Great account of a great day, Kelly. It took quite a bit of nerve heading back to the car to retrieve your suppliers, but the bittern waited for you! I think maybe you were that bird's nemesis human. Congrats to both of you!
Yay! I was honestly thrilled you were the one that found it, Chris. Thank you!!!
Also, I was going to tag you in this post but there were too many Christopher Cochrane's to choose from. I'm glad you were able to read about your role in my nemesis drama ❤️
You are such a good writer, and these newsletters bring me IMMENSE joy. I love the descriptor "stripey beige football" for the bittern, because yes. My eternal nemesis is the Wilson's (for now) snipe. I have gone to places where people have seen 30+ birds, but they are never, never, never there when I look. I've tried so many times. One day. Maybe during our next foray through 566??
Thank you so much, María. It brings me a lot of joy that my writing brings you a lot of joy.
Re the snipes, yes, during migration we could potentially see some at 566! Also, Air Station Prairie is pretty reliable for them if you're ever in town in March or April.
That's fantastic, Kev! I also marvel at that all the time. I grew up pretty close to where I live now, next to the woods no less, and notice way more birds now than I did then because I'm paying attention to them. They're such a wonderful part of this world.
Excellent post, Kelly, and so relatable! Past nemeses have been Red-necked Grebe and Short-billed Dowitcher.
Especially frustrating nemeses are those you see regularly, then one day they stop showing up. Red-breasted Nuthatch, Swamp Sparrow, Surf Scoter. Those are the nemeses that haunt me, those that used to be a sure thing but became nowhere to be found, randomly. They come back, but those birding days without them when they would've been expected are an absolute drag.
I appreciate your take on the nemeses you used to see and now no longer show up. I worry that will be the case for Field Sparrows at Park 566 once construction starts south of the park.
Do you have any hypotheses on why those birds are no longer showing up where they used to by you?
I mainly attribute whatever my nemesis is to my failings as a birder so I can look for ways I can change the way I bird to see the species I want to see—myopic, yes, I probably don’t look closely enough at outside factors! One past nemesis was the Saltmarsh Sparrow, whose decline, and the reasons for it, is well documented.
So I really have no idea what you're talking about here, but that in no way hampered my enjoyment of the post!
In another matter, was it you who casually tossed of the idea of listening for birdsong first and then trib m try to identify the source? While walking my dog the other day, I did just that. Mildly overwhelming!
I'm going to keep binoculars with me whenever I go out now.
Hi Dave! It was probably James Freitas who recommended listening for birds, as he had a recent post on that, but that's the advice I give new birders as well. It is definitely overwhelming at first, but soon you'll be able to sort out the regulars around you, and then you'll be even more attuned to new/different sounds.
I don't have any started birding book recommendations but can highly recommend Cornell Lab's birding courses. They have an intro to birding called "The Joy of Birding" that will set you up with all the info you need. It looks like it's 50% off right now https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/product/joy-of-birdwatching/
I've taken a lot of their courses and they're always well done and of excellent quality.
I love that you found your bird! Finding a bittern really does feel like a huge win. I've seen a small handful. When in South Florida a few years ago I nearly bumped into one trailside. I sat down and hung out with it for nearly an hour - it was so close! I was amazed that most other trail users didn't get how special it was see this incredible creature. Many barely gave it a glance even after I giddily pointed it out.
This is the first time I have heard of a nemesis. I feel like the new desire for one has advanced me to a deeper level of birding. Oh the glorious obsession, ugh I mean commitment. Lol. Thank you for sharing your great love of birds. I enjoyed your post.
😂 I'm happy to share and spread the obsession/commitment, Bambi! So now that you know of nemesis, do you think you already had one, but didn't know there was a name for it? If not, which bird is the best contender for your nemesis?
Nice photos! It's so satisfying finally seeing a bird you've been searching for. I think my focus this season is getting good behavior shots of courting ducks, robins pulling up worms, dancing cranes, etc. and of course warblers as they pass through.
P.S. What spotting scope/tripod head/tripod do you use (and would you recommend them)? I'm borrowing an inexpensive scope (Vivitar 25-75x 75mm) right now for bald eagle nest watching and I see purchasing my own in the future.
Hi Kev! That sounds like a fantastic focus for the year--I love behavior shots too and that's generally what I try to go for as well.
Re the spotting scope, mine is a Kowa and I love it. I also hear really great things about Vortex scopes. I have mine on a manfrotto fluid video tripod head which I also use occasionally with my camera for video.
Very nice! What's the front objective diameter and zoom range on your eyepiece? People frown on zoom binoculars because it cuts into field of view, but it seems like zoom eyepieces are the norm on spotting scopes. Is that right? Is it because it's quite a bit harder to get on-target with the high magnification of a scope so the zoom out/zoom in is more beneficial?
I typically don’t carry both camera and scope unless I plan on being stationary for most of the time. It’s just too much. But I almost always hand hold my camera and carry it with a shoulder strap so I don’t have to worry about a monopod.
Oooh, I'm not entirely sure of the physics but it is extremely difficult to get on target with the high magnification scope, even with the zoom in/zoom out feature. My scope's objective lens diameter is 88 mm and the eyepiece magnification is 25-60x
Ooo so big (and therefore) bright! I need to find somewhere I can try some out. But looking at camera equipment often makes me feel very pleased that it looks like a very good scope can be had for about $1000.
I'm trying out a vortex viper 20-60x 85mm and it's fabulous. So bright, such an easy to view eyepiece. I also just got a 150-600mm f5-f6.3 lens.
If you're bringing a big lens and your scope to walk around a bit how do you manage it? Trying to walk with the camera on a monopod and scope on a tripod was not good. I think hand holding the camera/lens and carrying it at my hip with a shoulder strap will be the way. With scope/tripod over my shoulder or used on a separate outing.
This spoke so directly to me and the sandhill cranes that land in one park near me on the island I live on for like… two weeks in June and it’s been 3 years running now I have missed them. Fingers crossed for this year!! But also I learned from your substack you can have the ebird alerts for your area?!? I must set this up!
I also particularly love your American Bittern shapes in the sketchbook. Very relatable to me.
I hope you get to see the Sandhills this year, Emma! And yes, you can set a whole range of alerts in eBird. Easiest to find by going to eBird on your browser. Click "my eBird" on the top menu, then "alerts" on the left hand menu. Good luck!
Great account of a great day, Kelly. It took quite a bit of nerve heading back to the car to retrieve your suppliers, but the bittern waited for you! I think maybe you were that bird's nemesis human. Congrats to both of you!
LOL! Perhaps, Dan! Now I just have to find one at 566... ;)
I was so happy finding it but knowing that my report turned a nemesis into a new best friend makes me overjoyed!
Yay! I was honestly thrilled you were the one that found it, Chris. Thank you!!!
Also, I was going to tag you in this post but there were too many Christopher Cochrane's to choose from. I'm glad you were able to read about your role in my nemesis drama ❤️
A great post and I’m glad you found it at LaBagh. My nemesis is Northern Goshawk
What a thrill to read this, Kelly! Congratulations on this lifer, what a beautiful bird!
Thanks for this piece. We’ve all been here, and you describe it so well!
Thank you, Jackie. I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
So happy for you!😁
Thank you, Marion!
You are such a good writer, and these newsletters bring me IMMENSE joy. I love the descriptor "stripey beige football" for the bittern, because yes. My eternal nemesis is the Wilson's (for now) snipe. I have gone to places where people have seen 30+ birds, but they are never, never, never there when I look. I've tried so many times. One day. Maybe during our next foray through 566??
Thank you so much, María. It brings me a lot of joy that my writing brings you a lot of joy.
Re the snipes, yes, during migration we could potentially see some at 566! Also, Air Station Prairie is pretty reliable for them if you're ever in town in March or April.
I just saw (flying around like crazy) and heard my first Eastern meadowlark! Amazing how much you notice when paying attention.
That's fantastic, Kev! I also marvel at that all the time. I grew up pretty close to where I live now, next to the woods no less, and notice way more birds now than I did then because I'm paying attention to them. They're such a wonderful part of this world.
Excellent post, Kelly, and so relatable! Past nemeses have been Red-necked Grebe and Short-billed Dowitcher.
Especially frustrating nemeses are those you see regularly, then one day they stop showing up. Red-breasted Nuthatch, Swamp Sparrow, Surf Scoter. Those are the nemeses that haunt me, those that used to be a sure thing but became nowhere to be found, randomly. They come back, but those birding days without them when they would've been expected are an absolute drag.
Thank you, James!
I appreciate your take on the nemeses you used to see and now no longer show up. I worry that will be the case for Field Sparrows at Park 566 once construction starts south of the park.
Do you have any hypotheses on why those birds are no longer showing up where they used to by you?
I mainly attribute whatever my nemesis is to my failings as a birder so I can look for ways I can change the way I bird to see the species I want to see—myopic, yes, I probably don’t look closely enough at outside factors! One past nemesis was the Saltmarsh Sparrow, whose decline, and the reasons for it, is well documented.
Congratulations on spotting the American Bittern, Kelly! Really nice images and shows how well they can hide with that camouflage.
My nemesis bird is the Eastern Bluebird. I am hoping to see some later this Spring/early Summer as they migrate through here west of Ottawa, Canada.
Thank you, Neil! It was a very special day for sure.
I do hope you get to see an Eastern Bluebird this year. Their blue is so remarkable and surprising, and they have the sweetest calls.
So I really have no idea what you're talking about here, but that in no way hampered my enjoyment of the post!
In another matter, was it you who casually tossed of the idea of listening for birdsong first and then trib m try to identify the source? While walking my dog the other day, I did just that. Mildly overwhelming!
I'm going to keep binoculars with me whenever I go out now.
Back again. Do you have any recommendations for starter birding books?
Hi Dave! It was probably James Freitas who recommended listening for birds, as he had a recent post on that, but that's the advice I give new birders as well. It is definitely overwhelming at first, but soon you'll be able to sort out the regulars around you, and then you'll be even more attuned to new/different sounds.
I don't have any started birding book recommendations but can highly recommend Cornell Lab's birding courses. They have an intro to birding called "The Joy of Birding" that will set you up with all the info you need. It looks like it's 50% off right now https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/product/joy-of-birdwatching/
I've taken a lot of their courses and they're always well done and of excellent quality.
Thank you!
I love that you found your bird! Finding a bittern really does feel like a huge win. I've seen a small handful. When in South Florida a few years ago I nearly bumped into one trailside. I sat down and hung out with it for nearly an hour - it was so close! I was amazed that most other trail users didn't get how special it was see this incredible creature. Many barely gave it a glance even after I giddily pointed it out.
Wow, that must have been such a cool experience to spend that time with bittern at such close range. Thanks for sharing about that, Karen!
This is the first time I have heard of a nemesis. I feel like the new desire for one has advanced me to a deeper level of birding. Oh the glorious obsession, ugh I mean commitment. Lol. Thank you for sharing your great love of birds. I enjoyed your post.
😂 I'm happy to share and spread the obsession/commitment, Bambi! So now that you know of nemesis, do you think you already had one, but didn't know there was a name for it? If not, which bird is the best contender for your nemesis?
I have not had a nemesis and I don't know which is the best contender. Challenge accepted Kelly, I will find out and let you know.
Looks like a velociraptor.
Herons and the like are definitely good a reminding us that birds are dinosaurs!
Nice photos! It's so satisfying finally seeing a bird you've been searching for. I think my focus this season is getting good behavior shots of courting ducks, robins pulling up worms, dancing cranes, etc. and of course warblers as they pass through.
P.S. What spotting scope/tripod head/tripod do you use (and would you recommend them)? I'm borrowing an inexpensive scope (Vivitar 25-75x 75mm) right now for bald eagle nest watching and I see purchasing my own in the future.
Hi Kev! That sounds like a fantastic focus for the year--I love behavior shots too and that's generally what I try to go for as well.
Re the spotting scope, mine is a Kowa and I love it. I also hear really great things about Vortex scopes. I have mine on a manfrotto fluid video tripod head which I also use occasionally with my camera for video.
Very nice! What's the front objective diameter and zoom range on your eyepiece? People frown on zoom binoculars because it cuts into field of view, but it seems like zoom eyepieces are the norm on spotting scopes. Is that right? Is it because it's quite a bit harder to get on-target with the high magnification of a scope so the zoom out/zoom in is more beneficial?
I typically don’t carry both camera and scope unless I plan on being stationary for most of the time. It’s just too much. But I almost always hand hold my camera and carry it with a shoulder strap so I don’t have to worry about a monopod.
Oooh, I'm not entirely sure of the physics but it is extremely difficult to get on target with the high magnification scope, even with the zoom in/zoom out feature. My scope's objective lens diameter is 88 mm and the eyepiece magnification is 25-60x
Ooo so big (and therefore) bright! I need to find somewhere I can try some out. But looking at camera equipment often makes me feel very pleased that it looks like a very good scope can be had for about $1000.
Often the birding festivals have some you can test out
I'm trying out a vortex viper 20-60x 85mm and it's fabulous. So bright, such an easy to view eyepiece. I also just got a 150-600mm f5-f6.3 lens.
If you're bringing a big lens and your scope to walk around a bit how do you manage it? Trying to walk with the camera on a monopod and scope on a tripod was not good. I think hand holding the camera/lens and carrying it at my hip with a shoulder strap will be the way. With scope/tripod over my shoulder or used on a separate outing.
This spoke so directly to me and the sandhill cranes that land in one park near me on the island I live on for like… two weeks in June and it’s been 3 years running now I have missed them. Fingers crossed for this year!! But also I learned from your substack you can have the ebird alerts for your area?!? I must set this up!
I also particularly love your American Bittern shapes in the sketchbook. Very relatable to me.
I hope you get to see the Sandhills this year, Emma! And yes, you can set a whole range of alerts in eBird. Easiest to find by going to eBird on your browser. Click "my eBird" on the top menu, then "alerts" on the left hand menu. Good luck!