Touched by a Pileated Woodpecker

While camping at Ohio's Shawnee Conference Center and Lodge on 2 July 2011, my wife Marlene and I were treated by a most magnificent view: two Pileated Woodepckers landed on a tree just in back of the rustic cabin where we were staying. I called Marlene over and together we watched the Pileated Woodpeckers put on a most magnigificent display for the next 10 minutes.

As Marlene went back to the process of making us lunch, I returned to my reading. What followed next was simply unbelievable. Without warning, I heard a loud 'thump!' against the window of our cabin. Looking up, I could see one of the Pileated Woodpeckers, but its mate was nowhere to be found. Fearing the worst, I put on my shoes and raced outside ... only to find a Pileated Woodpecker lying on the ground below the cabin window.

I put on some gloves and picked up the injured bird, and began inspecting it for broken wings. One wing outstretched ... the bird looked okay. I began to outstretch the second wing when the bird finally noticed it was being held by a human, and as I determined the other wing was unbroken as well, the bird uttered its first call of alarm ... it was overcoming the shock of running into the window. I could see nothing wrong with its head, neck, or breast, and so I cupped the birds in my hands and took it to the edge of the yard where it would be less visible to the dogs in the area.

Twenty minutes later, while out on the porch of the cabin, a Pileated Woodpecker landed on the nearest tree trunk to the building ... it was now only 15 feet from where I stood. The plumage marks on this bird were identical to the bird I held in my hand. As I watched it for several minutes, it seemed almost to say "Thank you" before it flew off into the woods.

Racing outside again, I looked in the grass where I had laid the injured bird - only to find no evidence of the bird on the ground. The bird at the porch window only moments ago had finally recovered and had flown off to resume its life in the deciduous forests of the northeastern US. And for a brief few seconds, I can now say I held the largest living North American woodpecker in my hands for a very special moment - when time seemed to stand still.

/s/ John C. Robinson
President, On My Mountain, Inc.
www.onmymountain.com

John C. Robinson Elected to American Birding Association Board of Directors

On Friday, 1 May 2009, I was officially elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the American Birding Association (ABA) at the general membership meeting of the ABA in Corpus Christi, Texas. It was a great honor for me to have been nominated for this important position and I plan to use my 30+ years of experience as a birder to help the ABA become the best organization that it can in terms of the service it provides to fellow birders.

After the membership meeting, I signed copies of my book, Birding for Everyone -- during which time I shared the author's booth with Kenn Kaufman, who wrote the foreword to my book.

Tomorrow, I leave to return to Ohio, but only after having seen Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks, and thousands of Laughing Gulls.

If you've never been a member of the American Birding Association, I encourage you to consider reading more about the organization and what we do. Over the next several years, I intend to let as many people know about the organization and how it serves the interests of those people who love birds. If you have any suggestions about how we can improve that quality of service at the ABA, please don't hesitate to contact me.

/s/ John C. Robinson

Birding at Grizzly Island Wildlife Management Area

On 7 February 2009, I led a group of about a dozen birders from Walnut Creek's East Bay Nature store on a tour of the beautiful Grizzly Island Wildlife Area in California. Part of Suisun Marsh, the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area comprises more than 10,000 acres of coastal wetland habitat. The California Department of Fish and Game manages the wildlife area to provide habitat for wintering and breeding populations of waterfowl, and to support other recreation such as fishing and hunting.

On our trip there on 7 February 2009, we were treated to sightings of river otters, raccoons, Tule elk (a few of which approached to within 75 yards of our group!), and many species of birds. We had glimpses of Common Yellowthroats and Tree Swallows, and got to study in detail several species of raptors such as White-tailed Kites and Red-shouldered Hawks.

One highlight for everyone was the pair of Great Horned Owls in a eucalyptus tree. This same tree has hosted one or two Great Horned Owls on every trip I have led to Grizzly Island for the last 10 years, making this arguably the most reliable spot I know of to find this species in the United States.

We scanned the hundreds of American Wigeon but were not able to locate a Eurasian Wigeon. We did, however, find Bonaparte's Gulls and American White Pelicans flying overhead, and many Northern Harriers flying over the marshland habitats. I told everyone to consider coming back right at dusk, as this is one of the best places in the San Francisco Bay Area to find Short-eared Owls -- however, you have to be there just before dusk to have a good chance of seeing them.

If you have never visited the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area, I encourage you to check it out soon before all the waterfowl depart for their breeding areas further north. If you can't get here this spring, then a visit next October, November, or December will be well worth it.

/s/ John C. Robinson
President, On My Mountain, Inc.
"Your World of Birding and Nature"
Author of "Birding for Everyone, Encouraging People of Color to Become Birdwatchers" http://www.onmymountain.com