Back on board

It's been a long, very long, way too long time since I've posted on this blog!  I've spent all most all of my time on the computer the last couple of months putting together the slide presentation about my 2011 Junior Big Year last year that is finally completed.  I gave the presentation at the Augusta Bird Club about a week ago and have been invited to 3 other bird clubs in Virginia.  Unfortunately while I was putting together that presentation I had almost no time to even think about this blog.  But now I do and I AM BACK ON BOARD.

Although I spend a lot of time birding, my ultimate favorite thing to do is watch and be with Bears.  I miss them in the winter when they are asleep in their dens but THEY ARE OUT NOW!  I saw my first bear a week and a half ago and 6 days ago I found a mama bear and 3 young cubs just emerged from their den.  Bears are very lethargic after they emerge and this mama bear stayed in the area for 4 days straight and I got to see her and her cubs for 4 consecutive days.  It was amazing.  I got some photos that I will post on this blog in the coming days.  I went back the fifth and sixth days but they were not to be seen.  They must have moved on.

But the birding is still awesome and this is an awesome time for it!  My "2012 year list" currently sits at 162 species.  The migrants are returning.  For the last week, I've been birding most days and have ended up with about 8 warbler species each day.  In the deep of winter you can only reliably find 2 here, Yellow-rumped and Palm.  So you get the concept, they are migrating!  And not just warblers but FOY Scarlet Tanager, Eastern Kingbird, 3 vireo species, and more have been placed on my year list in the recent times.  And I'm just waiting for that first Indigo Bunting.

So stay tuned for my news on my Wild adventure in this exciting time!

Gabriel