Tuesday, January 30, 2001

Field trip produces up-and-coming birders

Cub Scouts learn the ins and outs of birdwatching as they work toward their Bear Badge

 

I recently led a birding field trip of cub scouts to Hazel Bazemore Park. At first, I admit, I didn't know what I had let myself in for.
   These birders were about 9 years old, all handsome, athletic and ready for the leader to show them some birds. Every one of them had better vision than I.
   Eager birdwatchers
   My eager students were the Cub Scouts of Den 3, Pack 65, sponsored by St. Thomas Catholic Church.
   On this field trip the scouts would be earning an achievement toward their Bear Badge, called "Sharing your world with wildlife."
   After refreshments passed by the den leaders, we rose from the park picnic benches to see if we could find some birds. We started in the area below the hill where a road winds through trees. Here we looked for and found a golden-fronted woodpecker.
   Then we went in cars to the road by the river. Here, I had seen a flock of American robins feeding on wet grass. I announced the robins, unusual here, and pointed my binoculars in their direction only to discover the birds were eastern meadowlarks.
   All was not lost.
   An alert scout looked around and found the robins.
   Some great finds
   Many of my companions were accustomed to hunting with their families and knew very well how to behave when trying to look at an animal without frightening it away.
   The next great find was one for which I was hoping but had not yet seen. It was silhouetted against the afternoon sun. When we moved to get a better angle and a better look, it turned out to be a gorgeous tiny vermilion flycatcher. The cub who found it described it accurately to me.
   I had told the group about the great kiskadee with its boldly striped black and white head and its beautiful yellow breast. A scout found one. They were able to see the yellow rump on a yellow-rumped warbler.
   We then went to the pond where I thought we could see ducks. All the ducks were standing on their heads, tails in air.
   On the other side of the pond, we were able to get good looks through Craig Cook Sr.'s Christmas scope at winter plumage American avocets as they seined their beaks back and forth to find supper in the water. Beside them were some other tall wading birds that don't change their costumes in winter - black-necked stilts.
   We all thought this was a great field trip, and perhaps we can expect some new members of the birding community to be joining us soon.
  

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Phyllis Yochem, a Corpus Christi resident, has studied birds of Texas since 1960.

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