Ever since Noah was born I've been chomping at the bit to get him out birding, for several reasons really. Not only would I like to instill a positive perception of birding in him at an early age, but his mom really appreciates the free morning to sleep in.
Besides, in the couple weeks since Noah's come to live with us, we've learned a few things about him. One of the most promising is that he really likes being outside. In the midst of his rages, if we just step outside on the porch, or take him on a walk around the block, he quiets down. Whether it's the feeling of the wind or the green blurs just beyond his ability to focus, he seems to really enjoy it.
So it was only a matter of time before I got him out birding, but until he's old enough to hold his head up himself, I'm unable to use the backpack or the baby bjorn or any other tools that leave my hands free to manage binoculars. He still needs a stroller at this point, so I need to bird at a place where a stroller would not be a huge disadvantage, which is somewhat limiting. Fortunately, my old standby Mason Farm is accessed by a two mile dirt and gravel road that would be a slightly bumpy, but not difficult ride.
I don't want to read too much into it or anything, but I think Noah is going to be the world's best birder, in that, he really enjoyed the time out. I could tell because he slept through most of it. But there were times that he would sit with his eyes open, intently and quietly watching something just beyond his range of vision. Blurry trees probably, and maybe a Common Yellowthroat or two.
As for the birds? Well, by the time June rolls around the migrants have split, but resident Blue Grosbeaks and Yellow-breasted Chats and American Redstarts make for a colorful, if not exceptional morning. I even finally heard my year's first Yellow-throated Vireo, a bird I typically get at Mason Farm but oddly, not until June for the second year in a row. Also notable was a Mud Turtle, also known as a Stinkpot, shuffling along the trail. When I picked it up it expressed it's displeasure by dropping a load of appropriately stinky musk, thankfully missing me.
In the end, I think I'm going to be in the market for a stroller with slightly more sturdy wheels. The hard plastic numbers on our current stroller do the trick for walking around town, but make for what I would imagine is a sort of unpleasant ride for Noah. I do want him to enjoy this stuff after all.
But first time out was a rousing success, if I do say so myself.
Cross-posted from The Drinking Bird
