Nebraskaland

34 NEBRASKAland • MARCH 2015 could feel the cold seeping through the knees of my coveralls, but I remained still, kneeling in six inches of snow. I was cheek to cheek with my 9-year-old daughter Gabrielle as we concentrated on the tree in front of us. Our breath hung in clouds before us in the crisp January air, but we remained quiet. "Look right there," I whispered, and quickly pointed. "See where the tree makes a 'Y'? Look just below that … wait … it went behind the trunk. Keep watching." We were waiting to see a brown creeper; a small brown bird that spirals around tree trunks. At this moment, I appreciated how this bird earned its name. "Right there!" I held my breath as the bird appeared. "I see it!" Gabrielle exclaimed. "Number 14!" A moment later, it flew across the creek. I quickly turned to watch Gabrielle's eyes follow the bird as it left. Victory! I knew she had seen it. It was important that we both see the bird to count it for our Family Big Year. Our goal was to compile a list of all the different bird species that our family identified throughout one year. We got the idea from the book and 2011 movie The Big Year, but to make sure it was a family activity, a bird could be counted only if two members of our family saw or heard the bird. We made the additional rule that the bird must be living free and in the wild; domesticated birds do not count. It was easy to get started. Birds are everywhere if you just start looking, and equipment was not necessary (although binoculars and a field guide are helpful). We were able to quickly get the first dozen birds in one day right in the middle of Lincoln. Birding as a family turned out to be fun for many different reasons. Gabrielle was driven by the challenge to see 100 birds in one year and felt rewarded every time she got to write down another bird on our list. Her passion became apparent one day as we stood along the edge of a lake watching a mix of shorebirds dart around searching for food. "Mom, I see all of them … what are they?" Gabrielle demanded as she scanned the birds. Now I like to call myself a birder, but I certainly have much to learn. "I'm not sure." I pulled my book out and was preparing for a learning moment about using a field guide, but Gabrielle's distress interrupted me. "Mom! You need to learn your shorebirds!" My youngest daughter, Mira, loved the adventure of exploring new places. Since we wanted to get to 100 birds that meant that we made a point to visit different habitats throughout the year. We took a short walk in Wilderness Park in January looking for winter birds. We visited Lewis and Clark Visitors Center near the Missouri River to find warblers during spring migration. We stopped at some shrubs along the roadside to listen for Harris sparrows one evening just outside of town. We even walked along a bike trail in the dark hoping for a screech owl. We didn't always find new birds, but we always found something. My husband enjoyed the competition and tried to add birds to our list before I could. Always the hunter, he was proud to add number 50, a ring-necked pheasant. I received many calls while he traveled, "I see another avocet! Does it count?" Nope. When birding solo, it can't be a Family Big Year bird. The American avocet eluded us most of the year, but we finally found one while vacationing in Wyoming. Our 8-year-old nephew joined us one early morning, and he was drawn to birding technology. We were in the woods, so we were frequently seeing and hearing the Eastern wood pewee. This little bird doesn't have flashy colors, but it does A Big Year By Kristal Stoner, Wildlife Diversity Program Manager Birding is one of those great pastimes that take just moments to learn and get started, but that you can spend a lifetime mastering. My idea to challenge my family with a "Big Year" revealed unexpected competitive spirit, took us to new places and was a fun learning experience for all of us. Our Family Goes Birding I

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