600 Birds

1983 BMW R100 RS SOLD

2011-06-22T12:56:00.007-05:00

These are photos of a 1983 BMR R100RS that I'm selling. I've owned this bike for 10 years and have ridden it regularly. The heads were rebuilt at 55K miles with new valves, valve seats, springs, etc.... The carbs have been rebuilt and the front suspension has been aligned.
I would consider it to be very well maintained, tuned, and in perfect running order. When I purchased the bike it had no fairing on it. 3 years ago I purchased and installed the Vesco Rabid Transit fairing. It has mounting brackets for Krauser bags. This is a strong running and reliable bike!
Feel free to call (608-437-4343) or email (benlizdas@gmail.com) with any questions.

Location: Mt Horeb WI (just west of Madison)
Price: $2700
Milage: 68K

Some recent birding trips

2010-05-17T15:05:00.003-05:00

I'm just settling in from a few trips to birding events in Alaska and Texas. Below are a few images I managed to digiscope while on the road.Harlequin Duck near Ninilchick, AK.

Indigo Bunting at South Padre Island, TX.

Scarlet Tanager, High Island, TX.

It was a pretty face paced trip jumping from one end of the country to another. A bit of exciting news is that the Eagle Optics sponsored team (the Groovie Billed Anis) won the Big Sit Tournament of the Great Texas Birding Classic this year. We managed to see/hear 145 species in 24 hours at the convention center at South Padre Island.

I did miss the one Black-billed Cuckoo that was seen that day and also manged to miss out on Aleutian Tern and Black-backed Woodpecker while in Alaska. Still sitting at 598 birds right now, though I have a date with a Kirtland's Warbler later this week. I'll keep y'all posted on those developments later.

Migration is well under way!

2010-04-09T14:43:00.000-05:00

I was enjoying coffee in my backyard last week and spotted a pair of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers flirting and feeding on a birch tree in my yard. The Sapsucker is one of my favorite harbingers of spring. It's a species that shows up to let me know that winter is in fact over. One morning each spring I wake up to find our resident Hairy Woodpeckers replaced by this larger, more colorful relative passing through from the south. Once the Sapsucker has arrived, he will be followed shortly by a migratory cavalry of warblers, vireos, thrushes, and other neo-tropical migrants. I also think the Sapsucker may hold the title as the showiest of backyard bird species that we see at our house, with it's faint yellow markings on the breast and dramatic red throat and crown. The Sapsucker is the perfect aesthetic compliment to the Bloodroot that inevitably begins to bloom within a day of this bird's arrival. As I sat on my deck, watching and photographing these birds and admiring the buds in the garden, I could only wonder if there a sweeter season than spring??? At the moment anyway, the answer would be "No"...

597 Birds....

2010-01-08T15:32:00.002-06:00

So 2009 has been put to bed and 600 Birds comes to a turning point of sorts. The idea or concept of this blog began as a way to document my travels to various birding events around the country and my quest to see 600 different bird species in North America. This pursuit was not simply an attempt to reach a personal goal or fulfill a lifelong dream. At its core, it was a beer bet between me and a few coworkers here at Eagle Optics. When the clock struck midnight and the new year dawned, I lost that bet.

How close did I get? 597 species was where I stood at the end of the year and where I still sit today. Let me tell you, those last 3 species have been hard to find, given my limited ability to just hop in the car and chase birds. Sure, there were chances to travel north and hunt down a Hoary Redpoll, Gyrfalcon, and Bohemian Waxwing for example. The problem is that December just isn't a good month for me to get away.

So having lost 2 cases of beer (is it possible to lose something you never really had?) and fallen short of my much publicized goal, I come into 2010 anticipating the joy of seeing my 600th bird species without the pressure of a deadline. That doesn't mean I won't celebrate though!

Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival

2009-12-10T16:48:00.001-06:00

Pictured above is the current view from my desk at Eagle Optics. On Wednesday we got walloped with 18 inches of heavy snow. The Rio Grande Valley feels very far away as I turn around and look out my window these days.

This year's Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival was simply wonderful. Last November I was on a cruise in Costa Rica and Panama, forcing me to miss this great birding event for the first time in many years. Getting back down to the Valley this year reminded me why it remains one of my favorite birding destinations ever. Lots of my affinity for this event stems from the wonderful volunteers who run the show and their inexhaustible hospitality. It's been such a pleasure to work with those folks over the years. My love for the lower Rio Grande Valley isn't solely due to these fine people. The birds there have their own charismatic draw.

Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet

Great Kiskadee

Inca Dove

Harris's Hawk

Green Jay

Curve-billed Thrasher

Black Throated Sparrow

Digiscoping with a Digital SLR

2009-10-27T12:05:00.004-05:00

The Concept

As a concept, digiscoping is as simple as it gets. Put your camera up to a spotting scope's eyepiece and take a picture of what the scope is focused on. However, we often find that in practice things are not as easy as they seem. It's been my experience that one of, if not the biggest challenge of digiscoping, is to get the right mix of scope, camera, and adapter that can easily and effectively be assembled as a complete, photography-ready unit. Why is this?

The Problem

I think the biggest hurdle here is the camera to adapter interface. In today's point-and-shoot camera market there is no uniformity in regards to shape, size, and features. It turns out that camera makers could care less about their products' suitability to digiscoping. As a result, the manufacturers of scopes and digiscoping adapters are forced to come up with intricate, highly adjustable, and often complex universal adapters to fit the plethora of cameras offered to consumers. I'm not interested in making digiscoping any more challenging than it already is. I'll always opt for the route that is fast, simple, and effective.

Pictured above are some of the "universal" digiscoping adapters. Large and mechanically intricate, they offer a less than optimal solution.

The Adapter Solution

The best hardware for digiscoping is that which requires the least amount of forethought or effort to put into use. In regards to camera adapters, the simple tube-style adapters on the market fit the bill perfectly. These tube adapters are simple, both in design and functionality. The premise is a hollow tube screwed onto the front of your camera lens that can slide over a scope's eyepiece, effortlessly centering both lenses at the proper depth. Not only are these adapters easy to deploy, they are compact and lightweight. Question: what's not to love about this type of setup? Answer: it doesn't work with a lot of cameras.

Pictured above are "tube" style adapters offered by Kowa, Vortex, and Swarovski

The Camera Solution

Very few point-and-shoot cameras have the functionality to attach adapters, filters, or boosters to the front lens. The absence of this feature is a design trend that seems to be picking up momentum, and as new models are introduced each year, fewer and fewer of them support filter thread attachments. Here is where a digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) fits the bill nicely. Almost all DSLR camera lenses are inherently designed with filter threads that easily adapt to those wonderful tube style adapters. Warning: not all DSLR lenses are suitable for digiscoping. The best lenses are the short focal length lenses. Both Canon and Nikon make 50mm f/1.8 lenses that are relatively inexpensive and perfect for digiscoping. If you're shooting with a Pentax DSLR, you will want the Pentax 40mm f/2.8 “pancake” lens. When using a DSLR for digiscoping, you will need to disable the auto-focus, put the camera on its full manual settings, and set the lens aperture wide open. You will also need to adjust the camera's shutter speed to obtain the proper image exposure.

An exploded view of a full DSLR digiscoping rig, minus a tripod.

Nothing's Perfect

Using a DSLR for digiscoping doesn't come without compromise. DSLR benefits include universal adaptability via a threaded lens and the ability to use, and compose images through, a viewfinder. The drawbacks to DSLR cameras are the inability to use the lens' auto-focus and working with a bigger, heavier camera body. Because of a DSLR's size, I would NOT recommend allowing the camera body and lens to hang unsupported from the spotting scope for any extended period of time.

My current digiscoping set up: Leica 82mm APO Televid with Swarovski DCA and Pentax DSLR

What Are Your Options?

If you've got a DSLR or point-and-shoot camera that uses filter threads, and you need a good digiscoping adapter, I would take a look at the Swarovski DCA, Vortex Razor Digital Adapter, and Kowa DA10 adapter. These three brand-specific adapters accept rings to accommodate various lens thread sizes. I have had some limited luck getting some of these adapters to work with other brands of scopes. For instance, I'm currently digiscoping with the Leica 82mm Televid and, much to my delight, found that the Swarovski DCA adapter fits nicely around the new Leica eyepiece. Be prepared to get creative; if you are going to try to mix and match brands of adapters and scopes, you might need to make your own bushings or modify the adapters in one way or another.

Fall Walk

2009-10-20T11:42:00.004-05:00

This past weekend my dad turned 60. We have started a tradition of getting together for Grandpa Bill's birthday to walk among the woods and fields of Southern Wisconsin while enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of fall. As you can see from the photo above, we have not quite reached our peak fall colors yet, though there are a couple hints of what's yet to come. Here in the southern part of the state, the color change isn't as dramatic as we see elsewhere. The Oak woodlands that make up most of the habitat tend to hold onto their foliage for a longer time and turn more of a brown/red color. As we go north into the Maple and Birch forests, we see more of the spectaular reds, yellows, and oranges that draw onlookers from all over the midwest.

This year we went to Lapham Peak State Park. The weather was gorgeous on Sunday and the park was full of visitors. I haven't seen a state park parking lot quite as full for a number of years. Maybe this was because the Green Bay Packers were only playing the lowly Detroit Lions??? Regardless, I was happy to break away from an afternoon of football to hang out with my family and take in some of the seasonal splendor.

One of our first finds along the trail was this beetle. I'm fortunate to have two daughters that don't shy away from the creepy crawlies. In fact, both girls will gladly come running to check out an unusual beetle, worm, spider, or snake. I came into work this morning and asked a coworker who knows his insects about this beetle. He looked at the picture and quickly identified the bug in question as a Blister Beetle. Following his ID of the bug, he added that it's best to not agitate them because the Blister Beetle emits a chemical that can burn or blister one's skin.

Here is Nya, getting a closer look at what I thought was just an innocent little beetle. Little did we both know that she was tempting fate here. Fortunately for all, the bug was lethargic and mellow. Not in a fighting mood, I guess. When I get home today I'll be sure to tell Nya more about the bug she was handling on Sunday and maybe use it as a lesson to identify such a critter before picking it up....

There was a hint of color in the trees and that wonderful smell of decaying leaves permeated the entire forest.

When we head outdoors we always take our binoculars. I recently got both kids new binoculars. We have a new 6.5x32 model that is particularly well suited for kids. With a wide field of view, narrow interpupilary distance, and bright optics, they are a no hassle piece of equipment that takes the technological challenges out of using binoculars. Especially for kids. They kept my two girls fully engaged for a few hours in the field.

Fall is a season of transition. We spent time with the kids talking about what plants and animals do in preparation for winter. A lot of time was spent looking at seeds and talking about why there are so many different types. Seeds that fly, seeds that bury themselves into the soil, seeds that stick to animals, and seeds that are eaten.

It's always a wonderful day when you get to bring generations together to enjoy and delight in the complexities of nature. I was able to convince the kids that it was a good idea to leave the beetles, leaves, and seeds at the park. To my delight, they did manage to bring home lots of questions. I see a 3rd graders presentation on seeds in my future....

E-Mail from Readers

2009-10-12T14:11:00.007-05:00

So it's been a long summer without a whole lot of activity here at 600 Birds, but that sure hasn't slowed down the volume of inquiries I have gotten from regular readers.
Today we will spend a few moments answering your emails......

Chuck from Sheboygan, WI writes:
Great blog Ben! I've really been enjoying your bird photographs and the clever anecdotes that accompany them. My question to you is whether or not you have ever considered a career on television or in film?

Well Chuck, that's a timely question, as I've just wrapped up a short demonstration video of the Swarovski UCA digiscoping adapter for the Eagle Optics website.

This could prove to be a big breakthrough for me as my agent is now in negotiations with a company who makes frozen dinners marketed toward digiscopers. I'll be sure to keep the updates coming here at 600 birds.

Speaking of digiscoping, Claire from Port Townsend, WA sent this inquiry:

Hey there Ben! I've been a long time reader of your blog and was wondering when and if you are going to submit some of your photos to Swarovski's Digiscoper of the Year contest? I've heard that it's the place for digiscopers worldwide to show off their stuff!

Well Claire, your e-mail is timely indeed. It turns out I have not submitted any photos to the contest yet and the October 31st deadline is fast approaching! The good news is that I still have time to enter AND I can even submit digiscoped images that I've taken with my new Leica 82mm scope, such as this image of Surfbirds congregating on the rocky shores of Homer, Alaska:

If you have a moment, check out my entire gallery of images here, and give me feedback on any shots you think I should enter in Swarovski's Digiscoper of the Year contest.

New Photo Gallery

2009-08-14T13:01:00.007-05:00

Greetings and Happy Friday to all the thousands of readers out there in cyberland . Thanks for once again tuning into the 600 Birds Blog.
I've got a few updates to share with you.
First off, I've moved my gallery of digiscoped photos here. This new space is easier to upload photos to and also more convenient for re-sizing and tweaking them. You'll find more images here than I had on the old Flickr site and it will be updated more regularly.

On a separate note, iconic blogger and fellow Eagle Optics employee Mike McDowell will now be bringing his wonderful insights and photographs to the Eagle Optics Blog. Follow that link to some great footage that Mike recently captured of a Barred Owl tranquilly sipping water from a puddle. The cool thing about that footage is that it was shot through a pair of 8x32 Swarovski EL binoculars.

Harlequin Duck

2009-08-07T15:05:00.004-05:00

I was sorting out photos today (lots of them) and came across this nice photo of a Harlequin Duck that I took in Alaska this spring. Here in Wisconsin, we can occasionally see these birds way off in the distance, bobbing among the waves of Lake Michigan. On some of Alaska's inland streams, one is able to get nice close up looks of this spectacular bird.
Enjoy!

Midwest Birding Symposium...you really should attend.

2009-08-05T10:56:00.004-05:00

Follow this link for a quick 22 reasons why you should be in Ohio this September. I've even managed to convince my wife to attend this event, which happens to fall on our 10-year anniversary. Like I told her, it will be fun AND romantic!

Digiscoping VS DSLR

2009-08-05T09:54:00.007-05:00

Wow, I've been absent from this space for awhile and for those 3 or 4 readers that may still be following 600 Birds, thanks for hanging in there. For parents in particular, summers tend to be time vacuums filled with lazy days at the local pool, camping trips, canoe trips, family reunions, soccer leagues, etc, etc... (notice that I didn't mention blogging in the aforementioned activities))

Even though I have been slacking as of late, many of the other birding bloggers out there have stayed the course and are producing insightful and regular postings, most of which I check in on daily. Some of them even have kids.

One of those bloggers who seems to be able to pull off amazing feats of travel, publishing, blogging, business running, kid parenting, bird festival organizing, keynote speaking, music playing, etc..etc...etc... is Bill Thompson. This brings me to the point of this post. Bill recently got back from a trip to Trinidad and recently blogged about his experience digiscoping with the new Leica Televid spotting scopes, and how that rig performed compared to his DSLR. For the full scoop, I recommend you check out the latest post at Bill of the Birds.

I've also been digiscoping with one of these new Leica spotting scopes and they are truely superb. I haven't gotten around to editing newer shots, post-processing, cropping, etc... but when I do, rest assured you can see more here. For now though, I've got to get the kids to horse camp.

New Leica Birding Blog

2009-06-17T10:30:00.004-05:00

Jeff Bouton with Leica Sport Optics has started a new blog here. If it wasn't for Jeff, my list of North American Birds seen would probably be around 400 species or so, rather than 597. That guy is a seriously talented birder. He also happens to be a lot of fun to hang out with, so I consider myself fortunate to be able to go birding with him on a regular basis.

The shot above was taken this year in Homer, Alaska, shortly after we saw a Bar-tailed Godwit(below).

Eagles in Alaska

2009-06-12T13:15:00.002-05:00

For the past few years, I have been fortunate enough to travel to Homer Alaska in early May to attend the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival. While the main attraction is of course, shorebirds, I always associate Homer with eagles. These large fish and carrion eaters are abundant and very approachable almost anywhere on Alaska's Kenai peninsula. Their abundance and commonality reminds me of our Robins here in Wisconsin. Like everything else in Alaska though, these yard-birds are bigger.

Is it a coincidence that the Bald Eagle's plumage mimics one of the fundamental backdrops of the Alaskan landscape, the snow-caped mountain?

San Diego Birding

2009-06-11T16:18:00.002-05:00

Here are some of the digiscoping and birding highlights from my last San Diego trip. The San Diego area has some of the most diverse habitat and thus, ample birding opportunities. One of the more common birds in the area is the Western Bluebird, pictured above. I never tire of watching or photographing this species when the chance presents itself.

With the help of some friends, I was able to track down a number of missing species from my bird life list, including the Mountain Plover (above) that we found foraging in agricultural fields near the Salton Sea. Another target bird that we tracked down in the same area is the eye-popping Grey Flycatcher (pictured below). This is a bird that is drab even by Empidonax standards.

The bird pictured above is a California Gnatcatcher. Federally endangered, this species is most easily distinguishable from the Black-tailed Gnatcatcher by the almost entirely black underside of its tail.

California Gnatcatcher, perched on barb wire.

I've got some serious catching up to do here at 600 Birds. Since my last post I've been to Corpus Christi for the American Birding Association convention and shortly after that, I flew to Homer, Alaska for the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival. After those two trips, I now find myself sitting at 597 birds. Looking ahead to my travels in the fall, I'm wondering where I'm going to find those next 3 birds.

In the meantime, summer is here and I'll be tending to our gardens and hanging out with my kids, who all of a sudden have a lot more free time on their hands. That won't stop me from daydreaming about that Black-billed Cuckoo that I still need to cross paths with.

Eagle Optics at the Great Texas Birding Classic

2009-04-28T13:49:00.008-05:00

On Sunday, I participated in the Great Texas Birding Classic's Bit Sit competition. If you are wondering what exactly is a "big sit", I recommend you check out this YouTube video by Bill Thompson and Eagle Optics.

Our Big Sit site was at the South Padre Island Convention Center. It was a windy day with few migrants but we had a fantastic time, spoke with lots of birders, and saw quite a few birds in the process.

Team member Michael O'Brien scouts for shorebirds from a ladder perched against our modest shelter for the day. Michael literally wrote the book on shorebirds, so if anyone was up to the task it was him. Fellow shorebird author Richard Crossley also joined us for a bit, so I felt we were in exceptionally good hands.

Here is an overview of our site. We had excellent views of multiple habitats from this spot. The ladder, contributed by Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival President Danny Hoehne, allowed us to get some long views that added significant numbers of species to our list for the day.

Here's a team photo (left to right): me, Terry Fuller, Marci Fuller, Susan Hoehne, Danny Hoehne, Micheal O'Brien, and Louise Zemaitis. Louise is another amazing birder and bird artist. I feel so grateful to have been part of such a collective wealth of talent on this team.

We ended the day with a respectable 98 species on our list. Very well considering the windy conditions which blew most all the smaller migrants right past the island on their way north.

This Blackpoll Warbler was one of 4 warblers we had on Sunday.

The boardwalk at the convention center allowed excellent close-up looks at rails, waders, and shorebirds, including this Short-billed Dowitcher.

Wind-blown, Tri-colored Heron.

Yellow Warbler.

It's Not Always About Birds

2009-04-07T12:50:00.006-05:00

So when I'm not birding, digiscoping, selling binoculars, blogging, or spending time with friends and family, you can often find me in the garage/workshop behind my house, tinkering around on a number of different diversions. Most often, I'm engaged in a furniture making project of some type.

This is the shop. I find woodworking a great way to break from my usual routines. It allows me to spend time in a space all of my own, full of sawdust, lumber, motorcycles, tools, and skateboards. These are some of my favorite things that I don't get to keep in my house. I also get to listen to whatever music I like at whatever volume appeals to me at the moment.

Another aspect of furniture making that appeals to me is that I get to work with my hands to build something. That's a sensation near and dear to me, which is generally absent from my usual work obligations.
This current project is a cabinet that will be in my living room, housing our stereo system and other A/V related goods. Probably a few books as well. It's made from Quarter-Sawn White Oak.

This particular wood was harvested from an old tree that was taken down at a park not far from my house. It's a wonderful feeling to look at a piece of furniture I made and be able to recall the tree that it used to be. In this case, it was an ancient tree that I often watched Blue Jays harvest acorns from while my kids played at the local swimming pool. I'll miss it as a tree but am grateful to have been able to get the bulk of the trunk for some furniture projects.

Here are the sliding doors, sitting on top of the cabinet, waiting to be installed.

It looks kind of like a coffin, sitting on the bench.

The shop attracts other wayward men from the neighborhood, such as the fellow pictured above. These individuals, often looking for respite from their day-to-day lives, are drawn to the power tools, obnoxious music, and motorcycles. I guess it's a brotherhood of sorts.

Mangrove Warbler

2009-03-17T17:38:00.006-05:00

While at the San Diego Birding Festival a few weeks back, there was a report of a Mangrove Warbler hanging about. Further inquiries led us to this green dumpster behind an office building and adjacent to a freeway.

Lo and behold, the adult male Mangrove Warbler was soon spotted foraging among the flowers of a tree adjacent to the dumpster. What brought this bird from its typical habitat in the mangrove swamps of Mexico and Central America to this particular spot is beyond me.

The Mangrove Warbler is a subspecies of Dendroica petechia, commonly known as the Yellow Warbler. At one point, ornithologists recognized the Mangrove Warbler as a separate species, but for reasons only known by ornithologists, it is currently considered the same species (until they change their mind again).

The Mangrove Warbler was one of a few new birds I was able to observe on my recent trip. Upcoming posts on other new birds include Mountain Plovers, California Gnatcatchers, and the astonishingly gaudy Grey Flycatcher!
Stay tuned.....

Least Bittern

2009-02-20T15:30:00.007-06:00

On my last trip to Florida, I had a chance to do some birding at Viera Wetlands, one of the birdiest sewage treatment plants around. We saw lots of great birds but I would have to say this cooperative Least Bittern was the highlight for me.

The Least Bittern is secretive by nature and seldom seen out in the open for extended periods of time. It acts a lot like a rail, though it is technically a heron.

This fellow seemed content to let us watch him hunt for minnows in the shallows of the wetlands. It was fascinating to observe this bird move across and over the water, stepping from stalk to stalk in the cattails and reeds.

As herons go, the Least Bittern is among the smallest in the world. You can reference the size of this bird pictured above with a Common Moorhen. Moorhens tend to be slightly smaller than the more common American Coot.

This bird sighting was one of those great, unexpected treasures that can happen any time you pick up your binoculars and head out for a morning of birding. The fact that these types of encounters are unpredictable and uncommon make them all the more memorable.

Everglades Birding

2009-02-11T14:08:00.008-06:00

I have long since returned from Florida but have just now gotten caught up enough with life and work to return to 600 Birds. I had a wonderful time catching up with many friends in the business and was able to spend some quality time birding as well. All of the photos in this post were taken during my trip to the Everglades.

Common Ground Dove at Everglades National Park

This Short-tailed Hawk was one of my life birds from this trip. This was also taken at Everglades National Park. Overall, I ended up with sightings of 7 new birds on this trip (some of them pictured in this post).

Monk Parakeets nesting in a residential neighborhood in Kendell.

This Spot-breasted Oriole was perched on a wire about 4 feet from the parakeets.

This Red-whiskered Bulbul was seen at the same South Miami location where we found the oriole and parakeets. This was a residential neighborhood near the Kendall Baptist Hospital.

This is an Anhinga photographed just off the aptly named Anhinga Trail at the Everglades National Park. It was amazing to be on the boardwalk and watch the Anhingas swimming underwater alongside. Their feathers press against their body underwater, giving them an entirely different shape. Combine that with the fluid motion of their body as they move through the water, and you would think you are watching an entirely different creature.

These Smooth-billed Anis were found just outside of the Fort Lauderdale Airport. This small colony of 6 birds is hanging out in an abandoned lot adjacent to an industrial park, and may be the only known members of this species being seen in North America at the moment.

The trip was a little early to coincide with the presence of some of south Florida's more sought- after specialty birds like the White-crowned Pigeon or Black-whiskered Vireo. Nonetheless, it was a fantastic trip and one I hope to repeat. The Everglades and Florida Keys are some of the best tropical habitat a birder in the US can visit without a passport.

Target birds seen:
Monk Parakeet
Spot-breasted Oriole
Common Myna
Hill Myna
Short-tailed Hawk
Red-whiskered Bulbul
Smooth-billed Ani

Target birds missed:
White-crowned Pigeon
Greater Flamingo
Fulvous Whistling-Duck
White-winged Parakeet

North American life list total: 588

Flying South

2009-01-15T18:04:00.004-06:00

I'm waking up around 3:30 am tomorrow to catch a plane to Orlando Florida. The whole situation has it's pros and cons of course. On one hand, I could do without the early departure time. On the other hand, we reached a high temperature of -7 degrees today here in Wisconsin, so I'm willing to fore go the beauty rest for temperatures above freezing.After spending the month of December at home, this is the beginning of my winter travel season. I'm starting things off with a trip to the SHOT show. This is different from my usual work away from home for two major reasons.

First is that there is very little interest in birds among the attendees at this event, with the exception of those birds which you can shoot. Primarily a hunting and shooting sports event, SHOT a big deal in the world of optics and the place where many manufacturers unveil their latest and greatest offerings to the optics marketplace.

The second reason it is such a different type of event for me is that at this show, I am the customer. It's nice to be on the other side of the trade show booth once in a while.

After Sunday however, the birding begins.
I'll be sticking around Florida for a few days before attending the Space Coast Birding and Nature Festival in Titusville. There I will be leading courses on birding optics and digiscoping, as well as manning a booth for Eagle Optics. Between these two events, I plan on making a run down to the Everglades to do a little birding and digiscoping. It will be a nice break after SHOT and before the hectic schedule of Space Coast. The Space Coast Birding Festival is likely the largest birding show that we do and it is a sight to behold. There are more activities and trips going on here than at any other venue I attend. If you are in the area or are looking for an excuse to escape those colder northern climates, I would encourage you to check it out. More updates on the festival as well as the everglades trip later.....

Chicken Pox Detour

2009-01-07T13:19:00.003-06:00

While this blog really is about birding, nature travel, and digiscoping, I'm going to detour slightly today. I'm home from work, taking care of Esme who came down with the Chicken Pox.
We've spent a lot of time watching TV, eating carrots and apples (her favorites) and cuddling with the dog. I think we will continue with this itinerary for the remainder of the day. We will likely take a break on occasion for a book or story.

As you can see, she is suffering terribly.

The Tiny Aviary

2008-12-23T13:01:00.004-06:00

It's been too long since my last post here at 600 Birds. It's easy to get swept up in the holiday craziness that happens both at work and at home. Add to that all the snow shoveling that I've been doing lately and it's no surprise that I've found little time for blogging.

One of the many duties that has been filling my time has been holiday shopping. It seems that every year, while on that quest for a perfect gift for someone else, I come across something that I just have to have myself. Well this year I treated myself to a print by Chicago area artist and fellow bird nut, Diana Sudyka. I first came across Diana's work while admiring that of husband's, Jay Ryan. Below is a copy of the print that I purchased for myself.
I'm a huge fan of illustration, including comic books. Diana's illustrations bring together elements of a lot of my favorite things: nature, art, science, music, and whimsy. Her work reminds me of a mix between the stylized drawings of John James Audubon and Edward Gorey.

You can see a lot of her bird artwork as well as anecdotes about working with the skins collection at the field museum at her blog, The Tiny Aviary. Gig posters can be found here.

Below are some of my other favorites by Diana.

Snow!

2008-12-09T11:25:00.007-06:00

If you love snow, it looks to be another fantastic winter here in the Madison area. If not, you have my condolences. Personally, I've already been out x-country skiing a few times and am looking forward to many more moonlight skis this week.

This is what it looks like right now outside of the window next to my desk. Lots of snow and not much else. School has been canceled and people are staying home today to enjoy this beautiful spectacle. So far we've got 7" on the ground with 3-5" more before the end of the afternoon.

My daughters have already spent the entire morning exploring the snow-covered backyard with our dog. I'm sure my wife will have them all warmed up and well rested by the time I get home. I expect we'll do some sledding tonight at the local hill and maybe after bedtime I'll have a chance to suit up and go skiing. I think we will all sleep well tonight after a full day of fun in the snow.

The real efficient laborer will be found not to crowd his day with work, but will saunter to his task surrounded by a wide halo of ease and leisure.

-Henry David Thoreau

The Wildlife of Costa Rica and Panama

2008-12-06T10:15:00.012-06:00

I've finally gotten around to reviewing the hundreds of photos I shot while on my recent vacation to Central America. Photographing wildlife was a real challenge due to lack of light in the forests and an abundance of rain on many occasions. The photos below are just a sliver of the animals we enjoyed on this trip, be it in the forests, skies, or seas.

This is a spiny-tailed iguana shot at Manuel Antonio National Park. One of the naturalists from our ship said that these are prized for their meat by some of the locals.

A Capuchin or White-faced Monkey, also shot at Manuel Antonio. These guys were everywhere and quite easy to approach. We were advised to keep a close eye on backpacks, cameras, and binoculars, as it was not uncommon for an inquisitive monkey to make off with someone's gear.

The Crab-eating Raccoon is found only along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and is closely related to the ubiquitous Northern Raccoon, common to exotic locales such as Mount Horeb, WI.
This is a Three-fingered Sloth. What can I say about sloths other than they are such cool and bizarre creatures. Sloths are also a favorite food of the Harpy Eagle, the national bird of Panama.

The Marbled Wood-quail is a very elusive, chicken-like ground forager. I was told that many birders in Costa Rica seldom if ever get a chance to view one of these shy creatures. I felt pretty lucky when we were able to watch a small covey hunt amongst the leaf litter within 15 feet of us and tried to get a decent photo. This was the best I could do with the lack of light.
This is a Jesus Christ Lizard, named as such because it escapes predators by running across water on its hind legs.

A Spotted Sandpiper in winter plumage.

Chestnut-mandibled Toucan.

We had spent a day in the Darien Jungle with the indigenous people of the Embera village. Here is a picture of a group of children enjoying close-up views of a Night Monkey through my scope.

Night Monkeys (also called owl monkeys) are a nocturnal species. If I recall correctly, the night monkey is the only nocturnal species of monkey.

The list of those species seen but not photographed is too long to post, especially when we get to the bird species.

As I look back on our trip, I am continually amazed at both the diversity and abundance of life present in such a small geographical area. Having said that, both Panama and Costa Rica face continual pressure for development of land for housing, industry, and agriculture. A bright spot here is that both countries have recognized the value of eco-tourism to their economies and have protected large tracts of land to try and insure its future. My hope and belief is that their reverence for wild things will continue to keep in check the tempting desire for wealth easily obtained by exploiting the land. I highly encourage you to help keep these places wild by visiting and supporting the eco-tourism industry in Central America. It's worth it!

New Mexico/New Birds

2008-12-01T15:14:00.007-06:00

Brown-capped Rosy-Finch

Black Rosy-Finch

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch

Above are images (courtesy of Jeff Bouton) of the Rosy Finches at Sandia Crest, NM. Upon landing in Albuquerque we made a beeline there to try and see all three species. The light was beginning to fade as we worked our way up to the peak. We managed to get there just in time to see all three species perching atop a Spruce tree and then fly off, not to be seen again for the day.
Here I am, peaking over the railing at Sandia Crest, hoping the Rosies will return for a closer look and maybe a chance to photograph them.

Here is Jeff, walking the pasture land of rural New Mexico as we pursued a flock of over 100 McCown's Longspurs. We had many brief but up-close looks at these birds. Regrettably, we were not able to get them to stay still long enough to photograph them. They proved to be a very wary flock of birds.

Here is a Williamson's Sapsucker that I digiscoped at Water Canyon, just outside Socorro. While I digiscoped this sapsucker, there were a Red-naped Sapsucker and a Townsend's solitaire in this same tree. Two other life birds. I was able to get images of the solitaire but not the other sapsucker. Shortly before these birds showed up, we were treated to great views of a Northern Goshawk. Water Canyon proved to be one of the birdiest places on this trip and a destination that I will certainly re-visit next time I find myself here.

It was a great trip to New Mexico and the Bosque del Apache NWR. We saw many species of birds and took in some breathtaking scenery in the process. I came home from New Mexico with the addition of 7 new birds to my North American species count, bringing the new total to 582. These numbers and lists, however, are always secondary to the wonderful experience that birding provides. At the end of the day, it's about time spent outdoors in relatively wild places. I consider myself fortunate to be there, new birds or not.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T08:39:00.004-06:00

Thanksgiving of course, is all about being grateful for what we have in our lives, be it people or things. It has also become a holiday embracing the notion of stuffing our faces with food. In that spirit, I offer the following images from the Bosque del Apache to draw inspiration upon. Happy Thanksgiving all!

Views from Bosque del Apache NWR

2008-11-25T16:12:00.007-06:00

I just got back from the Festival of the Cranes at the Bosque del Apache NWR. This was my first time to this festival and refuge and it was a spectacular experience. The ambiance of this place is undeniably stunning. I've got a few more posts about this place/event but am still catching up on work/family stuff. I've been out of town 18 days since the beginning of this month! More posts to come on my recent trip to the tropics as well. In the meantime, enjoy these views from the Bosque!

Hundreds of Snow geese lift off.

A Prairie Falcon surveys the desert.

Can you find the hidden digiscoper?

There were White-crowned Sparrows everywhere around the visitor center.

A sliver of moon hangs in the sky as morning begins.

Digiscoping way too early in the morning.

Gambel's Quail in the sage.

Ferruginous Hawk.

Geese and ducks coming in at dusk.

Sunset at the refuge.

Wow, that was a lot of fun!

2008-11-13T14:20:00.005-06:00

My wife and I returned home from our Central American cruise on Tuesday and are trying to adjust back to our normal life. We had a fantastic time and I will try and post many stories and photos here, once I catch up with work, etc...
In the meantime, enjoy this zip-line canopy tour from Corcovado, Costa Rica.

I'm A Winner!

2008-10-30T11:20:00.004-05:00

Last spring, the sport optics division of Pentax was running a contest/drawing for all of their binocular dealers and customers purchasing certain models of their products. The grand prize for this Sail Away promotion was a trip for two to Costa Rica and Panama. I was randomly selected among all the nationwide entrants as the grand prize winner of this contest and will be flying to Costa Rica with my wife tomorrow afternoon! We are excited, to say the least.
If you are curious, here is a description of our cruise.

Though there won't be much going on here at 600 birds for the time being, I'll be sure to have lots of stories photos to share when I return mid-November.

Quetzel image courtesey of Jeff Bouton
Hopefully we'll be able to see a few of these on the trip.

Saw-whet Owl Banding

2008-10-20T14:06:00.004-05:00

I had a great experience Saturday night participating in the Saw-Whet Owl banding operation at the Linwood Springs Research Station in Stevens Point, WI. Right now the Saw-Whet Owl migration is peaking here in Wisconsin as the owls (mostly females and juveniles) head south for the winter. See the Saw-Whet Owl's range here.

Gene Jacobs runs this research station, which conducts studies on Sharp-shinned and Red-shouldered Hawks, in addition to Saw-whet Owls. Gene and his interns band 500-700 owls annually. Here Gene is explaining the molting patterns of the Saw-whet owl.

When the owls get processed, the wing feathers get marked with a non-toxic, blue marker. Gene is assisting in a study on the Saw-whet's molt pattern. By marking the wings, Gene and other banders can determine the molt strategy and sequence on individual birds over time.

This is the ear of a Saw-whet owl. Like the larger Great Gray Owl, Saw-whets have ears that are asymmetrical, allowing them to triangulate the position of prey via sound. A very convenient product of evolution for birds that hunt in the dark.
Here I am with "Hootie", an owl that my wife and I adopted for our daughters. For a small donation, the adoption gives us a certificate with Hootie's band number, age, weight, etc.. We will also get updates on any re-captures of Hootie, should she find her way into another mist-net during her migratory life. Our kids were excited to have their own owl, even though we weren't able to bring Hootie home.

This year, the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin (NRF) hosted 3 Saw-whet Owl banding trips to the Linwood Research Station. The NRF is a wonderful organization devoted to conservation efforts here in Wisconsin. Their field trip program offers participants the opportunity to get a world class education about Wisconsin's wildlife and ecology directly from experts in the field. I would highly encourage anyone with an interest in the outdoors to check this program out.

California Thrasher

2008-10-14T15:20:00.003-05:00

It hasn't quite been a week yet since I've been back from my cruise to Central America and I still haven't found the time to edit my 700+ photos from the trip. I'm working on it though! I probably won't have time to get a trip-related post up here until I get back from the Fesitval of the Cranes at the Bosque del Apache NWR in Socorro, New Mexico. I'm flying out Wed to return on Monday the 23rd. There are certainly some birds I am looking forward to finding on this next trip, namely the Rosey-Finches (Grey-Crowned, Brown-Capped, and Black).

Below is an image of one of my latest life-birds that I digiscoped while at the Monterey Bay Birding Festival this past September. This is the only Thrasher species that resides along California's coast, though it has many of the same characteristics as the other commonly occurring species of this genus, both in terms of looks and behavior. Not the most dramatic new bird of 2008, but I was able to get a pretty decent shot of it.
More to come soon, from New Mexico and the tropics!

More photos from Jekyll Island, GA

2008-10-14T14:49:00.005-05:00

Below are some more photos from my recent trip to Georgia for the Colonial Coast Birding and Nature Festival. These are a few of the avian residents on the North side of the Island.

Laughing Gull with shrimp.

Northern Mockingbird.

Sanderlings, seen everywhere scurrying about the beach like wind-up toys.

Wood Storks.

King Rail!

2008-10-10T13:33:00.007-05:00

I'm blogging from the Colonial Coast Birding and Nature Festival on Jekyll Island, GA right now. The island is one of Georgia's many birding hot spots and a favorite destination of mine. This time of year the monsoons come in and make for some magnificent storm fronts. The photo above was taken last night right outside the exhibitor hall as one of these fronts was moving in. In years past, these storms have brought migrating birds into the beach area while I've waited out the weather. I've seen the beaches on this island loaded down with Peregrine Falcons on every perch and piece of driftwood available. Once I was even lucky enough to catch a Long-tailed Jaeger fly in and land on the sand less than 15 meters from me.

I didn't hit the beach this morning, however. I was on a mission for one of the few new birds in this area that could get me closer to that 600th species. My colleagues Jeff Bouton, Cameron Cox, and I drove inland to search for a King Rail. We hit the jackpot at the Altamaha Waterfowl Management Area.

Like most rails, King Rails are extremely elusive and more often heard and not seen. While traversing a raised dyke road along these wetlands we first heard this bird's distinct call. Jeff, being the talented birder that he is, responded back with the perfect imitation. We played this game with the rail, calling back and forth, as we walked along the trail to an open area where we were hoping the bird would reveal itself. Fortunately for us, this bird was cooperative. The bird pictured above is the smaller female, which we set eyes on first. Shortly after she made her presence known, another rail showed up. This second bird was a larger male, presumably coming in to see who was checking out his mate.

Here is a short video of the King Rail, which Jeff digiscoped through his Leica spotting scope. Another new bird that we spotted on this journey was a Purple Gallinule, bringing my new total of North American species sightings up to 572!

Pelagic Birding

2008-10-06T11:45:00.001-05:00

This year on my birthday, I had the chance to go on my first ever pelagic birding trip in Monterey Bay. I went out with Debi Shearwater on a prefestival excursion while I was in California for the Monterey Bay Birding Festival.

Pelagic birding is fun, though it has it's challenges. Identifying birds (mostly in flight) from a moving vessel on the ocean is tough. I find the the lower the magnification of your optics, the easier it is to try and keep the birds in your field of view.

You and all year gear will get wet. Dress for the weather and be sure your binoculars are waterproof. I know that when I got back to my hotel, I had to give my 7x42's a good bath to wash off the salt water residue.

Pelagic birds aren't species most of us typically encounter, so all of those identifiable fieldmarks, calls, and behavior patterns that I have managed to cram into my brain as I have evolved as a birder were of little use. That didn't stop me from making the best of this experience though. Debi does a great job of surrounding trip attendees with the experts ready to point out birds and answer any ID questions one might have. It was a memorable experience and added 12 new birds to my life list!

In addition to birds, we had fantastic marine mammal sightings, including multiple Humpback Whales and Dalls Porpoise.

For a trip species list, check out Debi's blog here.
If you are interested in seeing some of the birds we sighted, Steve Howell posted photos from the trip here.

How to Digiscope

2008-09-30T12:09:00.006-05:00

Recently I helped shoot this video on setting up a Swarovski spotting scope for digiscoping. For any readers not familiar with how I take photos through a spotting scope, this pretty well explains it.

Chimney Swifts

2008-09-22T19:30:00.007-05:00

Last night while I was walking my dog, we came across a flock of Chimney Swifts preparing to roost. This is the second time I've been able to watch this spectacle happen right off of Main St. in the small town where I live. It's mesmerizing to watch these birds swing through the air together as the flock makes pass after pass by their chosen roost. Too bad the sound didn't come out on this recording, as it enhances the whole experience.

Enjoy!

Binoculars as a camera lens

2008-09-16T14:33:00.004-05:00

I spent some time today at Pheasant Branch Conservancy shooting some footage for a video on digiscoping. While there, I spent some time experimenting with a camera adapter designed for use with Swarovski binoculars. The Snap Shot adapter is a simple accessory that snaps on to the eyecup of the binoculars and helps hold a point-and-shoot camera to the binocular's lens.

Above is a photo of a Monarch Butterfly that I shot through a Swarovski 8.5x42 EL with my Sony camera. I was very pleased with the results and think I might try some more of this digibining in the future, though it's no substitute for the magnification of a spotting scope.

Harvesting Stone for the Garden

2008-09-08T14:06:00.004-05:00

Right now I'm between birding trips and about to head out to Rockport, Texas. With hurricane Ike brewing in the Atlantic at the moment, it could make for an interesting trip. As of right now, I plan on flying out Wednesday afternoon. In the meantime, I thought I would blog a bit about another passion of mine other than birding, working in the garden.

Last weekend we began a much delayed project of putting in a new path through the garden in the front of our house. It wasn't the most convenient time to begin a major project. School was starting and the calendar was full of last-minute summer activities to squeeze in. What prompted the impulsive decision to tear up our front yard was a trip to my friend Willi Lehner's cheese cave.

This is a picture of the cheese cave (the entrance is still under construction). Unless you know any artisanal cheese makers, you may be wondering what on earth one does in a cheese cave???? Well, Willi constructed this magnificent underground dome to age his award winning cheeses. Why do you need a cheese cave to do this??? If I knew a fraction of what Willi does about cheeses, I might be able to field that question. What I do know is that he makes the best cheeses that I have ever had the privilege to taste, so I'm not about to question the wisdom of such an undertaking.
Here's a picture of the entrance to the cave. Another friend of mine, Larry Cooper, made these exquisite door handles.

This is a small portion of the stone that was unearthed to construct the cheese cave. When I saw these piles of stone the wheels began to turn and the next thing I knew, I was home in my garden moving plants and excavating a pathway.

This is one of my favorite garden/prairie plants, Prairie Dock. This particular plant's flowering stalks stand over 10 feet tall.
The garden path is well on its way to being constructed. By the end of Labor Day weekend, we just got started laying the stone. It was a big undertaking for the weekend, though certainly a labor of love. In between my trips around the country, I relish the opportunity to be at home with my hands in the earth. It's a great connection to the small piece of land that is my home and personal touches like our gardens remind me that there is often no better place to be.

As I write this, the path is not much further along than it was after Labor Day weekend. My hope is to get a few more stones in place before I fly out to Rockport on Wednesday, unless Ike changes my plans. Regardless, I'll have a nice project to look forward to when I return.

Thick-billed Kingbird

2008-08-28T14:13:00.008-05:00

On my last trip to the border region of Arizona, I was able to clean up on some life birds, bringing my total North American list nine birds closer to my goal of 600 species. As of today, the list stands at 555. I know those remaining 45 species will not come easy.

On my last day in Arizona, I had a flight to catch around 11 a.m., which gave me time to detour to Patagonia on my way back to the Tucson airport. I was attempting to add one more lifer to the list: the Thick-billed Kingbird. I wasn't certain when I would be in this part of the country next and didn't want to leave without pursuing every new bird that I could.

After striking out on this bird earlier in the trip, I felt my odds of picking it up dwindle as my chances to get out and look got fewer and farther between. This was my last-ditch effort.

In North America, this bird's range is limited to the riparian corridor along the San Pedro River, near Patagonia, Arizona. After searching high and low for an entire morning, I came to the conclusion that this bird's range is actually limited to the sycamore tree at the picnic area on the east side of the road between Patagonia and Nogales. That's where I found this guy, thanks to a tip from a local birder.
The Thick-billed Kingbird is a foliage-loving kingbird that prefers the vegetation of a giant cottonwood or sycamore over a high, open perch, where we find most North American kingbird species. I found this out after spending the better part of a day scanning open perches along the San Pedro, and only finding Tropical Kingbirds and Grey Hawks.

New Swarovski ELs

2008-08-18T13:36:00.008-05:00

Update on this blog post (10/22/09): Swarovski has officially introduced these new binoculars. Information on pricing and pre-orders can be found at Eagle Optics here.

There has been a bit of buzz in the optics business as of late about a newly designed, high-end binocular from Swarovski. Rumblings from the rumor mill and speculation began early this summer and I didn't pay much attention. Since my friend and fellow blogger John Riutta let the cat out of the bag, I'll post what I know here.

The redesigned EL (pictured above) doesn't look entirely unlike the current version that many birders and naturalists have come to love. It's my understanding that under the hood, it is a completely different machine. Judging from my first impressions, I would have to concur. This is very much a new binocular.

Other than minor differences in the binocular's trim, the newer EL distinguishes itself from the current generation with a substantially larger ocular lens, as Clay Taylor proudly points out. It's my understanding that design change facilitated the superb edge sharpness, minimal field curvature, and very generous field of view (approx. 400ft@1000 yds).

New Swarovski ELs on the left, current model on the right

They don't look too different from the outside.

Did I mention that it has a 5 foot close focus???? Corey was impressed. So was I.

I think one of the big questions on the minds of optics nuts and avid birders is "What's this little dandy going to cost me and is it worth it?" I don't know the pricing on this yet, as it hasn't been officially introduced to the US market. I would count on it to be more expensive than any of the competition's glass. These are likely the final days of being able to purchase a Swarovski EL for under $2000.

A Visit to Swarovski Optik

2008-08-07T14:39:00.007-05:00

Above is an image from a clandestine gathering of the United Council of Birding Bloggers. This is a small but influential group of individuals who meet in secret to plot the course of the birdy blogosphere. They are to bird blogging what the Federal Reserve is to US monetary policy. Needless to say, I found myself in some good company.
At this meeting, we were invited to Swarovski Optik's US headquarters to share our insights on blogging and other "new media" with them. I won't bore you with the details here, but read ahead for a virtual tour of Swarovski's technical facilities in Rhode Island.

Here we are, vacating the insides of an SLC binocular of your run of the mill air and replacing it with nitrogen. Once sealed, this will insure that the inside of the binocular remains free of water vapors, making it internally fog-proof.
Corey from 10,000 birds took advantage of an opportunity to upgrade his own eyes to 8.5 power using this patented binocular vision machine. After this, his pupils were topped off with Swaro-Bright coatings to enhance color contrast and low light performance. Now he can bird without needing any binoculars. The downsides are he can no longer drive a vehicle and is only able to focus on objects 10 feet away or further.
This machine directs a laser into the binocular's lens system to calibrate the optic's prism alignment.
Here is what a $2000 binocular looks like before it's put together.

I've heard it said that a binoculars prism is the heart of the optical system. This piece of mirrored glass accounts for a great deal of the performance birders experience with fine Austrian optics. Stay tuned for a sneak peak at the newest addition to the Swarovski Optik catalog....

Birding SE Arizona

2008-08-07T11:56:00.006-05:00

Right now I'm in Sierra Vista, AZ at the Southwest Wings Birding Festival. This is one of my favorite places to bird in the entire country. The birds are fantastic and the landscape is absolutely stunning. I managed to do some birding near Tucson yesterday before getting ready for the festival and it was productive to say the least.
Thus far I have seen 8 lifebirds on this trip, and managed to digiscope 4 of them. Pictured above is the only image I was able to get of a Common Blackhawk. Not the cleanest of shots, though enough to identify the species. The Flame-colored Tanager (above) was a great find, as it's normal range is limited to mountain ranges in Mexico. This particular individual in Madera Canyon could very well be the only one currently in the US. A fantastic bird indeed!
I know this looks a lot like a Blue-grey Gnatcatcher but it's actually a female Black-capped Gnatcatcher. It can really only be distinguished by differences in range and a slightly different vocalization. The males are more readily differentiated by a prominent black cap.
The Varied bunting is another one of the new birds I saw. It's found in the same habitat as the Black-capped gnatcatchers, lower elevation desert scrub. One of the factors contributing to the fantastic birding here is the variation in habitat, primarily based on elevation. In the mountains you will find trogons, Olive Warblers, and Montezuma Quail while lower elevations provide habitat for a whole host of other specialty species including Rufous-Winged sparrows, Gnatcatchers, and the Varied Bunting.
Here's the list of new birds for those who care:

Common Blackhawk
Gilded Flicker
Black-Tailed Gnatcatcher
Flame-Colored Tanager
Black-Tailed Gnatcatcher
Hepatic Tanager
Varied Bunting
Rufous-Winged Sparrow

Roseate Tern

2008-08-04T09:03:00.007-05:00

I just returned from a fantastic trip to Rhode Island where I got a tour of the Swarovski Optik facilities (more on that later) and had a chance to spend a day birding on Cape Cod. The birding was fantastic and I managed to pick up another lifebird getting me one more closer to my quest of 600 birds.

The Roseate Tern (pictured above) can be distinguished from the Common Tern by checking out a couple of key features. First note that the mantle (back of bird) is more pale along with the lighter, white edged outer primary feathers. Also, the tail extends well beyond the wing tips.

You can also see the darker colored wing tips of the Common Terns in the background, compared to the paler tips of the Roseate Tern. These two species often nest together in colonies. Soon, both of these species will begin their southern journey to overwinter along the northern coast of South America.

I will begin my own journey south tomorrow as I board a plane to Tucson for the Southwest Wings Birding Festival. I've got more tales to tell about my recent trip to New England as well, so stay tuned.

Flipping through images and hitting the road....

2008-07-25T12:09:00.004-05:00

I've been going through my hard drive and I found these images that hadn't been posted anywhere yet, so here they are!

Next week I will be going to a bird blogging event hosted by Swarovski Optik in Rhode Island. This is going to mark the beginning of my fall travel season. I will be running around the country in a manner not unlike that of the Ruddy Turnstone pictured below.

Between now and December I will be traveling to the following birding hot spots:

Sierra Vista, Arizona
Watsonville, California
Rockport, Texas
Jekyll Island, GA
Pleasant Hill, CA
Costa Rica/Panama (this one is for fun, not work!)
Socorro, NM

See it while you can.....

2008-07-18T13:44:00.007-05:00

The Rio Grande Valley in South Texas is one of my all-time favorite birding destinations. The habitat is excellent, the locals are wonderful, and the food is amazing in this part of the country. I haven't even mentioned the birds yet.

Green Jays
Great Kiskadees
Red-billed Pigeons
Green Kingfisher
Hook-billed Kite
Least Grebe
Clay-colored Robin (pictured above)

This list is just a fraction of the species that can only be found in the US within this small section of riparian habitat barely north of the Texas/Mexico border.

There are two reasons why I'm featuring this birding haven in this blog post. The most pressing of the two is that 2008 may be your last time to see some of these tropical birds in the US. As most of you know, the government has decided it would be a good idea to construct a giant wall to separate us from our neighbors to the south. This wall will end up passing through, and either cut off access to or destroy most of, the prime bird habitat in the Rio Grande Valley. One's odds of seeing a Brown Jay, Red-billed Pigeon, or Muscovy Duck in the United States are going to be sharply reduced once this wall is up. The whole ecological and human tragedy of this is too big to get into much detail here. Those who are looking for more information can check out websites such as www.notexasborderwall.com. David Sibley also posted his thoughts at his blog. If you've been procrastinating on getting down to the Valley to go birding, this would be a good year to make that trip.

While you're at it, why not hit all those birding hot-spots while attending field trips hosted by the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival? This is such a worthwhile event to attend. I get to travel to many different birding events on an annual basis, and this is always one of my absolute favorites. The trip leaders are some of the best in the business, while the other activities and seminars invariably prove to be both fun and interesting. I've gone to this festival for the last 8 years and will very reluctantly have to miss this year's. Hopefully when I get back in 2009, I will be able to chase down that Muscovy Duck life bird. I'm not crossing my fingers, though.

A Portrait

2008-07-10T17:12:00.005-05:00

Well the birding has been kind of slow and I'm not really traveling much these days, hence there's been less bloggin' action here at 600 Birds than I would otherwise like.

For the benefit of all you readers who have never met or seen me before, I thought I would post this portrait of me that was a collaborative effort by my five and seven-year old daughters.

Next time you're at a birding festival and see someone resembling the above caricature, be sure to stop by and say hi!

Longboarding in Mt. Horeb....

2008-06-26T17:18:00.006-05:00

There is no shortage of long, smooth, steep hills in Mt. Horeb, WI where I live. Shortly after I moved there, some local friends and I decided to get longboards and see what kind of fun we could have. Between the 3 of us, we've only destroyed one of our 6 ACLs!
We typically cruise the streets after 9pm. By this time our kids are usually in bed and traffic is pretty low. Last weekend we broke from our routine and got a permit for a "street rally", which allowed us to get one of our favorite hills closed off for the afternoon. Not having to worry about cars meant we could focus on more important things, like going faster.

Jeff Scott wonders why we don't ask the village to close off streets more often.

Marbleseed Prairie

2008-06-20T15:26:00.004-05:00

Recently I made the 15-minute trek from my house to Marbleseed Prairie in search of Bell's Vireos. A short grass prairie remnant with scattered thickets of dense shrubs, Marbleseed Prairie is the ideal habitat for this bird.

Bell's Vireo is one of those birds on my "target list" that has managed to elude me for a number of years, despite the close proximity of nesting sites to my home. It always seems much easier for me to find time to bird in Texas, Florida, California, etc. while I'm on the road than it is to pry myself away from family, work, and household obligations that inevitably pile up when I'm home.
A few weekends ago, in between dropping the kids off at birthday parties and swimming lessons, I had 2 hours to myself to get out on the prairie. When I arrived, I was delighted to see one of my favorite prairie plants in bloom, Creamy False Indigo (Baptisia leucophaea).
This Willow Flycatcher and its mate were not shy about informing me that they had staked a claim somewhere in the vicinity of the parking area. The loud "Fitz-bew" cry was the first call to greet me as I stepped out of my car.
Another shortgrass prairie plant that caught my eye was this Hoary puccoon (Lithospermum canescens).
This House Wren caught my attention for a moment with a call that was very Bell's Vireo-like, so much so that I stopped to find the bird for a quick confirmation. While I was disappointed that I had this common wren in my binos rather than the vireo, my birding diligence paid off as a Bell's Vireo flew into the tree directly above me and began belting out it's distinctive call, said to resemble the sound of a squeaky marker on a dry-erase board. This shy and elusive bird didn't stop for long as it quickly flew off, presumably in search of creatures more interesting than I.

Like the vireo, I had places to be and obligations to my offspring. Swimming lessons and birthday parties were drawing to a close and we had a date in Madison to forage with some friends at a pizza place.

Wedding Bells in Boulder

2008-06-19T16:32:00.005-05:00

Tim is a long-time friend of mine who I have known for over 18 years. He's a writer, teacher, and artist working on an MFA at the university in Boulder, CO. Last weekend he got married.

Roger is Tim's friend who I met for the first time in Boulder. He was my roommate while I was in town for the wedding. Roger is a fan of punk music and Robert Crumb. We got on well from the start.
To pass the time before Tim's wedding, we played Frisbee Golf in various non-sanctioned public places around downtown Boulder. The greenhouse pictured above was hit no more than 3 times by errant discs. We did our best to be courteous to those who we shared the space with.

Pedestrian coming.

Coast is clear.

This was an environmentally friendly event. To reduce our carbon footprint, we used public transportation to get to the wedding.

Everyone had a good time...

...and at the end of they day, my friends were married.
Congrats Tim and Dana!

Guatemala

2008-06-10T16:38:00.009-05:00

Here is an assemblage of images from my recent trip to Guatemala. Nikon had hosted this trip to launch their new EDG binoculars. On this trip were many notables from the birding industry ranging from retailers like myself to product reviewers, tour leaders, and magazine editors. I was using the 7x42 EDG. They featured an amazing depth of field and field of view, accompanied by outstandingly crisp optics.

Nikon's new introduction to the high-end binocular market will fit in nicely and compete well with the current top offerings from European manufacturers such as Leica, Zeiss, and Swarovski.

We flew into Guatemala City but soon boarded a bus for the mountains and countryside. As we proceeded to higher elevations, the sugar cane fields morphed into rubber tree, coffee, and tea plantations.

The digiscoping opportunities were limited primarily due to lower light and rainy conditions in the forests. The dense foliage made it challenging to see many birds, much less digiscope them. Some of the birds I was able to capture included the Cinnamon Hummingbird, Clay-Colored Robin, and Green-throated Mountain Gem, all pictured above.

Pictured here are the the excited tour participants getting their first taste of tropical birding on the trip, the morning after we arrived in Guatemala City. The first stop was a preserve called Finca Patrocinio.

The look on Pete Dunne's face best

captures how we all felt that morning as the tropical birds introduced themselves to many of us for the first time. The sights, smells, and sounds elicited grins all around.

Mike Frieburg, the product specialist in the birding market for Nikon, stares angelically into the canopy of the cloud forest at Los Andes private reserve. Unfortunately, there were no sightings of our target bird for that day, the Resplendent Quetzal.
While one half of our group was exploring the cloud forest, the other half was treated to wonderful views of this Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl found at the estate house.

There was speculation that the owl's prey was a Golden-crowned warbler. The picture above was taken at the hotel in Guatemala City on our final morning of the trip. The amenities in Guatemala were wonderful!

Getting Lost

2008-05-27T12:48:00.010-05:00

This past weekend I took some time to do something that I rarely have the chance to do. I woke up early on Saturday morning to do some birding and hiking at a friend's property near by. I find myself traveling often enough, that when I have the chance to be home, I generally hang out with my family rather than bird. The final calls of spring migration this weekend were a bit much for me to resist however.

Ken and Pat's place is a mix of Oak woodlands, Savannah, and Maple forest with bits of prairie and wetlands scattered about. Among the stone outcroppings I found Veerys, Swainson's Thrushes, and Catbirds vying for my camera's attention.

In the tree canopy were Magnolia Warblers, Mourning Warblers, American Redstarts, and Black and White Warblers.

Because I went went out with the goal of getting some good bird pictures before the end of migration, I chose to walk where the lighting was best, rather than walking the trail that I'm familiar with.

After following the calls of some Rose-breasted Grosbeaks which ultimately eluded me, I found myself in the location pictured above. This is a charming Maple grove that I figured was 4 stream crossings and 3 ridgetops from where I started, and most certainly off the beaten path. It was at this point that I turned around and realized I was lost. After a bit of creative bushwhacking and traversing a few steep valleys, I stumbled upon familiar territory. With no place in particular to be that morning, it was a fine time to get lost.

We spent Sunday afternoon canoeing the Wisconsin River with a number of our close friends. It was sunny and warm. Perfect conditions for paddling and relaxing. With the mix of five canoes and one kayak various paddling skills, kids, and dogs, it doesn't take a stretch of the imagination to understand how a canoe at the rear can make a wrong turn and get separated from the rest of us. In this instance I'm glad to report that it wasn't me who got lost. We made ourselves comfortable at a sandbar and found a myriad of ways to kill time, from kite flying to badminton and Frisbee. It was a wonderful occasion to have fun and catch up with friends who I don't get to see often enough due to my busy travel schedule.

Here's Mandi, a 6 week old Border Collie pup who is taking on the world, one kite at a time.

We were eventually reunited with the lost party of paddlers and made it back to shore in time to be treated to a wonderful lightning show followed by thunderstorms. Overall, it was a nice finale to the weekend.

Pelicans!

2008-05-21T11:09:00.002-05:00

Flying Around

2008-05-20T16:30:00.004-05:00

I spent some time today looking back at some of the images I took at the shorebird festival in Homer, AK and a few other places I've been this spring. These two shots of shorebirds in flight resonate with me as I reflect back on my travels. It was a busy spring full of projects, events, work and family. Always on the move, I often felt surrounded by "the buzz" as I passed through airports and worked with the crowds of nature enthusiasts at festivals.

I've been back home for about a week now, and finally feel like I've found a bit of order amidst the activity. So what's next???? Spring in Wisconsin is fantastic and I'll look forward to soaking in the sights and sounds of the migrant songbirds in the woods near my home. I think I might even be able to get in a bit of digiscoping this week as well as spending some quality time with good friends as we paddle down the Wisconsin River this weekend. But first, I'm going to get some much needed rest.....

Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival

2008-05-08T01:18:00.002-05:00

Above is a picture of the Homer spit taken from the hills above Homer Alaska. The spit is a 1.5 mile peninsula of land that juts out into the Kachemak Bay. I'm writing this blog from the very tip of that spit, at a place called Land's End. Here on the spit, there is a Bald Eagle or two on almost every lamp post, Halibut fishing is king, and this time of year, the shorebirds are coming in thickly. It's a great place to host a birding festival.
While not a regular visitor to this part of Alaska, these Emperor Geese were a delightful surprise to find at one of the local birding hot-spots, Beluga Slough.
Even though it's not a shorebird, these geese will be a highlight of the festival for many of the participants, as well as a new species to add to their bird checklists, mine included.

Hummingbirds

2008-05-02T15:02:00.007-05:00

Here is Bill Thompson III with a Ruby-throated hummingbird he caught with his bare hands.

Bill loves hummingbirds, especially with a slice of tomato and some mayonnaise.

Backyard Birding in San Benito Texas

2008-05-02T14:10:00.002-05:00

After last Sunday's Big Sit, I took the day off to get some rest at a friends house in San Benito, TX. As it turned out, I didn't have to go any further than her backyard to witness the spectacular migrant fall-out after Sunday night's front went through.

I couldn't resist the urge to get out of the house and do some digiscoping in the backyard!

An Eastern Wood PeeWee

A rare find anywhere in the US, this female Cerulean warbler was the highlight migrant of the day!

This Nashville warbler looked a little travel weary.

Summer Tanager

Yellow Warbler

GTBC Big Sit Round Up

2008-04-28T11:05:00.004-05:00

As the afternoon progressed yesterday, there were certain birds that decided to join us on our big sit. Among them was this White-eyed Vireo.

Passers by saw our signage and asked questions about the big sit.

As a front was moving in, Jeff was prayin' for a good fallout.

The front brought a few new birds, and a lot of rain.

Here are the Groovy Billed Anis, seeking refuge in the Men's room of the South Padre Island Convention Center. As the rain came so did evening and we were forced to call it quits as the sun fell. We had a great time and ended up with a total of 127 species, beating the previous Big Sit record at this location.

South Padre Island Big Sit: Part 2

2008-04-27T10:30:00.003-05:00

Above is Jeff Gordon, manning the spotting scope sometime around 8:00 this morning. Right now it's about 10:40 and we're sitting around 105 species and Jeff is napping. The action had been fast paced though it's showing signs of slowing down now, as most of the birds we are seeing have already been counted. If we can pull out 30 more species for the day, we will be doing very well. I'm crossing my fingers that one of the birds that I will set eyes on before the end of the day is a Magnificent Frigatebird. That's the most likely candidate for a new bird that will get me another species closer to my goal of 600.

South Padre Big Sit

2008-04-27T05:45:00.003-05:00

For those of you new to the concept of a Big Sit, I recommend watching the following quick and informative video:

Right now, in addition to blogging, I am big sitting! It's 5:51 in the morning here on South Padre Island and The Groovy Billed Anis have recorded 25 species thus far. Who are the Groovy Billed Anis??? That would be the all-star birding team sponsored by Eagle Optics and Birdwatchers Digest that is competing in this years Great Texas Birding Classic. Team members include myself, Jeff and Liz Gordon, Terry and Marci Fuller, and Bill Thompson III.

Bill, Jeff, and Liz have been here at the South Padre Island Convention Center, where we are headquartered, since approximately 2 A.M. Currently, our birding is limited to species we can hear, hence I can blog and bird at the same time.....

I'm hoping to update 600 Birds with pictures and tales of our Big Sit throughout the day. Stay tuned for more riveting action, Live from the South Padre Island Convention Center!

The Booby and the Brit

2008-04-18T16:34:00.011-05:00

So I'm just getting around to processing all the experiences and photos from Florida's Birding and Fotofest in St. Augustine. The digiscoping seminars and birding experiences were only enhanced by the great camaraderie among the exhibitors, attendees, and guest speakers.
I ended up returning from this trip with 3 new bird species, bringing my quest to 600 up to 535. Among the more notable of these sightings was my unanticipated encounter with a Brown Booby (Sula lecuogaster). The reason that I say this sighting was unanticipated is that Boobies are sea birds, seldom seen from shore. When I heard that I could go to the St. John's county pier and see one, I imagined myself setting up my scope at the end of the pier and scanning out into the ocean for a distant bird diving in the water for food or maybe perched on a buoy or some other marine structure. To sum it up, I was expecting a distant, barely identifiable view of this bird.
As it turns out this was a bizarre booby.

I pulled into the parking lot to the pier and was soon accompanied by Steve Ingraham and Paul Hackett from Zeiss. Paul was a featured guest at the festival, visiting from the enchanted land of Britain (Manchester to be exact). I was excited to play the role of hospitable American and show Paul the Booby, which was a life bird for him as well. It turns out that we were able to garner fantastic views and photos of this Booby as it lounged at the end of this fishing pier, oblivious to the fisherman and sight-seers. We birders were the only spectacle to behold as we donned our cameras and floppy hats, exclaiming what a wonderful bird sighting this was, etc....

The fishermen thought we were crazy, of course, but that didn't stop us from having our fun. It's very likely that the Booby thought we were crazy too.

Here Paul trys to tempt the Booby with a piece of shrimp. The bird acted like it knew better than to take seafood from an Englishman.

Florida Birding and FotoFest....

2008-04-15T23:53:00.007-05:00

I had a great time in St. Augustine Florida. More posts to follow. For the moment I'll leave you with some of my favorite images from the event.

Leaving Spring Behind....For A Little While

2008-04-08T15:26:00.008-05:00

As I prepare to leave for Florida tomorrow, I'll be thinking of the wonderful coming of spring that I will be leaving behind temporarily. This past weekend I was able to do a little digiscoping in the backyard while I was grilling our dinner.

When Spring Goes By
by Duncan Campbell Scott

The winds that on the uplands softly lie,
Grow keener where the ice is lingering still
Where the first robin on the sheltered hill
Pipes blithely to the tune, "When Spring goes by!"
Hear him again, "Spring! Spring!" He seems to cry,
Haunting the fall of the flute-throated rill,
That keeps a gentle, constant, silver thrill,
While he is restless in his ecstasy.

Ah! the soft budding of the virginal woods,
Of the frail fruit trees by the vanishing lakes:
There's the new moon where the clear sunset floods,
A trace of dew upon the rose leaf sky;
And hark! what rapture the glad robin wakes-
"When Spring goes by; Spring! Spring! When
Spring goes by."

Chicago here we come!

2008-04-04T14:26:00.008-05:00

Generally when I get to travel for work here at Eagle Optics, I'm getting on a plane to go somewhere south or west of here. While this next trip is taking me south, I won't be getting on a plane when I depart tomorrow morning. My co-worker Kristin and I are heading to the Windy City to do an optics event with Chicago Audubon.

The event, as described on Chicago Audubon's website is as follows:

CHICAGO AUDUBON'S ANNUAL EAGLE OPTICS DAY! SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 2008. 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. North Park Village Nature Center. 5801-D North Pulaski Rd. SAVE THE DATE for the annual visit from the largest independent dealer of high quality binoculars, scopes, and all types of optic equipment which will take place at the North Park Village Nature Center. Experts will be available all day to help answer questions or help you make decisions about binoculars and all other types of optic equipment. Light refreshments will be available and there is plenty of parking. For those who have never attended one of these exciting events and have never been to the Nature Center, it is located in North Park Village. The entrance to North Park Village is at the first stoplight south of the intersection of Pulaski and Peterson. If you need help with directions, just call our office at 773-539-6793. A portion of sales from this important event goes to support the programs of the Chicago Audubon Society. Mark your calendars!

We have been doing this event with the good folks at Chicago Audubon for quite a few years now and it's nice to go back each year and see all the familiar faces. This is also a great opportunity for any optics enthusiasts in the Chicago metro area to get their hands on large assortment of different optics to compare and evaluate. The icing on the cake is that a portion of all the sales is returned to Chicago Audubon to support the good work they do.

Friends Don't Let Friends Skimp on Tripods.....

2008-04-01T15:22:00.006-05:00

It's a story told all too often....Bob decides it's time to buy a spotting scope and he wants to get the best scope possible for his budget of $700. There's just one problem; Bob forgot that he needs a tripod in order to use a spotting scope. Not wanting to cut into his scope budget, Bob decides that he can get by with a $50 tripod from his local department store. Bob just skimped on a tripod and consequently, Bob is doing a great disservice to his investment in a new spotting scope.

The correlation between stability and performance can be observed and appreciated in any optical system working at a high level of magnification. With most spotting scopes functioning from 20-60x magnification, stability becomes a huge factor in the quality of one's observations. If it worked well for your camera, it doesn't mean that your light-duty tripod will be suitable for a spotting scope.

Pictured above are two scopes and tripods of different qualities. On the left we have a $700 Bushnell scope on a $250 Bogen tripod. On the right we have a $2000 Zeiss scope on a $50 tripod. If I were to pick one outfit to take on a birding trip with me, it would be the Bushnell outfit on the left. With the shakiness and instability of the small, light duty tripod on the Zeiss scope, despite it's higher grade lenses, any user is going to miss out on a lot of critical detail that can only be resolved with the benefit of a solid platform for the scope. The bottom line, be prepared to budget $200+ for a tripod, and you will be rewarded with better views, regardless of how much you spent on your scope.

Ammodramus Caudacutus

2008-03-27T14:49:00.007-05:00

Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow, or Ammodramus caudacutus as it's known to my bird-geek friends, is one of my target birds on an upcoming trip to St. Augustine, Florida. I'm very excited about attending Florida's Birding and FotoFest from April 10-13th, and not just because I may catch a glimpse of this adorable orange-headed sparrow.

I consider this event to be one-of-a-kind not only for birding, but because of its emphasis on photography. Two of my favorite things! For the purists, there will be lots of workshops and seminars on capturing images with the traditional, high-dollar super lenses for today's digital SLR cameras. For those with a sense of adventure and an appetite for something new and innovative, there will be more information and experts about digiscoping here than at any other event of its kind. Swarovski, Leica, and Zeiss will all host world-renowned digiscopers from the US and abroad, including Paul Hackett, Bill Schmoker, and Neil Fifer. I'm looking forward to not only meeting and hanging out with these guys for a few days, but teaching seminars and showcasing photos alongside them at the annual Digiscoping Image Shoot Out!

Now back to the Sparrow, Ammodramus caudacutus. The Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow spends a great deal of its time foraging for insects while close to the ground. In general, birds that live in dense habitat and spend most of their time near the ground are difficult to find and see.

This sparrow is closely related to the more widespread Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow, which I have seen a few times here in Wisconsin. At one time, these were considered to be the same species. The image below was captured at a local sewage treatment facility by my friend Mike.

Unlike the Nelson's variety, the Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow is found almost exclusively in coastal saltmarshes (imagine that!). I don't know if my legions of readers have spent time around saltmarshes. If you haven't, we have to add to the level of bird-finding difficulty the fact that you can't exactly walk up to these birds. When birding in thick and wet vegetation, one is often left to wait for the birds to come to them. All of these challenges will nonetheless make my first sighting of this delightful, little bird that much more gratifying. Let's hope that by this time next month, I'll be one bird closer to 600.

On Digiscoping

2008-03-25T14:37:00.006-05:00

As digiscoping is going to be one of the primary facets of this blog, it seems appropriate to begin with a post about what I love about this blend of birding and photography. It's simple and fun.

Simple in that you can just hold a camera up to the scope and shoot a picture. My 7 year old could do it if I gave her a scope and camera.

Fun in that it has really enhanced my enjoyment of wildlife observation. I find that when I'm digiscoping, all the movements and body language of my subject become so much more important to capturing the picture. I tend not to focus so much on how many birds I'm finding, but rather what the birds in front of me at any given moment are doing. This observation and appreciation of behavior has certainly made me a better birder and photographer. I've also found it to contribute to a higher quality birding experience overall.

Digiscoping equipment runs the gamut of costs and complexity. Among the easiest, ready to use set-ups out of the box are offerings from Zeiss and Nikon, though almost any camera and scope combination can be put together with a simple, universal adapter.

Welcome!

2008-03-24T15:46:00.008-05:00

So I guess this would be the first post of my blog. Welcome fans and readers! Why blog??? Well I guess I was encouraged by my colleague, friend, and blog mentor Mike McDowell who convinced me that the things I do and the places I travel may be of interest to others.
Thanks Mike! (pictured below)

As I travel I'm often birding and digiscoping. 600 Birds, the name of this blog, is a reference to the challenge I have placed before myself of having seen and identified my 600th bird species in the US by January of 2010. As of this posting, I've got 67 species to go. Those next 67 birds will be elusive, though with help from some friends, I'm certain that I'll get there.