A birder has been defined as someone who can identify at least 40 bird species or someone who travels to see birds.
Jay George's 19-hour flight in November to view birds for three weeks in New Zealand certainly qualifies him as a birder. Trust me, he can also identify significantly more than 40 bird species. George's wife, Shirley, joined him on the long-distance jaunt.
George, of Manheim, is retired from Armstrong World Industries. He is a talented naturalist with a wide array of interests and expertise. He is perhaps best-known for his knowledge of wildflowers, nature photography and raptors.
Occasionally George provides nature programs for interested, local nature and conservation groups, utilizing his excellent photos.
"I went digital (camera) this summer," George said. "I swore I wouldn't do it, but I took the plunge."
He related that he primarily uses an 18-200 mm lens, which so far he finds "perfect, especially considering the 1.5 magnification factor for digital shots." George is using a Nikon D-80 with a stabilization system that helps ensure sharp photos. "I used auto focus for the first time ever," he admitted. "The new technology is spot on."
Regarding birding, George said, "I'm not a 'lister,' " separating himself from some birders who are more interested in adding birds to their life-lists than truly learning about and enjoying birds. I have spent time with George watching migrating raptors at both Second Mountain hawkwatch in northern Lebanon County and Cape May Point, N.J., and he certainly knows his raptors.
Birding is not his only interest.
"I raise wildflowers, and send about 300 potted plants annually to a charitable organization for their use as a fundraiser," he said.
He donates his plants to the Ned Smith Center for Wildlife and Art, and to others. Wildflowers, for all their ephemeral beauty, are quite difficult to raise, yet George has quite the knack for it.
"Schenk's Ferry (along the Susquehanna River in Lancaster County) is the premier wildflower spot in Southeastern Pennsylvania," George said, adding that there are numerous places along the river with good wildflower populations.
"This was our first trip to New Zealand," he said. "We had never seen it before, and it was beautiful. We only visited the South Island." The south island is far less populated (with people) than the North Island, and is favored among serious nature types.
"The people were wonderful," he said. "They live at a much slower pace — like us (Americans) in the 1940s or '50s." Then he chuckled, and wondered aloud, "I wonder what New Zealanders think when they come here, especially to Philadelphia or New York." It sounds, at least to me, as if George is no lover of cities.
A highlight of the Georges' trip was a boat ride several miles offshore to view pelagic birds, which are birds of the ocean or open sea. Some land only to breed, and a few basically never visit land.
"We saw eight species of albatross, plus numerous other seabirds," Georige said, "especially when we pulled up near a fishing boat where fish from the nets were being cut up and gutted, with the waste being thrown overboard."
He said albatross have wingspans ranging from 9-to-11 feet, perhaps the widest of all birds.
"I did pretty well with my bird photos, too," George said, which is important when one is so far from home. Viewing some of his photos, I agree with his assessment.
Nineteen of the world's 21 species of albatross species are globally threatened with extinction, according to the Bird Life International Web site. That site also reports that 100,000 albatross die annually because of long-lining, a method of commercial fishing where hundreds and thousands of baited hooks are tied on extremely long lines that are stretched out in the open sea. Albatross are scavengers and especially vulnerable to taking the bait, being hooked and drowning.
The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand declares on its Web site that New Zealand is the albatross capital of the world, and decries the use of long-lining, a practice they say is responsible for killing 300,000 seabirds annually, including albatross.
"Oh," George said as an afterthought, "we didn't go whale-watching, but we did have dolphins along on our pelagic bird boat trip."
"We saw two of New Zealand's four species of penguins — blue penguins and yellow-eyed penguins," George said. "The blues only come ashore at night, but the yellow-eyed come to shore during the day, and were nesting." He said he was able to get some good photos by spending an hour in a blind. Nice!
Providing a bit of critical natural history, George said, "New Zealand originally had no land mammals (he said bats were present)." He said someone brought Pacific rats to New Zealand, and that Europeans brought ferrets, weasels, cats and stoats (large European ermine, especially in their brown summer coat); Australian possums were also introduced.
"They (predators) decimated the bird population," George said. "Eventually they wiped predators out in parts of New Zealand, especially on some islands. It really brought the birds back; their singing was impressive."
George explained some modern tinkering with nature, saying, "We saw a place where they're captive-breeding black-stilts, a wading bird and endangered species. They are indigenous birds that only utilize riparian habitats (areas along rivers or streams). Many of the rivers have been harmed, and it's hurting birds."
"We saw seals and sea lions on every rocky coast. They were not especially impressed by us. One was lying in the road and we had to drive around it," George said laughingly.
Another critter unafraid of people was the kea, a parrot that resides in the mountains.
"They weren't afraid of us at all," George said. "They'd get on cars. We saw one trying to get into a tarp-covered truck. They'll get in a vehicle and wreck it."
"Most of the island was cutover, or logged off, at one time," George said. "Now there are a lot of non-native evergreens, all as a result of bad forestry practices years ago."
Describing livestock, George said, "There are a huge number of sheep. They also raise elk and red deer for food." George ate some and said, "It was good."
Even with all the beauty, there were contradictions.
"New Zealand is a beautiful country, with beautiful mountains," George said. "It was still snowing on some mountains, and yet temperatures in the beach areas were in the low 70s. It was an interesting place."
John McGonigle is outdoors editor of the Sunday News. E-mail him at jmcgonigle@lnpnews.com.
