2008's first meme--a worthy one

Patrick at Hawk Owl's Nest (note that he now has his own domain! a christmas present from his fiancee Beth) tagged me with a very worthy meme that I'd like to put a little twist on. The meme was to name one thing you did during the holidays to lessen your environmental impact. Beth has her own domain/blog, EasyEcoLiving, on which she gives tips for easy things you can do on a day-to-day basis to help our environment. She started this meme.

The Kat and I make an effort each day to really follow the "reduce-reuse-recycle" idea, so at Christmas time, we pull out our well-worn and held-together-with-tape gift-boxes and gift-bags from years gone by (some are as our as our relationship--going on six years!) and we don't usually wrap our presents to each other (unless they're truly surprise gifts).

Here's the twist, though--the holidays are over, and some of you might not have thought to do anything in particular to reduce your enviro-impact. So what I'd like to pass on as a tag to FranIAm, DCup, and Mattyboy (three very cool non-birders whose thoughts about life in these here You-Nited States inspire me on a daily basis) is this:

Try to think of one way you and your family can lessen your environmental impact in 2008. You could consider doing something relatively easy--like giving up paper plates and napkins (yup, more dishes and laundry, but oh so worth it at trash-time)--or more difficult--like trying to carpool more (which can be a pain, but saves a ton in gas money, not to mention in saved emissions). It doesn't have to be hard--it could be something as simple as trying one of those new fluorescent bulbs in your desk lamp. How about it?

Anybody who'd like to offer suggestions (and perhaps follow your own suggestion), please let me hear from ya!

2008's first bird

First bird for the year: Black-capped Chickadee, super early in the morning on 01/01/2008. They were a bit upset at the empty feeders; I had warned them we were going to Ohio to see my baby sister and her two babies, and that the feeders were going to be empty for a couple of days, but these guys insisted they didn't get the memo. I filled up the feeders, put out a bunch of mealy worms from Susan's nephew's mail-order worm business (more on that later), scattered a lot of seed on the ground, and went back to bed.

What's your best 2007 birding memory?

Definitely the best bird photo I took all year

Boy, it's like I suddenly got the urge to just blitz out some posts, eh? Anyway, I was wondering--just what was my favorite birding-related experience of this past year?

What was yours?

For me, it's a tough choice--birding with Julie Zickefoose in March or birding with the Flock in Cape May. Both events were so pivotal in my development as a birder, in learning more about birds and fieldcraft and seeing lifers -- in addition to the outright WOW factor of meeting people like Zick and Birdchick, who were my first two birding heroes when I started this whole birding thing a few years ago. (For a long time, those were the only two birding blogs I visited!) Now, in Cape May I also met many of the people on my birdy blogroll, which really cranked that weekend up to amazing levels.

But I suppose I should choose.... or not! Screw it! I pick BOTH of those experiences! So there!

I really tried to choose, but I just can't! I loved Cape May and meeting the Flock in person, and I can't wait to go back there (in February for our anniversary!) and see the Flock again (and meet those honorary Flockers who didn't make it to Cape May!). Back in the spring, going to my first-ever birding festival and having what proved to be an all-out warblerama with Julie pretty much topped my year, even more than Cape May (but just a little!). There are so many reasons: everything about that weekend was just plain magical--from the beautiful drive to Titusville PA to the drive back home, from hanging out with Julie and seeing so many warblers in spring plumage to just seeing for the first time what it was really like to be out in the field with other people who were just as nuts as I am for birds. Maybe it's just that whole "never as good as the first time" thing, but that weekend was (again, just by a tiny bit!) my top birding experience of this year, following almost simultaneously by the Cape May Weekend.

Memories:

Yikes--cap head!

Kept the cap ON this time!

I wonder what the new year will bring.
So everybody -- let's hear it: your top birding experience of the year!