A license to bird

Some birders like to wear their passion on their plates. For some time, I've been snapping shots of various bird-related license plates, and have a amassed a fairly vast assemblage. Not just birds, either - anything related to natural history.

Hanging out at birding hotspots, like Magee Marsh, Cape May, the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and the like greatly increases ones odds of finding a "life plate". Below are a few from my collection, nearly all from my home state of Ohio.

One of my favorites. It's clever. And in code. A birder will know it's meaning, though - sort of like a secret handshake.

Various iterations of chickadee are popular.

A sleek plate featuring a slick bird. Note: it's a double-whammy. That cardinal plate raises funds to support Ohio's non-game program, and the money is used for all sorts of good stuff, including those popular bird CD's and booklets, produced by the Ohio Division of Wildlife. Get a cardinal plate!

Ah, a fan of the hooked bill/sharp talon set!

A shorebird enthusiast. "Peep" was probably already taken.

No group of songbirds is more popular than warblers, at least in this part of the world. It's likely that every decipherable form is taken.

See?!

A crow and jay fan. And another code; pretty much only birders will know the meaning. And...another cardinal! Of all the special plates sold by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, this one is Numero Uno by far. Ohioans do support nature and conservation!

This one might flummox some birders. It's the scientific name - at least nearly so - of the Wood Duck (Aix sponsa).

We'll assume this one belongs to an avid owler. Either that or they just like to yell a lot. The bumper sticker suggests an avian bent, though.

Hmmm... I suspect this one commemorates some sort of fantastic experience with the Heckyll and Jeckyll of the corvid world :-)

A question.

An answer.

Finally, my own plate. It's adorned my wheels since 2004, and I am happy to say, just switched over to a new, very environmentally friendly vehicle last Saturday. We don't have many eiders here in Ohio, but I've seen two of the four on our waters. Might be waiting a while for the Steller's and Spectacled, though.

If you've got any cool bird plate photos, send 'em along.