Friday, March 21, 2008

bird watching

i wish i could call myself a bird watcher. i'm more a bird see-er. i see them fly. i think - gee, i wonder what kind of bird that is, i wonder where it's going, i wonder when it's going to rest, i wonder if it ever feels lost, i wonder where it's friends and family are... things like that. today i had a very enjoyable afternoon seeing birds with my good friend monica. we drove out to some bird preserve - no it was a "management area." anyway, we had a yummy lunch and then took a good long walk alongside a bit marshy swampy wet part of the great salt lake. maybe it has its own name - but either way - it was pretty and there were lots of birds around. some old guy we ran into said they were canadian geese - even some big white ones he claimed were snow geese. monica and i disagreed - they seemed more pelican like - but since neither of us are real bird watchers there's really no telling what they were. either way, i recommend the spot - pretty nice - just south of the fair grounds i believe. don't go between september and march - old guy said that's hunting season - sounds dangerous. and part of the road is closed from march until august - something about breeding season. okay, so i don't know when the ideal time to go is. oh - he did say that you see bald eagles in february. we just missed them. i'm just bummed i failed to document my trip with the trusty cell phone camera.

4 comments:

Monica Sue said...

good times, sarah. thanks for accompanying me and the chat too.

i'm actually surprised you didn't bring the phone/camera, but then again bird watching isn't captured well on film.

i'd have to say, for myself, that i do consider myself a bird watcher, even though i can't always identify them. i am fascinated by birds. i had the most amazing tiny bird with a red head, like a sparrow, on my deck today. i will have to look it up.

thanks again for joining me.

Betty Grace said...

Oh what you need is a good field guide. Peterson makes a great one. Yeah, hundreds of pelicans nest on the Great Salt Lake. I want to go there with you. Maybe in the Spring (wait it IS Spring) we can go the Bird Refuge up by Brigham city. It rocks!!

Betty Grace said...

By the way, Monica, that was probably a house finch with the red head

plainoldsarah said...

monica - thank YOU! and thank you betsy for the bird watching tips - i'd love to go with you. i need some new memories to associate with the bear river bird sanctuary - let's do it!