Intrepid biologist
New member
Hello fellow birdwatchers, ornithologists, and old hippies
!
I hope I don't bore anyone rambling on about myself so I will try not to give a completely exhaustive, life story, introduction of myself. I am currently a sophomore at Middle Tennessee State University majoring in biology with a concentration on animal biology and minoring in chemistry. I hope to continue on to vet school and eventually own a mixed practice clinic (which takes care of both small animals and large animals, aka pets and livestock). I have experience volunteering and working with four different veterinary clinics and working at horse stables (and at an art studio but that really is irrelevant).
I grew up in a crazy animal house with crazy animal loving parents known to rescue the occasional oil covered duck. Though I am attending college year round, my family currently resides in the Memphis area with our two birds, Eli (a green cheek conure) Mia (a white parrotlet) and our two, ridiculously old, one time breeding oriental fire bellied toads Flame and Flare whose surviving offspring were donated to the Michigan herpetological society. Most important of all though, I have been raised a birder all my life.
We have moved around a great deal but it seems every time we moved our bird sanctuary’s capacity doubled. According to my math (which isn’t that great but I am reasonably competent) I estimate that this past year we have purchased 12 bird feeders, baths, houses, humming bird feeders etc. and 1300 lbs of birdseed, organic dog food (yes for the birds) peanut butter bread and assorted citruses (again for the birds), thistle seed, nesting balls, cracked corn, suit, and humming bird nectar, and I fear that may be much too conservative of an estimate. Admittedly much of that never made it to feed the songbirds as roughly 300 or so lbs of cracked corn went feed the dozen or so deer back in the tick infested swampy woods our house is on to keep them from destroying our landscaping. Additionally, much of the seed and treats fed the half dozen squirrels, raccoons and their yearly offspring, non song birds like wild turkey and crows etc. The woods we live on are a protected corridor habitat that cuts through all of Shelby County and is closed to hunting. In addition to the previously mentioned critters, we are often visited by hawks, falcons, owls, coyotes, several species of lizards, snakes (which due to our ignorance managed to consume an entire bluebird nest, we now have our bird houses properly protected), disturbing numbers of wood roaches, at least 6 different species of dragon fly (one which is endangered), praying mantis ( which I have seen hunting our humming birds until my mom freaked and shoed the poor thing off the feeder), mice, salamanders, butterflies, day moths, toads, ducks including domestic escapees and their hybrid offspring, and well, just about everything else. At previous houses we have encountered bobcats, vultures, peregrine falcons, bald eagles, flying squirrels, big brown bats in our bat houses, the threatened massasauga rattlesnake, and much, much more.
I already am noticing I have utterly failed at not rambling on about myself and recalling my life story with major digressions so I’m going to cut to the chase here before wandering off topic again. The primary reason I joined the forum is for one particular bird I have seen many times ant our bird feeders, the Bachman’s Warbler. Although believed to be extinct, it is not confirmed, and although as a biologist we are trained from day one to be skeptical, I am reasonably confident and therefore excited about this discovery. The habitat, although a bit far west, is about as ideal a match to its habitat as one can reasonably conclude. The forest that we live on is a flood zone for a Mississippi tributary and for those of you in the US you now doubt heard about the entire state going under water (56 counties declared a state of emergency and received FEMA aid) if it weren’t for our four foot flood wall, the 3 foot 6 inches of water the river rose a half mile away from its normal banks, our home would be ruined, and unfortunately homes less than 600 feet downstream were flooded. Though by far the worst flood the area had seen in over 20 years, there was some minor flooding last year as well and seems to be an annual occurrence. Relatively stagnant agricultural runoff upstream is present year round and the soil is mucky, swampy clay deeper into the forest which fits the swamp forest habit description as closely as seems reasonable. The birds themselves are small and yellow, comparable to a canary in size and build and between 4 and 4.5 inches in length. I am very confident there is at least 1 female but I believe there may be a second female and a male present, although I have only seen these birds a handful of times. The female bird which I am reasonably certain of has a soft grey/brown cap and muddy brown wing striations, its feathers appear somewhat soft and downy. I realize this bird could be a lot of things other than a Bachman’s Warbler (maybe even a young golden finch perhaps) and by no means would I support this as a confirmed sighting. My parents (and I when I return home) are trying to get a few decent photographs of the bird in question before anyone starts taking this too seriously, but just the possibility excites me!
Well, perhaps luckily, I have run out of material to write on so that’s all for now. I look forward conversing with fellow birders in the future, peace. :t:
!I hope I don't bore anyone rambling on about myself so I will try not to give a completely exhaustive, life story, introduction of myself. I am currently a sophomore at Middle Tennessee State University majoring in biology with a concentration on animal biology and minoring in chemistry. I hope to continue on to vet school and eventually own a mixed practice clinic (which takes care of both small animals and large animals, aka pets and livestock). I have experience volunteering and working with four different veterinary clinics and working at horse stables (and at an art studio but that really is irrelevant).
I grew up in a crazy animal house with crazy animal loving parents known to rescue the occasional oil covered duck. Though I am attending college year round, my family currently resides in the Memphis area with our two birds, Eli (a green cheek conure) Mia (a white parrotlet) and our two, ridiculously old, one time breeding oriental fire bellied toads Flame and Flare whose surviving offspring were donated to the Michigan herpetological society. Most important of all though, I have been raised a birder all my life.
We have moved around a great deal but it seems every time we moved our bird sanctuary’s capacity doubled. According to my math (which isn’t that great but I am reasonably competent) I estimate that this past year we have purchased 12 bird feeders, baths, houses, humming bird feeders etc. and 1300 lbs of birdseed, organic dog food (yes for the birds) peanut butter bread and assorted citruses (again for the birds), thistle seed, nesting balls, cracked corn, suit, and humming bird nectar, and I fear that may be much too conservative of an estimate. Admittedly much of that never made it to feed the songbirds as roughly 300 or so lbs of cracked corn went feed the dozen or so deer back in the tick infested swampy woods our house is on to keep them from destroying our landscaping. Additionally, much of the seed and treats fed the half dozen squirrels, raccoons and their yearly offspring, non song birds like wild turkey and crows etc. The woods we live on are a protected corridor habitat that cuts through all of Shelby County and is closed to hunting. In addition to the previously mentioned critters, we are often visited by hawks, falcons, owls, coyotes, several species of lizards, snakes (which due to our ignorance managed to consume an entire bluebird nest, we now have our bird houses properly protected), disturbing numbers of wood roaches, at least 6 different species of dragon fly (one which is endangered), praying mantis ( which I have seen hunting our humming birds until my mom freaked and shoed the poor thing off the feeder), mice, salamanders, butterflies, day moths, toads, ducks including domestic escapees and their hybrid offspring, and well, just about everything else. At previous houses we have encountered bobcats, vultures, peregrine falcons, bald eagles, flying squirrels, big brown bats in our bat houses, the threatened massasauga rattlesnake, and much, much more.
I already am noticing I have utterly failed at not rambling on about myself and recalling my life story with major digressions so I’m going to cut to the chase here before wandering off topic again. The primary reason I joined the forum is for one particular bird I have seen many times ant our bird feeders, the Bachman’s Warbler. Although believed to be extinct, it is not confirmed, and although as a biologist we are trained from day one to be skeptical, I am reasonably confident and therefore excited about this discovery. The habitat, although a bit far west, is about as ideal a match to its habitat as one can reasonably conclude. The forest that we live on is a flood zone for a Mississippi tributary and for those of you in the US you now doubt heard about the entire state going under water (56 counties declared a state of emergency and received FEMA aid) if it weren’t for our four foot flood wall, the 3 foot 6 inches of water the river rose a half mile away from its normal banks, our home would be ruined, and unfortunately homes less than 600 feet downstream were flooded. Though by far the worst flood the area had seen in over 20 years, there was some minor flooding last year as well and seems to be an annual occurrence. Relatively stagnant agricultural runoff upstream is present year round and the soil is mucky, swampy clay deeper into the forest which fits the swamp forest habit description as closely as seems reasonable. The birds themselves are small and yellow, comparable to a canary in size and build and between 4 and 4.5 inches in length. I am very confident there is at least 1 female but I believe there may be a second female and a male present, although I have only seen these birds a handful of times. The female bird which I am reasonably certain of has a soft grey/brown cap and muddy brown wing striations, its feathers appear somewhat soft and downy. I realize this bird could be a lot of things other than a Bachman’s Warbler (maybe even a young golden finch perhaps) and by no means would I support this as a confirmed sighting. My parents (and I when I return home) are trying to get a few decent photographs of the bird in question before anyone starts taking this too seriously, but just the possibility excites me!
Well, perhaps luckily, I have run out of material to write on so that’s all for now. I look forward conversing with fellow birders in the future, peace. :t:
