Birding by ear

It was a chill, foggy morning, the sort that tempts you to curl up with a hot cup of tea and a good book. But here we were, not long after dawn, on a bird walk at Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat in Boulder County.

The misty air made birding a challenge. Even up close, the view was hazy. Colors were muted. Binoculars fogged. Fingertips tingled with cold.

Instead of speeding up to keep warm, walk leader Peter Ruprecht urged us to slow down and listen. We started birding “ears first.”

And with that, the landscape changed. A raucous chorus announced the presence of red-winged blackbirds hidden deep in the cattails. The rattle of a belted kingfisher drew our eyes to a stubby silhouette hunting from a perch over the water.

Quacking mallards caught our attention, and we saw wigeons paddling silently among them near the shore. Two great blue herons appeared out of the mist, croaking as they glided across the pond.

As daylight strengthened, we continued to listen. Blue jays squawked and screamed in the cottonwoods. House finches chirped as they flew overhead. American goldfinches twittered in a patch of thistles.

The “chip, chip” call of a sparrow brought us to a halt, and Peter shared tips for identifying the three species we spotted: white-crowned, Lincoln’s, and song sparrows. For a few minutes, they shared a small grove with a noisy flock of black-capped chickadees and a tiny marsh wren.

Walden (and the neighboring Sawhill Ponds) was once a gravel mining operation. The land has been thoughtfully reclaimed, and its numerous ponds and wetlands now are home to hundreds of bird and animal species. Broad swaths of native plants – food for birds and pollinators – are being installed along several of the well-marked trails.

It’s a place worth visiting at every season.

This morning’s walk yielded few surprises, but we all learned an important lesson: When it looks like there’s not much to see, let your ears take the lead. Sometimes, there’s more to the natural world than meets the eye.

Post and photos by Christine Kindl

Mindful Birding: A new way to experience the natural world

High in a cottonwood tree, a broad-tailed hummingbird plucked at a spiderweb, stealing the spider’s captured prey for its own midday meal.

On a typical birding walk, I’d have added the hummingbird to my eBird checklist and moved on. But on this day, I was practicing Mindful Birding – sitting still, slowing down, and using all my senses to experience this singular moment fully, without letting my mind scurry ahead to what other birds might be waiting for me down the trail.

I was introduced to Mindful Birding at a daylong workshop led by professor and author Barbara Patterson and hosted by the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies at Barr Lake State Park. As we all listened and learned, I realized that mindfulness – defined as “awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally” – is a natural complement to birding.

Immersing yourself in nature has proven health benefits, too. Scientific studies have shown that practicing mindfulness, especially outdoors, can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, improve sleep, and help to ease anxiety and depression. (The chance to see birds is a bonus!)

Here’s one simple mindfulness exercise, the “sit spot,” to add to your birding routine:

1.      Identify a place where you’re likely to see birds. This can be a favorite spot in the woods or beside a pond, a bench on your regular walking route, or even a comfy chair where you can watch your backyard bird feeder.

2.      As often as possible (once a day is ideal), sit in that spot for at least 15 minutes and simply observe the natural world around you. Engage all your senses – look at what’s happening, listen for birdsong, smell the air, feel the breeze on your face. Let your body relax. If your mind wanders, gently return your thoughts to the scene in front of you.

3.      Some people find that journaling or sketching helps them “stay in the moment.” Others prefer to sit quietly. Do what feels right to you.

4.      As time goes on, notice how your chosen spot has changed with the seasons – and how familiar even its tiniest details have become. Notice, too, how this special place has become a refuge – a place where nature helps you relax, recharge, and refresh yourself.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m still excited to explore new birding hotspots. I enjoy learning from my fellow birders and puzzling out bird IDs together. It’s always a thrill to add a new species of bird to my life list.

But Mindful Birding is another way to enjoy wild birds and their habitats – one with the potential to benefit mental and physical health. As summer turns to fall, I will try to be more aware, less hurried, and more mindful of the beautiful world around me.

NOTE: Broomfield Bird club will offer a Mindful Birding outing at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. See our list of upcoming bird walks for details and registration.

Post by Christine Kindl

My First Birding Festival

If you've ever given any thought to experiencing a birding festival, a great one to start with is just right down the road.

Last month, I attended the Pikes Peak Birding and Nature Festival, an annual event in Colorado Springs. Over a four-day period, the festival offers over 60 field trips, and more than a dozen nature seminars and workshops. All for an unbelievably fair registration fee. I left on a Wednesday afternoon, driving to the Springs where I met up with my niece. We had dinner together that night, then she was off on a trip of her own, so she graciously invited me to use her house as my home base.

Thursday morning, I was up early and grabbed a sandwich from the fridge that I'd made the night before, my water bottle, some fruit and put it in my backpack, along with binoculars and sunscreen, and grabbed my camera.

My first field trip for the day was an urban walk, meeting up at a shopping center parking lot. From there, we followed a river trail for about four miles. Our group of 15 included locals from the Springs, a couple from Texas, and a woman from Florida. Throughout the weekend, I met a number of other birders from out-of-state and was surprised at how far some had traveled. It's understandable, though, because the area is a big draw for birders.

The Pikes Peak region offers a variety of habitats including short-grass prairie, forested foothills and deep canyons, and riparian forests. And this is peak migration season! During the course of the festival, about half of Colorado's population of over 500 birds will be spotted and identified. There are a lot of options for walks, ranging from sites on the eastern prairie to mountain regions. I opted for activities closer to the home base. On our walk that morning, our group collectively spotted 49 species, which included a couple of new 'lifers' for me.

Northern Waterthrush -- a life bird for me!

Each day, my schedule was much the same, rising early for a bird walk, and then attending a seminar in the afternoon. I went to a workshop on bird photography that was quite helpful. Another was a nature journaling workshop that I really enjoyed. While I still use eBird to keep a record of my birding lists, lately I've been journaling my findings in a notebook, and I find it to be a nice creative outlet.

Spotted Towhee -- always a favorite

Lesser Goldfinch

My favorite day was on Friday, when I attended a walk at Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site. We birded the grounds for a couple of hours, then afterward went on a tour of one of the ranch houses. It was constructed in 1905, by the founder of Colorado Springs. The family member who lived there was an ornithologist, which was of interest to the group for obvious reasons, but we also enjoyed 'visiting' that time period. The house was just beautiful.

Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site

Indian Paintbrush

The second day was the longest, as I filled it with a couple of walks and a workshop. I was glad for a break on Day 3, and after a morning bird walk I took the afternoon to partake of some of my favorite things. I found a wonderful used bookstore in downtown C.S., and a coffee shop located in a former elementary school that is being repurposed for businesses. The neighborhood probably dates to the 50s, I would say, and it was such a great vibe, I went back the next day for breakfast. 

All in all, going to the festival was a great experience. I enjoyed the workshops and getting to know like-minded individuals who are just a little bit crazy about birds. If I were to do one again, I would probably limit the number of activities each day. One walk a day is about as much as I could handle, followed by a workshop or seminar. Colorado Springs is a great town to explore, so it's nice to allow a little more time for that, too. 

Northern Flicker

A social gathering was held on Saturday night, with food and drink all included in the festival fee. There were some cool door prizes! Overall, this festival is a steal. Even with lodging added on, which can be found fairly reasonably in the Springs area, it is budget friendly and there are a wide variety of activities with experienced birding leaders. 

Post and photos by Karen Clark

Out and About

Warblers, hummingbirds and other spring migrants are making an appearance in Broomfield this month -- and the Bird Club is getting out and about as well.

Our "community event season" opened April 20 with an Earth Day celebration at Broomfield Library that, despite a late spring snowfall, drew more than 200 visitors.

Presentation coordinator Susan Nagle greets visitors at Earth Day celebration.

On May 3, the club helped Broomfield mark its second Migratory Bird Day with another well-attended gathering, this time at the community center adjoining Brunner Reservoir. A flock of 12 American white pelicans circled the water, giving club members an opportunity to talk with visitors about the majestic birds.

Events like these allow Bird Club members to meet the public, answer questions about wild birds, and share our enthusiasm for birding. Some folks who visit our table become club members; others go home knowing a little more about the birds they've seen in Broomfield's open spaces or their own backyards.

And we're in good company, setting up alongside nature-focused groups such as Open Space & Trails, Broomfield Open Space Action Network, Nature's Educators, Colorado Master Gardeners, the Butterfly Pavilion, and many more.

So come join us! Upcoming community events include:

• Open House at Metzger Farm, 9 a.m.- noon May 25.
• Nature Festival at Metzger Farm, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Aug. 17.
• Lafayette Migratory Bird Day, 1-3 p.m. Sept 15
• Broomfield Days, 9 a.m.-5p.m. Sept. 21.

Check the "events" tab on this website for details.

And don't forget our Membership Picnic from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturday, June 8, at Brunner Farmhouse. Members and prospective members are invited; bring a camp chair and a bag lunch. (The club will supply drinks and snacks.) After a short business meeting, we'll learn about raptor conservation and the ancient sport of falconry from the president of the Colorado Hawking Club.

See you soon!

Waneka Lake Bird Walk

A house finch perches on the top branch of an evergreen tree and bursts into song. We peer through binoculars to observe the bird vocalizing in a string of short, warbling notes, finishing with a gentle slur. 

Our leader for this early April bird walk is Ted Floyd, author of numerous books and hundreds of articles on birding, as well as editor of American Birding Association magazine. One of Ted's favorite places to bird is Lafayette's Waneka Lake Park and its adjacent Greenlee Wildlife Preserve. Within steps of his home, Ted is enthusiastic about sharing his extended 'backyard' where he's lived for almost 20 years. He knows the area like the back of his hand, but still finds something new every time he goes out, which is almost daily. "I see new things every day," said Ted. "You just have to look!"

On this particular morning, we are learning to identify bird sounds. Ted encourages us to watch the birds vocalize. Observing the visual processing of a bird's song is one way to help the brain retain a species' sound patterns. We also learn about sound spectograms, pictorial representations of bird sounds. (For more information on this, See Ted's YouTube video on the subject, How to See Birdsong).

By the end of the morning, our group dwindles in size to just a few hardy birders. We walk along a familiar section of the lake, not expecting to find anything unusual. So, I am more than a little surprised at Ted's enthusiasm at spotting a couple of bushtits. While charming, these tiny little birds are quite common. However, Ted launches an enthusiastic discourse on why he considers these the "greatest birds in the world." And I am convinced. Check out Ted's video presentation on the subject, Celebrating the Greatest Bird in the World, and you just might be, too.

 

Post and photos by Karen Clark

Sandhill Cranes in Nebraska

The squawks, honks and rattles grew louder as we stepped out of the van and crept through the woods toward the blind. Just yards ahead, in front of the simple plywood structure, thousands of sandhill cranes were standing side by side in the North Platte River shallows, calling to one another as they waited for dawn.

Each spring an estimated 80% of the world’s sandhill crane population passes through the North Platte and Platte River valleys in Nebraska, a stopover on the birds’ annual migration from Mexico and the American Southwest to their breeding grounds in northern Canada and Alaska.

I’d seen more than 1,000 cranes the afternoon before, feeding in empty cornfields outside the city of North Platte, just a 3.5-hour drive from Broomfield. Peeking through the window of my parked car, I’d watched the 4-foot-tall birds peck at waste grain and use their long, pointed bills to probe the ground for edible roots, insects and snails.

Sandhill cranes pack on the pounds, gaining 15% to 20% of their body weight, during their spring layover in Nebraska. It’s fuel for the long flight north. But I’d seen some pause while feeding to “dance,” leaping into the air with wings spread wide, ruffling their feathers and occasionally tossing small twigs into the air. It had been quite a show.

Now 12 of us were sitting silently inside the blind while the shadowy shapes of cranes slowly came into focus. Just moments before sunrise, the birds’ calls took on a new urgency – and then, all at once, perhaps 500 cranes lifted their wings and took to the sky. They circled two or three times, then headed off for another day of foraging. One after another, flocks up and down the river gathered, circled and flew.

For a few minutes, the air rang with their rattling “bugle calls,” which can be heard more than two miles away. Then sunlight reached the riverbank, and the cranes were gone.

This birder couldn’t stop smiling.

Post and photos by Christine Kindl

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Sandhill cranes typically visit Nebraska in huge numbers from late February through early April, with peak spring migration occurring in mid-March. Visitor centers along the flyway, in North Platte, Kearney, Hastings, and Grand Island, Neb., have information about viewing sites and tours.

 

Heron's Knees

 

As Great Blue Herons are now returning to the heronry at Metzger Farm Open Space, it seems appropriate to share some of club member Walter "Ski" Szymanski's photos and thoughts on these beautiful creatures from past Facebook postings.

August 7, 2023 -- See those bony knees on the Great Blue Heron in my first photo here from this morning at Metzger? If you thought, "Sure, I see them", then you need to immediately reach out to the science community because you've got paranormal eyesight!

What I'm talking about is, those visible knobby structures midway up the legs on this bird that for all the world look like a mummy's bony leg knees, are not its knees. They're its ankles. Its knees are further up its legs, hidden under its feathers.

Like most birds, herons stand, walk, and run on their toes. Cats and dogs are structured this way, too. Animals with this kind of setup are known as toe walkers--kind of like some of us do when tippy-toeing downstairs late at night to snag some ice cream from the freezer hoping others in the house don't hear your stealth maneuvers. (I haven't a clue, though, why anyone would want to tip toe through the tulips. There isn't any ice cream in tulip fields.)

Anyway, the second image I took of this heron this morning hopefully provides a better visual of how the bend in this bird's leg in the process of scratching itself is at its ankle, and not at its knee.

Well, ain't that just the bee's knees!

Cheers!

Walter "Ski" Szymanski