Where do you live: Kingsville, Ontario Canada
Total Years Birding: 15 years..since 1992
ABA Life List: 327
Highlights On Lifelist: In Southwestern Ontario, Canada, where I live I've had interesting species including Pyrrhuloxia, Hermit Warbler, Neotropic Cormorant, Black-throated Grey Warbler, Painted Bunting, Ivory Gull, Western Kingbird and Ruff to name a few
Favourite Birding Hotspot: Point Pelee National Park, Hillman Marsh and Surrounding Area
Where to Go Next: I want to go to SE Arizona (this hopefully will be a reality next May), the Rio Grande in Texas, the Dry Tortugas, and the East Coast to name a few.
Binoculars Used: Bausch and Lomb Elites 10x42
Spotting Scope Used: Kowa Straight TSN 824M Florite Lens with a 20-60X Zoom eye peice, with a Swarovski Tripod, along with a Bushnell window mount for my car.
Favouite Field Guide: I grew up with Petersons but I also find the Sibley's Field Guide to Birds of North America and the National Geographic Field Guide just as essential.
Favourite Bird: Horned Lark
Favourite Feeder Bird I have ever had: I think having a Lapland Longspur is pretty cool, as well as Common Redpoll
Farthest I have ever travelled for a rare bird: Last year. It was for a Razorbill at Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario, Canada
What was my last Lifer: White-faced Ibis at Hillman Marsh, near Point Pelee, October 22, 2007
Favourite Birding Moment: Seeing a Neotropic Cormorant in Wheatley Ontario. This was a first for Ontario and Canada and so many birders from all over came to view it, including so many Ontario birders whom I am friends with. It was like a big family reunion! Also, when my boyfriend Aaron drove me to see the Razorbill at Niagara-on-the-Lake. He is not a birder, but the fact that he would drive me about 5 hours to see a bird I'd say was a turning point in our relationship..he hee
Best Birding Bud: That's easy, my friend Jeremy Hatt. We have shared so many birding moments that I could write a book. Every time we go out birding there is something new that we discover, whether it be a bird, butterfly or blobs.
Least Favourite thing about birding: The politics of birding drive me nuts....The "who's better than who" and "this guy isn't supposed to be trusted for his sightings" etc. etc. Birding is supposed to be fun, and hearing all this bullshit puts a damper on it.
My favourite birding icon: That is a very extensive list but the number one is Roger Tory Peterson, who was the inventor of the modern field guide and has done so much in the movement of conservation. David Sibley is another birder and Pete Dunne whom I find intriging as well for his literature on birding, as well as Ken Kaufman.
Some Long Walks and This and That
21 hours ago
When we do each eventually write a book on birding (it's not being too overconfident to say we'll both get something published someday right?), I hope we can include a chapter on blobs. It's an important aspect of birding that many people just don't give enough though to lol.
ReplyDeleteO.K., so I just checked out the e-bird website you had listed in your profile. This is a pretty cool site (and has great potential if more people us it...although false reports can appear easily). I added my High Park list.
ReplyDelete