Wings Spirit

Sandhill Crane Migration

2012-02-24T14:55:00.007-05:00

Sandhill Crane (Grus Canadensis) is a large gray bird of marshes, meadows and wet lands with a body length of 41-46 in (or 104 - 117 cm) and a wingspan of up to 6.9 ft ( or 210 cm). They are highly sociable and form a tight family bond. They aggregate along the Platter River, Nebraska during spring migration and the area becomes an important stopover for over 450,000 of Sandhills each year. It takes from two to seven years for an adult bird to start breeding. Mated pairs stay together year round and their offspring migrate with the parent until they find their mate.

(Click image to see enlarged picture ...how many are they? )

I took the above picture while driving on I-75 about 1 mile south of Lake Allatoona on Feb 20. They are heading north and later I saw another smaller flock while visiting Ann Steward's Wood Duck box. Ann's great ears heard the calls (click to hear their calls) even before we spotted these cranes. I remembered I kept asking Ann "where, where, I don't hear ....". We searched the blue sky and did not see a thing and suddenly, a flock of 19 Sandhill Cranes (see picture to the right) came into our view. This was another highlight of my visit :) ...

Always looking up and you would never know what you will see! -- Happy Birding!! -- Linda

Wood Duck Nest - Part I

2012-02-21T23:46:00.024-05:00

(Wood Duck, Buford Trout Hatchery)

Most people post on GABO-L for what they have seen or birded at hot spots with friends, occasionally, rare bird alert which normally get a lot of attention. Recently this particular GABO post caught my interest. Ann Steward from Rome Georgia posted something interesting regarding a Wood Duck nest in her backyard pond on Feb 16 (see her post here). In the post, she mentioned that she checked her #1 Wood Duck box on 2/14 and there were 10 eggs in it and then checked again three days later, she found out there were 16 eggs in it. When I was reading her post, I was wondering why she said #1 box..."does that mean she has more than one Wood Duck nesting Box?", I pondered! As I kept reading her follow-up posts, in one of her posts she mentioned during past years, she had hatched few hundreds of Wood Ducks. Did she say "few hundreds ..."? Oh, yes!

(Ann's box #1)

Wood Ducks are not like other waterfowl such as domesticated ducks, Mallards or Canada Geese. They are shy and don't easily come around human. Years ago, when I first saw a male Wood Duck, I managed somehow to get a picture through someone's spotting scope (see male Wood Duck picture above). Later, a friend of mine from New York told me a fascinating encounter about how he and a Wood Duck (my friend named him. Bruce ...click link to see pictures and short clip of Bruce, the "Central Park Samurai") became best friends. Bruce, the Wood Duck, is never a duck to him, he became his friend and his family! Does Ann also have a story or perhaps, many stories to tell us? I decided to pay Ann a visit. (<-- Pic to the right, box #1)

Ann was a city girl and had a successful career and raised a happy family. She acquired this land 30 years ago and later she found her heart was in the countryside so she moved her family here. Her son, Steven, was actually the person got her interested in birding. About 13 years ago, they noticed a pair Wood Duck coming to her backyard pond. She decided to put up one Wood Duck nesting box right next to the dock. As soon as this newly installed box was erected with new nesting material put in, Wood Ducks called it home and successfully raised one brood. Ann installed few more boxes around her pond as lake water gone lower. Breeding season for Wood Duck normally starts in the late January and she told me this year, these ducks did not start laying until February. Female shows up at around 7 in the morning and she will fly off after laying one egg and will not start sitting until she finishes laying. Ann and her grand daughter count the eggs when they see female fly away.

(Female Wood Duck pulls her down feathers to make the nest)

Ann told me to get into her jon boat first to sit till and she came in then I handed her the paddle. As we paddling towards the box #1, I asked Ann if she thinks female is sitting inside. She did not think so. I was so excited and held my camera very tight and did not know what to expect in the next few minutes. As we slowly approached her most populated Wood Duck box, Ann told me to hold down to the post so we could take a very good look at eggs and also count them. I always see these nesting boxes during my field trips but I have never operated one. A bouncing heart with a wildly exuberant anticipation, I slowly and carefully opened the top. At that very moment,a female like a small rocket, zoomed out of the box and pooped all over us. OMG! We both laughed so hard almost cried. Poor Ann, bless her heart. I was sure she got scared too much because she was facing the nesting box opening and thank God, this duck did not crash onto her. With all this "poo shower" got on us, Ann kept her cool and seriously, she was and is really a cool gal!

(Wood Duck eggs ...like a small sized chicken eggs)

As this box revealed in front of my eyes, I saw a lot of down feathers mixed with nesting material Ann put in and a clutch of eggs were covered under those feathers. Ann said female will pull the most precious feathers she has, the down feathers, to make a warm and lovely feather bed for her babies. Over joyed, I counted, counted and counted again...18..no, 21..no no...22. I was blurred a little bit and not sure if I was correct. She asked me amusingly "are you sure?" .."I am not so sure" I said and I counted again and finally said "yeah, now I am sure there are 22 eggs in here. OMG!..you will have 22 ducklings this year". I picked one egg up and held it in my palm and it was so warm and I was so touched with such a small life inside and could not wait to see it hatch. Now it was Ann's term to count them. She also counted 22. Parasitic egg-laying is common in waterfowl especially in Redheads, Ruddy Ducks, Common Goldeneyes and Wood Ducks. So now Ann is very sure that she has more than one females laying her. Female will not start sitting until she finishes laying. It takes about 28 to 32 days to fully hatch. She said the most she got was 30 eggs in one box and they, amazingly, all hatched! We paddled around her lake and checked all her other 4 boxes and we found out box #3 seemed to have some activity because a female made a cup with her breast. I waited and hided behind a big tree and just wanted to see if female would return. Ann said female will only come back if we leave. They are very shy and not used to have human around. We then decided to bird around Arrowhead WMA, a birding hotspot near Ann's home.

(Ann holds a new life.....Wood Duck's egg is just like a very small sized chicken egg)

I would not be able to tell you guys this amazing Wood Duck nesting story without thanking Ann enough for her warm welcome and hospitality. When we paddled around her pond, she showed me something very cool...strains of frog eggs (see picture to the right) floating along her lake! When I told her my two Green Tree Frogs live on my wall for the past four years, she gave me a jar of frog eggs as a gift. And since I have never raised frog of any kind, we have to wait and see what species they are! As new life of 22 ducklings (or more) is set to start soon, Wood Duck story continues..... Happy Birding! -- Linda

Shore Bird : Willet

2012-02-19T00:34:00.006-05:00

( Tybee Island, Georgia ..Click image to enlarge)

See my other post of shore birds here:

Willet

Royal Tern

Sanderling (coming soon )

Black Skimmer (coming soon)

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

2012-02-16T15:27:00.050-05:00

Kinglets are very small birds and there are only two species in North America. Male Ruby-crowned Kinglet ( Regulus calendula..body length is about 4.25 in or 10.8 cm) has a fire-red crown on forehead and females and immature are lacking. They winter in the most part of southern United States and Mexico. Amazingly, their small body weight only about 0.25 oz (or 7g) and they still manage to find insects during icy winter. They nest in coniferous and deciduous forest and also high on top of pine and oak trees. Deforestation and human activity are the main cause to affect their breeding ground. I would like to remind everyone next time when you want to cut your backyard trees for a profit or for your firewood, you might need to rethink the impact for birds, wildlife and the health of earth. Cutting down trees only take few hours, but to regenerate a forest takes 30 to 50 years!

( Feb, 2012, Cochran Shoals units of Chattahoochee River NP)

Image of Golden-crowned Kinglet is coming soon...

I found this cool dynamic map from ebird allowing you to input your region to see any species range map. You can change date rang or input your zip code or area... Do you also know that ebird has gone internationally? So no matter where you are or which country you are in, submitting your sightings would be beneficial and used towards research and tracking all our beloved birds by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. I hope you will try it out and remember, every little effort counts :) Happy Birding!! -- Linda

Winter Wren

2012-02-16T15:21:00.007-05:00

The first time seeing this Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) was when I birded with Iris Schumacher at Cochran Shoals Units of Chattahoochee River National Park, one of my favorite birding hot spots. This tiny stubby wren with only about 4 inches in body length but is energetic in voice. Considering my morning alarm clock is our full time resident, Carolina Wren (5.5 in or 14 cm in body length), Winter Wren (4 in or 10 cm in body length) is not shy to " speak out". Their amazing high-pitched thrills (click this link to hear some of their songs) will make you slow down your steps. They like to stay low on ground and like to hide under bushes or leaves to stay out of sight. I snapped few shots of this wren near the river bank when I tried to take pictures of few Ruby-Crowned Kinglets.

(Winter Wren, Cochran Shoals units of Chattahoochee River NP, Feb, 2012 )

They nest in tree holes and they will use woodpecker's old nest to roost during cold winter days. And, they winter in the south and migrate to Canada to breed. It's also interesting to know that Winter Wren is the only wren out of 78 species to be found outside American continent, such as Asia and Europe. It would be fun to see them when I travel to those regions. --Happy Birding! -- Linda

** I welcome your comment and suggestion by leaving me a quick note here :)

Butterfly Lovers

2012-02-13T21:40:00.024-05:00

Visiting butterfly center at Callaway Gardens, the first thing came to my mind was this legendary Chinese love story, "Butterfly Lovers". Every Chinese kids knows this story by heart and I decided to post this lacewing along with this story...

Zhu Yingtai is the 9th child of a wealthy merchant and is also the only girl in the family. In ancient China, society and culture forbid women go to schools. Zhu teaches herself to read from her brothers' books and convinces her parent to let her disguise as a young man and soon she sets her journey. On her way to her boarding school in Hangzhou, she met a scholar, Liang Shanbo. After introducing each other and get acquainted, they find themselves sharing many common interests and they decide to be brothers of an oath. For the next three years, they study together and enjoy and share what they have learned from school. Zhu finds herself fall in love with Liang as their friendship grows. But Liang is a nerd of books or we shall say, a bookworm and he has never noticed Zhu, in fact, is a woman.

(Above: Malaysian Lacewing ..Thanks to Vicki DeLoach for the ID )

One day, Zhu receives a letter from her father demanding her to return home immediately. This is a very hard decision for Zhu to be away from someone her heart felt for. However, disobeying parent is not acceptable in the old Chinese society. Liang decides to accompany Zhu for 18 miles and just wants to keep his best friend safe and sound. During their few days trip together, Zhu wants to give Liang a hint that she is actually a woman by pointing a pair of Mandarin Ducks (click link to see image ...a symbl of happiness in love). Too bad, Liang does not get it. Zhu suggests Liang must visit her family during school break. Few months later, Liang keeps his promise and visits Zhu's residence and then he surprisingly finds out his best pal whom he has known for the past three years is indeed a woman. Their love for each other grows profoundly and they make a vow in front a sakura tree that they will never be apart. Liang wants to propose for a marriage but it's too late because Zhu's parent matches their daughter to a rich man in town and wedding will be soon taking place.

In great despair and heartbroken, Liang becomes ill and eventually expires without his loved one beside him. On the wedding day, Zhu insists that she has to pay a visit to Liang's grave or she could not go on with her life. Upon arriving Liang's grave, Zhu suffers from agony... for some unknown reasons, the sky turns to gray and strong winds blows leaves off the trees. Suddenly, a loud "bang" of a gigantic thunder cracks the grave open, without a second thought, Zhu throws herself into the grave. Zhu's parent faints from losing their daughter and two butterflies emerge from the grave and fly into sky.....

Thank you for spending few minutes of your time reading this story :) If you love someone, TELL that person before it's too late. Money, fame and fortune can not buy love. Your heart will know when you find your true love. I hope you enjoy this story and my creation of this lacewing. Feel free to share this story with your friends and family. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!! -- Linda --

Willet

2012-02-07T22:57:00.016-05:00

Willet (Tringa semipalmata) is a large shore bird in the sandpiper family with a body length of 15 inches and a wing span of 26 inches. Like many other shorebirds, Willets were once popular food and they faced extinction in early 1900. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act o of 1918 prevented hunting and therefore conserved Willet's population. Often times you find Willets solitarily feed along beaches, shoreline, salt marsh and mudflats. I photographed this guy when I first arrived the island. This willet ignored my presence and once a while stopped to probe crab or worms in sand. Amazingly, he never missed one! I found his behavior very interesting and it seemed that he already knew his target before making his next move.

Winter plumage, Jekyll Island ...you may click image to enlarge

I wonder what this world would be like if we all can learn from a Willet, try to make good judgement for things we intend to do. We will have less stress and agony, no more hatred and crying faces. I guess that would be a wonderful and peaceful world! -- Happy Birding! -- Linda

Click the following links to see my other posts:
Boat-tailed Grackle

Ring-billed Gull

Royal Tern (1)

Royal Tern in flight

Red-tailed Hawk

2012-02-04T10:32:00.014-05:00

On the way to Tybee Island, I snapped this immature Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) on highway 80 (see map below) just right before arriving my favorite birding spot, north end of Tybee Island. Driving at 70 mph and I could not help but pull over my car and snap this hawk from my car window. I kind of guessed that this would be his first meal of the day (it was about 9 AM) and he was patently scouting and watching this marsh area. One smart Black Vulture was perching at a low bush and tried to get some left over. Unfortunately, due to the strong wind and bad angles, I was not able to photograph the vulture. I spent about 20 minutes with this hawk and he only looked around and did not make any move then I drove away to catch up with my shore birds. My hope is to post few of my favorite shots in the next few days.

Click at the different placemark and you would be able to see what I saw on this coastal trip. I will update this map later as other posts become available.

View Tybee Island in a larger map

Planning to return to the island very soon and this time, I'm hoping to stay few days if weather permits so I can check few other birding hot spots nearby :) -- Happy Birding! -- Linda

Click the following links to see my other posts:
Boat-tailed Grackle
Ring-billed Gull
Royal Tern (1)
Royal Tern in flight
Willet

Northern Mockingbird

2012-01-31T21:38:00.028-05:00

Northern Mockingbird (Mimus poluglottos) is one of the most popular suburban birds found near almost all man-made structure like park, yard, telephone wire, fence and open land with low elevation. Their musical talent made them to be one of the most beloved song bird back in early 1800. They mimic other birds around them. A male, through out its life, may learn up to 200 songs. You will hear their non-stopping singing from February till August. I hope you enjoy a solo performance from a bird who loves melody :)

Disregarding a heavy traffic and high wind in a cold winter day, this young mockingbird held his head high and was constantly singing. After snapping few shots and enjoyed his performance, I couldn't help but record his act to share with everyone.

One of the fun fact of mockingbird is that they will aggressively chase off any intruding bird or human who comes close to their nesting territory. So watch your head next time when you are near a mockingbird's nest....not from their droppings but from their friendly assault :) -- Happy Birding! -- Linda

Praying Mantis

2012-01-29T00:12:00.019-05:00

There are about 2,200 species of Praying Mantis worldwide. This insect is carnivorous and they prey from small insects to frog, snake and even birds. There are about 20 native mantids in the U.S. And Chinese Mantis and European Mantis were introduced around 1895 and 1899 separately as a source of pest control for farm and garden. An interesting fact is that Praying Mantis is the only insect can rotate its head completely around and their binocular vision allows them to see as far as 50 feet so they can identify their prey before making an instant kill.

(This mantis is about 3/4 inch. Click image to enlarge)

Females normally cannibalize their mates after copulation. The male Chinese Mantis will preform a special courtship dance to attract female from feeding to mating. I am wondering if the male mantis realizes he might get beheaded after pleasure, would he reconsider his move? Mantis is also an easy caring pet. They only need one cricket every few days and drink mist from leaves. Unfortunately, their life span is about one year. -- Linda

Pine Warbler

2012-01-26T23:35:00.004-05:00

Among all the warblers migrating or passing through my yard, Pine Warblers (Dendroica pinus) are the only ones staying year round. They like to forage on top of pine trees for pine seeds. I often see them catch insects in the mid of the air. They come to suet or seed feeders more frequently during winter and they also like to search food on the ground. I have two pairs live in my backyard forest and they sing a sweet, musical trill (here their songs here).

The easiest way to identify this warbler is their two white wing bars. Male, as seen in this post, has yellow throat, breast and belly with olive-green back. Female is duller and less streaking on sides of breast. I will update this post when I photograph a female.

* Read my other video post of Pine Warbler here. --Happy Birding! -- Linda

Boat-tailed Grackle

2012-01-24T00:06:00.044-05:00

Few weeks ago I posted my first Boat-tailed Grackle. People often think they are two different birds. If you don't see both male and female together, it's hard to believe they are same species. I think they are a beautiful couple even though they look so dissimilar :)

Boat-tailed Grackle, female

Boat-tailed Grackle, Tybee Island

See my other post of Boat-tailed Grackle here. Happy Birding! -- Linda

Click the following links to see my other posts:

White-crowned Sparrow

2012-01-20T19:20:00.014-05:00

White-crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys) breed in northern part of Canada (see range map below) and few western states of United States. They winter mostly in lower 48 states. One interesting fact is that during migration, White-crowned Sparrows can fly 300 miles a night and stay awake for up to two weeks. Because the hot and humid weather in the south, I hardly see them in winter. First thing really caught my eyes were a flock of immature and few females foraging on ground. They are friendly and don't seem get bothered much if there are people around them.

(White-crowned Sparrow, male ...Click image to enlarge)

I took this picture when I was at Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest few weeks ago. Among all the species, I also spotted White-throated Sparrows, Field Sparrows, House Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows and got a lifer, Green-tailed Towhee! A lot of places in the north have snow falling these days. That means more winter species will be arriving here. One thing I really want to photograph this season, is a Fox Sparrow, a large sparrow with a heavily streaked reddish chest. Their appearance adds colors in this gloomy winter days. I always find something amazing when I am not looking for any thing particular. I am sure they are somewhere near me, I just need to hear them first. Do you find the bird you really want to see this winter? :)

-- Stay warm and happy birding! -- Linda

(Range map)

Sharp-shinned Hawk

2012-01-17T17:16:00.019-05:00

Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) is also called "sharpie", the smallest hawk in North America. They, like another similar larger hawk, Cooper's Hawk, mainly hunt birds for food. My backyard is a bird's heaven full of cardinals, chickadees, titmice, doves and many other birds. But it also becomes a Colosseum between birds and few hawks. Sharp-shinned Hawk, like most of hawks, females are much larger than males. Mature adults have red eyes and a dark cape is connected to the nape and leads down to the back like in this picture (thanks James Fleullan to point this out). I snapped this one while I was shooting few sleeping Mourning Doves.

(Click image to enlarge)

It was a quiet, sunny afternoon, there were 6 doves napping on a Tulip Poplar tree. After taking few shots, one dove suddenly flapped its wings and flew off...Immediately I sensed here must be a hawk near by. So I patiently waited and did not want to make any movement. Within few seconds, the rest of doves seemed to sense the danger signals sent by their watch guard, they all woke up and took off. As doves flew away, this hawk silently landed on the same spot where doves were. Wow, super excited, I quickly snapped few shots. Hawk investigated his surrounding, ignored my presence and he came closer. "He must be hungry", I thought. A glimpse from his fierce red eye caught my full attention and I just understood how beautiful this hawk was.

I remember seeing a pair confined Cooper's Hawks at a local nature center. They claimed that those two hawks could not be released back to the wild due to whatever the reasons. I believe wild birds, like any wildlife, they will heal and recover and they appear to be the happiest and the most glorious when they can perform the things they love to do the most, to hunt, to breed and to fly! No one wants to be captured, why any one has any right to keep a wildlife away from their nature habitat? - Linda

Mourning Dove

2012-01-14T21:04:00.017-05:00

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) is the most common dove in North America and you can find them always perch on telephone wires, on top of the roof or forage seeds on ground. The first time caught my attention was not seeing them but hearing their unique calls, sounded like "ooo-woo, woo-woo-woo" cooing in the early spring. Later I learned that their wings make this unusual whistling sound when taking off or upon landing. One thing they like to do the most is to roost on my deck or near by trees. They seem to find peace and comfort around my presence, or vice versa. Unfortunately, having good time of roosting and napping also makes them become the primary target of dangerous hawks, especially Cooper's Hawk!

(Click photo to enlarge)

What can I say... Everyone needs to put food on table, there is no exception for wildlife. This dove ran away for her life. Not only did I preserve her image, she escaped hawk's talons. Soon I will hear them cooing and singing and new generation starts! -- Happy Birding! -- Linda

Ring-billed Gull

2012-01-11T10:40:00.043-05:00

Ring-billed Gulls (Larus delawarensis) are very sociable and they are opportunists. They are comfortable around human and you often find them congregate on beach, golf course and large parking lot near lakes or seashore. From their name, you can immediately tell that there is a black band circled around their bill. Many other gulls have either black dot or red dot around the bill. So pay attention when you see a gull next time. It will take up to three years to grow into an adult gull. Their plumage changes dramatically during the first three years. Breeding adults have a white head and non-breeding ones have brown-streaked head pattern (as shown in this photo).

( Non-breeding Ring-billed Gull ..Click image to enlarge)

I photographed this gull in flight near southeastern Georgia, a harbor city called Brunswick. While waiting in a fast food restaurant drive-thru lane ordering my lunch, few gulls were circling around parking lot and seemed to occupy the whole place. This gull suddenly flapped his long wings and flew towards cars without any warning! Omg! I don't know what this gull have in mind but one thing I do know is no one will throw their French fries or hamburgers in the air.

Hearing few kids screaming to their parent "mommy, daddy...look that bird...", I quickly switched to the passenger seat and snapped few shots. I seem to forget my surroundings such as people, things or even sounds when my finger starts clicking ...With limited time and cars that in front of me started moving slowly, I was panicky that people behind me would be upset because no one at my driver seat to drive forward. Soon it came to my turn to pick up my order at the drive-thru window, I was glad cars behind me did not even honk me. I guessed everyone just enjoying the show, "gulls in flight" :) Not sure how good or bad those shots were, I quickly pulled back my camera, slid back to the driver's seat and drove forward and got my order. At least my lunch is safe :D

Speaking of these opportunist gulls, it reminds me a magic encounter my friend told me when he went to Coney Island. Read full story here and I hope you enjoy it! Happy Birding! - Linda

My other posts: fun fact of Ring-billed Gull

Carolina Chickadee

2012-01-09T21:11:00.004-05:00

Carolina Chickadees (Poecile carolinensis ) are the most popular and abundant birds in the southeast of United States. No matter any weather condition, they are the first ones showing up at my feeders daily. I am fascinated by their inquisitive personality and acrobatic movement. They like to form a small group but they also like to keep some space between each other when foraging. At the regions where Black-caped Chickadee (click link to hear songs) and Carolina Chickadee (click to here their calls and songs) overlaps, hybridization happens occasionally. The interesting fact is that hybrids can sing songs of both parents and that makes me wondering that hybrid figures are smarter :) ...Happy Birding! - Linda

See other post of Carolina Chickadee here.

Boat-tailed Grackle

2012-01-08T15:26:00.011-05:00

I photographed this male Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major) at Clam Creek Picnic Area of Jekyll Island. A huge flock of males and females foraged on ground near the area parking lot. It's hard to miss it. At the first glance, I thought they were Common Grackles (here their sounds and calls here). They made this harsh sound reminiscent of breaking sticks or ripping cloth (click this link to hear call notes of BTG) and I was sure they were not common grackles at all. I really like male's iridescent black body with this blue-greenish shine on it. I think females are also very pretty with brown through out. And if they don't flock together, people might mistakenly think female is another species.

Boat-tailed Grackle is a coastal specialist and I don't get to see them at piedmont region. I was so thrilled to see them and snap them from this trip! Happy birding! - Linda

* See my other post of Boat-tailed Grackle here.

Green-tailed Towhee

2012-01-04T11:50:00.016-05:00

My friend, Iris and I made a New Year resolution that we want to get up early on New Year's day to see some cool birds! Thinking about this mysterious wondering bird, Green-tailed Towhee (Pipilo chlorurus) while stuck in traffic on my way back from Okefenokee NWR, my phone rang. We chit-chatted for a while and she asked me what does Linda have in mind on New Year's day. Without any hesitation, I told her I'm going to claim my lifer, the Green-tailed Towhee (GTTO)! She said "really?, Let's go then"! Most of local birders have being chasing this towhee since past two weeks when Rachel Cass spotted this bird during her Christmas Bird Count. Not me. Because my work obligation and less than perfect photographic condition, not seeing this bird, which reported to be last seen in 1953, made me suffered day in and day out. This towhee breeds in western part of United States and winters in Mexico. Few stray migrants have being spotted in the east coast occasionally. My best friend's call fulfilled my dream!

(2nd state record)

We met at 6:30 AM on New Year day and arrived Churchwell Rd near Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest at around 8:45. It was a cool and breezing morning, Iris worried about me not having enough cloth on. I told her I am not cold at all. I guessed the excitement of searching my lifer overriding my feeling of any discomfort. Iris was all covered up from head to toes, holding her binocular and camera and listening attentively for this strange catlike "mew" sound. I followed her instruction standing in front of this berry bush and did not dare to make any move. At the first, we heard few "mew" calls and we both got so excited and then it's gone. Iris pointed out a yellow feral cat passing though bushes where this towhee reported to be found. We both looked at each other and got upset a little. For the next one hour, we saw and heard nothing but these two Carolina Wrens calling and yelling back and forth and cow's "mooo" from a far distance. I promise you I got nothing in my mind at that quiet early morning hour but searching for my GTTO. ...Finally, our patience was paid off. I claimed my lifer at 9:50 AM! As soon as he made a move and perched on a low bush, we both snapped and snapped non stopping. I am sure he knew I was waiting and wanting to see him so badly and he, in return, exhibited a perfect pose! Thank you, Iris, you made my dream came true! This picture is dedicated to you, your friendship and all bird lovers like you all :)

The rewards for two super early birds are seeing 20 species in one hour, plus my lifer "GTTO", and the coolest reward bonus was witnessing a new born calf....freshly got out of his mother's womb!

Iris discovered him and can you see how fresh and young he is! I love life!!

Baby calf started standing up but he still could barely walk :) Mom was right by his side ..I love this moment! Do you see something else? If you do, let me know ^^

Though my friend brought me a lot of goodies to munching, we got so starving in the afternoon and we ended up having our best meal of the day at ...hahaha, guess where? We had 8 of them ... :DDDD

I hope you enjoy this post and now I have to get back to fix my broken site ..--Happy Birding! --Linda

Royal Tern In Flight

2012-01-02T23:26:00.010-05:00

I would like to start with this New Year with a bird in flight. I am mesmerized by wild birds not only with the diversity of their species and behavior but also with the freedom of their being able to fly high. That feeling of freedom brings me courage and hope.Wishing every one have a prosperous, happy and successful 2012!

Freedom to Soar,

Freedom to Speak,

Freedom to Love, and

Freedom to Grow into a Greater Self.

-- Linda

Click the following links to see my other posts:

Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus)

2011-12-31T23:58:00.009-05:00

I took this shot of Royal Tern (click link to hear calls) from Jekyll Island on my way back from my this year's Christmas Bird Count. Nature and wildlife are calling! Are you listening, watching and exploring?

(Click image to enlarge)

This is the last post of 2011! Hope everyone has a successful and prosperous new year! My New Year goal is to create more beautiful and memorable photographs! Happy Birding and Happy New Year! -- Linda

Click the following links to see my other posts:

112th Annual Christmas Bird Count - Day 2

2011-12-30T23:31:00.021-05:00

12/28/2011- Traveling to destination

It was a 5 and half hours trip and it took us 8 hours to get to where I'm supposed to be. Did I say us? Yeah! My annual park pass can take up to four passengers in one car. My driver, who also my cameraman, got flu and called off the trip at the last minute. So it ended up only me, Teddy (my bear) and "my precious"( he or she, is my baby owlet). You see, owls are not sexually dimorphic and it can take from 3 to 5 years for them to find their mate. "My precious" is only three months old (Owl's Tale is coming up ....) and this is first field trip for baby owlet and we all got so excited and played too much on the road. That's why it took us 8 hours. Teddy snapped these pictures via a smartphone while I was driving at 80 mph :)

Teddy told me since human start cutting down more trees, deforestation causes more harm to wildlife and also might be a main reason for the decline of song bird population due to increased cowbird parasitism.

There is a tropical aquarium inside a midway gas state.

I told Teddy human cut down trees for numerous reasons but they encourage residents growing more native trees and he feels comforting now :)

I love the "logo" on this camper :) Maybe our next trip will be taking a camper or RV!

We checked in our "tree house" just before dusk ... To be continued ....

Now, let me answer Super Tweety's questions: Why I bring my tripod? You are right that I should bring a monopod for my long lens. I so far, don't have one. But my tripod in this trip is not really for my camera. It's for my owlet. "My precious" volunteered to watch my gears at night. That's great because this "tree house" we stay at is kind of away from civilization and owl is nocturnal ..So tonight he is my hero, my guardian! Tripod is where he stands :)

Why I bring my binocular? I always bring extra bino just in case if it rains, I will not want to risk my camera. I could not afford if my camera caught flu! This is just an option for me. Most of ladies bring purses, I bring my bino like my purse ...You just never know I may spot a lifer on my way to a restaurant!

Finally, why I bring my owlet? Let me tell you why: 1) I couldn't find a baby sitter because the holidays. I will not be around for few days and owls only eat fresh food; 2) I am doing a nocturnal bird count and I think my owlet might help me to spot some of his own kind :) Seriously, my baby owlet begged me not to leave him home alone... and he promised me he behave and let's see! Happy Birding! -- Linda

************************* To Be Continued ... *************************

112th Annual Christmas Bird Count - Day 1

2011-12-27T11:51:00.007-05:00

I will be on the road for Audubon Annual CBC - Christmas Bird Count, for next few days! This is 112th CBC! I am very excited. I can not tell you guys where I am going but it is a very cool place and I hope to bring you back some surprises! I will update my status via my site here....So follow me!

12/27/2011 -Preparation

1. Charge all camera, video camera and cell phone batteries. Bring extra rechargeable batteries for my flashlight and camera speedlite.

2. Lubricate all my cameras, lenses and tripod put them in my NG backpack...Oh, my binoculars too..this is the most important gear for my trip! Wow...it's heavy :)

3. Not sure about the weather, it's an exotic, warm place but it might rain. So I need to take my rain coat and sunglasses with me.

4. Some light shirts and pants with my favorite hiking boots, a pair sandals in case I can not resist water ..

5. My National park pass and Us Army Corps of Engineers pass.

6. Snacks, books, iPad...no no...I don't think I need that and you will find out why.

7. Oh, MY teddy bear and my baby owlet..they are coming with me too :)

What else? Do I miss anything? ....I will be returning soon :) Linda

Carolina Chickadee

2011-12-26T01:14:00.008-05:00

They are abundant and they are everywhere. Most of birders really don't care much about this little bird. Even photographers will be reluctantly zooming in their camera towards Carolina Chickadee (Regulus satrapa). But have you ever wondered for a second why there are so many of them? John James Audubon named this bird when he was in South Carolina. In fact, these intelligent, curious birds carry a very important message: "follow us, we know where food is! A lot of passing through, or migrating song birds mixing with chickadees forage at stop-over grounds. I spotted one Tennessee Warbler and my first Ruby-crowned Kinglet by just watching these vivacious birds!

(Click image to enlarge)

If you are wondering where everyone's gone ...I mean where birds are, follow Carolina Chickadee's move (hear their songs and calls here). So pay attention to these chickadees during migration time, you may gain few more life birds! Happy Birding! -- Linda.

See other post of Carolina Chickadee here.

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T23:09:00.000-05:00

This pair of boots have been with me since I was a mischievous teenager. They are my best companion everywhere I go. We have been through a lot of hard time and good time. Stepping over running springs, chasing rainbows after summer storms, finding my way home through mystic autumn forest and keeping me warm and comfy while photographing my beloved winter birds. This picture was taken by a simple camera after two hours of snow shoveling. To me, they are more than just a pair hiking boots, they are my memory albums.

No matter you are with your loved ones or alone in this holiday season, you are never alone. Look around, you already have possessed more than anyone else in this world. One can only have more if we cherish things we have, tangible or intangible, and I do! Happy holidays everyone! -- Linda