New Blog for 2012 big year

My son Liam and I are doing a big year for 2012
Check it out at www.birdingbuddiesbigyear.blogspot.com

A few pics from Pelee 2011!

Best National Park entrance sign ever!

At the tip.

Prothonatary Warbler looking at how pretty he is.

Smores in a minute

Hooded Warbler

At the campsite

Test your i.d. skills

Loss for words.

Greater Scaup

Great Horned Owl baby

Yes, at the point at the tram drop off. Pipistrelle Bat

Me and Liam at the 42nd parallel

Finally saw the Garganey

Sorry I dont have a better pic for you...it is a beautiful bird!

GARGANEY in Ohio

There has been a Garganey at the Fernald Preserve and I have tried for 2 days to see it with no luck. This is usual for me when I try to see a rare bird and I apologize to everyone after me as it surely left when it saw me coming.

Highlights were
Marsh Wren
Grasshopper Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Greater Yellowlegs

and at Miami Whitewater Wetlands
Brown Thrasher
Sora
Swamp Sparrow

CHECK IT OUT!!

http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

Tell your mothers and your brothers.....

Getting ready to fire this blog up again. Texas soon and more to come! Malarkey get on board and let all your monkey friends know!

CAPE MAY was a bit SLow but GREAT as USUAL!!

View from the lighthouse of the lifer Eurasian Widgeon I got this trip!

Brian checking the band on a Red-tailed Hawk

Took the kids this year and Liam really got into watching for raptors from the blind. He has a good eye. He was very excited to hold his first sharpie! One of the other blinds did catch and release a Goshawk!

Birded a bit here and there with a distant Razorbill at Avalon sea watch. I also got a nice Winter Wren at Higbee Beach. The highlight really though was an unexpected close up of a Tundra Swan. A nice lifer for me!(dont look at my life list by the way, it needs serious updating and correcting) in the consevancy parking lot. A couple of Merlins put on a show there too another day. Another a

The highlight of the trip had to be Pete Dunne helping Liam pick out his first pair of binoculars at the Cape May Bird Observatory. Thanks Pete!

Scott I missed you!

Brian thank you!

GOLDFINGAAAHHH

I know its not much but here is a pick of the Goldfinches who have found my Purple Coneflower.

Is anybody out there?

NEW YARD BIRD!!

Got a cool one to add to the yard list. Broad-winged Hawk.
Also got Killdeer for a new yard bird a few weeks ago! A real one, not a mockingbird.
These may not seem a big deal but where I live I am lucky to see anything other than invasives and robins.
A walk at AJ Jolly got a couple of Green Herons and other usual KY summer birds.

I think I am losing my birding mind.

BIRDING BATTERIES

I need to figure out a way to recharge my birding batteries. I have not been out in forever.... all work and no birding make eddie a dull boy.
I think an end of summer trip to Madera Canyon may be in order. Its fantastical there!

Our new "PUR" snake bags are in!

NIGHTHAWKS

I love watching the nighthawks every evening. I always wait for them each spring and point them out to my neighbors when they arrive. I found a roadkill nighthawk out in ND a couple of summers ago. I knew they had wide mouths but until you open one in your hands you can't really imagine how big...it is like their whole head splits in half like a muppet! Things are so busy with Pin-up Reptiles I have not been "birding" at all. If you are looking for something more interesting than nothing check out the "Reptile Rant" blog hypertexted to the right for the Pin-up Reptile "news" Hatching baby snakes and what not!

Little Miami Prothonatary Warblers

Kayaking the Little Miami produced some singing Pothonatary Warblers and some pot smokin' kids. We paddled around Armleder for awhile and then I went to Magrish to pick up the boats as 2 others floated down to there from Armleder. When I got there we walked in adjacent to some kids who looked like they were up to no good. I ignored them but when my 4 year old daughter started to cough and gag on their whacky tobacky smoke and said yuck whats that smell I called the cops. They showed up just in the nic of too late and nothing happened. A local lady came down at this time though and talked to me thanking me for calling the cops as they are sick of all the drug problems at Magrish. Kids, if you are going to smoke pot at least find somplace more private and dont disrupt families holiday weekends. dumbasses.

PUMA

Went kayaking at AJ Jolly yesterday and was pleased to see some PUrple MArtins. I don't see them very often. I caught a glimpse of something briefly that I can't register other than Osprey...suppose thats possible. Where is the best place to bird in North America right now?!

I'M BACK!!!

Whoopdy frikin' doo!

Cinicnnati Peregrine

I have seen a Peregrine recently on 2 occasions flying near the big mac bridge.
My computer is broken and I cant update blog right now. I am at the library. It may be a month before I start updating again.

I Made It!

The kids all finally went back to school today! Woo hoo! Thanks for your support and encouragement to make it through these trying times!
I really thought I was going to get down to TX but I am so busy with the new business I just can't find the time. In case you didn't know the new business is a lifelong dream and is now underway. Visit www.pinupreptiles.com if you are curious. If you come here to find another week go by with no entry you can always bore yourself to tears by looking at my Reptile Rant blog as well. It is in place to offer news on the Pin-up Reptiles website. I will put a link to it on the sidebar. Have we any plan details or Pelee this year guys? I guess it is a bit early but I am getting cabin fever and Mother's Day will be here before we know it. Why couldn't those damn warblers migrate through Pelee on Father's Day?! Then I wouldn't have to put up with the rolling eyes and sighs of disappointment every year because I am making birding more important than my children's mother.

MAYBEE My Last Post?!

The kids have been off school many days due to snow and I don't think I am going to make it. If they don't all go tomorrow I am going to end it all.

FEE BEE, FEE BAY

I heard the first fee bee, fee bay of 2010 from a chickadee this morning. It is always surprising to hear it again after not hearing it all winter.