Pages

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

My Last Bird of 2013...MacGillivray's Warbler!

5 Lifers including a MacGillivray's Warbler!

Map of Trip



115 Eastern Bluebird
116 Cooper's Hawk
117 Palm Warbler
118 House Finch
119 MacGillivray's Warbler


Off To ROCKPORT!

Monday, December 30, 2013

Owls and My Day 1 Big Year Plans





Tonight i went to look for owls with daddy, Joe and his girlfriend. my dad and I heard 2 Great Horned Owls. When they came we then heard a Screech Owl. We kept hearing it in different places. Really close then really far. him calling was so cool.we saw 4 shooting stars! i was making a song in the car and Joe thought it was a real owl!! hahah. I was a little scared in my video!

My dad, Jess, and Mayn and I are going to bird Rockport area again for day 1 of 2014. I am really excited to start!!!!


Owls and My Day 1 Big Year Plans





Tonight i went to look for owls with daddy, Joe and his girlfriend. my dad and I heard 2 Great Horned Owls. When they came we then heard a Screech Owl. We kept hearing it in different places. Really close then really far. him calling was so cool.we saw 4 shooting stars! i was making a song in the car and Joe thought it was a real owl!! hahah. I was a little scared in my video!

My dad, Jess, and Mayn and I are going to bird Rockport area again for day 1 of 2014. I am really excited to start!!!!


Sunday, December 29, 2013

Ross's Goose Chase and Red-headed Woodpecker

Me, my dad and Grammy went to the Gloucester area. We wanted to try and find Harlequin Ducks, Iceland Gulls, and Ross's Goose. We went to a few spots and we did get to see lots of ducks and gulls! it was funny when a Great Black-backed Gull was eating a pepperoni! My dad also got real excited when he finally got a Lesser Black-backed gull finally!

Jodrey State Fish Pier, Essex County, Massachusetts, US
Niles Pond & Brace Cove, Essex County, Massachusetts, US
Good Harbor Beach, Essex County, Massachusetts, US
Cathedral Ledge, Essex County, Massachusetts, US




 Also a Gray Seal!



 After we left the ocean we went to look for the Ross's Goose. We dindt find it but my dad screamed so loud when he found a Red-headed Woodpecker. I already had seen 2 before when we went to NY. This one's head wasn't as red as the other I had seen. My dad says it was a juvenile. Lots of birders showed up and were able to see it as well. We then went to the Short-eared Owl spot. I got to see a Rough-legged Hawk and 4 Short-eared Owls. There were also hunters there shooting Canada Geese. It was sad for birders, like me. They were falling down and losing all their families and stuff.


Argilla-Northgate-Essex Rd. Fields Complex, Ipswich, Essex County, Massachusetts, US
Stackyard Road, Rowley, Essex County, Massachusetts, US





 

Also I wanted to say awesome job to Neil Hayward on his big year. because of him i wanted to start my own blog!

My little brother got the awesomest shirt for xmas from my auntie. i am getting one made too!


My lifelist is now at 113 (missing some basic birds that we cant remember but will get again) ! My Big Year starts in 3 days!! Where should we go first?!?!?!?

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Cape Cod and Plymouth, Lifers!

My dad and me went to Cape Cod to find a few different birds. Redhead duck and hopefully a Eurasian Wigeon. It was raining hard the whole time we birded! We didnt get a Redhead duck but did get a Eurasian and American Wigeons. lots of lifers! We then went to Plymouth. and i got to see the Pilgrims boat and rock. My dad was trying to find a Lesser Black-backed Gull. We didn't find it but got to see an Iceland Gull! Here are my checklists and photos!

Map of trip







Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Santa Claws and Birds

Yesterday we went birding at the Worcester Airpot and found 0 birds!!!!!!! We then went to Wachusett Reservoir and found 6 Common Loons, Gadwalls, and Common Goldeneye. Also we got to see alot of Cedar Waxwings. they were pretty crazy cool! Ill have my dad post some photos and the checklists!






When Christmas came I got a tablet and a camera from Santa. So now I can post photos that i take as well!

Saturday, December 21, 2013

My Lifelist Up Till Now


My dad wanted me to show people birds that i saw in my life. i am missing some birds on here as we cant remember them all and i was not into birding. now im keeping track now. the saw-whet owl is the coolest because i got to hold it!

(Forgot)
97Dark-eyed Junco
98Mourning Dove

1 Pink-footed Goose
2 Snow Goose
3 Canada Goose
4 Mute Swan
5 Tundra Swan
6 Wood Duck
7 Mallard
8 Northern Shoveler
9 Bufflehead
10 Common Goldeneye
11 Hooded Merganser
12 Common Merganser
13 Ruddy Duck
14 Wild Turkey
15 Brown Pelican
16 American Bittern
17 Great Blue Heron
18 Great Egret
19 Little Blue Heron
20 Tricolored Heron
21 Black-crowned Night-Heron
22 Black Vulture
23 Turkey Vulture
24 Osprey
25 Northern Harrier
26 Bald Eagle
27 Red-shouldered Hawk
28 Broad-winged Hawk
29 Red-tailed Hawk
30 American Coot
31 Northern Lapwing
32 Killdeer
33 Spotted Sandpiper
34 Sanderling
35 Black-headed Gull
36 Ring-billed Gull
37 Herring Gull
38 Iceland Gull
39 Rock Pigeon
40 Eastern Screech-Owl
41 Great Horned Owl
42 Northern Hawk Owl
43 Barred Owl
44 Short-eared Owl
45 Northern Saw-whet Owl
46 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
47 Belted Kingfisher
48 Red-headed Woodpecker
49 Red-bellied Woodpecker
50 Downy Woodpecker
51 Hairy Woodpecker
52 Northern Flicker
53 American Kestrel
54 Merlin
55 Monk Parakeet
56 Gray Jay
57 Blue Jay
58 American Crow
59 Common Raven
60 Horned Lark
61 Tree Swallow
62 Black-capped Chickadee
63 Boreal Chickadee
64 Tufted Titmouse
65 Red-breasted Nuthatch
66 White-breasted Nuthatch
67 House Wren
68 Carolina Wren
69 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
70 Golden-crowned Kinglet
71 American Robin
72 Gray Catbird
73 Brown Thrasher
74 Northern Mockingbird
75 European Starling
76 Cedar Waxwing
77 Snow Bunting
78 Yellow Warbler
79 Pine Warbler
80 Yellow-rumped Warbler
81 Eastern Towhee
82 American Tree Sparrow
83 Chipping Sparrow
84 Savannah Sparrow
85 Song Sparrow
86 Swamp Sparrow
87 White-throated Sparrow
88 White-crowned Sparrow
89 Northern Cardinal
90 Red-winged Blackbird
91 Common Grackle
92 Boat-tailed Grackle
93 Baltimore Oriole
94 Pine Grosbeak
95 American Goldfinch
96 House Sparrow 

Friday, December 20, 2013

My Trip North For a Northern Hawk-Owl and Gray Jays

I woke up early at 4 in the morning yesterday to go with my daddy, Jessica Johnson, Joe Bourget, Mayn Hipp, and my grammy. I got ready and went on a 3 1/2 hour drive to way up in Waterbury Vermont (Waterbury Center, 137 Gregg Hill Road, Washington County, Vermont, US). We found Common Ravens. We found Snow Buntings (Toad Pond - Charleston (22 acres), Orleans County, Vermont, US eBird Checklist) and a Bald Eagle. And we saw a store that sold everything. and guns!

Trip Map





 When we got there I was able to look through a scope and see the Northern Hawk-Owl. It was awesome. It's body to me looked like a hawk and its head looked like an owl. we got a little closer to it while it was on a tree so I could see better and it was there for a long time. We then drived to a different place. (Wenlock WMA, Ferdinand, VT Moose Bog, Wenlock WMA, Essex County, Vermont, US eBird Checklist), Right when we got out of the car 2 Gray Jays flew into a tree close to us. We had food for them but they didnt come down and get it. when we were walking in the woods we saw some moose tracks. We found a Boreal Chickadee. we didnt see a Spruce Grouse or a Black-backed Woodpecker. my daddy wasnt happy about that. then we went home and when i got food in the car i fell asleep before i even started to eat it. my daddy will now post pictures on here and our checklists. My daddy also said that we got Red-breasted Nuthatches to. we also made it on the news up there! Northern Hawk-Owl News Story.  i cant wait for my big year to come!!

thank you for reading this message!

this is where we saw the Hawk-Owl

 Gray Jay
 Boreal Chickadee
 Northern Hawk-Owl

Monday, December 9, 2013

Iceland Gull and Some Thank You's

For the last week me and my dad saw 2 Iceland Gulls in our town. It is relly good  for me. I new it because it had a white wings while the other gulls have black wings. It lives up in the arctic near Santa in the summer and comes down south in the winter. This is a life bird for me. I got to see it in my dads scope as it sat on a rock. Other birds that I seen there that were really cool was a Ruddy Duck and Common Goldeneye.

Thank you to everyone that has donated some books to me. i really like that, you're really nice people. and my dad said he has gotten lots of messages saying good luck to me! I am relly excited to start my big year!

My ebird checklist

Some photos my dad took



Thursday, December 5, 2013

A Little About Me...

My name is Owen Lawson  I am 6 years old.  My dad birds and likes to take photos. My favorite bird is a Great Grey Owl. In 2014 I will do a Big Year and  try to see as many birds as I can with the help of my dad. My dad will help me go on my adventures and update my blog with photos, checklists and proper spelling, bird names and locations. I hope you enjoy and thank you!