Score one for the rookie! (1 Viewer)

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Trailwalker

Member

• Oct 3, 2013

• #1

I live in the Northern suburbs of NYC (60 miles North of the Bronx) my home property consists of 3 acres of woods, a field and a stream. My wife and I are brand new to birding so we don't know very much yet. We have recently been listening to the birds in our field and thought we heard a Red Bellied WP based on what we heard in the iBird ap of our iPads. For days I had been listening but was only able to see a Downey WP, so I wrote it off as that. Yesterday our Nikon Monarch binocs arrived and I hit the field to see what I could see. After hearing the distinctive call that I thought might be the Red Bellied WP I zeroed in on a particular tree only to see the Downey again. I figured that in my inexperience I was mistaking the call of the Downey for a Red Bellied but low and behold... a few seconds later in the same tree was the Red Bellied WP! A small victory for the new guy!

 

BrianWH

Sparrowhawk

• Oct 3, 2013

• #2

Well done, a great day for you. Pity you didn't have a camera with you.

 

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Trailwalker

Member

• Oct 3, 2013

• #3

Thanks! And yes a camera is definitely next.

 

BrianWH

Sparrowhawk

• Oct 3, 2013

• #4

Trailwalker said:

Thanks! And yes a camera is definitely next.

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I can highly recommend the Canon SX50 HS with it's 50x zoom it is ideal for wildlife. It sounds as if you will have plenty in your area. Look forward to seeing some soon.

 

Pinewood

New York correspondent

• Oct 3, 2013

• #5

Hello Trailwalker,

As a fellow resident of New York, I have been irritated that our state bird is the Eastern bluebird, the state bird of other states, as well. I have never seen a bluebird but I have seen woodpeckers, creepers and nuthatches; all industrious birds which preserve our woodlands. I hope that our state bird may be changed, some day.
Good job on finding the red bellied woodpecker?
Happy bird watching,
Arthur

 

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T

Trailwalker

Member

• Oct 3, 2013

• #6

Thanks for the welcome! Agreed on the boring state bird. How about the Pileated? Another one of my favorites.

 

Pinewood

New York correspondent

• Oct 3, 2013

• #7

Trailwalker said:

Thanks for the welcome! Agreed on the boring state bird. How about the Pileated? Another one of my favorites.

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Hello Trailwalker,

The pileated is too uncommon in the big city. Besides, too many might think of Woody Woodpecker when they see a picture of the pileated.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

 

Last edited: Oct 4, 2013

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ceasar

Well-known member

• Oct 3, 2013

• #8

Trailwalker said:

Thanks! And yes a camera is definitely next.

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You could also consider a Nikon Coolpix P520 which zooms to 1000mm.

Alexander S. White has written a guide to it. It is written in easy to understand non-digitalese English. 402 pages with a 16 page index and copious photographs and 3 Appendices. It covers just about everything. Paperback: $24.95. "Photographer's Guide To The Nikon Coolpix P520." White Knight Press. ISBN 978-1-937986-14-8.

It can save you much time and experimentation.

Bob

 

A2GG

Beth

• Oct 3, 2013

• #9

congrats on the sighting

 

T

Trailwalker

Member

• Oct 4, 2013

• #10

ceasar said:

You could also consider a Nikon Coolpix P520 which zooms to 1000mm.

Alexander S. White has written a guide to it. It is written in easy to understand non-digitalese English. 402 pages with a 16 page index and copious photographs and 3 Appendices. It covers just about everything. Paperback: $24.95. "Photographer's Guide To The Nikon Coolpix P520." White Knight Press. ISBN 978-1-937986-14-8.

It can save you much time and experimentation.

Bob

Click to expand...

Excellent, thanks. I will definitely look in to both. :t:

Thanks everyone for the responses!