A Walk on the Wild Side

My husband volunteers at Bernheim Forest near Louisville, and relishes his time spent there, as I do my time at the Falls of the Ohio. Sunday, several of the volunteers went on a hike, and I decided to join them. I should have realized I was in over my head when the group consisted of five men in jeans, hiking boots, and backpacks, carrying walking sticks. I, on the other hand, wore shorts, sneakers, binoculars and camera, and a fanny pack. The leader said we would loop around and should be back in about three hours. OK, I thought, I should be able to do that, and off we went. We walked down overgrown fire roads through the forest and down into the creek bed. The men were all very knowledgeable about the Forest and all things in it. We noticed small things like oak galls and brightly colored mushrooms against the leaves on the forest floor. Tiny spiders tried to catch us in their webs across the trail. I was glad to let the men take the point. As we descended from the ridge top, we noticed the change in trees from oaks, primarily, to beech and maple, then sycamores. The stones of the creek were smooth, damp and slippery. Again, we found small toads, skinks, and delicate mosses and worts growing green in the dampness. Although there was little water that day, you could tell from the leaves caught in the high tree branches that floods would quickly fill the entire valley when it stormed. With some searching, we found three of the elusive Cardinal flowers. The sides of the creek valley were lined in limestone cliffs, worn and crevassed with the passage of time and water. At times, huge boulders had fallen to the bottom, and or there were gaps between the cliffs for explorers and deer to descend to the water. A peculiar kind of rock with vertical markings was some sort of petrified wood or plant, they said. I took some samples for our geologist to examine. Around a bend, the road moved towards several large fields that had been recently mowed. Was the large pile of bird feathers the remains of some raptors' breakfast, or had a bird been caught by the bush hog and cut to pieces? A turtle shell with a hole looked like it was victim to the dreaded bush hog. The field, however, held the greatest wealth and variety of life, with butterflies and other insects, wildflowers and small trees and shrubs with ripening berries. One of our hikers was delighted to finally see the actual berries on a hackberry tree for the first time. We saw an insect that was about the size and shape of a wasp, a black abdomen with white stripes, and wings the most iridescent navy blue I've ever seen. Of course, by the time I got the camera focused, it flew away, but some of the butterflies were much more co-operative. Then reality struck. Not rain, although the barrage of ordnance from nearby Fort Knox sounded like thunder all morning, but distance was the enemy. We had spent our three hours, and the leader announced that from this point it was another two miles or more, UPHILL, back to our cars. Not only that, but the fire road we took was in excellent condition with lots of sharp gravel to poke holes into my aching feet. We had taken a bug spray break earlier in the woods, but were unprepared for the bugs of the field -- chiggers and something that didn't show up until two days later, when both of us developed itchy, almost rash-like bumps all over legs and feet, and even under our shoes which should not have been exposed at all! Living in "civilization", we are happy to return to nature, and enjoy its beauties, but we forget the uncomfortable sides of nature. I thought how it must have been for the pioneers, trudging through the forest, without a mowed fire road to follow. Climbing up each hill and sliding down each valley, without a plastic bottle of water to drink from, or a granola bar for energy. We might have gotten turned around sometimes, but at the top of the hill, we could still call the visitor's center on a cell phone. The pioneers had only themselves to depend on. And they had no bug spray at all....

The Flowing River of Life

A flowing river changes the land through which it flows. Sometimes it brings soil to enrich the farmer's fields, enabling the development of civilization itself. Sometimes it races out of its banks to destroy those fields and the people who depend on them. Around Louisville, people still talk about the 1937 flood and point to the high water marks on the third floor of many buildings. Where the river turns around a bend, it can wash away the banks by several feet each year, and man's efforts to control the river aren't always successful, because the river just starts flowing around the obstacle erected to stop it. I have been impressed by the tenacity of the trees growing next to the river. The trees root where ever the river brings enough silt for a seed to take hold. They continue growing whether the water is high or low around those roots. Eventually, the water will wash away enough soil the tree will tumble into the next flood, ending up somewhere downstream as driftwood. The driftwood itself is part of the environment, giving homes to insects, birds and animals. Trees are able to lose the soil around their roots, and the core of their trunks altogether, and still survive.

Advice from a River...Go with the flow... Immerse yourself in nature...Slow down and meander....Go around the obstacles...Be thoughtful of those downstream...Stay current...The beauty is in the journey!

The Ending of Summer

When I was a child, the summer seemed endless, beginning officially on Memorial Day, and continuing through at least mid-September. September certainly seemed as hot as July sitting in un-air conditioned classrooms all day. Now, however, I know that summer is effectively ended by the Fourth of July, when school supplies go on sale everywhere. Classes actually start on August 15 here, and a little earlier in nearby counties. In May and June, I was awakened each morning by an incredibly LOUD chorus of birds. Yes, the window was open, but they began singing by 5:00 every day. Why would a bird feel compelled to defend its nesting territory when it's too dark for any invader to be a risk? After the Summer Solstice, I notice that the chorus is down to a few faithful singers - my Carolina wren, some robins, and maybe a song sparrow. The loud chorus is now made of cicadas, morning, noon and night. On a hike at the Falls of the Ohio last Saturday, we noticed a generous layer of cottonwood leaves on the trail. The sycamore leaves are starting to fall too, and it smells like autumn when you stand under them. I even saw a V of Canadian geese flying across downtown one morning this week. Many geese seem to spend the entire year along the Ohio Valley. They certainly breed here. So it's hard to say whether flocks of geese are actually migrating, or just going to greener pastures for grazing. But the sound of honkers in the sky always sounds like autumn to me. My children (now ages 22 and 25) have even remarked on how short the summers are now. I guess that's just part of growing up. Or is it growing old? It's a good thing Autumn is my favorite season, isn't it?

Determination Has a Fluffy Tail

Every birder I know, every bird web site I read, wails about squirrels and how they eat up all the feed put out for the birds. Personally, I admire squirrels as very clever, determined creatures (except for the ones that used to live in my attic, of course). I have one feeder in the middle of the open yard with a baffle on the pole, which the squirrels actually don't try to climb. Why should they bother? The birds are always pushing sunflower seed husks to the ground, including enough with the seed still in it to keep the squirrels happy with no effort expended. Our other feeder hangs from a tree, and over the years the squirrels have given us lots of laughs as they attack it. The young squirrels take the direct approach - jump at it, and then fall to the ground. We know they are growing up when they stop this brute force attack and start using their little rodent brains.

The squirrels are wary of anyone coming in the yard, so I have to take pictures of them through the porch screens, and they tend to come out fuzzy. It takes great skill and determination to reach down from the top of the feeder, around the baffle, until the squirrel swings under it all together. Holding on to the perches with three feet while reaching in with one paw to grab a seed certainly receives my applause. Any creature willing to work this hard deserves any seeds he can get.

Hummingbirds, Hmmm?

Look! Out in the yard! Is it a butterfly? Is it a giant bumble bee? Is it a (gasp) hummingbird, at long last? No matter how early in the spring hummingbirds arrive in our area, we never see one until late July, when the butterfly bushes start to bloom. Even then, actually seeing a hummingbird is a matter of luck, despite all the red flowers we planted and the various feeders. Getting a photo of one is even trickier. Here is the one photo I managed to take. The quality is not very good. It looks kind of fuzzy and out of focus. That might be caused by shaking hands when releasing the shutter, bad focus since I was in a hurry lest the bird fly away, or dirty windows between camera and bird. How to cure these problems, she asks herself? And where to set up a camera to get a good shot without any of these issues?

First, wash the windows in the kitchen door, in case dirty glass is the actual problem. Then put the camera on a tripod and aim it at the feeder and focus it before any birds come. So far so good. However, in the afternoon, the windows reflect the afternoon light, tending to wash out any photo taken through the window. If I move the glass aside, the screen still makes for fuzzy pictures. Also, these windows aren't one way glass, and when I rise to turn the camera on as a hummer approaches the feeder, they see me move, and dart away. Would a shutter release cable help? But the waiting until a bird comes is the hardest part! How do those professional photographers wait around for hours until the bird comes to them? I'll keep trying. They won't be leaving for several weeks yet, so there still may be hope for me to get a clear shot.

Life is Like a Spider Web

Forest Gump was famous for his Mama saying, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you will get." That's true in many ways, but I also think life is like a spider web. You never know when you will run into it. Spider webs tend to show up in your path unexpectedly. You go out the back door, hurrying to the car, and run into a face full of invisible spider web. Although you brush and rub at it, there is still one little thread tickling your face that you can't find. You think you are in control of your life, but webs happen, no matter how much you plan. Spiders build them that way to catch the unwary bug, or hiker. And you don't know what other creatures will be caught in the web that catches you. Of course, the spider can't make breakfast of a hiker, but you will certainly know you have crossed paths. So what if a blundering person knocks down a whole night's work? The spider doesn't give up. She just starts spinning again. Life is telling us, don't be so full of yourself. There are lots of things going on all the time that you could learn from. There are people and activities you should get involved with. Just look around.

When you finally slow down enough to look at them, spider webs are amazingly beautiful and intricate. Almost invisible in regular light, when bejeweled with morning dew, they out sparkle diamonds. One spider builds only the minimum of strands, while another weaves a tight net. Is this determined by the species? One long strand can stretch across great distances... well, to a spider they must be great. Certainly they are much longer than the spider herself. Does a young spider spinning its first web tremble in fear at the leap required to fasten that first strand across the emptiness? Does the older spider want to downsize, now that she is facing retirement? Can I have the courage and determination of the spider when something knocks me down, again?

Focusing a camera on a spider web takes a lot of concentration. The photographer moves around, trying to catch the light shining off the dew in just the right way. The rest of your group may call, "Come on already." Be careful though. Watch the web so you don't knock it down in trying to preserve its beauty for ever. I have lots of pictures that did not focus on the web successfully, but either before it or behind it. Life is like that. It's hard to know what is important and where to spend your efforts. Knowing full well that in a while, it probably won't make a difference anyway. After all, life is just a spider web.

The Value of Vultures

To many people, I am sure the vulture is not a bird to be appreciated. After all, they eat carrion. They are a sign of death and decay. I must differ with this, and say that vultures are truly marvelous birds.

Vultures are intelligent birds. At a raptor show, the handler would carry in the owls and hawks. However, she walked in being followed by a young Black Vulture which followed her like a puppy. It had been impressed by people when it hatched and couldn't be released into the wild, but this bird learned new things twice as fast as any other bird they worked with she said. These Black Vultures found a red ball washed up on the river bank, and spent a wonderful morning playing with it. First one would peck at it, then jump back when it moved. Then another would push it back towards the rest. The Vulture Word Cup we called it. A Turkey Vulture is most efficient at flying. In the morning, they wait until the sun warms the surrounding area (the rocks at the Falls of the Ohio), and when the thermals start to rise, they all take off at once--a "kettle" of vultures on the wing. A Turkey Vulture only has to tip its wings a bit to change directions and can be easily recognized midair by the "V" position of its wings and the fact that you rarely see it flap. Under the proper conditions, a Turkey Vulture can soar for up to six hours without flapping its wings. The Turkey Vulture Society website has amazing facts about this bird. Although it is constantly exposed to the bacteria associated with decaying meat, the vulture doesn't get sick from it. Its head has few feathers and it will toast itself in the sun to destroy anything it might have picked up. We saw one on the ledge of the 32nd floor in our office building, calming holding its wings outspread to enjoy the sun and breeze from this lofty perch. Its urine is strong enough to kill any bacteria on its legs. The acid in its stomach will destroy many organisms that would kill another animal if ingested. If not for Vultures, we would be up to our elbows in carcasses! Yet for all the road kill along the highway, I've not seen many vultures who got hit by a car from stopping for a little fast food.

Birding at the Zoo

Saturday I walked around at the Falls of the Ohio to see what birds were out and about. The Corps of Engineers had opened all the gates in the dam, so the river was full and rushing. The water birds all went someplace else to look for breakfast. On the land though, a Song Sparrow and an Indigo Bunting politely sat in dead branches singing their hearts out. A Flicker was holding on to the underside of a branch looking for bugs, before giving it up and moving to the top again. All in all, a pleasant morning, except for the birders' maxim:

If you don't have your camera, you are bound to see some good birds and wish you had it.

Our family traditionally goes to the Louisville Zoo on at least one holiday, and today the kids and I went. You don't have to go out into the woods to see some birds and get some great photos. In fact, it's easier at the Zoo, because the birds either can't fly off, or aren't interested in hiding from you in the first place! The zookeeper for the Lorikeets is a friend of my daughter's and a most enthusiastic birder! After the female birds had their fill of nectar from the visitors, he blew a whistle and they all went back inside the building. Then he warned us about the males about to be released. "They will fly out in a group, from one side of the enclosure to another, perhaps a couple of times. If you don't think it sounds like fun to have 26 parrots flying at you, stand back, or duck down if they get too close." The birds did exactly as predicted! I love having a bird that likes to be photographed.

The wild ducks and geese know a good thing when they see it, and take full advantage of the free feed and safe nesting areas at the Zoo. One goose gave a loud squawk and jumped up in the lake, then we saw a turtle come up from beneath it with a big grin on his face. Nothing like goosing a goose, he said. We saw the standard Mallards, and some other smaller ducks with red eyes and a white throat. I think these are Wood Ducks in their non-breeding plummage. Once I saw a comment that the only way to tell what a brown duck is is to watch who she hangs out with. That may work sometimes, but not today. We saw brown ducks that could have been female Mallards, or maybe female Wood Ducks, or maybe Black Ducks? It didn't have an orange bill like the mallard. They might have been juveniles of those species, or males in non-breeding plummage. (Virtual head shaking) Do male ducks loose their fancy feathers once the breeding season is over?

Look Alikes or Same Birds?

I like watching and identifying big birds because I can see their characteristics easily. Those DLBs (Darn Little Birds) are another story though. At Muscatatuck NWR on Memorial Day, a small bird landed in a tree within view of my camera, so I took some pictures of it. I must confess, I was concentrating more on focusing the camera than observing the bird closely. After all, you can always go back again and look at the picture if you aren't sure what the bird is, right? There was a nest nearby, in the eaves of the latrine building. Both bird and nest were close to a lake and the deciduous woods of the Reserve. As I researched this bird, I'm not sure if it is an Eastern Phoebe or an Eastern Woods Pee-wee. In fact, I'm not sure if these two photos are really the same bird or not, due to the light differences, although both were taken within 3 feet of each other. The little top knot on the head is about the same and both seem have a wing bar. However, the bill on one looks dark, while the bill on the other looks yellow on the bottom. My research says the dark billed Phoebe has weaker wing bars and tends to wag its tail, but I didn't notice the bird's behavior as I tried to focus on it for a good shot.

One source says the Phoebe often nests in or around human habitations, building mud and grass nests under the eaves of buildings. The Pee-wee builds a nest on a horizontal limb well out from a trunk in a living tree. If it had sung, I could have recognized the song, but I didn't hear anything that day. Therefore, if the nest belongs to the bird I saw, I'd guess it's the Phoebe.

Second guessing on a bird's identity can drive you crazy. However, it is also dangerous to go with the first bird you see in the book that looks kind of like the one you saw. One time I had to ask a local expert about a picture, and he confidently said it was a mocking bird. That's what I thought the first time, in fact, but the longer I worked with it, the less confident I was. Will I ever have that confidence level? There are so many pieces to look at - color, lighting, stripes, legs, song. How can I get those birds to pose nicely and sing for me at the same time? Settle down there, girl, don't get all hyper. Remember, you are doing this for the fun of it, right? Don't get so wrapped up that you forget that part. This isn't a contest, and no one will give you a bad grade if you get something wrong. Every time you try to make a tough identification, you learn something else, and that alone is worthwhile. Take a deep breath and move on to the next bird.

Bird IDs by Ear

When we think about birding, we usually mean “birdwatching,” that is, looking at birds to identify them. However, many birds, especially those DLB’s (Darn Little Birds) defy a visual identification. Many of the DLB’s I try to find deliberately taunt me, flying away again just as I get them into view and try to focus my binoculars. I hear them laughing and twittering about having fooled me again in the branches above my head. Therefore, when I talk to people about birding, I recommend trying to learn birdsong as part of the identification process. My husband bought some CD’s to help. One set has about 25 backyard birds, and the other has about 85 different kinds of birds. I play them in the car while driving to work and it not only makes the drive more pleasant, but helps me learn the songs while sitting in the air conditioning. I’ve listened to that CD so many times by now, that I’m never quite sure if the live bird is one I heard on the disc, or the recorded bird is one I heard live! Some of the birds I knew already, such as Robins, Cardinals, and Blue Jays. Others just confused me the first time I heard them, such as many of the wrens and woodpeckers. I really enjoy some of the mnemonics associated with particular birds. I had heard “Oh Sweet Canada, Canada, Canada” on the CD. While in Lexington, I actually heard it coming from the trees near my daughter’s parking lot. No one understood what I was so excited about. I had to put the CD back in and listen through the whole thing again until I found the White Throated Sparrow. I now know that Americans usually remember it as “Oh Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody” instead. The Field Sparrow sounds like a dropping ping pong ball, which speeds up as it hits the floor each time. I never saw one of these sparrows in New Harmony, IN, but heard them in the fields near the river. I may never see a Red-eyed Vireo, but I now recognize them every time I walk in the woods. The real frustration about birdsong is the individuality the birds put into it. The CD admits that birds in different regions sing the basic song differently, so I may be hearing a Carolina Wren with a Southern accent. They play a basic Oriole, then four other variations that sound completely different to my ear. I spend a lot of time second guessing myself and getting very frustrated. I’ve heard of a new book Why Birds Sing, written by a musician. His conclusion is that birds sing for the joy of it! They certainly add enjoyment to my day, so I can go along with this!

Great Browntailed UPS Bird

One of the most easily identified birds we see at the Falls of the Ohio, near Louisville, KY, is the Great Browntailed UPS bird. This large bird has a very loud, distinctive call as it flies overhead. Although these birds have a roosting area across the river near the Louisville Airport, as far as anyone can determine, they spend most of their time migrating. No one has ever been able to determine their breeding territory or mating behavior. Ornithologists believe that the males and females must be the same size and color, although they do not know for sure. Breed they must, though, since we often see their young, who are entirely brown in color. The silver coloring of the adult must come at some later stage of life. Again, no one has ever seen them as nestlings, nor learning to fly. These young are completely ground-bound. The young come in several different sizes however, and scientists speculate that as they grow they metamorphose. The young may really be a larval stage of development and the great silver bird the adult, like a butterfly. Therefore, some believe that this is not a bird at all, but some kind of giant insect-like creature.

Rockin' Robin

I haven't posted for a while, because my computer's hard drive died. Fortunately, Photoshop had reminded me to backup all my pictures, and it took three discs to do it, but I was so glad I did! We tend to overlook the common, such as the American Robin, simply because so many of them are around. At least, I know I do. This summer, an ambitious Robin built her nest in our back porch light when the cover blew off. This spot is ideal as it is under the eaves and protected from bad weather for the most part. Of course, they let us know when we are spending too much time on the patio! We watched her build, then sit on the eggs, and finally hatch four of the ugliest babies you've ever seen. I think their beaks are adult size from the very start. All we saw were beaks in the beginning. Then in a very short time, their eyes opened, and they started holding their heads up better. I know now why young birds learn to fly so soon. As they get bigger eating all those yummy worms, there simply isn't enough room in the nest for four of them at one time! It's either fly or fall out because of the crowding! We also learned that baby Robins produce nice neat little fecal sacs when they are fed. As my mother always said, "In one end, out the other." The parents carry them away and the nest is kept clean. In two short weeks, the babies had grown enough to fledge and make their way in the world. Well, they still followed Mom and Dad around begging for handouts. I guess they were teenage Robins. I thought it would be a safe time to remove the nest and replace the lamp cover. However, before we could, that Robin was sitting on the nest again. She would fly up to the edge, cock her head and peer down into the nest before sitting down. You could almost hear her counting, "One, two, three" to herself, making sure no eggs had disappeared or appeared mysteriously. Now they have hatched and Mom and babies sit there panting in the afternoon sun. Why does she still sit on the nest with the babies when it is so warm? Closer inspection reveals that she is holding out her wings to protect them from the bright sun when they have few feathers to protect their skin. I have much more appreciation for the common Robin than I ever did before becoming so well acquainted with our pair.

Mocking Bird Mystery Moves

The Army Corps of Engineers opens and closes the gates in the McAlpine Dam for navigation purposes. You never know from day to day how much water will be coming through at the Falls of the Ohio State Park. Saturday morning, the gates were mostly closed, and the water level was down a lot from the previous Saturday. The lower Fossil Beds were partially exposed, but covered with a layer of mud, drying in the sun.

Our mocking birds like to perch on the lamp post and the top of the Interpretive Center, the two tallest places around. From those spots they can see every other bird in any direction. If I hear some unusual song, it's usually the mocking birds giving a concert and trying to fool me. Usually I don't notice small birds on the fossil beds, but this time I saw some mocking birds and starlings running around on the mud. The mocking birds caught my attention because they seemed to be in a Batman mode. One would walk around, cocking its head to peer at the mud. Then, it would hold out its wings, like Batman holding out his cape, for a few seconds. No flying, jumping around, or wing beating. It just held them open for a while and put them down again. After this action, often it would grab for what I assume was an insect on the ground, then take a few more steps and pull the Batman bit again. Strangest thing I've ever seen! If I were a bug, I'd be terrified to see a mocking bird looking at me, whether his wings were open or not!

NWR - A Refuge for People Too

Everyone knows about National Parks. They are wonderful places, but everyone knows about them. The Grand Canyon was great on Christmas Eve, but two days later it was packed with visitors. I shudder to imagine what it's like in July.

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge near Cape Kennedy, Florida, introduced us to the National Wildlife Refuge system. 140,000 acres of the Florida coast are home to migrating birds, shore birds, and wading birds which are easily viewed from your car along the 7-mile Black Point Wildlife Drive. What a wonderful introduction to birding for the newcomer! I saw birds I had only read about in books before, such as Wood Storks. We learned to observe beaks and legs closely to differentiate all the different herons, egrets, ducks, etc. Since a friend’s daughter was killed by an alligator, I’m rather paranoid about them. Best viewed from the car.

Refuges are found in "exotic" places such as Florida, or places closer to home, such as Muscatatuck NWR near Seymour Indiana, a mere one hour drive away. The birds here were more familiar overall, but it was a thrill to watch a Wood Duck family with 12 little babies swimming in a row, or the Red Headed Woodpecker that landed in a tree right in front of our car. Cars do make good bird blinds. Any people we saw were interested in the birds and wildlife too. Not once did I hear an annoying child whine or argue with a sibling. We used the spotting scope to see a Great Blue Heron release the fish that was too big to swallow after all, and finally decided that the white billed bird must have been an American Coot. These Canadian Geese weren't disturbed at all when our car slowly approached them. My biggest problem was not getting the mirror in the shot!

The Thrill of Discovery

Saturday was an exciting time at the Falls of the Ohio State Park. I have been watching ospreys there for quite a while. Last summer we saw four of them in the air together in September. This spring people saw them carrying sticks. There must be a nest somewhere, but no one could find it. Of course, the park has several uninhabited islands in the middle of the Ohio River (inaccessible without permission from the Army Corps of Engineers) which would be perfect nesting areas for an osprey family. Yesterday when I arrived around 8:45, I saw one of the ospreys hunting over the river. Swoop down. Pull up, no fish there. When he flew in front of the rust colored 1870 railroad trestle, his brown feathers blended perfectly, and he became invisible for a while. As he turned for another loop, a flash of white under his wings seemed to say "Here I am. Try to keep up, OK?" Finally, he dove and came up with a beautiful silver fish, and immediately flew off with it. I followed him carefully with binoculars, and saw him head for a dead branch that looked like a great place to land and eat breakfast. However, instead of landing on the branch, he went right past it. Through the scope I saw wings stretching and a white head or breast flashing through the leaves. Hot dog! I think this must be the nest. There was lots of activity for a few minutes and then things settled down again. A little later, one of the ospreys flew down to bathe in a shallow spot in the river. The staff naturalist at the park now knows where this tree is, as well as several members of the local bird club, so lots of people will be watching for more activity there. Hopefully, someone can get permission to go over in a boat and check this tree for a nest.

First Rule of Birding: You have to be in the right location at the right time. Some of it is luck and lots of it is perseverance.

The Brave New World of Blogging

Hello World. I have been browsing others' blogs on birds and photography, and for some strange reason, felt the urge to start my own. Is it ego? Well, I'm certainly not an expert birder by any means, but an enthusiastic amateur. I'm not an expert photographer either, but I take my chances and take my shots when I can. Photoshop Elements makes me look like I know what I'm doing, and I toss the rest. Surely, there is someone out there who is in the same situation--just beginning and looking for assistance. I have lots of questions that someone may consider dumb. But if I find an answer to them, I'll be glad to share with other beginners. We live in Louisville, Kentucky, and I spend a lot of time at the Falls of the Ohio, so my bird photos will be from his area for the most part. However, we have a big trip to the Virginia Eastern Shore on Chesapeake Bay in September and I'm really looking forward to it. Have to figure out how to take terrific pictures before then!