Birdwatching is work!
One of the highlights of our camping at the Catalina State Park was the birdwatching walk we took with a group of experienced birdwatcher. Now I know the names of a few birds. Here is a Red-Tail Hawk and a Mourning dove. The hawk is easy to id with its Georgia red clay colored tail and the dove has a plaintive call, making it easy.
I’ve seen this bird before but had no idea it was called a Cooper’s Hawk. One problem I have is that the birds don’t stay still long enough for me to identify them. If it weren’t for the other members of the group I would have been completely lost. I’m still trying to figure how to use my Peterson Field Guide of Western Birds. I’m trying to figure out the differences between the Crissal thrasher and the Curved-billed thrasher. Photos help but I’m still slower than a novice. Just so you don’t think all the birds living in Catalina SP are dull in color, here are two birds with bright colors: Western Tanger is on left and Western Bluebird on right. I can identify these birds but only if they are males 🙁
After our hike, everyone huddled around a picnic table and noted the birds that had been spotted. To be honest, out of the 42 spotted by the group, I could only claim identifying six. If it weren’t for the dedicated birdwatchers who post their photos on the web, I would not know what those other 38 birds looked like. But I’m discouraged. Birdwatching may be a lot of work but I find the rewards to be worth the challenge.
