When I arrived home some time after dark with my older two kids in tow (basketball practice), Mr. Attitude had some news for me. "Mom! I saw a big gray bird!" Cool! I asked him "Was it this big?", while approximating the size of a Gray Jay with my hands. That would have been a rare thing! "No", he said, making a smaller measurement with his hands. "But it was bigger than a chickadee?" "Oh yeah!"
Then he got out the camera. The boy, who just turned 9 on Monday, had taken PICTURES!
Even on the tiny screen of the camera, I recognized this Northern Shrike! I have been keeping an eye out while driving, hoping to see the first Northern Shrike of the winter, and my son sees one right out the window near the bird feeder. A lifer for him, and a proud birding mama moment for me.
Northern Shrikes are a rare, but pretty reliable winter visitor around here. We usually see one on the Christmas Bird Count, but they are solitary and you have to know what to look for. They are predators, and this one was probably scouting the bird feeder. I love their gray color and black mask.
7 comments:
What an excellent shot, and a grand birding moment.
Yahoo! A young birder!
That's a wonderful photo-
He looks like a little bandit! (The bird, that is.) Congrats to your son. It's a lifetime obsession.
That's great. My 8 year old son out birds me all the time. I'm planning on relying on him in my doddering years.
Robin Andrea- Thank you. Actually, I accept the thanks for him! It was a big challenge, taking the picture in fading light through the window.
Lynne- He is the one child who has a great curiosity about nature. And a good hand with the camera at that!
Webb- Mine started with a painted bunting in St. Augustine, Florida.
Clare- Isn't it great to have a kid with that enthusiasm about nature?
Now, THAT is a cool moment indeed! Good for him! And how wonderful that he knew he'd better get a photo to show his mama!
And so it begins.
Next he will want his own blog.
Good job!
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