A Birdy Year

2008 has been a bird-focused year for me. It started in January on my trip to Africa. We were traveling from east to west across a 20 mile field when our guide, Migwe, pointed out a great crested crane in the field. He said it was the national bird of Tanzania. Out the right window I saw this magnificent pair of cranes bobbing in the grass. The birds were walking with their crests fluttering in the wind. They were so tall and graceful. I thought they were marvelous. I was inspired. I wanted to be able to show other people the marvels of nature like Migwe showed me. I made a vow that this would be the year I would see a sandhill crane. I knew they were in my neck of the woods and if I tried, I would be able to see one. Other birds I saw on my trip to Africa included ostrich, cory bustard, secretary bird, reed cormorant, greater flamingo, Marabou stork, green backed heron, cattle egret, gray crowned crane, sacred ibis, Egyptian goose, white-faced duck, blacksmith plover, crested Francolin, helmeted guineafowl, white-backed vulture, tawny eagle, African fish eagle, lanner falcon, grey go-away bird, pied kingfisher, woodland kingfisher, carmine bee eater, yellow-billed hornbill, white-browed robinchat, superb starling, red-billed oxpecker, and white-headed buffalo weaver. Whew! In late January, I went on my annual pilgrimage to Monticello to observe the trumpeter swans engage in their mating rituals. After that I got my late birthday present of a male canary. I've really enjoyed my pet bird despite his loud and lively mating calls that leave my ears ringing sometimes. In late winter, I signed up for a master naturalist class. There I learned much about birds. I met several people who knew their birds and who carried bird identification guides with them when they went birding. On a field trip, I saw and heard sandhill cranes. Once I identified the sound of the sandhills, I realized I had seen them and heard them before at a park near my house. I saw them flying overhead and assumed it was a pair of herons. In June I toured the Sherburne Wildlife Refuge with a friend where we saw sandhill cranes again along with a trumpeter swan family (complete with cygnets) and a bald eagle nest. In July I had the pleasure of observing an indigo bunting pair frequently sit on our deck. Their flamboyant blue feathers contrasted with their natural chirp which sounded like the wheel turning on a lighter. In August I was accompanied by a blue jay as I traveled down a country road on the motorcycle. In the fall I joined project feeder watch and have spent many hours watching the birds out of the living room window. All in all, it's been a birdy year.