exploration of Antelope Island in 1845, and named it after observing several pronghorn antelope grazing on the rangelands."  The politically correct brochure doesn't mention that they also killed and probably ate several of the antelope.  Another online source mentions a trapper, Osborne Russell, who made a journal entry that he observed buffalo and antelope on the island as far back as 1841.  Click here for more fascinating history of Antelope Island.

How did these amazing creatures get onto this island? Can their genetics hold up with all that in-breeding?  Well, it turns out that it isn't always an island.  When water levels drop in the Great Salt Lake, it is actually becomes a peninsula.  So, over time, all kinds of cool critters have made their way to the island.

While watching this troop of Pronghorn we got to see a pair of males tussle for a brief moment which was pretty neat.

While I was birding...at Antelope Island State Park, Utah

While birds seem to be my main focus on outdoor adventures, I do take time to enjoy the other fine aspects of nature.  My recent trip to Antelope Island I knew would be a good one for my young kids because I had read about the abundant big wildlife that would surely capture their attention and hopefully their hearts.  Here are some photos of what we saw...while I was birding.

Bison, also known as a Buffalo to those of us that aren't so particular about mammal speciation.

These beast are in herds all over the island that we visited.  Seeing them helped me imagine what the great plains might have looked like before earlier American's plundered them. 

Cotton-tailed Rabbit
There were also some cool winter-furred Jack Rabbits bounding through the brush and rocks, but they were too fast for my shutter.

Coyote - we saw a few of these.  This guy ran right in front of our car.

My next couple posts will feature the Pronghorn (that we uncaring call Antelope) for which the island received its name.  Also a post is in the works starring the ubiquitous Porcupine on Antelope Island which were unexpected and delightful.

Utah Birding Hotspot: Antelope Island State Park

Black-billed Magpie gleaning some sort of food under the snow on the rocks.  Photo taken at the Antelope Island Visitors Center while searching for Chukars.

I took my family out for my first Utah birding adventure since moving here. Well, to be honest, my family watched movies or read books in the minivan, while I birded! We went out to Antelope Island State Park yesterday.  The day was overcast and we had cabin fever, so we just had to get out and do something.

Out on the causeway (the land bridge connecting Antelope Island to Syracuse, Utah) we met some great friendly birders: Pat Jividen of Salt Lake, Jessie Knapp from Maine, and an enthusiastic birder/photographer from Germany (sorry I don’t recall his fine German name). I’m glad I was able to meet Pat and caravan with his group as he seemed to know the island and its birds very well. It is so fun to witness other birders gaining life birds right and left too! I know one guy that will be grinning all the way back to Germany today.

Antelope Island Causeway
This is a view from the Visitors Center looking back toward Syracuse, Utah

On the causeway we enjoyed American Kestrels, Horned Larks (dipped on the Snow Buntings and Longspurs…bummer), watched Bald Eagles fighting over food, several Northern Harriers, loads of Northern Shovelers, Common Goldeneye, and one winter-plumaged Horned Grebe.

American Kestrel on Rabbit Brush - photo by Mrs. Birding is Fun!

At the visitors center, patience paid off as we finally found a couple dozen Chukar off in the distance.  A couple jack rabbits and cotton-tails startled me as they seem to shoot out from underfoot as I walked through the sage brush. Pat also pointed out the resident Burrowing Owl, which didn’t seem to mind the cold as it stood guard at the entrance to its burrow. The bison were right alongside the road here too.

Burrowing Owl next to its man-made burrow.
It was too far out for my 150mm lens for a great photo.

On the road to the ranch we enjoyed several pronghorn as they slowly crossed in front of us. What was most surprising were the two dozen or more porcupines munching on tree branches! Finally, something that got my nine year old boy out of the car! In the same area as the porcupines we found a Great Horned Owl and a pair of Virginia Rails and Ring-necked Pheasants. We did not find the Barn Owl at his known roost near the bison corrals, but we saw at least three coyotes and even more buffalo.

Great Horned Owl - camouflaged almost perfectly in the branches.
There was a porcupine munching on branches right over its head.

At Fielding Garr Ranch we found another Virginia Rail that let us approach to within a few yards, lots of California Quail, Dark-eyed Juncos, and more regular every day birds.

Virginia Rail at Garr Ranch

Ring-necked Pheasant at Garr Ranch

On the way out, at the water inlet, I observed many more Common Goldeneye and even four Barrow’s Goldeneye in the mix.

I can’t wait to visit Antelope Island throughout the year, especially during spring and fall migrations!  My Utah birding is off to a great start!

I’ll post photos of the mammals we saw over the next couple of days.

I and the Bird #141

Tips on how to have more birding fun in 2011!

For me, birding is all about having a good time.  People approach birding from many different view points and go about birding in sundry ways.  Whatever interests in you birding, that's great!  No one form of birding is morally superior to another form of birding fun.  Birding certainly comes with all kinds of great side effects, like increased awareness, exploration in terrain and habitats you otherwise would not visit, and meeting other great people who enjoy the same hobby.  However, human nature sometimes creeps up on us and we get into a birding rut and stop having as much fun.  To help prevent any birding blues in 2011, please check out the list of 20 fun birding ideas I have compiled.  Then check out the links to more tips from my bird blogging friends from around the globe in this edition of I and the Bird:

1. Introduce a friend or family member to birding.  Nothing reinvigorates the birder’s enthusiasm more than helping someone else find new birds.

2. Go on a field trip with your local birding club.

I'm an eBirder. Are you?

3. Start tracking your sightings on eBird.  Join me in taking the eBird challenge - to average at least one birding checklist per day.  Then check out the cool eBird data that you helped contribute!

4. Join a friendly competition – not everyone is up a for a Big Year, but why not do a state, county, or yard big year?!

5. Forget lists and competition and just take a couple hours each week to plunk down somewhere birdy and just watch and watch and enjoy!

6. Add bird photography to your birding.

7. Get a subscription to a birding magazine.  I personally enjoy Birder's World, Bird Watcher's Digest, and Wild Bird Magazine.  Most national level birding clubs and societies also have great publications.

8. Read a great book about birding.  May I recommend Kingbird Highway, The Big Year!, and anything by Pete Dunne.

9. Enhance your landscaping to invite birds to your yard.  This is some great long-term fun and satisfaction.

10. Plan to Participate in a Big Sit!, a Christmas Bird Count, Project FeederWatch, NestWatch, or Celebrate Urban Birds.  John with a DC Birding Blog shares his New Year's day CBC experience.

11. Attend a bird festival.  I've wanted to see what this bird festival business is all about for the last few years.  This may be my year to attend The Great Salt Lake Bird Festival in May!

12. Treat yourself to a new field guide –  a birder can never have enough!  There are some new ones out and others about to come out that have unique features to help you be a better birder.

13. Get a new bird feeder or try another type of wild bird food product and see what happens.  My next experiment will be the Julie Zickefoose special, suet crumble.  See video here.

14. Go birding with someone better at birding than you.

15. Save up money and go on a birding vacation to somewhere exotic or take a pelagic trip.  Grant of Birds on the Brain shares his trip to Puerto Rico and the exciting bird sightings he had there.

16. Go ahead and buy that higher-end binocular or spotting scope you’ve been saving up for!

17. Try bare-naked birding.  Keep your clothes on, but go birding without optics or any other gear except your native senses!

18. Keep your field guide in the car or at home, but take lots of notes and draw pictures of birds you see. You will be amazed at how much it improves your birding skills and the depth of your enjoyment of truly "seeing" the bird.

19. Do your best to imitate the bird calls you hear.  See how the birds respond to your silly noises.

20.  Live the mantra: Always be birding!  Bird in different places while you wait and maybe even make a little game of it.  How many birds can you see in 10 minutes in parking lots, airports, bus stops, at funerals and weddings, wherever!

Visit the blogs below and learn from their examples of how to have fun birding:


Wait and wait and wait behind the "fringing tussocks" at the billabongs with Duncan - Out witted by a bird...

Be like Mike! Keep or start a yard list and enjoy adding a new "yard bird" - Wizard in the Woods


Join the Nature Hermit to observe a bird spectacle like the mega-multi-flock of blackbirds - The gleaners

Like I mentioned above, read a good birding related book, like "Ghost Birds".  Here is an interview cyberthrush conducted with author Stephen Bales on the subject of James Tanner and Ivory-billed Woodpeckers.


Enjoy the events of each season with The Greenbelt, like the frost that ripens the Callery Pears which brings in the hungry birds.


Starting a new birding year is exciting as you approach each bird as if it was the first time you ever saw it.  10,000 Birds wants to know what was your first bird of the year?


Ponder on the mysterious cause and perhaps the meaning of the sudden occurrence of Dead Birds like Greg Laden.  


Along the same line of dead birds, though not fun it just as important, is to consider the price of convenience as Wanderin' Weeta brings to our attention the dangers of plastic debris.


Okay, so not all things birding are fun in the tradition sense of the world, but I think are interesting and important, like Grant of The Birder's Library's take on the new book The American Bird Conservancy Guide to Bird Conservation.

Join Connie and her sister in combining two favorite past-times like Urban Birding & Thrift store shopping.  


Speaking of urban birds, how would it be to live with Jan in Panama City, Panama and have these tanagers as common urban birds?!


Visit a nature reserve like the host of Peregrine's Bird Blog to watch and photograph amazing bird species.


Enjoy repeated visits to certain locations watching your favorite species interact with other birds and wildlife like Drew and his Caracara Conflicts.


Birds have personalities.  Just asked Dale about his Scarlet Macaws he helped reintroduce into the wilds of Costa Rica.


Savor the moment a bird will pose for a photograph like an American Kestrel finally did for Larry.


Get carried away in the moment, like Sarala, photographing nesting Storks in Spain...on a crane.

Please add your tips on how to have more fun birding in the comments section!

Happy Birding 2011!!!

Birder Profile: Laura Kammermeier

Larua Kammermeier
Rochester, New York

How did you get into birding? Did you or do you have a birding mentor and can you tell us about that person? Did you have a “spark bird”?

My interest in nature was innate but primarily fueled by TV with shows like Wild Kingdom and even that dang 1970s commercial where the Indian cried over strewn garbage—you know the one. I had no single birding mentor, but have learned so much from friends and colleagues and my own study over the years. I also don’t have a spark bird in the usual sense, but I sometimes wonder if this career is karmic payback for running over a baby robin when I was a teen (story here).

The ultimate spark for birds/birding happened after I set foot into the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and started working for Project FeederWatch. At that point, there was no going back! I guess you could say half the employees at Cornell were my mentors…but so were the data sheets and educational materials I prepared, and the participants who wrote in asking questions…

How long have you been birding?

Seriously, about 15 years. I can remember doing eco-surveys in the early 90s, having the burning desire to name the birds my boss was seeing and rattling off. Whenever he'd spot a black-throated green warbler in the treetops, I saw nothing more than a charcoal silhouette. That had to end!

How often do you go birding? And where do you regularly go birding?

In one respect, I 'bird' everyday from my desktop. I work in the birding and nature field, so I get to think and talk and write about birds all day. I get in the field more often during spring migration and nesting season. But I make special trips when time and birding opps allow.

Locally, you'll find me birding at Mendon Ponds, in Ganondagan (a park that was once a flourishing village and granary for the Seneca People), and along the Rochester lakefront in winter. I am lucky to have a beautiful vista just three miles south of me that has several Short-eared Owls all winter.

Occasionally, I make a long-distance trip to revel in new bird life and then come home and write about it so that others can experience it, too.

Where is your favorite place to bird in your state/province? In the U.S.? in the world?

I go wherever the birds are! I am not a creature of habit, and there's so many great places to bird, so I don't really have what you'd call «favorites.»

In New York state, I guess my favorite place to bird is the Adirondack Park---there's a handful of Spruce Grouse there that hide when they see me coming. I intend to outwit them this year.

I've had great times and luck birding in Florida and the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, and in Belize and Honduras. But I'll get back to you on «favorites» once my sample size includes the whole world.

Do you have any local birding hotspots that may be yet unknown to other birders that you would be willing to share with us?

Lyndsay Parsons Biodiversity Preserve south of Ithaca, NY is one of my favorite places in the world to walk and roam. The old field and marsh habitats at the base of a tall ridge are great for nesting songbirds, including warblers, flycatchers, and indigo buntings.


How would you describe yourself as a birder? A “watcher”, a “lister”, a “chaser”, all of the above, or something else?

I am all of those at different time so I just call myself an «avid» birder. In the field, I am driven by a sense of discovery and great hope about what could appear around the next bend. That's why I enjoy birding in new places – you never know what you'll see next. Sometimes I am competitive and fanatical about the checklist and numbers. Sometimes I just like to sit back and watch a bird feeder. In my work, I get TONS of satisfaction from inpiring others to discover and understand birds. So as long as SOMEBODY is out there birding, I'm happy.

What kind of birding equipment do you use?

I carry Leica bins (Ultravid HD 8x42) and scope (82 mm), which are fantastic pieces of glass. I’m a prostaffer for Leica, and I’d say that even if they didn’t pay me. I use a Bird Watcher’s Digest-branded birding “bra” for my bins. The best accessory ever made. EVER.

I carry a Nikon D90 dSLR, and usually use a 70-300 mm zoom. Great camera, but unfortunately I noticed all too soon how inadequate a 300 mm lens is for GOOD bird photography! I haven’t decided yet whether I want to be a birding photographer or a shutter-snapping birder…you approach those activities with different pace and equipment.

How do you keep track of your bird observations?

The old fashioned way: pencil and notebook. I also make notations in my field guides. I have an eBird account but my Cornellian friends would nudge me to be more disciplined at using it. A lifelist is floating around here somewhere...

What is your favorite bird sighting and what is the story behind it?

Oh, my gosh. Without a doubt my best birding story is the time I staked out for HOURS in a muddy, tick-infested cow path in Belize, near a known red-capped manakin lek, waiting for the male to do its courtship display. After six hours and a hundred ticks (yes, a hundred, in my shoes and on my body), the bird finally started its display, and in that ten minutes I lived the glory and fascination of a thousand nature episodes... I immortalized that story in a Bird Watcher's Digest article called «Finding Life Birds and Lost Dreams in the Rainforest of Belize». Check it out here.  I have a much longer piece about that trip that I hope to polish off and publish someday.

Which birding publications and websites do you read and recommend?

I receive Bird Watcher's Digest, Birder's World, Living Bird, and Birding in the mail. Being a blogger, I try to keep up with relevant online content, too. Being connected to so many writers via social media allows many of the important headlines to come right in front of me.

I recommend Ted Eubanks writings on conservation, birds, and related topics. He provides extraordinary depth and insight into many topics. His blog is called birdspert.org and he's a contributor the ABA blog, to which I also contribute.

Which is your favorite field guide and why?

Sibley's North American Guide. Seeing maps and several plumages on one profile page is great. And his info is so concise and spot-on useful in the field. But when I'm doing serious ID or writing, one field guide is not enough. My shelves sag under the weight of all the bird books I currently have. I use the 2008 edition of the Peterson Field Guide to Birds, the Sterry and Small photographic guides by Princeton, as well as state-specific (Birds of Ohio by McCormac) or species group-specific guides (Hawks from Every Angle) as needed. I can't live without a Breeding Bird Atlas for my state! And my 60 Places to Bird in the Adirondacks has seen a lot of love... Okay, I better stop here...

Which three books from your personal birding library would you recommend?

Sibley Guide to North American Birds by David Sibley
Young Birder's Guide by Bill Thompson, III for any young or beginning birders.
Life List by Olivia Gentile. Both an inspiration and cautionary tale of what birding can do to/for you!

Do you have any formal bird-related education background? If so, what is it?

Yes, I have a MS in Aquatic Ecology so I was often in the field and studying nature at some level. I did citizen science with water quality before that term was in the common vernacular. My bird-specific work began when I was hired by Cornell to run Project FeederWatch. Since then, I've found my calling in writing and new media communications, which means I help bird and nature organizations promote their message, programs, or activities through web, print, film, and more.

If a fellow birder had a question about a bird, do you consider yourself an expert (or at least proficient) on any specific family of birds?

I'm resourceful, not an expert. So I am good at connecting birders to what they need or want to know. While I envy those blessed with a reservoir of bird info in their heads, I'm afraid there'd be no room left to remember my mother's birthday or the next American Idol lineup. I seek information when I need it.

What future birding plans do you have?

2011 may be a great year for birding...I plan on attending a few festivals (The Biggest Week in NW Ohio, The Midwest Birding Symposium, maybe the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival again). I plan on at least one Adirondack adventure, a Yellowstone adventure with my family and best birding friend in the world (Courtenay Willis), some Florida birding in February. Also, a new endeavor I'm working on may bring some exciting travel opportunities.

Are you involved with any local or national birding organizations?

I'm a member of all the usual national ones, plus the Rochester Birding Association.

What is your nemesis bird?

Right now? The Spruce Grouse!

Anything about your family you’d like to share with us?

My husband Paul and I have two young boys. We take them outdoors as much as possible and at least one shows interest in birds. Paul enjoys casual birding and is really good as spotting birds, even with his entry-level Bushnell bins!

Outside of birding, what are your other interests or hobbies?

Oh, I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware there were other interests…

Hiking. Yoga. Exploring. Sharing time with friends. Making the world a better place through word or deed. That’s all that life is about.

Any funny birding experiences you could tell us?

Some of my favorite stories are:
Confessions of a Reluctant Gull Chaser.
Epic Gull Failure

If you were a bird, which species would you be and why?

I'd be a female yellow warbler. I love their habitat, size, beauty, and simplicity. But they are hardy little creatures. When I'm in a romantic mood I think I'd be a Tricolored Heron or Snowy Egret. But I light up like a Flame Bowerbird whenever I'm happy.

Anything else that you would like to humbly brag about?

In addition to my own blogging, I'm proud to contribute to both the ABA blog and AudubonGuides.com blog. I get to work with fantastic people and organizations. I have some exciting work lined up for 2011 that I can't talk about yet!

Total life list?

Embarrassed to admit I really don't know even which hundreds group it is in! Now that eBird is worldwide, I need to get on there and see if I can start putting my various lists together.

Most exotic place you’ve gone birding?

Near Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park in central Honduras. My guide and I explored a trail that meandered along the steep ridge of a coffee plantation set into the side of a mountain. We encountered massive migration fallout in a single tree—a miracle tree—that in the space of 12 minutes had more than eighteen different species coming in and out to feed off its fruits. It was a stunning experience that left me in adrenaline shock for days.

Your mission in life as birder?

To spread the joy of birding. That's it.

Laura, as you have just seen, is a delightful and skilled writer.  You can continue to read her work and follow her birding adventures at her blog Birds, Words, and Websites and in other great birding publications and websites.  Follow @lkamms on Twitter.

Birder Profile is a weekly blog segment at "Birding is Fun!" spotlighting a fellow birder.  If you would be interested in sharing a little about yourself and your birding experiences, please send me an email.  Is there a birder you'd like to see featured?  Please nominate that person by sending me an e-mail too.  Enthusiasm for birding is the only prerequisite!

Audubon Birds App Survey Results

National Geographic Handheld Birds Survey Results

iBird App Survey Results

Sibley App Survey Results

Sibley eGuide to Birds - Survey

Peterson Birds of North America - Survey

National Geographic's Handheld Birds - Survey

Peterson Survey - Results

iBird - Survey

Audubon Birds - Survey

Audubon Birds - Survey

Birding Goals

At the end of last year I posted my 2010 Birding Goals.  Let's see how I did:

1. Submit a checklist to eBird at least once per day.

641 birding checklists to eBird in 2010 by me, so well over an average of one per day.  While I didn't submit a checklist every day of the year, I still feel I achieved this goal.

2. Be first to record 210 species in Idaho on eBird.

I was the 8th Idaho eBirder to hit the benchmark of 210 species reported to eBird in the little competition I had set up.  It was a lot of fun and it was really good for eBird in Idaho!

3. Add 20 life birds.

This goal was achieved, and then some, as I added 55 life birds in 2010!  Thanks in part to my travels in the east coast during the fall, wherein I added 30 species.  I added 25 life birds in Idaho and so would have achieved the goal anyway.

2011 Birding Goals

1.  Submit 700 checklists to eBird
2.  Add 20 life birds - this will take some luck.
3.  My current Utah life list is at 72 species, so I'm going to shoot for 150 which should be achievable and hopefully will not add any undue stress on my family.

Birder Profile: Kathie Brown

Kathie Brown
Andover, Massachusetts

How did you get into birding?

I don’t know. I have been aware of the birds all of my life and from a young age always knew what a robin, blue jay, catbird, cardinal or mockingbirds was. (These are common birds in CT where I grew up.) I remember even as a child looking at my grandparents’ bird book or my mother’s. I also consulted the World Book Encyclopedia. We had a set of these in our house.

Did you or do you have a birding mentor and can you tell us about that person?

At age 16 I left home and went to live at a Christian Home for Troubled Youth called His Mansion. While I lived there I met a naturalist and ornithologist named Trudy Smith who set up a bird feeder for the residents. When she found out that I liked nature and birds she gave me my first bird guide, Golden’s Field Guide to the Birds. I still have the copy she gave me inscribed by her. The amazing thing about Trudy is that with all her love of the birds, she is deaf and cannot hear them. She was not born deaf but went deaf as a child from an illness. I met her when I was 16 years old and we climbed Mt. Washington together. She maintained her friendship with me all her life and to my utter amazement I found her still alive at 101 years old when I moved back east this year. My husband and I went to see her and she still had her hummingbird feeders set up. I do not think she remembers me anymore but she tried to fake it. I just hugged her and cried. She is truly an amazing woman!

How long have you been birding?

As I mentioned, I have watched and enjoyed birds all my life but I did not begin “birding” until the early 2000’s when I first learned about The Great Backyard Bird Count and later Project Feeder Watch, all administered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. That is the first time I ever went out on purpose to count and identify birds. Until then I would just observe whatever birds came to my feeders or look for birds when I went to a National Park or other natural area. I started keeping a Life List shortly after I was married. I would write down the date and location of each new species next to the entry in my bird book and I continued to do this until I started eBirding in January of 2007 urged on by Larry from the Brownstone Birding Blog. He challenged all of us bird bloggers to participate in Big January, something I had never done before. It is eBird and my blog that have really turned me into a “birder.”

How often do you go birding?

Just about every day. I am addicted and it seems I cannot see a bird without feeling like I need to count and record it! This is ironic since I hated math in school and failed it so many times, but when I got into college I found that I liked statistics and I aced the course. Until now I considered myself more of a writer/artist/poet and math was my nemesis, now it’s part of my passion! I suppose it is a great cosmic joke on me!

And where do you regularly go birding?

In my own yard as well as on walks, at parks, National Parks, Wildlife Refuges, store parking lots, restaurants, anywhere I feel like it. Sometimes I just pull over to the side of the road randomly to count birds. I submit all my bird counts to eBird because I feel like it does make a difference as it helps them to track bird populations. I have found some of the most unusual birds in unlikely locations by doing this.

Where is your favorite place to bird in your state/province?

Well, I am just getting acquainted with my new state of Massachusetts but so far I like Plum Island, Lake Cochichewick, and the bog near my house. And since I live only 5 miles from the New Hampshire border, I also go birding up there in a location I found through eBird called the Geremonty Drive Wetlands.

In the U.S.?

Sweetwater Wetlands and Whitewater Draw in Arizona, The Great Salt Lake in Utah, and anywhere in Idaho.

in the world?

Well, I haven’t been out of the country except to Canada a few times before I was a birder, so I will say Yellowstone National Park.

Do you have any local birding hotspots that may be yet unknown to other birders that you would be willing to share with us?

I just discovered Lake Cochichewick in North Andover, MA. It is not listed as a Birding Hotspot but I have already found some really cool birds there. I still have more exploring to do around here and hope to discover some more new places, perhaps Harold Parker State Forest will be one of them. In Connecticut I like to visit Lake Hayward near East Hampton. Most of the lake is private but there is a public boat launch on East Shore Drive where one can legally park and observe birds. I recently found a brown creeper and a yellow-bellied sapsucker in the woods at the edge of the lake there.

Where in your state/province would you say is the most under-birded place that may have great untapped potential?

Well, there are a lot of birders in the state of Massachusetts from what I can see but I also see many areas that look like they would be good birding spots but no one seems to bird there. Since I have only lived here for 2 months I will have to get back to you on that! In Connecticut there are many untapped areas, especially the Northeast corner of the state where there is little birding data. I also travel to Maine quite a bit and while many people bird the coastal areas few bird the interior sections like Androscoggin County, Franklin County, Somerset County or Aroostook County. To me, birding these under birded areas are the most crucial for there is little data coming into eBird from these locations. I would rather bird these areas than the more popular sites because I feel like I am doing more good. I took a trip to Kentucky earlier this year to visit my son and in that state I would say Christian County. I counted 29 species of birds when I was there in March but it is a great birding area and I was only there for 4 days. I spent most of my time visiting my new grand-daughter but did manage to squeeze in a few minutes of birding here and there. Since then only a couple of new species have been added to the count I made!

How would you describe yourself as a birder? A “watcher”, a “lister”, a “chaser”, all of the above, or something else?

I would say a watcher and a lister. I have only rarely chased down a species one of which was a wandering juvenile stork that showed up in the Phoenix area while I lived in AZ. A stork in the desert is indeed a rare sight!

What kind of birding equipment do you use?

I use Eagle Optics Ranger 8 x 42 Binoculars that my sweet husband bought for me and the Nikon D80 digital camera with a 70-300 mm zoom lens.

How do you keep track of your bird observations?

For my own pleasure and to benefit the birds by submitting my bird counts to eBird. I enjoy being a Citizen Scientist! I also use all of this information in my birding blogs. I love to write about the birds and how I experience nature. I love to share my passion.

What is your favorite bird sighting and what is the story behind it?

I would have to say it is the first time I ever saw Sandhill Cranes. In 1986 my husband and I moved to Idaho from Connecticut. We had never lived out west before and in 1987 we took a trip to Yellowstone National Park for our 10th Anniversary. On our way there up through Island Park we saw these large gray birds in the field alongside the road. They looked to me like ostriches though I knew that could not be. Back then we had a Nikon FG 35 mm film camera and we pulled over and took pictures. It wasn’t until we entered the park and were able to ask someone that I discovered they we sandhill cranes. I was enthralled with them then and I still am. They are amazing birds and I love the “garrooing” sound they make when they call to one another. It is so wild sounding and it tugs at my heart.

Which birding publications and websites do you read and recommend?

Bird Watcher’s Digest, Living Bird, All About Birds, eBird, Whatbird

Which is your favorite field guide and why?

I have Sibley, Kaufman, Peterson’s, Audubon’s, National Geographic, Golden, and now Stokes. I like them all and consult them all but if you were going to take them all away from me except one I would probably opt for Sibley’s and plead for my old Golden Field Guide to the Birds. Kaufman would be my 3rd choice.

Which three books from your personal birding library would you recommend?

The Big Year, Of a Feather, and Kingbird Highway.

Do you have any formal bird-related education background?

A little. I took the Tucson Audubon’s Important Bird Area class in the fall of 2006 and participated in surveying a one mile transect of Sabino Canyon with three other women for the rest of the 3 years that I lived there.

What future birding plans do you have?

To learn as much as I can. I was going to take a birding course through the Tucson Audubon but we moved away right before it started.

Are you involved with any local or national birding organizations?

I am involved with The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Tucson Audubon. I am considering joining the ABA now that Jeffry Gordon is the new president and it looks like there may be some positive changes going on. I was always too intimidated by it before.

What is your nemesis bird?

It was the Elegant Trogon but I got that in Cave Creek Canyon right before I left AZ so I’m not sure right now. I’ll have to find a new nemesis I guess!

Anything about your family you’d like to share with us?

My youngest son is serving in Afghanistan right now on the front lines. He is in a very dangerous area and I pray every day that he returns to us safely. Watching the birds helps me to feel at peace and find joy and whenever he sees an unusual bird he tells me about it. All my kids know that their mom is bird crazy. I have tried to convert them but so far no takers. I am working on the next generation now! I have 4 children and 4 grandchildren. I have been married to my husband, Gus for 33 years. He very patiently puts up with my birding and blogging and even accompanies me on some trips. He had to buy himself his own camera as we soon discovered that having me ask him to “shoot that bird right over there…oh darn, it just flew away,” didn’t work.

Outside of birding, what are your other interests or hobbies?

I like art, poetry, gardening, painting, sculpture, homeopathy, hiking, horses, dogs, reading, and writing my blog. I love my family and my friends.

If you were a bird, which species would you be and why?

I would be a brown creeper or a western meadowlark. They both live in habitats that I like. I love how sweet and subtle the brown creeper is but I also like the beautiful song of the western meadow lark and how it is compelled to sing its song to the sky. I feel I am like each of these birds. I am torn between wanting to be unobtrusive and quiet in the woods or get out on the fence and sing my heart out for everyone to hear. I think I bounce back and forth between these two personas.

Anything else that you would like to humbly brag about?

Well, I am working on trying to count birds in every county of every state before I die. It’s a huge goal I know but I am getting there. With all this moving around and travelling it makes it a bit easier. I was inspired by eBird when they put up their news bulletin about the most wanted counties and I discovered there are some counties in the USA that they have little to no birding data from.

Total life list?    389

Most exotic place you’ve gone birding?

SE Arizona where I lived for 3 ½ years. Now that I have moved back east I realize just how exotic it was!

Your mission in life as birder?

1. To count as many birds as I can for eBird, especially in places no one else wants to bird
2. To make a difference for future birds by helping to preserve bird habitat.
3. To educate others about bird and birding and bird populations
4. To try to encourage others to preserve bird habitat so that our children and grandchildren will be able to see and enjoy the birds that we do now.
5. To learn as much as I can as fast as I can about birds
6. To learn to bird better by ear
7. To share this love and this passion like Trudy Smith shared it with me!

You can continue to follow Kathie's birding adventures on her blog Kathie's Birds

Birder Profile is a weekly blog segment at "Birding is Fun!" spotlighting a fellow birder.  If you would be interested in sharing a little about yourself and your birding experiences, please send me an email.  Is there a birder you'd like to see featured?  Please nominate that person by sending me an e-mail too.  Enthusiasm for birding is the only prerequisite!