Three-hour bird walk attracts bird watchers Published May 21, 2009 By Wayne Crenshaw 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- People came from around the state for a bird-watching expedition at Robins on Saturday, but once they got here they didn't have to go far to see the diversity of avian wildlife. Bob Sargent, natural resources manager at Robins, brought a group of 16 people to the lodge at Luna Lake to start the bird walk. All they had to do was take a few steps to the woods behind the lodge - greeted by a symphony of cheerful bird calls - before the excitement began. "Prothonotary!," called out one watcher. "Downy woodpecker!," said another. Other identifications came in quick succession, including the Carolina wren, gnat catcher, gold finch and others. Some birds were identified by sight, others by their distinctive call. Wandering only about 100 yards from the lodge, the group indentified several dozen species. One of the most exciting finds was a blue-wing teal duck on Scout Lake. It's a migrating bird that ordinarily isn't here this time of year. "It's odd," said Mr. Sargent. "I don't remember seeing one on base in May." Some of the birdwatchers were local, but others came from as far away as Savannah, Atlanta and Albany. Most were expert bird watchers, able to quickly identify most any bird without reference to a field guide. Matt Ryan and his wife, Dot Bambach, came from Savannah just for the tour. They are avid bird watchers and take their binoculars everywhere they go, even to the movies. "One of the nice things about birding is that you can do it anywhere," she said. In all, the group identified 59 different species of birds in about three hours at Robins, and that was all from watching from roadsides. A few were identified by sound only, but those still count toward the list identified. If they had visited some more remote habitats, Mr. Sargent said, they could probably have gotten that number up to about 80. There are about 50 species on base year round, and during migration periods about 85 can be found. Juvenile bald eagles have been spotted a few times on base, Mr. Sargent said, including on one bird walk, but there have been no confirmed nests here. He conducts the bird watching expeditions a couple of times each spring and he usually has one in the fall. "It's a good destination," he said in describing the base as a bird-watching site. "It's attractive to a lot of people because of the presence of certain uncommon species." One of those on the tour was 10-year-old Daniel Brown of Warner Robins, who came with his mom. He took up bird watching a couple of years ago and can not only identify most any bird that can be found here, but also does a pretty good job of mimicking certain bird calls. "I like the fact that you can get up close with wildlife," he said. "It makes me appreciate the beauty of nature." Mr. Sargent has recordings of bird calls that he uses to help draw the birds out of their hiding places in the woods. Phil Hardy, an avid bird photographer, came up from Albany with his wife, Myra, and their daughter, Cara Barnes. Ms. Barnes has only recently taken up bird watching. "I just like being outdoors and seeing the different kinds of birds," she said. Avid bird watchers like to keep lists of birds they have spotted, so seeing an uncommon bird is a big deal. One uncommon bird that many on the tour wanted to see is the Kentucky warbler. Mr. Hardy said seeing a Kentucky warbler "would be like hitting the lottery." Mr. Sargent took them to a location where he had heard the Kentucky warbler the day before, but there was no sign of it Saturday. Other sought after birds that can be found at Robins include the prothonotary warbler and the Swainson's warbler. The group heard the call of the Swainson's warbler but never spotted it.