My Inaugural Post

I've recently discovered a few bird blogs and thought "hey, I should do that!" SO I've decided to start my very own BIRD BLOG!  I figured what the heck, I'm bird crazy, I go out looking for birds and photographing them every day, why not post them on-line for everyone to see!

Just a little background info on me, for my first post, and I'll start the actual bird blogging tomorrow.  Hopefully.  I have birding for about 2 years now, and I love learning more and more every day!  I live in Bartholomew County, Indiana, and hence most of my birding takes place near there.  I occasionally travel to Michigan to visit my friends, so I bird there some times too.  I also have a few bird specific trips planned for this summer, going to Ohio and such.  My "main haunts" (haha) are Muscatatuck NWR, Atterbury, Driftwood, anywhere in Columbus that the People's Trail will take me (I do a lot of bicycle birding), and soon I will be exploring Brown County State Park more.  I've also been to/will go to again Gibson, Patoka, Monroe Lake, Hardy Lake, etc. (I also kayak-bird). I am participating in the Indiana "Big Year" this year, and as such am trying to get 200 bird species (100 have to be in State Parks).  I'm currently at 103 species in Indiana for the year (unsure how many of those are in State Parks yet).

Well, in case anyone is reading this or cares, here is a link to my e-bird account.  Actually, I'm not sure anyone can see that but me, but I'll try.

In the mean time, here are a few of the birds I spotted today.  Nothing terribly exciting, but I love all birds haha.  I usually bother to edit my pictures, btw, but I didn't today.  The lighting was nice, and I ran out of time.

At the retention ponds behind Sam's and Menard's (on 46 in Columbus) there were Ruddy Ducks, Pied-billed Grebes, and American Coots (of course Canada Geese).

Ruddy Ducks on retention pond 

American Coots also on retention pond

I rode down Carr Hill Rd a tad and saw these in the field behind the Wal-mart Retention Pond.  I believe they are Pectoral Sandpipers??  I am not great w/ shore bird ID yet, so if I'm wrong please correct me!

Pectoral Sandpipers (?) behind Wal-mart

 Then I road through Mill Race and Noblitt (where the Song Sparrow is from) on through town to 200 W, this road goes behind my house and crosses Lowell Road.  There are a few flooded field spots along it, and at them I saw these birds: Great Blue Heron, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teals, and tons of Blue-winged Teals!

Song Sparrow checking me out in Noblitt Park

Great Blue Heron Flying Over

Northern Shoveler on 200 W

Lots of Blue-winged Teals, there are a few Green-winged Teals in there, too.

 Last but not least, this Brown-headed Cowbird in my backyard wasn't even a tiny bit scared of me, and let me get super close.  I know it's *just* a cowbird, but he was so close I couldn't resist some photos!

Brown-headed Cowbird in my backyard!

Well, thanks for checking me out, and I hope you enjoy my posts/find them helpful/come back! :)

-Brit