I and the Bird #83: The joy of birds

Welcome, friends, both bird bloggers and Skywatchers. My Skywatch for today will be posted right above this blog carnival at 1:00 PM, and it, too, will have an avian theme.

In asking for posts and pictures that reflect “The Joy of Birds,” I was really just restating the theme of I and the Bird with a bit more intensity. I was looking for blog posts that reflect what we each love about birds or birding, whether the love manifests itself as a sigh of contentment, a gentle smile, or raucous laughter. In the immortal words of Jeremiah the Bullfrog:

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls, now
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

So here we go! We have a good selection in each category, but I’m going to start with a special treat, a link to my favorite birdy comic: Pengcognito. Everyone thinks penguins are cute as well as funny, but this crew is even more so. Pengcognito uses her own words, drawing, and photos to help the waddle crew release their inner robin (Robin Williams, of course), and this week’s cartoon is a special one, in honor of IATB.

The First Joy: Pictures

Eclectic Echoes’ photo is a striking one of a blue heron in flight and he talks of the joy he shares watching a child “chase under the dragonflies and run with the swallows, like this heron he is free and just a little wild and it is beautiful.”

Another heron picture is shared by Kerrdelune at Beyond the Fields We Know, along with her reflections on migration and what we humans may have lost when as a species we left migration behind.

Pica, at the Magpie’s Nest, draws rather than photographs her subjects. Her barn swallows are lovely and her sketch conveys the beauty of the individual bird as well as the joy of their communal flight.

Charlie, at 10,000 Birds shares photos of an Unusual Cattle Egret in Nigeria. Be sure to read this post all the way to the end to unravel the mystery.

More cattle egrets, at Pure Florida. Florida Cracker’s humor, photographic skill, and way with words make this post a painless natural history lesson.

It was hard to choose just one bird photo from Klaus at Virtua Gallery, and I changed my mind several times, but ultimately selected this one of an egret in flight.

Con Daily is another talented bird and wildlife photographer. Her photo of a hummingbird sipping tall penstemon at Con’s World was one of many posts and photos that focused on these flying jewels as they begin to leave us behind for the winter.

No discussion of the joy of bird photography would be complete without a selection from Abraham Lincoln’s My Bird Blog. Again, difficult to pick just one but I found down the hatch to be irresistible.

The Nemesis Bird has both photos and video of a juvenile buff-breasted sandpiper.

Liza Lee Miller supplements her raven photos with her own poetry.

Ridger at the Greenbelt blog shares a pair of mockingbirds.

Prasad of Birds of the Bay has a delightful video of birds at a spring, set to music.

Coopers or Sharpie? You can review Ann’s hawk photo shoot at Nature Tales and Camera Trails and decide if you agree with her.

And of course, I have to share at least one skywatch featuring birds, this one from Sparverius whose blog Musings on Nature is a regular contributor to both I and the Bird and Skywatch.

The Second Joy: Research

Greg Laden’s post, The Magpie in the Mirror reminded me of the New York Times story earlier in the week about the ability of crows to recognize faces. Who are we calling bird brains?

The Bird Ecology Study Group shared results answering the question “What does a bee-eater do after a meal?”

Coffee and Conservation reports out research on Woodpeckers and ants in India’s shade coffee.

The Third Joy: Birding Trips

Peregrine blogs a pelagic trip off Inishbofin Island in County Galway and the joy of seeing wonderful birds despite a little seasickness.

Winterwoman writes of a trip to Presque Isle near Erie, Pennsylvania, and the joy of encountering large flocks of purple martins.

Of course, we can find joy in birds everywhere, even on a trip to photograph the bears at the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary.

As the birds leave those of us in the northern hemisphere, they reappear at the beach in the southern half of the globe. Mick at Sandy Straights and beyond celebrates as incoming migrants arrive at a nearby beach after their long trip.

A trip to Australia for birding is not only a joy, but also a big deal – unless, of course, you live there and can just take a little walk as Tony does. All the joy, none of the jet lag.

It is true that you don’t have to live in Australia for a nearby walk to be a successful and joyful birding encounter. The Marvelous in Nature takes us down a long and winding road near her house, with many birds along the way.

Joy shared is joy multiplied: just ask Kathie from Sycamore Canyon and Beth who went birding together in Maine. Good birds and new friends resonate with and reinforce each other.

Bev was Behind the Bins, checking out white-winged crossbills in the catskills and meeting new birding buddies. (Another joy of birding: birders).

That’s not to say that a solitary trip such as the Drinking Bird’s pursuit of a Red-necked Phalarope doesn’t bring great joy as well.

And who can resist the joys of Cape May and hawk watching? Not A DC Birding Blog!

It doesn’t hurt to live in an endemic hot spot, either. Amila at Gallicissa guided Steve through a

ref=”http://gallicissa.blogspot.com/2008/07/steve-on-fast-lane.html”>great day of birds and other wildlife, and shares not only photos and observations, but strategy for avoiding Acute Birding Deficit (ABD) as well.

How could a trip to a place named Owl Creek not have good birding karma? Duncan at Ben Cruachan takes us along for the ride, and the cockatoos.

Mary’s “close to home” is Garvin Park. Despite the title Leftover Geese and Duck on her post at Faith, Fabric, and Photos, the birds are eating and not being eaten. Do we all agree that feeding and interacting with birds is a joy we will never outgrow?

What’s a birding trip without a field guide? August was Roger Tory Peterson month, marked by the release of a new edition of the Peterson Guide to Birds of North America as well as a biography of the man himself. irdfreak and others have reviewed both of these, and you’ll also want to check on whether you need a new field guide. B

The Fourth Joy: The birds that come to us

James, the Birdman, asks “Why do I go birding?” and answers “Because most days it feels like a wonderful gift” and goes on from that great opening to talk about the deep joy he finds through birding in his post In the way of Brid. After sharing words and pictures of the day’s 17 species sighted in his yard in Tanzania, he concludes, that “with or without any philosophy, if you take-up the way of bridds, of birds and birding, and turn your world just a little inside out, you’ll almost certainly never get bored, and very rarely will you have to walk alone.”

Hugh, at Rock Paper Lizard, wonders at the those in the world who would like to rid themselves of barn swallows, when we would find such joy in having them nearby.

On the other hand, there are birds that clearly need our help, as the plea from the Audubon Society demonstrates. That wrens are in need of help makes me very, very nervous.

Don and Lillian Stokes recount watching large numbers of nighthawks flying over their yard. A post titled “Nighthawks – yes!” on the eponymous Stokes Birding Blog reflects their enthusiasm for birds and birding

It’s important to listen as well as watch, particularly to listen for flight calls during the migration season. Noflickster at The Feather and the Flower shares the whys, wherefores, and how-tos of this activity.

The Zen Birdfeeder shares the joy of hummers at a birdbath.

The Birders Report suggests other approaches to adding a water feature to your yard.

Tom of the Ohio Nature Blog posts about two favorite things: sugar for hummingbirds and for people. Of course, where you have nectar, you’ll have hummers, and where you have hummers, you’ll have a delightful back yard, even if it’s only your home of the moment.

Bill of the Birds finds increased hummer activity at the feeders one of the joys of autumn. Not surprisingly, Julie Zickefoose shares his joy of hummingbirds and enjoys the rewards of hummingbird gardening. She writes, “Ahh, the gift of hummingbirds and cardinalflower. I savor them while I may.”

In Nothing Like Having a Bird, Cicero Sings proclaims “I had so much fun out on the back deck yesterday … I got absolutely nothing done all morning!! I just sat out amongst the birds.”

Wanderin’ Weeta finds joys in the various flight patterns of birds in her yard, and evokes them with words, photos, and a map of the yard.

Mary finds joy in her corner of the world by watching the birds as well as watching the new members of her family do their own bird watching (and was a very good sport when I wanted to use this post instead of the one she submitted).

I’ll conclude this edition of I and the Bird with one of my own posts on this theme, it’s a birdy night in the neighborhood. Just one example of my love of birds and the joy I find in all aspects of nature.

Joy never ends, but a blog post, even a blog carnival must. I and the Bird next stops at Audubon Birdscapes on September 18th. Watch for more information on where to send your submissions. Thanks for being here and sharing the joy of birds.