The family stopped at several Chuck-wills-widow spots last night n the way home from Cape May. Though Whip-poor-wills were quite vocal, not a single Chucks was heard.
Although my efforts have not been so exhaustive, this has been a nemesis bird that has eluded me. I checked e-mail before heading off to sleep only to find that a Chuck-will's-widow was heard much closer to home.
Knowing our Memorial Day would be busy, I doubted I would have the opportunity to try for this more local Chuck. Until . . .
I was talking to my niece and her friends at my brother's barbeque. They brought up a "ghost hunting" excursion we went on last summer. They were asking when we could have a similar adventure. This was my opening!
I launched into storytelling mode about the mysterious death of "Charles Hawkin" more than 100 years ago. I explained that after his premature passing the local villagers took great care in providing for his unfortunate widow. They showered her with gifts, paid for anything she needed, and catered to her every whim. Upon the widow's death, a friend found her diary in which the widow confessed to killing her own husband.
The kids were hanging on my every word.
I continued to explain that the "ghost" can be heard along Hawkin Road as he tries to identify his murderess to passers-by with the phrase "Chuck's willing widow". At this point, they were nearly begging me to go hear the "ghost".
I picked them up promptly at 8pm. We drove to Hawkin Road and slowly cruised back and forth. With the first sound of Whips in the distance, I pulled over and killed the engine.
We were on the dark, deserted road's shoulder for about 3 minutes when a Chuck-will's-widow started calling. The four teenagers were nervously giddy to hear the distant "voice". After a few minutes of silence, the bird called from a much closer position. The first reprise was met with a gasp. Then one of them said, "it almost sounds like a bird".
The show was over but the lesson just started. They were asking many questions. We discussed many facts about the bird. Collectively, they seemed most intrigued by the Chuck's migration from Central/South America.
They all said they were going to show their parents and friends the bird online. I have the feeling I may be bringing another load of unwitting friends to find Mr. Hawkin's muttering "ghost"!
Monday, May 28, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Fledging Birders in World Series
For the 2nd consecutive year, I have enjoyed "coaching" several of my current and former students on a Division B Youth Team in New Jersey Audubon's World Series of Birding (WSB).
Both of our WSB efforts have been limited to Voorhees Township for a number of reasons. This extremely limited geographic area gives the students a good feel for the true diversity of the bird world. They are surprised to discover how many birds can be seen within their hometown. They are also intrigued to investigate other regions and habitats to see all the species they are missing.
Our Big Days are more like a Big Mornings that involve hitting several local parks. Last year, we found 60 species between 7 am and noon. This was a satisfying achievement given the limited habitat types available to search.
The goal this year was to improve on the 2006 team's total.
We started our morning bird walks in early March. I was very pleased to have a 300% increase in the number of student signed up for my morning bird walks. A few die-hard students have shown up almost an hour early for school several times a week. One very enthusiastic student has come almost every morning - no matter how chilly or soggy! (She became this year's team captian.)
While it was encouraging, the heightened student interest also posed a major problem. I did not have enough quality optics to lend out for the WSB! Having kids bird with poor (or no) binoculars does little more than frustrate them.
Thanks to the efforts of National Biodiversity Parks president, we had 11 brand new pairs of Zhumell 8x42's available for the students AND their parents to use during the WSB. Understanding the urgency of the situation, binoculars.com rushed the new bins to me just in time for the WSB.
We kicked off our WSB with a continental breakfast at the first stop. Throughout the morning, the kids' excitement could barely be contained. They were amazed by the colors of Scarlet Tanagers, Baltimore Orioles, and Indigo Bunting. They were amused by the Spotted Sandpiper's bobbing and the flights of swallows.
Our Big Day was terrific! For them, the highlights included Purple Martin, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Sharp-shinned Hawk, and the easy to find warblers along with Red-bellied Turtles, a Green Frog, and a curious looking flower.
The hands-down bird of the day was a Mississippi Kite saoring low over the fields at Stafford Trails. According to a New Jersey Birds regional editors, this was the first Camden County record for the species!
My personal highlights were seeing how excited the kids were to bird new areas away from the school AND watching the parents get just as into the birds as their children!
By the way, we found 72 species. This was a 20% increase from last year!
Both of our WSB efforts have been limited to Voorhees Township for a number of reasons. This extremely limited geographic area gives the students a good feel for the true diversity of the bird world. They are surprised to discover how many birds can be seen within their hometown. They are also intrigued to investigate other regions and habitats to see all the species they are missing.
Our Big Days are more like a Big Mornings that involve hitting several local parks. Last year, we found 60 species between 7 am and noon. This was a satisfying achievement given the limited habitat types available to search.
The goal this year was to improve on the 2006 team's total.
We started our morning bird walks in early March. I was very pleased to have a 300% increase in the number of student signed up for my morning bird walks. A few die-hard students have shown up almost an hour early for school several times a week. One very enthusiastic student has come almost every morning - no matter how chilly or soggy! (She became this year's team captian.)
While it was encouraging, the heightened student interest also posed a major problem. I did not have enough quality optics to lend out for the WSB! Having kids bird with poor (or no) binoculars does little more than frustrate them.
Thanks to the efforts of National Biodiversity Parks president, we had 11 brand new pairs of Zhumell 8x42's available for the students AND their parents to use during the WSB. Understanding the urgency of the situation, binoculars.com rushed the new bins to me just in time for the WSB.
We kicked off our WSB with a continental breakfast at the first stop. Throughout the morning, the kids' excitement could barely be contained. They were amazed by the colors of Scarlet Tanagers, Baltimore Orioles, and Indigo Bunting. They were amused by the Spotted Sandpiper's bobbing and the flights of swallows.
Our Big Day was terrific! For them, the highlights included Purple Martin, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Sharp-shinned Hawk, and the easy to find warblers along with Red-bellied Turtles, a Green Frog, and a curious looking flower.
The hands-down bird of the day was a Mississippi Kite saoring low over the fields at Stafford Trails. According to a New Jersey Birds regional editors, this was the first Camden County record for the species!
My personal highlights were seeing how excited the kids were to bird new areas away from the school AND watching the parents get just as into the birds as their children!
By the way, we found 72 species. This was a 20% increase from last year!
Birding "Blogalogue"
I have recently started writing a birding blog for the Courier Post, a South Jersey newspaper. The Winged Wonders blog is a manifestation of the Fledging Birders’ philosophy. My goal is to help the readers start to recognize the wide variety of birds in their own communities.
A coworker visited the blog last night for the purpose of some friendly electronic heckling. As expected, he posted some goofy comments to poke fun at, what he so kindly refers to as, my “birding affliction”.
As we shared a nice laugh over his comments this morning, his conversation pretty quickly turned to several topics of my blog postings. For a few minutes, we were having a nice blog inspired dialogue about birds around his house and our school. He has even been talking about Dark-eyed Juncos to other people all day! (Update: His Dark-eyed Junco talk has continued for several months, along with other species as well!)
I will take his good-natured ribbing in exchange for more people talking about birds anyday!
originally posted on February 13, 2007.
A coworker visited the blog last night for the purpose of some friendly electronic heckling. As expected, he posted some goofy comments to poke fun at, what he so kindly refers to as, my “birding affliction”.
As we shared a nice laugh over his comments this morning, his conversation pretty quickly turned to several topics of my blog postings. For a few minutes, we were having a nice blog inspired dialogue about birds around his house and our school. He has even been talking about Dark-eyed Juncos to other people all day! (Update: His Dark-eyed Junco talk has continued for several months, along with other species as well!)
I will take his good-natured ribbing in exchange for more people talking about birds anyday!
originally posted on February 13, 2007.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
GHO'ing for the GHOld
Presidents’ Day was off to a great start early this morning. I asked my daughter if she wanted to go look at a Great Horned Owl nest. To my delight, she eagerly pounced on the opportunity, “Yeah! Let’s do it!!”
Before long, this impromptu trip grew exponentially into a full family birding excursion. Everyone jumped into the van and we started our adventure. The first highlight was a flock of 12 Wild Turkeys just off the sie of the road. The kids giggled at the gobblers as we drove by them.
When we finally Abbotts Meadow WMA, the nest immediately popped into view. Of course, the owl itself was not so easily seen. My wife peered through her bins and audibly sighed as she found the bird. Jean has a particular fondness for owls but has not had a good look at one in a few years.
Once the scope was set up at a comfortable distance, the kids took their turns checking out the bird. Our daughter has had some experience with the scope and found the hunkered down owl with relative ease. Her smile gave away the precise instant she laid eyes on bird.
My son was a different situation. He is only 2 years old and has a real hard time looking through the scope. After several adjustments to the tripod, it was time for him to see a life bird.
We tried several times with different angles but success kept eluding us. After some more tweaking, I bring him up to the scope with a hand over his left eye. I look for the light coming through eyepiece and patiently work to get it right into his pupil.
He suddenly blurts out, “OW! Dada Ow!” He finally saw his first Great Horned Owl. What a proud day for all of us!
(originally posted Feb. 2007)
Before long, this impromptu trip grew exponentially into a full family birding excursion. Everyone jumped into the van and we started our adventure. The first highlight was a flock of 12 Wild Turkeys just off the sie of the road. The kids giggled at the gobblers as we drove by them.
When we finally Abbotts Meadow WMA, the nest immediately popped into view. Of course, the owl itself was not so easily seen. My wife peered through her bins and audibly sighed as she found the bird. Jean has a particular fondness for owls but has not had a good look at one in a few years.
Once the scope was set up at a comfortable distance, the kids took their turns checking out the bird. Our daughter has had some experience with the scope and found the hunkered down owl with relative ease. Her smile gave away the precise instant she laid eyes on bird.
My son was a different situation. He is only 2 years old and has a real hard time looking through the scope. After several adjustments to the tripod, it was time for him to see a life bird.
We tried several times with different angles but success kept eluding us. After some more tweaking, I bring him up to the scope with a hand over his left eye. I look for the light coming through eyepiece and patiently work to get it right into his pupil.
He suddenly blurts out, “OW! Dada Ow!” He finally saw his first Great Horned Owl. What a proud day for all of us!
(originally posted Feb. 2007)
Lifer to Party
This has been an exciting birding week in New Jersey. Western Tanagers, Band-tailed Pigeon, and Long-billed Murrelet are just some of the highlights.
With so much around, I was fortunate to get a nice life bird on Sunday. As always, I brought in treats for my students to share the excitement of my new bird. Many of the kids remembered the term “life bird” from my celebratory snacks and Eared Grebe story a few months ago.
During Monday’s post lifer debriefing, I promised the kids there would be a full blown party when my life list reaches a certain level. The buzz started growing when they heard that I only needed 10 more birds AND would be traveling to Florida over Spring Break.
Now, teachers are being recruited to help build my life list. Kids have told some of their other teachers, “if you find a strange bird in your yard, please call Mr. Mag!” It’s nice to know the they’re geting into it a little bit.
As the kids were packing at the end of class today, I nonchalantly played some video taken of this weekend’s lifer. I immediately heard exclamations like “it’s his life bird!”, “Aww, he’s so cute!”, and my personal favorite “Wow - the Black-throated Gray Warbler really is awesome!!”
I have many new prospects for this year’s World Series of Birding team!!
(originally posted Jan. 2007)
With so much around, I was fortunate to get a nice life bird on Sunday. As always, I brought in treats for my students to share the excitement of my new bird. Many of the kids remembered the term “life bird” from my celebratory snacks and Eared Grebe story a few months ago.
During Monday’s post lifer debriefing, I promised the kids there would be a full blown party when my life list reaches a certain level. The buzz started growing when they heard that I only needed 10 more birds AND would be traveling to Florida over Spring Break.
Now, teachers are being recruited to help build my life list. Kids have told some of their other teachers, “if you find a strange bird in your yard, please call Mr. Mag!” It’s nice to know the they’re geting into it a little bit.
As the kids were packing at the end of class today, I nonchalantly played some video taken of this weekend’s lifer. I immediately heard exclamations like “it’s his life bird!”, “Aww, he’s so cute!”, and my personal favorite “Wow - the Black-throated Gray Warbler really is awesome!!”
I have many new prospects for this year’s World Series of Birding team!!
(originally posted Jan. 2007)
The Big Game
There are times when you have the perfect opportunity to spark a birding interest in kids by connecting something they enjoy to our feathered friends. Yesterday’s bald eagle trip with some students was one such occasion.
Given the likelihood that both eagles and falcons would be found, I turned it into a prediction day for Sunday’s big game between Philadelphia and Atlanta. The initial idea was that the game’s winner would be determined by our sightings.
The game was off to a quick start with 2 large dark raptors being spotted immediately upon scope set-up at Sunset Bridge. Oliver yells, “Eagles 14 to nothing!”
Then, an American Kestrel flies over the road. All the kids and their parents get on the bird for a few fleeting seconds. Oohs and aahs are punctuated by “oh no, touchdown Falcons - 14 - 7!”
A few minutes later, Mr. Brown spots another eagle flying over the marsh which then flushes a fourth from behind a pine tree. One lands in the marsh, the other perches atop a tree. Touchdowns 3 & 4 for the birds!
During one final sweep of the scope, I find a 5th eagle feeding on a distant marshy bank. With my eye still in the scope, my question of ”Did either eagle fly from the tree tops?” was met with a resounding “Nope, they’re still there.”
35 - 7 Philadelphia - but wait . . . The officials will review play!
As I train the scope on the tree top eagle, its true identity is revealed - a Red-tailed Hawk! Apparently, the 4th eagle abandoned its perch and was mistaken for a new bird. Touchdown denied.
The game continued with one briefly glimpsed bird in a far tree at 60 miles an hour that strongly resembled an eagle. THe kids called it a field goal! The last touchdown of the game for the Eagles was at Supawna Meadows.
Final score: 38 - 7 - Philadelphia Eagles win their division! **
The kids were totally captivated by the birding exhibition game. It was a catalyst for them to get more actively involved in the searching and identifying of the birds.
Connecting birding to the activities that our kids already enjoy is effective because it acts as a bridge for their enthusiasm and helps them relate to the new concepts related to birding.
** While I am much more of a Philly fan, I must admit that I was concerned at the very poor showing of the falcons- only one kestrel in 3 hours of Salem County birding!
(originally posted Dec. 2006)
Given the likelihood that both eagles and falcons would be found, I turned it into a prediction day for Sunday’s big game between Philadelphia and Atlanta. The initial idea was that the game’s winner would be determined by our sightings.
The game was off to a quick start with 2 large dark raptors being spotted immediately upon scope set-up at Sunset Bridge. Oliver yells, “Eagles 14 to nothing!”
Then, an American Kestrel flies over the road. All the kids and their parents get on the bird for a few fleeting seconds. Oohs and aahs are punctuated by “oh no, touchdown Falcons - 14 - 7!”
A few minutes later, Mr. Brown spots another eagle flying over the marsh which then flushes a fourth from behind a pine tree. One lands in the marsh, the other perches atop a tree. Touchdowns 3 & 4 for the birds!
During one final sweep of the scope, I find a 5th eagle feeding on a distant marshy bank. With my eye still in the scope, my question of ”Did either eagle fly from the tree tops?” was met with a resounding “Nope, they’re still there.”
35 - 7 Philadelphia - but wait . . . The officials will review play!
As I train the scope on the tree top eagle, its true identity is revealed - a Red-tailed Hawk! Apparently, the 4th eagle abandoned its perch and was mistaken for a new bird. Touchdown denied.
The game continued with one briefly glimpsed bird in a far tree at 60 miles an hour that strongly resembled an eagle. THe kids called it a field goal! The last touchdown of the game for the Eagles was at Supawna Meadows.
Final score: 38 - 7 - Philadelphia Eagles win their division! **
The kids were totally captivated by the birding exhibition game. It was a catalyst for them to get more actively involved in the searching and identifying of the birds.
Connecting birding to the activities that our kids already enjoy is effective because it acts as a bridge for their enthusiasm and helps them relate to the new concepts related to birding.
** While I am much more of a Philly fan, I must admit that I was concerned at the very poor showing of the falcons- only one kestrel in 3 hours of Salem County birding!
(originally posted Dec. 2006)
Purveyor of Pellets
Savannah Sparrows at Supawna Meadows. Tundra Swans on Mannington Marsh. Bald Eagles from Sunset Bridge. Non-stop flocks of Snow Geese passing overhead.
Saturday’s cruise through Salem County did hold some nice, though not surprising, sights.
I was perhaps more pleased to find some authentic educational aids.
We stumbled across an old abandoned pole barn during our journey. Being in one of its geographic strongholds, I eagerly entered the large, doorless barn in hopes of finding a Barn Owl.
My not-quite-a-birder-yet partner was taken aback by the rustic beauty of this simple yet near perfect architectural design. My focus was true to the mission - find owls!
Though whitewash was everywhere, living, breathing, roosting owls were not to be found.
Our barnstorming adventure did, however, yield an invaluable tool to bird education - several large owl pellets.
My return home was accompanied by the announcement, “Daddy has a surprise!” After a brief guessing game, our four year old daughter was begging to open the “owl throw up”.
We have already searched through two of them. My classes will get explore a few pellets. The last of them will be used for a previously scheduled “Owl Moon” read along activity at my school next week for our students’ younger siblings.
An old barn, several digested rodents, and a satisifed owl help educate dozens of children.
Saturday’s cruise through Salem County did hold some nice, though not surprising, sights.
I was perhaps more pleased to find some authentic educational aids.
We stumbled across an old abandoned pole barn during our journey. Being in one of its geographic strongholds, I eagerly entered the large, doorless barn in hopes of finding a Barn Owl.
My not-quite-a-birder-yet partner was taken aback by the rustic beauty of this simple yet near perfect architectural design. My focus was true to the mission - find owls!
Though whitewash was everywhere, living, breathing, roosting owls were not to be found.
Our barnstorming adventure did, however, yield an invaluable tool to bird education - several large owl pellets.
My return home was accompanied by the announcement, “Daddy has a surprise!” After a brief guessing game, our four year old daughter was begging to open the “owl throw up”.
We have already searched through two of them. My classes will get explore a few pellets. The last of them will be used for a previously scheduled “Owl Moon” read along activity at my school next week for our students’ younger siblings.
An old barn, several digested rodents, and a satisifed owl help educate dozens of children.
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