Spring Break, Part 1: Birds from a Plane

     I think I can claim bragging rights for having a busy Friday. First, I woke up at 5:30AM to go to track practice, after which I went to MLK Elementary School to perform Jack and the Beanstalk, then finally went to school for my afternoon classes (well, I guess before that I had to lug huge chunks of wood up three flights of stairs) and, once school was out, get in a car and drive straight up to Chicago. At least I didn't have to fly out that night.
     Instead, I had to fly out early the next morning. Midway airport was super-crowded (as one would expect on the first day of spring break) but not as bad as the one time where the line for check-in was long enough that they routed it through one of the parking garages (but that's another story). The plane ride was much shorter than the Pacific coast flights I'm used to, so I barely had time to take stock of all the items advertised in Skymall that I never knew I needed before the announcement was made to "prepare for our final descent into Boston Logan International Airport."
     I'll admit that I'm a connoisseur of airport approaches. Boston probably ranks in the top ten for best pre-landing scenery (I'll have you know that #1 is Portland, OR). The best part came about a minute or so before landing, when we were low enough over Boston Harbor that I could start birding before I was even on the ground.
     Actually, this is nothing new. Ever since I spied a White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi) during touchdown at Salt Lake City, I've tried to identify at least a few birds before I land whenever I fly off to some locale for birding. It usually only works in coastal cities. Luckily, Boston is a coastal city.
     The first bird to show up was an American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) flying below us--birds are much easier to see from a plane when they're also flying, especially if the bird has a wingspan of over 8 feet. Next I spotted a couple of gulls, thought I couldn't tell which species they were.
     Right before landing, the plane passed over a small jetty with guidance lights mounted on it--and several birds swimming next to it. Dark backs, light fronts, angular overall shape: unmistakable as Common Loons (Gavia immer). I took the fact that I had just seen three somewhat uncommon birds before setting foot in the state of Massachusetts to be a sign of impending good birding.
     Which was more or less correct.

Welcome!

     Hello there!
     As one might guess, this blog is dedicated to the subject of birding (for those of you not yet familiar with the lingo, "birdwatching"). I recommend that you start your whirlwind tour by reading Evolution of a Birding Evangelist and Be Patient... Or Not. These posts should give you a decent introduction to this blog and birding in general. Of course, you're not restricted to reading just those. You should really read all of the posts. Here's a briefing on what you might expect to see in the future as far as posts:

     Reviews: I'll be writing posts discussing local birding spots in terms of what an inexperienced birder might see there, and take into account issues such as accessibility and ease of viewing. These posts will be a bit more detailed than the info on the Local Birding Sites page.
     Birding Stories: It's kind of like fisherman telling each other about the one that got away, except it's usually more exciting when the bird is actually found. I'll be starting up pretty soon regaling you all with my tales of crazy birding over Spring Break, featuring 30-mph winds, birds seen from airplanes, Boston traffic, and a bird sitting on my head.
     Tips & Advice: What's a good birding blog without teaching people about birding? These will (should) be the main focus of the blog, with everything from where to go to how to identify birds to setting up feeders in your backyard.
     What Is It?: Everyone loves to be hypercompetitive. That's why there's "What Is It?". In these posts, I show you a photo (or two, or three) and you get to try to identify the bird shown. The full rules will be reposted in the next "What Is It?". You might notice as well that there is a leaderboard for those who obsessively identify the most, which I will reset to 0 for everyone once I put out the next "What Is It?". Until then, the Nonfiction Writing students who tried it last semester can bask in their glory as birders-in-training.

     Also be sure to read previous posts and check out the Recent Sightings, Local Birding Sites, Birdlists, and Photos pages, accessible through the navigation bar below the big blue rectangle with the title of the website.

     Something noteworthy: I was wandering around the I.D.E.A. Store looking for materials for my English project when I came across this:

Photo by the Author

     I decided that $20 was a small price to pay for a second spotting scope (I tested the optics before purchasing it--very high quality), so I bought it. It's pretty corroded and worn on the outside, but the lenses and prisms are in perfect working condition. Once I got home I did a little research, and identified it as an Argus M49 Spotting Scope (civilian version; there was also a military version used by the Marines from WWII through Vietnam), which dates it to the late 40s or 50s. I'll probably do a little refurbishing of the case (and figure out how to mount it on a real tripod).
     One more thing: be sure to send questions to and read the answers on the spinoff blog, Flyway Truck Stop Q&A.

     Happy Birding!