Some new favorites

Earlier this month Trixie at Trixie's View gave me a nice compliment and listed PrairieIce as one of the blogs that "makes her day". Thanks Trixie. I commented to Trixie that the feeling is mutual and I enjoy reading about her life in Alaska - bears, Boreal Chickadees, a biathlete, and a beginning reader to name a few subjects I enjoy from Trixie. Check out her recent post about her family training program for her daughter's biathlon competitions. I like the indoor firing range Trixie.

This was pretty good timing as it gave me a bit of a nudge to link to a few blogs that I have recently discovered or posts I particularly enjoyed that I have been meaning to pass along.

First is a post from Pohanginapete with stunning photos of New Zealand's Blue Duck or Whio. One of my favorite groups of birds in the world are the ducks that inhabit fast moving waters - the Harlequin Duck in North America, the aptly named Torrent Duck in South America, and the Blue Duck of New Zealand. I have yet to see the Whio but this is pretty close to being there. Pete always has very well crafted posts with great stories and photos.

This is one of my photos of a Torrent Duck in Torres Del Paine NP,
Chile in November 2007

Next is a new blog that I found via Fretmarks and Querencia (again). Talking Pictures is another blog in the same vein as Pohanginapete, well done posts with great photography and thoughtful essays. I really like it and have added a link to my sidebar. Natasha vicariously feeds my traveling and birding wishes for India.

Another blog that I have somehow failed to add to my sidebar until now is Rebecca O'Conner's Operations Desert Dove. This is, directly from Rebecca, a falconry blog... and more. Much more.

Pete at Midway is next on my list. I discovered Pete's work via a link at Trixie's View and I have been able to get my seabird fix while in Montana via Pete's photos and stories of working with albatrosses, tropicbirds, and petrels. Check out the photos of the sea turtles here.

I also like the irreverent Martin and George Bristow's Secret Freezer. Martin always provides a great perspective on birding and more importantly birders. Martin never fails to make me laugh particularly when he hits close to home like here:

I actually think the birds can be a bit boring on a blog. Does anyone care how many gannets I saw today?* Even me? Really what I'd like to do is to fill it up with petty libels, anecdotes, woodpecker news**, Heroes of the Birding Revolution etc. Can't manage that at the moment, hence the disappointing lack of peripherals.

Thanks Martin and I agree. I promise to try to do less of the "what I saw today or what I took a photo of today" posts but they are so much easier than actually writing a decent post. I will try though.

Fridays usually mean that John Betham at A D.C. Birding Blog has his Loose Feathers roundup posted. I look forward to Fridays just to see what interesting bird related links John has gathered from the internet via blogs, the news, and other sources (I even made his blog roundup once!).

My last new link to mention is Birdchick. Sharon is probably best described as a bird ambassador. Her enthusiasm for birds is contagious even via the internet and I always enjoy seeing what she is up to. Anyone who would organize an event called "Birds and Beers" at a local pub is alright in my book. Hey Sharon, want to come to Montana and speak at our local bird festival one of these years?