Since I gave up bird hunting (with a 12 gauge) due to a bum knee some years ago (now replaced) and took up birding due to the necessity of walking a large GSD...... I’ve been very lucky. 
Birding has encouraged me to visit new places like State Parks and refuges.
Also new states like Florida. And met new and interesting people, like top ten Minnesota birder John Hockema. To top it off, this past month has brought some amazing bird sightings thanks to John and my birding mentor "Mr Science," Gary Erickson.
Here’s the story. I joined a state birding society called the M.O.U. (Minnesota Ornithological Union). They provide lots of information through their magazines and website. You can report your sightings and get a daily report on recent sighting by other Minnesota birders. You can check to see statewide and individual county descriptions as to whether a particular bird is common, occasional, unusual, rare or never been seen before. In May I got to see two birds that had never been seen before in my southeastern Minnesota county. The first was a white-winged Scoter who wandered in lost from the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The second was a Glossy Ibis whose northernmost range is in Florida. Even more amazing both birds were spotted several weeks apart by John on the same nondescript farm pond about 20 miles from where I live. I guess the moral is it pays to be lucky and have really good birding friends....
Also new states like Florida. And met new and interesting people, like top ten Minnesota birder John Hockema. To top it off, this past month has brought some amazing bird sightings thanks to John and my birding mentor "Mr Science," Gary Erickson.
Here’s the story. I joined a state birding society called the M.O.U. (Minnesota Ornithological Union). They provide lots of information through their magazines and website. You can report your sightings and get a daily report on recent sighting by other Minnesota birders. You can check to see statewide and individual county descriptions as to whether a particular bird is common, occasional, unusual, rare or never been seen before. In May I got to see two birds that had never been seen before in my southeastern Minnesota county. The first was a white-winged Scoter who wandered in lost from the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The second was a Glossy Ibis whose northernmost range is in Florida. Even more amazing both birds were spotted several weeks apart by John on the same nondescript farm pond about 20 miles from where I live. I guess the moral is it pays to be lucky and have really good birding friends....
The White-Winged Scoter
The Glossy Ibis. Photo by Bob Ekblad.
I have heard from some other people that your missing post might actually exist as a draft in your dashboard. I did reading it, I remember the picture of the ibis!
ReplyDeleteI had posted an entry in my blog that is also gone...a bunch of pics we took in Rome and other Italy pics. Pain in the patootie, I guess at some point I'll re-try. Mine was not in drafts, either. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteMike
I like your dog.
ReplyDeleteThe name of my dog (GSD or DSH = Deutscher Schäferhund) is Aska.
Greetings from Switzerland
Angela
The Blogger crash was system wide. I didn’t lose any posts, but I lost your comment among others. Blogger claims it will restore all. I love how you switched from hunting to bird watching. We have the glossy Ibis in Maine too.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun! For you and Baron both :-)
ReplyDeletelove the ibis photo. yes, blogger had a rough couple of days this week (as i'm sure their computer techs did too!)
ReplyDeleteOh Blogger was a bummer for a couple of days..I lost all my comments that day. I use Live Writer to write with and usually do delayed posts so my post was saved there..thank goodness. I kinda enjoyed the read only day..but found it frustrating that I could not leave a comment.
ReplyDeleteWow those birds were really lost..you were really lucky to see them:)
Wow, I don't know when I have seen an Ibis, glossy or otherwise. But then I am a couple miles inland and not along the water much anymore.
ReplyDeleteI used to be more of a birder than I am, but with sometimes as many as 18 feeders and 4 baths, I can stay entertained here in my own yard.
But I do miss the waterfowl.
And I miss having the time!
My blog is still not working properly as I can't sign out of it. It's quite an inconvenience but what is a person to do?
ReplyDeleteI am very happy you have set down your gun and picked up a camera and binoculars instead. ;)
I have finally seen my first Finch today ~ 5 of them actually. I am so glad they are back!!
Hope you are having a good May my friend!
xo Catherine