Amateur Birder in the Making

You know you are on your way to becoming an amateur birder when you are up earlier and out later for sunrises and sunsets. Granted this has made for some great photographic opportunities for me. You all know how much I enjoy taking photos.

I have made a large print of this photo, framed it, and put it up on my wall.

Caught just moments after the first photo, I found this one to be quite interesting, as well.

You know you are on your way to becoming an amateur birder when you take photos of these bird silhouettes against the morning and evening sky and immediately take note of what bird you are seeing.

Duck

Prairie chicken

Northern harrier (which can almost look like a silhouetted short-eared owl at first)

Just a beautiful calm sunrise alone.

You know you are on your way to becoming an amateur birder when you spend some time sitting in a duck blind with a few layers at dusk and dawn.

Yet, at times like this you also get some fun looks at the moon in the sky.

You know you are on your way to becoming an amateur birder when you've spent hours out with people using binoculars and spotting scopes.

You know you are on your way to becoming an amateur birder when you smile each time you notice the bird off in the distance and happen to snag a photo.

                   
                        red-tailed hawk

                                                                         Bald eagle

Mallard ducks

White-fronted geese

Snow geese

Blue-winged teal

Mostly mallards that look like a swarm of bats in the sky

You know you are on your way to becoming an amateur birder when you are pretty excited to spend some time birding with these guys who have been birding for years. Man have I learned a lot from Bill, Mark, and Ed. We've also had quite a few laughs and smiles along the way.

You know you are on your way to becoming an amateur birder when you take a little time in the afternoon to go sit at one of your favorite spots. You brought your book to only find you were distracted by flaps overhead.

Gull

You know you are on your way to becoming an amateur birder when you spent a whole day driving around in a Gator with tools pulling poles out of the ground, cleaning out bird boxes, moving some, and pounding them back into the ground in better locations.

Did that all for the beautiful bluebirds. Was still a bit chilly in the wind that day, but those bluebirds sure are fun to see.

You know you are on your way to becoming an amateur birder when you are excited about seeing more than one northern harrier at a time. We even saw a merlin one morning, which was new.

Northern harriers

You know you are on your way to becoming an amateur border when you voluntarily woke up at 4:45am on a Sunday to go see the prairie chickens again. Beautiful and cool morning.

You know you are on your way to becoming an amateur border when you try to capture photographs of a Western meadowlark from the front and back. Mighty pretty on that front side; just check out that yellow while he sings.

You know you are on your way to becoming an amateur border when you watch this guy climb into a bin looking for owls to crawl back out with a Cooper's hawk that has seen better days.

You know you are on your way to becoming an amateur border when you appreciate the varying light at different times of day, as captured with a red-winged blackbird below.

You know you are on your way to becoming an amateur border when you thoroughly enjoy watching these winged creatures land on the water.

Canada goose 

Mallard duck

Green-winged teal

You know you are on your way to becoming an amateur border when your mom can see how much fun you're having. My mom stayed with me in Ponca for 5 days, and I took her out birding on our tours and for fun more than once.

I'm sure I will be enjoying more birding adventures in the future. Hope you all have a great day! 

Sights and Sounds at Sunrise and Sunset

Sunrise and sunset have always been two of my favorite things. Times of day where it is calm, colors change, and the sky is never the same. While at work this week, I have been enjoying going out at sunrise and sunset to see some different sights and listen to many sounds.

Sight: Mostly still frozen over, this small lake at Buckskin Hills State Wildlife Management Area near Newcastle, NE reflected some nice full moon light while colors of sunrise began to peek over the horizon on a Saturday morning.

Sound: A handful of geese were honking away just to the left of this scene on the same Saturday morning.

Sight: Two brothers who have been birding for years volunteer some of their Saturday time to help lead different bird tours with us throughout the year, particularly in March. They use binoculars and spotting scopes to scout out an area.
Sound: Across the way atop a hill, the hoots of Greater Prairie Chickens were heard from this spot.

Sight: The flapping of some wings as the prairie chickens began to swoop around after dancing and booming. (That was quite a sight!)
Sound: "Get your camera up, they're coming this way!"

Sight: Mr. Ed Brogie and Mr. Mark Brogie are both science teachers and avid birders.
Sound: Music to my ears as I learn while out seeing new things with them.

Sight: A beautiful sunburst seen over the Missouri River.
Sound: The cool wind blowing in the river bottom can feel like a tune in your ears.

Sight: Three bald eagles sitting on a sandbar, while four more soar overhead.
Sound: The crunch of the ground beneath feet and the "ooohs" as the Boy Scout troop on our tour wandered around near the river.

Sight: Two Bluebirds sitting in a tree not too far from Bluebird Mini-Lodge at the park on our way back from a sunrise watch.
Sound: "That is a really pretty blue." (Sorry, the pretty blue is on their back not so well seen in this particular photo I grabbed.)

Sight: The bright distinct red of a cardinal stands out in a bare tree behind the Resource and Education Center.
Sound: The chirp of a cardinal is indeed chirpy.

Sight: Redhead Ducks coming in for a rest.
Sound: A harmonious quack quacking by the bunch was heard as they entered earshot.

Sight: Male (those with the red head) and female Redhead Ducks swimming about
Sound: The pop as a duck takes a dive into the pond after food. (If you follow the Nebraska Northeast Parks page on Facebook, you can see a video I took of this action posted there.)

Sight: Northern Pintails flying overhead.
Sound: A whoosh as they circle above before landing on the pond.

Sight: A view out the side window of the duck blind I have been inhabiting at sunrise and sunset.
Sound: "Use a higher aperture for that shot," said my photography mentor voices in my head.

Sight: Set up with my tripod and camera inside the duck blind.
Sound: A hundred clicks of the shutter throughout my time down there.

Sight: The male Wood Duck has a very distinctive head. Two are seen below along with two females.
Sound: "Wait, I have another photo with four Wood Ducks!" I watched one male fly in toward the end of my sunset viewing that night and grabbed a rather grainy photo of him. Later while uploading to my computer, I realized I had this shot of a group of four.

Sight: One lone duck in the foreground with Canada Geese lurking behind the fog.
Sound: The calmness of the early morning.

Sight: Two Canada Geese taking off from the pond while the sun began making its way above the horizon.
Sound: "Ahhhh! I just caught that shot with that orange sky!"

Sight: Blue, yellow, orange, fog, tree, ducks, water. All combined for nice composition.
Sound: Quack quack quack.

Sight: A view from behind the duck blind sitting on the wetlands of Ponca State Park we use for Marsh Madness.
Sound: Let that sunlight speak for itself.

Sight: Beautiful soft morning light as some ducks make their way.
Sound: A deep breath as I took this scene in shortly after sunrise.

Sight: An immature Bald Eagle swooped out in front of my vehicle as I began heading to work after a sunrise in the blind.
Sound: "Just look how big he is, and he's right in front of me."

Sight: That immature Bald Eagle perched in a tree not too far along, and he continued to sit there long enough for me to step out of my vehicle and grab a photo before moving to a new spot.
Sound: "Wow. This is the closest I have seen one yet."

I have been enjoying the various sights and sounds of sunrise and sunset. Some new experiences for me, some fun photographic endeavors, some learning as I go, and some pure enjoyment. I have been doing some of these viewings on my own, but I also help lead some guided tours here at the park.

Get out and enjoy the beautiful weather!