I just started ebirding...

I've never been a lister and I'm not saying that Ryan Gosling motivated me or anything....

But, I am really enjoying keeping track of my birds for the first time.    Of course, Cute Husband is doing most of the tracking and shares his lists with me. 

So, if you need a little motivation to bird or just need a little motivation, check out  Hey Girl... bird with me.

This is perhaps my favorite...

Happy Friday!

Have a few mintues?

How about taking them to help save the Greater Sage-Grouse?











Photo: Alan Wilson


The American Bird Conservancy has issued an alert regarding a conservation plan being devised for the Greater Sage-grouse.

BirdCouple is on it and you can help also!

The Greater Sage-Grouse, iconic bird of the western sagebrush, has suffered extensive population declines in recent decades, and continues to be impacted by oil and gas drilling, wind energy development, and livestock grazing across a vast region. Please give this a read and consider taking action in support of the Greater Sage-grouse and other bird species that depend on sagebrush habitat such as Sage Sparrow and Brewer's Sparrow.




We are talking about 50 million acres of public land.

50 million acres! 

Take a few minutes and submit a public comment about how those 50 million acres of public lands from Colorado to Oregon will be managed.

Even Crows like to Snowboard...

Not quite a Half Pipe, but with a little practice I'm sure this Russian Crow will be doing Alley-Oops before the spring thaw. 

THANK YOU

Darling - you are my best friend and my favorite birding partner, bar none. Most spouses detest the other spouse doing a Big Year. Or grudgingly accept it. You, you are special. You're my biggest fan and advisor ... and boy are we having fun! Tearing it up - 94 species in the first 8 days of 2012!

We learned to tell a Ring-Billed Gull and a Black-Headed Gull apart. And ...

.... how to lure that BHGU in with some cornbread from the nearby grocery store.

We've been flying like mad in search of birds..

... and talking about them a lot.

You are really cute, too. In fact I think you're foxy!



I think we have a lot more adventure before we're done!



Happy New Year!

A Happy New Year ( and lots of good birds in 2012) from the Birdcouple!

(Thanks to young Adam for taking this pic of our new Audubon calender).

Birding around the Chrismas Tree..

You gotta love a bird in boots...

 Male Sparkly Bird.

 And, Female Sparkly Bird.

 Other ornaments with wings...

 After gorging on cookies, I feel like you, Plump Bird.

These guys always make me feel a little voyeuristic

Happy Holidays from the BirdCouple!

What next? An Elegant Trogon in Annapolis?

It feels like rarities are fallling out of the sky in  Maryland this month, Actually, they are! There has been a Calliope Hummingbird in Easton (see our recent post!), a LeConte's Sparrow in Harford County, a Barrow's Goldeneye in St. Mary's County and a very rare wintering Black-Headed Gull. The gull is hanging out in a Best Buy parking lot at some mall north of Baltimore.

Yes, you read that right.

This is the first Black-Headed Grosbeak that has been seen in Maryland (at least in terms of accepted record) since 1969.

You read that right, too.

It suddenly appeared today at a feeder in Denton, on Maryland's eastern shore. And Warren happened to have today off!

What's next? A Western Tanager at OUR feeder? An Elegant Trogon at the statehouse in Annapolis?

To quote Roger Tory Peterson: "Birds have wings ... and they use them."

Where did the year go...?

Hard to believe it is two weeks until Christmas and soon we'll be staring 2012 right in the face! It's been a heck of a year (they ALL are for Birdcouple) and we intend to "ride it like we stole it" right up until New Year's Eve.

Lisa is getting that crazy Christmas excitement she gets every year. She's busting out with anticipation.

Warren's Maryland Mini-Big Year has netted him 283 species so far in 2011. He's dipped twice on the nearby LeConte's Sparrow (Lisa saw it on our first attempt last weekend, while W and our good buddy Paul Baicich weren't so lucky).

Here's some of our recent hijinx, starting with a lovely Calliope Hummingbird that's been hanging out in Easton, Maryland since October:

    Last night, the full moon rose in the woods behind the Lovenest, as we watched Navy beat Army (yay). Lisa insisted I go outside and see it, and I grabbed a few snaps:



   Finally, for your reading pleasure, here's a short vignette from the New Yorker about former Treasury Secretary (and big-time birder) Hank Paulson on birding, banks and bailouts.

 

Santa Loves Annapolis!

I think he came early to do some bird watching with us!

BirdCouple is 5 Years OLD!

Warren and I are so proud of our little blog child and are stunned that five years have passed since the creation.  BC has not only been a great learning and sharing experience, but it has also been a wonderful diary of adventures and new friends.

We met Peter Kaestner in 2006.



And went and visited him and his lovely family in India in 2009.





We met Paul Baicich in 2006 and he opened our minds to birding conservation.


In 2007, my Dad taught me everything he knew about beekeeping. 

In 2009, I said goodbye to him for the final time...

In 2007, David Sibley commented on the "mystery bird" that found his way to our feeder...


As the years went by, so did many cameras (and one computer) that proved themselves unworthy of BirdCouple magic.   We introduced BC to Twitter and Facebook.

 

Cute Husband and I celebrate each New Year's Day counting all the common birds as new "ticks" for the year and then we spend a weekend every February at the Ocean City Maryland Inlet... freezing and remembering the anniversary of the day we met.


Warren traveled to Iran ,  Afghanistan , Indonesia and Iraq for journalist work and a little birding -as safety permitted.

 

Our boys grew up and became men...and gentlemen!



 We hiked 500+ miles on the Appalachian Trail, noting loads of birds as we walked.


We also took note of all the other cool things planet Earth has to offer...



















We traveled to India, Namibia, Arizona, North Dakota, Florida, Oregon and Hawaii in search of birds and more birds....

And, sure we have our occasional love spats, but the best part of the last five years has been sharing and celebrating  it all with the love of my life, my best friend.

 


 Here's to another 5 + 45 years of pure fun and love!