GBBC was pretty much all i did today, and for a long time all i was able to view were the regulars... I guess i had hoped something exotic might drop in, a brown pelican or something swoops in for some millet. No of course not. Just juncos and chickadees and the like. Later on at their second feeding i saw the american goldfinch stop in, and the hummingbird no one has seen for 4 weeks was at the feeder for a moment. A pair of golden crowned sparrows, and two pairs of house finches were the only other variety from the morning feeding.
So we changed our point of view.
We got in the car and drove to Battle Ground Lake State Park up the road in Washington. It was busy with families fishing in the picturesque lake, a couple of boats putt-putting around. It was quiet, it was quick to get to, and it had no birds.
My wonderful wife and my two young but growing boys and I took a trail around the lake, maybe a little over a mile. One of our greatest pleasures is walking in the wild, and we are getting our kids' boots muddy whenever we can all get moving in the same direction-to the woods.
It was a beautiful walk, great fun for all of us, but devoid of any birds at all save for the mallards on the lake and the poor dead cormorant we came across on the trail. We came across a dozen people fishing, we climbed over rocks and roots and looked and listened... it was a really nice walk.
On the sunny side of the lake we saw some common mergansers and some living cormorants. After my wife and oldest son ran from my youngest and me down the trail in search of quieter adventure, the pair of us made our way slowly and rewardingly down the trail. A 'jar' of pygmy nuthatches had us diving for cover as these speedy little grey bullets came at us chest high. Really cool for us both.
Another hundred yards or more we heard an irregular thumping coming from the hill above us. I thought it was just a camper setting up a tent and ignored it for a minute. I listened for any bird call and heard nothing. Nothing but that thump getting louder. I searched the tall trees for a second and was thrilled to see a female pileated woodpecker. The largest woodpecker in North America. I had always wanted to see this bird, it was very big, very impressive in its hammering and throwing bark out of its hole, and just really a gorgeous bird. I only wish i had had the camera.
The last bird we came across was a tiny, curious winter wren. I have a pair of bewicks wrens in the backyard, and this was half their size.
Archie and i finished our walk, caught up with the other half of our family and we played on the play structure there. We scoped out the campground in search of future camping possibilities, then we got in the car and drove home. Along the way I counted half a dozen red tailed hawks, some perched, one in flight.
I realize its not "backyard" bird counting, but we had a great time of it, our family had a very nice little trip to a nearby woodsy destination and i got to see an exotic bird after all.
So we changed our point of view.
We got in the car and drove to Battle Ground Lake State Park up the road in Washington. It was busy with families fishing in the picturesque lake, a couple of boats putt-putting around. It was quiet, it was quick to get to, and it had no birds.
My wonderful wife and my two young but growing boys and I took a trail around the lake, maybe a little over a mile. One of our greatest pleasures is walking in the wild, and we are getting our kids' boots muddy whenever we can all get moving in the same direction-to the woods.
It was a beautiful walk, great fun for all of us, but devoid of any birds at all save for the mallards on the lake and the poor dead cormorant we came across on the trail. We came across a dozen people fishing, we climbed over rocks and roots and looked and listened... it was a really nice walk.
On the sunny side of the lake we saw some common mergansers and some living cormorants. After my wife and oldest son ran from my youngest and me down the trail in search of quieter adventure, the pair of us made our way slowly and rewardingly down the trail. A 'jar' of pygmy nuthatches had us diving for cover as these speedy little grey bullets came at us chest high. Really cool for us both.
Another hundred yards or more we heard an irregular thumping coming from the hill above us. I thought it was just a camper setting up a tent and ignored it for a minute. I listened for any bird call and heard nothing. Nothing but that thump getting louder. I searched the tall trees for a second and was thrilled to see a female pileated woodpecker. The largest woodpecker in North America. I had always wanted to see this bird, it was very big, very impressive in its hammering and throwing bark out of its hole, and just really a gorgeous bird. I only wish i had had the camera.
The last bird we came across was a tiny, curious winter wren. I have a pair of bewicks wrens in the backyard, and this was half their size.
Archie and i finished our walk, caught up with the other half of our family and we played on the play structure there. We scoped out the campground in search of future camping possibilities, then we got in the car and drove home. Along the way I counted half a dozen red tailed hawks, some perched, one in flight.
I realize its not "backyard" bird counting, but we had a great time of it, our family had a very nice little trip to a nearby woodsy destination and i got to see an exotic bird after all.
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