Favorite Blog Moments in 2010

Another wonderful year with the birds comes to its end in a few hours, and it seems appropriate to reflect on the past year. Here, from the perspective of this blog, were my favorite moments.

1. It was a GREAT year for juveniles! I enjoyed seeing the fledglings of a number of species... Cardinals (three broods!), Bluebirds, Downy and Red Bellied Woodpeckers and more. I saw my first ever Pine Warbler youngster in late May, and a new nest box finally bore fruit as a pair of White Breasted Nuthatches successfully raised young there in March. That was a fun BirdCam project!

2. We were lucky to get some migratory delights. First and foremost was the return of a Hermit Thrush in both January and then again in December. Each time this bird shows more feeder skill. Possibly more dazzling was a three day visit by a female Rose Breasted Grosbeak in late September. And of course, we enjoyed the seasonal ebbs and flows especially by the Catbirds, the http://carybirdcam.blogspot.com/2010/11/snowbirds-have-arrived.html, and the Hummingbirds.

3. As we all know, some species wax and some wane in a given year. We had great success with Northern Cardinals but not so much with Carolina Chickadees. Our finicky American Goldfinches finally spent the summer with us after two years of estrangement. But Robins, what's with that?

4. We had our problems with squirrels--who doesn't? But by and large the tree rats were rolled back a notch into a supportable position. I definitely enjoyed thwarting them with proper feeder guards, even if some crazy new ideas for annoying the squirrels fell flat.

5. It was a delight to help friends identify birds -- I even ID'd a mystery bird (a Kestral) at the request of the facility director at the NC State Capital! But no mission was nearly as fun as the madcap adventures with nesting Robins at the home of a friend in Raleigh in June.

6. Speaking of predators: we had 'em in force in '10. I had many encounters with an aggressive Cooper's Hawk, a visit by a Red Tailed Hawk, and then there were the pesky neighborhood cats.

7. Feeders continued to join the armada. I relished using a new platform feeder in December and a third feeder tree in October. My collection now includes 25 feeders!

8. We continue to add and experiment with bird boxes. The force grew by three to ten this year, one being the "Success story" with the nuthatches discussed above. My biggest flop -- the "bird bottle" was moved for the fourth time in hopes of Wrens. I also put up a bluebird box on a pole. We'll see if these bear good results!

9. I finally joined the ranks of data collectors at the Great Backyard Bird Count in February. We had some good information, there.

10. Antics? Does anything beat the fun of watching birds in fruiting Leatherleaf Mahonia bushes? I don't think so!

11. I always appreciate adding to my life list. I had the happy moment of a Swainson's Thrush encounter in May.

12. And speaking of encounters afield... what a year! I watched the "Colonial Byrdes" in Williamsburg in March, enjoyed four days of amazing birding on the North Carolina coast in April, was surprised by unusual beach birds in July, and experienced wonders at a music conference in August.

13. Last but not least, there was NEW gear. I upgraded binoculars, spotting scope, and did the iPod thing with its wonderful birding apps.

I'll end this year with a call out, thanks, and best wishes to my many birding friends...Roger and Ramona in wild Guatemala... the delightful Deb in Oregon... the amazingly knowledgeable Simon in Apex NC, Dave of Wild Fidalgo fame (a fantastic new blog!) .. and devoted reading friends in Mississauga and Streetsville in the great nation of Canada.

See you all in 2011!