ABA Young Birders Conference

This past Saturday I woke up at 6:00 to go to Ashland Nature Center in Hockessin, Delaware, where the 2013 Mid-Eastern ABA(American Birding Association) Young Birders Conference was about to take place. I was really lucky to find out about this. My mom found it like a week before it happened online and signed my Dad and I up. It started out with a morning bird walk where I got 2 out of my 5 lifers of the day: (a lifer is a bird seen for the first time) Great Egret and Black Vulture. After that there were several talks one of which was by Jonathan Alderfer, illustrator for The National Geographic Field Guide who showed us a time-lapse video of him drawing then painting 2 Harlequin Ducks and here is a shortened version of it.

After that we went to Hawk Watch Hill and watched hawks. This part was a little insane because all the super-dooper birders were spotting hawks and stuff like a million miles away and identifying them right away while I could hardly see them at all. Although I did see a Bald Eagle(lifer #3) fairly close which was pretty exciting! Next there was a talk from a girl who won the 14-18 division of the ABA young birder of the year contest. It sounds pretty cool, I might have to give it a go some time. Next there were a bunch more talks and then my favorite part of the day, the afternoon bird walk. My favorite because I saw a lot of birds I knew and felt like I was getting to know some of the other kids there a little better and I saw #4 and #5: Tennessee Warbler and Black and White Warbler. Well, that was pretty much it except a hawk flew in front of the car on the way home that I had to get out and run back to identify (Red-Tailed Hawk) which was kinda exciting. Also I challenged myself to see as many birds as possible in one day. So here's the list (By the way it only counts if I see it or hear it not if somebody tells me that's what's there, I have to be able to identify it later)

1. Canada Goose
2. Mourning Dove
3. Downy Woodpecker
4. Hairy Woodpecker
5. Carolina Chickadee
6. Blue Jay
7. Carolina Wren
8. Chimney Swift
9. Gray Catbird
10. Northern "Yellow-Shafted" Flicker
11. Rose-Breasted Grosbeak(Female) - Really good view through somebody's scope
12. American Crow
13. Great Egret - #1
14. Black Vulture - #2
15. Bald Eagle - #3
16. American Robin
17. Turkey Vulture
18. White-Breasted Nuthatch
19. Tennessee Warbler - #4
20. Black and White Warbler - #5
21. Wood Thrush
22. Red-Tailed Hawk