My name is Bill and I am a bird watcher...
Bill Thompson III is the editor of Bird Watcher's Digest by day. He's also a keen birder, the author of many books, a dad, a field trip leader, an ecotourism consultant, a guitar player, the host of the "This Birding Life" podcast, a regular speaker/performer on the birding festival circuit, a gentleman farmer, and a fungi to be around. His North American life list is somewhere between 667 and 669. His favorite bird is the red-headed woodpecker. His "spark bird" was a snowy owl. He has watched birds in 25 countries and 44 states. But his favorite place to watch birds is on the 80-acre farm he shares with his wife, artist/writer Julie Zickefoose. Some kind person once called Bill "The Pied Piper of Birding" and he has been trying to live up to that moniker ever since.
7 Comments:
I love this love this love this. So grateful to be part of your manakin clan.
What fun is this poem. Love the photos too! Keep it all coming!
S.
Dear Bill,
May I impose upon you for assistance with a bird id? I'm currently in Washington, D.C. and I don't have my field guide handy - which is a moot point as it is the Birds of Western North America, where I'm from. For the same reason, I can't ask my online birding community from home.
Today I saw a robin-sized bird, grayish overall, but with a long tail. When it flew, white patches were visible on its wings' undersides. And it sang loudly, longly, lustily (3 Ls!) and beautifully.
I've looked on the Cornell site, and I'm wondering if it might be a mockingbird, which mentions white wing bars, but not if they're also visible on the underneath. What do you think?
Thanks, and I hope I'm not imposing!
Dea
I saw a video of a moonwalking manakin once and they are quite silly, yet gorgeous birds!
Loved the poem!
Not to step on anyone's toes, Bill, but I would like to answer Dea's question! Northern mockingbird, yes! They flash those white patches as they fly.
Thanks for the id, Susan! I'm so excited - we don't get mockers where I'm from in Canada. I've just been reading "Why Birds Sing", and I've so wanted to see/hear one. Now I'll go back out and look for him again.
Dea:
Susan got it right from what you describe. Thanks for jumping in SGN!
BOTB
sgn, I have seen the video as ell, super cool, just like BT3s poem.
I actually followed this one.
;-)
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