Bird meme

1. What is the coolest bird you have seen from your home?
A male Pileated Woodpecker would rank "coolest" he comes to the suet feeder. I have also enjoyed some Green Herons that live near me, a resident Cooper's Hawk and a Great Blue Heron once was eating the bullfrogs in back during a really wet summer.

2. If you compose a list of bird species what is your favorite list and why?
My favorite list is my life list of about 600 bird species, it is the only list I keep.

3. What sparked your interest in birds?
When I was little my father once had a tree swallow that would come really close to him. He claimed to have helped a tree swallow once and that is why they were not afraid of him. I thought it was magic and was very proud to have such a special dad. He had several bird guide books in his workshop and I would spend hours looking at the pictures and marveling at all of the different birds. It was the birth of my obsession with birds.

4. If you could only bird one place in for the rest of your life, where would it be and why?
I would probably bird in Sierra Vista, Arizona. They get many different kinds of birds, including wanderers from Mexico and tons of hummingbirds. They also get many raptors in the winter and have generally good weather for people.

5. Do you have a jinx bird and if so why is it jinxed?
I have two, but the most elusive has been the Ferruginous Hawk. I have driven for days in the Hawk's territory on more then one trip and have only had a "I think that might have been" look. I would love a good solid look and some time to enjoy the bird. I think they are in a rapid decline or I am just not lucky with them. I also have trouble with the Black Bellied Whistling Duck. I have only had a flyover despite some spots where they are bird you cannot miss. I have missed them, though.

6. Who is your favorite birder and why?
My favorite birder, that is a tough one. I like the Stokes, and enjoy reading their blog. I also really have enjoyed meeting George West, he was very nice and really informative when I met him. See his hummingbird work here. As for the birders of the past- George Misch Sutton and Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

7. Do you tell non-birders that you are a birder?
Yes, they may think I am crazy at first but usually they get curious and start asking you any question they have ever had about birds. It is a great way to show enthusiasm for the natural world and hopefully hook others with your passionate zeal. Birding is a great hobby and it is just fun to get out and look at nature.

A bit of cheer on an otherwise dark day.