Saturday, January 19, 2008

Looking Ahead In 2008


Now that I shared some of my favorite birding experiences of 2007....."What do I have planned for the rest of 2008?" Here are a few ideas that I have in mind:

When I first started the blog I thought that I'd be posting five times a week. I've decided that posting a minimum of twice a week is a pace that I'm more comfortable with. I'll probably post more often during Spring and Fall migration.

  • I have some ideas for posts that are a little--unusual--I guess. I plan on posting them with the label "Wacky Wednesdays" in order to make it clear that they are just for fun and not to be taken too seriously.
  • It would be nice if I could find someone who would like to be a guest blogger before year's end.
  • My wife, Joan, has been proofreading my blog to look for mistakes and sentences which are poorly phrased, etc. I like having her involved because it makes her more tolerant of the time that I spend birding and on the computer .-Don't tell her though-I wouldn't want her to know that I'm such a master of psychology!

On My Wish List:

  • Upgrade in binoculars-(Preferably Swarovski, Leica, etc).
  • New scope and tripod-I'm a little more open minded for my options on this one.
  • One of those bird-pod gadgets that plays back bird songs.
  • Some new camping equipment-A cot, mini-propane stove, and led lantern.
  • A portable bird blind so that I might get some better photos.
  • I'd like to take Joan on a nice vacation-(At a location that would have different species than what I can see in Connecticut).---The key word here is wish.-I seriously doubt that I'll get everything on this list.- Unless, I win the lotto -and I don't play the lotto so my odds of winning it are probably fairly low.

Birding Goals:

  • I would like to make use of "e-bird". I've been putting that off for awhile.
  • Lead or organize a couple of local field trips for beginning birders.
  • Capture and upload some audio clips of spring migrants. I haven't figured how to upload strictly audio.
  • Take some video of Spring Migrants-particularly thrushes and warblers.
  • Explore at least 2 new places per month.
  • Learn to fly much in the way a bird does (think of how much gas I could save).
  • Continue to improve my identification skills.

The above is just a few of my thoughts on what I'd like to do this year!

What are your goals & wishes in regards to birding, blogging, and nature for this year?

15 comments:

Lana Gramlich said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog & taking the time to comment. Thought I'd return the favor. :)
eBird is a wonderful resource. I've been posting there for about a year now & can rely on my stats from last year to anticipate what can happen this year (when the cardinals explode with chicks, for example.)
Good luck on the flying, though. Let me know when you get that mastered. ;)
To answer your question, personally I'm not much of a goal setter (unless forced.) I prefer to "ride the wave" & have found that some pretty amazing things can happen when things aren't thought out too much in advance. That was how I found the nature center right by my house, actually. I just kinda stumbled upon it!
Good luck with your wish list. You may be surprised down the road to look back & find you got everything you wanted, after all.

Jayne said...

LOL Larry. Love your lists. I'd like a bird blind too in order to get a wee bit closer to the action. Sounds like Joan is quite the trooper! My goal for the year is to truly GET OUT of my own backyard. I know, I know... I keep saying it and then not doing it.

steadyjohn said...

Yeah, I'm pretty much a back yard, or rather back porch, birder. Btw, I had a Pine Grosbeak on my back porch feeder this AM. A first for me. As for bird song audio, I have a bunch of early Cornell U. and other vinyl records I was thinking of transferring to CD. Tell me how you plan to record your bird audio, in what format etc and will give you some ideas on saving and exporting it. I hope to finish my listing of the birding material I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. Will let you all know about it later today, maybe!

Anonymous said...

Looks like wonderful goals for 2008! Doing 5-6 times a week is hard for sure! Good luck doing everything else and can't wait to see what you end up doing!

Larry said...

lana Gramlich-I set goals in order to motivate me to do a little more than I would have otherwise.-I usually reach goals way beyond the time that I set them.-Interesting blog you have!

Jayne-I'll be looking forward to your beyond the yard posts Jayne!

Steadyjohn-I record it on my Canon S2 IS camera.-I'm not sure which format that is.-Pine Grosbeak! -Do you live in Middletown John? If so-that is a major event that the Grosbeaks have moved down this far!

Monarch-I'm certainly impressed with your ability to turn out quality posts and commment on others posts!

steadyjohn said...

Yes, I'm in Middletown. I only caught a fleeting glance of the bird (lots of read, no crest) and no photo.I will keep on the lookout though. I read that Pine Grosbeak were spotted last week in Kent CT (Housatonic region)

Ruth said...

Great lists. My goals is to have fun while observing nature and blogging. I walk primarily for exercise and to enjoy the whole nature experience. The birds I see along the way are an added bonus. I will continue to learn from bloggers like you.

Anonymous said...

Finally, as promised, (sort of) the large bird lore lot I am selling. Here's the Ebay link.

steadyjohn said...

Sorry, the last post is from me . I don't know why I was called anonymous.

The Zen Birdfeeder said...

Great list! Get's me thinkin' too!
Tops on my wish list is do get a new camera with a few more megapixels (don't we always need more than we have?)
Good luck on your goals and aspirations!

Anonymous said...

I hope your wishes are fulfilled.

Mary said...

Larry,

You are a good goal setter. I give Joan a lot of credit for taking an interest in what you do, in her own special way.

I guess my goal is to leave my back yard more often and explore birding spots within 30 miles from where I live. And make time to do it - that's the hard part.

And, oh, I would absolutely love a portable blind! I've been thinking about one for a long time.

When I used to post 5-6 times a week, I'm only posting twice lately. I'd like to step it up a bit.

Good luck in 2008! I'll be following you.

Mary

Kathie Brown said...

Larry, I have just started eBirding and now I am obsessed! I have always kept track of the birds I have seen and the places I have seen them, but entering it all into eBird is TIME consuming! Still, because we have lived all over the U.S. and I have visited family in various states, I have quite a lot of information. I am currently up to 241 species on my life list and I haven't even started entering data from my trip to Florida in 2003! The downside is I've only made one Blog entry since I started entering information! On an interesting note, I happened to see a pine grosbeak in South Killingly, CT on Dec. 15, 1982 when I lived there!

Anonymous said...

Larry,
Some great goals for 2008, especially the flying bit! Seriously, using e-bird and leading trips for fledgling birders, good stuff. My goals are a little less ambitious. I'd like to get at least 200 south central PA birds and enjoy my birding as much as possible. The rest I'll figure out as I go along.
Bird on!
Vern

Unknown said...

I'll have to check out e-bird. I'm letting you bird for me right now. It is too cold around here and with construction in my back yard I kind of gave up on the feeder. I'm looking forward to the spring migration when I can sit outside in the sun with my camera, coffee cup and a book while I bird watch. As for bigger goals? I'll have to see.
I hope you get to achieve your yearly goals.