Featured~Poet~Bird Blogger of the Month
Kathie Brown of Kathie’s Birds.
Howdee all,
As I type this Jeff and I are headed north. We had five wonderful weeks at my Sickstas in North Carolina, and are now driving our home north to West Virginia for a week at the New River Birding and Nature Festival. From there, we head to Ohio for The Biggest Week in American Birding.. We are looking forward to meeting other bloggers, facebook and twitter friends, along with checking out a few birds here and there, I might even look down a few times to see if I can find some Morel Mushrooms.
Hope you are all having a great time and getting out there to see a few birds! Are you ready now for:
~Featured Bird Blogger of the Month~
Kathie Brown~ of~ Kathie’s Birds.
This month I would like to introduce you to a blogger friend of mine~ Kathie Brown. I started reading Kathie’s blog, several years ago, when she was living in Arizona. Jeff and I wintered in Arizona two years ago, we met up with Kathie a few times and birded together. . Kathie and I bonded as birders and bloggers and have birded several more times together in New England. I don’t need to count birds when I am with Kathie, she is one of the most dedicated bird listers I know. She counts just about every bird she sees and posts them to ebird. I admire that.
Kathie has a few blogs~ her Arizona Blog is Sycamore Canyon, named after the area she called home for several years.
Recently, Kathie had to leave her beloved Arizona when her husbands job took him back to New England. Kathie’s new blog is ~ Kathie’s Birds.
Kathie also has another blog called ~Sycamore Canyon Birds~with photos and descriptions of the birds she saw in the Canyon area. Kathie writes wonderful Poetry..check out her Poetry blog~ Kathie’s Poet Tree.
Kathie is a popular bird blogger and was interviewed by Nature Blog Network and Birding is Fun.
I really love Kathie’s writing style and blog…
Have a look-see and I bet you will love it too!
Read more about Kathie in her own words …..
Kathie Brown
While I have always been a “bird watcher” I believe I became a “birder” in 2001 when I first participated in The Great Backyard Bird Count. We lived in Utah at the time and it is the first time I ever went out with my binoculars, and a notebook and pen to actually view birds on purpose. Until that time I just noticed them when they showed up in my yard or at my feeders or when we went on a trip and I happened to see a new species. My listing obsession really escalated in 2004 when I started my blog, Sycamore Canyon, and then learned about eBird in January of 2005. It has grown wildly from there and I now have 3 blogs dedicated to birds and birding and one dedicated to my poetry which is often about birds or nature.
Growing up without a father in New England I often turned to nature for my solace. I ran wild like an Indian through the woods and daily climbed trees, played in streams, or gamboled over pasture like a little lamb. Nature awed and inspired me and when my heart was broken I would run to her for comfort. I can still remember being out back in the woods behind my house and finding some little bark colored bird nesting on the ground. I didn’t know what it was then, but now suspect it was a nighthawk.My birding mentor is a woman named Trudy Smith who taught me the love of God and the love of the birds. As a deaf ornithologist I was fascinated by her knowledge of nature and her love for the birds in spite of the fact that she could not hear them. I met her when I was 16 years old and she remained my friend for the rest of her life. The last time I saw her was last summer and she was 101 years old!
I first tried to expand my knowledge of nature in 1992 when I became a volunteer naturalist with the Boulder County Parks and Open spaces. It was the first time I ever met others who were as passionate about nature as I was. Since then I have taken the Important Bird Area Survey course through Tucson Audubon and participated in an IBA survey of Sabino Canyon. Because my husband’s job has taken us all over the United States I have had the privilege of watching and counting birds in many places. Through eBird and the Cornell lab of Ornithology I have learned that counting birds can help scientists track bird populations which gives them the data they need to advocate for changes to help preserve birds and bird habitat. Counting birds helps track the effects of natural and unnatural disasters, whether it is a hurricane, a forest fire, or something like the BP Oil Spill. Having that data before and after the disaster can make a huge difference in what we can do to help the birds.
Preserving bird habitat is one of the things that is most important to me, as well as educating others about birds and sharing my passion for these feathered creatures that share our world with us. They bring so much joy to my day and I cannot imagine a world without bird song or a sky without birds flying overhead. My blogs are my way of sharing this love with the wider world. I hope you will come and visit me and enjoy what you see and read.
Please enjoy these featured posts…click on the links to go to the original post.
Monday, October 18, 2010
“I discovered this place about 2 weeks ago right before we moved in. It is only ¼ mile from my apartment and though I had seen it over a month ago when we were checking this apartment out I had not really stopped to bird there. On September 30th I did stop and was amazed by what I found. A bog surrounded by forest spread out before me. In the middle of the bog dead trees and stumps poked into the gray sky. Along the roadside a line of eastern white pines had been planted and beneath them a flock of chipping sparrow fed. In their branches yellow-rumped and palm warblers flitted through the trees. Out over the bog blue jays, American crows and more yellow-rumped warblers flitted about. I saw three kinds of woodpeckers on that day. There were birds everywhere and I could not count fast enough. I have landed on my feet, I thought to myself. I now have a new location for my next Site Survey for eBird. I drove away smiling.”
Dawn says…Kathie had a difficult transition when moving from her beloved Arizona to Massachusetts~until she discovers her new birding patch. Read more to learn about her local birding hotspot.
Monday, January 31, 2011
“We barely arrived when this juvenile Bald Eagle flew up in front of us! I jumped from he car to get photos as it flew over the mouth of the river and landed on the beach near some crows before taking off again. We were parked near the boat launch and it was in this same area that I saw two other significant birds. Scroll down to see what we saw!”
Dawn says…Yes do it~go to the post to see what else they saw..Oh..and check out Kathie in winter plumage~very cute!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Big January Wrap-up
Dawn says…Kathie did a Big January with others….see Kathie’s post to read about her big day…here are her totals and blogger friends that also did the Big January.
- Birding Couple 101 species Maryland
- Larry Brownstone Birding Blog 82 species CT
- Kathiesbirds 56 species MA
- Ruth, Body, Soul, and Spirit 52 species Ontario, CA
- Frank, The Early Birder 31 species somewhere in England
- Robert Birding is Fun 88 species in Utah and AZ
Sunday, February 20, 2011
GBBC Day 1: Counting Birds Everywhere
“I submitted a total of 9 checklists to eBird and the GBBC for today. 5 in Andover, 3 in North Andover, and 1 in Lawrence, Massachusetts!”
Dawn says…Kathie is one of the best and most dedicated bird counters I know…check her post to see some of the birds she counted for the GBBC.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Birding Maine with Beth
Dawn says…Check out Kathie’s fun day Birding in Maine with another Blogger…more Awesome photos of the Piliated Woodpecker..and a sweet surprise!
Dawn says~Kathie writes beautiful poetry!
In dusky light I walk
my dog tethered to me
the desert landscape spread before me
like a thorny blanket
when the hooting of an owl
calls to me from the canyon.
Below me in the twilight
with a half moon rising
on silent wings the dark bulk flies
up into desert skies
and lands on a Palo Verde tree
less than fifty feet from me
rotating its horned and feathered head
it locks amber eyes on my frozen form,
while the dog tugs impatiently on the leash.
I stand breathless and silent
with the desert chorus singing
their nighttime lullaby
–whit WHEET! the trasher,
–tink, tink, tink, the black-throated sparrow,
–squeak! squeak! squeak! the Gila woodpecker,
and while the cactus wren cackles and scolds from the cholla cactus,
The owl and I stare each other down
as minutes pass like desert gnats,
until the harbinger of night
lifts off on ponderous and silent wings
and flies away with my breath.
~Kathie Adams Brown (October 7, 2008)
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Friday, January 29, 2010
Scaled Quail in Sycamore Canyon!
“All night long I dream of scaled quail. I wake up in the night with the words pounding on my brain. I just have to see these birds! I won’t be able to sleep. I want to add them to my Pima County list, my Sycamore Canyon list, and my Big January Count. I wake around 8 a.m. and busy myself with morning chores. Is it too early to call Sheri back? I fill the bird feeders, and feed the pets. I fill my time as the clock creeps towards 9 a.m. then, I give Keith and Sheri a call. The scaled quail are back! I jump in my car without eating breakfast and drive to their house with what feels like frogs jumping in my stomach.”
Dawn says…Kathie’s dream came true…see more photos and read about her Big January Count.
Friday, January 8, 2010
White Vermillion Flycatcher at Sweetwater Wetlands
“The cute little bird is like a ghost in the sunshine. It shows no fear but rather seems curious about me. I stand holding my breathe and snapping away. It flies in closer and cocks its head to look at me from every angle. I am overwhelmed with this sweet beauty, this rare gem. I cannot get enough of it.”
Dawn says…Sweetwater Wetlands is a super place to bird in Arizona…check out what Kathie saw besides this White Beauty.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
In pursuit of the Rufus-capped Warbler
“I hear the sound of a bird and cross back to the opposite side of the creek. Dawn follows and we duck under a burnt sycamore tree trying to blend in so we will not be as conspicuous. I find the bird on the rocky cliff to our left and discover it is a canyon wren. We are both enjoying its antics and I am trying to position myself for a shot while Dawn moves off to the right. Just as I am about to lock on to the constantly moving bit of feathered butterscotch Dawn cries out as softly as she loudly can, “It’s here! It’s here!”
Dawn says…This is near and dear to my heart~Jeff and I joined Kathie in search of the Rufus-capped Warbler..read her post to see how lucky we were to see this bird and to see more great photos….
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Blue Grosbeak
“Blue Grosbeak, species 91 for Sycamore Canyon. I woke up this morning and opened the shutters only to see this beauty sitting on the quail block!”
Dawn says…A Beautiful bird!~go ahead and check out Kathie’s post for more photos!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Birding Portal
“Donna drives west into Cave Creek Canyon past rocky spires and huge cliffs. The wide open desert quickly gives way to shady forest as we head up the road. A few miles later and we are taking the turn to South Fork which Donna says is the best place to see the Trogon. The Trogon is a bird that has eluded me ever since I moved to SE Arizona. Though I have searched for it in Patagonia and Madera Canyon, I have yet to see it and add it to my Life List. So, she parks the car and we all jump out with cameras and binoculars looking for all the world like a National Geographic Expedition!”
Dawn says…Does Kathie see the Trogon? If not what other birds await her in the very birdy Portal, Arizona?
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Pyrrhuloxia
“Pyrrhuloxia Cardinalis sinuatus 1-29-09
Pyrrhuloxias, also know as Mexican Cardinals, are seen in Sycamore Canyon year round. They are distinguished from the similar looking Northern Cardinals by their gray coloration and stubby yellow parrot-like beaks.”
Dawn says…A Gorgeous bird~see Kathie’s post for more views~
I leave you with one more of Kathie’s Poems…I think the desert songs are calling her, calling her, still.
The Silver Song of the Desert
The silver song of the desert,
from the black throat of a bird,
a sparrow sitting in sunlight
on an arid desert morn
perched near a cactus thorn
its melody floating around me,
its presence a mystery still,
this silvery voice in the desert
is calling me, calling me,
still.
~Kathiesbirds (June 22, 2008)
I hope you enjoyed Kathies Blog and visit often…
Please keep those emails coming with suggestions of Birding Blogs you would like to see featured here. Nobbiecat(@)gmail(.)Com
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Happy Birding!
All permissions for this post and photos were given by Kathie Brown
A great blog!
I love Kathie’s blog! She’s a great eBirder, poet, and photographer, plus her Gusto is a great photographer too! Glad to see her in the spotlight here!