My Personal Birdwatch 2009

I suppose it was inevitable that I would go from studying the Peterson Bird Guides while writing about them to using the guide so I could describe the experience to consulting my copy to see just what type of bird I've been seeing lately.

Turns out it was an American Goldfinch - the field marks would have been enough but the "somewhat undulating flight" served as a dead giveaway.  The Peterson site has a video at the bottom right of this page.  And of course we've got Canadian Geese all over the place.  And the occasional Pileated Woodpecker - "Uncommon" - and for the uninitiated best known as Woody... 

And then I came upon the space in the guide where you can check off what you'd seen and I have to admit the lure of those empty lines was simply too great for me... 

So I'm on a quest to see how many of the birds around here I can identify with my trusty Peterson Guide.  I won't count the Pileated Woodpecker until I see one again.  Or hear one. But I've got the American Goldfinch and the Canadian Goose dated in my book.  I'll probably need binoculars.  And maybe it's time to break out the canoe...

Wish me luck!