What a Thrill

by Linda Ketterer
former SBTH President
May 2018

Birders come in all forms. We all know about the ‘professional’ birders that chase all over the globe for the chance to add an additional species to their life list. Others are much more casual and simply enjoy seeing a ‘red bird’ out their window. I think most supporters of SBTH fall somewhere in between.

My husband Ed and I have enjoyed birding together for as long as we’ve known one another. We each have ‘car binoculars’ that are always handy for chance sightings on the bay as we travel about. When we go out for a walk in the woods our binoculars go along with us, and we delight each spring in keeping an eye on the unfolding migration story.

This year we achieved something that so many other birders have enjoyed – we took a road trip to southeastern Arizona to spend a few days in the sunshine and to explore some of the many birding hotspots in that region. While we don’t keep a formal life list, we do note the birds that we have seen whenever we venture out and we generally remember the ones that we have seen or not. For our road trip, we started the list as we drove out of our driveway and added to it each day.

It was fun as we drove south to see the first magpies and other species that don’t make it to northern Michigan. At Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in central New Mexico, we had our first glimpse of the almost iridescent Vermilion Flycatcher (and then saw dozens more of them in southeastern Arizona!).

We love watching the antics of our Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in Michigan – and what a thrill it was to see the many varieties of hummingbirds that frequent the feeders and flowers in Arizona! Few things are more beautiful than a Broad-billed Hummingbird in the sunshine. Places like the San Pedro Riparian area, Ramsey Canyon, Patagonia, and Madera Canyon each provided new experiences for us.

On the return drive, we were thrilled to see thousands of Sandhill Cranes flying in for the evening along the North Platte River in Nebraska.

By the time we drove back into our garage after a drive of nearly 5,400 miles, our list included 107 bird species – 36 that we had not previously seen!

As spring finally makes its way to your part of the world, I hope that you will be able to take some time to get out and enjoy the winged show to which we are treated each year. Whether your show takes place out in the woods, along the shoreline, or simply looking out your window, enjoy it!

And recognize that we all have a chance and a responsibility for helping keep the show going. Thank you for your support of Saving Birds Thru Habitat and the individual efforts that you take for maintaining healthy habitats for our feathered friends!