We're Back!

After a hiatus of about one year because of life and technical difficulties, we are happy to announce that we are back on line.  We have a lot of tweaking to do on our new blog, but we expect to be fully functioning within a week or so.

We have an upcoming "Big Day" on May 9.  Sponsored by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, this is a worldwide birding event.  So far there are 80 countries participating.  The goal is to log a whopping 4000 species of birds on that one day.  Arlene and I will do our humble part.  Please check back next week to see how we made out!

NORTHERN CARDINAL - Bird of the Week

Northern Cardinal
 

This week it seems as if the Northern Cardinal's are coming back to life.  Perhaps it was the beautiful day we had today.  I've seen groupings of Cardinals on lawns and in trees.  And while the primary bird call I am hearing is still last week's Song Sparrow, I am beginning to hear the song of the Northern Cardinal.  So here is the link so that you can have a listen:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/northern_cardinal/sounds

Keep in mind that there are variations depending of the locale.  These recordings are close enough to our Long Island Northern Cardinals to help you recognize them when you hear them.

Happy Birding!

SONG SPARROW - Bird of the Week

Song Sparrow

These happy, little birds are very friendly.  This one let me get pretty close to take this shot.  They seem to be fairly trusting of humans.

The Song Sparrow's song is the one that seems to be the most prevalent at this time of the year.  I hear it often and it always makes me smile.   It sounds so happy to me.  So even if I'm not in a great mood, it aways cheers me.

Please take a listen from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's "All About Birds" link:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/song_sparrow/sounds

Birdsong varies according to region and sometimes even bird.  This one is pretty similar to the Song Sparrows you will hear on Long Island.

Hope this gets you into a springtime mood!  Birding is not just about seeing and identifying birds but also listening and identifying birds.  It will make a day in the field even more enjoyable!!  A new Bird of the Week will be posted next weekend.

Back To Birding!!

Life, sometimes, gets in the way of passion.  It won't always be like that.  But for now, as we proceed deeper into this time of the end, time certainly seems to be a commodity that is becoming more and more precious.  And while we all have the same amount of hours in a day that we have always had, spare time is a resource that is hard to come by.  This past year, we seem to have deviated from our "blog mission."  Spending time together and doing something we enjoy shouldn't be relegated to spare time.  It is more of a necessity.  It has rejuvinating powers, reinforcing our relationship with each other, as well as, with our wonderful Creator.  It can help keep us going in this crazy world.

With that said, with the encouragment from my partner in birding crime, Arlene, and with the joyful proddings of the spring birds singing in my community, my aim is to get back to birding, bonding and blogging.

My favorite bird, the Song Sparrow, each day reminds me of the joys of learning about these amazing creatures.  Learning is Loving!  So my goal is to restart "Bird of the Week" for the months of March and April.  Our surroundings come alive when we're more in tune with our feathered friends.  Since I have no audio recordings of my own, I will be posting links to birding websites, so you can have a listen.  Hope it brings joy to your Spring!!!

Apartment Birding

So when life give you lemon's you are supposed to make lemonade, so since I do love lemonade, I thought I'd try some apartment birding to see if I can attract any birds to my deck.

So I found one of my teacup feeders that I made and filled it with bird food. 
I placed it on a table on my deck, and I also purchased a Finch sock filled with Nyjer seed and hung it over my railing.

So, as you can see no nearby trees for the birds to hide in so not sure if I will get any takers on my bird feeders, but a girl can try.



So I have a perfect view of the feeders from my living room and from my kitchen window.  I will let you know if any of our feathered friends stop by for a bite.

2013 Backyard Birding in Smithtown