Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp outing, CT

Howdee all,

Just a little over a week before our Milford, Ct outing!

Saturday July 11th Milford Ct.

Luke from Under Clear Skies volunteered to show us around the area.

Thanks Luke for planning this!

This is an excerpt from Luke's Blog Post about the event.

Please refer to Luke's Blog post as well.

Excited to see some old friends and meet some local bloggers as well as the ever-wandering Dawn and Jeff. Anyway details as follows: I suggest that we meet at Milford Point and start our days activities there at 10am (directions below) – which will let everyone who’s traveling get a reasonable start in the morning (and arrive a little after low tide). Plenty to look out for at arguably CT’s finest shorebird hotspot – hopefully Nick from ’shorebirder’ will be available to find us another Red-necked Stint or something (was it really 3 years ago now?) amongst the likely throngs of peeps. After that I’d suggest a look at a few spots in Stratford for coastal sparrows, herons, clapper rail, shorebirds, terns, and the US’s most northerly breeding Boat-tailed Grackle population, a stop at Marnick’s for Lobster Rolls for lunch and then on to my local shorebird hotspot Grace Salmon Park post high tide and perhaps an early evening stroll on the rather spectacular Penfield Reef.

For directions to Milford Point by car check the CAS website here. If anyone wants to try make the trip up via public transport you can get a train from Grand Central NYC to Milford (New Haven Line). Drop me an email luke.tiller@gmail.com and I’m more than happy to pick people up at the station.

Bring yourself, some serious DEET infused insect repellent, beach shoes, water, bins, scope and sense of humor. Look forward to seeing people then.

Luke

We have a great cast of characters

You can click on the links below to take you to blog etc.

Luke from Under Clear Skies

Bev from Behind the Bins and Murmuring Trees

(Twitter: BirdingBev Chirptracker Bevson )

Christopher from Picus blog

(Twitter Picusblog Chirptracker Picusblog Facebook Christopher Cissone)

Dan from Nature Observances by Forestal

(Twitter docforestal Chirptracker docforestal)

Larry from The Brownstone Birding Blog

Cindy from Living in Brooklyn, Longing for Maine

(Facebook Cynthia Cage)

Laura from Interstitial Spaces (Twitter beeebuzzz )

& Mark from Strack16 on (Twitter Strack16)

Catherine from Birdspot blog

(Twitter Birdspot)

Jeff and myself Dawns Bloggy Blog

(Twitter DawnFine Chirptracker Dawn Facebook Dawn Simmons Fine)

Nick from Shorebirder the birding journal

Chris from Tails of Birding

Dee J Brown from Oak in the Seed

(Twitter deejbrown )

..let me know if there are additions/spouses etc. or if I need to add your Twitter or Chirptracker, or Facebook ID

And as always

Please Join us!

Should be an Excellent time!

Please comment below whether or not you will be attending..so that I know you have read the details .

Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp meets Birds and Beers ..August 15th With Birdchick in MN.

leave comment or email me if interested..the cast is growing!

outings in MT, OR, northern CA , AZ, TX in the future.

Stay tuned for a big announcement..Hope to post that tomorrow!!!!!

Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp outing part 3, New Hampshire

Howdee all,

We had a great time birding and chatting our way through Plum Island, but we were way off schedule and needed to get to NH.

After yummy Roast beef sandwiches at the Courtyard restaurant in Newburyport we left for New Hampshire.

Lowie from the Worn Field Guide is doing a big year in NH and was our guide for part of this trip.

She took us to Newmarket to see the nesting Mississippi Kites.(read about the 2008 sightings and history of these birds At Picus blog) We saw mom on the nest….her head and tail..

Waited a bit hoping dad would fly in..but he didn't..

I didn't take a photo of the Kite on the nest but John from Birding in Maine did!

Ok..use your imagination the nest is in the one of those trees to the left of the telephone pole…or go to Johns blog for the real thing!

After seeing the nesting Kite. We went on to Chapmans landing to see the Saltmarsh and the Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrows.

We walked thru these amazing grasses which aren't the grasses that you see in the above photo..but ones that blended in with the grasses in the photo below..as we walked on the grass it emitted a wonderful fragrant odor reminiscent of cilantro! I wanted to bottle it. I forget what type of grass Lowie said they were…Lowie??? Lowie was determined to get both Sparrows for us! Thanks Lowie, You rock! We saw many Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows and a few quick and not so cooperative looks at Nelsons.

Christopher or Steve will probably know what type of Dragon fly this is.Red-winged blackbird ….the black box upper right..is used in Green fly control, according to Sharon, from A New England Life.. Lowie left us to go farther north in NH…to add more birds to her big year.

Christopher our fearless leader took over and we listened to a Virginia Rail about ten feet from us..but it never showed itself.

Nice hat Steve!

it was in the shrubs and grasses to the left of our shadows. Do you see me taking the photo?Christopher then took us to Pease air force base to look for Upland Sandpipers. We saw Upland dots…small far away looks. So I didn't count it as a life bird..bummer..

Great looks of a Raven Mom and her young on tall dirt piles..

It was a long day and the sun was setting! We went to another area of Pease to see if we could get better looks of the Uplands. But officer…I am not taking photos for anti government espionage!… Never did get good looks of the Uplands..will save that until our next visit..

We had a wonderful time with some great people!

I would love to continue these outings for Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp..and encourage all of you to have outings as well.

You may purchase buttons for your BwBTC outings at Zazzle..or just wait until I come to your area and set up a get together…

I give them as a gift because…

I like to.

Thanks again To Christopher who did a marvelous job planning and Leading us.

Thanks Lowie for staying longer that you should have…

Thanks to my Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp friends for coming..It was so nice to meet all of you from blogs that I already know and love..and to meet others who's blogs are new to me.

See you all in Cyberspace…until we meet again!

Birders who Blog,tweet and chirp.. part 2 Plum Island Birds

Howdee all,

Yes believe it or not…amongst all the chatting..we managed to see a few birds on Plum Island…I saw more than I photographed….I still have a hard time with moving objects..but there were a few nice birds that stuck around for a photo or two.

Purple Martins A scolding Red-winged Blackbird Listen to him yell at us!

A Song Sparrow sang for us…A BobolinkOh look…black hooks in a fieldNope…not black hooks..Bev said they were eating flowers or grass…we watched

and saw they were stripping the grains from the grass.Beautiful in the field of flowers Off to find some other food source..This Savannah sparrow let us get very close…What a show off…Christopher said this same bird has been in the same bush before..

Some of us thought they glued the bird there…It let us all get very close…and sang its heart out..

Let me sing for you…

listen to all of us chatter in the background!

We saw Semi-palmated and White rumped sandpipers

Willow Flycatcher

And many more birds…

Thank you our fearless leader Christopher for taking care of us and making sure we saw some birds!

Jeff added two life birds….Solitary sandpiper and Least Bittern

I added one.. Least Bittern- thanks to Lauras keen hearing, and Bev's quick sighting of a flying bird!

next

Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp outing Part 3, Lowies favorite place to bird!

New Hampshire

check out more Bird photos by clicking on the photo below…

Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp, Plum Island part 1

Howdee all,

I am going to break this into a few parts..since I took allot of photos and I always have a hard time leaving some out… So ..bear with me and enjoy..

This first post is Plum Island part one..

The Socializers

oops …I mean Birders

We did do some serious socializing…

It was exciting and fun to be with kindred spirits. We had so much to share and learn from each other…..thank goodness Christopher and a few others looked around for birds..while most of us chatted…I don't have a photo of us chatting..because, well………I was chatting..

The Tweets….Christopher and Bev tweeted about our day.

The maker of yummy blueberry bread..Thanks Laura!

We looked for shorebirds and woodland birds And birds who liked marsh and reeds

We were photographersAnd observersWe were a group of people brought together by something we all enjoyed

Bird watching

Stay tuned for part 2 Plum Island..

The Birds

For more reading pleasure… read these other accounts of our day,

Our fearless leader Christopher from Picus blog

John from Birding in Maine

Lowie from Worn Field Guide

Dan from Nature Observances

Laura from The Interstitial Spaces

Mark from Strack16

Sharon from A New England Life

Janet from The Plover Warden Diaries

Amanda from The Fledgling Birder

Andy from Nature Potpourri read his account of why he couldn't bird with us.

Oh but look here is Andy with us after all!

Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp outing

Howdee all,

I started a group a few months ago on Facebook called Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp..it was a way for me to see all those out there that had similar interests and put them in one group.
To learn from their blogs, listen to Tweets and Chirps..as I discovered a new world of Birdie and Nature bloggers out there..
Things have evolved from there...one thing leads to another...from Tweets and Chirpers who helped us find great birding spots as we traveled...to a meeting with a few other Bird bloggers in New York city.
It just seemed natural to want to meet more of these people whose blogs I was reading..
So...luckily Christopher from Picus blog ..was anxious to do the same...and together we made this fun event happen..
I will post much more later...but for now meet the Gang..

front left to right
My hubby Jeff , Bev with the magazine, Lowie
Second row left to right
Catie, Sharon, Janet
last long row
Amanda, John, Laura, Christopher, Pamela, Mark, Dan, Steve
not in photo, Johns wife Sharon, Myself,
and Andy, who after a long 2 hour plus ride had his car break down in the parking lot..
read Andys story here.

Christopher from Picusblog
John Briggs from Birding in Maine
Laura and Mark from Interstitial spaces
Bev from Behind the bins
Catie from A Birding Girl
Janet Egan from Plover warden diaries
Andy from Natures Potpourri
Sharon from A New England Life
Lauren from A Worn Field Guide
Dan from Nature Observances

Steve from Shooting my Universe
Amanda from The Fledgling Birder

Look whos coming to Dinner! BwBTC

Howdee all,

Well not dinner , but to....

The Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp, birding get together.

Christopher from Picusblog has been working on our itinerary..
check here to see what is planned so far.
We have a nice group so far.....and
Its not to late to join us! Just head over to Christopher's blog and sign up or send him an email.

Christopher from Picus blog Twitter Picusblog

John Briggs and his wife Sharon from Birding in Maine on Twitter MaineBirder

Laura & Mark from Interstitial Spaces on Twitter beeebuzzz , Strack16

Bev from Behind the Bins Twitter: BirdingBev Chirptracker Bevson

Catie from Birding Girl Twitter & Chirptracker: BirdingGirl

Janet Egan from Plover warden diaries Twitter hammerchick (working on Plum Island in the morning)

Andy from Nature Potpourri

Sharon from A new England Life on Twitter: ANewEnglandLife

Lauren from Worn Field Guide and on Chirptracker: Lakras

possibly Catherine from birdspot Twitter birdspot

Jeff and myself

Hope you can join us!

If not...stay tuned for more
Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp...get togethers.

Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp June 13 Join us!

Howdee all,

As some of you know Christopher from Picus Blog and I are planning a get together for Birders, Bird/Nature bloggers, and or those that use Twitter and or Chirptracker for birding.

You are welcome to join us if you have a website or use any of these venues for birding.

I cant wait to meet everyone!

I designed this button on Zazzle for the get together.

  My gift to my birdie friends

My mom, sicksta and a few others think it is scary. tee hee..

But you know us birders can be intense while staring down a bird…so I think this fellow is appropriate.

I just hope they can be made in time…

So join us if you will for a nice birdie outing to Plum Island!

Wouldn't it be cool if we saw a Green heron?