Bird Watching on the RV Road

Birding explodes in the UK

2009-11-25T10:38:00.000-08:00

"For the news is that on the quiet there has been a birdwatching revolution. A recent survey by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) spells it out: six million Britons now enjoy birdwatching every couple of weeks. And membership of the RSPB now exceeds one million (a figure that has doubled within a decade).

"Graham Madge, of the RSPB, reports that this spring, there was a 20% increase of visitors to the UK's reserves compared with last year. It appears that more women are birdwatching and that dowdy is no longer the name of the game. Unlikely fans abound: Mick Jagger, Van Morrison, Joanna Lumley, Daryl Hannah and Cameron Diaz – the list is long.

"At the same time – and it can be no accident – a flock of exceptional bird books is being published this autumn, each so remarkable that it's likely to have a whole new audience reaching for the binoculars."

Read more of this article on birding written by England's Observer. Seems it is becoming very popular across the pond.

Choosing a bird book

2009-11-20T12:59:00.000-08:00

Most of us birdwatchers own several birding guides, both national and regional. The most common division for regional guides are the Western and the Eastern versions. Some publishers also print separate Texas and Florida guides. Books vary also on their format, with some using photographs and others using drawings.

Though most birders have a preference, both types can prove valuable for identification and should be on the birders bookshelf. The advantage of photos is that the photo is a more accurate version of what you will actually see when out birding. However, drawings will show more detail in the bird's coloring, markings, and other features that you may not see in the wild, and may give you clues of what to look for. Using both guides is often helpful in making an identification.

The Sibley Guide to Birds along with the Eastern and Western regional guides by David Allen Sibley are among the best in the drawing category. All birds were drawn by Sibley. The Field Guide to Birds of North America by the National Wildlife Federation (and available in RVbookstore.com) is in the photographic version and has more than 2,000 images taken by leading nature photographers showing birds in their natural habitat.

Whichever book or books you choose, make sure it contains the following features:

Shows birds in all plumages, in all its seasonal changes.
Gives size measurements of bird and its wingspan.
Shows birds in flight, illustrating the wing patterns and colors to look for.
Shows seasonal range and migratory routes for each bird.
Discusses or shows similar birds that could result in mistaken identities, and tells how to differentiate between them.
Describes the bird's various voice sounds: mating calls, singing, warning, etc.
Describes bird's usual habitat, feeding patterns, and behavior.

When you travel through a new area, check with visitor centers or chambers of commerce for regional birding guides, a checklist of regional birds by season, and for the locations of noteworthy birding locations and birding trails.

Eagle Watch Weekends at Kentucky State Parks

2009-11-18T11:12:00.000-08:00

Kentucky State Parks has been conducting eagle watch tours for forty years, and will offer the same popular programs in four state parks this season. The tours take place at four Kentucky resort parks during weekends in January and February on an excursion yacht, barges, pontoon boats, and by van, depending upon the location and tour. They are led by state park naturalists and Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists.

Ticket prices for the tours range from $20 to $55 a person. Most tours last between two and three and one half hours. The weekends also include an evening program on birds of prey.

The parks, phone numbers and dates for the Eagle Watch Weekends are:

* Dale Hollow State Resort Park (800-325-2282): Jan. 15-16; Jan. 22-23; Feb. 5-6.

* Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park (800-325-0146): Jan. 15-17.

* Lake Barkley State Resort Park (800-325-1708): Jan. 29-31.

* Kenlake State Resort Park (800-325-0143): Feb. 5-7.

Read more about viewing bald eagles on Kentucky's Eagle Watch weekends here.

Cae May Point: Raptor Capital of North America

2009-11-17T16:01:00.000-08:00

Now through the end of November is the height of birdwatching season on the Atlantic Flyway route of migratory birds that goes right over New Jersey's Cape May State Park. The bird-viewing deck along the dunes near the lighthouse at Cape May Point is one of the best spots in North America to see migratory birds. More than 60,000 birds of prey migrate the Atlantic Flyway each autumn.

The spacious park at Cape May Point is called the Raptor Capital of North America because of its bird-watching reputation.

One of the reasons Cape May State Park is so renowned for birdwatching is because many of the birds hover above the park before flying over the large body of water between Cape May and Delaware. On a promising birdwatching day at the park -- after a cold front and with clear skies -- there will already be a dozen birders with cameras and binoculars at the ready before sunrise.

Beginner bird watchers and enthusiasts are invited to Beginning Birding for Adults, every third Saturday of the month at Palmyra Cove Nature Park, where participants learn how to spot the different species of birds while exploring the cove's 250 acres of woodlands and tidal wetlands.
Classes are from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Cost $10 per person. Read more about hawks at Cape May here.

Whooping cranes in trouble

2009-11-17T10:43:00.000-08:00

A predicted 247 endangered whooping cranes will descend on Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas this year, down from the 270 that arrived last year. This will be the first decline in seven years for this population of 5 ½ foot tall white birds, which is the only naturally occurring crane population in the world.

This decline, in fact, any decline in population is of concern to wildlife specialists. The flock population, which usually grows by half a dozen every year, fell in South Texas last winter as the result of food and freshwater shortages brought on by the extended drought.

This year whoopers hatched only 52 chicks in Canada — a six-year low — and only 22 survived. The youngsters won't be counted as part of the overall population until they make it to the refuge for the first time. The arriving whoopers willthen likely face the prospect of a shortage of food supplies in Aransas again this year. Their prime food sources — blue crabs and wolfberries — have yet to rebound from the drought, which may cause some whoopers to starve.

Read more on the plight of the whooping cranes here.

Project FeederWatch

2009-11-15T07:47:00.000-08:00

Birdwatchers can now turn their passion into meaningful research through Project FeederWatch bird count. Facilitated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the project involves volunteers across the nation helping scientists monitor bird life in North America. The final result is a comprehensive report and publication.

The great public bird count is scheduled for November through April each year. Those wanting to take part in a given year must enroll by the end of February. The task involves making a tally of the total birds seen at a specific point at a given time. This method prevents duplicate counting and avoids constant monitoring of the count area.

The cost of participation is $15 which covers most of the project’s costs. In addition, all participants receive a kit containing a poster for identifying birds, a wall calendar, a guide to proper bird feeding, a form for counting, and directions for using these items. U.S. residents are also given an annual subscription to the Lab of Ornithology’s newsletter.

Data collected is featured in science publications and frequently used by ornithologists and birdwatchers throughout North America. The count provides a real opportunity to contribute to the well-being and research of birds that share our habitat. Another benefit is finding previously unknown birds in the neighborhood.

Anyone can take part in the bird count,which in the past has included retirees, youth groups, nature centers, schools, and birding clubs. The amount of time spent counting birds is up to the participant. The FeederWatch organizers provide multiple scenarios for both days and hours invested. As the strategy is to count the birds present at a given point in time, those with little free time on their hands can still provide accurate information. The location for counting can vary though it must be consistent. An area with a bird feeder or birdhouse can be ideal, though any bird-friendly location will suffice.

Project FeederWatch is a win-win for those with a love of birdwatching. One can admire them while providing a meaningful contribution to their well-being. To read more about Project FeederWatch, visit the FeederWatch Web site.

Birdwatching in . . . Rwanda?

2009-11-14T10:23:00.000-08:00

You may be more likely to associate the African nation of Rwanda with abject poverty than birdwatching, but the nation is this week participating in the World Travel Market 2009 (WTM), the premier global event for the travel industry held in London from November 9 to 12.

This year Rwanda is showcasing what they describe as the vast opportunities and new experiences available to tourists (that are expected to exceed 780,000 visitors!), one of which is a new canopy walk in Nyungwe forest--which, at its completion scheduled for January 2010, will be the first of its kind in the region. It will provide a unique view of the forest and offer an unusual tree canopy birdwatching experience. Who knew?

Take the National Parks birding quiz

2009-11-11T16:10:00.000-08:00

Did you know that the ruby-throated hummingbird breeds throughout the eastern U.S. but that other hummingbird species are seldom seen in the eastern U.S? Or where is the location of the largest seabird colony in the US?

But I bet you already knew that some trumpeter swans over winter in Yellowstone National Park, while others migrate south, and that all of the more than 300 California condors alive today, including about 170 living in the wild, are descendants of an original 22 birds that were captured in Southern California and put into a captive breeding program.

These birding facts and more are part of a National Parks Traveler teaser, the National Park System Quiz 73: Birds. Try the test yourself and see how knowledgeable you are on the birds of the National Park system.

Picky, picky: The right food to feed birds

2009-11-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

Before you pick up the first bag of bird seed you come to off the supermarket shelf, you might want to consider Michael Russell's advice on the Bird Watching Now Web site for what to offer the birds that are likely to visit your feeders.

"The best seeds to provide for your dinner guests are sunflower seeds," he writes. "These seeds attract cardinals, woodpeckers, blue jays, goldfinches, purple finches, chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches." Russell also suggests niger in a special tube feeder to attract goldfinches, but warns that it is expensive and not to waste it. Safflower seeds attract cardinals, titmice, chickadees, and downy woodpeckers. Another nice feature of these white seeds is that squirrels leave them alone.

Russell also suggests scattering white millet, a very cheap seed, on the ground for ground-feeding juncos, mourning doves, sparrows, and quail. But he also warns--and this is an eye opener--not to buy bags of mixed birdseed. Too often birds will come across the seeds it doesn't like and simply fly away, not to return. However, if you put specific seeds for specific birds at your feeding locations, you are more likely to attract the birds you want.

You can read Mike Russell's entire article on the birdwatchingnow Web site.

Audubon's binocular guide

2009-11-06T13:25:00.000-08:00

Audubon Magazine online has released their Audubon Guide to Binoculars that looks at binoculars from an expert birder's perspective. The writer, Wayne Mones, is a birdwatching tour leader and points out features that a non-birder might not appreciate. He suggests that when purchasing binoculars, you base your choice on their function specifically for what you intend to do with them, which is birdwatching.

“Bird-worthy binoculars must be bright enough to show subtle features in poor light and sharp enough to resolve fine detail. They must focus quickly enough to “get on” a fast-moving bird," Wayne says. "They must have a field of view wide enough to locate birds rapidly and follow them in flight. They must also provide accurate color rendition, have no observable distortion in the center of the field, and should not fog up in wet or humid weather. And they should work with or without eyeglasses."

Read his full report and see the results of his individual binocular tests based on his "birdwatching expert's" criteria.

Ken Kaufman's top birding experiences

2009-11-03T15:38:00.000-08:00

Expert birder and bird book writer, Ken Kaufman, when asked listed his top ten location experiences that American birdwatchers might want to add to their life list. Following are the ones in the US.

1. The Platte River in Nebraska where the Sandhill Cranes stop in their northern migration. You may see half a million of the loud croaking and very large birds. Only problem it happens in March and it’s c-o-l-d.

2. Take an owl prowl in the dark calling owls out or playing a recording of their calls. You won’t see much, but is a great experience.

3. Take a boat trip offshore to see pelagic birds that seldom come near land. Monterey Bay in CA is a good place for such a trip, you may see a Black-footed Albatross.

4. For great hawk watching, and a test of your species identification, visit one of the raptor migration spots, like Cape May, NJ: Hawk Mountain, PA; and Duluth, MN.

5. Check for rare bird alerts on various bird web sites, and jump in your toad and go see it. It has been described as a road rally as birders come from all over to mingle and talk birds.

6. Big Day birding is seeing how many species you can identify in one day. As Ken says, it has no redeeming value but is lots of fun if you do it with a group of your same skill level.

7. Take part in a Breeding Bird Atlas project in an area like a county or a state that's been divided up into blocks for surveying. The idea is to look at a little plot carefully and ask: how can we prove whether Red-winged Blackbirds or meadowlarks are breeding here? It puts you in a position to look at the birds in a completely different way. You might ignore Common Grackles unless you're trying to prove if they're nesting. You look to see: are they carrying nesting materials? It's the opposite of a Big Day. It's such a fascinating kind of birdwatching, an excuse to go out and be self-indulgent and spend a lot of time watching these birds and contributing to scientific knowledge.

Read more about Ken Kaufman on his nature Web site.

Spotting Scopes

2009-10-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

For beginning birdwatchers binoculars and a bird field guide are all that you need to get started. As you progress and learn more, you will find that having a local or regional bird list and seasonal visitation helpful in identifying birds that you see.

Once you are hooked, and after you try out a spotting scope for the first time, it will be come a "must have" piece of equipment. Mounted on a tripod and using a zoom eye piece, with a spotting scope you can see close ups and feather colors on ducks on a lake where without the scope you can't even see the ducks--maybe just a dark spot on the lake. You will soon find that it enhances your enjoyment of birdwatching and also of wildlife watching.

Learn more about spotting scopes and compare brands here.

More than an RV, a mobile birdwatching blind

2009-10-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

Birdwatching is a perfect activity for RVers. If you haven't yet taken an interest in our avian friends, consider these advantages RVers have for combining birding with your travels.

You can use your RV as a "blind," much as a hunter would, only using binoculars or a spotting scope instead of a rifle. Birds do not identify the boxy, lifeless, thing as a predator and are less likely to fly away. You can then watch from inside your rig, especially on cold, windy days, with the comfort of home.
Using your RV as a blind is especially functional when driving along birding trails or on wildlife refuges where you can creep up on birds without frightening them
Hang feeders, different kinds to attract different birds, from your awning or from a nearby tree limb to attract birds to your campsite.
Hummingbird feeders with suction cups that attach it directly to a window bring hummingbirds up close.
When you travel to different regions or altitudes, you will find different birds than you see around your home range. And with the seasonal changes, different migratory birds passing through.
Stop at the welcome center or tourist bureau of new states you enter and pick up their bird list, birders local viewing guides, and a map and information of their birding trails, which most states have now established.
Take walks around your campground or on trails and you will be surprised at how many birds have discovered that RVers are bird-friendly, and often provide feeders for them.

Keep a record of what you see, or enter the findings in you bird book. Soon you will see yur life list swell with new discoveries.

Bosque del Apache: The Mardi Gras of birdwatching

2009-10-21T10:35:00.000-07:00

By Bob Difley

Tens of thousands of snow geese, Canadian geese, sandhill cranes, and ducks of all varieties fill the skies, chattering and flapping in a wild cacophony of quacks, honks, and croaks. This is Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, nine miles south of the New Mexico town of Socorro in the Rio Grande Valley less than an hour and a half from Albuquerque. It is winter, unlike summer when all is quiet in this riparian refuge surrounded by dry, barren, high desert.

The Spanish explorers, often encountering Apaches camped in the riverside forest, gave this place its name, which means "woods of the Apache." No longer a respite for Apaches, the refuge is an important--and critical--wintering home for thousands of sandhill cranes that arrive in November and leave in February. Thousands of other migratory birds also find shelter and food in the refuge. Watching the sunset "fly in" and the dawn "fly out," when some magical trigger catapults thousands of snow geese simultaneously into the air, emptying the pond in seconds, is a spectacle you will not soon forget.

Modern birds are not the first to discover the refuge. Paleontologists have discovered fossils from prehistoric hoofed animals from the Miocene era--10 to 15 million years ago. But for the birder, the refuge is one of the nations's premier birdwatching destinations, and the Festival of the Cranes, in its 22nd year of celebrating their return, is the birders' equivalent of the Mardi Gras. In 2009 the festival is November 17 - 22 and this year's schedule will include over 100 lectures, workshops, tours, hikes, and hands-on activities.

Like Quartzsite is a "must see" for the general RVer, Bosque del Apache is a "must see" for birdwatchers. Learn more about the Bosque at their Friends Website that includes directions, events, bird spotting lists and numbers and other refuge information. The 30-site Birdwatchers RV Park just outside the refuge at San Antonio and 93-site Socorro RV Park south of Socorro are conveniently close campgrounds, though there are additional choices in and around Socorro.

Experts take the guesswork out of choosing binoculars

2009-10-19T06:37:00.000-07:00

By Bob Difley

If you don't have the time to personally test 20 or 30 pairs of binoculars in order to choose the right one, you might want to check out this report by 40 reviewers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that tested 78 binoculars. Each tester compared at least ten models, with each binocular examined by at least ten reviewers. A core team of five experts examined every single pair of binoculars.

Weight, close-focus distance, and field of view at 15 feet are measured objectively, while other features are rated on a five-point scale: image quality, depth of field, ergonomics and "eyeglass friendliness." Editors rank binoculars in order of overall quality in four price ranges. It is interesting to note that the editors say binoculars in the $500 to $1,000 range are not worth the extra money over those in the $200 to $500 range. You can read the full report here.

Cheepers Birding: Inexpensive birdwatching tours

2009-10-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

Even RVers like to get away from their rigs once in a while. If you are both an RVer and a birder, Cheepers Birding makes it possible to both get away and do some birding in many of the world’s best birding locations. Jim and Cindy Beckman, both avid birders, started their birding tour business with the idea of making birding trips accessible and inexpensive and have accomplished that goal.

They currently offer trips to places like Ecuador, Panama, Belize, and Costa Rica. How are they able to cut the prices of major tour companies? From years of traveling on their own birding trips they have established contacts with expert local guides in many of the world's best birding locations and are able to work directly with them, cutting out the middle men. They also do not use the highest priced resort hotels, but rather quality local hostelries that they can book at much lower prices and pass the savings on to their tour guests.

Both Jim and Cindy are members of the Board of Directors of the Dayton, Ohio Audubon Society, are retired, their company's only employees, and have no desire to build a large company with huge profits. You can find out more about their trips on their Web site.

Birding radio shows by BirdNote

2009-10-15T04:25:00.000-07:00

A terrific and efficient way to learn more about birds in general and about specific birds you have seen is to go online to one of the excellent Web sites that offers educational information on bird species as well as identification tips. One such site is BirdNote.

But BirdNote is more than a Web site, it is a radio series about the intriguing habits and activities of birds out in the natural world. Each show is scheduled to coincide with the time of year when you can see or hear the featured bird, one each month, that includes bird mating calls, predator alarms, and interesting and educational anecdotes. They can be heard on the NPR radio station KPLU live, or you can listen to any of the previously produced two-minute shows online at BirdNote's Web site in the archive files, or with this link directly to the podcast archives.

The radio shows, created by bird experts from Tune In to Nature.org, produce outstanding radio stories with rich sound recordings in an effort to connect the ways and needs of birds to the lives of birdwatchers.

RVers and birdwatching: A natural fit

2009-10-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

RVers and birdwatching go together like potlucks and campfires. Though your own backyard can be a source for a variety of birds, traveling in your RV opens up whole new areas and a whole new selection of birds to identify. And any birdwatcher, whether an English librarian or a tattooed, bald-headed guy towing a Harley behind his RV, identifying a new species of bird to add to your life list is great fun.

With the reinvigorating of this birdwatching blog, we will look at some exceptional birdwatching spots around the country, some locations where you can go to see birds that you won't see anywhere else in the country, and state birding trails that are springing up all around the US (the suits have discovered that birders travel to see birds and spend money when there).

When new equipment comes to the birdwatching market, we will let you know about it, like new binoculars, spotting scopes, CDs, and DVDs, and we'll take a look at some of the birdwatching Web sites, both national and local.

So check back regularly, and find out how you can use your RV to discover one of the nation's fastest growing hobbies, and the fun of watching those feathered critters do their thing.

New Texas state park is bird-watching paradise

2008-12-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

Resaca de la Palma State Park -- the final link in the World Birding Center chain stretching the breadth of the Rio Grande Valley – has opened this year to nature tourists just west of Browsville. The 1,700-acre wing near the southernmost tip of Texas is the largest of the eight sites that comprise the World Birding Center that stretches some 120 miles along the Rio Grande corridor from Roma to South Padre Island, an area that is home to more than 500 species of birds.

Not a state park in the traditional sense, Resaca de la Palma caters to bird watchers and other nature lovers who seek an up-close view of wildlife in a natural setting that includes the resacas (water-filled coils of river bed), marshes, dense thorn-scrub, and mature palm and ebony forests.

The park doesn’t offer any camping facilities, but the does have an observation deck, visitor center, interpretation hall and numerous trails, some of which are handicapped accessible. There are 6.5 miles of dirt hiking trails and a paved 3.5-mile loop traveled by a free tram that makes two stops.

RESACA DE LA PALMA attracts a variety of birds due to its location along two American migratory flyways and its proximity to Mexico and Central America, some of whose bird species range only as far north in the United States as Texas’ Rio Grande Valley. Visitors may see colorful species such as the summer tanager, American redstart, Mexican green jay and Altamira oriole, as well as the black-bellied whistling duck, least grebe, purple gallinule and a host of migrating waterfowl.

Resaca de la Palma joins the other eight WBC sites: Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park (the WBC headquarters), Estero Llano Grande State Park, Edinburg Scenic Wetlands, Harlingen’s Arroyo Colorado, Old Hidalgo Pump House, Quinta Mazatlan in McAllen, Roma Bluffs and South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center. The Brownsville site charges persons 12 and older a $4 entry fee; children 11 and under get in free. For more information, call (956) 350-2920 or visit: www.worldbirdingcenter.org.

RVers get the royal treatment with this bird

2008-06-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

We pulled into the parking lot of the visitor center at Padre Island National Seashore and were greeted by a flock, no a herd of shore birds of all kinds. They were just hanging out in the parking lot enjoying each other’s company while the guys were posturing in order to win the affection of a girlfriend. The Royal Tern, always the gentleman, stood elegantly amid the noise and rancor surrounding him. He didn’t even take notice of the car pulled up beside him. Some of these terns look like balding men while others have a full head of plumage. This dark “cap” is acquired early and briefly in the breeding season. The bill is dark orange and they have a forked tail. You will see these birds along the Gulf Coast and the eastern seaboard and in southern California during the winter months. I discovered how they acquired their name when one of them flew over the car leaving a royal mess. Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

Crazy bird dance entertains RVers

2008-06-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

RVing around the country we see thousands of egrets. However one egret, the Reddish Egret, had us enthralled by his behavior. This guy would be a hit at any disco bobbing and weaving, tossing and turning delivering a fantastic dance performance all without the help of music. This guy is in his breeding plumage and performs this dance when he is hunting for fish. His bill is pink with a black tip and his legs are cobalt blue. His favorite dance floor is the salt marshes along the Gulf Coast and he usually prefers to dance alone. Very entertaining and delightful bird. Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

An RV bird observation platform

2008-06-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

We just pulled out of the Passport America RV Park on our way to Arkansas when a handsome red-headed woodpecker flew across the road in front of us. My wife and I instantly identified the bird and expressed our appreciation to each other about seeing this fabulous bird at the beginning of your trip. We often see spectacular birds while driving in our RV across this great land. Sometimes we see our first life birds from our seats in the RV. I like to photograph all the birds we see, so it's kind of frustrating for me because it is difficult to drive and take great photos at the same time. So these photos were taken of this grand bird while on foot. It's hard to sneak up on woodpeckers so I have to work especially hard to get photographs of them. I have collected many since we've been full time RVing and will share some fabulous photos of these creatures in future blog entries. Knowing what this guy can do to wood I'm glad our RV doesn't have a wood exterior. Keeping an eye on the sky - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

RVer gets red crowned parrot surprise

2008-05-28T18:23:00.000-07:00

Scouting around Brownsville, Texas in our RV towed we were in search of red-crowned parrots. I had read there was a colony roosting at the University of Texas at Brownsville campus. We were hanging out at the Old Fort student housing watching Whistling Ducks perform their antics while Muscovy Ducks occasionally waddled by. As the sun began to set a flash of green caught our attention as a flight of and green parakeets circled and landed in a nearby tree. Next we saw a red-crowned parrot land on a stump in front of the car. As we were admiring this view a head poked up out of the palm tree stump and this is what we saw. I just love this picture of a nesting parrot and I was lucky to get it because it only emerged for a few seconds and we didn't see it again. We were delighted to see both the red-crowned parrots and the green parakeets in the same area. RVing is a great way to see the country and do some serious birding at the same time. The same is true for those of you who enjoy butterfly and moth watching. In fact, many hobbies are enhanced through the use of RVs because they provide a cost effective way to combine travel, lodging and meals. RVers can cover vast areas or focus on one specific area all the wile living comfortably in the shelter of their RV. Always looking up - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

RVer Bitten By Aggressive Pelican

2008-05-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

RVing in the Corpus Christi, Texas area brought me and my fishing pole out to Mustang Island. Mrs. Professor was there to do some serious birding and I was there to do some serious fishing. Some folks next to me were feeding the pelicans small perch they were catching and apparantly the birds came to believe us fishermen were their personal food service providers. My fishing neighbors left and these two freeloaders came calling. I pulled up a little perch and one of the pelicans scarfed him into his bill hook and all. I yanked the fish out of his mouth knowing that a fish hook is not the way he should get his daily iron requirement. As I was pulling the fish off the hook Peter the Pelican holding up a sign "Won't Work For Food" grabbed the fish out of my hand and in the process punctured my hand with the tip of his bill. He actually drew blood requiring immediate medical attention and a tetanus shot for the bird. I scolded him asking him where he had left his Texas manners. The fish was completely traumatized caught in a dark peristaltic tunnel wishing he had not dropped out of school. And me, well, I was thinking that I'm sure glad Pterodactyls don't exist anymore. In fact, I'm burning those old Pterodactyls in my RV fuel tank at over $4.00 bucks a gallon. Now I'm thinking about how I can do that with pelicans. Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

High Island RV Birding Adventure

2008-05-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

High Island, Texas is one of the top birding spots in the United States. Boy Scout Woods is a great place to view warblers during migration and the occasional "fall-out" where birds just land exhausted after crossing the Gulf of Mexico frequently pushed off course by a storm. The Houston Audobon Society manages the bird sanctuaries on High Island. An admission fee, based on the honor system, is $5.00 per person and includes admission to all the birding areas on the island. There is a white board at Boy Scout Woods where birders leave messages about bird sightings. This birder with an obvious sense of humor tells everyone there were "Emperor Penguins sited matting at Broadway and 45th." Boy Scout Woods has wood plank walkways and a nice photo blind which will accommodate about seven photographers at one time. There wasn't much happening at Boy Scout Woods since we were there late in the season. The real action was at Smith Woods where No Dogs are allowed. Apparently a dog with a Smith and Wesson expressed his dismay with some target practice. Smith Woods has a rookery that is simply amazing. There are numerous birds nesting here including egret, roseate spoonbill, tricolored heron, cormorant and others. There are also alligators, turtles and frogs to greet the observers who can view them from several platforms scattered around the refuge. The bird noise is tremendous and you get to pretend you're a National Geographic photographer. Here is a spoonbill doing a tight rope routine. Here he is waiting for applause. These nests are literally full of hatchings. These two egrets are almost old enough to leave as one of the parents disgorges (don't you just love that word) the catch of the day. There is no doubt about it, South Texas is a birding paradise and if you are a serious RVer and birder, you need to explore these places. Oh, don't forget to bring bug repellent. There is a nice RV park at High Island and several on the Bolivar Peninsula. If you are arriving from the South you can take your RV on the free ferry from Galveston to Bolivar Peninsula. RVing the Texas Coastal Birding Trail - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVng