I had a nice trip up north with mi padre this weekend. It goes a little something like this:
I got up early on Friday and went over to dad's place. We packed up the boat, got everything ready and were on the road by about 8:30. I drove all the way up there; it was about a 3 hour trip.
We got up to Pennington (population 52) and the weather couldn't be better. It was about 70-75, no clouds and a small breeze. So after we got the tent setup, and said our hellos to grandpa and Helen, we got out on the lake. I ended up getting a few decent sunnies, a few perch and a northern. Dad got squat. But I did also catch a nice sunburn. :-P
That night, we went out to dinner with Grandpa and Helen. We had a nice walleye dinner at once of the local bars. It was really good! After that, we came home, went out fishing a bit more (caught nothing). The night in the tent was actually kinda chilly -- it got down into the 50s. But it wasn't too terribly bad, we had warm sleeping bags.
Got up early the next day and hit the lake hard. Tried for panfish, northern and walley. Dad got a walleye, I got a northern, and that took a few hours. Slow fishing! But another really pretty day. I watched a bald eagle chase an osprey -- trying to get the fish the osprey caught. That was pretty neat to see.
I ended up skipping the evening fishing -- dad and Otto (uncle) went out for walleye that night, but I went canoeing instead. I took about a 4 mile trip down the creek running outside of the cabin. It was such a pretty evening, I couldn't not go out and enjoy it. :-)
After the trip, I sat inside with gramps and watched the birds for a while. Then I moved out to the porch and watched fireflies until dad and Otto got back. They didn't catch anything, so I'm glad I didn't go out. ;-)
The next morning, dad and Otto tried for walleyes once more. I didn't go out (they went out before it got light out -- no thanks!), instead I sat with gramps and Helen and watched the birds. They have nine feeders and a bird bath. Here's the list of birds I saw on my trip
- osprey
- bald eagle
- ruby-throated hummingbird
- red-wing black bird
- common grackle
- yellow finch
- red finch
- turkey
- turkey vulture
kingfisher- loon
- mallard
- baltimore oriole
- canadian goose
- junco
- barn swallow
- rose-breasted grosbeak
pine suskin- black-capped chickadee
- bluebird
- english sparrow
- song sparrow
- robin
I got back today about 3pm, and it's nice to be back in the land of civilization. As much as I love the outdoors, I needed a shower, and am looking forward to sleeping in a bed instead of on the ground. Oh yeah, and I hate mosquitos. It's back to business as usual starting tomorrow, so I'm enjoying the last of my vacation by watching some TV with Lis. We talk to one another on the phone during the commercials. Just like old times. :-)
Elissa has totally turned you into a birdwatcher.
What guy knows the names of all those birds, let alone can identify them?
Funny thing is (and, Bill, I know you are kinda teasing Aaron) most active birders are *much* more likely to be men than women. Truly dedicated female birders are very rare. By "truly dedicated" I mean actively seeks out certain species, or plans vacations around birdwatching, etc.. Or drop everything and take a spontaneous trip in hopes of seeing a certain species that has been reported from a certain site.
However, among more casual birders, the male/female ratio becomes more expected.
And minorities are virtually absent from the hobby, at least here in the Southeast U.S.; I have no idea why.
Russ : Isn't that a euphamism?
Dean: Sorry, I don't understand...is what a euphemism?
I can understand a guy being able to recognize a chicken and a turkey, but anythign past that and, well, maybe they need to check their mancard at the door.
.
Hey Bill, I don't want to hear any of that. Anyone who dates me has to have at the very least, minimal birding skills. Aaron's just being a good boyfriend.
@ Russ-what has been the most exciting bird you've see?
@Bill - LMAO! :-) The bitter irony is that what you are describing (jokingly, I hope) is the exact *opposite* of the way I have observed "truly dedicated" birders to act over the last fifteen years.
I've seen grown men in near fisticuffs; lifelong friends sabotage each other; I've been lied to about birds; I've seen one father of two in an enraged delusional state thinking that he had missed an opportunity to add a bird to a particular list. I myself have done some things of which I am ashamed.
I'm not saying that birding is worse than anything else we men engage in while flaunting our "mancards" :-) ; it's just no different.
I'm starting to feel a little uneasy for some reason about this line (perhaps too late, sorry Aaron) so I think I shall sit quietly in the corner, unless needed.
@Russ -- don't mind Bill, he's just uneasy in his current... "situation." It's ok Bill, there's nothing to be ashamed of... ;-)
There's nothing wrong with birding. I'm certainly in the casual corner, but I still enjoy it. Lis got me interested in it, but I enjoyed it well before I met her. It's just that I now keep track of what I see so that I can report it back to her on trips she's not with me for.
@Elissa - Ha! Ask me at different times, I'll probably give you different answers! But as of today:
Most Exciting (sheer thrill): Magnificent Frigatebird, just a few miles from my house at an inland lake. Not all that rare though, we (NC) get a few a year. They are just hard to see; they don't typically stay put very long. You have to be in the right place at the right time.
The rarest is probably Green-breasted Mango. That's rare even in TX. (It nests in Mexico.) People flew here from Canada to see that bird! I think there are only a handful of reports outside of TX.
Elissa and Aaron- Cool list of bird sightings! id you take movies for Pixel?