Odds and Ends

For all those avian podophiles out there, reader Dea sends this cool link to site about bird feet.

I had to kind of bar myself from the blog yesterday. I love doing the blog so much, it can be a worse distraction than cable television. What fun to root around on the web for odd and obscure bird stuff. But work calls and so I put a mini ban on posting to the blog until I'm finished.

One of the projects I'm working on is some text for new lobby signs at The Raptor Center. I took home some of the sample designs to give me an idea of how much text. Cinnamon was quick to look it over.

And chew it. Working out some pent up frustration against the raptors there my little bunny butthead?

This starling about sums up my attitude at the moment. Both the starlings and the pigeons have taken to just sitting on my window ledge, not feeding but soaking up the sun in the cold weather. The bird looks like it's thinking, "Damn, it's cold."

I have become such a lazy lima bean since the weather has taken a turn for sub zero and single digit temperatures. Ever since the day after Christmas I had been on a good track of eating lots of fruits and vegetables and exercising regularly. I even joined the Beat the Punnetts team for Get Fit Twin Cities. I walked to the Y and then worked out, I was even walking to the local grocer instead of driving--that has all changed with the sudden dip in temperature. I love cold, but once my boogers freeze when I inhale (that's not an exaggeration), I prefer to just hole myself up in my home. Word on the radio is that I should enjoy the temps now, Friday it's getting even colder. I have to get out today and exercise...and pick up a roasting hen for some hardy soup.

Changing Peckers and Demonic Deer

I was downloading photos from the WingScapes Camera yesterday--FYI the batteries are working just fine in sub zero weather. One of the fun parts of having a motion sensitive camera is watching the story picture by picture when you are downloading what's on the camera. The above photo is part of a series of a downy woodpecker eating suet off of the wall of my apartment building. There were about five photos of her and the suddenly she turned into a hairy woodpecker. We tried to recreate it in the above photo.

Arg! Creatures of the Night! Demonic Deer and a bat. Eeeeeeeeeeee!

WingScapes is part of Moultrie which makes the best selling game cam on the market. They are fun, they help take photos of what's going on in your yard at night. One of their cameras took this photo--check it out, it got a bat. I'm not good with bat species, anyone have and idea what species it is?

New Disapproving Rabbits Page

In honor of the book cover design, Non Birding Bill has put up another Disapproving Rabbits page. I think the Angel of Disapproval is my fave.

Only In Alaska

From the Washington Post:

JUNEAU, Alaska -- About 10,000 Juneau residents briefly lost power Sunday after a bald eagle lugging a deer head crashed into transmission lines.

"You have to live in Alaska to have this kind of outage scenario," said Gayle Wood, an Alaska Electric Light & Power spokeswoman. "This is the story of the overly ambitious eagle who evidently found a deer head in the landfill."

The hefty bounty apparently bogged down the eagle, which failed to clear transmission lines as it flew away from the landfill, she said. When a repair crew arrived, they found the eagle carcass with the deer head nearby.

This eagle "got a hold of a little bit more than he could handle," Wood said.

Power was out less than 45 minutes.

I Kid, Because I Love

I just got this announcement: The guy who wrote one of the most comprehensive (and most sleep inducing) bird field guides is offering the following workshop:

WORKSHOP: ADVANCED AGING AND SEXING OF PASSERINES WITH PETER PYLE,

MAY 14-18,2007

Please join the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (SFBBO) and Ventana Wildlife Society (VWS), in cooperation with the Institute for Bird Populations (IBP), for an advanced aging and sexing of passerines workshop on 14-18 May, Monday - Friday, 2007. Peter Pyle, IBP Biologist, and author of The Identification Guide to North American Birds, Part I, will be the primary instructor. The action-packed week will consist of presentations, study of specimens, field mist-netting, banding, and processing at multiple locations on the central coast of California, and field trips to renowned birding locations. Participants will be trained in a synthesis of methods pertaining to identification, aging, and sexing of landbirds in the hand and in the field. Cost is $750 ($650 early registration, by 2 April 2007).

Breakfasts and lunches are included; lodging not provided.

For more information and a registration form please see our website at or contact JESSICA GRIFFITHS at the Big Sur Ornithology Lab (EM: jessicagriffiths AT ventanaws.org).

I actually really wish that I could go to this but I am too broke at the moment (so broke, I opened up what I thought was a royalty check and instead found a bill from the publisher). The Pyle book is essential for bird banding, it is not meant for the run of the mill birding. It's hardcore--some of the aging and sexing involves math--math of all things! Ack. Still, it would be a good time--San Francisco and birding. Sigh.

Disapproving Rabbits Book Cover

Yes, she looks a bit shaggier, but I think it works. She is so upset with what is going on that her fur is standing on end. This is so surreal to see A. my bunny butthead on a book cover and B. seeing my name on the book cover (and spelled correctly at that). I feel so grown up.

Odds and Ends

It's coooooooold. Today's low was supposed to be 0 degrees but I woke up to -4. Best to just tuck in, bake up some tasty high calorie food, watch the birds at the feeder and when it's too dark for that, watch tv.

I love The Learning Channel! Little People Big World is one of my favorite shows--I love it if for no other reason they're good parents. It's nice to watch a family actually work like a family. The mom on that show doesn't put up with any crap and the dad makes the coolest stuff for the kids to play on. I also bet they have some really cool birds on their property. I also love Miami Ink (gotta love a show about a bunch of hot artistic guys with a dream to make it big). If I didn't have to pay for my own travel I'd love to apply to get my next tattoo on that show. Both those shows have so much heart, everyone is passionate about what they are involved in.

Tonight we have much different shows on TLC. These are just the one hour documentaries about things you shouldn't watch but want to know about anyway. The titles pretty much tell you everything you need to know:

I Eat 33,000 Calories A Day
The Smallest People In The World
A New Face For Marlie

I have to say that watching a show about four morbidly obese people--two of whom are eating over 30,000 calories a day are really making me feel not so bad about days I eat over 2000 calories.

Now the true Minnesota winter has set in. Yesterday was a gorgeous sunny day but in the teens with stinging wind. We took a walk in it, being fooled by how cold it really was since the sun was out. Above is a photo of Lake of the Isles not too far from where we live. It is completely frozen over and is a playground for cross country skiers or any of us who just want to walk around on the lake and get a closer look at its islands. Many of my friends are down at the Space Coast Festival in Florida. I have deadlines and couldn't make it there this year. I will not think of the warm temperatures, ocean and oh so cool birds. Really, I won't.

This is an old osprey platform on one of the islands on Lake of the Isles. You're not allowed to get on the islands, they are a preserve. My owl senses tingle every time I go by, but the islands have so much brush, I don't know how far I would get onto them even if I decided to ignore the signs. In the summer I'm sure they are loaded with all kinds of breeding birds. You can't see it at this angle but this osprey platform is surrounded by taller trees so the chances of it being used by osprey is very slim since they like the nest to have good visibility from all sides. As I understand it, the people who lived around Lake of the Isles when the platform was put up didn't want the platform to be taller than the surrounding trees for aesthetic reasons. Sigh.

I'm not sure how, but I managed to coax Non Birding Bill out on the ice with me. I think he would rather not have been out, but since I was going he wasn't thrilled about me walking on ice by myself (no matter how deep it is) and didn't want me out there alone.

My favorite part of the frozen lakes are the ice sculptures that people put up. Here we have a sweet dragon sculpted on top of the ice. That is one of the benefits of living in an artsy area, the local artists are happy to use the frozen medium.

Here's a head on view. Happy Dragon.

When it gets this cold, you use any sign possible to remind you of warmer months in the future. Note the two starlings above. The starling on the left has fewer spots than the one on the right. It has already worn out most of its winter plumage. Even the bill has gone to being mostly yellow instead of mostly black. This bird is ready for spring. Maybe a little too ready, it's not even February yet, but I love an optimist.

Woke Up This Mornin', Got Myself A Bun...

Cinnamon and her posse. This reminds me of the print ads for the Sopranos. I'm so excited, I just got a proof of the cover for the Disapproving Rabbits book. I don't know how, but the designer managed to make her look even more frightening than I thought possible. I'll see if I can get permission to put it in the blog. I might have to wait on that. It's so cool, Cinnamon has a book cover!

One of the great things about this blog is all the reader support. I truly do appreciate all the notes warning against Cinnamon meeting the neighbor's ferrets (although the sending of the graphic video of ermine and rabbits was a bit much and not as appreciated). I have learned lots about rabbits with meeting other rabbit folks and gotten some great tips.

The fake bunny thing is totally working with Cinnamon, she's not digging in her box at the moment. Above is a photo of her snuggling with her posse.

Cinnamon certainly isn't aware of any danger with the ferrets. She doesn't show any signs of fear when in the hallway after they have been out and doesn't freak out when I pet her after petting the ferrets. But after all the words of warning, why risk it? So thanks for the heads up and being such a great resource.

Just Because I Love This Headline

Birders Crazy for Smew from the Union Democrat.

We had a smew show up in southern Minnesota a few years ago. Everyone was gung ho to see it until someone from the MOU records committee sat and studied it and discovered that the right hallux was missing and it looked like a clean cut--something that is often done with captive birds. The smew was presumed an escapee and not a wild smew and therefore not countable on Minnesota bird lists.

I remember a few month after that I was in Nebraska and over heard a couple of guys talking about birds and smew came up. I turned and asked where they had seen it. They were from Iowa and had gone to see the smew that was in Minnesota a few months earlier. I told them that it was no longer considered countable and about the missing hallux. They looked at me skeptically and one said, "Somebody actually watched it that close?"

"Yes. You don't play around with the Minnesota bird record committee, they're hardcore."

And they are.

Crestfallen, they quietly walked away.

Have I put this story in the blog before? I'm really starting to get concerned that I'm repeating stories...

Friday's Doin's

Think those chickadees are cute and adorable? Get one in hand they are as vicious as can be and masters of pinching the most painful pieces of skin. I had just focused this shot of a chickadee head perfectly and right before I snapped the photo the chickadee bent down an pinched the bander. She requested through gritted teeth that I hurry to get my photo.

Well, Non Birding Bill and I are still married. That N in the NBB is still firmly intact.

We went banding in the morning, had some lunch and then drove around looking for some the unusual birds in the area that have been reported: female mountain bluebird, gyrfalcon and maybe a stop by the airport to glance at the snowy owls.

We didn't see a single one!

Even banding was slow. I started referring to Non Birding Bill and Bad Luck Birding Jones. He corrected me that it was Bad Luck Birding Bill or Anti Birding Bill. He taunted me by saying he was going to start keeping track of all the birds he didn't see--that was his listing strategy.

NBB and I joke that especially when it comes to owls, we don't see stake out birds when I bring him along. I thought we had broken that with the sightings of the short-eared owls at Carlos Avery but I think the real reason is that when I have Bill along, I don't search as hard for birds as I would when I am alone or with fellow birders. When alone, if I notice a new road that I have never been down before, I might check it. If I get a little lost, I don't sweat it, I figure that I will eventually come to something recognizable and find my way back. NBB likes to know where we are and how we can get back, so I may ignore certain roads and trails. It was fun just spending time together in the car and talking nonsense.

Even though the numbers of birds into the traps was low on Friday at Carpenter, we did get one very interesting retrap--a male junco that was first banded in January 2003--it was one year old at that point and has been retrapped five more times since then. Here it was January 2007--the bird is now five years old. It has survived migration all those years, all those times we have harsh winter storms, temperatures below zero degrees, breeding and raising chicks. Something so small lasting so long in the wild, still going strong. I wonder where it breeds? We do have some that breed in the Arrowhead region of Minnesota, but did this junco come even further north than that?

Again, I have to ask: If banding is so traumatic why does the bird keep coming back to the same area where it has been banded so many times?

Golden Eagle vs. Fox--the story that won't die

Remember the photo and debate about how real the golden eagle vs. the fox photo was? For those still curious--the photo is real, the events you see in the image did happen.

Well, I've been getting an increase of traffic and comments on that post. Apparently there has been a news story in a Finnish newspaper about the photographer Pekka Komi and the photo. From the comments being left in the blog, he sounds like a taxi driver who takes incredible photos and is upset that the photo has been spread all over the Internet without his name and then being misrepresented as being taken from a hunter in Montana/Canada/anywhere but Finland. Poor guy, can't say that I blame him.

I tried to find the article but I can't.

Non Birding Bill Is Freaking Me Out

Twice this week Non Birding Bill has told me something that has just left me plain speechless:

1. "I can't believe a girl would actually pick Steve over Brandon." How many of you get that reference? Hey, let's turn it into a contest--guess the reference in the comments section an win a Zeiss baseball cap.

2. "Can I come with you to banding tomorrow?"

What's going on? Are the Poles switching places? Are cats and dogs going to start living together?

Some Hopeful News In Iraq

From the Middle East Online

BirdLife International, Nature Iraq jointly publish first fully illustrated comprehensive field guide of Iraq birds in Arabic.

LONDON - Iraq's first field guide for bird watchers shows how destroyed unique marsh are making a comeback, despite the violence now plaguing the country, the publishers said on Thursday.

Wildlife charity BirdLife International and a newly formed Iraqi organisation called Nature Iraq have jointly published their "Field Guide to the Birds of Iraq" in Arabic.

They described the volume, partly funded by the Canadian government and the World Bank, as the first fully illustrated comprehensive field guide to an Arabic speaking country.

It shows the rebirth of marsh habitats in the south of the country, which were 90 percent drained, but have been 40 percent reflooded since 2003.

"These are some of the most wildlife-rich sites in the Middle East, but often all we hear about is the conflict," Richard Porter, BirdLife International's Middle East adviser and co-author of the guide, said in a statement.

Iraq has 387 bird species, many of them native to the marshes in the south of the country where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flow toward the sea, an area that has been described as the likely location of the biblical Garden of Eden.

"For Iraq -- a nation that has lost so much of its wildlife in the last 20 years, this book opens the door for the growing conservation movement in this country," said Dr Ali Douabul of Nature Iraq."

New Pet In The Building And Bunny Mind Games

Our apartment is all hardwood floors and tile. Cinnamon loves to run and just can't get the necessary speed without doing a Scooby Doo run. Our building's hallways are carpeted so in winter we have a habit of letting her run out in the hall for her laps. The lighting is poor so we don't get any great photos of it. It's fun to do and it's how we get to know our neighbors. Let's face it--we get to be the people with the cool pet. Yesterday, Cinnamon got some competition:

Our next door neighbors were outside exercising Andy and Sawyer. I'm sad to say that I remember the pet names but not the people names. But Andy and Sawyer were running laps in the hall. What is the new cool pet?

Ferrets! Our neighbors adopted them from the local humane society and they are so funny to watch run--boy can they gain speed, I think the owners of the ferrets were running just as much as the ferrets themselves. The best part is that the ferrets would suddenly stop running and then flop--practicaly deflate. The remind me of a cross between a wiener dog and raccoon. Very cute. We're going to give them some time to get used to the hallway and then one day have a leash date with the ferrets and bunny. Hey, Cinnamon, you want to meet some ferrets?

"I don't think I approve of that."

Cinnamon has met other animals and apart from dogs has gotten along fairly well. She doesn't get along with other rabbits at all--and believe you me we have tried every trick in the book. I'll be curious to see how does with these two.

Recently, she has started this nasty, eye-watering stinky habit of digging in her litter box. As I've been out taking bunny photos, I've been getting advice from rabbit people on what to do. One recommended that since Cinnamon is a single bunny, she might benefit from having a fake bunny friend. Her litter box digging may just be her acting out for even more attention. The key to the whole situation is to treat the fake bunny just like Cinnamon.

Hmmmm.

I already had one fake bunny courtesy of WildBird on the Fly and then I purchased another bunny that looks an awful lot like Cinnamon. And so began the mind games with my pet rabbit. I set both the bunnies on the floor while she was hiding under the bed, gave them each a carrot and started petting them and talking to them like I do to Cinnamon. "Aw, sweety bunny, aren't you a good bunny. Want some tasty carrot, Fake Bunny?"

Cinnamon poked her head from out of the bedroom. She heard the sound of treats, she heard me talking to other pets. What was I up to? She came out and sniffed one of the fake rabbits, then grunted and lunged back. Fake Bunny didn't take the bait and just sat there. I made the treat sound and offered Cinnamon her own carrot. She ate it, but eyed me warily. I could tell she was wondering wasn't sure of my motives.

After Cinnamon finished her carrot, she went over to one of the fake bunnies again and began sniffing it and then grooming one of the ears. I stepped into the kitchen to grab some parsley. Here's what I found when I came back:

"I didn't do it."

Apparently, Fake Bunny generously shared her carrot with Cinnamon. How sweet. I pet the Fake Bunnies on the nose just like I do on Cinnamon--her favorite spot and cooed to them. I pet Cinnamon too. I left the room to give her some alone time and when I returned she was sitting between the two fake bunnies. She laid there, stretched out her back paws but didn't have that relaxed look in her eyes, they were wide open as if she were thinking, "I know I should be relaxed right now, but something about this is not right."

I reached to get the camera but she hopped away--is she ashamed to be filmed with her fake friends? NBB and I have been taking the fake bunnies in and out of the bunny room just like real bunnies. The litter box digging has stopped for the time being, but when we come in to the bunny room in the morning, they are both tipped on their sides and covered with hay. Is she taking her aggression on them out at night?

We'll have to see where this litte psychological experiment goes...

And The Eye Belongs To

And the winner of the guess the eye contest is Kathi aka KatDoc for her correct answer of:

dark-eyed junco. Good job, Kathi! Be sure to email your snail mail address to me and your choice of prize. I'll have to try this again when we get warblers coming to the banding station--mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Festival of Owls

Well heck, I may have to go to Houston Nature Center's Festival of Owls after all. I just saw a Press Release that says they've landed Denver Holt the founder and president Owl Research Institute in Charlo, MT as their banquet speaker. That combined with the bacon wrapped turkey is really enticing me. Denver and his work with snowy owls was in National Geographic not too long ago and he has been researching owls and their ecology since 1978, I've been very anxious to meet him and see what he's like. Gotta love a rugged guy spending time on the tundra with North America's heavies owl species.

This event has really come a long way. They've been getting some real quality speakers and events going on. There's an owl calling contest, bird banding, and live bird demos.

I have to admit that I'm kind of perplexed by one of the silent auction items at the festival: going on an airplane ride with Alice (the nature center's education great horned owl) on her first flight--ever. It's been my experience with education birds that motorized vehicles can freak them out. They aren't in control of the travel and don't seem to trust what is going on. Alice is different, she is imprinted to one handler so gets the benefit of being treated more like a pet than an education bird, so maybe there will be a different reaction. I wonder if they will be doing the flight at night or during the day? You don't typically see great horned owls flying up high in daylight, I wonder how they would process those images. Ah well, to each his own, I suppose.

Touching Up The Nest

Thanks to alert blog reader Linda for reminding me that it's time to start checking some nest cams! There's been a great horned owl checking out a nest box at the Valmont Nest Cam and the bald eagles at the Fort St. Vrain Eagle Cam have begun renovations on their nest. Thanks, Linda for the head's up!

I can relate to the renovating eagle. Non Birding Bill and I have been so busy that the clutter came, saw and took over our humble abode. I tried to take back the apartment yesterday, but it was just too overwhelming. It's that point where everywhere you turn you see trash/recycling has piled up, dust (and in our case hay) was in every corner, a film of rabbit fur and bird dust covered anything that wasn't moving in the place, laundry clean and dirty was anywhere except hanging in a closet or folded in a drawer, and dishes--don't get me started on the dishes. I have some pretty significant deadlines this month and I was feeling torn between getting those finished or cleaning the apartment. I did as much as I could yesterday afternoon and last night but went to bed tired, feeling defeated and that hope for a clean living space was too distant to even dream of.

Poor NBB is in working full time and rehearsing for Cyrano. He comes home from work, eats dinner and goes to rehearsal. I went to The Raptor Center this morning knowing that I would have to come home and continue the battle with the clutter beast. I came home at about 1pm and discovered the mailbox empty. This is a highly unusual occurrence. I briefly wondered if Bill had come home from work early to clean but remembered that he was swamped with copy jobs and wouldn't be able to get away from work. I got to our apartment door and noticed it was unlocked. Was Bill home?

The flowers in a vase waiting was my answer. Boy, husbands just get it so right sometimes. Bill knew that the mess at home was really getting me down and overwhelming so he came home early to help. He had caught up on all the copy jobs at work and knew something was bothering me. Between the two of us we decluttered the rest of the afternoon and I feel so much better.

I love the flower arrangement--when he gets me flowers he always picks them out himself and notes that I like flowers with a good aroma. I love them and I love that he thought those and a little house cleaning would make my day. They did.

A husband that is attentive to my needs, remembers the kinds of flowers that I like and cleans house. He may not be a birder, but boy is he one of the good ones. How did I ever get so lucky?

In decluttering I have found that I have a plethora of prizes yet to be given away. So I offer this contest:

What bird is this? First correct answer with a name in the comments section wins their choice of Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion, a Vortex Binocular Harness, or a pack of 21 Zeiss Pre-moistened Lens Cleaning Cloths.

Bunny Saturday/Owl Sunday

This weekend was a whirlwind--that trashed our whole apartment. Somehow we just got swept up with play rehearsals, auditions, bunny photography and owling. I need to tackle the apartment, which I will do right after KARE 11 today. It's so bad, it almost seems easier to just move to a new apartment.

Non Birding Bill and I headed to Petco in Maplewood, Minnesota Saturday to photograph Serena, a white rabbit up for adoption through the Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society. I have to say that Serena is a natural when it comes to disapproval:

"I don't approve of paparazzi."

She's only seven months old and is already spayed. She wasn't as energetic as Buster, but she is a natural when it comes to disapproving. I've never been attracted to white rabbits, I always gravitated to marked ones, but this girl really has some personality.

Sunday was the owl class. I had the power point ready, but not the right chord to connect to the projector. That's okay, people really want to see live owls and we have a bunch to show. I had three TRC staff members handling birds for me--I felt like such a VIP. I think the birds were grateful, I'm such a hand talker, it can freak them out.

I also had so much fun incorporating the Voices of North American Owls CD into the program. I downloaded just the owls found in Minnesota onto the my iPod and found I had over an hour and a half of owl calls--I could have just let that play the whole time. That CD really is the most complete compilation of North American owl calls. Who knew they made so many different noises? I like to be able to play some of the weirder calls great horned owls make. I think a lot of people hear the squeaks and barks but don't realize they are owls making those calls.

I had some friends in the crowd including the Colosky family and frequent commenter HellZiggy. We decided to make a go for the snowy owl that has been seen at the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport. I got the car pool there, but the snowy wasn't at the usual spot.

I brought all of my favorite owl books to the class and HellZiggy (left) and her friend Michelle helped me carry them out of The Raptor Center after the class. Since they were in a separate vehicle from me, the said they would give me back my books at the airport. Then the tables turned. The refused to hand over the books until I delivered an owl sighting--tough crowd!


Fortunately, Angie Colosky saved the day. We were at the worst possible angle, but WAAAAAAAAY out in the distance she noticed a lump sitting on a structure. When I got it in my binos, I could see the bird silhouette--it was a snowy and one of the worst looks at one. So, the crew bravely followed as I drove us around the airport to try and get a better look.

We found a spot that put the sun behind us and if you had binoculars, you could get a pretty good look at a snowy owl. Above is Ed and Angie. If you look between them, you can see a red and white structure. The snowy owl is sitting on top of it. I tried to digiscope through the binos:

See the light and dark lump on the right at the top of the structure--that's the owl. Thanks so much Angie for making such a great spot of the bird! I never would have gotten my owl books back!

After our group dispersed I decided to go back to the spot birders were gathering to see the snowy, they wouldn't see this one as well from there. I led the first group to the owl, went back and picked up three more vehicles of people. One of the guys was looking in the direction of the snowy and I said, "Hey, I got a better look at it." He looked skeptical and said he tried to get closer but got shooed away by security. I promised I was taking him to a better spot for viewing. When we got there I asked the guy what he thought.

"Did it move?" he asked.

"No, this is where it's been for at least the last twenty minutes." I said.

"I was looking at a different owl. It was sitting on the #3 sign."

I drove back to the spot I found him and sure enough, right on #3 was the snowy--two snowy owls at the airport. Now I wonder if I totally missed that one earlier with the group or if it had just popped up on the sign? While contemplating this, another car full of people arrived. I walked to their window and said, "Looking for the snowy?"

They looked at me warily. "The what?"

"The snowy owl, it's right here." I pointed in the direction of the owl.

"We just came to watch the planes." they said. "But we'll look at your owl too."

I handed them my binos and they got a kick out of it. They were surprised to learn that birders were swarming the airport to look for owls, but thought it neat that something from the arctic flew down for the winter to take advantage of the ample food supply.

Now, off to the tv station. Must avoid the internet the afternoon to take back the apartment. We'll see how long that lasts.

Sir Paul McCartney: Twitcher?

THE GULL IS MINE

EXCLUSIVE Heather cabin to go in deal to save bird-watching hut

By Louise Ford, Sunday Mirror

SIR PAUL McCartney has struck a deal with planners to demolish estranged wife Heather's country hideaway - so he can save his own bird-watching hut.

The former Beatle has been getting over his bitter marriage split by spending hours alone viewing rare species on his sprawling estate.

Macca's bird-watching hut and Heather's £1million log cabin were built three years ago in the grounds of his home in Peasmarsh, East Sussex.

But council planners threatened to bulldoze both buildings, because they were built without permission. Sir Paul begged for a compromise, saying flattening Heather's former hideaway would "more than compensate" for keeping the wildlife pavilion.

He promised to use the platform for recreational purposes only. The cabin was used by Macca and Heather for romantic nights.

He let the ex-model live there after they separated last May, so they could both have regular access to two-year-old daughter Beatrice. But as their bitter divorce battle raged on and Heather, 39, rarely visited the McCartney estate, he decided to get rid of it.

Macca, 64, is now an expert at spotting the many rare species - including long-eared owls, grey wagtails, red kites and bearded tits - who nest on his 933 acres.

Bird-fancier Macca - who sang The Girl is Mine with Michael Jackson on a hit duet in 1982 - was said to be overjoyed after the hide was saved from demolition by council planing bosses.

A source said: "Paul is a real naturelover and finds sitting down by the lake, watching all the rare birds and creatures, really relaxing.

"He is going through a tough time at the moment so it is a great place to go to get away from things.

"Paul was a bird lover as a kid and has now become a real expert at spotting all kinds of species."

Heather, meanwhile, is surrounding herself with close friends to get through the divorce.

Last week, she and 40 loyal pals, including at least two former lovers, celebrated her 39th birthday at a remote Slovenian hotel.

The source said: "Heather and Sir Paul are relaxing in their own way before the biggest divorce showdown in history."

louise.ford@sundaymirror.co.uk

Wowsers!

I just bought a used camera from one of the Leica guys, a Nikon Coolpix 4500. I bought it for digiscoping and because it's supposed to have an incredible macro feature. I tried it out banding at Carpenter Nature Center today and was VERY pleased with my close ups.

It was a cardinal bonanza today in all the traps, much to the chagrin of the banders' fingers. Those bills are so perfect for ripping open sunflower husks are quite capable of slicing flesh.

We trapped and banded the above male cardinal on September 15, 2006. Note, he was going through that gawky stage transitioning from brown juvenile plumage into is adult male red plumage. Look at all those pin feathers--aka bird acne. He even has a sad little stubby crest. Hmm, this is taking me back to my seventh grade school photo. Shutter.

Here is the same bird retrapped today! What a difference four months make! He looks like he's thinking, "I can't believe how good I look!"

Just take a moment and soak that bird in. Breathe in. Breathe out. Ahhhhhhhhh.

Good night, how red do you need to be? Interesting to note, this bird had a birthday on January 1, 2007. Even though he was probably about two or three months when we first banded him, according to banding rules all wild birds turn a year older the first of the year. He is now an official second year bird--even though it has been less than a year since he hatched. I don't make the banding lab rules, I just follow them.

I'm really digging the macro feature of this Nikon Camera--it really picks up great feather detail. I could just get lost in this female cardinal's patchwork of reds and tans.

Here she is head on. I'm fascinated by the area where all the feather connect with her bill. Such a combination of heard, bright, and shiny contrasted with soft, gray, brown, red, subtle. I just want to run my finger right along that line...I can't because of the whole biting issue, but still...

Well, can't wait to see further results with this camera and future banding sessions.

Of course the fun part of purchasing used cameras is that sometimes not all the old photos are deleted. I found this photo:

It's Pete Dunne and it looks like he's visiting Panama's Canopy Tower. I wonder if he got in?

Just A Show

Hey, if you're not doing anything this Sunday, come to The Raptor Center for an owl class I'm teaching. You'll get to see our ed birds up close--and (keep your fingers crossed) if all goes well with training you might get a glimpse of our new education boreal owl---oooooo, ahhhhhh. Seriously, please come, it will be fun and I can tell you where to see some owls. Afterwards, you could carpool to see the snowy owl hanging out on cargo road at the Minneapolis/St Paul Airport (remember to stay six feet away from the fences).

So, I got Cinnamon to the TV Studio in Burnsville for her segment on Just A Show last night. Above she's sitting in my lap in the audience watching the host Keith King and Sidekick Shawn do their opening dialogue.

She seemed antsy so I set her on the floor--bad idea. She made a bee line for all the expensive camera chords--naughty butthead. We watched the segment about Keith's recent visit to the Virgin Islands and it was very chuckle-worthy. I asked Cinnamon what she thought:

She did not approve and almost looks as if she's saying, "What the heck did you bring me to anyway?" I thought she was fairly relaxed, she was happily nibbling parsley in my lap and under my chair, but during the actual interview, she got nervous. When rabbits get nervous they create a cloud of fur not unlike Pig Pen's cloud of dirt. This typically happens when Cinnamon is at the vet, but apparently tv appearances make her just as nervous. Every time either Keith or I would stroke her a puff of fur irrupted into the air. By the end of the interview we had it everywhere--it was even stuck to my lipstick. Pitooey!

Keith was really nice and I can't wait to see the final edited show on the Internet. We'll be sure and let everyone know when it is available. Keith is rather an attractive guy and it sounds like he's recently single. Any ladies in the Twin Cities looking for a well groomed, quick-witted guy might want to check into getting audience seats to his show.

Before the show I had to stop and try to photograph a bunny for the Disapproving Rabbits book. One of the downsides of taking book photos with the Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society?

Resisting the urge to take home cuties like the guy above. This is Buster who is currently waiting for a home at the Richfield Petco. He's a neutered lion's head rabbit and has this crazy fur on his neck that looks like a lion's mane. I've forgotten what it's like to spend time with an energetic bunny who is under a year old--he is SO active and popcorned (or binkied) like crazy. Cinnamon will be seven this year and I guess her age is showing more than I realized. At three pounds Buster is so tiny compared to Cinnamon. Oh dear, did I just infer that my rabbit is old and fat? Good thing for me she can't read.

I had to laugh at this shot. I inadvertently got a photo of a disapproving manager of the Petco. Seriously, he really is a nice guy and runs a good pet store, don't let that stance fool you. He was very friendly and kind to me.

Embracing Techno Birding

I think I'm almost done talking about Bird Watch America--I've been trying to space the entries out with other bird stuff so it's not all product review. As you can tell by this post I survived the nuclear disapproval of grooming Cinnamon. More on her tv appearance in the next entry.

The most interesting and encouraging trend I noticed at Bird Watch America this year is that some wild bird specialty stores are finally beginning to embrace technology. This year birdJam (that's Denese Van Dyne on the left showing MN nature writer Val Cunningham her software for iPods), National Geo's Handheld Birds and of course WingScapes (the motion sensitive camera the company I’ve been helping out) all had booths.

The camera exceeded my expectations as far as interest from bird stores. Bart had set the booth up very well with a video playing of photos we’ve taken with our test cameras. Bart got a great video at his house of a Carolina wren and a junco. He set a suet cake on the ground next to a seed ball. When you watch the video, watch the seed ball—I love that junco head that pops up and looks around, almost like it has its own little fort--it's not even thirty seconds long, you must watch it. Cracks me up every time.

Let's talk about the iMainGo. It’s cool and of all the speakers I’ve tried so far it’s the best quality speaker for the price (around $69). I tested it out this morning at Carpenter and got some chickadees calling back and even a cardinal flew up over my head. I’m curious to try it with some owls. I might give it a go with the owls at The Raptor Center.

The speaker runs on 2 AAA batteries. It has an on/off switch and even an option to use it as an alarm with your iPod. You do need to make sure that the speaker is turned off when not using the iPod so as not to eat up batteries. It comes with a little wrist holder like you would get on a digital camera, but I think I’m going to switch that out with a carabiner. Of the speakers I’ve found, this one is the smallest with the best quality. It can handle great gray owl hoot and grouse drumming almost as well as high pitched warbler.

A few of the birds store owners I spoke with had said that customers are coming in and asking about some of the new software and programs available. Part of what really sells these are people having them in hand and playing with it. During the retail workshop, Mitch Whitten (editor of Birding Business Magazine) showed three or four different birding tech devices available and I had all of them. I still love my Handheld Birds and feel so cool when I whip it out when someone asks what a bird sounds like.

Other software news is that you'll be able to purchase gift subscriptions to Birds of North American Online for family and friends--this is a great gift for students into birds. I'm amazed at how much I use it, it's great for finding quick nesting information and it's updated when necessary. Thayer Birding Software is finally coming out with a Mac version. I've never really played with it since I'm a loyal Apple user so I'm curious.

Bunny-pocalypse

I really don't know what Cinnamon's problem is. Tonight is her big first Disapproving Rabbits interview so we took extra steps of a total home grooming. I love getting my hair done, I just did that last week and had a fabulous time. Not Cinnamon. I had to wrap her in a towel to stifle some displaced aggression

"I'm too angry to even give you a disapproval."

Boy, you can just see the deep hate in those eyes. I think I'm going to pay for this later, perhaps even worse than the boingy boingy santa hat incident.

Here we have her on her back to trim those toe nails. She looks so pathetic, doesn't she know how great a pedicure is?

Hopefully she will get over this in time to make a splash on Just a Show. I'm not sure about when it will air on Twin Cities Cable Access, but as soon as it's up in iTunes, I will link to it for all you Cinnamon fans. We're also going to try and have it here on the site as well.

Currently, Cinnamon is under the bed. When I walk into the bedroom, I can only see her nose sticking out. If I try to get too close, she grunts and retreats out of view. Yeah, I'm totally going to pay for the brushing and nail trimming later.

Finally, More Bird Products For Kids

I've long thought that there just wasn't enough product for kids interested in birds. I can't tell you the number of times customers would come in the bird store asking for a field guide for kids--even little cardboard books on a cardinal for a two year old--get them started young! The closest and certainly most popular book with kids are Stan Tekiela's books, but there is a market for even younger field guides with good, accurate information (Yo authors and publishers: HINT, HINT, HINT).

That is starting to change, every year there is a little more new stuff geared towards kids. Many know Wild Republic from their Audubon singing birds.

Among many things, they offered a set of birds that you can paint into your own species. I saw a finished product and it looks like you can paint a cardinal, hummingbird, chickadee and goldfinch (American, not the European pictured on the box). But really, with enough paint the possibilities are limitless, the cardinal could also be a titmouse, the hummingbird could be anything from a ruby-throat to a green-breasted mango, and the two smaller birds could be painted into warblers, juncos, and dare I say it--a Henslow's sparrow? Hm, I think I would love this gift as much as any kid. I do remember that at some hobby store, someone found a plastic peregrine model for me to paint, I labored over that thing with all sorts of detail. Anyway, these are supposed to be sturdy enough to play with once the kids finish painting them.

Two different bird card games were being shown. Above are cards from Share Nature which looked to me to be a sort of bird baseball card collection. One side is a cool bird photo, the back side is a little natural history info.

The above young man is Chris, who is Vice President of Artistic Creations Limited, but is a natural born networker and eager to help out other booths. Above he is happily being a guinea pig with the Share Nature cards to brush up his western bird identification. The cards are based on Montessori teaching methods and help hone identification skills and give kids a general appreciation of birds. Kids can quiz themselves and read up on general information. Though this is geared towards kids, I could totally see this hooking some adults as well. Especially if they end up being sold like baseball cards. Some species could be rare an hard to find, "Hey, dude, I'll trade you my Baird's sparrow for your northern jacana."

Cornell also had a curriculum called Bird Sleuth. You know with all the ivory-bill craziness, I think we sometimes forget all the other cool projects that Cornell has going down. The front of the card has full color photos and the back has cool facts, sounds, size, etc. There are even questions that can be asked to help aid in the id. In the case of the killdeer card above the questions are:

Q: If a person comes near my nest, I might try to do this to lure them away?
A: Act like I have a broken wing and walk away from nest.

Q: True or False. If a cow or horse comes near my nest, I fluff myself up, put my tail over my head, and run at it to try and make it change its path.
A: True--(I didn't even know they did that--that's so cool, I must get to a cow pasture this spring).

Q: How did I get my name?
A: My call sounds like "kill-deer!"

Part of the curriculum is that kids learn about bird identification using the cards, field guides, and a bird identification CD-ROM. They learn to observe and count birds and to share that info on eBird.

I'm not sure if the two card games are going to be showing up at bird stores or are only available to teachers, but it certainly doesn't hurt to ask your local bird specialty store if they plan on carrying these items. Otherwise, I would contact Share Nature or Cornell directly.

Prepare To Have Your Mind Blown

I've posted some things that may have gotten the non raptor lovers hackles up. Like the red-tailed hawk raiding an oriole nest. Well, for those who think I show the raptors always with the upper hand, check this photo out. I'm not sure who to root for, the kestrel or the red-tail.

All I can say is, "Holy Crap!"

New Feeders for 2007

I'm impressed with how well all of you blog readers were able to id Lillian Stokes from the back. You guys are good. I'm sure she and Bobby Harrison were talking all things ivory-bill, but I did like the suggestion by one commenter that they were actually discussing Cinnamon.

Okay, I think I have figured out a way to divide up all the fun stuff I saw at Bird Watch America. I'm still getting emails with photos and information so some reviews are waiting in the wings. I just want to say for the record that products I talk about are ones that tickle my personal fancy. I'm not paid to talk about items. I have been hired by companies to consult on marketing and product development but I'm fortunate to be in a position that I only work with a product (and people) I genuinely like and one that I personally would use.

I'm tough on bird feeders and squirrel proofing from my years working at a bird store. I can spot a loophole for squirrels and raccoons at first glance. It's hard to impress me with feeders. I try to avoid talking about products that don't appeal to my personal sense of style or that I think will not work well--unless it's potentially harmful to birds. But just because I don't care for something, doesn't mean that it won't work well for someone else, so it's just best I keep my mouth shut.

There weren't too many bird feeders that really bowled me over in innovation. One that really sticks out is the Squirrel-Off, the solar powered bird feeder. There have been solar powered squirrel proof feeders in the past, but they were very expensive. I believe this one will retail between $150 - $180--which isn't bad for what this feeder does and how much food it holds. It has a solar panel on top and when a squirrel touches either the two bottom perch bars or the roof and one of the perches it gets a zap--nothing lethal, about like licking a 9-volt battery (yes, I've done it). Birds will not get zapped by the feeder due to their biological make up in their feet.

It has many of the features I look for--comes apart for easy cleaning, holds lots of seed and can see if the feeder is full or empty, can be hung or pole mounted, has an attractive design that allows for several types of birds to feed. The company has been making solar powered feeders for years, I carried one when I was at the Minnetonka Wild Bird Store but I want to say that it was about $500. It's nice to see it has come down to a more affordable price. The electronics have a one year warranty which is pretty standard with that type of feeder, but I know people who have purchased solar feeders in the past and they last a long time.

The other feeders that caught my eye were the Happy Hour Hummingbird Feeders at the Woodlink booth. I have to hand it to Woodlink, they are working their hardest to come up with interesting and different designs in feeder. The designs don't always appeal to me, but it's nice to see someone getting away from the traditional design and working hard to be creative. This year, their new hummingbird feeders really struck my eye--they are designed to look like martinis and daiquiris!

Here I am with Dalia Hussein of Wild Republic (more on their stuff in a later entry) sharing a couple of hummingbird feeders at the Woodlink Tiki Bar. I love these things, I can see them showing up at Urban Outfitters and what's nice is that Woodlink has been making feeders for years so they have a good idea of how to make a decent feeder that looks very unique.

News from the Readers

Christine writes: "Thought you'd be interested in this recent article that's hit a lot of the news shows this week in Chicago -- especially in light of your recent posts about Starlings as pets. (Ugh!) This one is known for whistling the Chicago Bears Fight Song, which is especially timely due to the Bears upcoming big game. This link should also have video and audio so you can hear Twinkle "in action." "

Mr. Neil sends us this link from the Committeee for Skeptical Inquiry about Joe Nickell investigating a 1955 Kelly, Kentucky incident when "little green men" made an attack on a farm family and his conclusion is that it was actually nesting great horned owls.

And my sister Monica sent this story from the Indianapolis Star about an influx of bald eagles drawn to a buffet of fish at Starve Hollow Lake.

It's So Great to Have Norbert Back

I'm at a meeting for some new educational displays that are going up at The Raptor Center.

I love having Norbert back so I can do quick blog entries on the sly...

While looking for some photos of great gray owls for one of the education panels, I came across the Flickr account of Mariah Tigger. It looks like she used to be a vet in the TRC clinic, I recognize the treatment room:

Here is a great gray owl in the TRC treatment room. Notice how big and puffy the head is. You can also see the puffy head of a great gray in my profile shot on the blog.

Now, here is a photo of a great gray owl in the anesthesia cone on its head before it's examined. They really are just giant balls of fluff.

Back in Minnesohta

Mental note: A batter fried lobster tail, bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich may not be the best idea on the planet.

Good Grief, I am soooo tired. I came home this afternoon to a fresh layer of snow, single digit temps, news that Norbert was out of the ICU, the hard drive transplant was a success and ready for pickup! Whoot! So happy. Non Birding Bill is reloading everything at the moment. The cold temps come just in time, we're going to a scotch tasting class tonight at Surdyk's--nothing goes better with scotch than cold temps.

Here is Jeff Bouton modeling a smiling lady bug pith helmet available soon at your wild bird specialty store!

Here's my bud, Amy Hooper holding up an advanced reader's copy of Good Birders Don't Wear White--50 Tips from North America's Top Birders. She has it open to her essay, Think Like A Migrating Bird. Note the cartoon that goes along with it. I believe that is the most inaccurate rendering of an Amy Hooper I have ever seen. As much as she loves rubber ducks, I've never seen them follow her. I can't wait to read the essays.

It's weird, she and I shared a room, but between my working the WingScapes booth and her hours at her WildBird Magazine booth, we barely saw each other.

I'm going to do some in depth descriptions of product in the next few days--including an iMainGo that I brought home to play with--initial tests with it--very cool. It appears to handle the transition from great gray owls hoot to black and white warbler call very well.

In the meantime I offer a contest:

Who is Bobby Harrison talking to in this photo? Bonus points if you can name the subject. The prize: An Advanced Birding Peterson Guide by Kenn Kaufman and two original plays on cassette by Mr. Neil: Snow Glass Apples starring Bebe Neuwirth and Murder Mysteries starring Brian Dennehy.

First correct answer with a name attached to it in the comments section wins.