Among the Birds

During our visit to Busch Gardens last week, we spent some time in Lory Landing. It's the one stop I make every single time we visit the park. If you're new to my blog, you may not know that I love birds. Birding has quickly become one of my favorite hobbies, so it's only natural that I'd love spending time among the birds while at an amusement park. While people are being plummeted 200 feet to their imminent death straight down towards the ground just a short distance away, I'm feeding cute little birds and ducking for cover whenever one flies inches from my head. It's a thrill all its own. At least for someone who loves birds.

are you getting my good side?

you can't see me

 my husband coaxed this one onto his finger even without the cup of $5 nectar

we caught a bird fight, feathers flew

there's even a home for ducks

such long skinny legs

lovely colorful facial markings

taking in some sun

curious bird

we just caught this one on the way out... it had the most beautiful colors!

It happens every time. I wonder if these birds know they're being held captive. Have they ever experienced the freedom of flying in the world outside? They might be safer from predators in their amusement park save haven, but do they ever want outside of their cage. I wonder where Busch Gardens gets all of these beautiful birds. I am glad we get to enjoy their company.

While it's very different experiencing birds in their natural habitats, I do enjoy seeing exotic birds while in a park too. Not too different than a zoo; these animals are captive. In a cage or not, they are still wild at heart. They may take nibbles of your fingers, they fight, and they fly. They're still birds.

Barking Herons and Other Things

After feeling a bit cooped up in the apartment last week, we made the decision to get outside and finally do something. So we drove along the Gulf coast and found ourselves a nice little roadside park where we enjoyed our impromptu homemade lunch waterside.

My husband's flying job has him on reserve (basically he's on call) almost every single day, so we can't get too far from home, or the airport, depending on how you look at things. Him being on reserve definitely puts a kink in our lives most days, but we managed to get out for an afternoon. It just meant bringing Nate's uniform with us just in case he got called for a flight. Thank goodness my husband's work never did call.

After driving south of a very crowded Clearwater Beach, we came across a quiet little park near Redington Shores. We parked our butts on a nice little bench next to the intracoastal, and we enjoyed our roasted chicken and provolone sandwiches. After inhaling slowly eating our lunch, Nate dipped his toes in the intracoastal, and I got a little too close to an agitated Great Blue Heron. Yes, you heard that correctly.

I was really trying my hardest not to harass the wildlife, but with a 50mm prime lens on your camera getting close enough (we're talking just a few feet away at one point) for a decent shot is a must. I swear one of these days I'll get a zoom lens, and then I won't have to piss off any more birds. That will be the day.

Did you know that the Great Blue Heron makes a barking noise when annoyed? Well, they do. Unfortunately I know from experience. Wikipedia says that the heron's voice can be described as the following: The call is a harsh croak. The heron is most vocal during the breeding season, but will call occasionally at any time of the year in territorial disputes or if disturbed. 

You learn something new every day, huh? Apparently I encountered one disturbed heron, either that or we were about to throw down in a territorial dispute. I'm glad it was not the latter. That could have ended badly... for the heron.

Enjoy your day!

Now you don't have to watch National Geographic today.

You're welcome. (:

Nerdy Bird

A birding we will go. A birding we will go.

Hi-ho the derry-o...

a birding we will go.

{ sung to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell }

Oh hey there!

Did you know that birding, or birdwatching, is one of my new favorite things to do?! Well it is.

I wasn't really joking when I previously mentioned { in this post here } that I might turn

into a binocular wielding, safari hat wearing bird stalker.

{taken while exploring the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary during our honeymoon in Florida in 2010 }

You had no idea I was this cool, did you? (:

This past week we spent some time at the John Chesnut Sr. Park. To my excitement, I discovered this park is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail. Yes. There are parks/trails all across the state that make up this incredible network of prime birding locations. I'm still only a beginner, but it's exciting to know that Florida is a great place to support my new favorite hobby.

We met a woman, obviously more experienced at birding, who put some seed on the boardwalk railings in order to coax some birds out of the trees. Telling the birds "I will only shoot you with my camera" also seemed to ease their little birdie fears. Before I knew it, I was just a few feet from some curious little birds.

{ if you look closely you'll notice a seed that got tossed by this hungry little tufted titmouse }

 I mean... who doesn't love a bird with a 'mohawk'.

{ It's actually called a crest, but I love thinking of it as a bird mohawk. }

Growing up my family had a pied cockatiel as a pet, so maybe I'm partial towards the tufted titmouse because of it's cute little crest on its head. Either way I look forward to spotting some more elusive birds, like the painted bunting. Oh the excitement of becoming a birdwatcher! ;)

Do you enjoy watching birds as much as I do?

Apparently each year New Jersey host's the World Series of Birding.

This birdwatching is serious business, folks!