So I contact a friend and fellow birder about an Audubon bird count and we arranged to count birds this past weekend. He's terribly experienced at this and made some recommendations for the day which included listening for owls. OK, that sounded interesting.
We headed out early Saturday morning and found a spot on a remote country road lined with big pines. We pulled off the road and he pulled his boom box out of the back seat. We stood in the dark of night, facing the pines, and turned on the boom box which had a tape of owl noises we projected into the woods.
I raised my eyebrow at the thought of trying to coerce the owls into talking to us. At one point, after several minutes of hooting, I looked out the corner of my eye to my friend and said......"this is supposed to work, right?" "Yes.........I know you think I'm nuts.........I thought the same thing the first time I went out." "OK" I said. A little more time went by. Then we left. We headed over to a private wildlife park.........where we saw a Pileated Woodpecker and a Barred Owl, but without having to hoot to it. Owls are cool, and seldom seen. I saw a Great Horned Owl last spring surrounded by crows. It was amazing. We also saw a Rough Legged Hawk on Saturday-that was amazing too. Probably could do this again next year.....not sure about the hooting though.
Ode to a Truck
Wednesday, I took my travel companion on its last trip, from which it didn't come home with me. I took it for a drive the day before, to...
-
A way out in the country, down a secluded gravel road lies a small cemetery perched on a knoll, around which the road makes four severe turn... -
So, I've passed through this tiny little Pulaski County town between San Pierre and Medaryville often enough that it's quite amaz...
3 comments:
Ok partner, now the whole world could potentially know that we went "owling"....that is the last time I drag out that tape or the old boom box! I can just imagine what your better half thought when you told her we had done that!? I think we had a good morning considering the weather. As we talked during our count, I enjoy birding because it gets me connected with the outdoors and raises my level of awareness of what is going on around me. The variety of birds here in river city is unknown to the vast majority of residents. The next count is the annual Mothers Day Count...we don't have to do it that day but should do it as close to Mothers Day as possible. I have done this one many times and it is getting more difficult to do, as it seems to green up sooner each preceeding year...I wont make you owl but I know a great spot over by Lake of the Woods where we have witnessed "warblers" almost dropping out of the sky in waves on their migration north!!!! We would really welcome other readers to join us!
Mother's Day? You mean my lovely wife, and yours, may get to join us for a count? I'm sure she'd like that!
Hoosier Reborn
hey great Idea we could take them to breakfast at the log house and maybe by May those big black snakes will be hanging in the bushes at PWP!
Post a Comment