An UIB (Unidentified Bird)

I was driving home tonight when I spotted a bird in a pond. The pond is on the north side of Tienken Road here in Rochester -- between Brewster and Livernois. I wish I could have stopped and taken a picture but traffic moves at a pretty good clip along Tienken.

I'm inclined to guess that it was a great egret. It was a wader (long legs), the plumage was all white, and it had a spearhead shaped yellow-orange beak. Unfortunately I couldn't see the color of the legs and I could see if there were any crest on the head so I can't be completely certain that it may not have been a heron way out of its normal territory.

The Kids Are All Right

It's my pleasure to work with some young pigeon fanciers as part of the Oakland 4-H Fliers 4-H club. A few of them entered birds at the Michigan State Fair and they did pretty well.

Danielle D. got a 1st and 2nd place Trumpeter (as well as having the best Trumpeter) , she got a 1st and 2nd on her Indian Fantails as well as best young bird, her Birmingham Roller got a 1st, her Show King placed 4th and her educational exhibit came in 3rd.

Jess M. got a 1st and 2nd place in the Lahores; 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Old German Owls, a 3rd place in Koromoner Tumblers and a 1st on her Swing Pouter.

I'm very proud to be associated with these two fine young ladies and I'm glad that I could help them a bit.

Birdwatching Ears

I got the audio companion to Peterson's Field Guide today. In fact there are a couple of audio companions; one is supposed to give you the audio equivalent of the field marks that the field guide gives while the other is supposed to give the various bird songs to help a person learn what to listen for. I'm going to try to listen to it and see if I can start to pick up the sound of birds. If nothing else my latest mania for bird watching should help me to sharpen up my powers of observation anyway.

Once Again

I've tried blogging a few times over the years. It's always a source of enthusiasm at the start and then the enthusiasm goes away as I realize that I really have nothing to say. This blog may go that way too. I guess we'll see.