I've longed to photograph (and even just see) an owl in the wild for a long time, but they are oh-so-elusive birds. We do hear barred owls behind our house regularly, but I never see them. However, just before sundown tonight, one started calling out. I ventured into the woods to find it and, fortunately, I was able to!
This morning I got really lucky and photographed the 37th different bird species I've seen in our backyard: a yellow-billed cuckoo. These birds are apparently notorious for being hard to see, though they are frequently heard due to their distinctive calls. A number of people in a North Carolina birding forum that I post to have heard them in the wild, but have never seen one. Lucky catch!
I spotted it out of the kitchen window this morning, had an idea as to what it might be, and grabbed my camera. I sat outside on our back deck for 5 or 10 minutes before it showed itself again. Though the photo isn't the greatest, I'm happy that I was able to get a snapshot of it.
One of the great thrills of birding is checking off birds on your life list. This "lifer" for me was a fun one to get, and gives me the bug even more to find (and photograph) new birds!
The Merlin bird identification app that I wrote about a while back has an incredible new feature: sound ID. Simply bring up the Merlin app, select "Sound ID", and capture the bird song you want to identify. As you record, possibilities for the target bird appear. A few nights ago, while on a walk, I recorded a sound I didn't know, and it suggested a gray catbird, which was spot on.
There's a nice article that provides some details on this new feature and how it works. This app is getting better and better with time, and I highly recommend it.
Photography has long been a hobby of mine, but I haven't put much effort into it in the past few years. Happily, this has recently changed thanks to my relatively new birding hobby, which I've tangentially written about a couple of times. I'm taking more photos than I have in a long while, and it feels great to jump back into the hobby (as an aside, it's interesting how hobbies can ebb and flow with time; I haven't done much woodworking this year, but photography is filling the void).
I have started a new photo album cataloging the majority of the bird photos I've taken over the past six months or so. I plan to keep this album up to date as I take new photos, so check back every once in awhile to see what's new. I hope to post additional photos over the coming weeks in other new albums.
One of the tools I've been using in my backyard wildlife identification efforts is the Merlin Bird ID app (I'm using the Android version). This app is aptly named, because the ID capabilities are like some sort of dark magic!
There are a fair number of useful features in this app, none more so than the photograph identification tool. You simply upload a photo of the bird you want to identify, select the date and location where you spotted the bird, and the app gives you a list of possible birds. Each entry has information on the bird itself, and a number of excellent photos to compare your candidate against. In most of the trial cases I've given the app, only two or three candidates are usually returned, a testament to just how smart the "brains" of this thing are (all of its recommendations for my photos have been spot on so far).
Another feature that I haven't used much yet is the bird-call feature. While examining details on a bird, you can listen to a number of its calls, which makes identification by ear a lot easier. I cannot recommend this app highly enough!
We've had a bird feeder in our backyard for a few years now, but I've only ever half-heartedly watched the birds that come to it. This year for Christmas, my wife requested (and received) the addition of a suet feeder. Between the cold of winter, the never ending lock-down of this god forsaken pandemic, and my general boredom, I've been spending a lot more time actually watching the birds that visit our backyard. More importantly, I've also been photographing these birds, as well as other wildlife we see around our house. This Backyard Wildlife album is the result. As an aside, this is the first public photo album I've published since 2019!
I can emphatically say that I now enjoy watching and identifying the birds that visit. Prior to this endeavor, if you had asked me how many different types of birds come to our feeder, I would have guessed 10, maybe 12. As of this writing, I have photographed 26 different species of birds in and around our house. I've seen a few more which have yet to be photographed (some birds, it turns out, are fairly difficult to shoot). As a result, this album will be a living album; I plan on adding to it as I shoot new pictures.
My self-imposed criteria for this photo album is that all photos must be taken from the area immediately surrounding my house. There will be no duplicate species photos (with the exception of variants by sex), and I will replace photos over time with improved versions as I am able (a few photos are fairly rough, due to the birds' ephemeral visits). If you have a bird feeder in your yard, take the time to watch the birds that come. You'll be surprised at what's right in your backyard! If you don't have a feeder, be sure to get one; it's great, cheap fun.
Here are a couple of teaser photos from the album:
