Bird watchers

[Miss Maddie]

Many of you are experience travelers and have been to many states, most likely during all seasons. What birds do you like to watch, are any areas of particular interest?
I love the song of a whippoorwill, but where we (still) live, it is so noisy, I can hardly make out its call.
So, once we sell our house (hopefully soon), and we'll be on the road, where should we go to watch, and listen to, birds?
Thank you

 

[SeilerBird]

I was a full timer for ten years and in that time I visited all of the lower 48 states and all of the 46 National Parks that were located in the lower 48. I am a bird photographer. My favorite spot was in the Grand Canyon photographing the California Condors. It is still possible to see Condors on the south rim but they are a lot rarer there now that they stopped a water leak on the main line into the canyon. I was attempting to photograph all 75 of the Condors that live in the northern Arizona flock. I got about 70 of them.

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipO_lTpKPlenOn1DThgDA0VlhiYh_GNrrp8sv1Ij6xHCGY1J8FqfRsQXh-iuXTeXwg?key=ZUJVT3htM3NfNHpqVk8wd3d6RWduM3ZYWVhDM0tn

I also made a life list photographically and ended up with 269 different species so far:

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPjHDGIXKNxzai6qS_gOJVLEerMhQduoeVS9UiAOb9C6CkWOQaYaHRBstlPCjrVrw?key=VXZGTDBoWjNuMmEtUjZBZDBVdVdTZjlxdDVrNXZB

I also loved the Texas Gulf Coast for shore birds. Specifically Padre Island National Seashore. I also love Bosque del Apache in New Mexico in November for an amazing flock of about 25,000 Sandhill Cranes.

https://www.nps.gov/pais/index.htm

Bear River Wildlife Reserve in northern Utah is one of the best places to see a million birds.

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/bear_river_migratory_bird_refuge/

The Newport Bay Conservancy has an amazing collection of shore birds.

https://newportbay.org/home/maps-and-directions/

And I ended up settling in Florida at an RV park that I like to say is like living in a wildlife reserve. I have a pair of Sandhill Cranes that come and visit me every day.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/floridian-rv-resort-st-cloud

 

[Great Horned Owl]

We could give you better help if we knew a little more about what you are looking for. Do you want places near where you live, or do you travel all around the country? Do you enjoy the challenge of spending an entire day to spot two or three really good species, or would you rather go someplace where you can find loads of birds, with little effort? Two books that will help you, are A Guide to Bird Finding West of the Mississippi and A Guide to Bird Finding West of the Mississippi, both by Olin Sewall Pettingill, Jr.

If you can get to south Florida during the winter, three of the best locations are Swee****er Strand on the Loop Road in big Cypress National Preserve, and both Anhinga Trail and shark Valley in Everglades National Park. The first of them just has lots of birds. The other two not only have lots of birds, but they also have lots of people. One might thing that having lots of people would not make for good birding, but just the opposite is true, There are so many people there, that we just blend into the scenery. The birds have learned to ignore us. Where else can you get a photo of four different species in the shot? Where else can you walk up to a bird, stick a camera in his face, and either have him stand there looking at you, or just continue doing whatever he was doing? If you tire of photographing birds, you can just start shooting parts of birds.

Good birding to you,
Joel

 

[SeilerBird]

Where else can you get a photo of four different species in the shot? Where else can you walk up to a bird, stick a camera in his face, and either have him stand there looking at you, or just continue doing whatever he was doing? If you tire of photographing birds, you can just start shooting parts of birds.

Very impressive photos Joel. The answer to your question would be Gatorland. Where it is possible to stick your camera lens into a nest and not have the mama even care.

 

[Miss Maddie]

I was a full timer for ten years and in that time I visited all of the lower 48 states and all of the 46 National Parks that were located in the lower 48. I am a bird photographer. My favorite spot was in the Grand Canyon photographing the California Condors. It is still possible to see Condors on the south rim but they are a lot rarer there now that they stopped a water leak on the main line into the canyon. I was attempting to photograph all 75 of the Condors that live in the northern Arizona flock. I got about 70 of them.

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipO_lTpKPlenOn1DThgDA0VlhiYh_GNrrp8sv1Ij6xHCGY1J8FqfRsQXh-iuXTeXwg?key=ZUJVT3htM3NfNHpqVk8wd3d6RWduM3ZYWVhDM0tn

I also made a life list photographically and ended up with 269 different species so far:

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPjHDGIXKNxzai6qS_gOJVLEerMhQduoeVS9UiAOb9C6CkWOQaYaHRBstlPCjrVrw?key=VXZGTDBoWjNuMmEtUjZBZDBVdVdTZjlxdDVrNXZB

I also loved the Texas Gulf Coast for shore birds. Specifically Padre Island National Seashore. I also love Bosque del Apache in New Mexico in November for an amazing flock of about 25,000 Sandhill Cranes.

https://www.nps.gov/pais/index.htm

Bear River Wildlife Reserve in northern Utah is one of the best places to see a million birds.

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/bear_river_migratory_bird_refuge/

The Newport Bay Conservancy has an amazing collection of shore birds.

https://newportbay.org/home/maps-and-directions/

And I ended up settling in Florida at an RV park that I like to say is like living in a wildlife reserve. I have a pair of Sandhill Cranes that come and visit me every day.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/floridian-rv-resort-st-cloud

Thank you

 

[Miss Maddie]

We could give you better help if we knew a little more about what you are looking for. Do you want places near where you live, or do you travel all around the country? Do you enjoy the challenge of spending an entire day to spot two or three really good species, or would you rather go someplace where you can find loads of birds, with little effort? Two books that will help you, are A Guide to Bird Finding West of the Mississippi and A Guide to Bird Finding West of the Mississippi, both by Olin Sewall Pettingill, Jr.

If you can get to south Florida during the winter, three of the best locations are Swee****er Strand on the Loop Road in big Cypress National Preserve, and both Anhinga Trail and shark Valley in Everglades National Park. The first of them just has lots of birds. The other two not only have lots of birds, but they also have lots of people. One might thing that having lots of people would not make for good birding, but just the opposite is true, There are so many people there, that we just blend into the scenery. The birds have learned to ignore us. Where else can you get a photo of four different species in the shot? Where else can you walk up to a bird, stick a camera in his face, and either have him stand there looking at you, or just continue doing whatever he was doing? If you tire of photographing birds, you can just start shooting parts of birds.

Good birding to you,
Joel

Thank you.
We live in central Fl at the moment and have explored around here, but yes, my interest is for when we sell our home and become full timers traveling where the mood takes us.

 

[Larry N.]

I'm not a birder, but when we were at Palo Duro Canyon state park, just south of Amarillo, one set of campsites had a very nice bird blind where we saw many birds, the most surprising to me was the painted bunting.

 

[Miss Maddie]

I'm not a birder, but when we were at Palo Duro Canyon state park, just south of Amarillo, one set of campsites had a very nice bird blind where we saw many birds, the most surprising to me was the painted bunting.

Thank you

 

[Debra17]

Southeast Arizona has great birding, particularly during the spring migration. I just spent 2 weeks at Cave Creek Canyon, Portal AZ. The birding was wonderful. Lots of warblers, hummingbirds and others. There are many species that can be found there whose main habit is in Mexico, but extend up into SE Arizona. Cave Creek is also one of 4 or 5 locations where the Elegant Trogon nests. Four or five arrived while I was there and I was able to observe them several times. I stayed in Sunny Flat CG. I had a nectar feeder out as well as a couple other campers. We had at least 7 species of hummers visiting the feeders. Including the Blue-throated and rivoli?s (formerly majestic). They were so beautiful.

 

[Miss Maddie]

Southeast Arizona has great birding, particularly during the spring migration. I just spent 2 weeks at Cave Creek Canyon, Portal AZ. The birding was wonderful. Lots of warblers, hummingbirds and others. There are many species that can be found there whose main habit is in Mexico, but extend up into SE Arizona. Cave Creek is also one of 4 or 5 locations where the Elegant Trogon nests. Four or five arrived while I was there and I was able to observe them several times. I stayed in Sunny Flat CG. I had a nectar feeder out as well as a couple other campers. We had at least 7 species of hummers visiting the feeders. Including the Blue-throated and rivoli?s (formerly majestic). They were so beautiful.

Oh my, we just love hummers. What graceful creatures they are.  Thank you so much.