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Courtesy of US Fish and Wildlife Service
Florida spared me. Thanks to a business trip there last week, I’ve managed to squeak by another two weeks in the Bird-A-Day challenge. Clearly this is a nomad’s game. If you’re willing to climb behind the wheel of a car, log a few extra frequent flyer miles, or don a life jacket, you’re probably going to do well.
While journalism can lend itself to travel, I actually spend most of my time in an office. So it was by pure luck to have a chance to visit the Sunshine State in mid-winter. The assignment: to cover the plight of Florida’s roseate spoonbill.
Now there’s a bizarre bird. Paddle-billed and bright pink, it has been more than once mistaken for a flamingo. Fortunately it also enjoys the company of other birds. My list grew: short-tailed hawk, reddish egret, white pelican, white-winged dove, anhinga. There were tons of other beautiful birds to count as well, but the rules of the game clearly state that you must use only one species per day. I wish I could have snuck a few Florida birds in my suitcase.
Back in New York the game continued to get harder. It took a fairly long car ride to encounter upwards of a hundred tundra swans floating on a Pennsylvania lake. If it weren’t for a suspicious movement, I would have missed Monday’s brown creeper camouflaged on a tree behind my house. Tuesday was graced by a generous sharp-shinned hawk that swooped over our car on the way to my son’s daycare. Wednesday and Thursday required some sacrifice. Gadwall and bufflehead are regulars on my riverside commute. Even though they should be departing soon for breeding grounds further north, it wasn’t easy to count them before they’re fully taxiing toward the runway.
And today’s bird? Well, this one is tough. I hate to count it now. Better to save it a little while longer. Alas, it’s the bird that revealed itself on a day when 50-degree temperatures (and pushy squirrels) made my feeders less appealing. Yes, it was a beautiful day. So much so, this cardinal was singing.
Whether you started the Bird-A-Day Challenge on January 1st or yesterday, you can find additional info and updates here. The following is my latest Bird-A-Day List. Share what you’re seeing here on The Perch, on Audubon Magazine’s Facebook page, and on Twitter using #birdaday.
BIRD-A-DAY?LIST
January 2012
New Year’s Day: Red-Throated Loon??
Day 2: Greater Scaup??
3: Common Merganser? ?
4: Black Duck??
5: Red-shouldered Hawk?
6: Canvasback?
7: Northern Gannet?
8: Lesser Scaup?
9: Red-bellied Woodpecker?
10: Brant?
11: Fish Crow?
12: Hooded Merganser?
13: Northern Harrier?
14: Pied-billed Grebe?
15:Bonaparte’s Gull?
16:Horned Grebe?
17: Common Goldeneye?
18: Dark-eyed Junco?
19: Common Raven?
20: Hairy Woodpecker
21: Horned Lark
22: Snow Goose
23: Northern Mockingbird
24: Black Vulture
25: Great Cormorant
26: House Finch
27: White-Breasted Nuthatch
28: Northern Shrike
29: White-winged Scoter
30: Turkey
31: Bald Eagle
February
1st, Day 32: Golden-crowned Kinglet
2nd, Day 33: Northern Pintail
3rd, Day 34: White-throated Sparrow
4th, Day 35: Carolina Chickadee
5th, Day 36:: Magnificent Frigatebird
6th, Day 37: : Short-tailed Hawk
7th, Day 38: Reddish Egret
8th, Day 39: Roseate Spoonbill
9th, Day 40: White Pelican
10th, Day 41: White-winged Dove
11th, Day 42: Anhinga
12th, Day 43: Tundra Swan
13th, Day 44: Brown Creeper
14th, Day 45: Sharp-shinned Hawk
15th, Day 46: Gadwall
16th, Day 47: Bufflehead
17th, Day 48: Cardinal