A Decade of Bird Memories

As we near the end of the decade, some birding bloggers are compiling lists of various bird sightings over the past ten years. I thought that sounded like a fun idea, so here’s my list of my most memorable birds. Not all of them were lifers, but all of them definitely come with a story.

2000 Barred Owl – A quiet stroll through a South Carolina cypress swamp on a cold January day was suddenly enlivened by a loud booming/bark. I didn’t know whether I should be looking for a bird or a dog, until he flew in and landed about six feet away.

2001 Ferruginous Hawk – I had spent years trying to locate these hawks in the vast grasslands of southern Alberta. A birding friend took pity on me, and a day long drive through the prairie resulted in seeing not one, but four of these big, beautiful raptors.

2002 Crested Caracara – Lost in the wilds outside of San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, without a clue how to get back to our hotel, we drove around a bend on a narrow dirt road. This gorgeous big bird was sitting on top of a cactus, facing the setting sun. And no, I didn’t have a camera.

2003 Roseate Spoonbill – Our first trip to Sanibel Island, Florida, and as we stood there surrounded by bird life, one big pink and white bird flew in and landed about ten feet away. The experience was worth all the insect bites I was covered in.

2004 Hooded Warbler – I have no explanation why our province’s first and only record of this species took place in my yard (He was actually the 5th, not the 1st – see comments below). He arrived in early October, and was here for about 10 weeks. I met every birdwatcher in Calgary, and many from elsewhere in the province during his stay. My yard was put on the list of stops for tours by the local naturalist society, and my yard count exploded with all those extra eyes.

2005 Short-eared Owl – The word went out on the bird alert that these owls had been seen southeast of Calgary. An immediate evening drive produced six of them flying and hunting over the grassland. We watched their antics until it got too dark to see them.

2006 Bobolink – Another nemesis bird on my list for years. Another mention on the bird alert, and    another quick trip to the countryside finally brought me my first look at this species, in an area where I would never have looked for them. And where, according to the field guide, they were never found.

2007 Great Blue Heron – Of all the birds seen on this trip to Galveston Island, Texas, these were the most memorable. Yes I had seen Great Blue Herons before, but never, ever, had I seen any this BIG. These herons were half again as big as any I had ever seen, towering over the ibis. (The mystery remains unsolved, and I welcome any comments).

2008 Pileated Woodpecker – Again, this was not a life bird, but it certainly was memorable. Sitting in my own living room having a cup of tea after dinner, a big, male pileated suddenly flew to the suet feeder right in front of the window. I spilled my tea.

2009 Rock Wren – After years of saying we should go to Dinosaur Provincial Park, we finally made it in July 2009. Our wonderfully birdy campsight ­­­­provided my first ever look at these busy little wrens. That night the campground flooded, we were evacuated and our trailer was totaled. See One Life Bird: Cost $11,000.

Looking back over this list, it struck me there are a few lessons for beginning birdwatchers here:

• Lesson 1 – The birds are never where you think they are
• Lesson 2 – The best bird sightings are never planned
• Lesson 3 – The birds don’t read the range maps in the field guides

A big thank you to John at A DC Birding Blog for giving me this idea. I had a hard time limiting the list to one per year, but I really enjoyed my trip down birding memory lane!

The Search and Serendipity Blog also has a great list of bird conservation stories of the decade.