Las Aventuras: The Rubberband

Oh trouble was brewing at the Rohrer household. A little demon child known as J-man kept his Uncle and Grandparents busy. His ailing grandfather needed some quiet time to heal after his heart surgery. And so his uncles and grandma kept both he and his adorable baby sister busy.

Baltimore Oriole

Birding with family can often be difficult. Still, it can be done, but it requires careful planning. Here are some things I've learned from over the years to accomplish my birding goals while spending that quality family time that is much needed.

Family fun at Bay Beach. Also near the site of secret breeding Piping Plovers!

1. Find ways to include light birding while spending quality time with family. My personal goal is to blend birding into the outdoor activities. We have to begin somewhere and teaching our young minds is important to the future of birding. It starts off with curiosity. A trip. A pair of binoculars and some hands on experience with birds. Toddlers are tactile. So are Canada Geese.

Over a hundred Canada Geese overtook J-man and one gave him a little nibble. The child who caused terror to others was terrorized himself, for a moment. There was a scream and then some crying involved. He flew up to Grandma for protection and for fun, I threw a little more corn around Grandma's feet to hear her yell out. I'm terrible. I know:)

2. Stay close to home. You never know when you will be needed for.....
a. family pictures b. family dinner c. babysitting
d. running errands or e. all the above:)

A fledged Chipping Sparrow

3. Be clear on what you want to accomplish. You can't do it all, BUT you can knock off some birds from that much wanted list.

So many nephews and nieces

During my trek home, I was only focused on warblers and sparrows. There was a possibility of adding two new lifers to the list. The Hooded Warbler was one of those warblers. It was only 10 minutes away from my parent's home.

Hooded Warbler

4. Do your birding in the morning or early afternoon. Birding is best in the morning, but sometimes there are errands that have to be run. Most people work during the day. Family generally meets at night or on the weekends. If you can't go in the morning, try for the early afternoon when the grandkids or nephews/nieces are down for their nap.

Family photos are NEVER easy.

But they are always memorable and a necessary evil:) Never take those moments for granted because you don't know if you'll get the same opportunity again. So much can change in a short time.

My lifer Hooded Warbler in the dark forest of Point Beach State Forest

5. Challenge yourself and stay within your own county. You may have seen a Wild Turkey a million times in a million other places, but did you see one in your hometown? Be a kid again and play detective working on hunches.

Wild Turkey

6. Remember to stop birding as well. I speak to the choir here when I say it's hard to turn off the birding gene, but try and do it. I was proud of myself this summer when I could completely let it go and not keep looking at every bird flying past my radar.

I feel like Cambrie in this shot. Trying to get that perfect family pic is NO easy task.

7. Carefully choose the places you'd like to bird. Keep the family in the loop where you plan on birding. Keep it a half hour or so, no more, from home.

American White Pelicans hang out near the Manitowoc Marina

8. On occasion, treat yourself to a full day of birding. Don't feel guilty. It's your holiday and you deserve some quiet time away from the family.

Cerulean Warbler

Even though I had seen the Cerulean Warbler once before, I wanted to see it again. It's one of my favorite warblers. And it was on my short list of birds I wanted to see while back home.

Purple Martin

9. Let yourself just flow with the family plans. Ebird wherever the family goes.

My brother Adam bought a pontoon and it allowed us to count birds along the river in his backyard. We discovered several new bird species breeding along the river like Spotted Sandpipers.

10. Create new hotspots for the public. You know your hometown best.

When I was home, I discovered this beautiful rare Horned Grebe(below) near my brother's cabin. There was no ebird hotspot so I created one. We can discover new birds by just paying attention. This Horned Grebe completed an atlas block for someone. They were thrilled.

A rare Horned Grebe!

I am more aware now of the world around me. Birders can make anything work with a little ingenuity. I use the word "rubberbanding it". I'm never too far from home and if I'm needed back home ASAP, I am able to "snap back" in a second. I don't see it as limiting in any way. It just makes me a little more creative with my birding.