bird DC

2006-12-25T17:52:00.000-05:00

Aspen Update

Well what can I say, I've been neglectful. I've been in Aspen for almost a month, and I haven't updated the ol' bDC since I've arrived. The big problem is that it seems a little weird to continue with a Washington DC blog while I'm in Colorado, so to remedy that I've established a new blog:

(drumroll please)

The Birdist

Now, the Birdist is still in its EARLY stages, but be patient. Until it's ready, let me give you a little update on what's been goin' on.

-The trip across America wasn't as birdy as I hoped it would be. It was dark when I drove by Montezuma. Niagara Falls was freezing cold and I didn't see anything special. I got food-poisoning in Jackson, Michigan. I saw some snow buntings and gulls on Lake Michigan...

-Things got a lot cooler when I got into South Dakota. The Badlands National Park was one of the weirdest and most interesting places I've ever been. It's basically a bunch of eroded cliffs along a transition from high prairie to low prairie. It's very wild and remote and a great place to drive around in alone. I saw mule deer, bighorn, pronghorn (they're awesome), wild buffalo (they're scary) and my life Townsend's Solitaire and (the huge and lovely) golden eagle. I also saw 2 (!) northern shrikes just outside the park.

-Thanks to a tip from the CO-Birders list on birdingonthe.net, I found a yellow-billed loon outside of Denver. It was an amazing bird, and one very rarely seen in Colorado, but the whole incident was a little sad. The bird was in a small suburban reservoir and had confined itself to a small pool of open water only a few feet in diameter. Several of the CO posters assumed that the bird was sick or injured. Indeed, a few days after I saw the loon in its pool it was found dead.

-I've seen 5 new birds since I've been to Aspen. The first two are boreal birds that have escaped me many times: pine siskin and my former arch-nemesis, the red crossbill. On my first day working as a mountain photographer at the top of the Gondola in Aspen I found both these birds (100+ siskens and 30+ crossbills) feeding on the rock wall just below the famous SunDeck. Since then I've seen crossbills, the bird that eluded me so many times at the New Michigan State Forest in NY, almost every day. Also on top of Aspen (and Buttermilk, where I work more frequently) are small gangs of gray jays so tame that I've fed them pieces of cookie that I held between my teeth.

-I've gained some respect for two birds that are common here, the Common Raven and the Black-Billed Magpie. I've only had glimpses at Ravens in Maine, and to see them cruise on thermals and dive like bullets in strong winds is truely impressive. Magpies, on the other hand, are simply on of the most beautiful birds I've ever seen.

-I participated in the Aspen Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 17th. Aspen has only a small community of birders, and only 6 could make the count. One of these birders, to my complete surprise, was Al Levantin, one of the subjects of a novel that I credit with introducing me to the world of listing: Mark Obmascik's The Big Year. Mr. Levantin lives near Snowmass and his house is said to be the best place in the world to see the Brown-Capped Rosy-Finch...here's hoping I'll get invited in!
Anyway, I was paired up with a local birder named Ken Toy, and our search area was the town of Aspen down to Woody Creek. Along the way I found I saw three lifers: Western Scrub-Jay, Stellar's Jay and the American Dipper (and 3 Red-Shafted Flickers). Dippers are really impressive birds. Ken and I watched for about 10 minutes as the little bird literally jumped into a stream and struggled back upstream to it's rock perch.
All in all, we tallied 22 species...the most of the three Aspen CBC groups and a pretty durn good tally for Aspen in the winter. We even beat Al Levantin (no Rosy-Finches showed up at his feeders)!

-OK that's it for now. I'll keep my eyes peeled for other Aspen-area species (rosy-finches, white-tailed ptarmagin, prairie falcon). See you at the Birdist.

2006-11-21T18:22:00.000-05:00

Last Maine Search

I'm leaving for Aspen on Saturday, and, with so much family whatnots between now and then, today was pretty much the last time I would get to scour the Maine coast for some birds I 'aint never seen yet. My targets were winter oceanic species: great cormorant, king eider, black-legged kittiwake and another winter species, the lapland longspur. I would have also been delighted to see any number of even less common pelagic or passerines.

I started by driving down to a new favorite spot: Dyer Point in Cape Elizabeth. This little spit of land in the middle of Two Lights State Park (literally, Dyer Point is between two lighthouses) is further out to sea than anything else in the Portland area, and is, apparently, the best place around to see the pelagic species I was looking for. I had visited a couple times earlier and seen lots of cormorants (all double-crested) and close-to-shore gannets. Reports of kittiwake were common...but I was disappointed in the lack of birds today.

I did have a great sighting of harlequin ducks, however. I had never seen males before, but I recognized them instantly when a small group of 7 (5 males, 2 females) drifted by close to shore. The males really were beautiful, unfortunately I had my camera on the wrong setting and the pictures didn't come out.

Then off to Biddeford Pool, a legendary Maine birding spot. Outside of Biddeford the land sticks way way out into the ocean and ends with a small piece of land surrounding a tidal pool. Biddeford Pool attracts all kinds of birds in all seasons...but, again, not the onces I was looking for. The best sighting of the day was, by far, the immature black guillemot I found on the calm waters of the pool (not, as one would expect, on the open ocean). The bird was just a few feet away from me at the side of a dock, and I was able to get good pictures:

And of a horned grebe:

So no luck. There's a chance, albiet much smaller, that I'll see some of these birds on the Great Lakes. If not, I'll just have to come back to Maine, which is fine with me.

So, I'm off on Saturday and I'll try to find the scissor-tailed flycatcher in NH and the green-tailed tohee in Mass. on my way out. I'll keep you posted.

2006-11-20T21:11:00.000-05:00

Quotent Quoteables

Kate enlightened me to an interesting quote from legendary birder David Sibley. The quote was included in the book Blink by Malcom Gladwell, which focuses on the importance and efficiency of split-second decision making.

Check it:
"The ornithologist David Sibley says that in Cape May, New Jersey, he once spotted a bird in flight from two hundred yards away and knew, instantly, that it was a ruff, a rare sandpiper. He had never seen a ruff in flight before; nor was the moment long enough for him to make a careful identification. But he was able to capture what bird watchers call the bird's 'giss' -its essence- and that was enough.

'Most of bird identification is based on a sort of subjective impression- the way a bird moves and little instantaneous appearances at different angles and sequences of different appearances, and as it turns its head and as it flies and as it turns around, you see sequences of different shapes and angles,' Sibley says. 'all that combines to create a unique impression of a bird that can't really be taken apart and described in words. When it comes down to being in the field and looking at a bird, you don't take the time to analyze it and say it shows this, this, and this; therefore it must be this species. It's more natural and instinctive. After a lot of practice, you look at the bird, and it triggers little switches in your brain. It looks right. You know what it is in a glance.'"

This is spot on. Good birding!

2006-11-10T23:10:00.000-05:00

YB Chat and Other Updates

The Maine birding bonanza had slowed down a little since last week's trip to Biddeford Pool. I had gone out several times without much luck...the sea ducks had disappeared and lingering passerines weren't showing themselves.

But today I awoke with a spring in my step and felt like I was gonna see something good. There were reports of a Yellow-Bellied Chat on Munjoy Hill in Portland (not a place I would consider a great birding location...) and so I thought I'd give it a try.

Now, I usually bird alone. And I'm fine with that. But there are definite benefits to birding with other people. Today I showed at the spot where the bird was reported. I walked around aimlessly, didn't hear or see anything, and was getting ready to leave when a man with Maine Audubon stickers pulled up. Excellent.

The man's name was Turk and he told me that not only had he seen the Chat in this area, but he had just seen ANOTHER Chat down the road (there have been about 6 YB Chats reported in Maine recently...). Turk was a good birder, and didn't get nearly as discouraged as I did. Turk and I birded around the overgrown, abandoned lot and turned up quite a few good species. Lots of cardinals, hermit thrush, white-throated sparrows, house finches and, believe it or not, my first ever Fox Sparrow. Two of them.

After about 20 unsuccessful minutes of chat-searching I could tell that even Turk was ready to throw in the towel. Just then our bird dropped into view. Lovely. I've seen so many chats in field guides that I recognized it immediately, although I was pleasantly surprised at how bright its namesake breast was. After a few quick glimpses of the birds chest and one good look at its head, it dropped out of sight and was unable to be relocated. Satisfied, Turk and I parted ways, both happy.

IN other news, this blog is still called birdDC...even though I'm in Maine and going to Colorado in a week. I haven't figured out a new blog yet, but, I will. I'll keep you posted.

2006-11-03T14:48:00.000-05:00

Bird #250!

I have been having some incredible birding luck since I've been back in Maine. I arrived with 242 ABA species and hoped to get around 245 before heading out west. The birding, though, has been better than I imagined, and today I saw my first Harlequin Duck at Biddeford Pool. Here's the list since coming home:

243. Red-Necked Grebe Falmouth Foreside, ME
244. Blue-Headed Vireo Falmouth Foreside, ME
245. Spruce Grouse Shirley, ME
246. Gray Jay Shirley, ME
247. Northern Shrike Shirley, ME
248. Snow Bunting Shirley, ME
249. Iceland Gull Pine Point, Scarborough, ME
250. Harlequin Duck Biddeford Pool, ME

Huzzah!

It really was a lovely day at Biddeford Pool's East Point Sanctuary. Low Spring tides meant I could walk out along the jagged rocks and get great views of seabirds fishing in the shallows. The Harlequin (which I think is a nonbreeding male...but it's about time to switch plumages) was basking on some seaweed, and let me get quite close. Pretty bird, though I still want to see one in full winter plumage.

Other birds were my first of the year long-tailed ducks, lots of offshore gannets, some bufflehead and grebes and even a few yellow-rumped warblers. Great day. Here are some pictures.

The Harlequin:

Long-Tailed Ducks:

Female Red-Breasted Merganser:

Red-Necked Grebe:

Ah, Maine. Wood Island Lighthouse with a flock of Double-Crested Cormorants:

2006-11-02T22:58:00.000-05:00

Boreal Birding

Last weekend I went with my Grandfather and my Dad up to our family's hunting camp in Shirley, Maine. The camp sits on the edge of Shirley Bog, a very quiet and pristine lake that eventually turns into the Piscatiquas River. Now, I'm not much of a hunter (the last thing I shot at Shirley was a red squirrel, and I cried my eyes out afterwards), but I knew that the boreal forests of central Maine would be a great opportunity to see some birds...and I was not disappointed.

My target species were: Crossbills (my arch enemies...they've eluded me several times), Spruce grouse and Gray Jay. With luck, a couple days spent trouping through the high Maine forest would bring me across these birds.

After arriving on Sunday night and getting camp ready (which included severing the head of a coyote we found shot by the side of the road near the camp. Yes, that's right. My Grandpa [who is a Maine outdoors legend, by the way. Former State Attorney General and the guy who, among other things, helped pass the first law requiring hunters to wear bright orange] wanted to preserve the skull...) we set out bright and early Monday morning.

I had barely wiped the crap out of my eyes when, on the short drive to the hunting spot, I saw a large brown bird on the side of the road. Spruce Grouse! Are you kidding me? It was a female bird, and, true to her nature, she let me get quite close and take some great pictures before scooting into the trees (Grandpa said 'they're called Foolhens because, when you're hungry, you can whack 'em with a stick'). It was an excellent way to start the morning, and little did I know that things were going to get even better.

About .5 miles after the Spruce Grouse we stopped at the grassy path we were going to start to hunt down. As soon as I shut the door I looked into the trees and saw three large-ish gray birds coasting in. Well whaddya know, Gray Jays! Beautiful birds. I would see a bunch more over the next day-and-a-half, and I liked the way they would coast around, pausing on a perch for a few seconds before leisurely moving on.

OK so at this point I'm feeling pretty excited about seeing two of my target birds in the first, like, 4 minutes of the day. But, there's more! The first batch of Gray Jays had just cruised off when I saw another bird, with a long black tail and black wings, land on the top of a nearby pine tree. Tanager? I thought to myself. Wait, hooked bill! Face mask! A Northern Shrike! I've wanted to see a shrike forever and never even thought about it for this trip, but there it was, moving from high perch to high perch in the forest. Unreal.

So, I got 3 life birds in the first 10 minutes of my time in the boreal. I would also add my first Snow Bunting (just sitting in the gravel road!) and first-of-year Raven, Ruffed Grouse, Horned Lark, Boreal Chickadee and, just as cool, a Moose.

I concluded the trip with a ton of great birds seen, and zero internal moral battles about having to kill a deer...because we didn't hear or see a thing. Even more importantly, I got to spend time with my Dad and Grandfather and walk through some pristine woods. I'm telling you, if you are one of those birders who is caught up in listing and need a reality check, come and take a walk in the woods in Northern Maine. No sounds except the chirping of chickadees and the crunching of leaves...I felt so glad to be in such a remote, unspoiled area. I know this is birdDC, but in those woods I was damn proud to be a Mainer.

2006-11-01T20:20:00.000-05:00

Let's Do A Survey!

There is a little survey going around birding blogs. I love surveys. To the point, informational, no BS. I post birder surveys all the time (check out 'Birder Profiles' along the lefthand column). So, here are my answers:

What state (or country) do you live in? For now, Maine
How long have you been birding? 2 years
Are you a "lister"? Yep
ABA Life List: 249
Overall Life List: 249
3 Favorite Birding Spots: Bombay Hook DE, Montezuma Wetland Complex NY, coastal Maine
Favorite birding spot outside your home country: Not yet.
Farthest you've traveled to chase a rare bird: I'd travel anywhere...probably the pelagic trip because that took all day.
Nemesis bird: Peregrine Falcon...where are you!?
"Best" bird sighting: Dulles Snowy Owl
Most wanted trip: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Most wanted bird: Ross' Gull
What model and brand of bins do you use?: Nikon Monarch 10x42
What model and brand of scope do you use?: nada
What was the last lifer you added to your list?: Iceland Gull, today!
Where did you see your last lifer?: Pine Point, Scarborough, Maine
What's the last bird you saw today?: American Robin
Best bird song you've heard ever: Broad-Winged Hawk is my favorite...
Favorite birding moment: So many...seeing the Snow Geese at Bombay Hook.
Least favorite thing about birding: That it isn't more socially acceptable.
Favorite thing about birding: Absolutely everything, but, mostly, going to new places.
Favorite field guide for the US: Sibley
Favorite non-field guide bird book: Books are sooo 20th century. Try the Life of Birds DVDs from the BBC.
Who is your birder icon?: unsure...I'd have to say it was those guys on the Maryland pelagic.
Do you have a bird feeder(s)? Nope.
Favorite feeder bird? n/a

2006-10-26T11:15:00.000-04:00

New IATB and some Maine Birding

The 35th edition of I and the Bird Blogger Carnival is up at Migrations. My recent interview with Brian Walton of the Santa Cruz Predatory Research Group is up there for all to enjoy, as are a ton of other posts from birding blogs around the globe.

No word yet on a new blog...my laptop power cord is shot and I'm waiting for a replacement before I tackle anything else.

I've been birding in Maine for the last couple days, and it's been great. On Monday I got a new pair of binoculars, and it's like a whole new world out there. My previous pair, some Nikon Owl IIs from, like, the 1970s, crapped out during my pelagic trip (how do binoculars stop working?! I dunno they wouldn't focus...). Based partly on a recommendation from Paul Guris and largely on some testing at the Wild Bird Center of Yarmouth (a great store), I am the proud owner of a spanking new pair of Nikon Monarch 10x42 binoculars. Great stuff.

My first stop with the new glasses was Falmouth Town Landing, right near where I grew up. The difference between the new goggles and my old Owls was amazing, and I could pick out detail and color that I never would have been able to before. As sort of a welcoming gift from nature, I saw two lifers right off Town Landing, a red-necked grebe and a blue-headed vireo.

The next day I trekked out to Dragon Fields, a famous local sparrow hangout. I had never been to Dragon Fields before (named after the neighboring Dragon cement plant), and was amazed at the habitat potential. The 'field' is in fact a large capped landfill that is excellent for sparrows, hawk-watching (it appears to be one of the highest points in Falmouth), and other open field birds like longspur. The sparrows weren't cooperating, but I did get a glimpse at what I think was a mourning warbler (brown/gray above, strong yellow below, white eye ring). It didn't stick around long enough for a good ID, though. In any case, I'll be back to Dragon Fields for sure.

Finally I made the trip down to one of my favorite places in the world, Fort Williams State Park in Cape Elizabeth. Just a beautiful spot. I saw two Ipswich Savannah Sparrows, along with about 1500 common eiders, just beginning their molt.

More Maine news as it comes, I'm going with some family members up to our hunting camp at Shirley Bog near Greenville, and there's a possibility of some gray jays, spruce grouse and other crazy species. I'll keep you posted.

2006-10-23T22:23:00.000-04:00

Did I See A Cape Verde Shearwater?

A full report on my pelagic trip off the coast of Maryland and Delaware will come soon, but first there's some controversy. About midday, and close to the farthest offshore we traveled, our boat spotted 3 shearwaters cruising the waves ahead of us. I saw one of the birds clearly but, not having any previous experience identifying shearwaters, was unable to identify it to species. Several other observers stated that the birds looked like greater shearwaters, but Paul Guris, the leader of the trip and a man who's identification skills I would come to respect as the day wore on, immediately called out that the bird did not look to him like a greater but could indeed be the much more uncommon Cape Verde shearwater. There are photos taken (thankfully) by George Jett and posted on the on the See Life Paulagics website. See for yourself.

Here are some other pictures of the Cape Verde Shearwater for comparison:

2006-10-17T16:54:00.000-04:00

Interview with Brian Walton, coordinator of the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group

The other morning I got off the Metro and watched a large flock of pigeons graze lazily in Farragut Park. They were joined on the ground by bold, well-fed house sparrows and European starlings. As I watched these birds lounge through the grass I thought: where are the predators?

It seems to me that cities are the perfect place for birds of prey. There is an abundance of food in pigeons and house sparrows, and there are plenty of concrete ledges for nest-building. Why, then, don't we see more birds of prey in DC?

My working theory was that crowded cities don't meet the territorial needs of raptors. Birds of prey can wage some epic battles over territory (ask Martha), and perhaps cities just don't provide enough room for the birds to...wait for it...spread their wings.

But I needed an expert opinion. I managed to get ahold of Mr. Brian Walton, one of America's foremost experts on birds of prey. Mr. Walton has a long history of protecting birds of prey, and has been the coordinator of the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group since 1977 and is a lecturer at the University of California - Santa Cruz.

I asked Mr. Walton specifically about Peregrine Falcons, here's what he had to say:

bDC: What are the territorial requirements of Peregrines?

Walton: "No specific requirements, they need a nest ledge, and abundant food which seems to be occurring in virtually all major cities. In places where food is extremely abundant they may nest as close as a hundred yards apart (in Long Beach Harbor there are 6 pairs less than a mile apart), and in some places they now nest on ground (saltmarshes) or even emergent tree snags in re-growing forests to exploit abundant food in those locations. "

bDC: Why more falcons haven't moved into cities like DC, despite the fact that there is an ample food source (pigeons and house sparrows by the thousands) and lots of buildings and ledges for nests?

Walton:"Many places where peregrines nest in cities, the original birds were released there. In other places peregrines have moved in and I do not think anyone knows why they have moved into those cities and not others. It may be a matter of time. I would expect some of the birds that nest on bridges around DC to move into the city soon, however the amount of human activity on some buildings can limit use by falcons. There are definitely many buildings of the type that one would expect peregrines to occupy in DC. There is definitely food and other needs."

"Peregrines are doing a pretty good job of occupying cities, they can because they only eat birds and bats that they catch in the air. Their prey seems to be vulnerable moving through the cities where there is no natural cover. Peregrines catch birds and bats at twilight and even after dark in city lights. Add to normal prey items is the abundant pigeon and other bird populations like sparrows, starlings and parrots. No other predatory bird can manage this lifestyle over the course of a year and most need very specific food items during the breeding season. Occasional red-tail, kestrel and in some areas merlins and coopers hawks can make a living but usually the prey for the types of other raptors is not sufficient or available in cities."

"One other thing to make clear about peregrines. They are not adapting to cities. They live and hunt in the air, they roost where it is safe, the buildings or bridges are just like cliffs, and in fact there are fewer eagles and owls to harass the falcons or eat their young in the city environment. They do the exact same thing in the city as their counterparts do in the wild areas. No other raptor could do the same in the city as they do in wild areas. "

So it sounds like once Peregrines and other raptors can develop appetites for city food, cities could be an ideal place for them to live. I hope that development comes sooner than later...those Farragut Park pigeons have had it too good for too long.

2006-10-16T12:26:00.000-04:00

Book Recommendations

My office has an awesome library full of books on nature, parks, timber management, geography and other environmental stuff. Naturally, I find myself drifting to the Bird field guide and reference section, and I've discovered a few books that I like very much.

Seabirds of the World: The Complete Reference.
Jim Enticott and David Tipling

I've decided that seabirds are my favorite. They don't try to hide or force you to cover yourself in bug spray or get up at ungodly hours...they just sit by the beach and wait.

This book contains beautiful photos of every seabird in the world, with full descriptions. That said, this book is more useful as a 'wish list' than a field guide, as the large size, hardcover and dust jacket make it less than idea for carrying out to sea. The pictures are lovely, though, and looking through the book makes me want to venture to far-flung places to see these birds.

Top 5 seabirds I want to see after reading this book:
5. adult breeding Imperial Shag
4. White Tern
3. Pacific Gull
2. Ross's Gull
1. totally white phase Southern Giant Petrel

Here's a link for Amazon.com ordering information.

Jim Flegg's Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe
Jim Flegg, with photographs by Eric and David Hosking

I usually don't like field guides that use photographs instead of drawings...but I find that a good picture is often more helpful for giving a real sense of the bird. Photos give a better sense of size, color and for the way shadows play off birds in the wild. This guide to Europe has a lot of very clear photos (full photos, not cutouts...). More importantly, the descriptions and range maps are laid out very simply.

British and European birds I most want to see after looking at this book:
5. White-Breasted Kingfisher
4. White-Headed Duck
3. Bullfinch
2. Rock Thrush
1. Lammergeyer

Ordering information from The Birding Shop can be found here.

The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America
David Sibley

No offense to you, RT Peterson, but the Sibley guides are the best. More plumages, better descriptions, better range maps. I have the larger Birds of North America book, but these pocket editions are the best ones for bringing into the field. Each species is given it's own space with clear drawings of birds in multiple plumages, as well as range maps that include migration and rare sightings. This is the book I'll carry with me in Colorado.

Western birds I most want to see after reading this book:
5. Varied Thrush
4. American Dipper
3. Laysan Albatross
2. Montezuma Quail
1. Ferruginous Hawk

Click here for some Amazon.com ordering information.

2006-10-15T16:56:00.000-04:00

Maryland and DC Records Committee News

The Maryland/District of Columbia Records Committee is a branch of the Maryland Ornithological Society and has the final word on official sightings and birding records in the area.

Phil Davis, Secretary of the MDCRC, sent an email to the MDOsprey listserv with a summary of the Committee's recent activity. Here are some of the highlights.

The Official List of Maryland birds has grown by 5 species, up to 429.
-Neotropic Cormorant. This bird spent some time on the Potomac last October and November.
-Cave Swallow. A couple Cave Swallows were seen as part of last November's huge irruption.
-Calliope Hummingbird.
-Northern Lapwing. March, 05 in Frederick, MD
-Townsend's Solitaire. First Maryland record in the spring of 1996.

The Dusky Flycatcher was the only species added to the Official DC list, bringing it up to 326 (my DC list? 101).

2006-10-13T10:11:00.000-04:00

Changes

I am leaving DC in a week. I have a job as a mountain photographer in Aspen, Colorado and I'll be driving out there after a couple weeks at home in Maine.

For many reasons, it will be very sad to leave this city.

From a birding perspective, the DC-metro area has provided me with habitats and encounters that I never would have expected. My favorite aspect of birding is that it takes you to some unusual places, and I feel that birding in DC has given me a perspective on the city that tourists simply do not get. It's been fantastic.

This isn't to say that this blog is going to go away. I am still going to be birding wherever I go, and I still want to write about my experiences. Although it's a pain to start from scratch, I think I'm going to get a new URL and design a new site (it'll be nice to make an simpler design...). I'll continue posting here until the new site is ready.

So stay tuned. I have some awesome trips coming up and I am excited to write about them. On Oct 21 I'll be taking my first pelagic off the coast of Delaware...and I'm still feeling like there'll be an albatross sighting.

After that, I'll be up and down the coast of Maine, then taking a monster road trip with planned stops at: Niagara and Montezuma in NY, Point Pelee ON, prairie chickens in the midwest, grasslands in South Dakota, Rocky Mountain NP in CO and I'm sure some interesting spots in between.

Stay tuned, and thanks for reading.

2006-10-08T19:49:00.000-04:00

Birding the Mall

Kate and I and millions of tourists strolled through the monuments on a lovely Sunday afternoon. I wasn't looking especially hard for birds, but I had no trouble seeing them.

One of the best things about birding is how accessible it is. If I want to go fishing, I've gotta get all my stuff together, drive to the lake or ocean, launch the boat, get it all set and finally I'm fishing. With birding, I can stroll along the FDR monument with a can of soda and see a Palm Warbler 5 feet from my face. Maybe that's why I like it so much. Not because birding's easy (it ain't), but because you've always got to be ready. You're not gonna catch a perch from your cubicle, but you might see a hawk or a falcon.

Back to the Mall...I saw my first Golden-Crowned Kinglet, Yellow-Rumped Warbler and Palm Warblers of the fall without much effort. The Kinglets and YR Wablers were near the Jefferson Memorial (my favorite DC monument. The rest of the List is as follows: Jefferson, Lincoln, Vietnam, Washington, WWII, Korea, FDR. Just so you know.) and the Palms were at the FDR.

In fact, there were YR and Palm Warblers everywhere. Good times. Other highlights included a Caspian Tern flyover and about 15 Laughing Gulls at the Tidal Basin.

Another note: Try the National Building Museum. Great exhibits, no crowds.

2006-10-04T13:47:00.000-04:00

Piping Plover Video from StopExtinction.org

2006-10-04T10:34:00.000-04:00

Martha, Beloved DC Eagle, Euthanized

As reported here in The Washington Post, Martha, one-half of a pair of Bald Eagles that nested for years near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, has been euthanized after suffering a severe wing injury. Sad news.

The story emphasizes George and Martha's importance, both physical and symbolic, to the reintroduction of Bald Eagles to the DC area. George and Martha's longevity and success living in a semi-urban environment were a sign that humans and eagles could accommodate each other in DC. At the same time, George and Martha's 16 eaglets helped bring the DC-area eagle population to levels not seen in decades.

I also liked the bit in the article about how George and Martha turned grizzled construction workers into birders: "'Big tough crane operators, concrete guys, everybody just looked for the eagles,' said Jim Nichols, a tugboat operator for one of the project's contractors." It only takes one encounter for people to understand the value of protecting wildlife, hopefully Martha's offspring will continue to inspire DC citizens the way she did.

2006-10-02T11:25:00.000-04:00

Sad Story from Korea

I'm behind the ball, but just today I stumbled across a tragic story from South Korea, where a gigantic land-reclamation project has killed off one of the world's most important shorebird habitats to make way for...no one knows.

In late April workers plugged the last hole in the Saemangeum Seawall, cutting off a 155 square mile tidal flat from the sea. The Sawmangeum system was the single most important shorebird staging area on the Yellow Sea and lies smack in the middle of the East Asian Australasian Flyway. The flat was the most reliable source of food for several endangered species, including the spoon-billed sandpiper, Nordmann's greenshank and the Great Knot.

A story on the seawall from Birds Korea writes that:

"By 25 April, 2006, only four days after seawall closure, shellfish beds in the enclosed area started to die. By the end of May, most were dead, and water quality was already deteriorating rapidly. 90% of Saemangeum's vast tidal-flats are now expected to be lost by 2007, either dried out or permanently flooded. Water pollution is expected to worsen dramatically. The area had enormous local and national importance for fisheries, supporting the livelihoods of an estimated 25 000 people." (emphasis in the original)

One of the saddest parts of this story is that there isn't a plan or necessity for the reclaimed land. The project was thought up in the 1950s when Korea needed farmland to feed its growing population. Today, though, hunger isn't such an issue in Korea and there are a lot fewer farmers...not even enough to farm the new land. In addition, the soil exposed by creating the seawall is too salty for crops. Now Korea's government is planning on building an amusement park or 'the world's largest golf complex' to lure tourists.

It is assumed that the creation of the Saemangeum seawall will "probably lead to the extinction of some bird species." It will also affect North American shorebirds who summer in Alaska and migrate along the Pacific coast of Asia. This is just a heartbreaking situation.

2006-10-01T20:43:00.000-04:00

Sabine's Gull on the Susquehanna

Anyone who has followed my every word knows that at one point I stated that the bird I would most like to see is the Sabine's Gull. I think it's beautiful. Bold wing markings with contrasting white triangles near the 'elbows'...it just looks exotic and oceanic.

There was a Sabine's reported in the aftermath of Ernesto, but I don't think many people got to see it. For the last day or two, however, a Sabine's has been seen reliably at the Conowingo Dam near the mouth of the Susquehanna River in northeast Maryland. Here are some directions.

As much as I would have liked to gone up and seen this bird...I'm not really in any rush. I've got plenty of birding years ahead of my and I know a Sabine's will cross my path again sometime. So, since I was busy and didn't really feel up to a 1.5 hour drive, I'll let the bird alone. If it wants to come perch in front of my window, though, that'll be a different story.

For those of you demanding photographic proof, here's a link to the photo site of extremely talented Maryland photographer, Mark Hoffman.

2006-10-01T13:33:00.000-04:00

Window Birds

I played touch football with a bunch of friends yesterday and I am almost completely immobilized due to soreness. I didn't stretch enough, and I'm not used to sprinting and stopping and stuff...so my body isn't used to such punishment.

It's ok, though, becuase the birding from my window has been pretty solid of late. All I have to do is lay on my back from my bed and look out into the trees and wait. Yesterday was huge for window birding, with the appearance of a fall-plumage Northern Parula and a Broad-Winged Hawk in the sky. This morning brought my first Blue Jay. That brings my window bird list up to:
Redstart, Parula, BW Hawk, Blue Jay, House Wren, House Sparrow, Starlings, DE Junco, Chipping Sparrow, Least Flycatcher and Chimney Swift.

2006-09-26T10:25:00.000-04:00

Good News Tuesday

The past 6 years haven't had a lot of good news for environmentalists. Global warming, oil drilling, Katrina, urban sprawl blah blah blah it's not been a party that's for sure.

Recently, however, some events have occured that have given enviros something to celebrate. Here ya go:

A year ago everyone as abuzz about the rediscovery of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker in Arkansas. 6 months ago, those who celebrated the birds re-finding awoke with a bad hangover and the news that, well, that little video clip probably didn't show an IBWO. Things were grim, until recent stories have come our proclaiming that the Ivory-Billed is alive and well in the remote forests of the Florida panhandle. Although no photos or video have been produced, there have been many sightings, several discovered nest cavities and hundreds of recorded kent calls. Bravo.

Second, a federal judge last night blocked an Interior Department plan to lease 389,000 acres around Alaska's Teshekpuk Lake for oil and gas drilling. Teshekpuk Lake provides crucial summer breeding grounds to millions of geese and other shorebirds, as well as habitat for caribou, bears and fish. In his decision, Judge Singleton cited the Interior's failure to assess potential environmental impacts of the plan. Bravo.

Third (but not least), a judge in San Fransisco last week invalidated the Bush administration's plan to overturn the 2001 Roadless Rule. Passed by President Clinton, the Roadless Rule protects 49 million acres of national forestland from logging and mining. Bush repealed the rule and instead left it up to state governors do decide the fate of their roadless areas, knowing full well that most state governors would choose logging dollars over the conservation of resources. The judge, as in the Teshekpuk Lake case, cited improper analysis of that environmental impacts of logging in roadless areas in his decision. Bravo.

I'll be at the 9:30 Club tonight drinking beers and being thankful I live in a country where laws are upheld and good things can happen.

2006-09-23T21:45:00.000-04:00

How Am I Doing?

Pretty good, thanks for asking.

My 2006 birding year totals have already surpassed my 2005 (technically, March 05 to March 06) totals and I've got a lot of birding ahead of me. Let me keep you up to date wth my totals, cool?

Life list: 237. For one and a half years of birding in the East (save for a trip to Tahoe for snowboarding, not birding) I'm happy with this total. I'm hoping to hit at least 250 by the end of the year, a goal that will be helped for sure by a pelagic trip with See Life Paulagics in the middle of October. I'm pretty siked. Never been out to see looking for birds before, and I'm ready to see some Shearwaters, Storm Petrels and, hell, I'm feeling like there'll be an Albatross sighting. Just a hunch.

Year list: 205. Already 6 ahead of my 2005 year list. This is mostly thanks to the excellent shorebirding opportunities I've been able to get to on DelMarVa. Here are some numbers, and some commentary (these numbers thanks to the EXCELLENT Ebird.com site):

The 38 birds I've seen this year that I didn't see last year

200 Laughing Gull - seen from Anacostia Park, I was surprised at how big they were.
201 Caspian Tern
202 Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - I was the first person to see this bird hiding near the beginning of the boardwalk. When I walk past on my way out there were a bunch of other birders proudly pointing their scopes at it. That, for a birder, is a good feeling.
203 Pectoral Sandpiper
204 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
205 Palm Warbler
206 Northern Parula - A bird I had been seeking for a long time. I'm sure I had heard them before, but I wasn't up on my calls...
207 Eastern Screech-Owl - this is the only 'heard-only' bird on my life list.
208 White-faced Ibis - this guy caused quite a stir in DC. I saw it after waiting a long time in the rain, but I saw it just the same.
209 Anhinga
210 White-eyed Vireo
211 Yellow-billed Cuckoo
212 Black-billed Cuckoo - this bird and the following Grosbeak were part of an awesome trip to Kenelworth park. I managed to see both these lifers in one frame
213 Blue Grosbeak
214 Acadian Flycatcher
215 Spotted Sandpiper
216 Gray-cheeked Thrush - May at Rock Creek had LOTS of thrushes, this one took a lot of effort.
217 Swainson's Thrush
218 Black-necked Stilt - not as exciting a bird as I had hoped.
219 Willet
220 Marsh Wren - Great call, got one of my favorite photos
221 White-rumped Sandpiper
222 Grasshopper Sparrow
223 Henslow's Sparrow - Very satisfying conclusion of a trip to Frostburg, MD
224 Eastern Meadowlark
225 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - countable or uncountable? It was certainly less tame than more starlings, rock pigeons or house sparrows I count...
226 Piping Plover - this and the least tern were pleasant surprises on a day of surfing at my favorite beach in Maine
227 Least Tern Scarborough
228 Clay-colored Sparrow - extralimital bird whose call gave me the most confident ID of any
229 Vesper Sparrow
230 Tricolored Heron
231 Royal Tern
232 Sandwich Tern
233 Long-billed Dowitcher
234 Least Sandpiper
235 Little Blue Heron
236 Cattle Egret
237 Black Skimmer

Birds I saw last year but haven't seen yet this year (off the top of my head):
orchard oriole
American woodcock
Northern gannet
American white pelican
red-breasted merganser
canvasback
redhead
greater scaup
common and Barrow's goldeneye
merlin
ruffed grouse
common moorhen
American golden plover
American avocet
solitary sandpiper
monk parakeet
yellow-throated vireo
orange-crowned warbler
northern waterthrush

That's all I've got for now. I think I'll be showing up at Rock Creek Park tomorrow morning where I can hopefully add to these numbers a bit. See you out there.

2006-09-20T15:23:00.000-04:00

UPDATE! Manaia, the National Zoo Kiwi

Back in April I interviewed Kathy Brader, the Senior Bird Keeper at the National Zoo here in DC, about the birth of a North Island Brown Kiwi named Manaia. This was the newborn on his first day:

And here he is now:

A little bigger (now up to 882 grams!), and every bit as cute.

Kathy told me that people can now visit Manaia at the Zoo as part of their Meet-A-Kiwi program. Visitors can meet young Manaia on Mondays (soon expanding to Wednesday and Friday as well) at the Bird Resource Center inside the Bird House. Attendance is limited to 20, so get there early for the 11am talk.

2006-09-18T15:39:00.000-04:00

Interview with Peter Lund

Probably the best way to describe my uncle Pete would be to call him a 'character.' Armed with an open mind and a boisterous laugh, Pete has done more in his life than most anyone else I've ever met. Among the hats that Uncle Pete has worn since I've been around include: publisher, singer/songwriter, writer, artist, reggae band keyboardist, mystic, seller of quartz crystal, treasure hunter, cairn-creator and, when I was little, part-time babysitter.

Uncle Pete is also remarkable with animals. Tripper, the dog he had when I was young, was the best-trained dog I've ever met. Pete also took in a standard poodle named Hunter that had proven too wild for my family. When Hunter bit (playfully) one of my brother's friends, Pete volunteered to take in the dog and, in no time at all, had turned the dog into one of the friendliest and most recognizable (thanks in part to the Hunter's new deadlocks) dogs in Portland, Maine.

In addition to dogs, Pete has always been able to interact, mostly through call-and-response, with American Crows. Recently Pete and I exchanged emails about his relationship with crows and his insights into their social behavior.

bDC: Yo, Pete. When did you first begin to understand the social behavior of crows and how did you go about first attempting to participate in their behaviors?

PL: The first real knowledge of the social nature of crows came from two stories that I read when I was quite young. The first was a very touching story about a young boy in a village in Japan who was kind of a social outcast, who, during an opportunity to speak at a village gathering, imitated how the crows' calls sounded depending on what was going on. In particular I remember that he imitated how the crows cawed when a person in the village had died. It changed the villagers ideas about both the boy and the crows.

(This story was reflected in an experience I had when I was 18, when, after leaving a memorial service for a fellow who had passed away, two crows flew down low over us as we left the funeral home, uttering very plaintive, sad-sounding caws.)
I also had, as a young boy, read a short story written by the famous outdoor author, Jack London, where he detailed the social activities of a group of crows. He transcribed different crow calls onto a musical staff. Having been taught to read music, I understood the "danger" call, and I recognized it when I heard crows using it. I tried it out when there were crows around, and they would flee the area while repeating the call when I used it.

The first attempt that the crows made to include me in their interactions that I really noticed was when I was about 35, when two crows flying forty or fifty feet up dive-bombed me (it was a dry run) to about eight feet above my head as I was walking through the middle of the huge empty parking lot near City Hall in downtown Portland. It seemed playful, as they were not harassing me vocally, which they do when they are upset with me.

There are a few events leading up to this, and many thereafter, which serve to document the growing awareness and interactions between me and the crows, which I can expound upon later.

bDC: How did you react to these birds playfully diving you? Did you feel you understood why these birds were acting this way?

PL: When I got over my initial reaction, which was surprise and astonishment, I assumed it was their way of acknowledging me and welcoming me into their extended family, sort of like an fraternity initiation. It made me feel included, and special. It also made me feel happy and lucky. I've never seen or heard of that happening to anybody before.

bDC: After you felt that you were initiated, how did you proceed to interact with crows? Did you continue to see the same pair from the City Hall lot or did you feel a connection with others?

PL: The "initiation" encouraged me to continue to interact with them, of course.
My usual method of communicating with the crows is to call to them when I see them, or use my signature piercing whistle. That's whistling with the lips drawn back and the tongue folded over, which carries for quite a ways.

Honestly, I can't tell one crow from another with the exception of the head of the group, who has a distinctive halting call. He uses the call to identify himself when he wishes. I use it back to acknowledge him, or to let the other crows know that I know their group leader, or to see if he's around.

They have several places they hang out in town, on top of a few different buildings.

I used to be too self-conscious to talk to them in public, but once after I saw an old man calling to them I figured, hey, if he doesn't care, why should I? After that I didn't are who was around, I'd just let loose with a few caws when I saw them. Sometimes the crows would jump up in surprise but they got used to it after a while. After they learned I was being friendly and social, they would occasionally put on a show and all come fly high over me, just higher than the buildings, circling and cawing. Once it happened right in front of the police station downtown. It was a riot! Five or six crow can make quite a racket, I was very pleased.

A little while before that, I had seen a young crow, too exhausted to fly anymore, kind of skid down the side of a building right on to the sidewalk. There were people walking by not seeming to notice, but his parent hid in the nearby tree so as not to draw the attention of any predator. I crossed the street and picked up the young crow, then about the size of a robin, looked him in the eyes, cawed gently to him a few times, and put him safely behind a chain-link fence onto the lawn of a church building that used to be across from the old Levinsky's clothing store on Congress St. Then I left, and cawed to his parents to say hi. This was in the springtime.

Early that fall, I saw a crow sitting on the telephone pole at the same location, and, as I watched, he left his perch and flew, hovered in the air for fifteen seconds or so, right over the place I had picked up the young crow. I suddenly thought, this is the same crow I picked up, showing me proudly how well he could fly now.
That was cool!
It could have been his parents that had dive-bombed me as a way of saying "thanks!".

Once as I walked by a group of high-school students, one of the students cawed. I think I was being teased because I had been noticed talking to the crows in public.
I thought it was funny!

The main times I would interact with the crows was when I was walking my dog(s) in the areas away from the inner city where there were a lot more trees and open spaces.

bDC: How did the crows react to Tripper and Hunter?

PL: I don't know exactly how the crows reacted to the dogs. I think it was more a way that the crows identified me, because I usually had one dog or the other, or for a while, both of them, with me. But also they could see that I had dominion over the dogs, that they obeyed me, so the crows had some idea of our relationship.

Tripper (my first dog, a mid-sized terrier mix) loved to speak with a loud "ROOOOOoooo!" anytime I asked him to. He was full of enthusiasm that way. And any time I noticed crows around when I was out walking, I would have him speak. I think the crows took it as a greeting. I hadn't yet started talking to them directly yet.

I think the crows liked Crow-dog ( a standard poodle) because he was black, like the crows. His name was "Hunter" when I got him, when he was three-and-a-half years old.
But he was so independent and headstrong that I couldn't scream "Hunter" fast enough before he got into mischief..

One day I had brought a crow skull and some bones down from up the hill under an apple tree where I had placed a dead crow I'd found on the road, a couple of years before. I had the skull and bones by the front door with intentions of making some kind of artistic arrangement of them on a board to hang on the wall or something. The next morning, after I had let Hunter out, I noticed the bones were gone. He'd eaten them. Just then a crow flew very low over my backyard, cawing. That's when I named him "Crow". It seemed as if the crow knew what had happened. So Crow was actually part crow, seeing as the bones he ate went into his bones, most likely.

bDC: What are your interactions with crows like now? Do you hope to
communicate more closely with them as time goes on?

PL: My interactions with the crows are generally less intense than they were in the past. It has settled into a fairly predictable routine. For example, as I crossed the big parking lot close to City Hall yesterday, I gave a loud whistle, and a couple of crows who had been in Lincoln Park flew out and lit on the top of Franklin Towers, which is the tallest building in the area, overlooking that section of the city. From there one of them started calling down to me, and I responded in kind. I stopped walking for a few minutes to watch them and "hang out", then continued my trip to the post office. It's the same way I interact with my neighbors or acquaintances.

I don't really know how I could communicate with them more closely, but if I could, I would. For now it seems enough for both of us to enjoy mutual recognition and appreciation of each other's presence in the world.

Sometimes I wonder about re-incarnation, thinking that it might be cool to come back as a crow. But I don't know about having to sit in a tree by the side of the highway waiting for a car to run over a squirrel.

2006-09-17T13:25:00.000-04:00

DC Weekend Birds

Took a couple of quick trips this weekend to look for migrants: yesterday at the National Arboretum and today at Rock Creek Park.

I wasn't expecting much at the Arboretum; it was cold and grey drizzly and it had been that way for a couple days. Most listserv posts had indicated that the migration had stalled, and so I went hoping to find a bit of fallout, or just get lucky. My first stop was the azalea gardens which, to my surprise, we full of birds. Only problem was they were all robins. And I say that only in the most snobby birder way...there's no problem with robins, I was just hoping for something less common. OK well there was also a veery and a pair of rt hummingbirds, but other than that all way quiet.

I moved over to the Capitol Columns parking lot and looked in vain for the red headed woodpecker that frequents that area. The small field behind the lot, though, which was overgrown with giant sunflowers, appeared to be another fallout point. A huge flock of goldfinches, in all sorts of plumages, were zipping and yelping in the field and in a large bush. Goldfinches are usually kind of a hassle - they're the right size and color to be a whole lot of less common birds - but it was nice to see a huge flock of them. Also, as is common in large flocks, there were a couple other birds joining the group. Most notable of these by far was a worm-eating warbler that I got good looks at as it hopped around in the middle of the bush. Another, larger, bird popped out of the grass and perched in plain view. I was dumbfounded...too big to be a sparrow or goldfinch, yellow with a striped crown and eyeline...? It took me about 10 minutes to ID the bird as a fall-plumage bobolink. First of the year bird for me.

Kate and I didn't show up to Rock Creek Park as early as I'd like, but, hey, sleep is important. On the way into the maintenance yard we saw, without much trouble, a beautiful Canada warbler flitting in a bush. Good start. Some other birders we passed on the way said that things had calmed down quite a bit, but we managed (with the help of a large group of birders working over the maintenance yard) to see a magnolia warbler, a couple common yellowthroats, a great-crested flycatcher, a pileated woodpecker (always a crowd favorite) and my first of the year (believe it or not) broad-winged hawk. The paths back to the parking lot continued to provide good birds, and I had good looks at a black-and-white warbler and a black-throated green. All in all, good couple days.

2006-09-14T10:04:00.000-04:00

Birder Profile: John from A DC Birding Blog

As the author of A DC Birding Blog, I assume that John B. lives a pretty similar life as mine. We both live in East DC, we both frequent the Arboretum and Kenilworth, and we both write about our experiences for a blog. Why, then, you might ask, is his life list so much longer than mine? Well, probably because he's a darn good birder. Here's his birder profile:

Name: John

DC Location: East End

Years Birding: 3

Organizations: DC Audubon Society, Maryland Ornithological Society, American Birding Association

Lists: ABA: 283, DC: 195, ABA 2006: 247, DC 2006: 167

Field Guide: Sibley Guide, supplemented by others when necessary

Optics: Swift Audubon 8.5 x 44 (porro version)

Favorite Bird: Winter Wren

Least Favorite Bird (C’mon we’ve all got one): Corvids - they're just too loud.

Bird You’d Most Like to See but Haven’t: Any alcid (besides Razorbill)

Wish You Were Better at Identifying: Shorebirds and birds in flight

Favorite DC-area birding location: National Arboretum, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

Favorite non-DC location: Bombay Hook NWR (Delaware)

Best DC area Sighting: Rufous Hummingbird (Dec. 2003)

Missed Opportunity: Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in Smyrna

2006-09-14T10:01:00.000-04:00

I and the Bird #32

My Chesapeake Bay Road Trip post has been included (along with many other awesome bird posts) as part of I and the Bird #32 over on Sand Creek Almanac. Enjoy!

2006-09-13T11:19:00.000-04:00

Birds and College Sports

I was intruiged by a post about birds and professional sports teams on the EXCELLENT 10,000 Birds blog...so I decided to rip it off I mean take it even further.

10,000 Birds covered pro sports, but I figured that college sports would uncover even more team names after birds...and boy was I right. The following is a list, procured from this website, of American college teams names for birds:

Bald Eagles ---
Lock Haven University (Lock Haven, Pennsylvania)

Blackbirds ---
Long Island University-Brooklyn (Brooklyn, New York)

Blue Hawks ---
Dickinson State University (Dickinson, North Dakota)

Blue Hens ---
University of Delaware (Newark, Delaware)

Blue Jays ---
Elizabethtown College (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania)
Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland)
Polytechnic University (Brooklyn, New York)
Saint Joseph College (West Hartford, Connecticut)
Westminster College (Fulton, Missouri)

Bluejays ---
Creighton University (Omaha, Nebraska)
Elmhurst College (Elmhurst, Illinois)
Tabor College (Hillsboro, Kansas)

Cardinals ---
Ball State University (Muncie, Indiana)
Catholic University (Washington, DC)
Concordia University (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
Lamar University (Beaumont, Texas)
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy (Boston, Massachusetts)
North Central College (Naperville, Illinois)
Otterbein College (Westerville, Ohio)
Saginaw Valley State University (University Center, Michigan)
St. John Fisher College (Rochester, New York)
St. Mary's University of Minnesota (Winona, Minnesota)
State University of New York-College at Plattsburgh (Plattsburgh, New York)
University of the Incarnate Word (San Antonio, Texas)
University of Louisville (Louisville, Kentucky)
Wesleyan University (Middletown, Connecticut)
Wheeling Jesuit University (Wheeling, West Virginia)
William Jewell College (Liberty, Missouri)
York College-City University of New York (Jamaica, New York)

Ducks ---
University of Oregon (Eugene, Oregon)
Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken, New Jersey)

Duhawks --- (means, Dubuque Hawks)
Loras College (Dubuque, Iowa)

Eagles ---
Alice Lloyd College (Pippa Passes, Kentucky)
American University (Washington, DC)
Asbury College (Wilmore, Kentucky)
Ashland University (Ashland, Ohio)
Avila University (Kansas City, Missouri)
Bartlesville Wesleyan College (Bartlesville, Oklahoma)
Benedictine University (Lisle, Illinois)
Biola University (La Mirada, California)
Boston College (Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts)
Bridgewater College (Bridgewater, Virginia)
Carson-Newman College (Jefferson City, Tennessee)
Central Methodist College (Fayette, Missouri)
Chadron State College (Chadron, Nebraska)
College of St. Elizabeth (Morristown, New Jersey)
Concordia University (Irvine, California)
Coppin State University (Baltimore, Maryland)
Daniel Webster College (Nashua, New Hampshire)
Eastern College (St. Davids, Pennsylvania)
Eastern Michigan University (Ypsilanti, Michigan) (former nickname: Hurons)
(efforts exist to change the nickname back to Hurons)
Eastern Washington University (Cheney, Washington)
Edgewood College (Madison, Wisconsin)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, Florida)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Prescott, Arizona)
Emory University (Atlanta, Georgia)
Faith Baptist Bible College & Theological Seminary (Ankeny, Iowa)
Faulkner University (Montgomery, Alabama)
Florida Gulf Coast University (Fort Myers, Florida)
Georgia Southern University (Statesboro, Georgia)
Green Mountain College (Poultney, Vermont)
Judson College (Elgin, Illinois)
Judson College (Marion, Alabama)
Juniata College (Huntingdon, Pennsylvania)
Lambuth University (Jackson, Tennessee)
Mary Washington College (Fredericksburg, Virginia)
Messenger College (Joplin, Missouri)
Midway College (Midway, Kentucky)
Morehead State University (Morehead, Kentucky)
National-Louis University (Evanston, Illinois)
North Carolina Central University (Durham, North Carolina)
Northwest College (Kirkland, Washington)
Northwestern College (Saint Paul, Minnesota)
Oklahoma Christian University (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Pensacola Christian College (Pensacola, Florida)
Trinity Baptist College (Jacksonville, Florida)
Robert Morris College (Chicago, Illinois)
Sierra Nevada College (Incline Village, Nevada)
Post University (Waterbury, Connecticut) (former name: Teikyo-Post University)
Toccoa Falls College (Toccoa Falls, Georgia)
University of North Texas (Denton, Texas)
(This school has three official nicknames: Eagles, Mean Green, and Mean Green Eagles.)
University of the Ozarks (Clarksville, Arkansas)
University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse (LaCrosse, Wisconsin)
Williams Baptist College (Walnut Ridge, Arkansas)
Winthrop University (Rock Hill, South Carolina)

Falcons ---
Air Force Institute of Technology (Dayton, Ohio)
Albertus Magnus College (New Haven, Connecticut)
Bentley College (Waltham, Massachusetts)
Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, Ohio)
Concordia University (Mequon, Wisconsin)
Fairmont State University (Fairmont, West Virginia)
Fitchburg State College (Fitchburg, Massachusetts)
Florida College (Temple Terrace, Florida)
Friends University (Wichita, Kansas)
Messiah College (Grantham, Pennsylvania)
Notre Dame College (South Euclid, Ohio)
Pfeiffer College (Misenheimer, North Carolina)
Seattle Pacific University (Seattle, Washington)
St. Augustine's College (Raleigh, North Carolina)
United States Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, Colorado)
University of Montevallo (Montevallo, Alabama)
University of Texas of the Permian Basin (Odessa, Texas)
University of Wisconsin-River Falls (River Falls, Wisconsin)

Firebirds ---
University of the District of Columbia (Washington, DC)

Gamecocks ---
Jacksonville State University (Jacksonville, Alabama)
University of South Carolina (Columbia, South Carolina)

Golden Eagles ---
California State University-Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California)
Cincinnati Bible College and Seminary (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Clarion University (Clarion, Pennsylvania)
Cornerstone University (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
John Brown University (Siloam Springs, Arkansas)
La Sierra University (Riverside, California)
Marquette University (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) (former nickname: Warriors)
Northeastern Illinois University (Chicago, Illinois)
Oral Roberts University (Tulsa, Oklahoma) (former nickname: Titans)
State University of New York-College at Brockport (Brockport, New York)
St. Joseph's College-Suffolk Campus (Patchogue, New York)
Tennessee Technological University (Cookeville, Tennessee)
University of Charleston (Charleston, West Virginia)
University of Minnesota-Crookston (Minnesota)
University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, Mississippi)

Golden Falcons ---
Felician College (Lodi, New Jersey)

Gulls ---
Endicott College (Beverly, Massachusetts) (former nickname: Power Gulls)

Harriers ---
Miami University-Hamilton (Hamilton, Ohio)

Hawks ---
Hartwick College (Oneonta, New York)
Hilbert College (Hamburg, New York)
Hunter College-City University of New York (New York, New York)
Huntingdon College (Montgomery, Alabama)
Monmouth University (Monmouth, New Jersey)
Quincy University (Quincy, Illinois)
Rockhurst College (Kansas City, Missouri)
Roger Williams University (Bristol, Rhode Island)
Saint Anselm College (Manchester, New Hampshire)
Saint Joseph's University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
San Diego Christian College (El Cajon, California)
Shorter College (Rome, Georgia)
State University of New York-College at New Paltz (New Paltz, New York)
University of Hartford (Hartford, Connecticut)
University of Maryland-Eastern Shore (Princess Anne, Maryland)

Herons ---
William Smith College (Geneva, New York)

Hustlin' Owls ---
Oregon Institute of Technology (Klamath Falls, Oregon)

Jayhawks ---
University of Kansas (Lawrence, Kansas)

Kohawks ---
Coe College (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

Larks ---
Hesston College (Hesston, Kansas)

Marauding Eagles ---
Marycrest International University (Davenport, Iowa)

Mountain Hawks ---
Lehigh University (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)

Nighthawks ---
Thomas College (Thomasville, Georgia)

Ospreys ---
Richard Stockton College of New Jersey (Pomona, New Jersey)
University of North Florida (Jacksonville, Florida)

Owls ---
Bryn Mawr College (Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania)
Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton, Florida) (all sports except for men's baseball)
Hellenic College (Brookline, Massachusetts)
Keene State College (Keene, New Hampshire)
Kennesaw State University (Marietta, Georgia)
Rice University (Houston, Texas)
Southern Connecticut State University (New Haven, Connecticut)
Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylania)
University of Maine-Presque Isle (Presque Isle, Maine)
Warren-Wilson College (Swannanoa, North Carolina)
Westfield State College (Westfield, Massachusetts)
Widener University (Wilmington, Delaware)
William Woods University (Fulton, Missouri)

Peacocks ---
St. Peter's College (Jersey City, New Jersey)
Upper Iowa University(Fayette, Iowa)

Pelicans ---
Spalding University (Louisville, Kentucky)

Penguins ---
Clark College (Vancouver, Washington)
Dominican College of San Rafael (San Rafael, California)
Youngstown State University (Youngstown, Ohio)

Purple Eagles ---
Niagara University (Niagara University, New York)

Ravens ---
Benedictine College (Atchison, Kansas)
Franklin Pierce College (Rindge, New Hampshire)
Anderson University (Anderson, Indiana)
St. Meinrad College (St. Meinrad, Indiana)

Redbirds ---
Illinois State University (Normal, Illinois)

Redhawks ---
Indiana University-Northwest (Gary, Indiana) (former nickname: The Blast)
Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) (former nickname: Redskins)
Seattle University (Seattle, Washington)
Southeast Missouri State University (Cape Girardeau, Missouri) (former nicknames: Indians for men and Otahkians for women)

Red Hawks ---
LaRoche College (Pittsburgh, Penbnsylvania)
Montclair State University (Upper Montclair, New Jersey)
Ripon College (Ripon, Wisconsin)

River Hawks ---
University of Massachusetts-Lowell (Lowell, Massachusetts)

Roadrunners ---
California State University-Bakersfield (Bakersfield, California)
Dalton State College (Dalton, Georgia)
Metropolitan State College of Denver (Denver, Colorado)
Ramapo College (Mahwah, New Jersey)
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (San Antonio, Texas)
University of Texas-San Antonio (San Antonio, Texas)

Running Eagles ---
Life University (Marietta, Georgia)

Sagehens ---
joint team of Pomona College and Pitzer College (Claremont, California)

Scarlet Hawks ---
Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago, Illinois)

Screaming Eagles ---
SiTanka Huron University (Huron, South Dakota)
University of Southern Indiana (Evansville, Indiana)

Sea Gulls ---
Salisbury University (Salisbury, Maryland)

Seahawks ---
Northwood University (West Palm Beach, Florida)
Salve Regina University (Newport, Rhode Island)
St. Mary's College of Maryland (St. Mary's City, Maryland)
University of North Carolina-Wilmington (North Carolina)
Wagner College (Staten Island, New York)

Skyhawks ---
Fort Lewis College (Durango, Colorado)
Stonehill College (North Easton, Massachusetts) (former nickname: Chieftains)
University of Tennessee-Martin

Soaring Eagles ---
Elmira College (Elmira, New York)

Stormy Petrels ---
Oglethorpe University (Atlanta, Georgia)

Sunbirds ---
Fresno Pacific University (Fresno, California)

Thunderbirds ---
Cascade College (Portland, Oregon)
Southern Utah University (Cedar City, Utah)
Thunderbird, The Garvin School of International Management (Glendale, Arizona)

Thunderhawks ---
Miami University-Middletown (Middletown, Ohio)

V-Hawks ---
Viterbo University (LaCrosse, Wisconsin)

Warhawks ---
University of Louisiana-Monroe (Monroe, Louisiana) (former name: Northeastern Louisiana University) (former nickname: Indians)
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (Whitewater, Wisconsin)

Well there you have it! That's quite a list. A few things stand out:

-Hawks and Eagle are the most commong school name, which makes sense because hawks and eagles are commonly considered fierce, honorable birds. However, teams take different approaches when name a team and eagle or a hawk. For instance, when a team wants to include Eagle in its name, it usually just sticks a random adjective in front and moves on. Eagles on this list are Screaming, Running, Marauding, Purple, Golden and of course, Bald. When a team wants to have a hawk in its name, they're a bit sneakier about it, often trying to pass off the bird as an actual species by sticking a geographic feature in front of it (some of these names, like Marsh Hawks for example, may at one time been actual names for hawks). In this list we have River Hawks, Mountain Hawks, Skyhawks, and Seahawks.

-Why did a team from Kentucky name themselves the Pelicans?

-My favorite name? I admire the attempt of Oglethorpe Univversity (another Atlanta bird team) to go with an uncommon pelagic bird, however they slipped and call themselves the Stormy Petrels instead of the Storm Petrels (which is a pretty fierce name I think). So...I'm going to go with the Thomas College Nighthawks. Uncommon bird (I wonder if they think it's an actual hawk...), fierce name. I like it.

2006-09-13T10:55:00.000-04:00

10,001! New Species Discovered in India

First discovered in May, India has a new species of bird, the Bugun Liocichla. A type of babbler, this beautiful little guy is the first new species to be discovered on mainland India since 1948. Oh and guess what else? The only place he's ever been seen is scheduled to have a highway built right through it. Enjoy while you can!

2006-09-10T18:18:00.000-04:00

Quick Trip Yields Nothing Much...

Between football (and a nice come from behind by the Patriots), baseball (sox 9 royals 3), the US open men's final (Roddick is putting up a good fight) and general laziness I found an hour this afternoon to go birding. Now, I wasn't expecting much. The middle of the day in September is not an idea time for birding, but I'll take what I can get. I headed off over the Anacostia and into Kenelworth Water Gardens.

But it was closed. C'mon now, 4 oclock on a Sunday? What's the point of closing so early? Cut me some slack here...the water gardens was the only place in the district where I could see some waders. Alas, I headed over to the barren wasteland that is Kenelworth Park.

The road into the Park has gone from bad to miserable. Potholes and erosion have really shredded the road and caused people to create a sort of jeep trail on the grass...not good. I parked down near the barrier (I couldn't bird the fields because of 109203 soccer players) and headed off into the wilderness.

I saw that the stream was pretty low, so I worked my way through the dense vegetation on the right bank (scaring a Black Rat Snake in the process) and onto the muddy streambed. It's sad how much trash there is down there. Sometime in the near future I'd like to organize a clean-up of the area under the bridge down there...let's discuss that later.

I quickly saw the only warbler of the day, and beautiful black-throated green calling softly and actively hopping through the branches. Just a beautiful bird. Along with this bird, I saw an eastern pheobe, catbird, 4 cardinals and a ruby-throated hummingbird. No complaints, if anything else standing silently in a muddy stream in the middle of DC will clear your head and let you appreciate this city for providing such a spot, as dirty as it is.

After climbing out of the streambed I took a walk down down the paved path and caught a glimpse of a red-shouldered hawk being chased from a tree. Pretty bird, and a nice hour in the outdoors.

2006-09-07T12:43:00.000-04:00

Oil Spills and Fines Timeline

It's a little-known fact that the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System - the corrosion and neglect of which has recently been in the news and has resulted in round of Congressional hearings for BP, starting today - has had a history of spills and problems dating back to the late 70s.

Here is a timeline of Trans-Alaska Pipeline spills and fines from 1998 to the present:

- The Prudhoe Bay oil fields and Trans-Alaska Pipeline have caused an average of 504 spills annually on the North Slope since 1996 according to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.
- There were 4,532 spills between 1996 and 2004 totaling more than 1.9 million gallons of toxic substances, most commonly diesel, crude oil and hydraulic oil.

August, 2006
BP forced to shut down half of its Prudhoe Bay production after finding severe corrosion in its pipeline. BP, which hadn’t cleaned its Prudhoe Bay pipelines since 1992, discovered the corrosion after being ordered to clean and test the pipes by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

August 23, 2006
BP still working to control a small leak at an offshore oil rig damaged nearly one year earlier in Hurricane Katrina.

August/September, 2005
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused 124 spills of petroleum products into the Gulf of Mexico totaling 741,384 gallons of product. The majority of the spills were minor and none of the oil reached shore. During the storms 457 pipelines were damaged and 113 drilling platforms were destroyed.

July 18, 2006
BP was forced to shut 12 oil wells after a company whistleblower reported that over 50 were leaking.

July, 2005
Thunder Horse, the largest semi-submersible oil platform in the world, incurs heavy damage from Hurricane Dennis.

March 26, 2005
Corrosion causes a pipeline in the Kuparuk oil field to leak 111,300 gallons of oily water onto the North Slope.

March, 24 2005
An explosion at a Texas oil refinery owned by BP results in the deaths of 15 workers. BP accepts full responsibility for the incident.

January, 2005
BP fined $1.3 million (reduced from a proposed $2.53 million) for safety violations at a Prudhoe Bay well accident that seriously injured a worker in 2002.

January, 2005
BP fined $102,500 for violating gasoline well pressure buildup rules drawn up after a well explosion.

October, 2004
Aging ConocoPhillips tanker spills 1,500 gallons onto 20 miles of the Puget Sound.

August 2004
ConocoPhillips fined $485,000 for violations of the Clean Water Act at drilling platforms at the Cook River Inlet, AK. Over a 5 year period there had been 470 violations of the rig’s National Pollution Discharge Eliminations System Permit, and six unauthorized discharges of pollutants.

March, 2004
ConocoPhillips fined $80,000 for violations of the Clean Air Act at the Alpine oil field.

January, 2003
BP fined $6,300 for failing to protect workers in an explosion that killer one worker.

December 2002
BP placed on criminal probation for failing to install a leak detection system that could promptly detect spills from the Prudhoe Bay pipeline.

December, 2002
Arctic Utilities Inc. and TDX North Slope Generating Inc. fined $130,000 for violating Clean Air Act at Prudhoe Bay power plant.

November, 2002
60,000 gallons of crude oil spills from pipeline at Prudhoe Bay. Oil spilled into wetlands and into a drinking water lake. BP fined $675,000 for spill cleanup problems.

November 03, 2002
Magnitude 7.3 earthquake shakes the pipeline along the Denali Fault. Several vertical support columns are damaged, but the pipeline remains intact.

June, 2002
BP fined $300,000 for delays in installing leak detection systems for Prudhoe Bay crude oil transmission lines.

March, 2002
Houston/Nana, a North Slope contractor, fined $67,500 for failing to report 142 instances of worker injuries or illnesses from 1999 to 2001.

February, 2002
BP fined $22 million and given 5 years probation for late reporting of hazardous waste dumping in Endicott, AK wells.

October, 2001
A drunken hunter shot the Trans-Alaska Pipeline north of Fairbanks, AK and caused a spill of over 285,000 gallons of crude oil.

April 15, 2001
92,000 gallons of processed water (1% crude oil) spilled from a Phillips pipeline that leaked due to external corrosion.

April, 2001
BP fined $412,500 for failing to properly analyze discharges from Prudhoe Bay Central Sewage Treatment Facility from 1996 to 2000.

December, 2000
Ruptured pipeline at Prudhoe Bay spills 9,400 gallons of crude oil and 2,100 gallons of methanol onto the tundra. The spill is not discovered by BP until February of 2001.

April, 1998
Doyon Drilling, contracted by BP, fined $3 million for dumping hazardous wastes down Endicott, AK wells.

From:

Facts: North Slope Oil Development: Air and Water Pollution, Spills and Industry Sprawl

BP North Slops Spill Reveals a History of Substandard Environmental Performance

Recent Oil Company Fines and Penalties in the North Slope Oilfields

American Experience: The Alaska Pipeline

2006-09-04T18:54:00.000-04:00

Chesapeake Road Trip

Kate and I woke up early on Sunday and started hauling ass down through Virginia. Our destination (well, my destination. She just wanted to get out of the house...) was Point Lookout State Park, where the Potomac and the Chesapeake come together. I had spent all day Saturday without my car looking at listserv posts recounting magical seabirds (sooty and bridled terns! jaegers!) being pushed by Ernesto's winds into odd areas. I figured Pt. Lookout might be a good place to catch some of the birds on the way back to the ocean.

But, as things tend happen with Kate and I, our plan quickly went awry. We missed the turn to Point Lookout and drove for about a half-an-hour before realizing it. Ah screw it, let's not turn back. Is there anything coming up? Sure, let's try to get a ferry to Tangier Island.

Whelp we obviously didn't know what was going on, and we drove into Reedville without knowing if there was even such a thing as a ferry service to Tangier Island, let alone its schedule or where to catch it. Plus, Ernesto had really inflicted a lot of damage onto this part of the coast. Just before, Kate and I had rolled into George Washington's birthplace, but had to turn back due to a power outage. Reedsville, too, was kind of a mess. So, everything coming together, we didn't find or catch the ferry. Anything else close? Sure, how about Plum Tree Island NWR?

Fine let's roll. A hour or so later we were cruising slowly through Poquoson, trying equally hard to find the Refuge and pronounce the name of the town (Po-quo-sawn? Po-quo-sin? Paw-cwa-sin?). Whelp we followed my crappy little map to where the entrance to the Refuge should have been and we saw two interesting things: 1) a rail with a broken foot hobbling across the road. Although the bird was clearly a rail, it wasn't close enough for me to identify, which it too bad because it was the first rail I have ever seen. It was also too bad because the bird was obviously in trouble. It was hopping wildly across the road and Kate and I watched it tumble into the grass on the other side...not a promising future. 2) There was a public boat ramp and and a turnaround...and no mention of Plum Tree Island anywhere. Guh.

We backtracked about a mile and asked the owners of a convenience store where the entrance to the Refuge could be found. They had no idea (this always seems to happen). One lady said you could only get there by boat. Another woman said something about unexploded bombs. A man kept telling us to go back down past the church...right where we had just come from. We turned around and headed for Virginia Beach.

I was familiar with First Landing State Park from listserv postings, and was hoping to finally get some good migrant looks after a long day of not seeing birds. Boy was I disappointed. Kate and I walked all along the Bald Cypress Trail and a couple other small trails WITHOUT SEEING A SINGLE BIRD. Not one. Not that it wasn't beautiful - I had never seen a cypress swamp before - but seeing no birds was depressing. We left, and headed across the street to a place called Fort Story, which on our map was labeled as a military base but looked like it might have public access to the beach.

Kate and I rolled up to the entrance/guard post completely unready for a full car search. Thankfully, I am a completely law-abiding citizen, because the MPs checked our engine, glove compartment, center console, trunk and backseats before letting us in. We parked in the lighthouse parking lot, walked over the dunes and were in birder paradise.

It was incredible. The first thing I saw when I crested the dune was an american oystercatcher flying down the beach. Looking out across the beach saw thousands of terns (royals, commons, forster's and a least or two), gulls, semipalm sandpipers, semipalm plovers (and one I thought was my first Wilson's, but wasn't), willet and...what the heck...pelicans! About 20 brown pelicans, which I only associate with Florida and Louisiana, were cruising around. So awesome. [note: it didn't dawn on me until just now that Ft. Story is where the Brown Booby was sighted earlier this August. A quick search proves that a lot of rare birds turn up here: razorbills, Clark's grebe, little gulls, lark sparrow, Sabine's gull, white pelicans, cave swallows...it's enough to make a man enlist!]

Happy, Kate and I decided against driving back to DC that night and instead I convinced here to cross the CBBT (where a LOT of Ernesto birds had been seen) and try Assateague for today, Monday. She agreed, and we set off.

But, our luck had run out with Ft. Story, and we completely blew the bridge. After driving all day thus far, I asked Kate to drive across the bridge so I could better look for rare terns and (gulp) jaegers. Unfortunately, the bridge was too bumpy to hold binoculars and Kate missed the pulloff to the gift shop on the bridge. Awful. Oh well. I saw lots of terns, mostly Royal, and a bunch of Pelicans. We headed north, and slept soundly in a cheap hotel.

Cool. Up this morning and ready to get to Assateague...but of course we didn't know what we were doing. We drove back do Virginia and crossed into Chincoteague (which was beautiful) and through to Assateague. I think because of Labor Day, there was no entrance fee and no rangers, so we just drove in and parked. In retrospect, this wasn't a good idea because we had no idea that there was a giant, awesome wildlife drive on the VA end of the island...so we just checked out the beach. It was nice, though. I saw my first black skimmer, a bird I had always wanted to see, and my first little blue heron, close enough for an easy ID. Outstanding. There was also thousands of snowy egrets, my lifer cattle egrets hanging out with the famous Ponies and lots and lots of terns and semipalm sandpipers. I was happy, and we rolled out to the Maryland end of the park.

The Maryland end was a bit more productive, although all my lifers were in the Virginia end. After checking out the beach we walked over to the "life of the forest" trail, where to hoped to see some of the passerine migrants that Mark Hoffman mentioned in my Fall Migration post. Unfortunately, Ernesto's damage had forced the park to close down the forest section. Undeterred, I peaked my head in just to check.

It was pretty amazing. The trees, just in the first 10 feet of the forest, were full of migrants. I only had a couple minutes, but I saw a great crested flycatcher, a foy magnolia warbler, a pair of white-eyed vireos, an american redstart, black and white warbler and common yellowthroat. After a lot of recent shorebirding, these passerines were a welcome sight.

An added bonus, and something I realized on my way home, was that the magnolia warbler was my 200th bird of 2006, breaking my 3/16/05-3/16/06 record of 199. Hooray! What a trip! Kate and I got home safely, about 24 hours later than expected, but with a lot of good memories and, for me, new birds.

2006-09-01T18:58:00.000-04:00

Fall Migration: Where to Be in DC

September somethingth will mark my 1 year anniversary of living and birding in Washington, DC. When I first got here I lived with my aunt and uncle in Woodbridge, VA...which was hell. Not that there was anything wrong with my aunt and uncle, or anything wrong with Woodbridge per se, it's just that for a then-22-year-old intern who was moving to a big city for the first time, 4 hour daily commutes and 0 social life (because the last possible train left DC at 7pm) was not what I was looking for.

Long story short: I didn't have any time to bird until I moved into my Ames Place house in October and by then I had missed the fall migration. So the current months (late-August and September) are my first fall migration in DC. Problem is, I don't know where I should go. So, I asked the users of the Va-Bird and MDOsprey listservs for their help, and got a lot of responses.

Using their expert suggestions, I have created the following list of Official and Recommended DC-Area Fall Migration Spots! Enjoy!

The New York Monuments at Manassas National Battlefield Park
MapQuest directions from DC

This was far and away the most suggested spot for birding the fall migration (and only the fall migration). It's located off Route 29, behind the monuments set up to honor regiments from New York, and it's Stop #8 on this map.

Bev Leeuwenburg provided these detailed directions from Route 29, a mile west of the intersection with Rt. 234:
"You'll pass a private farm with a pond, including fountain, on the left.After that you'll be going up a slight rise with woods on the left; before the top ofthe hill there's an entrance (drive) to the monument on the left. If you follow thispast the field you're traversing, upon entering the woods there's a parking area. Park. Bird the grown up area in front or the carpark and the field to the left,not neglecting the edges!"

The park is open 8:30AM to 5PM, but most birders recommended getting there early. Also, Jim Coleman provided this valuable piece of advice: "use plenty of bug spray on your legs and ankles to ward off the ticks and chiggers."
Also thanks to Bill D and Larry Meade for their help.

Snickers Gap Hawk Watch
MapQuest directions to Sky Meadows, then follow this map to #4.

Down near Sky Meadows State Park in Loudoun County is the Snickers Gap Hawkwatch. According to the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail website, the watch is at its peak from September 14-21, when thousands of raptors and passerines cruise through each day. Bev Leeuwenburg praised the watch's convenience, as there are no hills to climb or equipment to lug, just a parking area with some excellent birding. Sounds good to me. Thanks also to Laura Weidner, who suggested checking out the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy website for some other good spots in that county.

Turkey Point Hawk Watch
Directions from NE DC

Located inside the Elk Neck State Park along the top edge of the Chesapeake in Maryland, Turkey Point Hawk Watch is a great place to look for 17 kinds of migrating raptor, as well as passerines. According to the Turkey Point website, the hawk watch will start the official tally any day now (not so much fun in Ernesto, though), and there is a bird walk scheduled for tomorrow. Thanks for Pat Valdata for the information.

Rock Creek Park
MapQuest map of the center of the park

In fall as it is in spring, Rock Creek Park (and especially the back of the maintenance yard) is a great place to see migrating passerines. Canada, Blue-Winged, Nashville, Magnolia, Black-and-White and Chestnut-sided warblers have already been seen along with several warblers-whose-name-doesnt-include-the-word-warbler: American Redstart and Ovenbird. Also appearing already are wrens, orioles, woodpeckers, vireos and a ton of other stuff.

Assateague Island National Seashore
Driving Directions. About 3 hrs from DC.

If there's one thing I've learned from birding around DC it's that DelMarVa is the shit. Cool vibe, good beaches, good restaurants and bars and a lot of great birding...and I've never been below Ocean City. If you keep your eye on the MD-Osprey listserve like I do you'll quickly recognize that Assateague Island (and nearby Chincoteague) are great places to find migratory birds. Mark Hoffman put it simply and sweetly: "Assateague Island is the premier place for fall birding in MD - both for the fly-over warblers and the rarities." Good enough for me.

Tyson's Corner Nighthawks
Try the Cable & Wireless Building at Gallows Rd. and Boone Blvd

There is no better spectacle in Metro-DC birding that the nighthawks displaying at Tyson's Corner. I think the largest numbers were in mid-August, when birders were seeing 50 or more nighthawks, but as of last night more than 20 birds were present. Runner-up option: Try RFK stadium before the season is over. Nighthawks have been seen there a couple times (but not by me, I've only seen a Sharp-Shinned Hawk), plus you get to see the Alfonso Soriano, which is always a treat. Thanks fro John Hubbell and Paul Woodward for this advice.

This afternoon, in Ernesto's rain, I struck out for the reflecting pool on the mall hoping for some warbler fallout...and got nada. Looks like I better start listening to the advice of all these DC birders...

2006-08-29T14:04:00.000-04:00

Question about Overseas Birding

I was looking through some pictures of my 2004 study-abroad trip to Durban, South Africa when I came across a picture of what appear to be cormorants sitting on a rocky outcropping outside of Luderitz, Namibia.

For a larger version click here

During my lunch break I checked with the excellent nature library available in my office and found Newman's Birds of Southern Africa Field Guide. Quickly I tracked the cormorants down to Whitebreasted Cormorants found commonly on the Atlantic coast of Southern Africa.

This is pretty cool. I have no idea why I never thought back to the birds I saw in South Africa and Namibia while I was there...but the discovery of this photo brought a lot of birds back to my mind, birds that I had identified in the field. The question is, though, can I count these birds as part of my life list?

I'm not sure how this works. First, though, let me go over the list of birds that I definitely positively saw in Southern Africa (by the way, I really wish I had been into birding while I was there...I must have missed A LOT):

Ostrich: Kalahari National Park
Secretarybird: Umfolozi National Park
Sociable Weaver: Kalahari National Park
Jackass Penguin: Cape peninsula
Glossy Ibis: University of Kwa-Zulu Natal
Whitebreasted Cormorant: Luderitz, Namibia

Now, if I had put any effort in whatsoever I could have probably seen 100 times more birds than what are represented there, but those are the ones I definitely remember. I know I saw a flamingo in Luderitz, but I have no idea whether it was the greater or lesser so that's out. Then there was this awesome long-tailed bird that was always seen in the sugar fields outside Durban but there are a couple different possibilities so that's out. So, then, what is stopping me from adding these birds, anything?

Let's check the ABA (even though they apply to African birds) Recording Rules to see if including these birds would be any sort of ethical (moral!) violation:

A bird included in totals submitted for ABA lists must have been encountered in accordance with the following ABA Recording Rules.
(1) The bird must have been within the prescribed area and time-period when encountered.
(2) The bird must have been a species currently accepted by the ABA Checklist Committee for lists within its area, or by the A.O.U. Checklist for lists outside the ABA area and within the A.O.U. area, or by Clements for all other areas.
(3) The bird must have been alive, wild, and unrestrained when encountered.
(4) Diagnostic field-marks for the bird, sufficient to identify to species, must have been seen and/or heard and/or documented by the recorder at the time of the encounter.
(5) The bird must have been encountered under conditions that conform to the ABA Code of Birding Ethics.

OK so, again, these may be moot for African birds, but I think I qualify.
1. All the birds were in Namibia or South Africa, well within their normal range, when I saw them.
2. Well, there are very common, visible species in Africa and I'm sure they are accepted by African checklists.
3. Yes, yes and yes.
4. Yes I can remember them clearly and immediately knew in each case, except the cormorants which I can back up with a photo, which species they were.
5. I saw all these birds in non-invasive, ethical conditions.

Does that work for you? It works for me. I'm gonna include them.

If anyone reads this and can help clear things up, please leave a comment.

2006-08-28T13:46:00.000-04:00

Birder Profile: Jeff Clark

Jeff Clark was one of the first people to respond to my listserv query about DC-area fall birding locations (I'm working on a post, I swear), and so he seemed a perfect candidate for my first birder profile in a couple months.

Since it's been awhile, here's a reminder that profiles are a bunch of questions that birders love to talk about given to a DC area-birder. The aim is to let everyone know a little bit more about those birding around them, and to maybe hear a good story or two.

Take it away, Jeff:

Name: Jeff Clark

DC Location: Fairfax City, VA

Profession: Software Architect

Years Birding: 4

Organizations: American Birding Association, Virginia Society of Ornithology, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, American Bird Conservancy

Lists: Life - 268; ABA – 267 (the Common Myna that I saw in the Burger King parking lot in Florida City, FL does not yet count towards my ABA list); VA – 178; Yard - 79

Field Guide: Sibley – Eastern though I own most all of the North American guides as well as a handful of guides to other parts of the world.

Optics: Stokes DLS 8x42 – Swarovski 65mm ATS HD Scope with zoom eyepiece

Favorite Bird: Rose-breasted Grosbeak – this is the bird that turned me from a passive bird-watcher into a birder. Seeing a gorgeous male come to my feeders one spring, dressed in his finest livery and bleeding a scarlet wash across his breast, sparked an obsession.

Least Favorite Bird (C’mon we’ve all got one): Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, only because they are so good at setting off my warbler alert: small bird flitting about high up in a tree.

Bird You’d Most Like to See but Haven’t: Gyrfalcon

Wish You Were Better at Identifying: Waterfowl. I need to do more winter birding!

Favorite DC-area birding location: Huntley Meadows

Favorite non-DC location: San Elijo and Batiquitos Lagoons, San Diego, CA

Best DC area Sighting: My best sighting, as far as rarity goes, was the White-faced Ibises at Huntley Meadows in the spring of 2006. That is the only “twitch” that I have ever done. My favorite sighting though is the first time I ever saw a Yellow-breasted Chat doing a display flight in the Woodcock meadow at Huntley Meadows.

Missed Opportunity: Shrimpy. [Note: Shrimpy was the name of the Kelp Gull that was, until recently, found in Maryland. RIP ol' buddy.]

Fondest Remembered Single Day: This past Spring (May of 2006 to be more precise) I played hooky from work and went to Monticello Park in Alexandria. I planned to stay 2 hours, max. Nearly 5 hours later I finally left. The first bird I saw upon walking in was a male Mourning Warbler perched in full view for at least 15 seconds! Breathtaking! As if this was not enough several absolutely stunning male Blackburnian Warblers put on a show. The real highlight though was a bird that I located myself and was the only report of from Monticello all spring. I heard a song that I only knew from bird song CDs, quick-three-beers. I quickly located a large flycatcher that was “wearing a vest” up on a dead tree, Olive-sided Flycatcher; a lifer for me and several others in the park that also got to see it. Totals for the ½ day were 15 warbler species and 42 total species. Besides the birds I met some wonderful birders. Days like that are what make Monticello legendary.

2006-08-24T11:50:00.000-04:00

Speaking Out to Protect the Allegheny NF

On Tuesday evening I was up in Kane, PA attending and delivering comments at a public meeting on the future management of the Allegheny National Forest. Every ten years (although its been 20 for the Allegheny), the U.S. Forest Service must take a look at its current management plan for a National Forest and decide whether or not it needs revision. For the Allegheny, the USFS created 4 potential plans and are currently taking public comments to help decide between them.

This is a very difficult decision for those living in and around the Allegheny NF. The local population has long been dependent on timber and oil & gas drilling in the NF for their income, but the most prosperous of these times seem to be behind them. Instead, people are beginning to hope that increased recreation and tourism in the forest will create a stable economy. The problem is, however, that so many years of logging and drilling have left a forest that may not be very exciting or wild...and I experienced that feeling firsthand.

When my coworker Craig Culp and I arrived in Kane we met Kirk Johnson from Friends of Allegheny Wilderness. Kirk agreed to show us around a bit and we drove out to an area called the Tionesta Research Natural Area, where a large section of old-growth forest still stands. On the way we passed a few of the over 9,000 active oil and gas wells in the forest (over 9,000! And that's not counting the 20,000 (!) decommissioned wells and nearly 1,000 new wells scheduled for the coming year). There was a little rig sitting right on the edge of the old-growth, and we could hear it humming loudly from hundreds of yards away, down near the stream.

I spoke as a representative of this website and discussed information on the birdlife in the forest. Here's what I said (very nervously...I haven't spoke in public, let alone a couple hundred strangers, since college):

(after introducing myself) I would like to share some information about birdlife in the Allegheny National Forest.
Throughout the year over 300 species of birds can be found in the Allegheny NF, including [I was making educated guesses here] 37 species of warbler, 16 raptors, 7 owls, 31 species of waterfowl and numerous species of sparrow, oriole, video, junco, chickadee, eagles, wading birds and blackbirds. Many of these birds, found commonly in the Allegheny, occur only rarely in other areas.
One of these species is the blackburnian warbler, a striking black and orange bird. Blackburnian warblers depend on thick, mixed-growth hardwood forests for their habitat. Ornithologists have found that the density of blackburnian warblers in the Tionesta old-growth forest, one of only two old-growth stands remaining in the forest, is more than 10x greater than their density in the surrounding, younger forest.
Another rare species is the cerulean warbler, one of the scarcest warblers in North America. One of America's largest populations of cerulean warblers lives in the northern section of the Allegheny NF and the adjacent Allegheny SP in New York.
The Allegheny NF also provides the southeasternmost border in the range of the Northern Goshawk, one of the scarcest birds of prey in America. The goshawk depends on dense, mixed-growth forests for its breeding and feeding.
Finally, the Allegheny Reservoir and Buzzard Swamp serve as important stopovers for waterfowl and passerines in the Atlantic flyway between the Great Lakes and the southern Atlantic coast.
These waterfowl, blackburnian warblers, cerulean warblers and northern goshawks are currently found reliably in the Allegheny, and they are birds that people will come to see. But only if their habitat is protected.
I support Plan Alternative D with the addition of the Citizen's Wilderness Proposal to provide for long-term security of these bird species.

It was short and sweet (I only took up about 2 of my allowed 5 minutes), but I think I got my point across: you won't get tourism unless you leave some areas protected.

On the whole the meeting went well, as locals with different viewpoints all spoke about their connections with the forest and what they thought the best way to manage it was. There seemed to be three groups represented: those affiliated with the logging industry who opposed any increase in wilderness protection, members of the snowmobile/atv community who support wilderness protection as well as increased recreational vehicle use, and, third, passionate environmentalists who support the maximum wilderness protection.

The Allegheny is very beautiful, but it needs a lot of protection and time to get back into a shape that people will want to visit. Click here for more information on the revision plans for the Allegheny National Forest, and contact Friends of Allegheny Wilderness to find out how you can support designating more wilderness areas in the forest.

2006-08-24T09:53:00.000-04:00

Rare Birds in The Great State of Maine

I grew up in Falmouth, Maine and preach its gospel to whoever will listen. I love Maine so much that a year ago I got the state's outline tatooed on my arm (sorry, don't have a picture). Maine has it all: Ocean, woods, lakes and streams, nice little cities, hardworking villages, hicks and metropolitans, beaches and mountains. And, recently, some incredible birds.

A post yesterday (the 23rd) on the Maine Birding List from birdingonthe.net details a spotting on Maine's first ever Burrowing Owl, which usually occurs in the American west and Florida. The bird is located on a piece of land that borders a military instillation and a private blueberry field (Maine's got the nation's best blueberries...) in the town of Columbia, up near Ellsworth in the DownEast area of the state. I'd estimate driving time from Portland to be about 2 hours and from the NH/ME border to be an hour longer (Mainers don't use MapQuest.)

If that wasn't enough, a Western Reef Heron, whcih usually hangs out in India and Africa, was seen in the southern town of Kittery. The bird, dubbed "The Bird of the Decade" by some local birders, was originally spotted in New Brunswick and has been working its way down the coast through Maine and into New Hampshire, where these pictures were taken. Maybe it'll keep moving down to DC?

2006-08-17T09:42:00.000-04:00

I and the Bird #30 and I

The 30th edition of the blog carnival I and the Bird is now up at Burning Silo. My post on birding the Bombay Hook NWR is included. Enjoy!

2006-08-15T13:48:00.000-04:00

Loop Migrations

Are the same places I went to for the spring migration the same places I should go for the fall migration?

This question intrigues me more and more as I think about it. From a bird's perspective, a lot of these areas change a lot from spring to fall. Relying, as I have before, on the excellent migration of birds site from the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, I've dug up some information on birds that do not follow the same migration route in the fall as they do in the spring.

It's called a "loop migration." Check out the NPWRC page here. Loop migrations have developed in a large number of unrelated species, from American Golden-Plovers to Connecticut Warblers, but scientists have not nailed down an exact cause or reason why one species would develop a loop and another would not.

There are a couple likely causes. Firstly, loop migrations could develop because, simply, the same route in the fall did not produce as much food for the birds as it did in the spring. Although reasons aren't given in the NPWRC article, I assume that birds that rely on food sources that change with the seasons (such as ripening berries or the horseshoe crab spawn) are more likely to develop loop migrations. What develops, then, is right from the pages of The Origin of Species: birds who follow the spring path back down in the fall will not find enough food and either die, fail to reproduce or just not follow that same route the next year. Once all those birds are weeded out a loop migration has developed.

A version of this food hypothesis is used to explain the loop migration of the American Golden-Plover, which migrates up through the middle of the U.S. in the spring and down the east coast in the fall. Scientists think that the risk of still-frozen soil and foggy conditions in the spring force Plovers to take a safer route through the middle of the country. In the fall, though, late-ripening berries in Nova Scotia and the Maritimes provide the birds with the energy needed for the long migration.

Scientists provide another explanation for the loop migration developed by the Connecticut Warbler and several other small warblers. Radar observations have shown that wind directions are more favorable for an east coast fall migration, and the little birds need all the help they can get. Additionally, birds may be following more traditional paths based on their species' historical ranges.

Whatever the reason loop migrations develop for a species, most DC birders are very excited to see these birds come flocking back through our woods. So far the passerine migration has been pretty quiet while the shorebird migration is in full swing. Stay tuned in the next day or so as I compile a list of and directions to some of DC's most popular fall migration spots, with the help of members of the Va-Bird and MDOsprey listservs.

2006-08-07T22:49:00.000-04:00

Teaming Up Against Arctic Drilling

John, the operator of DC's other excellent birding blog A DC Birding Blog, has just now put up a post about BP's shutdown of operations in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.

This is a very important issue to me, and I want to expand on John's already excellent post. Here's what he had to say:

British Petroleum has shut down oil production at its fields at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, because of leaks in its pipeline.

'BP, in a press release, said its engineers discovered a small leak and wall-thinning in a 22-mile long transit pipeline while conducting maintenance on August 4. It said analysis of data revealed 16 anomalies in 12 locations in the pipeline. BP is already facing a criminal investigation over a large spill in March at the same oil field.

BP said the spill, estimated at 4 to 5 barrels, had been contained and that a clean-up effort was underway. The pipeline was shut down at 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning.'

This oil field accounts for eight percent of the petroleum production in the United States.

It has to be embarrassing for BP, which has been running ad campaigns to make their products look environmentally-friendly for several years now.

This event and the spill in March should be a reminder of what can go wrong at an oil field. One of the claims proffered in favor of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is that the work would only affect a small portion of the refuge. What we see in these cases is that spills and accidents can end up having a wider impact than the one specified in the proposals. Petroleum production creates a heavy footprint. It is fortunate that this spill was small; it could have been worse.

Great.

Just a couple things.

The spill in March that John referred to was the spill of over 270,000 gallons of oil onto the frozen ground a couple hundred miles above the Arctic Circle. 270,000 gallons! It's in response to this event that the Department of Transportation demanded BP test their pipelines, the first time the company did so since 1992. Here's what that looks like:

Aside from the recent '4 to 5 barrel' spill and the massive March spill, there have been thousands of other spills in Alaska. In fact, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation reports 4,532 spills in Alaska from 1996 to 2004 totaling more than 1.9 million gallons of toxic substances poured onto the ground.

When the drilling companies say that their activities will only take up a small portion of an area, like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, they are being misleading. They'll use terms like "postage stamp" to make it seem like the wells will occupy just a small, square corner of the total land. In reality, the drill pads take up a small area but the pipelines and roads stretch all over like a spider web. Think of it this way, although each strand of a spider web is very thin, the whole web takes up a much larger area. That's what happens to an area when oil companies move in. It looks like this:

here

Drilling is not the answer anymore. America has long led the way in the innovation of new technologies, and it's time for us to put our heads together and open a can of elbow grease and find a solution that doesn't involve non-renewable resources and environmental destruction. Come on, USA, we can do better than this.

2006-08-06T22:02:00.000-04:00

Finally, Some Birds

On Saturday Kate and I decided we needed a break from this sweltering city and decided to take a spur-of-the-moment trip to Delaware. We threw some stuff in a backpack, rushed out the door and in no time at all were...stuck in traffic on the way to the bay bridge.

I guess we should have expected that on the first bearable Saturday in the summer that every single vehicle in the DC area would be headed to the beach, but we left in such a skipping rush that the thought hadn't crossed our minds until we were crawling along Route 50 and playing the Beatles-Zeppelin Game until our fingers hurt (Kate and I have a bet about which band gets played on the radio - all stations, not just classic rock - more often, the Beatles or Led Zeppelin. I say the Beatles based on the size of their catalogue and the fact that they can be played on more stations. Kate says Zep because, well, they're always a reliable bet on classic rock stations. Overall the race is neck and neck, but on this trip the Beatles completely triumphed: 5 songs, 2 covers (which don't count, but still) and one NPR story about the 40th anniversary of Revolver. Zeppelin: 0).

Anyway, after lots of traffic and several outbursts of rage from me (I hate traffic), we finally found ourselves on the lovely coast of Delaware. We were looking for Bombay Hook NWR, where the shorebird migration was apparently in full swing and there had been recent sightings of a curlew sandpiper and reeve, among other sweet birds. But we were lost (in our rush to leave we didn't bother with directions)...and while driving around aimlessly we happened upon a spot I had birded earlier this year: Port Mahon Road.

Port Mahon Road was obviously good in spring (check out my post from the 2006 Horseshoe Crab migration), but I had no idea whether there would be anyone there in August. Well, there was, albeit in much lesser numbers. Ruddy Turnstones gathered in groups at the shoreline and a few peeps could be seen darting along the sand. Most interesting to me, though, were all the terns. I haven't had a whole lot of tern experience in my birding life (let's see: black, common, Foresters, Caspian in Anacostia earlier this year and a least tern in Maine a month ago...) and I was excited to take a look at some up close.

Every pile-on at the waterside had a tern on it. Most of the birds were already in their non-breeding plumage, but tern identification is relatively easy thanks to different bill and feet color combinations. I got good looks at common terns, Foresters terns and...whatdya know...lifer sandwich and royal terns. Here's a shot of a sandwich, the ID here being the black bill with a light tip, black feet and the lack of a dark carpal bar on the shoulder:

So, two life birds right off the bat, and unexpectedly. Let's head off to Bombay Hook.

I love the place. Beautiful, spacious and, most importantly for a city guy, absolutely quiet. One of my top 3 birding locations, easily, and a place I enjoy in the winter as well.

And always with great birds. As I rolled up to the entrance I was greeted with a telephone-wire full of barn and bank swallows, the latter of which I hadn't seen since Point Pelee over a year ago. Before I left I would see enough bank swallows to last be well into next year...

The ponds were dry and filled (filled!) with shorebirds. I don't own a scope and the backlight made IDs on distant birds nearly impossible (and very frustrating), but I could see both yellowlegs, semipalm sandpipers, semipalm plovers, willet, both dowitchers, great and snowy egrets, great blue herons and more terns. Kate and I motored through to Bear Swamp, where the best of the day's birds had been reported (gull-billed tern, tricolored heron, little blue heron and black terns). Thankfully, a group of birders allowed me to use their scope and they helped point out several lifers for me.

I had never had the patience to ID least sandpipers and long-billed dowitchers before, but now I saw them. I also saw a beautiful (and surprisingly small) tricolored heron out in the marsh alongside a great egret. Finally, my year immature black tern was swooping and diving right off the road.

Despite several fake-outs, I never saw the gull-billed tern, a Delaware specialty. I took a few pictures, though, and I can still talk myself into thinking that this guy is the gull-billed (damn you red feet!):

It's a Foresters tern.

So: 5 life birds bringing my 1.5 year total to 234. 7 year birds bringing that total to 194, just 5 away from my year total last year. A whole bunch of DE birds and 4 traffic jams. A great break from the city, some crabs on the eastern shore on the way back, and Kate along for the ride added up to a wonderful day.

Next weekend I'll be headed up to central NY to visit some friends and maybe to take a crack at that red crossbill in the New Michigan SF...

2006-07-31T14:07:00.001-04:00

YouTube Extravaganza

YouTube right now is in a zone of greatness. Tons of videos, all for free.

The only time I've visited a site in the zone before was freshman-year-college Napster. It was the same deal: completely free content that had everyone walking around high-fiving and wondering how lucky they were.

Well, like Napster, I doubt that YouTube's period of greatness will last much longer. Just today I read an article about how YouTube has taken the rights to sell anything hosted on its site...but it's hard to be surprised. All good things must come to an end, and all valuable good things will be ended with a fury.

Anyway, I wanted to do an obligitory "blogger links to a bunch of YouTube videos" post. And since this is a birding blog, I thought I'd link to a bunch of sweet bird/birding videos, which there is surprisingly no short supply of.

Let's surf this info-media-tainment superhighway before the toll booths are installed!

A brief birding survey of YouTube reveals the different attitudes people have toward birds. The above clip is titled "Dude. Birds." and was posted by a couple non-birders (it seems) who stumbled upon and were quite impressed by a huge flock of snow geese in a field in DE. However in the below clip, titled "Snowballin' Geese," a couple kids, you guessed it, chuck snowballs at geese sitting on a frozen pond. Hey, to each his own.

A lot of videos on YouTube feel the need to add a soundtrack when one isn't necessary. I love the lame inspirational music over this really boring video of a Reed Warbler from Japan:

The music is better in this beautiful, mesmerizing video of Northern Gannets:

YouTube is great for finding video of birds that I've yet to see, or even hear of. In this sense it could be used as a field guide that shows you what birds look like (and sound like) when you actually encounter them.
Here are some close-ups of a rufous hummingbird, something I've never seen:

Or a honeymoon video of an Albatross (Yellow-Nosed?) taking off in the Galapagos:

And this is a rare species that I woundn't mind NOT seeing in the wild:

OK well that's all for now. YouTube is excellent, and there are a lot lot more bird videos to see. Check it before planning a vacation or before heading out for the fall migration...cuz it might not last long.

2006-07-31T14:07:00.000-04:00

YouTube Extravaganza

2006-07-26T10:11:00.000-04:00

Prepping for the Fall Migration

It's July and it's hot and gross, and the thrills of springtime birding have faded. Birds aren't singing much in July, and it's too hot and the foliage is too thick for anyone to want to look for them.

The good news, though, is that fall, with its crisp air and...pumpkins, is right around the corner. And fall brings the fall migration.

To prep for the coming aviary influx, check out this great website: Migration of Birds from the Northern Prarie Wildlife Research Center. It's fantastic. There are in-depth articles explaining every detail of bird migration from our early ideas about it to "flight speed and migration rates" to a very interesting "patterns of migration" section.

Plus, there are lots of cool illustrations like this:

Check out the site. Get excited.

2006-07-26T09:55:00.000-04:00

Carnival of the Green #37

In other blog carnival news, my Americans for American Energy post is included in the 37th edition of Carnival of the Green up now at Myke's Weblog.

In other birding news, July has been a slow month for me. Since getting 4 life birds in Maine at the beginning of the month I haven't had any time to get out around DC to see anything. This weekend will take me to Indiana, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll see some migrating waders or something.

2006-07-25T09:17:00.000-04:00

Carnival of Community Campaigns

The 1st ever edition of the Carnival of Community Campaigns is up at Humantide, and I'm excited to say that my Americans for American Energy post is included. It's a great looking carnival, with many more editions sure to come.

In further A4AE news, a spokesman for Pac/West Communications admitted in a radio interview for Living on Earth that Americans for American Energy is "essentially, one worker paid by Pac West." The interviewer takes Pac/West to task for calling themselves grassroots, to which the spokesman responds that A4AE is grassroots if there is a grassroots response. Too bad there hasn't been...

2006-07-24T12:33:00.000-04:00

Birds in the News

Here's the text of a nice little article that appeared in the NY Times today about why birds sing:

What's That Singing All About?

Monday, July 24, 2006; Page C14

The best time to hear birds singing is early on a spring or summer morning. Here are some reasons why wild birds sing:

It's Mine:
A male songbird sings to tell other males that he "owns" a particular area, so they should stay away.
Who's That?: Songbirds all sound different, even if they're the same kind of bird. Birds recognize their friendly neighbor's songs and chase away strangers.
Be My Mate: To a female songbird, a complicated song by a male sounds attractive and shows that he is strong and healthy.
Start Those Eggs: When a female bird hears her mate singing, her body begins making eggs. Often she will start building a nest, too. And when the male sees that, he sings all the more.

Although bird songs will become less and less common as the summer goes on, it's never too early to think about next spring...

2006-07-18T15:59:00.000-04:00

Americans for American Energy: The Oil Industry in Action

In April of this year a $3 million no-bid contract given by the state of Alaska to an Oregonian PR company called Pac/West Communications. The contract was given by the Alaskan delegation (including Senators Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski) to lobby members of Congress to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (breeding ground for millions of birds) to oil exploration and drilling.

In Alaska a controversy began about the choice of Pac/West as soon as the contract was announced. Many Alaskans were already familiar with Pac/West as the company that ran an aggressive campaign in 2004 to defeat an initiative to ban bear baiting, the action of feeding or otherwise attracting bears to be shot by hunters.

During that campaign Pac/West was accused of shady practices, including attempting to hijack the names of opposition groups and doctoring images of protestors using computers (they wanted to make it seem like Greenpeace activists were involved). Pac/West also created a false image for itself by creating of a fake 'grassroots' organization called Alaskans for Professional Wildlife Management. This tactic of creating the image of a grassroots movement and using them as a front for the campaign ads is one commonly used by Pac/West (read on).

OK. So, Pac/West now has $3 million dollars of Alaskan taxpayer money and wants to "educate voters and their elected leaders as to the wisdom of congressional approval from drilling in ANWR" (Anchorage Daily News 4/20/05). What do they do?

SIDE NOTE: If you look through all the stuff from drilling proponents, you'll never EVER seem them call it the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It's always ANWR. ANWR sounds like a middle eastern country, not a pristine wildlife refuge. Check for yourself.

Well, first they decide that they probably want to distance themselves from the Pac/West name. Why? There are a number of reasons.

It could be due to all the controversy in Alaska about hiring the group.

OR it could be about the separate, simultaneous controversy about how Pac/West set up another fake grassroots organization (this one funded by a Canadian cruise ship company) and falsely listed companies as being against a proposed tax that would punish cruise ships for discharging waste into Alaskan harbors.

OR it could be that their CEO, Paul Phillips, was fined $17,000 in 1990 for an ethics violation while serving as a state legislator in Oregon (he offered to use his position to fight tax bills for Nike if they offered him a full-time job) and has hosted fundraisers for Congressman Richard Pombo.

OR it could be because Pac/West VP Tim Wigley is also the head of another dubious 'grassroots' organization, the Save Our Species Alliance, a group looking to 'revise' the Endangered Species Act to favor landowners (it would be terrible for many endangered bird species). Check out Wigley's quote in this leaked email about selling the public on an idea and then changing it in legislation: "...don't mistake the language we use to sell the public on the need for change -- with language which will appear in the bill." Classy.

So Pac/West figures out that it wants to hire someone else to put some distance between them and the Arctic National Wildlife Drilling campaign. They turn to Jim Sims and his company, Policy Communications, Inc., who had previously been involved with the SOSA website.

In addition to Policy Communications, Inc. and Americans for American Energy, Jim Sims also heads the Partnership for the West Coalition, is on the Board of Directors of the Center for the New American Century and is the Executive Director of the Western Business Roundtable. He previously served as the Director of Communications in Vice President Cheney's National Energy Policy Development Group.

So Sims, taking a page out of the tried-and-true Pac/West guidebook, creates Americans for American Energy, a "non-profit, grassroots-based organization dedicated to promoting public policies that encourage greater energy independence for America" (americansforamericanenergy.org). A4AE claims to be a grassroots organization with members and supporters across the country, but it lists no membership information and only lists Sims as staff.

A list of members could probably be produced if necessary, though. Sims himself boasts an army of citizenlobbyists for-hire to any organization who wants it (click on "Partnership for the West Announces Grassroots Power Network").

Americans For American Energy's media campaign has begun. It started in late May and June when Sims himself began writing Op-Eds and getting them published in small newspapers across the country. The effort has stepped up, though, and now print, radio and television ads are being aired in targeted states, those with potentially vulnerable Senators: ND, Arkansas, Nebraska and more to come. The tactic here, I think, is to establish a base history of A4AE letters in small newspapers so it looks like they have a legit grassroots following when they decide to take it to a wider audience. All of the published work, though, are directly from Jim Sims.

Why does this matter? Because those who want to permanently scar the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and smart and well-funded. They will do anything, and pretend to be anyone, to get people to think that drilling more oil out of the ground in a National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska will be the answer for this country's energy problems. They won't call it the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. They won't mention global warming. They won't mention breeding birds or polar bears. They won't mention hybrid cars or increased fuel efficiency (the real solutions to our energy problems).

They won't because they aren't Americans for anything but money from Big Oil. Don't listen to them.

2006-07-15T13:56:00.000-04:00

Fledgling Warbler ID Help

Connie and Wilton Stale of Wildlife Response, Inc in Chesapeake, VA wrote the Va-Bird listserv today requesting ID help for a fledgling warbler they has just taken in.
Here are the photos they posted:

Can I help? Whelp, I just got back from the sweatiest, most uncomfortable trip to Eastern Market of all time, and now I want nothing more than to just sit here motionless. So lets give it a try.

Ok so let's take a look. Is it a baby? Yeah looks like it. Is it a warbler? Hmm I'm not sure. Is it yellow? Definitely.
My field guides don't show fledgling birds, so let's use the magical internet to find pictures of baby birds until, hopefully, we find a match.

OK well it makes sense to look for some warblers (after all, it could be a warbler) that breed in the area and see what we've got.

Is it a Yellow-Rumped Warbler? Nope.
How about a Wilson's Warbler? Hmm closer, but the colors on the head and feet are wrong.
Orange-Crowned Warbler? Not yellow enough.
Yellow Warbler? Looks like they get their name later on...
How 'bout a Yellow-Breasted Chat? No.

Hmm well these warblers don't seem to be working out so well. And hey, it looks like our mystery fledgling is already about the size of a full-grown warbler...so maybe this is a baby bird of a larger species. Let's try taking a look at some other baby birds to see if we find a match.

How about a Summer Tanager? Man that guy's ugly. And no.
Uh, man, a...Horned Lark? Nay.

Wait! How about a Baltimore Oriole? Here's another angle. Hmm about right size and shape, lots of yellow, same beak shape, wing-bars...Ladies and Gentlemen I think we've got it. Thanks for playing.

2006-07-11T15:08:00.000-04:00

Vandalism is a Homo + Likes Butt

This is not directly bird-related, but it sort of is in that many bird species are dependent on federally-protected lands for their habitats. A few months ago a couple people entered the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area in Colorado and proceeded to spray-paint graffiti all over a bunch of prehistoric Native American rock paintings.

Vandalism on federal lands, the land that belongs to each and every American, ranges from graffiti to littering to shooting to illegal off-road vehicle use to the outright digging up and theft of prehistoric artifacts. At it's worse it can help spread exotic species (as in illegal turf dumps at Idaho's Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area), permamently ruin prehistoric sites (as in many graffiti incidents and the January 2006 looting of a huge Ancestral Puebloan settlement in Colorado's Canyons of the Ancients National Monument) and ruin fragile geological features f(illegal ORV use along fragile desert streambeds and the destruction of the Eye of the Needle arch in the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in Montana).

Vandalism happens all the time, but the recent McInnis Canyons graffiti really pissed me off. Here's a shot of some of the work, courtesy of the BLM:

Can you see that? Can you read it?

Thousands of years ago a member of the Pueblo tribe, out in the baking sun, etched representations of his daily life into the side of a rock. These etchings, among the earliest lasting examples of creative artwork, lasted unchanged on the rock face for centuries, until one day when some brain-dead teenager drunkenly strolls up and writes AMBER IS A HOMO + LIKES BUTT all over it? Are you kidding me? AMBER IS A HOMO + LIKES BUTT?!

This is absolutely horrible. It's ironic that at the same time we are trying to preserve these works in their natural state (i.e. out in the wilderness without barriers or roads or interpretive signs), our efforts also make the art more vulnerable to vandalism. The same considerations should be made, though. Would we dismiss graffiti painted on the Mona Lisa this easily?

Unfortunately, the federal agencies charged with protecting these lands (BLM, Parks Service, Fish and Wildlife, Forest Service) are continually having their budgets cut by the Bush Administration and can rarely afford rangers and law enforcement officials to do patrol and education. As far as I'm concerned, the lack of understanding that much of America has about the importance of protecting wild lands is, you guessed it, a homo + likes butt.

Disclaimer: FYI I have nothing against homosexuals or liking butt I'm just using it for effect, OK?.

2006-07-10T22:25:00.000-04:00

Kennebunk Plains

I lived in Maine for 21 years and apparently I never left my own town. The Kennebunk Plains are about a half-hour drive from Portland, but are unlike anything else in the state.

Apparently glaciers created this large, flat, grassy area (ok I'm no geologist) by leaving sifted sand and gravel on the ground instead of more vegetation-friendly soils. The result is a huge grassland in the middle of otherwise lush northern forest. It reminds me of midwestern grasslands (uh, even though I've never been to one) and, like other grasslands, supports wildlife that cannot live in think forests.

I was looking for four different birds: Upland Sandpiper, Vesper Sparrow, Prairie Warbler and the pair of extralimital Clay-Colored Sparrows that have been hanging around. NOTE: these sightings thanks to the Maine RBA postings that can be found on the Yarmouth Wild Bird Center website.

The three of us (Kate and Jared and I were all heading out of Maine to NYC for a few days. They aren't birders, and it was very hot in the sun, but a free ride to the city afforded me some time walking around a field with my binoculars...God bless 'em) pulled into the main parking area and hiked the path back to where the Clay-Coloreds had been seen. The presence of these birds is big news in Maine, since their typical summer range only extends into New York and Quebec, as you can see:

Walking through the field I was a little disappointed at the lack of visible birdlife. I could hear grasshopper sparrows all over the place, but the breeze kept most birds down in the brush. I figured my chances at seeing a single individual Clay-Colored were pretty slim, but we kept on strolling.

To my surprise, the Clay-Colored was buzz-singing his little heart out at the top of a small tree, right where the wonderful internet said it would be (honestly, how sweet are RBAs? I drove 50 miles and walked out to the middle of a field and saw a bird the size of my fist with no problem. Awesome). I was overjoyed. I got great looks through the binos, and even gave the two non-birders a look. They didn't care.

Here's the best picture I got. You're just gonna have to trust me on the ID.

Super.

Onto another section of the park to look for the Uplands. We drove down to a nearby power substation and birding hotspot to check it out. Long story short, no Uplands. I did see a pair of lifer Vesper Sparrows, though. These birds had previously eluded me at both Kenilworth and Rock Creek, but here they were plentiful, showy and out in the open. No pictures, though.

Kennebunk Plains is an outstanding place. It is beautiful, especially when you get there after driving through miles of dense forests.

It's good to be back in DC. My next trips will probably be to Sky Meadows to look for the Shrikes there. I'll keep you posted.

2006-07-05T17:21:00.000-04:00

Update from Maine

Well Kate and I have had an awesome bunch of days in Maine. The weather has been alternating between sunny and gorgeous and cloudy and lame, but this afternoon is great.

I've been out and about and seen some nice birds so far. On Sunday I took a quick trip to Evergreen cemetery, an excellent warbler migration spot, but didn't have much luck, it being mid-summer and all. The best bird was a singing American Redstart, the first of the season for me, which gave great looks.

Today I went down to Higgins Beach in Scarborough to lay in the sun do something about my offensively white skin. I brought my binoculars along in case I saw anything, but I didn't want anyone to mistake me for some creeper leering at chicks in bikinis so I kept a low profile.

The birdlife was in high gear, though, and I quickly forgot about what anyone would think of me running around a crowded beach with high-powered binoculars. Out on the northern end of the beach is the mouth of the Spurwink River, which flows though the legendary Maine birding spot, the Scarborough Marsh. Common and (my lifer) Least Terns were diving into the swift current at the mouth and more often than not coming up with fish. Also along the riverside were Eiders, Laughing Gulls, Willet and Spotted Sandpiper.

The best birds, though, were a group of plovers that were noisily flying back and forth across the river and dunes. I figured they were semipalms, but through the binoculars I noticed that they were much lighter colored and had little black on their faces. That leaves, of course, Piping Plovers, a bird that I had tried to find unsuccessfully a few other times in Maine. I had no idea that there was a colony on Higgins Beach (behind a fenced off area, no less), right at my favorite surf spot. Outstanding.

On Friday I'm planning on hitting up Kennebunk Plains where with luck I'll see Upland Sandpipers, Vesper Sparrows and maybe get a look at one of the Clay-Colored Sparrows that's been lingering around. Stay tuned.

2006-06-29T17:21:00.000-04:00

Back to the Great State

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love my home state of Maine. I've even got it tatooed on my arm. Well I'll be back in that wonderland from Saturday the 1st until Sunday the 9th and I'll be having a spectacular time.
I'll definetly get some birding in and will keep you posted. I haven't had a chance to get out and see some birds for a few weeks and I'm sorry, but I'll make up for it. I'll be targeting my old favorites the Evergreen Cemetary in Portland and the Scarborough Marsh. I'll also be spending some time on the ocean and scanning for alcids and pelagic birds.
Wish me luck, and stay tuned.

2006-06-27T17:07:00.000-04:00

Wild Whooping Crane Chicks

CNN.com reports that for the first time in more than 100 years Whooping Cranes are breeding in the eastern US. Here's a shot of the proud parents:

A pair of cranes at the Necedah Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin have given birth to two brown chicks who will hopefully live to migrate with their parents. The parents were born just over yonder at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland and have been migrating (on their own and with help from ultralight aircraft) between Necedah WR and Chassahowitzka Wildlife Refuge in Florida.

The east coast flock contains only about 60 birds, but 22 captively hatched youngsters are ready to join the flock this fall. A separate flock of 200 birds migrates from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast.

Read more here:
Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership
USGS Patuxent Whooping Crane Breeding 2006

2006-06-23T11:18:00.000-04:00

Kempthorne Follow-Up

Most of the debate over Gail Norton's original National Parks management policy changes, and Dirk Kempthorne's reversal of the plan last week, have focused on the use of loud, obnoxious snowmobiles, personal watercraft and ORV's at the park.

The main grip people have with these machines is that they are LOUD. And it's true. My grandfather owns a camp on Cobbosseecontee Lake in Maine and I've been woken up or had relaxing evenings disturbed by jetskis roaring across the lake. Most environmentalists do not have a problem with the machines, when operated according to park guidelines, save the disruptive noise. So, wouldn't this technology solve a lot of problems?

Quieting a controversy? Prototype hybrid system for snowmobiles using new motor design could pave the way for guilt-free fun in winter.

This article was written in 2004, and I can't find anything more recent than that. Few people would have a problem with people zipping around on quiet, non-polluting machines (that's what a mountain bike is, after all), so why hasn't this technology become a reality?

2006-06-22T16:43:00.000-04:00

I and the Bird #26

I've really slacked off since I put together an I and the Bird blog carnival a month or two ago. Already three more carnivals have gone by and I haven't submitted a durn thing. Sorry, I am working a lot harder now and haven't had as much time or energy to go birding and/or write about it.

BUT some people are still doing fantastic work, including The Hawk Owl's Nest. Go check out his gnarly World Cup-themed I and the Bird, 'cuz we Americans can at least get something good out of this year's Cup...

2006-06-22T15:20:00.000-04:00

Good Green Week Thanks To...Bush and Kempthorne?

The Bush Administration is taking steps to save its image and legacy by embracing environmental causes. Earlier this week found Bush designating a massive National Monument in Hawaii. The word from the environmental community has been celebratory, while feelings on Bush remain unchanged. He got himself into this mess, he's gonna have to start digging himself out.

Bush designated the spot using the Antiquities Act, a law that allows a President to declare a National Monument (not a park or anything else) without passing it through Congress. Since its inception in 1906 (I was at its 100th anniversary party), the act has been used to make such famous Monuments (some of which became parks and other things) as the Grand Canyon, Arches, and Canyons of the Ancients. GW's only previous use of the Antiquities Act was the declaration of the African Burial Ground Monument in Manhattan. The only President since 1906 not to use the act? W's dad, GHW Bush.

So the week started off well. A huge new park in Hawaii, a lot of important avian breeding land protected, including the home of this little guy:

How could things get better?

Enter Dirk Kempthorne, new Interior Secretary. The environmental community has been a little on edge about how Dirk is going to run things. Most people feel assured that he won't have the unquenchable thirst for oil of his predecessor, Gail Norton, and that's good. But Kempthorne is from Idaho, a conservative Western state, and his environmental record was uncertain.

On Tuesday, though, he came out fighting for the good guys. Kempthorne rejected a plan that would allow more snowmobiles, ORVs, cell towers and other commercialization of national parks. The focus, he says, should be on conservation.

Some in the green community see the administration's actions as a temporary, desperate grasp for good publicity and have therefore adopted a "get 'em while there hot" mentality. That's fine with me. They're hot, and we're gettin' em.

2006-06-17T08:36:00.000-04:00

Ancestors of Modern Birds

On Thursday I had the pleasure of attending a presentation at the American Association for the Advancement of Science about new discoveries of fossils of the species Gensus yumensis, an ancestor of modern birds. The discovery has been getting a lot of press, and I'm not going to try to outdeul National Geographic or NBC with a summary of the findings.

As for the actual discovery, I wasn't sold on how very important it was. The scientists presented a detailed timeline of fossils that indicated bird development, and Gansus yumensis fell at a place in the timeline that didn't really yield a whole lot of new knowledge. The fact that ancient dino-birds had moved from land to water (for reasons that weren't explained and probably not known) was already known to science. Besides filling in a gap, time-wise, in the knowledge about ancient birds, I didn't see what made Gansus so special. The scientists presentation on their knowledge of ancient birds, however, was very interesting.

The three scientists who made the discoveries, Dr. Matt Lamanna, Dr. Hai-lu You and Dr. Jerald Harris, expertly worked their way through a power-point presentation detailing the lineage of modern birds as we know it. The line starts with the discovery of Jurassic Park-looking raptor dinosaurs with feathers or feather-like structures on their body. Feathers most likely developed, the scientists explained, as a way to keep the dinosaurs warm.

Soon (well, after millions of years...so not soon at all. How about 'Gradually'), other changes were made that resulted modern birds. The bones of the foot and hand fused together into one. Air sacs that are used for buoyancy, lift and the intake of oxygen (and which also made bones very light) became more common. Skeletal aides for stronger flight muscles were enlarged. Slowly but surely, dinosaurs were taking flight and morphing into birds.

The cool thing, then, is that these changes did not go away...there are still birds around, right? That means that dinosaurs aren't really extinct, because they survived as birds. I don't necessarily agree with the scientists joke that the Audubon is really about the protection of dinosaurs, but it's a interesting thing to think about next time im out birdwatching.

2006-06-14T20:03:00.000-04:00

More Black-Bellied Whistling Duck Information

The recent irruption of BBWDs into the mid-Atlantic has started a lot of conversation among area birders. One such birder, Paul O'Brien, recently posted a consisce summary of BBWD range expansion trends in recent years to MDOsprey. I don't have anything to add to Mr. O'Brien's post, so I'll let him do the talking.

"For those interested in the documentation of BBWD vagrancy and range
expansion, the following represents the vagrancy pattern of the past few years and is
current as of today, 6/13/06. They have bred (and may still be breeding) as
far north as South Carolina and may be in the process of colonizing Georgia as
well. Recent incursions have not been confined to the eastern seaboard, but
have included a major push up the center of the country as well.

This year's push up the east coast occurred right around the end of May and
early June, with a strong southerly wind following over a week of northerlies.
The locations where they were found in GA, VA, MD and PA plot as an almost
perfect straight line, whatever that means. Some might call it the escape
route. On that note, I asked Greg Lasley whether he had any information
regarding the possibility of a sexual dimorphism in the size of BBWD hind toe nails.
Like any normal person, he had never thought about hind toe nails, so we
need to get museum specimens to follow up on this trivia question. At least we
seem to have some evidence that the toes weren't clipped. Maybe Poppy chewed
its nails. Enough.

Expansion of the Range of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks (BBWD)

The following analysis is derived from reports submitted to North American
Birds for the March through July periods in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. These
reports are for the most part from different locations, including multiple
reports from the same state.

2002

In Florida BBWD was said to be increasing with 6 new counties listed; In
Louisiana they were said to be commonplace. Other states reporting BBWD were:
NY, 1 on 5/8
SC, 22 on 6/5
TN, 5 on 6/5, 2 from 6/16-24
IN 1 from 6/30-7/10
OK, 2 on 6/25, 3 on 6/25 and 11 from June through July
WI, 1 on 7/25-26
Later VA had 5 on 8/10.

2003

Reports increased dramatically:
FL, 10 on 3/21, 42 on 3/24, 1 from 5//3-14, 12 on 5/17, 116 on 5/21, 12 on
5/23, 4 from 5/28-30, 4 from 6/11 on, 1 on 6/12, 1 on 6/13, 1 on 7/26 and 2 from
6/30-7/1
MS, 3 on 4/8
LA, 1 on 6/11 and 2 on 7/26
OK, 7 on 4/24, 1 on 6/5 and 15, 1 from 7/11-13 and 19 on 7/22
MO, 2 from 4/26-7/30, 2 on 7/30
GA, 1 from 5/10-11, 23 on 5/23, 5 on 5/31, 9 on 7/27
TN, 11 from 5/11-6/10, 2 on 5/31 and 3-5 from 6/7-10
SC, 15 on 6/5, "flock" on 6/13 and 1-2 from 7/28-8/22
NC, 2 on 6/10
VA, 6 from 6/2-3
PQ, 5 from 7/4-31+

2004

In Florida and Louisiana the population growth was described as "explosive".
LA, 6 on 6/3 (4 juveniles), 1 on 6/12, 4 in late June, 2 on 6/21, 2 on 7/2, 2
on 7/7 and 2 on 7/14
MS, 5 on 7/17
AR, 1 from 4/25-26, 2 on 5/30
OK, 33 from 4/27 on, 6 in June and July and 2 on 7/2
KS, 2 on 5/15
SC, 12 on 5/27, flocks of 22, 12 and 150 June through July. The 150 were on
private property and were said to be breeding.
NC, 5 on 5/17 and 8 from 6/14-7/9
PQ, 2 from 5/15-6/12

2005

Many fewer reports for this year, but covering a broad expanse of the
midlands:
AR, 50 on 5/2
MO, 6 on 5/11
IA, 3-4 from 4/18-20, 1 from 6/26-7/29
KS, 2 on 7/21
OK, 3 from 6/3-7/1
IN, 6 on 7/14

2006

These reports were derived from internet sources:
AR, 2 on 6/10
OK, 2 on 6/6 and 6/11
GA, 20 on 5/28 at Altamaha WMA, rising to 38 on 6/4. The flock began
fragmenting and by 6/11 there were at least 10 distinct pairs (breeding?).
SC, 2 on 6/11
VA, 15 from 6/9-10
PA, 4 on 6/4 ("there for a few days"), 1 remaining through at least 6/13
MD, 1 from 6/4 to at least 6/12"

Thanks to Paul O'Brien for allowing me to reprint his words here. Go see the BBWD before it takes off back to the tropics.

2006-06-12T22:57:00.000-04:00

Red Knot News

I found this article about more habitat in Delaware that has been reserved for Red Knots. A one-mile stretch of coastline at Mispillion Harbor (near Mispillion Lighthouse - the spot I probably should have looked for Red Knots when I was in Delaware) has been purchased by The Conservation Fund and handed over to Delaware's Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

Outstanding. When I attended the shorebird migration along Port Mahon Road I was surprised at how little protection there was for the birds there. There was nothing stopping fishermen or anyone from getting close to or intentionally running off the birds, not that they would. All the protection that these birds can get, especially when the horseshoe spawn happens on such a small area, is crucial to keeping Knots, and other species, around.

The only problem is, though - and this is something that the article does not mention - is that protecting Red Knots in Delaware is not nearly enough. The trend of the Red Knot to congregate in small, dense groups is not limited to migration but also occurs in their South American wintering ranges. This fact leaves them open to habitat degradation in both summer and winter spots and also makes them an easy target for hunters. North American Red Knot hunting hasn't been popular since the early 1900's, but it still occurs in South America (especially the Guianas, according to this Audubon WatchList page).

I missed the Red Knot this year in Delaware. Hopefully this recent action taken by the Conservation Fund will help ensure that next year I'll have another chance.

2006-06-10T14:19:00.000-04:00

Black-Bellied Whistling Duck in Maryland

Sometimes birds wind up in unexpected places. It's one of the greatest treats in birding, to wake up one day and hear on the grapevine or, more specifically, the MDOsprey listserv, that some bird that usually doesn't stray from Florida or California or Canada has dropped into our neighborhood.

The word is for this 'extralimital', and it happens for a number of reasons. The most common, I believe, is that birds somehow get caught in a storm or a weather front that pushes them out of their normal range. It is certainly common for migrating birds to surf a weather front up or down make their trip a little easier, and hurricanes and storms coming off the ocean commonly blow seabirds close to shore. It's kind of funny, actually, to picture a little duck taking a short flight back to his nest, getting caught in some wind and ending up across the country...

Also common are 'irruptions', where many individuals of a single species are found in faraway places. Late last year hundreds of Cave Swallows, normally residing in Texas, wound up in the Northeast. It appears that the same thing may be happening now, but with a different species. Today I went up to Gaithersburg, MD to have a look at a bird who, for one reason or another, is about a thousand miles away from it's normal home: a Black-Bellied Whistling Duck.

Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks are small, gooselike ducks that usually reside in tropical areas from extreme southern Texas down through the Amazon rainforests in Brazil. They are chocolate brown with a grey face and (you guessed it) a black belly. Whistling ducks, of which there are two species which can be found in the US (black-bellied and fulvous), get their name from the high-pitched whistle-y call. The black-bellied duck is one of the few US ducks that perches and nests in trees.

A beautiful bird, and very approachable. The duck landed at a small pond behind the Rio & Washingtonian Center in Gaithersburg, MD. The pond is already home to at least 50 tame Canada Geese and Mallards, and the BBWD seems to enjoy very much the relaxed atmosphere of the pond, as well as the frequent feedings from kids with bread or popcorn.

Actually, many birders have raised the question of whether or not the duck seems a little too comfortable. There is an issue as to whether or not the bird is an escapee from a local breeder or zoo. Since there are no leg bands or clipped wings, the focus of the detective work on this bird has fallen on the nails of the back toes. Cutting the toenails or part of the back toe off a bird to mark it as captive is a common occurrence, and the Rio bird does not appear to have any toenails on its hind toes. Here's a picture I took this morning:

Now, just because this bird doesn't have toenails does not necessarily mean that it's an escapee. There is discussion (without resolution as of yet) that female BBWD have very small, colorless nails. Additionally, some birders see the Rio bird as having 'nubs' which may be caused from the wear of standing on rocks all day.

The most important piece of evidence to support this bird being wild (and therefore countable under ABA rules) is a flock of 12 BBWDs that appeared on a farm in Suffolk, VA yesterday. This occurrence, which is just as rare as a single bird in Maryland, could mean that we are in the middle of an irruption. Whatever the case, it's a beautiful bird and one that is very rarely found in this part of the world. If you are reading this and haven't had a chance to see the bird, to do before he catches another storm and ends up in Alaska.

2006-06-04T20:09:00.000-04:00

Henslow's and Grasshopper Sparrows in Maryland

I woke up early (for me) this morning and headed down to Huntley Meadows to see if the Wilson's Phalarope that was reported there yesterday was still around. I had debated whether or not to go down yesterday, but I was lazy and just went across the river and looked at a windy, empty Kenilworth Park. Bad decision. The phalarope was gone and I was an idiot.

There were a few good birds...a handful of green herons, great egrets, dunlin and acadian flycatchers, but I was upset with myself for missing a good bird on account of laziness. I must redeem myself! I thought of Steve Sanford's post from Friday about Henslow's and Grasshopper Sparrows in western Maryland. It was at least a 3 hour drive each way. And gas is 3 dollars a gallon and I'm an intern. Screw it. Redemption!

The beautiful Virginia/WVirginia/Maryland countryside made the drive go by quickly, and I was soon cruising through the lovely town of Cumberland, MD and sliding off exit 33. Using Mr. Sanford's directions I easily found my way to the top of a grassy hill and started down the jeep trail (ignoring, cautiously, the NO TRESSPASSING signs, as per Mr. Sanford's advice). Immediately I could hear the metallic clinks of Grasshopper Sparrows on either side of me. Although they sounded like they were chirping right under my feet I couldn't seem them in the knee-high grass. After a couple minutes with no sightings, I started down to the flat meadow to look for Henslow's.

A little background, when I worked for the NY DEC this past summer there was talk that I might be able to go help out with a Henslow's project in one of the state forests that had a meadow. This particular state forest (I can't remember the name) wanted to get an accurate count of Henslow's to help dictate their conservation policy. Anyway, I did a bunch of research and got myself all physched up to find Henslow's, but the project never materialized. Since then seeing a Henslow's has been at the top of my wish list.

At the bottom of the hill and after taking a right into another jeep trail I was rewarded almost immediately with the quick chirp of the Henslow's Sparrow. I had listened to Peterson CD's on the way up and the noise coming from the grass at my feet was identical to the cd track. Perfect. Only problem was that, like the grasshoppers, these birds were staying in the tall grass. I waited around for about 20 minutes before I finally got a glimpse of a dark sparrow through the reeds. Through the binoculars there was no question that it was a Henslow's: big, flat head, thin breast streaks, yellow on the side of the face. I looked for a few moments, but when I looked away to try to move closer and get my camera the bird was gone. Still, I was happy.

I waited for another 20 minutes but the sparrows didn't show themselves or make a sounds. No worries. Already satisfied, I walked up back up the hill and into a pack of suddenly active Grasshopper Sparrows. There were three chasing each other around and perching on shrubs and in the path. I got a few pictures before the rain started. After a couple of misses lately (red knots and 2 wilson's phalarope attempts), it was great to find the birds I was looking for. The drive back to DC went by much quicker.

2006-06-03T17:42:00.000-04:00

District Patrol 6/3/06

The spring migration has come and gone. While a trip to Kenilworth Park a month ago would have yielded warbler after warbler, a trip there now (like the one I just took) brings a couple of buntings, some swifts and a whole lotta not-much-else. All in all I had a pretty good spring. I missed a lot of warblers that others got, but most of them are year-round residents of the DC area (hooded, prothontary, black-and-white etc) so I'll be able to find them as the summer goes on.

Though things have slowed down a bit, there are still a ton of birds in the DC area. Let's go over some of the highlights:

Wilson's Phalarope and Little Blue Herons, Huntley Meadows

I had a chance to see Wilson's Phalaropes in Bombay Hook last weekend but I couldn't find them. Now it looks like they're coming to me. Wilson's Phalaropes are rare in the east and, according to the linked Audubon page, have suffered a striking decline in numbers in recent years. I think I'll be out looking for this bird tomorrow.

Henslow's Sparrows, Allegany County, MD

Allegany County is about 2.5 hours from DC, but it may be worth the drive for one of the east's most secretive sparrows, the Henslow's Sparrow. Here are local birder Mr. Steve Sanford's directions to the Henslow's:

"Old Legislative Road is in western Allegany County, just short of
Garrett County. The Henslow's spot is only about 5 minutes from I-68.
From I-68 on the west side of the Frostburg area take exit 33 south to
"Midlothian Rd." Follow the main road south about 2.5 miles. It
becomes Old Legislative Road somewhere. Cross Klondike Rd (where there
is/was a bar on the left). About 100 yards beyond the intersection
there is a big grassy hill on the left (east) side of Old Legislative
Road. (There is a side-road to the right with a gate.) The Henslow's
should be within one or two hundred yards of the left side of the
road, probably around the crest of the hill. Normally there is a
vehicle track up the hill. Listen for the "see-lick" notes of the
Henslow's. They often perch on weeds and sing. A scope helps if you
want good views, but is not crucial. There are also lots of
Grasshopper Sparrows around too, but their buzzy and tinkly notes are
completely different."

If I wake up feeling feisty I just might trek out to take a look for this bird, one that I wanted to see all last summer but wasn't able to. I'll keep you posted.

2006-05-30T23:29:00.000-04:00

Port Mahon Road and Bombay Hook, Delaware: All For Knot?

For birders, the annual horseshoe crab spawn on the coast of Delaware and Maryland is a must-see. Each May thousands of pre-historic, creepy looking crabs lumber up onto coastal beaches, mate, lay eggs and die. And stink. Thousands upon thousands of shorebirds, who are in the midst of their long and tiresome migration, rely on the horseshoe crab eggs for fuel and make the spawning an important pit-stop on their flight.

One of these birds is the Red Knot, a plump little shorebird that, unfortunately, has been serious decline. Part of the problem is the horseshoe crab harvest that has reduced the numbers of crabs spawning on the beach (and which recent action in Delaware has addressed). Another part, and a much harder one for people around here to do anything about, is hunting and pesticide use in South America, where the Knots spend much of their time.

So I left Memorial Day morning and headed to the coast of Delaware to see some shorebirds and hopefully catch sight of a Red Knot or two. I had missed the peak migration, apparently, by a couple of weeks...but I certainly couldn't tell by the sight and smell of the beach. What an incredible scene. Port Mahon Road, once it gets to the beach, is a very bumpy street separated from the water by a narrow (like, 10 foot) beach. After passing stands of marsh grass, the road runs for only about .5 miles before dead-ending at a parking lot and public boat launch. On this stretch, though, were thousands of shorebirds.

I should say here that I got my first life bird of the day as soon as I opened my car door along the marsh stretch before the beach. Although I had never heard one in person(only on cd), the rapid song of the Marsh Wren was instantly recognizable. Before the day was over I would hear, and see, probably 50 of these little guys.

I smelled the beach before I could see it and instantly knew that some animals were rotting. The horseshoe spawn is pretty sad, as the crabs do their business and then just wait to die...but they don't go easy. The lie on their backs and flick their little legs and bob their tails slower and slower. When you poke them they get a sudden burst of energy but eventually just fade away. The birds like it, though. The shore was crowded with thousands of semipalmated sandpipers. Mixed in, with varying degrees of ID difficulty, were ruddy turnstones, herring, laughing and greater black-backed gulls, Willet and white-rumped sandpiper (both lifers...I was particularly proud of my WRS ID...which wasn't easy, especially when you're trying to pick an individual bird out of a swarming mass of look-alikes). There were no Red Knots around, but a salty old birder with a big ole beard said he had seen two just before I arrived. Obviously.

It was high tide, and the best birding was at low tide, so I drove about 10 minutes to Bombay Hook NWR. It was here, about 5 months ago, that I had seen another amazing spectacle: the snow goose arrival. That remains probably the greatest wildlife spectacle I've ever seen. Anyway, I checked out the sightings book at the welcome center and someone had seen a pair of Wilson's Phalarope just minutes before! They were in Bear Swamp, all the way across the refuge, and I drove as quick as I could to get there. Yup, as I expected, couldn't find them. The birding was great, though. At bear swamp I watched an American Bittern hunt fish in plain sight, a family of black-crowned night heron, some late semipalmated plovers, my lifer Black-Necked Stilt (I was a little disappointed in how small they were...but very cool birds) and many herons and egrets. It's amazing how much the birdlife changes...where once were thousands of ducks and swans there were now hundreds of sandpipers and stilts.

Back at Port Mahon for low tide, the numbers of pipers, plovers, willet, turnstone and everything else had increased. Even a pair of my beloved american oystercatchers showed up and put everyone to shame with their classy dress. But, alas, no knots. I was fooled a couple times by some short-billed dowitchers, which are like colored, but it wasn't meant to be. I had a wonderful time, though, tallying 68 species and 4 lifers. I'll be back next year, where hopefully Red Knots will make a better showing with a more stable population.

2006-05-27T10:02:00.000-04:00

How to Impress Girls

I am a huge fan of BBC nature documentaries hosted by David Attenborough. I can't get enough. I stumbled upon an episode of Blue Planet one night in college and couldn't look away for the entire show. I immediately went on Amazon.com and bought the whole set (you should too, honestly).

When I got heavily into birds, one of the first things I did was buy, sight unseen, the entire BBC's Life of Birds series. Like the other BBC/Attenborough series, LoB covers animals from all over the world and in several different categories covering different types of birds and issues in the life-cycle of birds. There are some amazing shots (especially the out-of-control Asian eagle battle...you have to see it to believe it), and the series reveals things about common birds that I never knew before. Most memorably are the segments on Brown Pelicans and Common Moorhen ignoring and/or killing their own young to make way for more dominant siblings. It's intense and incredibly interesting.

Another segment features an interesting note on some common birds that you, gentle DC reader, have most likely seen today. In fact, I GUARANTEE that if you live within 10 miles of the District of Columbia and have opened your eyes today, you've seen this bird. It's the House Sparrow!

Attenborough told me, in his delightful accent, that the black bib on male house sparrows is more than just a decoration, but is in fact a symbol of a hierarchical system within each House Sparrow group. Simply, the bigger the bib, the more dominant the bird. It's pretty interesting.
Compare the bibs on the birds in this photo:

See how the birds have different bib sizes? Well the bird with the biggest is the most dominant and the others fall in line according to bib size. A good way to think of it, stolen from Life of Birds, is to think of the bird with the biggest bib as the general, the next as a captain and right on down to a lowly private.

It turns out that the bib size is more than just a decoration, too. Borrowing liberally from and excellent House of Bird Research page, I can tell you that a large bib corresponds with a large set of testes (which give a better chance at fertilization) and a better immune system (which are also a genetic benefit). So there you go. Sparrows with larger bibs are healthier and studlier, and so get all the females and are generally more awesome.

The moral of the story is: instead of being annoying and complaining about how every bird in DC is a house sparrow, you can now impress girls with your ability to instantly compare House Sparrow testicle sizes. I'm pretty sure that's how my parents first met, I'm sure it'll work for you too.

2006-05-25T12:12:00.000-04:00

The Awesome I and the Bird #24

The chaos of hosting the previous I and the Bird blogging carnival combined with my being away from DC prevented me from submitting a post to the next IATB edition. Big mistake. Carel from Rigor Vitae: Life Unyielding has published a FANTASTIC edition, complete with hand-drawn and painted illustrations for each submission. Curse my busy schedule!
Check out IATB #24 or Carel Brest Van Kempen's incredible artwork site.

2006-05-24T23:12:00.000-04:00

Back in DC

Apologies for the tardiness. I just got back to DC after a splendid week at Hamilton's graduation and finished my first day working at The Wilderness Society. Things have been hectic but I am rededicated.

Birding in NY was disappointing. It was windy, cold, overcast and rainy (and snowy and hail-y) the whole week, and my attempts to find the Northern Goshawk and Red Crossbill were unsuccessful. I'll post in more detail soon.

Another venture yesterday for a Lark Sparrow at Kenilworth Park was also unsuccessful.

This weekend I think I'm going to ride out to Delaware to find some shorebirds and, hopefully, a red knot. Stay tuned for that.

One cool thing: I was sorting through some pictures I took at the Arboretum a few weeks ago and came across a picture of a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird on its nest. One of the pair took some swoops at me while I was walking by and (ironically) tipped me off to the nest. It rests on a branch of a tree, I think its a sweet-gum, that's about 25 feet up into the gardens from the road. To find the nest, walk up from where cars sometimes park (and where a security guard stands) and find the branch that crosses the path across from a bench. It's tiny, and very cool.

2006-05-16T16:00:00.000-04:00

The Rain in Maine Stays Mainly...Everywhere

I have been out of the district for a few days now for my girlfriend's graduation and it's been a welcome break. Yesterday we made the drive to Portland to hang out, see my family and look for some birds. The problem is, and you'll guess if you've seen the news in the last few days, is that Maine and the rest of New England are in the midst of a week straight of rain. On the drive up every single river and stream was flowing over its banks. It rained all last night (through the nice dinner and drinks) and most of today, and the forecast calls for another 5 days.

Despite the weather I made quick stops at my favorite Maine birding spot, Evergreen Cemetery. As expected, the rain kept most things down, but I did see my first-of-season Spotted Sandpiper, Ruby Crowned Kinglet and my Maine first Baltimore Oriole. I'd love to be here the day after the storm passes for the wave of migrating warblers that will follow.

Anyway that's all there is to report. Later this week I'll hopefully have some Goshawk and Crossbill stories. Stay tuned.

2006-05-11T21:11:00.000-04:00

Photo Quiz Answers!

And the winner is: Paul Ollig from The Rambling Ranger! Paul scored a whopping 25 out of 27 correct answers to win his choice of a Peterson Field Guide. Congrats.
This has been a lot of fun. Thanks to everyone for playing, and for coming to check out birdDC and IATB#23. Special thanks to Mike Bergin for his assistance throughout.

I am leaving DC for a week to hang out with my girlfriend in NY before she graduates. Along the way I will be birding my favorite spots in Maine and Central NY, including trips to find my arch-nemesis birds: the Red Crossbill and the Northern Goshawk. Stay tuned.

Now on to the answers!

1. Common Yellowthroat, near Sherburne, NY

2. Great Blue Heron, Sherburne, NY

3. Scarlet Tanager, near Oxford, NY (also accepting Summer Tanager)

4. Red-Winged Blackbird, Clinton, NY

5. Wild Turkey, Oxford, NY (it was doing a Killdeer-style distraction)

6. Eastern Kingbird, Oxford, NY

7. Mallard, Sherburne, NY

8. Black-Capped Chickadee, Portland, ME (also accepting Carolina Chickadee. Bad light made this one especially tough)

9. Red-Shouldered Hawk, Roosevelt Island, DC (also accepting Cooper's and Sharp-Shinned Hawk)

10. Surf Scoter, Cape Elizabeth, ME

11. Tree Swallow, Occoquan NWR, VA

12. Sanderling, Sandy Hook, DE

13. American Goldfinch (winter), Portland, ME

14. Ruddy Turnstones (winter), Indian River Inlet, DE

15. Tufted Titmouse, Portland, ME

16. Mute Swan, Bombay Hook, DE

17. Red-Breasted Merganser, Portland, ME

18. Bonaparte's Gull, Cape May, NJ

19. Blue-Winged Warbler, Kenilworth Park, DC

20. American Tree Sparrow, Occoquan NWR, VA

21. Brant, Indian River Inlet, DE (also accepting Black Brant)

22. White-Winged Scoter, Portland, ME

23. Greater Black-Backed Gull, Sandy Hook, DE

24. Ring-Billed Gull, Cape Elizabeth, ME

25. Black-Throated Blue Warbler, National Arboretum, DC (scroll down to the Redemption at Kenilworth post)

26. Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Indian River Inlet, DE

27. Long-Tailed Ducks, Indian River Inlet, DC

2006-05-11T03:25:00.000-04:00

Birdwatching and the internet are seemingly incompatible. One operates in the great outdoors and values patience, concentration and preparation. The other is most often found in offices or bedrooms and works hard to be prompt and efficient.
But if birdwatching was like the internet you would wake up in the morning to every migrating warbler, in breeding plumage, perched on your window-sill. Convenient? Yes. Time-saving? Yes. The point? No.
Yet here we are, stuck in our offices or bedrooms, staring at the screen. Thus, while it is perfectly acceptable for people to go searching through brambles and swamps for hours to find a certain bird, we here at I and the Bird want to put all the best bird-related blog posts in one place for your viewing convenience. So let me extend a hearty welcome to birdDC, your host for IATB#23 and just one little species migrating up the information superhighway.

BUT WAIT! This is a blog carnival, is it not? And what's a carnival without games? Not much! SO I've taken slices out of bird photographs I've taken in the Eastern US and used them to divide the posts. If any of you loyal readers can identify each of the birds in the slices I will buy you the Peterson Field Guide of your choice. Sound good? Cool. Well good luck...some of the photos are blurry or maybe impossible, but that's the challenge! Trust me, it'll be more fun than shooting water at some dumb clown's mouth. No fried dough, however. Good Luck!
P.S. Send guesses to nicholas.lund@gmail.com. The Peterson will go to the first person who gets them all, and all other correct submitters will be posted on the blog and praised heavily. ALSO, there are a couple pictures where it is impossible to tell between 2 or 3 species. If you guess any of the possibilities you get credit. AND if no one gets 'em all, the person with the most correct answers will win. AND check the comments down below to see how people are doing.

"Spring is in the Heron" - Discovering Biology in a Digital World
It seemed that this Great Blue Heron's bold plan to infiltrate the penguin exhibit at the local zoo was ruined when his tuxedo didn't come back from the cleaners in time. Undaunted, he carried on.

"Choughs and Peregrine in Donegal" - Peregrine's Bird Blog
Since most American birders may only recognize 1 out of the 3 nouns in the title, let me help out. "Chough" is a type of crow that can be found nesting on ledges in the UK, and "Donegal" is a lovely county in Ireland where Mr. Nash spent Easter among seabirds and falcons.

"The Scoop on the Red Knot and Horseshoe Crab" - Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
One of the most depressing subplots in birding today is the decline of the Red Knot. The bird depends heavily upon the eggs of horseshoe crabs to provide fuel during the Knot's journey from the tip of South America to the arctic. GrrlScientist explores the situation and asks whether or not it's too late.

"Mistaken Identity" - Rob's Idaho Perspective
Birders should always be very careful when identifying birds, especially when it might be a very rare visitor. I've found that the same caution is advisable when asking: "So, when's the baby due?"

"Best Laid Schemes O' Mice an' Men" - Ben Cruachan Blog
Stuck in the city looking at starlings and house sparrows all day, my pulse quickens and my mouth begins to water (I'm not kidding) when I read about Ben birding on the coast of Australia. Parrots! Royal Spoonbills! Flame Robins! There's a bird called a Flame Robin!

"Sunny Sunday Afternoon Walk at the Marsh" - When Words Become Unclear, I Shall Focus With Photographs
Beautiful photographs of beautiful birds and butterflies basking on a beautiful day in...California. Posts like this remind me of the best parts of birdwatching: being outdoors in the sun and lingering on the details.

"Invasion of the Goose Gangs" - Time's Fool
Canada Geese, like Double-Crested Cormorants, just can't win. First they are flirting with extinction and next they are annoyingly overpopulated. Mata from Time's Fool chronicles a local gang of surly Geese and her town's hilariously pathetic attempt to scare them off.

"Who's Laughing Now?" - Journey Through Grace
Samtzmom took down her hanging flower baskets in an effort to encourage a Dove to lay her eggs somewhere else, would it work? Leave a rent-free apartment in today's housing market? Not likely!

"Thinking About Seagulls" - Coyote Mercury
Beauty, and sometimes bird-poop, is in the eye of the beholder.

"Mockingbird Encounter" - Tortoise Trail
Seeing them everyday in DC, Mockingbirds have quickly become one of my favorite species. Pam from Tortoise Trail uses photographs to illustrate an encounter between a pair of animated Mockingbirds.

"Friday Ark: Killdeer, Our New Mascots" - A Geezer's Corner
...And the award for Best Acting in a Drama goes to: the Killdeer!

"Grappling Buzzards" - Charlie's Bird Blog
Excellent dramatic photos of two Buzzards in the UK engaging in a dog-fight...er, bird-fight.

"Birds of the Mid-Atlantic: The Cape May Warbler" - A DC Birding Blog
John is a fellow DC bird-blogger, but he always seems to get the best sightings. This post was inspired by a Cape May that he saw on the National Mall...less than a mile from where I work. Beautiful bird, great post.

"More Adventures in Raptor Identification" - Thomasburg Walks
Raptors are often some of the hardest birds to identify. They are either dots on the sky - too small for field marks - or blurs through the woods or past a car window. Pamela from Thomasburg Walks gets a rare opportunity to study a Sharp-Shinned Hawk...or is that a Merlin? A Cooper's?...up close.

"Sandy Hook Hawk Watch" - The Hawk Owl's Nest
The chance to man the Hawk Watch station at Sandy Hook, NJ during migration - where wind conditions can produce huge numbers of raptors - is enough to make any birder's heart race. Patrick got that chance, see how it went.

"Springtime's Natural and Financial Storminess" - Don't Mess With Taxes
Kay Bell takes a break from helping people with their financial woes to chronicle the return of birds to her central Texas home.

"Riverdale Park Passerines" - 10,000 Birds
Ah the joys of spring migration...a time when even a small park in the middle of the Bronx can turn up some beautiful birds.

"Springtime Is Just Too Much" - Sand Creek Almanac
Deb from Sand Creek Almanac drinks deeply from the cup of Springtime and is treated to an aerial display from two Northern Harriers.

"Ah, Spring!" - Home Bird Notes
Each new species that returns in the Spring is a little present opened by a birdwatcher. Home Bird takes stock of her garden and its avian inhabitants.

"Avocets" - Earth, Wind & Water
Avocets are a success story in the UK, where the birds have rebounded after being absent from the 1840s to the 1940s. Earth, Wind & Water details the Avocets history - and present - in the UK.

"The White Raven" - Birds in the North of Spain
Sketching birds in the field is a largely lost art in today's world of field guides. Not so for Javier of Birds in the North of Spain, who illustrates his posts with the scanned images from his field notebook. His IATB submission details an encounter with an albino Raven in Villarcayo.

"GTBC - Saturday" - WildBird on the Fly
For ABA-area birders, it just doesn't get any more exciting than trying for a Big Day record at the Great Texas Birding Classic. Follow along with Amy as she drives the Swarovski Roadside Hawks around southern Texas looking for, and finding, species that Yankees like myself can only dream about.

"Golden Eagle Nests" - Rigor Vitae: Life Unyielding
Carel has taken the field sketchbook to a whole new level, creating gorgeous oil paintings out of his experiences in the field. This post details the nesting habits of those elusive raptors, Golden Eagles. Check out Carel's theory on why Goldens, unlike most other raptors, are so shy around the nest...it makes sense to me!

"The Other Redstart" - Aimophila Adventures
If familiarity breeds contempt, then maybe discovery breeds appreciation? Yeah? Regardless, Aimophila Adventures certainly appreciates his rediscovery of an American Redstart in Arizona.

"I Learned Something New" - BirdTLC
Gyrfalcons are amazing birds. Phil is an amazing Gyrfalcon. Dave and the rest of the BirdTLC crew do an amazing job of rescuing Phil and making him comfortable. There's a word I could use to describe this post but I...just...can't...think of it.

"Sparrow-Palooza" - Birdchick Blog
Some beautiful close-ups of sparrows at a banding station Minnesota...plus the use of the phrase 'male bird hoohas.' You'll have you see for yourself.

"Chimney Swifts" - The Birdchaser
Last but certainly not least, the Birdchaser informs us about ways we can help create shelters for those little flying cigars, Chimney Swifts.

2006-05-10T13:58:00.000-04:00

Take More Action II: More Bird Legislation

A few days ago I began listing some bird-related legislation currently in Congress. I'll continue that list now.

A note from someone who has worked with constituent mail in a Congressman's office: CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE. They notice. Especially if you are writing (or calling or visiting) about a piece of legislation that isn't the current 'hot' topic. If you are one of thousands you'll get a form letter, if you are one of one you'll get a researched and personalized letter from a staff member (which will be read and signed personally by the member). It's weird how it works this way, but for all the letters we got about Social Security, I know just as much about that topic as I do about why ham radio operators want access to small Caribbean wildlife reserves. It's just the way it works.

So, if any of these bills light a fire in your belly, CONTACT CONGRESS.

H.R. 3468: The Hawaii Invasive Species Prevention Act
Hawaii has a long, unfortunate, history of losing its endemic species to introduced predators. The bill would direct the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior to: "(1) impose a quarantine on Hawaii to prevent the introduction of invasive species and diseases in Hawaii; (2) establish a system of post-arrival quarantine protocols for all persons, baggage, cargo, containers, packing materials, and other items traveling or being shipped to Hawaii from domestic and foreign locations; and (3) establish an expedited process for Hawaii to seek the Secretaries' approval to impose additional prohibitions or restrictions on the introduction or movement of invasive species or diseases. Authorizes Hawaii to impose additional emergency prohibitions or restrictions for up to two years pending such approval." Will it work? Maybe. Is it worth it to try? Absolutely.

H.R. 3187: Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program Act
I don't need to say anything to remind birders of the importance of our coastlines and estuaries, but I will anyway: Red Knot. This bill would create a Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program, a body that would give grants to states with approved coastal zone management plans. It also provides $5 million for a regional watershed protection demonstration project that would, among other things, enhance protected areas under the National Estuarine Research Reserve program.

S. 1897: Act to Save America's Forests
The standout proposals in this piece of legislation are the designation of "special areas which shall be subject to restrictions on road construction and logging" in 26 states and the proposal to "prohibit clearcutting or other even-age logging operations on any stand or watershed on certain federal land, National Forest System land, and National Wildlife Refuge System land. Provides for federal enforcement and a private right of action."

Personally, I don't know how I feel about clear-cutting. Growing up I had always been adamantly opposed to it on principal, but working for the Dept. of Environmental Conservation in NY this past summer has changed my views a bit. Selected clearcuts can actually increase the total number of species in an area by creating habitats that wouldn't be possibly in a thinned or untouched forest. When a forest is clearcut, fast-growing plants like berry bushes and grasses are the first to grow back. These plants, which wouldn't survive in a forest where tall trees block the sunlight before it reaches the floor, host birds like warblers or towhees that would otherwise not be able to live there. So, though the number of individual old-growth species in a forest (i.e. owls) would decrease, the total number of species would increase. That's all I'm saying.

S.1540: The Middle Rio Grande Endangered Species Collaborative Program Act
This bill would establish the MRGESCP (nice acronym) to protect Silvery Minnow and Willow Flycatcher habitat on the Rio Grande. This is one of those bills (which I am always wary of) that try to save habitat while still "allowing continued water development." I'm sure this bill would benefit Rio Grande Endangered Species, but it's important to note that sometimes organizations can use language in supposedly eco-friendly legislation to cover up their harmful practices.

2006-05-07T23:52:00.000-04:00

I and the Bird #23 - Get Them In!

BirdDC will be hosting I and the Bird, a collection of outstanding bird blog posts, on May 11th. I've received a lot of great work so far, but there's always room for more. Send your posts to me at nicholas.lund@gmail.com or to Mike at 10,000 Birds. See you on the 11th!

2006-05-06T15:45:00.000-04:00

Redemption at Kenilworth

On Thursday I made a whiny post about how I wasn't having any luck finding Blue Grosbeaks or Vesper Sparrows at Kenilworth Park. Well I tried again today and Kenilworth rewarded my determination with an amazing moment. But I'll get to that in a moment.

I started off the morning by hitting up the Azalea Gardens at the National Arboretum, where John from A DC Birding Blog consistently finds awesome birds. And he's onto something. The place was crawling with birds, although the expanding foliage made it very difficult to see what I was hearing. By far my biggest flaw as a new(ish) birder is my lack of mastery of bird songs, but, hey, it'll come. Despite that, I had a great time and saw many first-of-the-year birds including: Veery, Wood Thrush, Red-Eyed Vireo, Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, Black-Throated Blue Warbler and the lovely Baltimore Oriole. After leaving the Azalea Gardens [and later getting a listserv email from John who had been to the same spot that morning and seen way more birds, including my target Hooded Warbler. Outsmarted again!], I swung through the Research Orchard (is that what it's called? Down below the Columns...) and caught my year's first Indigo Bunting before leaving for Kenilworth.

Arriving at Kenilworth I abandoned hope of finding the Vespers because of the soccer games that were taking place on the fields. No matter. I made for the back section, beyond the barriers, where I had seen at Blue-Winged Warbler a few weeks ago. After taking an immediate right and heading up, and then down, the hill next to the stream, I stood on a dry pond-bed and looked at the dense foliage above the stream. A long, brown bird hopped up into view. At first sight I thought it was a Thrasher, but the bird turned to reveal a clean white belly and a red eye-ring - a Black-Billed Cuckoo! While I kept the bird in view, relishing my first ever sighting, another bird landed on a branch just behind the Cuckoo and hooted softly like a Cardinal. I focused my eyes and recognized it as a blue bird with red bars on its wings...a Blue Grosbeak! WHAT! I was looking at two life birds in one raise of the binoculars. Unprecedented. They stayed in place for me to snap some pictures, although the Grosbeak is hard to make out because it was further back and in the shade. Take a look:

Fantastic. After that sighting I'll never talk smack about Kenilworth again. I didn't see much else...couple Yellowthroat, some more Indigo Buntings and, later, a female Grosbeak. A quick stop at the Aquatic Gardens brought nothing to speak of besides a Parula.

Great day in DC.

2006-05-05T12:35:00.000-04:00

Take More Action

Here are links and short summaries of bird-related (but not Avian Flu-related) legislation currently in Congress. Please write to or visit your Congressman (as someone who has worked in a Congressional Office, a visit with either the Congressman or a Legislative Assistant is about 1000 times more effective than a letter or a letter-writing campaign) and support these bills.

Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Improvement Act
This is the Senate version of the bill that would re-authorize and improve the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act first passed in 2000. The new bill would expand the bill to include birds that breed in Canada, increases the federal share of costs from 25 to 50 percent and establishes the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Account within the Multinational Species Conservation Fund.

Great Lakes Migratory Bird Research and Management Act
This bill would study whether or not birds (read: Double-Crested Cormorants) are depleting commercial and recreations fish populations in the Great Lakes. This bill relates directly to the issue I wrote about here back in April. I'm not sure where I stand on this...the results of the study could either be used to justify the killing of cormorants or as proof that they aren't affecting things as much as people think.

H.R.4315
The title of this bill is: To amend the Acts popularly known as the Duck Stamp Act and the Wetland Loan Act to reauthorize appropriations to promote the conservation of migratory waterfowl and to offset or prevent the serious loss of important wetlands and other waterfowl habitat essential to the preservation of such waterfowl, and for other purposes. Basically, it increases the price to Duck Stamps and puts the extra money towards increasing waterfowl populations and saving wetlands. Long title, simple premise

S.1497: A bill to require the Secretary of the Interior to provide incidental take permits to public electric utilities that adopt avian protection plans.
This bill would get utility companies (read: wind turbines) off the hook for accidentally electrocuting protected birds if the companies establish a viable plan for protecting the birds. Very interesting. It would seem that if a company established an avian protection plan then they wouldn't need an "accidental take permit." If I'm being cynical, then this could be a good way for an electric company to get around worrying about killing birds by half-assing a protection plan. If I'm not being cynical this might save a lot of birds from wind farms. I'm cynical.

Oops: The Bill

There are more, and I'll get to them tomorrow.

2006-05-04T19:44:00.000-04:00

Frustration and Kenilworth

Very disappointing afternoon of birding at Kenilworth Park. I don't know what my problem is so far this year but I'm having very little luck finding migrants. Part of it has to do with the fact that I'm still learning songs. Part of it has to do with the fact that it was late and many of the birds had gone quiet or to the nest. It's extremely frustrating, though, sitting in your office on a beautiful day and reading emails about local birders (who somehow get to go birding every single day!) seeing 20+ warbler species just down the road from me.
Sorry for the rant, but I rushed home and started the drive to Kenilworth only to get caught in Nationals traffic. When I finally got there I was hoping for at least one or the other of the Blue Grosbeaks or Vesper Sparrows that have recently been reported there. Yet, no Grosbeaks singing from the trees. No sparrows of any kind, anywhere. No Waterthrush at the banks of the river. No Hooded Warblers in the underbrush. Most frustrating of all: twice did I trace a singing bird to a tree but was unable to find it in the foliage and then watch it zoom off, unidentified, into the sun. Of the few birds I did manage to identify (all of about 4), only a pair of Common Yellowthroat were new to me this season.
BUT. I love it. And I'll be back.

2006-05-04T11:24:00.000-04:00

Dddddiiiiiistrict Patrol!

The spring migration is in full swing and it's fantastic. FANTASTIC. The Va-Bird and MDOsprey listservs are crowded with reports of happy birders skipping through parks whose trees are crowded with warblers, orioles, kingbirds and thrushes. It's a great time to be a DC birder.
I couldn't possibly begin to list all the sightings, so I'll try to summarize the rarest birds in the area.

Cape May, DC
The elusive Cape May warbler has been making appearances in the area, most notably in the Constitution Gardens LIKE 5 BLOCKS FROM ME BUT I'M STUCK AT WORK. Guh. This bird was first seen yesterday by John from A DC Birding Blog and was around later in the day. Cape Mays have also been seen at Rock Creek Park and several private yards.

Western Kingbird
I think this bird is a regular visitor to Fort McHenry near Baltimore (about an hour from DC) and it has been seen a couple times there this year. Beware, though, that is has also been searched for unsuccessfully.

Trumpeter Swan
A banded bird believed to be a Trumpeter Swan has been seen at Schoolhouse Pond at the Darnall's Chance House Museum in Prince Georges County, MD (I'd say about 30 minutes from DC).

Black-Billed Cuckoo
These guys have been seen at Rock Creek Park here in DC (where I think I'll be headed this weekend) and at Bandy Field in Richmond (about 2 hours from DC).

Alright that's all I've got...but there are a million birds out there. Keep checking the MDOsprey and Va-Bird archives to keep up.

2006-05-02T10:42:00.000-04:00

Take Action

The environment is in trouble. Land continues to be cleared for agriculture and development. Rivers continue to be dammed. Thousands of species (16,000 to be more specific) are currently facing global extinction. Think about that number...there aren't 16,000 species of bird in the entire world.

The good news is that there are lots of groups out there doing their best to defend wildlife and wilderness. Many work here in Washington, and they can all use our support.

So, instead of wading through spam email or wasting your time learning the complex operation of the "Delete" key, I've compiled a list of websites for such organizations. Each site contains lots of information on environmental issues and suggestions on ways we can help.

The Wilderness Society
[Note: I'm partial to this one: I'll be working for them as of 5/24]
"Deliver to future generations an unspoiled legacy of wild places, with all the precious values they hold: Biological diversity; clean air and water; towering forests, rushing rivers, and sage-sweet, silent deserts."

Defenders of Wildlife
'Dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities.'

The Union of Concerned Scientists
"A nonprofit partnership of scientists and citizens combining rigorous scientific analysis, innovative policy development and effective citizen advocacy to achieve practical environmental solutions."

The Sierra Club
"Our Mission Statement: 1. Explore, enjoy and protect the wild places of the earth. 2. Practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources. 3. Educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment. 4. Use all lawful means to carry out these objectives."

Natural Resource Defense Fund
"The Natural Resources Defense Council's purpose is to safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals and the natural systems on which all life depends..."

League of Conservation Voters
"The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is the political voice of the national environmental movement and the only organization devoted full-time to shaping a pro-environment Congress and White House."

Greenpeace USA
"Greenpeace is the leading independent campaigning organization that uses non-violent direct action and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and to promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future."

NOTE--This list is stolen, blatantly, from a longer, more complete list compiled by California State University at Chico that can be found here.

2006-05-01T23:23:00.000-04:00

Birds in Bartholdi Park

My internship takes me between Ford and Rayburn House Office Buildings almost every day. It's a beautiful little park across the street from the glassed in botanical gardens building and down from the front of the Capitol building. Although the park is small, I've always thought there was a chance of a seeing a warbler or something passing through. Until today, though, it had just been Starlings, Mockingbirds and a pair of Song Sparrows. But, on the way home last I heard some unusual sounds from the underbrush. Stooping low I caught a lone Ovenbird scurrying through the mulch. Good things come in small packages, and in small parks.

2006-05-01T10:42:00.000-04:00

Birder Profile: Kevin Graff

I met Kevin last weekend while I was chasing the Anhinga at Lilypons in Maryland. If I hadn't spotted Kevin and his friends tramping over to the right pond I might have left without seeing the bird at all. Thanks, Kevin, I owe you one.

Name: Kevin Graff

Location: Wild Bird Unlimited (bird store) in "The
Avenue at White Marsh", Nottingham, Baltimore Co.,MD

Profession: Co-owner (starting in May 2006)

Years Birding: 18+ (started on Dec 25, 1987)

Organizations: Baltimore Bird Club (chapter of MD
Ornithological Society) Nature Conservancy, Cornell
Lab of Ornithology, Wild Bird Center, World Wildlife
Fund

Lists: (As of 12/31/05) ABA 498, Maryland 356,
Baltimore 271, Worcester 268

Field Guides: National Geographic, Sibley & Kaufman
Field Guide to Birds of N. America

Optics: Swift 8.5x44; EgretII 8x42 in reserve status;
Kowa TSN-821M w/ 60x eyepiece

Favorite Bird: Hooded Merganser

Least Favorite Bird (C'mon we've all got one): Rock
Pigeon

Bird You'd Most Like to See but Haven't: any tropical
birds in any types of rain forests

Wish You Were Better at Identifying: gulls hybrids

Favorite DC-area birding location: Kenilworth Aquatic
Gardens

Favorite non-DC birding location: Worcester
Co./Blackwater NWR (both tied first place)

Best DC area Sighting: don't remember

Missed Opportunity: Ross's Gull at Back River Waste
Water Treatment Plant on March 25, 1990.

Fondest Remembered Single Day: Single-day record of
168 species counted in 13 hrs of Eastern Shore birding
on May 15, 1999 during Bloomin' Birdathon

2006-04-28T13:24:00.000-04:00

Beauty Contest

There has been a meme being passed around birding blogs recently (I didn't know what it was either, but check out this heavy definition) where birders chose their Most Beautiful Birds.

Sweet.

Here's my list (note: I'm only including birds I've seen...):
1. American Oystercatcher
2. Baltimore Oriole
3. Glaucous Gull
4. Long-Tailed Duck
5. Common Loon
6. Bonaparte's Gull
7. Red-Headed Woodpecker
8. Black-Capped Chickadee
9. Wood Duck
10. Sorry...but House Sparrow

Well there you have it. I've stayed away from warblers, which are too gaudy most of the time. Showoffs. I like a little class. It's like wearing a nice black tuxedo vs one of those Dumb and Dumber suits that always look wicked lame in person. But that's just me.
Let me try to pass this to: Birdchaser, Nature Kate and Mike's Digiscoping Blog

2006-04-28T11:03:00.000-04:00

I and the Bird News

The latest edition (#22) of the bird blogger carnival, I and the Bird, is up (as of yesterday) on Home Bird Notes. I did not submit anything this time around, but it's still fantastic.

In other news, I have elected to be the host of the next edition of I and the Bird, coming up on May 11th. I've already got one submission, and am taking all comers (I won't be refusing many, unlike some people) so get your submissions to me (nicholas.lund@gmail.com) or Mike soon.

2006-04-27T10:02:00.000-04:00

Interview with Kathy Brader of the National Zoo

The National Zoo is on a roll. Last July the city of Washington had their hearts melted by Tai Shan, a baby Giant Panda. In February, the city welcomed another youngster to the Zoo's collection: a North Island Brown Kiwi. Like the panda, the birth of the Kiwi outside its native country is very rare (the last Kiwi born at the National Zoo was in 1975). Also, like the panda, the bird is extremely cute.
I recently swapped emails with Kathy Brader, the Senior Bird Keeper at the Zoo, and she was clearly very proud of her new charge. Like all new mothers, Ms. Brader was eager to swap photos, share the baby's milestones and discuss efforts to preserve the species in its native land (OK, most new mothers don't usually do that last one...). The chick is named Manaia, a Maori work meaning 'Guardian of earth and sky', and is, I repeat, very cute.

birdDC: If you might, give us a little background on Kiwis and the Island Brown Kiwi. How are they doing in the wild? Why is the Island Brown the only Kiwi that can be seen outside of New Zealand?

Kathy Brader: Wow start with a big one! Here goes. Kiwi are one of the most ancient species of birds, they go back about 39 million years and have only ever been found in N.Zealand. They are flightless with small wings, small eyes (though they do see okay), solid bones and two functioning ovaries. They are called the honorary mammal of NZ. They are the only bird with nostrils located at the end of their bill, and the second best sense of smell of any bird.

NZ is about 89 million years old and the only mammal species that occurred there naturally are 3 species of bats. Man has only been on the islands about 1000 years and they are the ones that introduced mammals.

In 1994 DOC (Dept. of Conservation) finished up with the some DNA work on Kiwi and has discovered that there 5 distinct species of Kiwi and two varieties. This may not be the final word on this, more work needs to be done.

North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx australis mantelli) is the only species found in collections outside of NZ. When NZ was ÂgivingÂ out birds as gifts to various governments and zoos the NI Brown Kiwi was the most numerous and most known. When I started working w/Kiwi about 19 years ago there was an estimated 64,000 birds (NI Brown Kiwi) left in the wild, today it stands at about 24,000. They are losing about 4-6% of their population every year and that doubles every decade. Although habitat loss is a factor the biggest problem is the introduction of mammals to the islands.

Kiwi have no defense against mammals, feisty as they are. Dogs are the number one killer of adults, Stoats and cats take the #1 and #2 spot for killing juvies. 90% of all kiwi chicks left in the wild with no protection are predated by 6 months of age. Of the remaining 10% only 5% will make it to two years.

All 5 species (and the 2 varieties) are protected. NI Brown Kiwi are an endangered species. Our recent hatching brings the number of kiwi in the US to 17 birds.

Only 3 species of Kiwi are kept in captivity in NZ zoos. There is a tremendous amount of conservation work going on in NZ to protect all the species.

bDC: Is there anything being done to protect Kiwi on islands with an established population of introduced mammals? Can anything be done? Or perhaps should efforts focus on small, mammal-free islands - as has been the case with conservation efforts for another famous NZ flightless bird, the Kakapo.

KB: Yes the Kiwi has several programs in place including release onto cleaned out islands off shore. There are also large areas on the mainland islands that are fenced in, or areas where intense trapping/poisoning are carried out. Also the program called Operation Nest Egg started in 1994 has proven to be a good booster for populations. This was begun by Dept. of Conservation (DOC) and several zoos (both private and public), local Iwi tribes and paid for by govt funds, private funds and gets a large boost from the Bank of New Zealand (who have the best web site, check it out: (http://www.kiwirecovery.org.nz/Home/). The program removes eggs or chicks from the wild and rears them in captivity to a certain size/weight and releases them back in safe areas, always back to the same area to ensure the genetics are not messed with. This program has been extended to other NZ birds. There is a place in Wellington that was an abandoned water works area (right downtown, built on an earthquake fault line, not a good idea for a dam :) ). Anyways there was this huge area with wonderful trails, woods, ponds, etc, now being farsighted they fenced it in, removed all non native species, except for mice and introduced birds, invertebrates etc back. Lots of native birds came back on their own. They introduced the Little Spotted Kiwi and are now up to over 90 birds, this the first time little spots have been back in the wild on the North Island in 100 years. They have a 500 year plan in place. Its terrific place to bird, local schools use it for nature walks, talks etc. Wonderful place. (http://www.sanctuary.org.nz/ )

Kiwi are used as a flagship species, what ever you do to help them help everyone.

There are captive and wild programs for kiwi. They receive a lot of private support and work very hard to involve local communities in various projects including the local Maori (who consider the Kiwi an elder brother and is revered), remind to dig out the story on how the Kiwi lost his wings.

I am the kiwi advisory to the newly formed Ratite TAG (Taxon Advisory Group, for the AZA). I spent 5 weeks in NZ last year working at zoos, private and public and with DOC regarding different Kiwi issues. It has been very helpful to jump start the overseas group into a more pro active movement to keep Kiwi alive and well for the future in the overseas collections.

bDC: It sounds like the right steps are being taken. It's wonderful to hear promising news on any bird species, especially one as iconic as the Kiwi. Switching gears to the Manaia, the new chick, how did the birth go? Who are Manaia's parents?
KB:The male is named Maori and a wild caught bird that came to us in 1991 from NZ est. to be about 21 years old. The female is Nessus a San Diego hatch bird (1996) about 9years old. This is the first living offspring for both birds. Manaia is the first kiwi in this country (on her mothers side) that is now a 2nd generation bird.

The hatch was early only 64 days. So a big surprise to us all, and it went like clockwork. The chick must have read the protocol, because she does everything right on schedule (thank goodness). We couldnÂt have asked for a better incubation (except for the hatch being early) and the chicks growth. This morning she was 541grams.

bDC: You say that Manaia is the first living offspring for both of her
parents, yet they are both quite old. Is it common for kiwi to wait so
long to lay eggs?

KB:Kiwi females usually begin to lay about 4-5 years old, males can start
breeding about 2.5 years, though some females have begun to lay about
3.5 years and some males about 2 years. Kiwi live (we believe, time will
tell us more) to about 60 years. This pair has been together for about
3.5 years and in captive situations nott's unusual not to have
fertility till the 3 or 4th season, this seems to be a captive problem,
but not enough research has been done (though research is adding every
year to what we know) yet to tell us about the wild situation. This
female has been laying eggs since she was about 5 years, though the zoo
she was at thought they were all infertile, but again one of the things
I learned last year in NZ was that a lot of good eggs get tossed by
people who do not know enough about Kiwi eggs. In NZ they actually have
two different kiwi incubation classes that they teach(its taught by Dr.
Bassett who is doing a lot of research into kiwi incubation techniques,
egg problems, etc). My goal is that in about 2-3 years to have a US Kiwi
Workshop and to bring in some people from NZ to get us up to speed. They
learn stuff every year over there, but a lot of times publications are
years behind.

bDC: What's the future for the chick? Is she going to stay with her
parents at the zoo or is she destined for somewhere else? and;
Who got the choice job of picking the chick's name?

KB: Her name represents a 1/2 bird 1/2 man spirit being who is a messenger to the gods. I picked out a bunch of Maori names and we (with input from the very top) picked that one. Some NZ friends of mine touted it around to some Maori friends of theirs and they all thought it was a great name. They thought what a great name for a bird that is representative of her species to our species. We are eventually go to set her up at the Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal VA (its the zoos offsite area for different endangered species). Eventually when she is at least 3 years old we will introduce a male to her (and hope they like each other). And no problem with all the questions, I do LOVE talking about Kiwi and esp. our newest special girl!

Links:
National Zoo's Kiwi Update Page
Bank of New Zealand Kiwi Recovery
Homepage of the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary
National Geographic Photo in the News

2006-04-24T22:24:00.000-04:00

Kenilworth Park

I've read several times in MDOsprey posts about people seeing birds in something called Kenilworth Park. For awhile I figured that they were talking about the grassy areas at the entrance to the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, one of my most frequently visited spots. When a Grasshopper Sparrow, Vesper Sparrows, Orchard Orioles and Blue Grosbeaks were reported from the park, by the 'football fields' no less, I knew I was missing something.

A quick email to Gail Mackiernan straightened me out. It turns out there is a large, grassy park just down the road from KAG, about a 5 minute drive from my house. I took advantage of the cloudless afternoon to go check it out, and hopefully catch a glimpse of some of the aforementioned birds.

I quickly found the park (thanks for the directions, Gail), parked in the first dusty lot and took a look around. The place is huge. On the right side of the road are football fields, probably 5 total, alternating with un-mowed sections of tall grass and shrubs. Behind the tree line, presumably, is the Anacostia. On the other side of the road is carefully mowed grass that leads down to more trees and a small stream. Outstanding habitat all, especially for openfield birds like prairie warblers and savannah sparrows, both of which had been recently reported.

I, unfortunately, wasn't so lucky. I arrived at the park around 630 and the long shadows peeling off the trees must have indicated to the birds that it was time to quiet down. I had hoped to catch the park's residents in full afternoon song, but there was almost no birdnoise apart from a few Canada Goose honks, the Cardinal's droning siren and the melancholy whistle of White-Throated Sparrows.

Off the back of the second parking lot I cornered a group of Savannah Sparrows between myself and the river. The Vespers were reported as being in a group of Savannah's and I was certain I was in the right place, but the birds were just not cooperating. They were overly shy and would flit into the deep woods whenever I tried to get closer. Finally they shot out of the trees and across the park and I lost them. I had IDd three Savannahs, no Vespers.

I continued through the park and to the walk-only area behind the barriers. It looked like superb habitat, but I saw nothing aside from Cardinals, Barn Swallows and a few Grackle flyovers. I headed back to my car a bit disappointed but excited about finding such good habitat so near my house. Maybe it's better in the mornings...

2006-04-23T17:59:00.000-04:00

Super Sunday

Got up excited to look for some birds, but unsure of where to go for them.

Money's tight as an intern, and so gasoline is a serious consideration. I wanted to go to Lilypons to look for the Anhinga, but the drive from my house is over an hour and I didn't want to go all the way up there if it was just going to rain on me. I decided to stick around the DC area.

When I got to my car, though, my earlier decisions (I thought my mind and body had agreed...) meant nothing, and I quickly found my way to the George Washington Parkway towards Potomac. Somehow I had reasoned to myself that going back up to Violette's Lock would be a happy medium, but after about an hour in the car I was forced to get gas anyway. Whatever.

I pulled into Violette's Lock and took stock. The trees were swarming with birds, but almost everything I got my binoculars on was a yellow-Rumped Warbler. There were tons of them. In fact, I was getting pretty frustrated that they were hogging my binocular space all the time. Nothing personal, I was just looking for some new birds. I did see a nice Nashville Warbler feeding in the brushy area between the lock and the river. Besides the Nashville, a couple Parula, some Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers and Brown-Headed Cowbirds it was the only Yellow-Rumps before the rain started.

And it rained hard. I was a little disappointed that I hadn't seen any life birds but had driven all the way up to Potomac instead of going for the Anhinga. I left Violette's and fully intended to come back home out of the rain and watch the NBA or something. It was working, too, until I came to a sign that said <-- FREDERICK-BALTIMORE / WASHINGTON -->. I suddenly remembered that Lilypons was just off the road to Frederick and yanked the steering wheel into that lane. Screw it, lets go.

About 20 minutes later I was pulling into Lilypons Water Gardens, a sprawling complex of ponds and wetlands...perfect for an out-of-place Anhinga. I didn't know exactly where to go to find the bird, but I figured there would be a bunch of birders that I could just follow. Whelp, after walking around for 40 minutes on muddy roads without seeing another birder I was ready to admit that I might have to go ask someone. I was a little worried, actually, that the bird had left. My luck turned, though, while I was stumbling back toward the office. I heard an unusual call from some dense vines and eventually saw it's singer: a White-Eyed Vireo, a lifer for me (believe it or not). Moments later I saw three people (one with a scope over his shoulder) tramping down a road I had yet to take...and I knew I had my Anhinga-ers.

The group said that the bird was seen "just a few minutes ago" (phew!), but was flying around and so could be anywhere. We watched and waited until, sure enough, the bird flew into view just over the treetops in front of us. I knew immediately that it was a not a DC cormorant, as it is sometimes confused with, as it's wings were set much more forward than cormorants. It looked almost like a large falcon with a pencil neck. Regardless, it was pretty radical. The bird soared, alternating flaps with glides, round and round over the pond, gaining altitude until it was nearly out of sight. I lost the bird in the clouds and sun and decided to head back, very satisfied.

Buuut I wasn't done. Getting back into DC the weather turned very sunny and I couldn't figure out what I would do at home so I decided to go check out the Arboretum for some warblers. I stuck around the Capitol Columns parking lot (well, I parked there and walked down through the orchard thing and to the pond and back) and saw a great many Yellow-Rumps (again!) as well as my year's first Pine Warblers and a surprising Eastern Kingbird. I've always wanted to see a Hooded Warbler, but apparently I should have been up by the Azalea Gardens since John from A DC Birding Blog had some good looks at one there. I've said it before and I'll say it again, maybe next time.

2006-04-22T14:29:00.000-04:00

Rainman

I've complained a lot about how the weather over the last few months has been beautiful during the work week and lousy on the weekend. Well I've finally decided to stop trying to fight it and start living with it. Last night I waited out the rain delay at RFK instead of assuming the game would be cancelled, and was rewarded with 3 Soriano homeruns and a 7-4 Nationals win. This morning looked equally grim, but I decided that the lure of White-Faced Ibis (which were, contrary to my post, reported at Huntley Meadows yesterday afternoon) was too much to let pass. Cloudy but not raining, thinking the birds were there but without confirmation, I packed up and headed for Alexandria.

The weather turned bad as soon as I pulled into the parking lot. It was not looking good. I made the hike through the woods (which seemed longer than usual thanks to the rain) and made it to the boardwalk. I was hoping that around a bend I would see a cluster of birders with their scopes pointed at the Ibises...but there was no one in sight. I walked to the edge of the pond and saw lots of Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Snipe, Rusty Blackbirds, Tree, Barn and Northern Rough-Winged Swallows and a Great Egret. Nice, but I didn't see what I was looking for, plus I was soaked. I thought about turning around, but decided instead to hike over to the two-story observation tower where I could maybe keep dry and keep looking for the Ibis.

Turns out that this is where the birders were keeping themselves, their scopes at the ready. To my surprise (and delight) one of them said that the Ibis were indeed out on the pond. The rain was heavy, and the birds were taking cover in the reeds at the far side of the pond, not being seen for the last 20 minutes or so. In addition, the birds could only be seen from the angle provided by the top of the structure, where the rain was pounding down. I resigned to the relative comfort of the bottom deck and hoped someone would shout if the birds emerged.

Luckily, I kept my binoculars trained on the area where the birds were last seen and sure enough I was the first of the bunch to re-sight them, from the bottom deck no less. A couple had set up their scope next to me and kindly let me have a look at the birds after they got it sighted. White-Faced Ibises, here in Virginia. Success.

The birds provided a few glimpses after the initial ID, but stayed mostly behind the swamp-grass. When the rain slowed a bit most of the birders took the opportunity to start the walk back to the parking lot. Back on the boardwalk, the man who let me use his scope reminded me that an American Bittern had been seen nearby. I was wet and cold and wanted to keep moving, but I told him I'd keep my eyes open. Sure enough, about 5 steps later I spotted the Bittern about 10 feet off the boardwalk in the reeds. Unbelievable looks. The bird moved slowly through the reeds, posing every few steps and giving great looks. I had only seen this bird once before and only for a moment at that. I trudged back to my car wet and happy.

The rain let up completely by the time I made it back to the lot and I decided to look for some warblers on the trails near the welcome center. My binoculars were wet (and I dont think they're waterproof...) and so I couldn't ID some of the birds I saw, but I had good looks at a Hermit Thrush and my first-of-the-year Ovenbird, one of my most familiar birds from the NY woods.

Instead of sitting on my butt all day and complaining about the weather I rolled the dice and went to Virginia...and had a great day. Maybe I'll keep this lucky streak going and check out the Anhinga in MD tomorrow...

2006-04-21T13:35:00.000-04:00

Re: Carpe-ing the Diem

Well I balked yesterday at my attempt to find the White-Faced Ibises at Huntley Meadows and it's already biting me in the ass. The birds are MIA from the swamp today and it's not likely that they'll return once they're gone. Awful. John of A DC Birding Blog left an ominous message about the fickle habits of migrants like the WFI, but I hoped he would be proven wrong this time. In my defense, though, there's no way I would have made it down to Huntley before, say, 7:30. I promise.
It's shaping up to be a lame weekend all around. I was planning on going to Nationals games both tonight and tomorrow night (growing up a baseball fan in Maine didn't provide much opportunity, aside from yearly Fenway trips, to see Major League ball so now I'm grabbing as much as I can like a guy in one of those flying-money booths), but the forecast is set to THUNDERSTORM both nights. Thanks, thanks a lot. So no birding and no baseball. Fantastic.
In slightly better news (or maybe nature just rubbing it in) it appears that waves of migrants are swooping into the area. Some 8 warbler (and 1 tanager) days are already being reported...and this rain will only serve to ground the birds around us. I'll plan on hitting up the Arboretum and KAG, storm or no storm. Migrant targets: Hooded Warbler, LA Waterthrush, prairie Warbler, Summer Tanager. Wish me luck.

2006-04-20T19:05:00.000-04:00

Ibis Attempt...Thwarted

Got out of work a little early today and made an attempt at getting down to Huntley Meadows to see the White-Faced Ibises. I made it as far as 395 South. As soon as I saw the bumper-to-bumper traffic on the highway I took the first exit off and came home. There's no way I would have made it by 7:15. No worries, I'm confident the birds'll stick around til Saturday morning. Fairly confident.

2006-04-20T17:04:00.000-04:00

Anhinga Update

The Anhinga spotted in Maryland yesterday has been sighted again at Lilypons Water Gardens in Buckeystown, MD (40 miles from DC).
Looks like I have a destination for the weekend.

Also, the White-Faced Ibises are still hanging out at Huntley Meadows. I'm going to try to find them tonight or tomorrow afternoon.

2006-04-19T17:30:00.000-04:00

District Patrol

Keeping you posted on the latest sightings and buzz in the DC Area.

Ibises? Ibisi?
I don't know how you spell the plural, but 4 individuals of the White-Faced Ibis have been seen at Huntley Meadows Park in Virginia (a mere 25 minutes from DC!). The birds flew in yesterday, the 18th, and returned this morning...and area birders are hoping that they will stay even longer (til the weekend at least so I can get down there...). VA-Birders report that seeing more than one WFIbis at a time is very rare (hence my trouble with the plural...). Some fantastic pictures taken by Paula Sullivan can be found here. See you there this weekend.

Ex-kite-ment!
Awful. Puns are the devil's vomit.
Anyway, two species of Kite have been seen in Virginia in the past week. A Mississippi Kite was seen cruising (but not stopping) over the Metz Wetlands Bank in Woodbridge, VA (35 minutes from DC. The bird has not been seen again.
A Swallow-Tailed Kite was also briefly seen nearby in Fairfax, VA (37 minutes from DC). This bird was also only seen once.

And Anhinga
Another addition to the crazy migrants this week, an Anhinga was seen soaring over Lilypons in Frederick Co. MD (1 hr 13 minutes from DC). Like everything else, this bird has so far been a one-time only sight. I'll keep you posted.

2006-04-17T11:45:00.000-04:00

Killing Cormorants

I read an article on Yahoo! News the other day titled: Mich. Tries to Clamp Down on Cormorants and was pretty disappointed. It seems that Double-Crested Cormorants, which were down to 89 nesting pairs on the Great Lakes in the 70's, have responded to tougher pollution standards and now number more than 100,000 nesting pairs.

Their rebound has not been celebrated by everyone, however. Sportsmen in the area are up in arms about the number of fish these birds are eating and have begun efforts, with federal funding, to kill, scare away or oil the eggs of the birds.

The issue has once again inflamed the conflict between conservationists and sportsmen. The irony of this situation, though, as I discovered on several websites including this messageboard, is that the cormorants seem to be helping the fisherman instead of hurting them. Cormorants have been feeding most heavily on alewife, a small baitfish not native to the great lakes. It seems that the decline in alewife population has been beneficial to populations of gamefish that people actually want to catch, especially walleye.

The fact that so much federal action has been undertaken without, obviously, an effective study of whether or not these birds are actually hurting the fishing industry, is unfortunate. I wonder what would happen if such an immediate and lucrative response from Congress could be given to people who wanted to protect species instead of 'control' them?

The worst part of the whole article is the opening quote from Jimmie Miller, a 67 year old man who was probably interviewed while sitting on his JetSki on his lakeside cabin with a freshly-paved driveway:

"We're taking our lake back."

Yeah. Take that, nature.

2006-04-15T17:21:00.000-04:00

Violette's Lock

Straight up gorgeous day. GORGEOUS.

I was taking a flight out of Dulles a couple weeks ago and as we gained altitude over the DC metro area I noticed lots of wooded areas along the Potomac that, I assumed, would be good for birding. Although I thought I was the first person to discover these areas, it turns out that I was looking at a very popular, very beautiful national historical park: the C&O Canal. So today I took the quick trip up to Violette's Lock and walked the path between the canal and the Potomac.

What a paradise. The first thing that struck me about the area was the clean smell of the river. Living in the city you're subjected to a lot of smells and only a few of them are pleasant...even less of them are 'clean'. But that's exactly what violette's lock smelled like. Fresh water and wind and blossoms. Awesome.

The second thing that struck me was how many birds there were. The air was filled with songs...most of which I hadn't heard since last summer. Almost immediately I head the whurr-pop of a Northern Parula, my target bird for the day and No. 207 for me. Nice. I walked about 2 miles down the path encountering 10-15 Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers, lots of Yellow-Rumped Warblers, woodpeckers, Turkey and Black Vultures, singing Cardinals and Chickadees along the way. I also saw a water snake (or a regular snake swimming down the canal...) and another snake, which means I saw more snakes in 1 hour than my entire summer in the woods of NY. I also saw a large brown lizard on the far side of the canal...but I haven't been able to figure out what it was. It was probably a foot long and looked all brown without stripes or anything. I think it must have been a female Five-Striped or Broad-Headed Skink, but I didn't get a picture and don't know for sure. No matter.

I had heard Northern Parula but wasn't able to see any, which isn't a very satisfying feeling. I mean, it's still legal and all, but not the same. I had resigned to this until I was about 10 steps from the bridge across the lock and to the parking lot when I heard the whurr-pop startingly close to my head. Looked up, Northern Parula. Done and done, satisfied. (Except with the picture that didn't turn out...).

Made a stop at KAG before getting back to my house. Compared to Violette's, KAG was desolate. Very little singing, very little activity, smelled like muddy crap. I still love the place, though, and it still turns up some nice sightings. Two hunting Osprey made circles with big fish in their talons. Beautiful birds. On the way back down the river trail I saw my year's first Lesser Yellowlegs (although its legs were blatantly orange...Ruff? Huh? Again, the pictures didn't come out.)

Here are the only pictures that did come out:

2006-04-13T10:02:00.000-04:00

I and the Bird #21 and I

Put on yer Sunday britches, gather up yer nickels and help Uncle Dennis into the backseat: it's Carnival Time! Well, maybe not that kind of carnival, but the 21st Edition of the 'I and the Bird' birding blog carnival. Actually, it's probably better than an actual carnival...where growth-stunted Deliverance extras fight one another to shuffle through puke and discarded fried dough plates so they can catch a glimpse of Otis The Fattest Cow Ever.
Nevertheless, included in this (month's?) edition, among other fantastic posts, is my recent interview with digibirding pioneer Norm Saunders. It's a fantastic piece of journalism that will some day undoubtedly win me a Pulitzer. So, in conclusion, check out I and the Bird #21. Discounted admission for seniors and vets.

2006-04-12T20:40:00.000-04:00

Mall Shopping

Trying to find a place to look for birds after work while the sun is still out has so far been a problem. The two most reliable locations, the National Arboretum and Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, close before I leave the office. I thought all was lost until I saw a message on VA-BIRD that someone had seen (among other birds) a Northern Parula and a Palm Warbler right on the Mall. The Mall! That's right near me!

So at 6 I took off toward the Washington Monument scanning the trees as I went. Let me tell you, it looks promising. One of the reasons I like DC so much is that it's a very green city, especially the Capital Hill area. The Mall is lined with large trees on both sides. On the other side of the street are sculpture gardens, fountains and intricate arboreal displays (like at the National Gallery). Aside from a Cardinal, there were no extraordinary birds, though.

After the Washington Monument is where things really get good. I'm not sure if it's called Constitutional Gardens or the German-American Peace Gardens or what, but the area between the reflecting pool and the Vietnam Memorial is great habitat. I believe this is where the warblers were seen today, and I kept my eyes open (all I had was my eyes, unfortunately, no binocs). Two American Coots were in the pond. Three Chipping Sparrows by the woman's military statue (I'm not sure what it is exactly). A ragged blue jay. Several times I saw warbler-shaped birds passing through, but a combination of sharp light and lack of binoculars prevented ID.

The best bird of the day was a mistaken ID. Walking towards the reflecting pool from the women's statue I just mentioned I saw a flash of rusty red. The bird landed on the ground in front of me, partially obscured by a tree, but giving a nice view of a streaked breast and a red back. Finally I've seen a Fox Sparrow, I thought. Nay. The bird hopped forward and revealed itself as a Brown Thrasher. Still a good bird, and my first of the year, but not what I had hoped.

Regardless, the place looks promising. I'm glad I've found such good habitat so close to my work. I'll be back.

2006-04-10T10:41:00.000-04:00

Finally Sunday

After a rainy, windy Saturday (and a long and hazy Saturday night) I woke up on Sunday ready to get outside and find some birds. Reports of spring migrants were fresh in my head, and I planned to hit the best three local DC spots to find them: Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens for Northern Rough-Winged Swallows, the Arboretum for Palm Warblers and Huntley Meadows to find the Little Blue Heron that was seen there.

Since it was about noon before I actually left the house (c'mon I was out late...) I figured I would wait until dusk to look for warblers at the Arboretum and instead headed across the river to KAG. It was a gorgeous day: bright sun, easy breeze and not a cloud in the sky.

The parking lot was loud with bird activity, but nothing out of the ordinary save a few late cedar waxwings. Wandering through the ponds I watched a Belted Kingfisher hunting from a tree. A Great Egret, my first of the year, flew lazily overhead. In fact, the laziness of the park affected me...so did my headache...and I relented to the warmth by taking a nap on the boardwalk steps overlooking the cattail marsh.

A half-hour later, somewhat refreshed, I woke up and walked to the main pond. Just as I hoped, swallows were everywhere. Trees were most common, but I easily picked out my first ever Northern Rough-Winged Swallows and a single Barn Swallow (John from A DC Birding Blog was apparently also at KAG that day and picked out some Bank Swallows in the mix...). There were some waders I could at the far end of the pond, closer to the end of the river trail, but I wanted to see the Little Blue Heron at Huntley Meadows so I cut short my trip and headed out.

It took me forever to get there. Forever. I was in the wrong lane on Route 1 when it split off without warning and shot me across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Because I don't know the roads I had to do a big loop all the way back to East Capitol Street...a nice solid hour of driving. Afterwards the brutal traffic on lower Route 1 and a sign reading mistake (I thought "next signal" meant "next as in the one after this" not "immediately next") left me a screaming menace on the road (I get pretty frustrated when lost...).

Finally I got to Huntley Meadows and all was well. I didn't get the Heron I was looking for, but I did spot a Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, a new bird for me, cowering in the reeds at the start of the boardwalk. Also off the main pool were close-up looks at a Snipe, some GW Teal and my third new bird of the day, a Pectoral Sandpiper.

Satisfied and tired, I headed back home to watch the Masters finish. I once again forgot that the Arboretum closes at 5 and so missed out on the chance to see warblers singing at dusk. Oh well, it'll give me a goal for next weekend.

New life list: 205 Year: 115 Times I've tried to go to the Arboretum before remembering that it was closed: 4

2006-04-08T14:20:00.000-04:00

The Most Remarkable Thing I Have Ever Seen

Randy Johnson is a major league baseball pitcher. You may also know him by his nickname, the no-less-unfortunate "Big Unit." He is famous for his intimidating stares, his tall awkward ganglieness and, most important, his ferocious fastballs.

In 2001, while in spring training with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Randy was part of the most amazing confluence of circumstances in, I believe, the history of the universe. Watch it HERE. Note: There are other versions of this video on YouTube.com, but I think this French version, with its slow-mo and lack of babbling meathead commentators (at least English-speaking ones), is the best.

Can you believe that? I saw this video in 2001 and I am just as amazed now as I was then. I think about it all the time. How many things had to come together for that! That bird decided to fly at that specific altitude, at that specific moment, on that particular day, in the middle of a baseball game (when have you ever seen that?) and the sum of those decisions put the bird in an exact 3 square inch location in space-time THAT WAS ALSO OCCUPIED BY A 95MPH HEATER FROM THE HARDEST THROWING PITCHER IN BASEBALL. Unbelievable.

What does this have to do with birds, you ask? Well one thing I've never been able to figure out about that video is just what species of bird is the one to meet its incredible demise. Most all of the stories written about the incident refer to the bird as a generic 'dove.' Is it? The size of the bird and the uniform whiteness of the feather explosion rule out pretty much everything Sibley's got for me as far as doves go. Mourning and White-Winged Doves (and pigeons) are about a foot tall, while the video bird is probably half that. The smaller Arizona doves, Inca and ground-doves, have red wings. The video bird clearly is all white.

Upon further internet research (no need to call in Mr. Luneau...) I suspect that the dove killed by Mr. Johnson was an escaped White Dove, the kind that is usually released for weddings and other lame events. Apparently these birds are used to meeting hilarious deaths, as they were the same species that, after being released during the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Olympics in Korea, promptly flew into the olympic flame and were burned to death.

One question is raised, though. You can clearly see another dove flying in the top right of the video, making this a pair of birds. If these are wild birds living in the stadium and presumably reproducing, doesn't that qualify them as a new ABA list species? I think we should look into it. I know it's just a short, blurry video, but it's way better than this or this.

2006-04-07T16:55:00.000-04:00

Chickadees

Black-Capped Chickadees are the state bird of Maine, a fact that was drilled into me in elementary classroom after elementary classroom. As a kid this fact was always kind of a let down. Chickadees were small and wimpy and kind of annoying-sounding, couldn't Maine have picked an eagle or a hawk or a sweet talking parrot or something? And, to make things worse, Maine's state flower is A PINE CONE.
"Hey sweetheart I brought you a lovely bouquet of pine cones."
"Oh, can I smell them?"
"They don't smell like anything except wood and sap and dirt. Plus they'll probably cut your nose. I love you."
So, Maine is pretty lame when it comes to picking it's official things:
Flower:White Pine cone. Nice.
Tree:White Pine. There's a shocker.
Nickname: Pine Tree State. These state lists brought to you by the Maine State Pine Tree Board.
Song: "State Song of Maine" by Roger V Snow. Are you kidding me? It's called the "State Song of Maine?" What kind of balls does this guy have to come right out and name it "The State Song of Maine"? The real winner: "Maine" by They Might Be Giants singer John Linnell. Awesome song where Maine is a giant crushing evildoers.
State Soil: Chesunkook. Oh I totally thought it was gonna be Tunbridge for state soil but then BANG Chesunkook! What an upset! I guess the voters were really looking for more of a classic Spodosol that typifies the northern temperate regions. We'll be talking about this one for ages.

And don't get me wrong, here. I'm not trying to talk trash about my beloved home state (check out the tattoo on my right arm...), I'm just saying that as an elementary school student it wasn't exactly a thriller learning about the official Maine state stuff. Even the flag is boring.

So this is all a long way of saying that it took me a while to figure out just how cool Black-Capped Chickadees are. It wasn't until this past summer, in fact, when I was working in the state forests of south-central New York state.

I'm really big into David Attenborough-narrated documentaries (ie, Blue Planet, Life of Birds...) and I remember something on one episode of the Life of Mammals. There are these monkeys in East Africa that travel in groups with other monkeys and mammals. Some of the animals are near the forest floor, some are near the tops of trees, some are at the front and some are at the back. See, there are a lot of predators in the forest: jungle cats and hawks especially. The monkeys have found, though, that traveling in groups with many animals acting as lookouts on different levels of the jungle offers them a lot more protection coverage than otherwise.

Chickadees, I found, do the exact same thing. They are very garrulous, active birds and travel in small flocks (eh...15?) through the woods. I would usually encounter them while standing in a silent part of the woods. I would hear a peep or a twitter in the distance, and then it would get louder and more voices would join and all of a sudden I was in the middle of a boisterous swarm of jumping and yelping birds that would depart in the same fashion, leaving me in the same, silent spot.

As the summer went on I noticed that other birds (always nuthatches and titmice, often warblers) would tag along with chickadee flocks and form roving gangs of songbirds, often the only birds in the forest. I suspect (with no scientific base) that after mating was finished and once the leaves begun to thin, the other birds found it advantageous to travel with the chickadees for protection (as the monkeys) and to exploit the reliable food sources that the year-round chickadees knew. As a wildlife photographer, I learned to love the sounds of chickadees. They are friendly, trusting and always presented themselves nicely for pictures.

I guess Maine knew what it was doing on that particular selection. Pine cone, though? LAAAMMMEEE.

2006-04-06T17:01:00.000-04:00

District Patrol 4/6/2006

It's been a long week...and boring work days are only aggravated by listserv emails that taunt you with fresh spring arrivals. Deep breath. OK all this means is that one day this weekend I'm going to have to get out and make a day of it. Not sure when, though. I really want a nice morning of late sleeping, but birders make it their passion to get up at some ungodly hour (although, this has never really paid off for me. Kate and I got to Point Pelee at like 6 am but hardly saw any birds until 10ish...). So I'll probably just get up around 10 and spend the day at the Arboretum (looking for warblers, especially Palms), KAG (looking for: late Fox Sparrows, Marsh Wrens, Snipe and waders) and Anacostia Park looking for LBB Gulls and Peregrines. I'm siked already. See you out there (I'll be the guy with his hair cut too short).

Getting the Worms
Some new birds spotted in the area include an Eastern Wood-Pewee at a gold course in(as far as I can tell) Catonsville, MD (47 minutes from DC). This bird is about a week ahead of schedule.
Yellow Palm Warblers have been turning up just about everywhere, Prarie Warblers and Northern Parula were found at First Landing (a brutal 3 and a half hours from DC) and a black and white warbler was spotted at Rappahannock (1.5 hours).

Grackles: They're GRREEEEAATTT!!
Discussion is being...discussed on the MDOsprey board about a possible Boat-Tailed Grackle that was seen in Towson, MD (1hr from DC). If verified, it would be a county record, as the species doesn't usually travel far inland. Some think the bird is a large Common Grackle or a Great-Tailed Grackle, while the ones who've seen it are holding their ground. I'll keep you posted when some harder information arrives.

2006-04-05T11:30:00.000-04:00

Interview with Norm Saunders

Anyone who uses a computer to find information on birds or birding (including reading this blog) owes a lot to Norm Saunders. For nearly 20 years Norm and his wife Fran have been dispensing information on bird sightings, trips and news in the DC area using digital technology. It all started in 1987 when Norm (I tried calling him Mr. Saunders but he wouldn't have it) created The Osprey's Nest (TON), a computer bulletin board system that allowed users to telephone in and listen to messages posted by other callers. It was the first system of its kind in the country dedicated to birding and began what must be called a revolution in birding, where sightings from all over the country can be shared almost instantly through a listserv like Norm's successor to TON, MDOsprey.
I recently asked Norm a few questions about the early days of digital birding, and what the use of digital technology has meant, and will mean, to birdwatching.

bDC: In terms of reporting and sharing sightings, what options were available to a DC-area birder in the days before the start of TON?

NS: There was always the MD Ornithological Society, with its many chapters (most of which maintain loosely-defined phone trees to notify folks of good sightings) and the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Virginia Society of Ornithology (ditto). But if you were a serious up-and-coming birder there was really only one source: the Audubon Naturalist Society’s Voice of the Naturalist.

When I was getting started in birding in 1981, Claudia Wilds was compiling and recording this tape. It was released at 10:00 am every Tuesday morning from Woodend, the ANS Headquarters in Bethesda. One had to make the call (usually more than once) and then take notes like crazy to make sure every last bit of information was wrung out of the week’s recording. Later, as I recall, Claudia had help from Erika Wilson (now retired and living in Arizona), and now a number of people still take on this burdensome task. It was *THE* way for birders who weren’t “connected” to get the necessary information about the really good sightings of the week.

Of course the very best way to get the timeliest information is to be part of the inner circle of birding. There is still a loosely-defined group of 25-30 birders who get the news before everyone else of a rare bird and who get invitations to see birds that are never reported in a public forum, usually because they are on private property or located where hordes of birders simply wouldn’t be welcomed. Most of the birders out there looking for news of good birds have neither the time nor the skills to penetrate this coterie. I suppose this group is necessary to insure that really rare birds get properly validated and recorded, but it’s a fact of life about birding that has never sat well with me and one of the primary reasons I got involved with providing a public birding forum.

bDC: So, once you recognized the need for a better system of reporting birds, how did you chose a computer bulletin board system (BBS)? Home computers and the internet were certainly not as prevalent as they are today, was finding a 'market' for TON a problem?

NS: Oh, that was the easy part. I'm an economist by trade and I always felt the best part about this job was the chance to fool around with the heavy iron of the big mainframes. So I was a sucker for personal computers when they first started appearing in the early 1980s. I wanted to know them inside and out and I wanted to push them to their limits. Shortly after buying my Kaypro II I read an article about BBS's where I could talk to other people and get free software and generally hang out with other computer weenies.

I had to teach myself enough Z80 assembly language to write a simple download routine for the Kaypro. That enabled me to get my first real communications package, and that opened up the whole world of bulletin boards. After a few years searching for other online birders, I realized that there were no birding-related bulletin boards (keep in mind that this was well before a viable, useful internet had arrived) so the idea of BEING the first hit me between the eyes like a freight train (how's that for a mixed metaphor?).

I wanted to aim at people from the DC area, primarily because it was a local call for them to reach The Osprey's Nest (TON), the bulletin board I began in 1987. Getting the word out was simple--I was a regular BBS'er on about 4 or 5 local bulletin boards, so I posted messages there letting people know about TON. I started to get new users almost immediately and by the end of the first few months we had about 50 or so periodic users. After that it grew slowly but steadily until we peaked out at about 150 or so local birders. Even though we had had over 2000 individuals call in from all over the U.S. to see what it was about, it wasn't practical for most of these folks to call often because of long-distance charges. This was the great limiting factor of BBS communications. Nonetheless, it gave a lot of locals a taste for what was possible. Many of these early subscribers remain my friends to this day!

bDC: For those of us who aren't familiar with a BBS, can you explain essentially how it worked?

NS: An individual would call the phone number (a dedicated telephone line) and my computer/modem would answer the phone and query the caller for their name and password. If they were a new user they would have to go through a registration phase where I gathered information about their name, address, phone, e-mail, etc. Once past the login process the user could elect to go to the message section of the bulletin board or to the files section.

The message section was a sequential set of messages posted by other users, just like a listserv, but without the re-distribution to all subscribers. People would post sightings reports, ask questions about equipment, flame some other user (which I tried to keep to a minimum), etc. You know, all the stuff that goes on in listservs and, I suppose, in blogs today.

The file section contained material I thought would be of interest to birders and other amateur naturalists. I posted weekly transcripts of the Voice of the Naturalist, of Armas Hill's Philadelphia Bird Line, of the weekly Cape May Bird Tape, etc. There was really quite an accumulation of freeware software, birding checklists, transcripts, and other goodies, including field trips scheduled from a variety of around-DC organizations, birding clubs, and the like. I put up most of this but a significant proportion came from users of the BBS.

bDC: The internet has allowed people who share an interest but live far apart to create a sense of community. TON and the listservs that came in its wake have certainly had the same effect. Do you think that birding is "better" now?

NS: Well, yes! We hear of sightings from around the state almost instantaneously now. We meet like-minded folks on-line and that leads to widespread networks of birders of all skill levels around the state. This mix of expertise flattens the learning curve and eases the formation of mentoring relationships. It is this mentoring which has led to the current bunch of "young Turks" now moving up the ladder to the top levels of birding in Maryland and elsewhere. People get over the many beginner's mistakes faster and amidst, generally, a supportive and well-informed commentary.

bDC: Are there people, perhaps from the group of elites you mentioned before, who don't approve of the access amateur birders have?

NS: There will always be a few, I suppose, who enjoy that sense of being in the inner sanctum and who resent the wide distribution bird sightings get today. I know a lot of birders in Maryland though and I can't really think of any who don't see forums such as MDOsprey as a tremendous boon to this insane fascination with birds that we share with each other.

bDC: Where do you see the future of digital birding?

NS: Cornell Labs and others are moving more toward online electronic reporting systems for their various citizen science exercises. To the extent that this gets more people involved and aware of environmental issues, I applaud their efforts. To the extent that people use this data to draw their own conclusions about birding issues, I am increasingly concerned.

However the use of electronic media evolves, though, it will continue to be with us and we should all work to make it a valuable adjunct to the spread of birding knowledge.

2006-04-05T11:24:00.000-04:00

Birder Profile: Norm Saunders

Name: Norm Saunders
DC Location: Postal Square Building, between Union Station and North Capital St. at Mass Ave NE
Profession: Economist
Years Birding: 25
Organizations: MD Ornithological Society, American Birding Association
Lists: North American Life List-669; MD Life List-363; Worcester County, MD Life List-300, DC Life List-166 (gotta work on this one!)
Field Guide: prefer National Geographic Society for field use, Sibley and others for home references
Optics: Bausch & Lomb Elites, 8x42; Leica Televid 62mm w. 30x eyepiece (my wife uses the Leica Televid 77mm scope, but then she's stronger than I am); Canon 10D w. 100-400mm zoom for bird photography

Favorite Bird: Northern Mockingbird--this bird's antics first got me interested in birding, lo those many years ago.
Least Favorite Bird (C’mon we’ve all got one): Rock Pigeon
Bird You’d Most Like to See but Haven’t: any tropicbird species, anywhere
Wish You Were Better at Identifying: gull hybrids

Favorite DC-area birding location: Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and the Arboretum, across the river from KAG
Favorite non-DC location: Assateague Island, Worcester County, MD
Best DC area Sighting: Peregrine Falcon at KAG, 20 years ago
Missed Opportunity: Long-billed Curlew in Southern Maryland, back in mid-1980s
Fondest Remembered Single Day: trudging through the boneyards on a brisk May morning in Gambell, AK

2006-04-03T09:55:00.000-04:00

New Michigan? More like 'No Michigan'!

Hilarious joke! What kind of comic genius could dream up such a pun? The kind of genius who isn't distracted by looking for birds all the time. So, yes, for the second time in a row, my visit to New Michigan SF turned up nothing. And, like, not even no new birds, but hardly any birds at all. During my visits this summer, while not turning up crossbills, at least offered a lot of other birds to look at. On Sunday I saw ZERO birds. ZERO. Without a few calls from American Crows and BC Chickadees I would have come away completely empty-handed. Oh well. I'll be back.

NEWS
Hot on the heels of the latest I and the Bird carnival, I have offered (and been accepted) to host the event in May. See you then.

California Condors, America's largest and one of its most rare birds, are making progress. A pair of birds have begun nesting in Big Sur for the first time in over 100 years.

MIGRATE UPDATE
The local listservs reports (MDopsrey and VA-Bird) are full of spring migrants. Early April has brought with it Broad-Winged Hawks, Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds, Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers, Yellow-Throated Warblers, LA Waterthrush, Northern Parula, Palm Warblers and more.

2006-03-31T10:00:00.000-05:00

Return to New Michigan

The Red Crossbill is my arch-nemesis. I devoted more time to looking for this bird than any other species and it has still eluded me. I have looked in places where it is regularly seen. I have talked to people who have "just seen it!" only to find silence when I hustle to the spot. It is my Atlantis, my bigfoot...and I'm sick and tired of it.

The target location for these birds has been the New Michigan State Forest in Pharsalia, NY. This large forest of white pine plantations and scattered spruce stands has been reliable year-round territory for red (and, often, white-winged) crossbills and was also, coincidently enough, one of the forests that I had to cover in my summer job as a wildlife photographer for the NY DEC (Resulting in the The New Michigan link, above). It seemed to be destiny.

But it wasn't. I searched the forest looking for crossbills, with good directions from local crossbill experts, FOR 7 MORNINGS without luck. Once I saw a few birds take off from the top of a spruce, I'm sure they were crossbills, but they left before I could identify. Another time, I came upon another birder who was 'just passing through' on her way to Syracuse and had just had great looks at the birds. Still, they eluded.

This is all a long way of saying that I'm going to be back at New Michigan this Sunday. Back, with a vengeance. I'm visiting Kate at Hamilton and Pharsalia is hardly out of the way. I will not be denied. Wish me luck.