floraphile

Wow. All beautiful shots.

Anybody old enough to remember?

Maybe he just took a lot of photos and then speciated at leisure when he got home?

@The Bird NutsI so appreciate your calling out the field marks you used!

Well, this is exciting news. Tips, anyone? Maybe I will try and record some NFCs tonight. Are particular times better or worse?

Prothonotary & Blackburnian Warblers today in coastal Alabama.

Cool. Thank you.

20 Sept 2021 Baldwin co. AL; suburban yard; among a group of various warbler species gleaning mid-to high Live Oak canopy

It wasn't sad @PalmWarbler @Aaron --the humor just doesn't come across in messages. We actually laughed about it when she told us. Now it's a good family story.

I know Canadian park rangers exist--at least they did 25 or so years ago, because they threatened to arrest my 16 y/o baby sister for picking wildflowers in one of the national parks. 😄 She was there on a high school trip.

Based on what I've seen here, it would definitely not be catastrophic!

@Connor Cochrane--how do you count with NFCs? Is it all visual or aural or a combination of both?

I was just looking at your series of of "On the Fence" pics, @Clip. You are the Nightjar Whisperer.

Such pretty birds. ❤️

And, due to the pandemic & the resrictions imposed, that conventional method of experienced birders teaching the new birders (not only identification skills but also birding ethics) as been difficult to achieve. If you can go birding--alone or in a group--with one of your county's top birders, you can and will learn many of the subtleties of bird ID. Not only IDing by ear, but by GISS, behavior in how the bird moves or acts, where in the canopy it is located, etc... Much of the information shared can be found in field guides, but, seeing those written description in real time really flattens out the learning curve.

My goodness, how cute. 🥰

The coffee mug I had at work for much of my career.

Jeans would be hot! I wear "convertible (zip off to shorts) pants". They are high-SPF rated & quick-dry and quite cool & comfortable. Your dad's suggestion may be something similar? If the bugs and sun aren't bad, I do zip off to shorts.

I signed up for my local birdfest, but, since I am now birding on my own, I signed up for selections that weren't traditional "birding" options. I chose a paddlng trip in a local preserve and a trip to the Creek Indian reservation where we will visit a nature preserve & discuss their conservation efforts with an elder. The trip I am most looking forward to, though, is aboard a research vessel from our local marine education & research facility, the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. @Liam--Did you do any work with DISL when you were with TNC here in AL? https://www.disl.edu/about/research-vessels

Excellent! Aren't those things great? Right up there with duct tape. We call them "Useful Buckets" and pick them up whenever we see them discarded at construction sites, restaurants, etc. Reduce, reuse, recycle. ❤️

Sigh. That was me when I was young and healed quickly...now I cover up and and bring plenty of water.

Yes, repellant & sunscreen help, but physical barriers work best & don't wear off.

That's excellent, @Connor Cochrane.

Mosquitoes, ticks, and sunburn.