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Bird Girl ™

Sherrie Duris


Last Updated: 11/24/2009

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Gender: Female
Status: Single
Age: 37
City: Oregon
State: Ohio
Country: US
Signup Date: 8/23/2006

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March 9, 2009 - Monday 

Current mood:  happy
I decided to go out last Tuesday while the weather was nice and bird along the lakeshore. The temps had been colder earlier the week before, so the ice reformed in some areas on the lake.

On my way out, I stopped along Taylor Road in Oregon to see if anything interesting was around. I am all proud of myself now because I am getting better at pishing and calling out birds with my Screech Owl imitation.

I stood on the road and within minutes of my attempts, I had Chickadees, WB Nuthatches, Cardinals, Downy Woodpeckers, Song Sparrow, Carolina Wren, Goldfinches, and a lone Pine Siskin. I was pretty impressed at my success at getting these birds attention. It amazes me how far I have come along in the last few years.

After my fill of the passerines, I headed out towards the lake for the ducks. I stopped on Front Street to get a photo of this guy I saw on some wires while driving by. Usually, I can't get this close to them, but this time I was luckier. I had to use the 12x zoom on my S5. I believe this bird is a female? They are the most common falcon in North America and one of the most colorful raptors in the world. I watched her for a bit tilting her head scanning the field below for rodents. Look at those talons! Fierce little predator.



After that I headed on over to the Bayshore Edison boat launch area and scanned the lake. Not much there, so I drove down to the area behind the Bayshore Supper Club. Once again, I walked out in the mud (like I did a week earlier) and scanned the half frozen lake. It was well worth getting my feet muddy to see all the ducks. Everywhere I looked there were ducks! Thousands upon thousands of them for miles.

I snapped this shot of some Common Mergansers flying past the peninsula I was on just as I set my tripod down in the mud.


 
 When I zoomed out this is the view I had facing north. The land in the background is owned by the Bayshore Edison. It is a little rectangle island that runs between the Maumee River shipping channel and the shoreline. Look at all those ducks in the open water. Just to the left of this photo is the warm water outflow to the Bayshore Edison. This water does not freeze in the winter and attracts all kinds of goodies.



I moved the camera a little towards the northeast for another angle. You can see the edge of the Bashore Edison land and clear across to the Michigan shoreline. It seemed pretty clear out that day. If you look closely, you can see open water, ice, then more open water with more ducks.


 
I turned the camera another twenty degrees northeast and snapped another photo. Way off in the distance towards the left of the photo you can see one of the shipping channel buoys. That is how clear it was. For miles and miles you could see specs of ducks scattered across the lake. This is always amazing to me. These ducks fly for miles during migration and stick around to rest, feed, or participate in courtship and pair formation processes. It is fun to witness it all by watching them.


 
Just a little farther to the east with the camera and you can see the Monroe Power Plant in the background. Look at all those ducks!



The most common that I could see up close were Common Mergansers. Believe it or not, I couldn't seem to pick out any Red-breasted Mergs. There were plenty of Lesser Scaup farther out, but I am still shaky on the Greater Scuap Identification.

Other species I saw that day included... Wood Ducks (three swimming closer to shore), American Black Duck, Mallard, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-Necked Ducks, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, and Hooded Mergansers.

Ducks really are some cool species of birds. I get all excited over them, as you could probably tell by now. They are just amazing little flying machines. They are beautiful, colorful, and fun to watch as the males do their courtship displays to attract the females.

I hope soon that I will get a chance to get out and get some great photos of these birds. I need to buy me a pair of waders and hide out in the cattails!

That is it for now, hope you enjoyed the ducks!  Close up photos coming soon.

~Love & Hugs~
Bird Girl TM
2:09 AM 
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February 26, 2009 - Thursday 
1:48 PM 
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February 11, 2009 - Wednesday 

Current mood:  blissful
Category: Blogging

I have been getting outdoors a little more in the last few weeks and it feels great. I started working out at the gym again and I am really starting to feel more energy.... (oh, and look better too) - photos coming soon.

My last adventure was on a very cold Saturday a few weeks ago. The following day it warmed up into the thirties and I couldn't resist going out again.

That Sunday, February 1st, I headed back over to Swan Creek Cemetery on Rt.20A to try for some photos of the White-winged Crossbills. They are not common around here so I really wanted to get some decent shots of them. As soon as I arrived I heard a little group calling overhead. That was the third time I had ever heard them call. It is nice to know the bird's call and be able to identify them without even seeing them. I set up my digiscoping camera and scope and walked around the cemetery looking for the birds foraging in the trees. It felt great not to be freezing my buns off.

I ran into another local photographer who was working on getting shots of the same birds. We found a group of them eating in some tall conifers at the other end of the cemetery. After taking several crappy digiscoped shots my batteries in the point and shoot ended up dying so I hand held the Canon Rebel with the 100-400mm lens and took several more shots.

At that point I was mostly working in Auto Mode on the camera. I did try a few other things but the birds weren't staying in one place very long so I didn't fool with the settings. Had I known more about the settings, I would have used them. I am in the process of learning them by finally reading my photography books I bought a year ago. I've also been watching some photography tutorials on Youtube.

Here are two shots of a beautiful male White-winged Crossbill eating. They sure are noisy when they crack those cones open. If they are not vocalizing and you don't see them, sometimes you can find them by hearing the cones cracking or seeing them drop to the ground.



I was using the full zoom on these shots. He was way up in the spruce.



I tried to get a little Depth of Field in this shot as he made his way up to the top of the branch. He had see in his mouth when I took the shot. It sure was fun to spend the time with them watching them eat. I was really getting familiar with this species.



In between crossbill shots, this guy was cruising around on a thermal above me. I aimed that camera and lens up to the sky and snapped this photo. He was way up there! It turned out a little blurry, but I was still happy to get my first in-flight shot of a Red-tailed Hawk. His markings are gorgeous.



That was it for that Sunday. I was satisfied with the shots that I took that day and I ventured on home. I still think I can get better shots and I will work on that later.

The following Sunday, February 8th, I drove out to the lakeshore to check on the duck action. The warm water outflow from the Bayshore Edison Plant keeps the water from freezing around that part of the lake. It is a very good birding spot in the winter with high concentrations of ducks and gulls.

On my way out to Bayshore Road, I stopped by a spot that I usually would see a Mockingbird, but he wasn't around. I took this photo of him a month ago on a utility pole.


 
I have seen him in the same bush on the same street about three times. I could usually pish him out within a few minutes of my arrival. (to non-birders - pishing is making funny noises to get the bird's attention and can really be funny if you are a non-birder in the presence of a birder pishing especially at bushes in a parking lots where there are other civilians nearby.) hahaha

Hopefully my mocker will be back soon. I miss him. I was feeling like we bonded during our brief encounters. LOL He was probably thinking to himself every time he saw me... "oh no, not this crazy b^%$ in this black car again. Doesn't she realize she looks like geek stopped in the middle of the road making funny noises out the car window at a bird in a bush?" LMAO Especially to those CSX Railroad men that are driving by! hahaha
 
I made my way over to the boat ramp next to the Bayshore Edison and scanned the water briefly noticing that all the ducks were farther east. I drove down to the Bayshore Supper Club on Bayshore Road. Everything is Bayshore around there. LOL I walked out onto a little peninsula behind the restaurant with my scope to get better views of the birds that I couldn't see from my car. The ground was super muddy and at one point, I looked down at my boots and they were covered in mud up to three inches!

Here is the view I saw from that spot. To the left of the photo is a little island owned by Bayshore Edison. There is open water near the island and to the east (right) of the island. In that open water was thousands of ducks that you can't see in this photo.


 
I scanned the area with my scope for quite a while watching all the ducks. As I was scanning I came across a White-winged Scoter. He was cool and he definitely stuck out from the rest. He is all black with a white wing patch. When the sun would peak through the clouds I could see the white by his eye. They sure have a funny looking head and bill. After five minutes of watching him I pulled out my digiscoping camera and mount and set it up to take a photo. By the time I got it all together, I couldn't find him in the view finder! Uggghh! LOL

I had a whole slew of ducks that day. It was fun just watching them fly and land and dive. I try to study their flight patterns and field marks so I can get better at identifying them in flight. That kind of practice will come in handy if I'm at Whitefish Point where the birds constantly fly across the point during migration. I remember my first time there back in September 2006 watching them fly by the point. The waterbird counter at the time was rattling off what he was seeing and I was like, huh? LOL I kept thinking to myself there was no way in hell he could tell what those little black dots were flying a mile or so out in the lake. Now I am finally starting to see how each species has distinguishing flight patterns.

I stopped over my sister's house who lives right around the corner from the lake and picked up my twelve year old niece Jacey. Jacey loves to go to the park with Aunt Sherrie and go exploring so I try to pick her up when I am in the area.

We headed over to Maumee Bay State Park for a little walking and birding. We started out on the paved path by the big hill that makes it's way along the lakeshore. As we started walking west on the path, this was our view. It was simply beautiful. We both stopped and took photos.



The sun was getting low in the sky and about to set and we could see the hazy rays filtered by the tall cottonwoods shine upon our path. The air was crisp and it smelled fresh.

As we were walking along the lakeshore section of the path, I heard some movement of leaves up ahead that made me slow down a bit to investigate. Shortly after this little guy crossed our path not paying one bit of attention to our presence.



We saw him go under a big boulder along the break wall and we could hear him moving around. We quietly walked along the path to see if he would come back out. Sure enough, he came right out and walked along the path in the same direction not even eight feet from us. I soon realized there was something wrong with his one eye. He looked blind in one eye. He stopped for a bit and we were able to get about three feet away and I took this photo of him.



Most people would be afraid of getting sprayed and not get this close. Skunks will not spray unless they feel threatened. This little guy was not showing any signs of being threatened. Their last resort is to spray. They will try to deter potential predators by making themselves appear larger and getting in a threatening position with their tail in the air. If he would have gone into that mode, I would have been out of there faster than Witch Hazel on Bugs Bunny who left the cloud of bobby pins in the air. hahaha (does anyone remember her?) LOL
 
It was exciting to get that close to a skunk. My niece Jacey had never seen one before and she was really excited. On our way back to the car I told her I was going to post the photos in my blog. She said to me "Aunt Sherrie will you put me in your blog?" I said "Of course I will." I love my nieces and nephews.

The last corner of the path put us in a southerly direction with this beautiful sunset to our west. With the love and joy in my heart I was feeling from the wonderful walk I just had with my pretty little niece, this sunset was the finishing touch to a perfect evening.



It might not look like all that to a professional photographer or anyone for that matter, but it was clearly a beautiful sight for us. It is the way that we were 'feeling' at the time we saw it that makes it so special. So every time I see this photo, I will always remember that feeling and the wonderful time I had with my niece.

I dropped her off back at my sisters and headed home. I couldn't help but make one more last stop along Taylor Road where I have seen a Great-Horned Owl hanging out in the last few months. I pulled off to the side of the road and shut my car off. There was still a little bit of light in the sky and I immediately heard the owl hooting. I looked up towards the backlit sky and saw his silhouette fly across the tall trees and land farther down the creek. That even made the night more perfect.

Life is Good!

~Love & Hugs~
Bird Girl TM
4:55 AM 
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January 31, 2009 - Saturday 

Current mood:Extremely GEEKY
Category: Pets and Animals
Not realizing that it was extremely cold outside, I decided while drinking my coffee this morning, that I was going to travel on over to Swan Creek Cemetery to try and get better photographs of White-winged Crossbills. The sun was shining at that time so I figured I might have some good light and some great photograph opportunities.

Boy, was I in for it! hahaha After putting on many layers and loading up the birding mobile, I started heading west and happen to glance down at my car thermometer. Well, I uh..... didn't realize it was only FOUR DEGREES! LOL And where did that sun go that I was admiring when I was drinking my coffee? waaaaah


 
Luckily, I am always prepared for cold wearing many layers and I didn't mind it a bit - at least in my warm car with heated seats! My first stop was the 577 Foundation on River Road in Perrysburg. The 577 Foundation is a property once owned by Virginia Stranahan consisting of twelve acres along the Maumee River in Perrysburg. Besides the existing buildings, the land is protected from future development and set aside as a nature preserve and community garden. Virginia Stranahan was a wealthy woman who loved people and nature. She was committed to keeping a piece of land undeveloped along the river for people to enjoy, and every time I go there, I sure enjoy it! What an awesome woman she must have been. I sure would have liked to have met her when she was alive. The world needs more people like her.

In one little area of the preserve just west of the gardens, there is a little bird blind structure that I often visit every time I am there. It is a perfect place for viewing and photographing feeder birds.... ok, maybe not when it's four degrees! LOL

You can see the bird blind in the photo below with a narrow viewing area facing the feeder station. By the way, I was trekking in well over a foot of snow to get to it.



Here is the inside of the blind. It has a long narrow opening and a little bench to sit on. Above you can see the bird identification guides and just to the left and out of view, there is two barrels of food for the feeders. For some reason there is a duck guide in the feeder blind, but I guess they wanted to cover everything!


 
This is the view from the inside looking out towards the feeder station. How many squirrels do you see in this photo? It's tricky.



A few minutes after I arrived and settled in I waited for a bit for the birds to come back to the feeders. I had scared them off while walking in... or at least that is what I thought until all of a sudden a Cooper's Hawk comes charging in after a Morning Dove. They were hiding from him.

Ok, now for some feeder birdie photos. My first little guy can light up a gloomy woods with his repertoire. You would never think that such a small little bird could belt out some loud vocalizations like that.

One of my favorite singers - Carolina Wren


 
This White-Breasted Nuthatch does not perch on the little metal perch like the finches do, he clings on to the plastic opening with his sharp claws. I noticed the Downy Woodpeckers do the same thing.


 
This Pine Siskin was a nice surprise. They are not a typical feeder bird in Ohio - only during irruptive years when the cone crops up north are small. Like the White-Winged Crossbills, they have migrated south from Canada in search of food.


 
 
Off in the distance this female Northern Cardinal waits her turn for the feeders. I got her attention with my camera and snapped this shot as she turned towards me with a little bit of snow on her beak. Awww, isn't she cute?



Mr. Cardinal is off on another branch to the right of her waiting his turn as well. He wasn't as deep red as the other studly males, but he was in an unobstructed spot which made for an easy photo. I could have did without the large branch in the background, but I had to take what I could get. I wasn't being picky, it was four degrees. hahaha



Last but not least, another female cardinal in a different spot. Once again not a clear background shot like I wanted it to be, but I didn't think it turned out too bad. I love the sharpness in her feathers - she is a beauty, don't you think? I liked the light in her eye. She could probably get any male she wanted by blinking those cute little birdie eyes. Wish I could do that! hahaha



While sitting there I observed the following species. Did I mention it was four degrees? hahaha

Black-Capped Chickadee
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Downy Woodpecker
Carolina Wren
Northern Cardinal
Dark-Eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Blue Jay
Pine Siskin
Cooper's Hawk
Minus a Morning Dove - Just kidding, I don't know he got it or not. LOL

After the 577 Foundation, I stopped at Orleans Park in Perrysburg to see if there were any birds in the open water on the river. I was a popsicle by then and I didn't feel like taking anymore photos or getting out of my car. LOL

Through the window I had:

Plenty of Canada Geese
Plenty of Mallards
One Black Duck
Two Female Bufflehead
One Female Common Merganser

After that I headed over to Swan Creek Cemetery, my original destination to find the White-Winged Crossbills. Sure enough they were there way up high and I was nice and warm in my car and that was where I was staying! I did get out and walk around for a bit running into local photographer George who had been there for a few hours. We saw a few groups of twenty or so birds that were feeding too high for any good photos. It was definitely fun to hear and see them again. I hope to go back soon and get some photos.

Well, that covers today's adventure. I am hoping that it is warmer tomorrow or at least the sun comes out. If so, I might be out again!

Have yourselves a wonderful weekend my friends!

~Love & Hugs~
Bird Girl TM  
 
 
 
 
11:34 PM 
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January 27, 2009 - Tuesday 

Current mood:  artistic
Category: Art and Photography

I am such a total slacker! I have had these photos on my computer for four months now and I just now got around to resizing them for a blog. These were all taken with the Canon Rebel Xsi in October during some of my excursions. As I type out this blog and anticipate another significant snow accumulation being produced by the latest forecasted winter storm, I can't help but admire all the inviting vivid colors of the sunrises, sunsets, blue skies, and greenery.

I played with the camera back in October, but not like I really wanted to. There is so much to learn and I am such an inpatient person. LOL I was so used to auto mode on the S2 & S5 and now I have to know things like aperture, ISO, and f-stops... uuugghh! I am learning bit by bit and I hope to produce some kick butt photos this spring and summer. I can't wait to set the camera up on my tripod at Magee in the spring and do warblers.

I am going to make this blog creative and inspiring at the same time. I want to lead you through the scenic photos with short descriptions and some of my favorite quotes. I want it to be relaxing, refreshing, and exhilarating. Take the journey with me and feel what I felt when I was taking the photos. Smell the smells, hear the sounds, and feel the warm breeze in the air.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

6:45 a.m. the sun breaks the horizon in early October. It looks down upon the earth and says..."I will shine on you today, my beautiful planet. I will illuminate your sky and fill your world with light."

As I stand on the beach admiring the beautiful sky, I can hear and see the distant Ring-billed Gulls flying across the lake. I hear a soft splash of water as the small rippling waves meet the shoreline. I take a deep breath and breathe in the fresh smell of the lake in the crisp morning air.



"Few sunrises are greeted as eagerly as those viewed through the eyes of love."





I stand on Kelley's Island in late October on the far northeast beach.  The temperature was thirty degrees that day and the sun was shining brightly.  As I tip-toed across the rocks, I stopped to look at the patterns of algae covering the rocks.  I love green. The air smells fresh.  It made me think of this quote.

"Stop every now and then. Just stop and enjoy. Take a deep
breath. Relax and take in the abundance of life."



This shot was taken at the same beach.  I laid on the ground at water level and snapped this shot. 

"Keep your sense of proportion by regularly, preferably daily, visiting the natural world."- Catlin Matthews



Look at the beauty in that eye.  I took this close-up of a bullfrog the day I met my Myspace friend Lauren from Cleveland.  I was able to get up close to the frog which I thought was unusual. 

"We do not see nature with our eyes, but with our understandings and our hearts." - William Hazlett




Amongst the blue sky...




I laid on the beach at Metzger's to take this photo on a crisp October morning.  The sunrise was just stunning.  I was truly captivated by it's beauty and the beauty that surrounded me. 

"The morning of life is like the dawn of a day, full of purity, visions, and harmony"- Chateubriand



My nature buddy Green Gene and I stopped at Marblehead on our way home from Kelly's Island.  We went to Kelly's at the end of October for the Saw-Whet Owl banding the night before.  We didn't end up seeing any Saw-Whet Owls, but I still enjoyed the trip.

Marblehead Lighthouse, Marblehead, Ohio - October 30, 2008



A sunset along the Maumee River in early October.  The colors were amazing that evening.

"Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn"




Metzger's Marsh early in the morning.  It is a breath of fresh air.  I can see the ducks in the distance amongst the morning haze.  It smells like fall as I stand close to the woodlot.  I am the only one there, it is so peaceful.

"Discovering this idyllic place, we find ourselves filled with a yearning to linger here, where time stands still and beauty overwhelms."



My favorite stomping grounds - Magee Marsh.  As I walked along the boardwalk alone, I stopped to photograph the light shining through the trees up ahead.  It looked so inviting.  For those who don't mind rolling solo like me, these are the times that you can really concentrate on nature and appreciate it's beauty.  That quiet time alone grounds you to the earth. 

"Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life."  ~Rachel Carson



Another shot along the beach at Kelly's Island.  I had fun that day playing with the camera.  I was trying out different focal lengths and techniques.

I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright.  ~Henry David Thoreau



This shot was on the north shore of Kelly's Island.  What a beautiful place.  I could hang out here all day. 

"The landscape belongs to the person who looks at it" - Ralph Waldo Emerson



A full shot of the bullfrog.  He was in an unusual spot in the stones along the dike at ONWR.  I was able to get quite close to him for the photo.
 
"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better".  ~Albert Einstein



Here is a photo of the Glacier Grooves at Kelly's Island.    They are pretty cool to see in person.  I was having a good old time pishing in some birds in the trees nearby. 

"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order."  ~John Burroughs



Can you feel the coolness of the wet sand or smell the water of the lake?  I missed not having shorebirds wandering in front of me while taking this photo.  This is the spot I took the Piping Plove photo in April of 2007 at Metzger's Marsh.

"Drinking nature is an unquenchable thirst."  ~Berri Clove



Sunset on the Maumee River.  I was down at Side Cut Metropark walking around on the island.  I had an awesome experience with a cute little ground squirrel that day.  As I was sitting quietly on a log in the middle of the woods soaking in all my surroundings, he hopped up on the log and got really close to me.  I didn't move and I don't think he even realized I was there.  He soon hopped down and went on his merry way, but it was exciting for me to see him up that close.  I was rewarded this beautiful sunset as I walked back to my car.

"The rich fire of the orange sunset gloriously announces the coming night." - Susan S. Florence



Another perspective along the length of a log on the beach of Kelly's Island.  This shot reminded me of being at the beach at Whitefish Point.  Both beaches are pretty cool places.  I could spend hours and hours exploring and admiring the fossils and rocks along the shoreline, not to mention the birds passing by. 

"The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man."  ~Author Unknown..



Bird Girl TM couldn't leave the beach at Metzger's without letting everyone know I was there!  I had never wrote my name in the sand before, so I had to try it.  Even though I am a loner and a nature geek, I can entertain myself for hours exploring the great outdoors.  I can only see the world through my own perspective and I think it is truly marvelous.  This earth is an amazing beautiful place and if we just take time to marvel in it's beauty, it will bring us much joy.

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul."  ~John Muir



Well, there you have it!  My intentions for the new year were to catch up on some blogging and I am moving right along.  I hope you enjoyed the photos and the blog.  It certainly gets me in high spirits when I write about my adventures.  They are wonderful recollections embedded into my eternal memory. 

As always, I want to thank each of you for being such wonderful friends.  You are just as special to me as the nature I write about and I am forever grateful and blessed to have you as friends.

~Love & Hugs~
Bird Girl TM 

10:22 PM 
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January 27, 2009 - Tuesday 

Current mood:  calm
Category: Blogging
I wake up at 6:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning in 15 degree weather feeling like I need to get my head examined because I am about to get ready for a birding field trip at a local cemetery. Most normal people are still in their warm beds having sweet dreams, while I bundle up layer after layer almost making it impossible for me to move. Oh, the dedication! All awhile I am thinking of how crazy I am, in the back of my mind, I know that once I see that first White-Winged Crossbill (life bird), the whole thing will be so worth it.

Civilians just don't understand. (that's what I call non-birders) LOL
Other birders really do get it. There is a special drive in birders that make certain bird sightings irresistible. We do crazy things to see birds. It is personally satisfying to add a bird to one's life list, but it is also satisfying to observe rare birds way out of their wintering range. There is a special appreciation for those little fluffballs of feathers that survive the extreme weather. To an average passerby, they are just birds chirping in the trees above their grandmother or grandfather's grave... To a birder, they are significant birds that have traveled quite the distance in the elements to find available food to survive.

My target bird for the day was the White-Winged Crossbill. They are a medium-sized finch with a thick, curved bill with crossed tips. To me their bill looks deformed, but it is like that so they can extract seeds from the cones produced by conifers. Here is a link to an article on eBird's web site regarding White-Winged Crossbills and some close up photos so you can see their crossed bill. These birds are not typically seen in Ohio and when they are, you can assume there was a bad cone crop in Canada. These birds will migrate south in search of food.

Woodlawn Cemetery in Toledo, Ohio has been pretty reliable in the last month for White-Winged Crossbills and other rare winter finches such as Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls. The historic cemetery consists of over 160 wooded acres and is home to 300 species of trees including cone producing conifers that the crossbills forage in. Spruces and firs are their favorite but they will also forage in hemlock and Eastern White Pine too. They can eat up to 3,000 conifer seeds in one day so they move around a lot looking for food. Woodlawn Cemetery is quite a popular birding hotspot in Toledo during the winter and they even have a page on their web site dedicated to birding.

I counted a total of 25 other crazed birders braving the cold to see the winter finches including a group of young Amish gentlemen from Wooster, Ohio that is two and a half hours away. We walked the icy roads of the cemetery listening for the vocalizations of the crossbills intently. We came across a mixed flock of Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, and Common Redpolls feeding on a Sweetgum tree. They looked so cute dangling from the little spiny balls.

Here is a photo of part of the group walking. Brrrr, is all I can say!



We finally had some good looks at the White-Winged Crossbills feeding a few hours into the trip. Here is a photo I took with the S5 using the 12x zoom. They were way up high and moving around quite a bit. It was fun to hear them vocalize for the first time. Now I will always remember their call. 



At one time, we had the WW Crossbills, Pine Siskins, and Common Redpolls all in the same tree. That was a sight I will always remember. It may be possible that I never experience that again in my lifetime in Ohio.

I went over to Ottawa Golf Course and trekked around in the snow with some of the brave souls left in the field trip looking for the Merlin that was seen there recently. It was a no go on the Merlin, but we did have another group of WW Crossbills that were feeding almost eye level. I tried for a photo, but they were between me and the sun. I was able to see two birds feeding on the ground and got good looks at their bills. Pretty neat!

After walking and standing for three and a half hours in 15 degree weather in Carhart bibs and many layers, my butt was kicked! LOL I was pretty sore the next day... What a great workout that was. But as always, those cute little birdies are oh, so worth it!!!  The winter landscape was beautiful and the sun was shining brightly.  I love winter.  I didn't take a lot of photos that morning because of the cold.  I wanted to keep my fingers in my nice warm gloves and it's hard to press the camera buttons with gloves on! LOL  I promise I will make up for it in the next blog...

~Love & Hugs~
Bird Girl TM
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Nature quotes for my beautiful friends.

"All seasons are beautiful for the person who carries happiness
within." - Horace Friess

"Few sunrises are greeted as eagerly as those viewed through
the eyes of love." (unknown)

"The landscape belongs to the person who looks at it." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

 
3:21 AM 
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January 17, 2009 - Saturday 

Current mood:  blessed
Category: Pets and Animals
In late November I took a trip to Jasper Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area near Medaryville, Indiana to witness twenty-two thousand Sandhill Cranes eat, dance, and fly into Goose Pasture to socialize before returning to the marshes to roost for the evening. It was quite a spectacle to observe that many Sandhill Cranes flying towards the viewing platform at dusk. The vast number of large birds with a beautiful sunset in the background and vocalizations heard for miles made the trip quite an adventure that I just had to share.

Jasper is 220 miles from where I live and it took about three and a half hours to get there taking the Ohio/Indiana Turnpike. My nature buddy Green Gene rode along with me which gave me someone to chat with and make the long drive less noticeable. Of course, Bird Girl never runs out of things to talk about and I could have kept talking all the way to California. LOL

My little birding mobile is quite the trip car. It is equipped with heated seats, an iPod/MP3 auxiliary jack, a great stock sound system, a glovebox cooler for the summertime, and ample room throughout with seats that all fold down including the passenger. Because Bird Girl likes to jam in her car (and sing too) LOL, she knocked the right rear speaker loose and now she has to take it back to the dealership to get it fixed and thankful it is still under warranty.

Here is a picture my Caliber when she was shiny and new. For those of you who haven't seen the other photo in my albums, note my license plate! LOL It really is a BIRDING mobile! hahaha



Jasper-Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area is 8,062 acres of wetland, upland and woodland habitat that is situated 50 miles inland from Lake Michigan and seems to me to be the middle of BFE. LOL It is surrounded by agricultural fields in every direction and becomes the major stopover for, in record years, up to thirty thousand Sandhill Cranes during fall migration from late September through December with the peak numbers in mid-November. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has a web site that gives migration status (count total) throughout the season. Each week the numbers can vary and increase by thousands depending on how many new flocks arrive from the north. We picked a great weekend (after Thanksgiving) to go. If any of you read my blog titled About Bird Girl, you will see that I prefer Birding over shopping, and that is exactly what I did. On Black Friday during the shopping madness, I was on my way to see birds! 

We arrived late afternoon just before sunset that Friday. We had enough time to drive around the surrounding fields to watch them feed and dance before returning to the Goose Pasture Viewing Area to watch them fly in.

Here four birds meet in a nearby field before their flight back to Goose Pasture. I really could not resist with the caption. LOL


 
A close-up of a bird in corn stubble. The cranes will forage the open fields within a ten-mile radius of their main staging grounds. They eat waste grain, small rodents, and insects.


 
Here is my nature buddy Green Gene. He didn't know I snapped this photo of him while he was checking out the cranes. He is just as geeked about nature as I am. He is a fun nature pal to have and an awesome photographer. Here is a link to his Myspace. I had my camera set up on my tripod right next to his. Of course, I am fumbling around with the settings on my camera and have no idea what I am doing while he is getting all the good shots. The viewing area can get quite crowded with people, so we stayed on the ground.


 
If you look closely in this photo, you can see thousands upon thousands in various sized groups flying in from all directions. What an amazing sight and sound that is! The birds look like little parachuters falling out of the sky. Gene says they look like the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz. LOL I think he is right.


 
As they vocally approach Goose Pasture, they begin dropping their little landing gear (cute legs & feet) and land right in front of you. Just look at those feet! hahaha


 
Just as the sun was setting, I was able to snap a photo of them flying across the sky. It was simply breathtaking.


 
The next morning we drove back to get some shots of them taking off from Goose Pasture with the sun behind us. You can hear them way before you see them. As we stood there we watched some of them do their little dancing rituals. One crane will bow low and then jump straight into the air. The pair will call in unison and sometime they fling bits of grass while jumping. This is part of their bonding ceremony between lifelong mates. It is so cool to watch, it makes you even love them more!
 

 
Goose Pasture attracts more than just the Sandhills. This guy was wandering around in the background safe from all the nearby hunters in the woodlands. Nice rack! LOL


 
I wasn't satisfied with my in-flight shots of the birds leaving the pasture. This is one of the better shots I had. I need to learn how to take in-flight shots and get the birds focused. I am sure there will be a next time.



I saved this video for last. Of course I would recommend experiencing this phenomena once in your lifetime in person. This mass-gathering of the sandhills doesn't just attract birders and photographers, is a marvel that attracts anyone that loves and appreciates nature. It is simply amazing how birds instinctively fly south during migration thousands of miles only to turn around and fly back the following spring. They are truly a cool bird. Here in this video taken by Green Gene, you will see and hear the birds flying towards us and land in Goose Pasture. Enjoy!


..

It was awesome sharing my adventure with you.  I hope you enjoyed it!

~Love & Hugs~
Bird Girl TM

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January 12, 2009 - Monday 

Current mood:  determined
Category: Blogging


I am a storm fanatic! Anytime there is precipitation activity on the Dopplar that is going to cause some kind of havoc, whether it be in the form of wind, lightning, tornadoes, blizzards, or significant snow accumulation, I am totally geeked! I have just as many weather web sites saved on my favorites as I do birding sites. I often read the local Forecast Discussion on the National Weather Service's web site and if I don't understand the weather lingo, they have a handy glossary to look up the terms. I have been laughed at a few times by friends and coworkers for referencing stuff like Low Pressure Systems in a conversation about weather.

This weekend's storm was awesome, though I still wish we would have had more accumulation. I started tracking it on Friday at work and I couldn't wait to get out in it. The snow started falling a little earlier than they predicted and on my way back to work from lunch the roads were already snow covered. Upon leaving at 4:00 PM there had already been another inch or so of accumulation making for a fun ride home.

My little Dodge Caliber has Electronic Stability Control so I don't slip and slide as often as the other cars do. I purposely try to nail it at stop lights but all my wheels correct themselves before I start fishtailing. I have had rear wheel drive cars in the past that would just sit and spin. My sister and I used to hit up the mall parking lot in the winter and purposely do donuts to learn how to control our vehicles in the snow and ice. We sure had a lot of fun learning! LOL Regardless of how much control one thinks they have over their vehicle, slippery ice can definitely be unpredictable and spinning out of control on the highway or a narrow road next to a ditch is not fun. I have been there and done that! LOL (I can laugh about it now, but at the time, lets just say - it wasn't funny!) hahaha

Of course I didn't do anything Friday night (like a geek), but stay home and track the storm on my laptop. After a good night's sleep I woke up to a nice accumulation on top my car right outside my window. After coffee I had to go clean my car off and shovel it out with nowhere to go. I was loving it so much, I shoveled my neighbors out and helped clean their cars off too. In the afternoon I threw some Cockatiel food on my patio for the Dark-Eyed Juncos that I saw feeding off flower seeds in the courtyard of my complex. They discovered the seed in no time and soon I had up to a dozen or so hanging out on my patio within a foot of my sliding glass door.
Of course, I grabbed my Canon S5 and snapped a shot of them enjoying the feast.



A close up of one through my dirty window. I was lying on the floor with the camera up to the glass within a few feet of this little guy.



I couldn't take being indoors any longer so I decided to head out despite the Level 1 (which turned into a level 2) Snow Emergency. I dressed in layers and packed up my birding bag and headed out to my car that had another layer of snow to wipe off. I decided to head over to Pearson Park which is only a few miles away to check out the Window on Wildlife.

The roads were snow covered and rutted. When I turned into the park it was just beautiful. The snow was still coming down pretty heavy and the scenery was a winter wonderland. I stopped, jumped out of the car and snapped this photo. Absolutely Beautiful!



The sledding hill in the park was packed with people. I passed that and continued on to the more quieter area where I could be alone with just the birdies. I snapped this photo as I was walking towards the Window on Wildlife from the parking lot. I couldn't help but notice how contrasting the colors of the butterfly flag on the light pole was against the winter backdrop. I sure love and appreciate the beauty of winter.



As I approached the Packer-Hammersmith Center I could hear all the birds chattering in the surrounding woods behind the Window on Wildlife. It was music to my ears on a snowy wintery day!

I snapped a photo inside the building to show my readers the viewing area of the Window on Wildlife. I used to visit this place often and just sit for hours watching birds. I got several life birds at this spot when I first began birding. There is a speaker system that allows you to hear the outdoor activity. The clump of snow covered dark rocks to the right is the water garden. It is a nice addition to the feeders and flower garden that attracts all kinds of wildlife including non-seed eating birds.



The year round trickling water of the waterfall can be heard by birds flying overhead and many a times I have witnessed birds sneak in to take a quick drink or bath. I was able to capture this Dark-Eyed Junco taking a quick dip in the shallow water. It is important for birds to keep their feathers in top condition in the winter. Dampening the feathers loosens the dirt and makes their feathers easier to preen. When preening, the bird carefully rearranges the feathers and spreads oil from the preen gland so they remain waterproof and trap an insulating layer of air underneath to stay warm.



They sure are amazing survivors of the elements according to our perspective. But I sure would love to see how life is just for a moment through their perspective. Free, wild, pure-positive energy instinctively living a life of joyous survival without a hint of negativity. Geesh, maybe I need to look into this more and live life like a bird. LOL

I looked through my photo archives, and sure enough I had a photo of the water garden in the summer for a reference on how beautiful it is in the summertime. The lush greens in this photo make it a welcoming site to a blog full of winter photos. The row of Impatiens in the background are quite appetizing to the Ruby-Throated Hummers in the summer.



Back to winter. I have always noticed the increase in activity at feeders before and during a storm. I don't have feeders at home in my apartment complex where I live now, so driving a few miles to watch this in the snow was the next best thing and oh, so worth it!





House Sparrows dominated the scene, but I did count a dozen or so Cardinals. I saw plenty of Dark-Eyed Juncos, Downy & Hairy Woodpeckers, White-Breasted Nuthatches, Tufted Titmouse, Morning Doves, Brown-Headed Cowbirds, Common Grackles, House Finches, and American Goldfinches. I didn't notice any Black-Capped Chickadees while I was there.

This Morning Dove tried several attempts at landing in the shallow water of the water garden but kept flying back to this branch to re-evaluate the situation. He didn't seem sure of himself and the depth of the water. Eventually he made it. The snowfall looks pretty heavy but beautiful in this photo.



I couldn't resist a photo of a Cardinal in the snow! I am using my 12x zoom on this one. He sure does stick out. Look at him compared to the House Finches on the left. They sure are a welcoming site against the white snow.



As I was sitting there soaking it all in watching the acrobatic nuthatches hanging upside down on the suet feeder in front of me, this guy come walking in right up to the feeder for an afternoon snack. All the birds scattered that were on the ground below it, but they patiently waited in the surrounding trees for the young buck to get his fill on bird seed.


Ok, I couldn't resist this one.

I knew I should have listened! Mommy told me to never stick my tongue on a pole in the winter. LOL



The photo is an optical illusion.  He almost looks like his tongue could be stuck on the pole, but I just caught him licking his chops after some tasty bird food.  I tapped on the window and he looked up at me before darting off. The one antlered buck. He looked cute with his little snowy eyebrows. The rest of his group stayed behind in the woods.  It was neat to watch him so close.  He didn't even know I was there until I tapped on the window.



Well, there you have it folks - Bird Girl's adventure in the snow storm! I had a great time in the snow. I know a lot of people don't like snow, but I just love it. I think it is a beautiful part of mother nature.  Michigan's Upper Peninsula is just beautiful in the winter!   

It appears another Low Pressure System is on it's way to Northwest Ohio pushing out the weak High Pressure system bringing in an Arctic Front with chilly temperatures and some more snow accumulation on Monday evening. LMAO!!!! Woohoo, bring it baby!

I really enjoyed sharing my adventure with you and I hope you enjoyed reading it. I look forward to many more adventures and many more blogs.

~Love & Hugs~
Bird Girl TM
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January 9, 2009 - Friday 

Current mood:  pleased
Category: Blogging

Ok, ok, I am a slacker! It has been a while since I last blogged and I am well overdue. I made a promise to myself that I would get on the ball and catch up on my blogs and write about more adventures for 2009. I plan on getting out in the field more and playing with the new Rebel Xsi. I have a lot of goals for this year and I am already on the right track to achieving them.

I am all fired up and excited to share my adventures. In the meantime, I came up with a list of random things about Bird Girl that I wanted to share with my readers. I read a similar list like this that a Myspace friend posted once as a bulletin and it inspired me to write my own. I posted it earlier as a bulletin and I received some really nice responses in my messages from my Myspace friends so I decided to post it in a blog.

I had a fun time typing it and I could have kept going way past 101! My friends and family could all vouch for this being accurate and right on the money. When you write something like this about yourself, it really makes you stop and reflect on who you are. Enjoy!

Bird Girl TM - Six Years Old




101 Random Things About Bird Girl ™

1. I collected bugs when I was a kid.

2. I was always the tallest girl in class.

3. I am a loner.

4. I would rather go bird watching than go to bars.

5. I never try to be someone I am not.

6. I can be quite the social butterfly during a night out with friends and a few drinks.

7. I usally tell people like it is.

8. I don't like keeping secrets.

9. I am a geek and I am perfectly fine with that.

10. I could have been a supermodel if I quit eating when I was 12.

11. I was always getting stitches when I was a kid.

12. I attended a Catholic Grade School for eight years.

13. I intend to be a self-made millionaire.

14. I always accomplish what I put my mind to.

15. I want to make a difference in this world.

16. I meditate often and I have reached higher levels of consciousness.

17. I always stand firm in what I believe in.

18. I am an excellent cook.

19. I love to landscape and garden.

20. I am not a patient person but I am learning to be.

21. I look for the good in everyone.

22. I don't like peas or beets.

23. I haven't watched TV in over a year.

24. I have a business mind.

25. I plan on becoming a Life Coach and Motivational Speaker.

26. I intend to write Inspirational books.

27. I study Quantum Physics.

28. I started serious birding in 2006.

29. When I get involved with something I go all out and I get obsessed.

30. I can easily get distracted and move on to something else that grabs my attention.

31. People are naturally attracted to me because I emit positive energy.

32. I was afraid of the Goodyear Blimp when I was young and I remember hiding under my bed when it was above our house.

33. I asked a lot of questions when I was younger.

34. I am a "Seeking Being" always looking for spiritual enlightment and more knowledge.

35. I am a very organized person.

36. I don't desire to have any children.

37. I want to travel around the world.

38. I am still looking for my soul mate.

39. I have an extensive library of non-fictional books, field guides, and educational material.

40. I love to read anything I can learn something from.

41. I am fascinated with many things.

42. I like the number 42 and I really don't know why.

43. I don't like fast food.

44. I intend to look like a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model by summer of this year.

45. I want to have my own portfolio of one-in-a-million nature photographs all taken by me.

46. I have a wish box with photos of the things I want in it.

47. I am very creative.

48. If someone tells me I can't do something I prove them wrong.

49. I purposely came to this earth to live a life of pure bliss and to help guide others in that same direction.

50. I am genuine.

51. I love the smell of fresh compost that smells like earth and crumbles in my hand.

52. I would rather spend a vacation exploring the wilderness than gambling in Vegas.

53. I don't care for the city, traffic, people, and noise.

54. I discovered who I really am by being alone and meditating.

55. I love who I am and I wouldn't trade me for anyone else.

56. I aim to be the best at everything I do.

57. I try to make people feel good about themselves.

58. I believe everyone deserves to be happy.

59. I love to entertain guests.

60. I appreciate many things in life.

61. The smell of a forest is intoxicating to me.

62. I am getting pretty good at birding by ear.

63. When my friends are coming home from the bar, I am leaving to go owling.

64. I could live in a cabin in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, miles from nowhere, and be quite content.

65. My favorite color is green.

66. I love all music and appreciate good talent.

67. I never followed anyone in school and I always set my own style.

68. I can be too sensitive at times.

69. I love storms and I am fascinated with tornados.

70. I am a great interior decorator.

71. I see the beauty in everything.

72. 1972 is the year I was born.

73. I was interested in reptiles when I was young and and I didn't get interested in birds until my thirties.

74. When I used to watch TV, I preferred educational programs and the Weather Channel.

75. I like conversations that stimulate my mind.

76. I like being different from everyone else.

77. I always make my friends feel better when they are down.

78. I love to laugh and joke and make other people laugh.

79. I treasure the people that are dear to me.

80. I sing along to the stereo in my car when I'm driving.

81. I can laugh at myself and I do all the time.

82. I try to see the world through my source perspective.

83. I built computer programs when I was eleven.

84. I have designed and published three web sites.

85. I am good at figuring things out.

86. I have never been married.

87. I want to chase storms in tornado alley someday.

88. I can look totally different day to day.

89. I like to inspire people.

90. I am passionate about the things that I like.

91. I am fascinated with geology and astronomy.

92. I'd rather go birding than shopping.

93. I love sun bathing.

94. My internal dialoge is nonstop.

95. I march to the beat of my own drum.

96. I love to write.

97. I am a firm believer in the Law of Attraction.

98. I am a positive thinker.

99. I love to help people.

100. I have always been able to get what I want.

101. I am truly blessed and grateful for all that I have. (Including all my Myspace friends!)

I wish you all a wonderful New Year! May 2009 bring you much Joy and Happiness. May all your dreams come true!

~Love & Hugs~
Bird Girl TM

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August 6, 2008 - Wednesday 

Current mood:  blissful
Category: Blogging

For those of you that don't know, I just got back from a four week birding trip with a farmer I met from Iowa this past May while I was birding at Magee Marsh. I plan on blogging about that trip with all my photos and trip report, but I wanted to shed some light on the events leading up to the trip and why the trip came about in the first place.

As most of you know by now, I am a firm believer in the Law of Attraction (LOA). I am an open-minded, seeking individual and because I am aware of how the LOA works and I know how to use it, my life keeps getting better and better… and "the better it gets, the better it gets!"

I believe that my positive thinking and the LOA has everything to do with all the events that have taken place in my life in the last year. I am a true testimonial to the power of positive thinking. If you have the slightest inclination to better your own life and truly be happy, or you just like to read about how it works in someone else's life, I recommend reading further.

I am going to start out by requesting that you take a peak at my blog dated August 23, 2007 regarding the Law of Attraction. Notice the date is almost a year ago. I wrote that blog a month after I watched the movie called "The Secret". Now I am about to tell you what has transpired in this last year up till now and how my life is filled with absolute JOY! I am here to tell you that changing your thoughts REALLY does change your life.

In that blog I GUARANTEED everyone a very noticeable improvement in my life in the next few months and offered to keep everyone updated on my progress. Well almost a year has gone by and life is absolutely amazing for Bird Girl and it keeps on getting better folks!

The very next blog I wrote after that one was dated September 16, 2007 titled "No More Camera". A lot of my blog subscribers and friends remember that blog. Back then I was devastated and hurt over a breakup I went through with a man that I was with for seven years. I found out later that he had another woman lined up at work. That breakup was the start of the major life changes that I was about to experience that I had no idea was coming, though I predicted change a month prior. I did not see that breakup coming but it was the start of a much needed life change for me. He really did me a favor and I am quite grateful for it!

I believe knowing the Secret helped me get through that breakup. I knew it was up to me to make my life better. I couldn't depend on anyone else to make me happy but myself. I learned to love myself and believe in myself. I started meditating and spending time alone relaxing and connecting with my spiritual side. Did that ever transform my life! During the meditation, I was slowly releasing negative thoughts and resistance to all the things that I was holding back from receiving in my life including happiness. I finally realized that the most important thing I wanted in life was not money or material things... it was JOY! I learned to follow my bliss.

I started noticing major improvements in my life right away. Everything started falling right into place. I was feeling much happier. I joined a gym and started losing a bunch of weight. I got a new job that I really liked. I was meeting and mingling with all kinds of inspiring people. Money started flowing to me easily. It was just amazing how life kept getting better and better. I almost felt guilty for being so happy and then I realized that life is meant to be joyful. Society is defaulted into living in fear, doubt, and worry. Negativity is everywhere. If a person can learn to block it all out, and trust me it is not easy, then life starts improving instantly.

What is so amazing to me is that I always knew how to get what I wanted but never actually knew about the Law of Attraction. Now that I know, the excitement and anticipation for all the manifestations of my desires is almost too much to handle. Now I get to sit back and watch everything transpire. I can't begin to express how cool that is!

Back in December 2007, I decided to create a vision box, or "wish box" where I cut out photos of stuff I wanted and placed them in a box. I used a cute little cedar jewelry box my dad gave me and when you open the lid there is a statement that I typed that says "Whatever is contained in this box IS!" I have all kinds of photos in there… things that I like, things I want, places I want to visit, and so on. I look at the photos in the box all the time and imagine them coming true.

Now this is the good part….

You would not BELIEVE how many things in that box started coming true. Holy shit! I was actually starting to hear twilight zone music because it was getting freaky. (j/k) LOL

I had a photo of a gym. I joined one a month later.

I had a photo in there of a skinnier version of me because I wanted to lose weight. I lost over fifty pounds!

I had a photo of a winter coat that I wanted. My mom gave me one a week later.

I had a photo of a cave. I took a photo of a cave during my trip to Cuyahoga Valley a few months ago.

I had a photo of this cool waterfall in a beautiful place.  I just took photos of waterfalls in Colorado in the Rocky Mountains a few weeks ago!

I had a photo of a paycheck with my name photoshopped on it. I got a nice job two months later.

I had a photo of a girl laughing that represented being happy. I haven't been happier in my life!

Last but not least, I had a photo of a place that I always wanted to visit and always dreamt about. ALASKA! Guess where I am going in a few weeks folks?????

Now that is the Law of Attraction!

______________________________________________________________________________

How I met Randall, the farmer from Iowa.

During prime migration in May, I was hitting up the local parks for my evening exercise and doing a little birding at the same time. I would usually hit up Pearson Park which is only a few miles from my apartment. A few times I would hit up Maumee Bay State Park which was a little farther. One evening I was on my way to Maumee Bay on Rt. 2 when I got this strong intuition to keep going east towards Magee Marsh. I never drove out there during the evening before, but that intuition was so strong, I couldn't resist.

I ended up getting my life Connecticut Warbler that evening and I also met someone who was strategically placed in my path by the Law of Attraction. I passed Randall on the boardwalk and stopped briefly to see what bird him and a few other birders were looking at. He asked me if I saw the Whip-Poor-Will around the corner close by and offered to walk me down to see it. We saw the Whip-Poor-Will and talked in the parking for a little while before going our separate ways. I remember him telling me he was a farmer from Iowa and telling me all about his yard birds. He seemed like a pretty likable guy constantly telling jokes and making me laugh. When we parted, we were never going to see each other again... but since the LOA had something to do with it, that was not the case. An hour later I ran into him again at a Wal-Mart sixteen miles west of Magee Marsh. I pulled in to make a quick stop for something to eat for lunch at work the next day when I recognized the white van I parked next to right away. What are the odds of us running into each other again with him living 500 miles away?

Once again we talked about birds and he made me laugh with all his jokes. He told me about the big year he attempted in 2007 which really caught my interest. I ended up asking him for his email address and giving him directions to Oak Openings for a nesting pair of Cerulean Warblers he needed for his life list. I emailed him a week or two later and we began to stay in contact with each other on a regular basis. Less than a month later, he asked me if I would like to go on a cross country birding trip. He was looking for a birding buddy to travel with, and I had never birded or traveled outside of Ohio and Michigan. When he mentioned ALASKA, my heart skipped beats. Right away I knew the Law of Attraction was working in my life. How could I pass up that opportunity?

What really made things interesting was at the same time I was getting asked on a trip of a lifetime, I was also getting interviewed for a position at a company I was enjoying working for through an employment agency. At that moment I realized that I was in a win/win situation. Randall had offered to help out with expenses at home while I was away on the trip, so I didn't need to worry about finances. He was going to take care of everything and I didn't need to worry about a thing.

I ended up not getting the job, but because I was so excited about the trip, I don't think I was too disappointed. I made it through all the negativity I was receiving from my family and friends over leaving on a cross country trip with a stranger. I tried to convince everyone that nothing bad would ever happen to me because I don't intend it to. It is hard to convince someone that is programmed to think negative by default, that only positive things happen to positive people. I knew in my heart that I would never attract anything bad. I knew that I was safe. I really did. No matter how much fear people tried to instill in me, I refused to accept any of it. Over and over again I was told I was stupid, ignorant, crazy, and so on. My own father practically disowned me over going. I knew that my family members and friends cared about me, but they didn't and still don't understand the Law of Attraction like I do. Matter of fact, I am having a hard time finding anyone that really gets it like I do. It takes a lot for someone to really "get it" like I do. I am looking for those that do. We would have a lot to talk about!

Now I am back from a trip across the United States and I am here to tell about it! Nothing bad ever happened. Matter of fact, it only made life better. I feel like a whole new person! I got to see the mountains in Colorado and taranchulas in Arizona! I added 87 birds to my life list. I have a lot to tell about my trip and a lot of photos to share, but I will save that for my next blog so please stay tuned! I can't wait to tell you all about it.  As for that Randall Peterson in Iowa, he made my dreams come true.  I am forever grateful.  He holds a very special place in my heart.  It is amazing how the Law of Attraction put us together like that.  Over the last two months I have grown to love this person who doesn't even realize how special he is...

Please know that I care deeply about all my friends. When I say that I wish you all joy, peace, and love… I really mean it! The best gift anyone could ever give another is "wishing that person success". I wish you all success. My heart is filled with absolute JOY and I am full of love. I want to radiate it and spread it like wildfire. I want you to all see how happy I have become. I want you all to keep witnessing what is transpiring in my life. Always know that I am here for you if you need me and I am very grateful for all of you!

~Love & Hugs~

Bird Girl TM

Currently reading:
Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires
By Esther Hicks
2:58 PM 
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