Here I go again!

Yup, it's that time of year again! The snows are melting (though Mother Nature is making a valiant effort to keep it on the ground!). The trees are budding. The grass is growing. And of course, the birds are chipping, singing, chasing, and otherwise getting ready for another breeding year in North America.

From talking to family and friends, I guess I haven't been as forthcoming on what I am doing this summer! Many have said they had no idea where I was going to be this summer. Well, here it is: I will be working in Wyoming, based out of Laramie. I will be doing point counts (stand in one spot, count all the birds I see and hear in 5 minutes, repeat many many times at other locations) in Medicine Bow National Forest, as well as Thunder Basin National Grassland.

Right now I am in Arvada, Colorado, visiting my aunt, uncle, cousin Francesca, and Sierra (golden retriever, a great companion on daily walks). I leave for Wyoming on Friday.

This should be a fairly fun field season! I will have a lot of camping involved, and backpacking as well. My first week is training in South Dakota (Black Hills), which means I can knock one of the last states off my "to visit" list (the other three being North Dakota, Montana, and Alaska). I was pleasantly surprised, too, when I got my bird list to study: there are no fewer than 5 birds that will be new! Plus a few more birds that will be new for the United States (yeah, I guess I have been spending a lot of time outside of the country!).

So, expect to see more posts in the coming weeks and months. I will try to get one up each week. Much of that will depend on both my work schedule, as well as how much I decide to spend my free time backpacking and camping.

Have a good one all!