Nature Note: A Naturalist's Travels Through Nature

For my last memory of 2016, I want to talk about nemesis birds. But, just what is a nemesis bird? Let's start with simple definition: Nemesis bird (Nem-i-sus burd) noun   A bird that time and time again successfully evades discovery or notice due to their cryptic nature and infrequent appearances to an area that drives a birder to near madness in order to discover it. I have had a few nemesis birds in the past including canvasback ( Aythya valisineria ), brown creeper ( Certhia americana ), and northern goshawk ( Accipiter gentilis ). They had all the hallmarks of hard to find birds that suddenly appear for a few to see and then disappear, leaving other observers in the lurch. While all three species featured prominently on my year list for 2016, two species stood out as perfect examples of nemesis birds. Owls make for great nemesis birds as their preference for nocturnal living and cryptic plumage allow them to hide away when most birders are tramping through both forest ...

As with Friday, the weekend would prove to be some of the most productive time we spent both birding and networking within our rich community of birders, naturalists, and other lovers of nature observation and appreciation. Saturday was a whirlwind of warbler watching with several wonderful life birds thrown in for good measure. We started as we had the day before, rolling up in the car and into Magee Marsh. Before arriving on the boardwalk, Alison and I watched the optics tent slide past our windows. "I think it's time I bought a scope", I said as I gazed longingly at the rows and rows of tripods. "Well, we could do that now or come back later", Alison replied, smiling. "Later. I want to see if we can find more birds", I answered. "Ok", she said. After parking up, we noticed a huge exodus of cars from the parking lot. We are, in a sense, not the most timely of birders. Most birders are "larks", arriving at dawn or in th...

With the weekend upon me once more and a lack of an update this past weekend (Alison was visiting me so I have a good excuse), I figured I would update with a fun report from the field. On Friday night at about 8:15pm, I decided to go owling (not to be confused with the practices of "planking" or smuggling sheep in the early 12th and 13th centuries). While my goal was to find a Northern Saw-whet Owl ( Aegolius acadicus ), I did end up getting an unexpected lifer Barn Owl ( Tyto alba ) near the Pennypack Farm fence instead. Upon leaving the house and heading up the gravel road that leads to the girls cabins and eventually the back field, I felt the usual feelings of dread, fear, and anticipation at what I might find on my night hike around the Outdoor School property. My adrenalin was pumping as I had elected to walk most of the journey without a headlamp. The looming half moon overhead gave out enough light for my limited human night vision to use to gauge my surroundings. Al...