Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall...I Am a Birder

Ted listens for a response to my Barred Owl call

I have to admit, before this year, I didn't do a lot of winter birding.  I usually got out during peak migration times.  Ducks were big for me because my wife especially enjoyed birding when they were coming through.  Although they migrate in the colder months, we didn't really get out of the car to look at much else.  Not a lot of extensive hiking going on.

Spring migration, of course, was the main event.  Warblers, warblers, and more warblers.  The migration of song birds in Northwest Ohio is often an epic occurrence.  People who weren't birders before frequently find themselves hooked after a few May days near the migrant traps on Lake Erie.  I was fortunate enough to grow up in the area and have enjoyed many spring days at Magee Marsh.

Although I birded sparingly throughout the summer and fall in the past, winter seems to have been the time of year where I hung up the nocs (I'm not a huge fan of people calling them bins.  My 2 year old calls them nocs and I find that abbreviation for binoculars to be the cooler choice between the two options), and hid away from the elements until the Springish duck migration started up.

This year was different.  Doing a Big Year forced me to get out and bird no matter what the temperature was.  And you know what?  I loved it.  The first part of this year was an eye opening experience.  I never knew I could see Yellow-rumped Warblers all year long in our area.  A Golden-crowned Kinglet on March 1st was crazy.  Once I got plugged in to eBird I began looking over the data, amazed at what I was missing during the winter months.  In January of this year I got some ducks, some Pine Siskins, and a Rufus Hummingbird.  A hummingbird...in January!  Once again, after a little reading, I learned that our best chance for seeing a Rufus in Northwest Ohio is when it gets a little colder.

We wish you a very serious, Merry Christmas

So now it is winter again, and I have found myself enjoying the season immensely.  Although I have only picked up a handful of new birds in November and December, I have reveled in helping others get some life birds during this time.  When I joined some of the Woodlawn Warriors back in November at Secor Metropark to get Julie Heitz her first Pileated Woodpecker, I sensed it would be a special day.  Not only did we get a spectacular view of one in flight, but we had a clean sweep of all seven of the likely woodpecker species.  And then, just a few days ago, I helped my Dad and my aunt pick up Greater White-fronted and Cackling Goose at Independence Dam State Park near Defiance, Ohio.  Although my dad doesn't keep a list, he was clearly happy to see something he had never seen before.

Of course there are days like today, where you go out birding in the rain and you don't see anything new or particularly exciting.  I joined the Woodlawn Warriors for their Friday morning walk today.  We didn't have a terrible list.  It was just ok.  Patty Toneff, the associate director at Woodlawn, was almost apologetic to me about the lack of a spectacular species.  "Hey, I'm just happy to be birding.  Some of my best days birding have been on cold, rainy days.", I told her.  My response prompted Patty to call me a true birder.  Yeah...I think I am now.  After 20 years of casually watching birds, I have graduated to a bird brain status during the course of this year.  Even if I don't see anything amazing, I'm still just happy to get outside and watch birds.

One of the great things about my Big Year is that I have been more aware of my surroundings.  I have never noticed the seasons change in such a methodical fashion.  It made me wonder, "Have they always done this?"  Life seemed to slow down because I was trying to pay attention to every detail.  Of course, now that it's almost over, the year seems to have flown by.  Very strange.  Birding, as it turns out, is just another way to gage what season it is.  Kind of funny actually.  If someone had no sense of time and temperature, they could still tell what season it was by watching the birds.

One disappointment for me this winter was not having the opportunity to take part in the Toledo area Christmas Bird Count.  The event was supposed to take place on December 15th, but due to inclement weather, had to be postponed until the 30th.  Unfortunately, I will miss the big day because I will be flying home from Texas upon the completion of my trip to the Rio Grande Valley.  Don't get me wrong.  I am psyched about the trip.  It just would have been nice to take part in the Toledo count because so many of the wonderful people I have met this year who have helped me find birds and learn more about them, will be taking part in count.  I wish you all good luck, good weather, and even better birds.  Thanks for reading and happy birding!