Peace, Caffeine, Linux

World Series of Birding 2009 - The Wet Week of Scouting

My World Series of Birding team (yes, there is such a thing!) is at it again for our 12th year in a row. If you live in the Philly region you may have read a recent story in the Daily News about the event that included quotes from Bill Reaume of The Loons.

You can visit the team's blog for more information on the team and the "WSB".

It's looking to be a wet week of scouting, but honestly that will not diminish the fun of being in the most beautiful spots of New Jersey (yes, there is such a thing!) during spring migration.

We are raising money for The Nature Conservancy's Migratory Bird Program. Thanks for your support!

Cooper's Hawk Nest Building

Last weekend I had some major Cooper's Hawk luck - I found TWO active nests about 3 miles apart. One had a bird on eggs, the other was still under construction. I was able to photograph, videotape, and capture audio of the pair that was nest building. I put some highlights into this short video. It was fascinating to watch the Coop gather nesting materials. A number of times he actually landed on a nearby driveway, walking around and searching.

The audio I got at the start of this video was a great score - I have heard Cooper's Hawks many times before, but having the pair vocalizing simultaneously was new. I used an Olympus LS-10, a very small hand held digital recorder, to capture their calls.