Tag: birding with friends

The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #66 with Andrew Emlen Additional Info


Andrew trying to hear a Hutton’s Vireo from his Alcyon Farm.

 

To record this episode of The Bird Banter Podcast I had the privilege of spending the day birding in Wahkiakum County, WA with my guest Andrew Emlen. Andrew is the top eBird lister in Wahkiakum County, is a very good birder, and a super nice guy. In addition he lives on and owns the Alcyon Farm, a fabulous Creekside property with a large area of restored riparian habitat and is a proprietor of Columbia River Kayaking.

Andrew and me looking for an American Dipper from the bridge across the creek on his farm.

On our day in Wahkiakum Andrew took Marian and me birding on his farm, and in local areas before we sat in the shade in the early afternoon at one of his Kayak put-in spots to talk about his birding story and his esperiences birding, kayaking and living in the area.

A Barn Swallow nest on Andrew’s porch viewed through a mirror on a pole to show the nestlings.

Many of Andrews Kayak trips are for Road Scholars, the over-55 experience based learning network. He leads 5-day kayak and nature courses in the lower Columbia River area, as well as some trips to the Sea of Cortez, in California Baja.
Andrew talks briefly about Steamboat Slough. Here is an article about the history of the steamboats of the Columbia.
Andrew is also the base violin player for the Skamakowa Swamp Opera band. You can find them on Facebook here. If you like music by birders, check out The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #52 with Stephanie Seymore.
Andrew’s farm is called Alcyon Farm, derived from the generic name for kingfishers, Halcyon, and for the myth of Halcyon. Read about it here.

A female Purple Martin on gourd nest at Alcyon Farm.

Andrew’s Alcyon Farm has made use of the USDA Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to restore the Creekside riparian corridor at his farm.

One of many Osprey we saw near the Columbia on our day of birding.

The Baja kayak trips that Andrew leads are through Sea Kayak Baja Mexico. Check it out on their web site here.
The Julia Butler Hansen Preserve in Wahkiakum County is well knows for its birding, as well as for the Columbia race of White-tailed Deer.

 

If you enjoyed the music of the Skamakowa  Swamp Opera you can buy their last album on Amazon.

 

Episode Notes on The Bird Banter Podcast Episode #51 with Lane Epps and Corrie Fulsom-O’Keefe


Lane Epps and Corrie Fulsom-O’Keefe

On the Bird Banter Podcast Episode #51 I talk with two women who have maintained and nourished a long-time and long-distance birding relationship. They actually used a recent episode of this podcast to help plan a birding trip to the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and interestingly on that podcast two of my best birding buddies and I talk about our trip. I hope you enjoy the episode.
Lane works with the Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge, and here is a link to their website.
Here is a link to the Brookline Birding Club website This is the club that hosted the bird walk in the Boston Gardens where Land and Corrie first birded together. This bird club is historically famous, having been established in 1913, and currently has over 1100 members.
Here is a link to the Bombay Hook NWR site mentioned in the episode This is a wonderful salt-marsh habitat refuge, and a place I remember for Saltmarsh Sparrow and biting green flies in July.
We talked briefly about the Farallon Islands on the episode, and this prompts me to mention the Bird Banter Podcast Episode #26 with Tim Larson where we talk about the House Mouse infestation of the island and the issues around eradication of this invasive pest there.

Lane talks briefly about the Mead Botanical Gardens and here is a link to their website.https://cityofwinterpark.org/departments/parks-recreation/parks-playgrounds/parks/mead-botanical-garden/
Stay tuned for the first musical episode of The Bird Banter Podcast coming up next when Stephanie Seymour is my guest and you will get to listen to some of the songs from her new album featuring 11 songs with bird names as titles! Too cool. You can get a sneak preview of her music and download the album here: There Are Birds

Until next time, good birding and good day!

Back in WA

Bad photo. Great bird. Siberian Accentor
It’s been an eventful week since returning from McAllen on Feb 13th. For Valentine’s Day Marian rode 2 hours south from Tacoma to the Woodland Bottoms area so I could try for the Siberian Accentor that had been seen there over the prior week or so. We woke earlier than the alarm, quasi jet-lag, and so got to the site just before 8 AM. There were already a few birders looking, and in the 2 or so hours before the Accentor made its appearance we saw 43 Great Egrets roosting in a tree far across the fields, a Black Phoebe perched over our heads, a Rough-legged Hawk perched low across a different field, and finally an east coast lister spotted the bird taking a bird-bath in a pool of water on a tarp or carpet outside a travel trailer beside the driveway of the homeowner. We all got nice looks, especially in the scope, but photos were distant and poor quality for me.
Sandhill Cranes

Following this we drove another half hour south to see the uncommon for WA Snowy Egret at the end of the dike road in Vancouver, along with lots of Sandhill Cranes.
The weekend was uneventful, but Monday and Tuesday Blair Bernsen came to Tacoma to bird with Bruce LaBar and me, and we added about 10 birds to Blair’s Pierce County life list, and generally had a good time together. YOu can read about day one of this time on his blog Blair Birding. Fortuitously Bill Tweit called me to bail on speaking to ABC on Tuesday night on Monday (an emergency business trip) and Blair overheard the call. He graciously volunteered to come back on Tuesday to give the talk he had planned to give in March.
Thursday was a busy day for me with Rotary, a doctor’s appt and driving to LAke Forest Park to see Marian and stay for a memorial today.
Today I took a birding walk and added Pine Siskin to my King County life list, a paltry #151 for KINGCO.
Tomorrow Ken, Bruce and I head east to the Okanogan area for our annual Freezathon. More on that to follow.
Good birding. Good day!