Novice birders generally scour trees, shrubs, lakes and lawns in their effort to find and identify "new species." But some birds are far more likely to be observed overhead (especially in suburban areas) and, since most feed on flying insects, are primarily summer residents.
These "sky birds" include swifts, swallows, purple martins, common nighthawks and Mississippi kites, among others. Of course, vultures, most hawks, eagles, ospreys and migrant flocks of cranes and geese are also discovered by scanning the skies. Finally, as veteran birders know, a surprising variety of birds (waterfowl, waders, gulls, terns and flocking songbirds) pass overhead as they move between roost sites and feeding grounds.
So, as my grandfather taught me during my earliest birding days, look up or you'll miss a lot of birds! Just one of many "nature nuggets" he planted in my receptive, young brain. (See Thanks to Gramps)
These "sky birds" include swifts, swallows, purple martins, common nighthawks and Mississippi kites, among others. Of course, vultures, most hawks, eagles, ospreys and migrant flocks of cranes and geese are also discovered by scanning the skies. Finally, as veteran birders know, a surprising variety of birds (waterfowl, waders, gulls, terns and flocking songbirds) pass overhead as they move between roost sites and feeding grounds.
So, as my grandfather taught me during my earliest birding days, look up or you'll miss a lot of birds! Just one of many "nature nuggets" he planted in my receptive, young brain. (See Thanks to Gramps)
