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Love this thread! And so nice to see so many Freepers are birders!!

Altho, I wondered how the cameraman knew where to have his camera when the Osprey dove to get his catch. And the film must have been spliced as the Osprey was seen carrying his fish by the belly in one scene, then on the back and then back to the belly. But I am just being picky here. Amazing flic — as you are able to see how the osprey uses individual sets of feathers to manage his/her movements.

I guess my interest started when I was feeding 2nd son (now 52) at about 4 in the morning in July. I thought I heard an owl, but the next day was told it was a Mourning Dove. I bought a bird book, looked up the dove and that was the start of many happy years of birdwatching.

Probably my fav has to be Chickadees, too. I’ve fed them by hand and sometimes they have landed on my shoulder when I’m filling the feeder. (I live in NJ) One time in the Rockies, I saw my first Mountain Chickaee. I had some cheese in my pocket, so I put come in my hand and lifted it up. Sure enought, one came down to my hand, took a bite, spit it out and was off again! I should have had some crackers to go with that cheese!

When I went to China for the first time, I was so excited about seeing my first bird in the land of so many of my passions. And what was the first bird I saw? A pigeon!! LOL!

Probably my most exciting first sight was off the Maine coast. The Atlantic Puffin gathers in large colonies off the Northern Atlantic. We were sailing off Matinicus Rock, about 18 miles off the coast, and my youngest son and I got into a litle skiff and rowed towards the Puffins, as my DH and the other kids sailed aroung the other side of the rock. I was watching the floating Puffins with my binoculars (and all excited seeing my first Puffins), when a humpback whale surfaced, ‘blew his hole’ and then dove again -— about 100 feet from us! Talk about shocked! We saw about 5 or 6 of them, but only one that close. Needless to say, I was happy when DH and the boat came back around to us!!

My birding now is mostly in my back yard and the best thing that has happened there is that great invention — the wire ring with the hanging wires that sits on top of the feeder— that scare off the pesky English Sparrows. I don’t mind them eating from the ground, but I use good seed and want it for birds who enjoy it and not just gobble it down.

Didn’t mean to go on and on, but I’m looking forward to others and their experiences with all that is flying out there. The one thing about being a Birder, is that where ever you go, you will find birds. I’m always equipted with my glasses — just in case.

So envious of your Puffins!! I’ve always wanted to see one.

Yes, when I first started getting the birding itch I too thought a Mourning Dove was an owl and spent a good amount of time trying to find the darn bird. I also thought Turkey Vultures were hawks and I had about 6 of them kettling around my yard. It alarmed me so much I told my neighbor that he should bring his little dog inside as there were hawks nearby and it appeared as if they were trying to zero in on something. The poor man was petrified and brought his dog in in a hurry. HA

I would LOVE to see a Mountain Chickadee but we don’t get them here. One of my goals before my time is over on this earth is to travel to the west to see the birds there and I also want to get to the bird show in Texas and spend some time getting the raptors there that we don’t have here. Dreams at this point in my life as I am still raising my family, but one of these days I’ll have the funds and the time to do it I’m hoping.