Places Tagged Birding On Platial.com

Korongo Valley guest farm, Ixopo Kwazulu Natal

platialUser:nevillecowan — 2007-08-30 00:57:55.1914+00:00

A place of peace and quiet, birding a must
Tags: birds, pool, wildlife, trees, bar, food, holiday, mountains, south africa, birding, scenery, accomadation, kwazulu natal, guest farm, self catering, sun holidays, crowned crane

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Little Paxton Pits

platialUser:chrish — 2007-05-13 11:18:00.477754+00:00

Little Paxton Pits
A superb birding site, with good paths and hides. Great for Nightingales in summer and wildfowl in winter. Home to a large Grey Heron and Cormorant colony. Kingfisher, Little Ringed Plover and Hobby are a few of the special birds.
Tags: birding, cambridgeshire

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Tokyo Bay Bird Park 東京港野鳥公園

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-19 20:25:46.94706+00:00

My other photos at Japan.
Tags: japan, bird, birding, great cormorant, common kingfisher, spotted dove, eurasian tree sparrow, little egret, white wagtail, common sandpiper, rock dove, blacktailed gull, browneared bulbul, grey heron, common pochard, gadwall, eurasian coot, northern pintail, velvet scoter

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Lamma Seaside 南丫島海邊

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-24 06:21:14.760503+00:00

More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, birds, birding, water, black kite, little egret

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Ninety Mile Beach

platialUser:kclama — 2006-05-09 02:51:05.949704+00:00

More of my photos in New Zealand.
Tags: new zealand, bird, beach, birding

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Paihia

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-17 20:34:54.497364+00:00

My other photos in New Zealand.
Tags: new zealand, bird, fishing, water, redbilled gull, birding, bullers shearwater

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Cape May Point State Park

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 07:43:39.728209+00:00

A few acre state park. What's the big deal? One of the best birding spots in the United States. More than 10 times as many hawks go through Cape May Point than the, um, overrated, Hawk Mountain. And, when you begin to tire of looking up at so many hawks, you can wander around the swamp/marsh, or along the shore, or see if you can find the rare Piping Plover. Then you can head up to the south side of the Inland Waterway (the north side hosts the Cape May - Lewes Ferry) for forest/shrubbery birding (can you say warblers) and then down the beach to Sunset Beach and gaze at the crumbling wreck of a concrete ship. My personal bird list for this area: American Black Duck, American Coot, American Crow, American Goldfinch, American Kestrel, American Redstart, American Robin, American Wigeon, Baltimore Oriole, Barn Swallow, Belted Kingfisher, Black Scoter, Black-and-white Warbler, Black-bellied Plover, Black-billed Cuckoo, Blackburnian Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blue Grosbeak, Blue Jay, Bobolink, Bonaparte's Gull, Brant, Brown Thrasher, Brown-headed Cowbird, Bufflehead, Canada Goose, Canada Warbler, Canvasback, Carolina Chickadee, Chimney Swift, Common Grackle, Common Moorhen, Common Snipe, Common Tern, Common Yellowthroat, Cooper's Hawk, Double-crested Cormorant, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Fish Crow, Forster's Tern, Glossy Ibis, Gray Catbird, Great Black-backed Gull, Great Blue Heron, Great Cormorant, Great Crested Flycatcher, Great Egret, Greater Scaup, Greater Yellowlegs, Harlequin Duck, Herring Gull, Horned Grebe, House Finch, House Sparrow, House Wren, Laughing Gull, Least Bittern, Least Tern, Lesser Yellowlegs, Magnolia Warbler, Mallard, Marsh Wren, Merlin, Mississippi Kite, Mourning Dove, Mute Swan, Nashville Warbler, Northern Bobwhite, Northern Cardinal, Northern Flicker, Northern Harrier, Northern Parula, Northern Pintail, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Northern Shoveler, Osprey, Palm Warbler, Pectoral Sandpiper, Peregrine Falcon, Pied-billed Grebe, Piping Plover, Prothonotary Warbler, Purple Martin, Purple Sandpiper, Red Knot, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-eyed Vireo, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-throated Loon, Red-winged Blackbird, Ring-billed Gull, Rock Dove, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Ruddy Duck, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Sedge Wren, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Short-billed Dowitcher, Snow Goose, Snowy Egret, Spotted Sandpiper, Striated Heron, Surf Scoter, Tree Swallow, Tufted Titmouse, Tundra Swan, Turkey Vulture, White-throated sparrow, Willet, Wood Duck, Wood Thrush, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-breated Chat, Yellow-rumped Warbler
Tags: birding, hawks, sea fowl, water fowl, warblers, nj, area birding, cape may point

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Brigantine

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 16:40:52.622788+00:00

When you tire of Cape May Point and its intense birding, slip on north a few miles to Brigantine. Look east to the back side of Atlantic City. Walk (drive if you're an old geezer like me) the 10 mile loop around the various impoundments, and climb the tower to look for more hawks. (Peregrine sighted here!) My list here: American Black Duck, American Kestrel, American Oystercatcher, Bald Eagle, Black-bellied Plover, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Blue-winged Teal, Brant, Bufflehead, Canada Goose, Cattle Egret, Clapper Rail, Common Grackle, Common Merganser, Double-crested Cormorant, Eastern Meadowlark, Eastern Phoebe, European Starling, Gadwall, Glossy Ibis, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Greater Scaup, Greater Yellowlegs, Green-winged Teal, Hooded Merganser, Horned Grebe, House Sparrow, Least Sandpiper, Mallard, Mourning Dove, Mute Swan, Northern Harrier, Northern Mockingbird, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Osprey, Peregrine Falcon, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-winged Blackbird, Ring-necked Duck, Royal Tern, Ruddy Duck, Sage Sparrow, Snowy Egret, Song Sparrow, Surf Scoter, Swamp Sparrow, Tundra Swan, White-winged Scoter.
Tags: birding, brigantine natural area, nj, area birding

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Back River Waste Water Treatment Plant

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 16:42:55.328754+00:00

Now this is ridiculuous! A sewer plant? For what? How about a Ross's Gull? Yup. But don't rush off to Bal'more to see it. It was there for about 2 weeks one winter. Must have been vacationing there from it's normal haunts by the Arctic Circle.
Tags: birding, baltimores sewer plant, rosss gull, md, area birding

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Bald Eagle

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 16:46:49.008543+00:00

Great Falls, MD, has nice access to the river. From the observation deck one can look upriver to a large island covered with tall trees. In the southern most tall tree, probably a sycamore, though it's been quite a while since I was there, there has been for years an eyrie near the top. An eagle's nest. It is quite awe-inspiring to look out at this raft of logs and limbs perched in the top of a tall tree and realize that is an eagle's nest, and that little white blip peeking over the top is the head of the mother or father! Birds seen: Bald Eagle.
Tags: birding, eagle, great falls park, md, potomac river, local birding

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Christchurch

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-20 16:50:48.088181+00:00

More of my photos at New Zealand.
Tags: new zealand, building, bird, water, biking, redbilled gull, duck, birding

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Tom's Cove

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 16:52:10.131065+00:00

The road runs behind a high (30' or more) sand barrier. Parking and climbing over the stairs takes one to the beach, or, one could stay on the stairs and have a better view out to sea. One year we saw porpose swimming south. Another time I crossed the road (the parking lot is on the east side of the road) and waded out into the marshy area of Tom's Cove. The tide was out so I moved from hummock to hummock staying faily dry. But being eaten alive by no-see-ums. However, I had great views of Black Skimmers slurping across the cove. I also chased several rails around, but could not make a positive identification on them. Sneaky little twerps! I understand why shotguns were popular with birders back at the turn of the previous century. I also saw Brown Pelican here and/or looking out to sea.
Tags: birding, swamp, ocean, toms cove, area birding

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Chincoteague

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 16:55:32.832498+00:00

Well, this marker is in the middle of the pond, but we weren't actualy there. But, if you follow the road you can see most of the pond, and most of what we saw at the park was in this pond area. Birdlist for the pond area: Cattle Egret, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Greater Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, Lesser yellowlegs, Little Blue Heron, Mute Swan, Pectoral Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Snowy Egret, Western Sandpiper.
Tags: va, birding, chincoteague, area birding

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Assateague State Park

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 16:56:46.434342+00:00

Assateague State Park and Assateague Island National Seashore are connected entities. The main difference, beyond size, is that the state park has modern facilities while the National Seashore is primitive. Well, they have portapotties and hose stands, but that's about it. No showers, bathing in the surf or the bay. But that's not what we care about, is it? We're here for the birds. But our wives like to be able to get clean, get the sand out of their undies, wash the ocean stickies off their hands, so we go to the State Park. And then go birding. The bird list here is fairly short, and includes both sea- and bay-sides of the island: Black Skimmer, Boat-tailed Grackle, Brown Pelican, Gray Catbird, Laughing Gull, Osprey, Willet. Don't forget to put your coolers under the picnic tables, and several boulders on the tables, to make it harder for the ponies to get to it. And NO FOOD IN THE TENT!!!! The ponies will walk right through the tent to get to it.
Tags: birding, ocean, assateague state park, area birding

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Ocean City - Inlet

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 08:04:12.068554+00:00

The inlet. You go to the end of the boardwalk and hang over the railing looking to see what might be in sight. Not a great place to bird, but better than those swirly rides. And the food is good! Really, what's better than salt air, boardwalk pizza, fresh squeezed lemonade and Thrasher's French Fries? (Thrasher's was around LONG BEFORE there were boardwalk fries. I guess copying is the sincerest form of flattery.) And don't get pizza sauce on your binocular lenses! Still, there might be something interesting on the rocks edging the inlet channel. Birds here: Brown Pelican, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Laughing Gull, Royal Tern, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling.
Tags: md, birding, ocean, ocean city, boardwalk pizza, thrashers french fries, area birding

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Ocean City - 4th Street

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 08:15:22.111476+00:00

Pull in here at the end of 4th street and you can see, at low tide, of course, an exposed sandbar about 100 yards into the bay. When it's exposed it attracts birds by the "lots". There may have been a thousand birds out there at one time, but it's hard to tell with all the argueing, hopping around, swirling up and fluttering down. A scope is definitely useful, but good binoculars can get the job done. Birdlist: American Oystercatcher, Black Skimmer, Black-bellied Plover, Brown Pelican, Great Black-backed Gull, Laughing Gull, Ruddy Turnstone Oystercatchers are strange looking birds. Why that huge orange peg hanging off the front of their face? Does the orange help them see what they're probing for? And you think of bills as being rigid, yet the tip of oystercatcher bills are flexible, almost like a finger.
Tags: md, birding, bay, ocean city 4th street, local birding

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Ocean City - 76th Street

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 16:27:57.141004+00:00

I don't think there is anything particuarly special about 76th Street, except that (1) we could park there for a while, and (2) it had a good view of the marshy area. Birders are nothing if not opportunistic. Birdlist: Black Skimmer, Common Grackle, Common Tern, Great Egret, Osprey, Snowy Egret. Just for fun, go to the bird site and compare some other terns to the Common Tern. Just differences in the amount of dark shading on the tip of the bill.
Tags: ocean city, md, birding, bay, area birding

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Ocean City, NJ

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 16:34:08.655235+00:00

I've marked about where we were most of the time when we'd visit by great aunt, Aunt Louise. Uncle Gus was Greek, Aunt Louise was Norman by way of Wales and Indiana. (Don't ask, it's a very long story going back to 1066.) Uncle Gus was the only Greek I had ever been around, so when the movie "My Great Big Fat Greek Wedding" came out I realized that a lot about Uncle Gus was not that he was some eccentric character, but that he was Greek. I really learned a lot about my family from that movie. Unfortunately both were dead, so I never had a chance to talk with them about it. The other thing about Ocean City is that it provided the defining component of what I understand as PIZZA. I'm sure the salt air had a major influence on the process, but THE PIZZA by which I judge all other pizzas is made just south of the Music Pier at "Mack and Manco's". Likewise, the apex of "shoreness" is a combination of salt air and suntan lotion (which, surprisingly, has not changed aroma much over the past, um, few years), with a touch of cigar or pipe smoke. I've been to lots of other beaches on both coasts, but they can't compare to the shore. I don't know that I've ever smelled pipe/cigar smoke at those beaches: there have certainly been both salt air and suntan lotion. Birdlist, which includes bayside and the north end of the island where the road heads to the mainland: Double-crested Cormorant, Great Black-backed Gull, Great Egret, Herring Gull, Laughing Gull, Mourning Dove, Purple Sandpiper, Ring-billed Gull, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling.
Tags: ocean city, nj, birding, mack and mancos pizza, area birding, whitcomb

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Lucketts, VA

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 16:57:51.50671+00:00

The middle of nowhere! Definitely out of the DC metropolitan area sprawl, though I'm sure a lot of people who live here work in and around DC. But not a part of the suburbia, fer sher, dude! So what's out here? A Lewis's Woodpecker! Usually found on the West coast, this one thought he'd go south for the winter but made a wrong tern at San Francisco and wound up here. I would have thought the Rockies would have been a clue, but, Nooooo. Had to just go charging on. And we got to see it! A very cold and snowy morning. A Goliath of a vehicle, w/ max-legal size tires and 4WD. Thermos of hot beverage. Get out here and stomp around a while watching, moving constantly to get a bit more sun and feel a bit warmer. Finally found the stupid thing. Unlike the Red-headed Woodpecker, which this resembles superficially (black back, red head) this is spectacular in a different way. The red of the Lewis Woodpecker is an irridescent red, similar to the red on a hummingbird. That means, of course, that under the wrong light conditions it appears black. Which means you keep watching until *FLASH* you see that blast of red and are able to make your ID. The Red-headed Woodpecker, on the other hand, is a brilliant (no Guiness, please) scarlet like the robes of a Roman Catholic Cardinal (as opposed, of course, to a Northern Cardinal, which isn't as deeply and intensley red) or a Scarlet Tananger (except for the tananger's wings, natch). Well, OK, you go look up the three birds and you figure it out. You're gonna have to if you want to be a birder. Brrrrr!!
Tags: va, birding, lucketts, accidental, area birding

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Dulles Airport Lake

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 08:04:57.559274+00:00

In a previous life as I commuted through northern Virginia to Wisconsin and Western Avenues in Maryland I came near to the Dulles Airport Lake. "Why let a perfectly good lake waste?", I asked, and the answer came back, "Don't!" So I didn't. Usually once or twice a week I would get off 28 onto the Dulles Airport road, then stop by the lake and count the birds I saw. I have that list in a database. It starts in 1989, but doesn't really get going until 1997. In December of 2001 the Airport Police, who have a substation on the drive behind the lake, decided that no one was allowed on the lake or the dam. They required me to obtain written permission from the airport administrative authority, the people who run the airport. I tried for quite a while and only got the run around or was told that the Airport Police do not have the authority to keep me from the lake so no permission is necessary. The police disagreed. The practical result is that I wrote a book about my experience called "Catch 22" - you might have heard about it? So my birding stopped for all practical purposes on 03-December-2001. On 13-Feb-2001 I counted 334 Canada Geese on the lake and the surrounding grassy areas; on 06-Aug-2001 I saw only 1 Canada Goose. Don't worry, I won't bore you with a complete list of the 971 entries I have for Dulles Airport Lake: what birds are found when, and in what quantity, though any researcher is welcome to my data by including their email address in a comment to this link. But, here is a complete list of the birds I have seen on the lake and in the woods around the lake, or in the swampy area below the dam: American Black Duck, American Coot, American Crow, American Goldfinch, American Robin, Barn Swallow, Belted Kingfisher, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Blue Jay, Bonaparte's Gull, Brown Thrasher, Brown-headed Cowbird, Bufflehead, Canada Goose, Canvasback (only one, the entire time), Carolina Chickadee, Caroline Wren, Cedar Waxwing, Chimney Swift, Chipping Sparrow, Common Grackle, Common Loon (again, only one, ever), Common Moorhen, Common Yellowthroat, Cooper's Hawk, Dark-eyed Junco, Double-crested Cormorant, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Peewee, European Starling, Field Sparrow, Fish Crow, Gray Catbird, Great Blue Heron (probably the most consistently seen bird on the lake), Great Egret, Hairy Woodpecker, Herring Gull, Hooded Merganser, Horned Grebe, House Finch, House Sparrow, House Wren, Kentucky Warbler, Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, Mallard, Mourning Dove, Northern Cardianl, Northern Flicker, Northern Mockingbird, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Orchard Oriole, Palm Warbler, Pied-billed Grebe, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-winged Blackbird, Ring-billed Gull, Ring-necked Duck, Rock Dove, Ruddy Duck (just mobs of them through the winter), Song Sparrow, Spotted Sandpiper, Striated Heron, Tree Swallow, Trumpter Swan, Tufted titmouse, Turkey Vulture, White-throated Sparrow, Wood Duck, Yellow Wagtail, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler
Tags: va, birding, lake, forest, dulles airport, local birding

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Somerset Park

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 08:07:06.702638+00:00

This is just a little community park off River Road, accessable also from Willard Avenue. Trees, stream, wild undergrowth, bamboo. And, of course, birds. But the main thing is that it was a place where I could get away from work for a lunch hour and rejuvenate my feeble mental circuits. A brief interlude. The bamboo arrived in this local when one of the local families went to Florida on vacation back in the 50's. One of the kids got a little pot of bamboo. They brought it back and it hung around for a while, barely surviving. Finally mom threw the pot out, and that was that. Well, almost. The pot of bamboo decided that it wasn't quite dead, put down roots, and took off, filling the stream banks with shoots. And thus was the story as told to me by the son of the bamboo importer. OK, enough local lore. One is struck by the levelness of the park, the unlikely smoothness of the grade as one goes along the stream. The reason is that this was once a part of some local rail line. There is a marker in the park with more information if you are really interested. But what we're really interested in is - birds. So here's my birdlist: American Crow, American Goldfinch, American Redstart, American Robin, Blackpoll Warbler, Blue Jay, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Cedar waxwing, Chimney Swift, Common Grackle, Cooper's Hawk, Dark-eyed Junco, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Wood-Peewee, European Starling, Gray Catbird, Hairy Woodpecker, House Finch, House Sparrow, House Wren, Killdeer, Magnolia Warbler, Mallard, Mourning Dove, Northern Cardinal, Northern Flicker, Northern Mockingbird, Northern Parula, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-winged Blackbird, Ring-billed Gull, Rock Dove, Song Sparrow, Tufted Titmouse, Veery, White-breasted Nuthatch, White-throated Sparrow, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Yellow-rumped Warbler
Tags: md, birding, somerset park, bethesda, local birding

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Georgetown Reservoir

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 08:03:23.468662+00:00

An interesting place. Georgetown Reservoir consists of 3 large impoundements - as you can see on the map. I usually park on Reservoir Road, northbound side, cross the street and gaze longingly through the chainlink fence at the birds covering the water. Or hiding out in the lee of the levees. You are, obviously, looking west, toward the Canal, Potomac River and Virginia. The enbankment on the opposite side of the reservoir backs up against the Canal, and one day I saw a red fox hop up on top of the levee and head north. It is always surprising what kinds of wildlife one can find in DC. And from here, it is just a quick slip down the hill to Fletcher's Boat Landing. But we're interested in the birds, so here's my list: American Coot, American Crow, American Wigeon, Black Vulture (pooping in my drinking water?! Thank goodness for water treatment plants!), Canada Goose, Canvasback, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Black-backed Gull, Great Blue Heron, Herring Gull, Laughing Gull, Mallard, Mourning Dove, Pied-billed Grebe, Redhead, Ring-billed Gull, Ring-necked Duck, Rock Dove, Ruddy Duck, Wood Duck (Take that, Larry!)
Tags: dc, birding, georgetown reservoir, local birding

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Fletcher's Boat Landing

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 08:02:20.941471+00:00

Fletcher's Boat Landing is a great little spot. Nice large parking area, though it's not a big deal if you slip in over lunch. Most birding can be done from the shore in front of the parking lot - at least for water fowl. If you head up-river (if you are totally oblivious to your surroundings, then you need to head toward your right. and if you are hopelessly oblivious that means head toward where a passenger would sit in your car if you were the driver. Um, that doesn't mean cringing on floor of the back seat.) there is a little trail that heads along the stream, which gives you some forest type habitat, or you can head out along the river for other types of water fowl. You can also head back to the canal for a nice walk, or some flat water birds. So here's my list here: American Crow, Belted Kingfisher, Canada Goose, Carolina Chickadee, Dark-eyed Junco, European Starling, Forster's Tern, Great Black-backed Gull, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Greater Scaup, Greater Yellowlegs, Green-winged Teal, Herring Gull, Mallard, Red-shouldered Hawk, Ring-billed Gull, Ruddy Duck, Song Sparrow, Striated Heron, Tufted titmouse, Turkey Vulture, White-throated Sparrow, Wood Duck
Tags: dc, birding, potomac river, fletchers boat landing, bo canal, local birding

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Potomac Palisades

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 07:58:45.709307+00:00

Not really its name, that I know of anyway, but it reminds me of Pacific Palisades, except there's no ocean, or salt air, or earthquakes, so I called it Potomac Palisades. This is a nice, quiet community of nice homes - not fancy, or big, or special, just a nice, neighborhood with 40's and 50's style homes, well manicured lawns, lawn services that use Honda mowers because they're quite. So, I don't usually stay long, and stay pretty close to my car. Never had any problems or too many weird looks, but why ruffle feathers if you don't need to? So, in the spirity of unobtrusiveness this neighborhood inspires, here is my list of birds seen along this street: American Crow, American Goldfinch, American Robin, Blue Jay, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Blue-winged Warbler (a lifer, and in the rain, natrually), Broad-winged Hawk, Canada Goose, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Cedar Waxwing, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Common Grackle, Eastern Kingbird, European Starling, Gray Catbird, Hairy Woodpecker, House Finch, Mallard, Mourning dove, Northern Cardinal, Northern Mockingbird, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Tufted titmouse, Turkey Vulture, White-breasted Nuthatch, White-throated Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler
Tags: dc, birding, potomac river, potomac palisades, local birding

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Queenstown

platialUser:kclama — 2006-05-09 16:03:05.553707+00:00

More of my photos in New Zealand.
Tags: new zealand, bird, water, birding

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Somewhere south of the James River

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 08:08:03.298529+00:00

I don't remember just where - I'd have to check my records for a more accurate place, but it was a on the edges of an industrial area. Inside the area, sitting on some low rises, was a lifer - a Snowy Owl. I've chased them before, but I had to go near the capital of the Confederacy to find a Snowy Owl. Weird is all I can say. It wasn't white with some black, it was more like concrete with some black. But it wasn't concrete because it moved, watching us, looking around, enjoying the sun. Maybe it was getting a tan.
Tags: va, birding, james river, snowy owl, area birding

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Kowloon Tsai Park 九龍仔公園

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-25 23:30:13.436273+00:00

More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, forest, birding, blackcollared starling, rock dove, house crow

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St. Marks Square, Venice

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-03 11:36:44.81692+00:00

Well, that is about where it is supposed to be, anyway. I think I am actually ENE or NE of St Mark's Square by a little, but we'll just have to live with it. It was a cold and stormy day. (Can't fall into THAT old trap!) Blustery. Gondolas all moored to the docks. Or quays. Or whatever they are in Venezia. Birding was interesting here: can you say "Rock Dove"? Ten thousand times? Of course that USED to be one of the attractions - buying pigeon feed from vendors and holding it in your hands while the urban chickens alit all over you. It is surprising how much those beasties weigh! Then you throw the seed & they all scatter. Ever seen "Home Alone 2"? Kinda like that. We didn't have too long there, unfortunately, so we only walked the square, followed in James Bond's path where he drove the gondola up the steps and through the square. Kind of weird, in a way. But Dad had been there in 1953, so it was interesting seeing some of the things that he had painted from then. Birdlist: Rock Dove
Tags: venice, italy, birding, st marks square

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Rotorua

platialUser:kclama — 2006-05-09 16:21:44.292965+00:00

More of my photos in New Zealand.
Tags: new zealand, bird, spa, volcano, farm, birding, redbilled gull

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Fan Lau 分流

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-20 02:39:38.454952+00:00

More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, forest, birding, chinese bulbul, redwhiskered bulbul, insect

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Snake River/Hell's Canyon

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-07 10:32:24.406517+00:00

Took a jet boat ride up the Snake. An all day trip. We left quite early in the morning - I don't remember how early, but it was cold - from about 20 miles up river from Lewiston/Clarkston. The road here is only on the Washington/Oregon side of the river, so I guess more correctly we put in about 20 miles up river from Clarkston. My sons were big into fishing at the time, so the purpose of the trip was to catch Sturgeon (it was either that or Bigfoot): they're protected, but not endangered, so they are fair game. But there are lots of rules: - You have to have a guide (the owner of the boat) to fish for them. - The license is a one-day license, or was it two weeks? - You cannot use barbed hooks, only plain hooks. - You cannot take them out of the water, so no "poses". - Obviously it is catch and release. It is a surprisingly difficult task to catch these beasts. They can run to pretty good size. One son caught one about 3', the other caught 2 about 3' - 4', and I caught one about 7'4". The captain took us to places that ran 50' deep or more, because they prefer cold water, and they're bottom feeders. After about 45 minutes of the fish running and diving, and I'd crank it close, then it would run and dive again, repeat about 10 times, the fish was tired and we could "herd" it along toward the shore. The captain/guide hopped in (about knee deep) to remove the hook, and stretched a light string the length of the beast. I have that as "my fish". And no, it's not mounted. But you really don't care about that. And the "catching" took only about 90 minutes, though the "waiting" took most of the day. The day was beautiful, once the sun showed for a while. The canyon is pretty stark: sandstone (probably, I'm no geologist), with some sandy areas and desert scrub. Being on the water we drank quite a bit. (Water is our poison of choice, though we had sandwiches, juices, and various snacks.) And the birds were everywhere! Mostly not visible, but singing like you wouldn't believe. There was one distinctive songster. I never saw it, but caught its song on video. (I ran video, the mic picked up the song. And quite nicely, I might add.) Later I was listening to the Peterson recordings and heard it. Went back to the video and verified the song. Schweet! So, this trip's list: Cactus Wren. Pretty pathetic, isn't it? But nothing was flying, and it's hard to flush birds from the middle of the river. And the Cactus Wren was a lifer.
Tags: id, birding, river, snake river, lifer, sturgeon

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Penfold Park 彭福公園

platialUser:kclama — 2006-05-02 04:53:30.400859+00:00

More of my photos there.
Tags: common magpie, little egret, blackcollared starling, hong kong, bird, birding, forest, butterfly

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Armand Bayou Nature Center

platialUser:shoothouston — 2006-04-05 21:05:31.535789+00:00

Tags: nature, birding

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Alpa Resort

platialUser:kclama — 2006-05-21 08:17:36.889615+00:00

Tags: korea, snow, skying, bird, birding, common magpie, food

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Kaikoura

platialUser:kclama — 2006-05-09 16:18:44.256994+00:00

More of my photos in New Zealand.
Tags: new zealand, whale, birding, bird, dolphin, redbilled gull

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Wun Yiu River 碗窰河邊

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 17:57:21.81882+00:00

Food Picking of a Big White Guy on Vimeo More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, water, birding, little egret, white wagtail, grey wagtail, tanimbar corella

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Nam Sang Wai River 南生圍河邊

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 17:57:55.774739+00:00

Swimming Time on Vimeo More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, water, birding, great cormorant, barn swallow, black kite, chinese bulbul, spotted dove, blackcrowned night heron, chinese pond heron, little egret, white wagtail, whitethroated kingfisher, common sandpiper, crested myna, northern shoveler, grey heron, blackheaded gull, common moorhen, little ringed plover, pied avocet, blackwinged stilt gadwall, common pochard, eurasian wigeon, little bunting, plain prinia, redbilled starling, insect, moth

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Hong Kong Park 香港公園

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 17:58:38.126224+00:00

View this clip on Vimeo
View this clip on Vimeo
View this clip on Vimeo
View this clip on Vimeo My other photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, forest, water, insect, birding, yellow wagtail, blackcollared starling, chinese bulbul, common kingfisher, common tailorbird, japanese whiteeye, masked laughingthrush, redwhiskered bulbul, spotted dove, crested myna, whiterumped munia, moth, alexandrine parakeet, greyheaded flycatcher, hill myna, roseringed parakeet, yellowcrested cockatoo

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Kowloon Park 九龍公園

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 17:59:12.921473+00:00

Summer Time on Vimeo
After Bathing on Vimeo
New Bird on Vimeo
View this clip on Vimeo My other photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, forest, water, birding, black kite, blackcollared starling, chinese bulbul, common tailorbird, masked laughingthrush, oriental magpie robin, redwhiskered bulbul, spotted dove, blackcrowned night heron, crested myna, rock dove, whiterumped munia, alexandrine parakeet, common koel, northern shoveler, roseringed parakeet, blue magpie, dragonfly, gray heron, insect, bee

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Ng Tung River 梧桐河

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 18:00:41.656966+00:00

More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, water, forest, birding, sheep, common kingfisher, scalybreasted munia, little egret, white wagtail, longtailed shrike

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Tai Po Kau Hill 大埔滘山旁

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 18:03:38.551338+00:00

View this clip on Vimeo
A Little Blub on Vimeo My other photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, forest, butterfly, insect, birding, damselfly, common magpie, daurian redstart, oriental magpie robin, redwhiskered bulbul, spotted dove, yellowbellied prinia, greyheaded flycatcher, arctic warbler, blackthroated laughingthrush, chestnut bulbul, greystreaked flycatcher, longtailed shrike, rufouscapped babbler, scarlet minivet, silvereared mesia, verditer flycatcher

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Ting Kwok 汀角

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 18:04:46.261407+00:00

Side Walking on Vimeo
How to Recover from Up-side-down? on Vimeo More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, water, forest, l, birding, blackcollared starling, common kingfisher, chinese pond heron, little egret, redwhiskered bulbu, yellowbellied prinia

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Sham Chung 深涌

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 18:06:22.595956+00:00

More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, forest, water, biking, birding, common kingfisher, little egret, longtailed shrike, whitebellied sea eagle, brown fish owl, crab, pig, daurian redstart, greybacked thrush

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Fung Yuen 鳳園

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 18:07:15.823255+00:00

Some more photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, forest, butterfly, birding, blue magpie, chinese bulbul, japanese whiteeye

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Shing Mun Reservoir 城門水塘

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 18:08:51.102425+00:00

Monkey Time on Vimeo More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, forest, birding, black kite, scalybreasted munia, white wagtail, monkey

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Kadoorie 嘉道理農場

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 18:09:59.894495+00:00

More of my photos there.
Tags: bird, hong kong, butterfly, dragonfly, birding, redwhiskered bulbul

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Kam Tin 錦田

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 18:16:31.902448+00:00

More of my photos and videos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, forest, water, birding, yellow wagtail, chinese bulbul, japanese whiteeye, redwhiskered bulbul, spotted dove, yellowbellied prinia, chinese pond heron, little egret, white wagtail, rock dove, grey heron, little ringed plover, redbilled starling, cattle egret, whitebreasted waterhen, common greenshank

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Lut Chau 甩洲

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 18:21:37.976152+00:00

More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, water, forest, birding, great cormorant, barn swallow, black kite, chinese bulbul, spotted dove, blackcrowned night heron, chinese pond heron, little egret, white wagtail, whitethroated kingfisher, common sandpiper, crested myna, northern shoveler, grey heron, blackheaded gull, common moorhen, little ringed plover, pied avocet, common pochard, eurasian wigeon, little bunting, plain prinia, redbilled starling, blackwinged stilt, gadwall

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Tsim Bei Tsui 尖鼻咀

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 18:22:45.836195+00:00

More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, water, forest, birding, great cormorant, yellow wagtail, common kingfisher, crested goshawk, spotted dove, chinese pond heron, little egret, white wagtail, whitethroated kingfisher, common sandpiper, longtailed shrike, pied avocet, plain prinia, gadwall

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Lau Fau Shan 流浮山

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 18:24:44.977969+00:00

Jumping Fish on Vimeo More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, water, dog, birding

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Siu Lang Shui 小冷水

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 18:29:03.977666+00:00

More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, butterfly, bird, forest, birding, japanese whiteeye, sakhalin leaf warbler

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Nam San Wai Fishpool 南生圍魚塘

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 18:38:18.108858+00:00

More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, water, forest, birding, great cormorant, barn swallow, black kite, chinese bulbul, spotted dove, little egret, common sandpiper, crested myna, little bunting, plain prinia, redbilled starling, insect, damselfly, butterfly

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Long Yuen River 塱原河邊

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-24 06:18:50.591373+00:00

More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, water, birding, yellow wagtail, common kingfisher, chinese pond heron, little egret, whitethroated kingfisher, common sandpiper, grey heron, little ringed plover, pied avocet, cattle egret, longbilled plover, insect, dragonfly, bee

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Long Yuen Farmland 塱原田地

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-25 23:37:38.749392+00:00

More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, forest, birding, blackcollared starling, chinese bulbul, masked laughingthrush, crested myna, redbilled starling, grey treepie

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Seaside Park 葛西臨海公園

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-19 20:26:43.164147+00:00

My other photos at Japan
Tags: japan, bird, birding, great cormorant, common kingfisher, spotted dove, eurasian tree sparrow, little egret, white wagtail, common sandpiper, rock dove, blacktailed gull, browneared bulbul, grey heron, common pochard, gadwall, eurasian coot, northern pintail, velvet scoter

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Five Color Lake 五色沼

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-19 20:29:45.215328+00:00

More of my photo in Japan.
Tags: japan, bird, water, forest, red leave, birding, black kite, largebilled crow, eurasian tree sparrow, spotbilled duck, rustic bunting, eurasian jay

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Matsushima 松島

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-19 20:31:39.197233+00:00

Flying with Birds on Vimeo Some more of my photos in Japan.
Tags: food, japan, bird, water, birding, little egret, blacktailed gull, japanese cormorant

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Okumatsushima 奥松島

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-19 20:33:49.60202+00:00

My other photos at Japan
Tags: food, birding, japan, bird, water, eurasian tree sparrow, little egret, rock dove, blacktailed gull, japanese cormorant, northern shoveler, browneared bulbul, common pochard, mallard, eurasian coot, bullheaded shrike

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Kussharo Lake 屈斜路湖

platialUser:kclama — 2006-05-13 17:11:48.561857+00:00

My other photos at Japan.
Tags: japan, bird, water, birding, whooper swan, snow

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Hakkoda 八甲田山

platialUser:kclama — 2006-05-13 02:43:04.989305+00:00

First Snow on Vimeo My other photos at Japan.
Tags: japan, red leave, bird, birding, brown dipper, snow

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Sapporo 札幌

platialUser:kclama — 2006-07-27 18:42:38.021373+00:00

Family Time on Vimeo
Big Boy on Vimeo My other photos at Japan.
Tags: japan, snow, night, bird, food, birding, rock dove

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Yamagata 山形

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-19 20:44:43.961225+00:00

My other photos at Japan.
Tags: japan, bird, water, forest, birding, food, spider, largebilled crow, spotbilled duck, common kingfisher, rock dove, browneared bulbul, japanese grosbeak

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Kakunodate 角館

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-19 20:47:44.660204+00:00

My other photos at Japan.
Tags: japan, bird, water, food, birding, largebilled crow, eurasian tree sparrow, little egret, white wagtail, spotbilled duck, grey heron

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Tazawako 田澤湖

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-19 20:48:26.786294+00:00

My other photos at Japan.
Tags: japan, bird, water, birding, spotbilled duck

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Ho Ping Island 和平島

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-24 16:46:40.193933+00:00

More of my photos at Taiwan.
Tags: bird, water, forest, taiwan, rock, birding, little egret, blue rock thrush

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Kee Lung Sea Side 八斗子

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-24 16:53:00.998476+00:00

More of my photos at Taiwan.
Tags: taiwan, bird, forest, birding, barn swallow, chinese bulbul, black bulbul

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Spring Spa Hotel 春天温泉酒店

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-20 04:44:06.290925+00:00

My other photos in Taiwan.
Tags: taiwan, bird, forest, spa, birding, black bulbul, formosan whistling thrush, blackbrowed barbet

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Chang Ching Lake 澄清湖

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-24 16:58:23.972736+00:00

More of my photos at Taiwan.
Tags: taiwan, bird, water, birding, chinese bulbul, blackcrowned night heron, common moorhen, plain prinia, mallard, whitebreasted waterhen, schrencks bittern, plain martin

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Tideman Nature Reserve/Park

platialUser:deisnor — 2006-03-20 19:52:52.220632+00:00

Not so well known urban oasis- swampy trails and stone bridges.
Tags: portland, park, creek, waterfall, swamp, nature preserve, birding, stone bridges, treasure

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Guan Du Natural Park 關渡自然公園

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-24 17:09:16.71437+00:00

More of my photos at Taiwan.
Tags: taiwan, bird, forest, water, birding, barn swallow, black drongo, chinese bulbul, little egret, blackwinged stilt, plain prinia

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Bamseom Island

platialUser:kclama — 2006-05-07 17:06:27.358653+00:00

More of my photos in Korea.
Tags: korea, bird, water, forest, birding, common magpie, rock dove, browneared bulbul, common teal

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Sokcho Lake 속초 束草

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-20 04:46:28.4657+00:00

View this clip on Vimeo
View this clip on Vimeo My other photos in Korea.
Tags: korea, bird, water, forest, birding, blackheaded gull.bullheaded shrike.common pochard.eurasian coot.eurasian nuthatch.great crested grebe.great spotted woodpecker.greater scaup.mallard.slatybacked gull.varied tit, food

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Seorak National Park 설악산 雪嶽山

platialUser:kclama — 2006-05-07 17:07:42.755642+00:00

More of my photos in Korea.
Tags: korea, bird, forest, birding, eurasian nuthatch, great spotted woodpecker, varied tit, snow

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Gyeong Bok Gung 경복궁 景福宮

platialUser:kclama — 2006-05-02 19:59:28.260027+00:00

More of my photos at Korea.
Tags: korea, history, building, bird, forest, birding, common magpie, browneared bulbul, food

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Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

platialUser:kclama — 2006-05-08 17:16:21.256363+00:00

More of my photos in Singapore.
Tags: singapore, bird, insect, forest, biking, monkey, dragonfly, birding, cattle egret

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Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve

platialUser:kclama — 2007-10-08 16:44:03.373283+00:00

My other photos in Singapore.
Tags: singapore, bird, forest, water, birding, painted stork, blackcapped kingfisher, barn swallow, mudskipper, squirrel, crested myna

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City Park

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-18 05:12:56.590834+00:00

View this clip on Vimeo More of my photos in Singapore.
Tags: singapore, bird, forest, water, birding, largebilled crow, spotted dove, crested myna, rock dove

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no ivory-billed woodpecker sightings here

platialUser:nobody95 — 2006-03-29 17:54:06.914573+00:00

On March 26th, 2006, I went kayaking here with my wife and did not see any ivory-billed woodpeckers. There were some other woodpeckers with red heads but I'm not very good at identifying birds.
Tags: birding, swamp, kayaking, paddling, woodpecker

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Parking

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 16:44:05.314455+00:00

Ok, so this isn't about parking, though parking in the DC area can be difficult. Or about THAT kind of parking! *hmmmm* This is about where the parking lot is for going out onto the drive between inpoundments, and on to the fields and tree margins at one of the premier birding spots in the DC area. At least it's my favorite. Spring migration is always a marvel. I wish I lived close enough to enjoy going there again. But given the diversity of habitats one can enjoy raptors, high tree canopy woodland birds, medium story woodland birds, woodland floor birds, field birds, wood margin birds, ducks and rails. For some bizzarre reason **something to do with Murphy, perhaps?** my best birding was when it was raining. Always lots going on. Stupid birds didn't have enough sense to get in out of the rain. Something to do with spring hormones perhaps? Or maybe they were there to watch the stupid birders who didn't have enough sense to get in out of the rain? Whatever! Bird I have seen at Hughes Hollow: American Bittern, American Black Duck, American Coot, American Crow, Americna Goldfinch, American Wigeon, Barred Owl (caught on film!), Belted Kingfisher, Black Vulture, Blue Jay, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Blue-winged Teal, Broad-winged Hawk, Brown Creeper, Brown Thrasher, Brown-headed Cowbird, Canada Goose, Carolina Chickadee, Cattle Egret, Cedar Waxwing, Common Loon, Dark-eyed Junco, Double-crested Cormorant, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Bluebird, European Starling, Field Sparrow, Forster's Tern, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Gretter Yellowlegs, Green Heron, Hooded Merganser, House Finch, House Wren, Laughing Gull, Lesser Yellowlegs, Mallard, Mourning Dove, Mute Swan, Northern Bobwhite, Northern Cardinal, Northern Flicker, Nothern Harrier, Northern Mockingbird, Northern Parula, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Northern Shoveler, Osprey, Peregrine Falcon, Pied-billed Grebe, Prothonotary Warbler, Purple Finch, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Redhead, Red-winged Blackbird, Ring-billed Gull, Ring-necked Duck, Sandhill Crane, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Snow Goose, Snowy Egret, Song Sparrow, Sora (it was drizzly all month!), Swamp Sparrow, Tree Swallow, Tufted Titmouse, Turkey Vulture, White-breasted Nuthatch, White-throated Sparrow, Wild Turkey, Wood Duck, Yellow-breasted Chat, Yellow-rumped Warbler
Tags: birding, potomac, hughes hollow, dc, tow path, local birding

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Shenandoah River (North Fork)

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 16:48:59.446965+00:00

If you notice, this is on the east side of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River where the river widens. At just about the spot indicated is a single, tall sycamore. Recently, in this sycamore, I saw a pair of (or, at least, two) large black birds as I was driving towards the river on the road on the west bank. As it was morning, and we have an abundance of TVs (Turkey Vultures for the noobs out there), I figured they were sitting in the sun waiting to warm up so they could take off. However, as it turned the corner to head up the Valley*, I caught a glimpse of light. I stopped. I backed up. (Actually, I pulled off on the other side of the road where there is a turn out. Being the aware and extremely safe driver that I am I would never back around such a sharp corner, on "my" side of the road, startling some other driver and making them forget to hit the brake, thereby endangering us both. Besides, I have a nice care and would not want it to be trashed.) I looked back at the tree and confirmed my suspicions: there were TWO BALD EAGLES SITTING IN THAT SYCAMORE OVERLOOKING THE CARP POND!!! Cool! Eagles are nesting (making an assumption here as I've see two eagles at the cemetery just up the road) on the Shenandoah around New Market!!! *My grandparents lived here, and I spent a lot of summers here, so am as close to being a local as one can be when they have not actually grown up here. And to the locals "up the Valley" means South. Because "up the Valley" is equivelent to "up the River", which means South. Because "down the River" is North, to where the North Fork of the Shenandoah meets the South Fork of the Shenandoah just outside Front Royal, which is about 35 miles north, and from there the mighty Shenandoah continues north to Harpers Ferry where it joins the Potomac. So "up" is "south" and "down" is "north". And when one drives from DC to the Shenandoah Valley, one is truely going up - from an elevation of sea level on the Potomac to about 975' above sea level.
Tags: va, birding, new market, bald eagle, area birding

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Zirkle Cemetery

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 16:50:57.298142+00:00

This is the site of the Zirkle family cemetery. About which you care not a wit, unless your are a Neff, and are thus related to the Zirkles. But, the spring before I saw the Bald Eagles (two) in a sycamore tree above a carp pond just east of here, I saw one eagle chasing another. They circled and circled, with one flapping to catch up, and cutting the circle short, until he (I assume it was a HE defending his territory from some interloper trying to cut in on his nesting area and mate) was so close the other broke out of the circle and headed WSW with all available speed. Chased closely by the HE. So, since I have see TWO EAGLES TWO SPRINGS in a row, I assume that eagles are nesting in the New Market area.
Tags: new market, va, birding, bald eagle, zirkle cemetery, neff, area birding

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40 Acre Woods

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-02 13:00:25.843666+00:00

Well, this isn't the ACTUAL spot, but it's close. This is a small tract of land, private property, of about 40 acres (ergo the name) which I was fortunate enough to visit a few years ago with friends. But the birding was nice: American Goldfinch, Black-capped Chickadee, Dark-eyed Junco, Downy Woodpecker, Lazuli Bunting (a lifer), Mourning Dove, Pine Siskin, Red-breasted Nuthatch A Lazuli Bunting looks superficially like an Eastern Bluebird, except that it s an irridescent blue like the tropical butterfly wings one sees in pictures, on plates, and other touristy knickknacks. It was well worth the trip!
Tags: birding, 40acre wood, id, lazuli bunting

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Huntley Meadows Park

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 07:55:55.183558+00:00

This is a great place for a summer afternoon of birding. Or spring afternoon of birding. Or fall afternoon of birding. Or all day birding. From the visitor's center, at the end of the entrance road, about where the marker is staked in the map above, a trail winds about 3/8ths of a mile through the forest to the edge of a large tract of wetlands. And not "wetlands" as under the Bush revised definition, but "wetlands" as in "land wet from being under water". But I wax editorial. At the point where the trail nears the edge of the swamp a boardwalk begins. It wanders out through the swamp, splitting and reconnecting, going around a beaver's dam, reaching a lookout tower, and splitting again into two boardwalks. These two boardwalks shortly reach the edge of the swamp and again turn into trails that circle east and north back around the swamp, rejoining the original trail about 50 yards before the boardwalk began. Along this circling back part of the trail I was fortunate enough to look up one spring and see a Scarlet Tananger. Now THAT'S red! Another time I was out on the trail of some rails that had been reported on the Voice of the Naturalist, the DC area's birding hotline & weekly bird report sponsored by the Audubon Naturalist Society, the "other" Audubon Society. I was on the spur southwest of the lookout tower clicking in the side of my cheek to call the stupid thing in. (If it was intelligent it would have given us all a 2 minute look, satisfied our curiosities, and been on its way, but NOOOOO, it had to play hard-to-get, showing us a flirtacious eye here, a bit of leg there, some neck from behind that bush, and, well, you get the picture.) The boardwalk was crowded - and by that I mean someone every 10 or 15 yards or so - with people looking for the rail or out for an afternoon stroll. There was one intense young (college age) guy bound and determined to add that rail to his list. He came bustling over asking where the rail was. I pointed to an clump of bushes and reeds about 20 yards away. He said no, the rail was right here by the boardwalk. I said no, it was over there and wouldn't come any closer in the 20 minutes I had been there calling it in. He said he had heard it and began furiously looking behind every bush bordering that stretch of boardwalk. (Well, it was water so he couldn't actually get behind the bushes, just trying different angles to see behind them.) Since he was busy, and knew better than I, I went back to watching the rail, or glimpses of the rail, 30 yards away. It started coming closer so I began clicking again, whereupon Mr. Intensity gave me a startled look, stopped looking behind bushes and hurried away. RISLAD! (There was no floor, so that means "Roll In the Swamp Laughing And Drown!) It was worth the trip just for his expression and reaction. And I did get a good look at the stupid thing. Birdlist: American Bittern (3' from the boardwalk!), American Coot, American Crow, American Goldfinch, Barn Swallow, Belted Kingfisher, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Brown Creeper, Canada Goose, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Chimney Swift, Common Moorhen, Common Yellowthroat, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Kingbird, Fish Crow, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Grey Catbird, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Green Heron, Hairy Woodpecker, Hooded Warbler, King Rail Mallard, Northern Cardinal, Northern Flicker, Pied-billed Grebe, Purple Martin, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-eyed Vireo, Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-winged Blackbird, Ring-necked Duck, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Scarlet Tanager, Song Sparrow, Sora, Spotted Sandpiper, Striated heron, Swamp Sparrow, Tree Swallow, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, White-throated Sparrow, Winter Wren, Wood Duck, Wood Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler
Tags: va, birding, forest, huntley meadows park, wetlands, local birding

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Capitol Birding!

platialUser:woodduck — 2006-04-05 07:35:39.721944+00:00

This is the Potomac River, one of the main reasons that birding is so good in the DC area. Add the tree cover and it is an amazing spot for migratory birding, and host for breeding birding as well. "Local birding" would include anything within 1 hour of the Beltway (Ahem! That's I495 to you all folks from distant parts.) "Area birding" extends to anything that could be a day trip, which would include Brigantine and Cape May in NJ, Hawk Mountain in PA, the Eastern Shore, Ocean City and Assateague in MD, Assateague, James River, Richmond and Shenandoah Valley in VA. "Extended birding" pushes out to that covered in a weekend: as far as Boston or Maine in New England, Niagra Falls in NY, Lake Erie in OH, Memphis (to catch the Missippi) and Chattanooga in TN, and Hilton Head in SC.
Tags: birding, dc, local birding, area birding, extended birding

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Houston Arboretum & Nature Center

platialUser:shoothouston — 2006-04-05 21:01:34.610936+00:00

Tags: public spaces, nature, birding

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John D. MacArthur Beach State Park

platialUser:herbcommi — 2006-04-08 18:12:19.110925+00:00

Awesome beach. Great for snorkeling. Also good place to see water birds in the estuary as you cross the bridge to the beach.
Tags: birding, kayaking, beach, snorkeling, wildlife, nature center

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Tainan 台南

platialUser:kclama — 2006-05-29 07:06:03.911837+00:00

More of my photos at Taiwan.
Tags: taiwan, food, bird, birding, barn swallow

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Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter 銅鑼彎避風塘

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 18:00:01.049578+00:00

More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, water, forest, birding, black kite, blackcrowned night heron, crested myna, redbilled starling, little egret

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Sam Po Kong 新蒲崗

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 18:01:36.789676+00:00

Where my office located, in the city area and with all the high rising building. But birds can still be found around, at the small park, the not-so-clean watersteam, the top of buildings, even at the construction site... Enjoy the urban wild life. :D More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, forest, birding, blackcollared starling, chinese bulbul, common magpie, great tit, japanese whiteeye, largebilled crow, oriental magpie robin, spotted dove, little egret, white wagtail, crested myna, great egret, cattle egret

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Tai Po Kau Seaside 大埔滘海邊

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 18:02:08.507897+00:00

More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, water, forest, birding, great cormorant, blackcrowned night heron, little egret, white wagtail, great egret, masked laughingthrush, redbilled starling

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Tai Po Kau Lakeside 大埔滘湖邊

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 18:03:04.882747+00:00

More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, water, forest, birding, common kingfisher, daurian redstart, blackcrowned night heron, little egret, white wagtail, common sandpiper, great egret, insect

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Ghibli Museum Park 宮崎駿美術館

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-19 20:28:17.38599+00:00

My other photos at Japan.
Tags: japan, bird, museum, water, forest, northern pintail, birding

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An Ping Castle 安平古蹟區

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-24 17:16:00.817733+00:00

More of my photos at Taiwan.
Tags: taiwan, bird, water, birding, barn swallow, chinese bulbul, chinese pond heron, little egret, plain prinia, pacific reef egret

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East Coast

platialUser:kclama — 2006-05-08 16:59:30.899827+00:00

More of my photos in Singapore.
Tags: singapore, bird, biking, forest, birding, largebilled crow, crested myna

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Komaki 古牧グランドホテル

platialUser:kclama — 2006-05-10 17:15:26.607957+00:00

My other photos at Japan.
Tags: food, largebilled crow, spotbilled duck, japan, spa, bird, birding

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Hakodate 函館

platialUser:kclama — 2006-04-19 20:37:59.40317+00:00

My other photos at Japan.
Tags: japan, night, bird, birding, spotbilled duck, food

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Tala Game reserve Kwazulu Natal

platialUser:nevillecowan — 2007-08-30 00:55:49.53112+00:00

Tags: buffalo, birds, wildlife, nature, bush, holiday, restaurant, south africa, birding, scenery, impala, accomadation, kwazulu natal, game reserve, girrafe, kudu, warthog

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Tate's Hell

platialUser:vividlilac — 2006-11-19 12:46:48.679533+00:00

Tate's Hell State Forest is one continuous tract of land comprising over 185,000 acres. Conquering this wet and seemingly unproductive area for timber production was the focus of the timber industry from the 1950's to early 1990's. Location: Tate's Hell State Forest is located in Franklin County, between the Apalachicola and Ochlockonee Rivers. The forest extends into the southeast corner of Liberty County, south of the Apalachicola National Forest and 1.5 miles northwest of the town of Carrabelle. Access Tate's Hell State Forest from U.S. Highway 98, County Road 67, or State Highway 65. Links: Tate's Hell State Forest: Florida Division of Forestry Tate's Hell Wildlife Management Area Tate's Hell Off-Highway Vehicle Trail System Wikipedia: Tate's Hell
Tags: florida, birding, state parks, state forests, park, forest, nature trails, wildlife

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Luk Keng 鹿頸

platialUser:kclama — 2007-02-15 18:04:11.931597+00:00

The Walker on Vimeo More of my photos there.
Tags: hong kong, bird, water, insect, birding, little egret, dragonfly, beetle, biking, butterfly, damselfly, barn swallow

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Sheung Yue River 雙魚河

platialUser:kclama — 2006-05-31 06:35:19.006172+00:00

Tags: hong kong, biking, bird, birding, insect, dragonfly, chinese pond heron, gray heron

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