Birds make me happy. <3

[pacificpikachu]

I haven't uploaded pictures yet, so I'll have to do that, but...

We went birdwatching today down at Graylodge. A lot of it was a big hassle--we left later then we wanted to and then got lost, so mom and I were arguing and we almost didn't go at all and just went shopping in Yuba City instead. But I insisted that still go, even if just for a little while. My goal this time was to see some Sandhill Cranes. I figured I most likely wouldn't--in all my years of birdwatching I've never seen one--but thought it would be awesome if after all the hassle and being late some showed up somehow. I just thought it would make up for everything, you know?

Well, we finally got to the vicinity of Graylodge and the sun was setting, and Ryan suddenly goes, "Kristin, there are these big birds in the field!" I was driving at the time but I hazarded a glance anyway.

AND THEY WERE SANDHILL CRANES. :D :D :D I only got four pictures of them before Ryan scared them away trying to get closer, and the pictures are crummy on top of that, but... I've never gotten to see Sandhill Cranes before so this was so exciting! Ahhhh they were so majestic and big! They were way across the field so it's not like I got the best view of them, but it's undeniable what they were. And hearing the noises they made and seeing them fly off. Oh man, amazing. ♥ There were around ten of them.

Anyway, that completely made my day. ♥ New goal for the next year or so: Get an awesome picture of a Sandhill Crane.

We went through Graylodge after that like normal, though it got dark partway through our trip. I took a ton of sunset pictures, and it was beautiful. The sound of all the ducks and geese flying overhead honking and quacking and making all kinds of other noises was amazing.

I was a bit rattled because when we went to check out of the park the hunters were all out showing off their duck kills (garbage can full of dead ducks breaks my heart), but...not much I can do about that. :( The mood in the car was somber for quite a while after that, even though none of us saw much because it was quite dark at that point.

Birdwatching makes me so happy. ♥ I know it sounds like a dorky, boring hobby, but it's seriously fun and exciting in its own way! I recommend everyone try it out in a refuge, preferably with someone knowledgeable if you can. In my Waterfowl field trip, a lot of the people had never been birdwatching and expected it to be completely boring, and they all had a fantastic time. Go see some waterfowl or hawks or gamebirds!

We went shopping in Yuba City for a while after this. Mostly uneventful, except I got these three soft cute plush sheep for $3 each. They're adorable and so fuzzy! ♥

It's quite cold out right now--there's a possibility it could snow tomorrow! I would love that so much.

Comments

[hitchi.livejournal.com]

That is exciting! I love cranes. ♥ Good luck getting good pics in the future!

(I also second the waterfowl recommendation for newbies)

[pacificpikachu.livejournal.com]

The cranes are absolutely amazing. :D And thanks for the luck! I need it, haha. Do you have any cranes in Ohio?

Waterfowl are great for new people. Man, I wish I could take my f-list out birdwatching at Graylodge... There are tons of whistling swans, 700K+ snow geese and Ross' geese, tons of different varieties of duck (many gorgeous ones), coots, grebes, bitterns, cranes, pheasant, red-winged blackbirds singing their heads off, tons of hawks... It's amazing there. So stunning. ♥ I do hope someday you can come out here and go birdwatching with me!

[hitchi.livejournal.com]

I've seen Sandhill Cranes here before, but I don't actually know if they're residents, or if they were just chillin here for a while. I'll ask my mom when I go home. I've also seen Whooping Cranes in Texas.

Yeah, that would be awesome!

[pacificpikachu.livejournal.com]

I know they're temporary here--they only winter here. Still, that's plenty of time to go out and see them (provided you can find them, that is!).

Ooh, wow, Whooping Cranes? How amazing! Were they close by or far off? Did you get any pictures?

[hitchi.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was when I was pretty little, so I don't have pictures, but I remember them enough, though vaguely. I don't really take my camera birding anyhow. That's mostly up to my dad. XD

[wao.livejournal.com]

I'm not exactly a bird person (nobody will ever convince me that cats aren't the most awesome animals ever) but there definitely is something really positive about seeing birds around, I have to agree... I don't birdwatch, but it's always awesome to see the odd bright blue kingfisher at the canal near our house, or the rare woodpecker... sometimes if I'm in more secluded areas I might see a greater racket-tailed drongo if I'm lucky. And when I was young, even now, it's delightful to see white herons pecking around in grass behind the bus-stop close to my house on rainy days.

I certainly haven't seen as large a variety of birds as you have, since I don't go to the places with higher concentrations of them that much, but the nicest thing lately is how my mum leaves the papaya and mango skins out and for the next day it's a feast for various birds (these days we've been getting a LOT of these dark birds with a greenish gloss on their feathers and red eyes, I don't know what they're called)
And it's so nice seeing them pecking and eating the stuff and seeing the skins quite clean after they're gone. (They're then just left to decompose in the flower pots.)

So I guess I wouldn't really take to birdwatching per se, because I'm not much of a "nerd" when it comes to animals/birds (I don't even know all that much about cats) - but I really do enjoy looking at them in nature. It sure beats talking to my mum, anyway >_>

[pacificpikachu.livejournal.com]

Even just appreciating them on a regular walk or everyday life is good! The kingfisher sounds pretty, and I would be interested in seeing what sorts of woodpeckers you have around there. I'll have to look that up. I just looked up the drongo, and wow--they're quite stunning! Love the tail. Birds are so diverse--I think that's part of what I really love about them. I love all animals nearly equally, but birds are just special to me for some reason.

That's nice of your mom to do! I have bird feeders that I set up in my yard sometimes, but I'm a bit more wary of it now that it's rainy. There are certain awful bacterial problems that can be caused by the seed getting wet and leaving it out, and I don't trust myself to remember to change it regularly enough in the rain. But when I do set them up, it's always fun to see what shows up.

Also, even if you're not an "animal nerd" (haha, that's exactly what I am), there is something to be said for standing in the middle of a wetland near these huge buttes rising up nearby, with literally thousands of geese and ducks flying overhead while the sun sets. There's nothing like that in the world--and I think that's why I recommend birdwatching to people. Not so much for sitting around getting in discussions about whether what you saw was one type of warbler or another, but for those breathless moments out in nature where you become completely immersed in this place beyond humanity. :D

[astralvulpes.livejournal.com]

I love Sandhill Cranes. They remind me very much of home, because where I used to live (actually, on two occasions), the cranes were really our neighbours - they'd often come right up onto the lawn.

[pacificpikachu.livejournal.com]

Oh wow--how wonderful! I wish the cranes were that close here; we have to drive around an hour to get to where they hang out. Did you ever get any pictures of them?

[trf-chan.livejournal.com]

Last year, mom took my sister and me to see Sandhill Cranes a few hours west of us! They're pretty cool. :D