3 Favorite Moments 1ST Tablet Post

     I still use a flip phone and have avoided touch screens up until now. My lack of familiarity with this technology has caused me to miss out on a couple of opportunities.

Trying to write this is like trying to thread a needle while wearing mittens.  

I will get right to the point. My 3 favorite sightings from top to bottom are:  Black-Backed Woodpecker from Victory Vermont ,Fork-tailed Flycatcher from Hadlyme ferry, and American White Pelican which flew over my back yard. The end and Amen!

Back To The Kid-In-The-Field Mentality

 When I was a young boy I didn't know that people who called themselves birders walked around fields specifically looking for birds. Any field meant a treasure hunt for me. I was curious about everything I found whether it be a rusty old farm nail or a dragonfly. It really didn't matter. Everything was fascinating.

 As the years went by, I lost some of that curiosity and excitement. I became more selective about what I was willing to take the time to look at. Now I find myself walking along the predetermined paths looking mostly for birds (Bobolink above). When I as a kid there was no such thing as a path. The only path was between where I was standing and where I wanted to go.

As I wandered around the Frederick White Farm in Durham my memory carried me back to what it was like being a kid out in a field. I was still there looking for bird like I do now..... (Eastern Kingbird above)

 but I also spent time looking at the butterflies (Cabbage White above) and damselflies (Ebony Jewelwing below).  

I can never truly be a kid in a field again but maybe remembering what it was like can add a little spark. 

Just Enough Time For The Power Lines

 I think that many of us, including me, wish we had more time to do the things we want to do. Birding falls into that category. I had only had a little time to spare this weekend so I took a quick trip up to the local power lines. I just noticed that my car is down at the bottom of the picture.

 Another category are the things that I should do. There a lot of things that I should have done but put them on the back burner and went birding instead. The deer seems to be looking down at me in judgment.

 It was only an hour of birding but it was a valuable hour. My trip to the power lines was worth it as I had nice views of Indigo Buntings  and this Prairie Warbler hiding in the cedars. Right now I am locked me into category 3: things that have to be done. Some times you don't get a choice. Birding will have to take a back seat for now but I'm going to try to squeeze in an hour of birding each week.