A BIRDER'S LIFE

2012-02-29T19:16:00.006-05:00

I ran from the kitchen to the top of the stairs, raising my voice to be heard down in His Lair. "Come here, quick, and look at this bird!"

In my own defense, let me first say that at my age, there was no way I should have had to work night shift all last year; I’m still tired. I might also add that I haven’t had my glasses prescription changed in years. My binoculars weren’t handy. There was a maple tree, albeit leafless, between me and the bird. I was preoccupied, attempting to create a real meal out of a cheap box of pasta and cheese, in a kitchen that’s currently less organized than a landfill. We had recently returned from nine days in Florida, where there were new species to be added to the Florida list and the trip list at every turn.

The Birding Expert dutifully left his post (a.k.a. cozy, comfy recliner) and came upstairs into the kitchen to see what the fuss was about. Even without his binoculars or glasses, the Expert’s vision, and his uncanny ability to identify birds, is only limited by the curvature of the Earth.

I pointed at the window over the kitchen sink, toward the top of the utility pole behind the house, where a large, dark, raptor-esque figure sat, surveying The Rookery. "Look at that big bird on top of the pole right there!"

I left him standing there while I hurriedly made the long journey downstairs to grab my camera, affix the telephoto, and run back to the sun porch door. I exited the porch, slowly, quietly, as The Expert made his way from the kitchen to stand behind me. Down three steps to the sidewalk. The bird barely moved in the warm, howling wind. Find a spot between the maple leaf branches to point the telephoto. Have trouble with the lens, since the autofocus control is stuck in the "On" position.

"What do YOU think it is?"

I didn’t even look at him. "It might be an immature Bald Eagle," I venture, hopefully. I can’t get the stupid lens to focus on the bird, and I unwittingly heap bird poop on my own head with my next comment. "If I had a pair of binoculars, I might even be able to make that into a Golden Eagle."

The bird straightens up, then, lazily shakes out its wings, and takes off in a graceful glide. As it banks, the sinking sun lights it up from below. Even without my binoculars, I can see the wide, contrasting band from the ends of the wings all the way to the body (expletive deleted).

Over my shoulder, I hear a burst of laughter, a loud, totally amused guffaw.

"Turkey Vulture," we both say at the same time.

A (expletive deleted) Turkey Vulture. A face only its mother could love, whose defensive weapons against humans includes the revulsive tendency to barf up their latest meal of decaying carrion.

Too late, I remember the meat we wasted, letting it sit in the refrigerator past the expiration date. Occasionally, I lay out such delicacies for the coyotes or the raccoons or the opossums, rather than put them in the non-recycle-trash container. Too late, I remember I had just set out such a feast earlier in the day, near one of the brush piles, not more than fifteen feet from the utility pole.

I remind myself that even Pete Dunne, in one of his books, admits to doing something wrong while birding--once. I remind myself that Julie Zickefoose turned a Turkey Vulture story into a chapter in one of her books.

Maybe it’s time to start that book of birding excuses, after all.

The Celery Fields: Great Birding in West Central Florida

2012-02-22T20:05:00.005-05:00

A fast-rising star on the Florida birding scene, The Celery Fields site is shining brighter every year. It's become a regular feature of our annual winter retreat and bird survey, with good reasons.

Good Reason #1: Birds, and lots of them! Since the Sarasota Audubon Society began documenting bird species there, in 2001, 216 species have been counted in, on, and over the 300+ acres. (It helps that I got a "lifer" there again this year, courtesy of an unusual visit by a Cinnamon Teal, and saw Limpkin chicks for the first time ever!)

Good Reason #2: Not second by importance is the completed wetlands restoration of 100 acres of the property. During this conservation project, more than 20,000 aquatic plants and trees have been planted, according to the Sarasota Audubon Society, making the wetlands very attractive to the above-mentioned birds, local and regional birders, and ecotourists like me. A nature center is also in the plan.

Good reason #3: One estimate of the amount spent last year by ecotourists and area residents on watching Florida wildlife place the figure at more than $1.3 BILLION (Yes, that's with a "B"!). I'd call that a boost to the economy.

Good reason #4: More birding friends, who are among the friendliest, most helpful people I meet. A good example are the couple we met on one of the dikes at Celery Fields. They live within twenty minutes of The Fields, and we hit it off right away. The wife, who was alternately peering through her binoculars and taking lots of photographs, is the birder of the couple. Although the husband admitted he wasn't into the birding part of their outdoor adventures (I suspect he may be converted soon), he made the unprompted observation that the birders they were meeting were nice people. I agreed.

Bird Country Blog

A BIRDER'S LIFE

The Celery Fields: Great Birding in West Central Florida