It's Skywatch Friday again and I was out at Carpenter Nature Center this morning and thought I'd get a shot of sky. The sky was crisp and blue. And though it's a lovely shade of blue, when put in the blog, it looks more like I just placed a blue box in the post. It needs some accents. Since there were no clouds to oblige, I had to work with earthly accents.
How about some goldenrod? I think this is the start of my favorite time of year at Carpenter. In late summer and early fall the prairie comes alive with color of yellows, reds, greens...
The asters are starting to burst open to. The purple itself is fine, but add a touch of that gorgeous blue sky is all part of the pallet.
And it's not just the flowers, monarchs and swallowtails are nectaring on every blooming thing. This is a giant swallowtail on a a thistle. Note that sea of goldenrod capped off with a beautiful blue sky in the background. At Birds and Beers last night, I had a conversation with bird banders Roger and Mark about goldenrod fields and all the birds that lurk in them this time of year. They mentioned how many warblers are down in them. We had a net up in a goldenrod/sumac/dogwood field at Carpenter this morning and it was our most active net.
We got in a couple of Wilson's warblers (or WIWA according to the American Ornithologists' code) like the bird above and a Nashville...and oodles of flycatchers. Flycatchers just kind of take the wind out of my sails when banding. We get both alder and willow flycatchers in Minnesota and telling them apart this time of year (when they aren't singing) involves algebra (that's not an exaggeration). What heck kind of sadist has to ruin birding with math. I always feel like Tom Hanks in A League of their Own: "There's no math in birding! There's no math in birding!"
Here a second Wilson's. It's so buttery yellow--you can imagine how well it would hide in those goldenrod fields while gleaning insects off the flowers.
Check out the bottoms of the WIWA's foot--it's super yellow. Warblers are just cool from head to toe.
We did have a rather interesting chickadee show up-- it was missing a foot! Fortunately, not the banded foot, so we were able to find out that we banded it last fall and it was healthy and had two feet when it was first banded. Wonder what happened? Did the toes freeze off over the winter? Did the bird fly into a window, injure its foot, resulting in a severe infection that caused the toes to fall off? Did it get bumblefoot?
Another surprise was finding a goldfinch incubating two eggs this late in August. I know goldfinches nest late, but this seems really late for Minnesota. Will be interesting to watch its progress over the next few weeks.
Mental note: avoid scheduling Birds and Beers during the MN State Fair, Barak Obama's historic acceptance speech, and when a swallow-tailed kite is reported in Minnesota. It was an intimate group, so small that even Non Birding Bill came over and joined us. I think a total of six showed up. It was still fun and we all ribbed Dingley that he was the one who released the kite.
Here is some video of our bees coming and going from the hive entrance. You'll hear an eastern peewee singing in the background:
Last week I wondered why there were four squirrels out on my bathroom window ledge. Apparently, they are running some sort of Swedish massage parlor. These two squirrels were out using a nearby branch for a massage table and getting some deep tissue work on their backs and shoulders. The massaging squirrel would use its front paws and teeth to get all those hard to reach areas. Here's a video and as always, I recommend going to the YouTube page and click on "watch in quality" for the full effect:
Isn't that just too adorable for words? I especially liked how the squirrel doing the massaging was dangling its back foot as it tried to get some of those hard to reach areas. After a bit, the squirrels switched roles:
This didn't appear to be a mating thing, there was no copulation that followed, they were just socially grooming each other. I didn't know that they do that, but then again, I'm not the SquirrelChick.
The summer has been quite busy and I haven't had too much quality time with my girls. I love this time of year and could literally spend hours watching the girls coming and going from the hive entrance, noting all the colors on their pollen baskets.
I was out this week with Lorraine just to check on honey production. I've noticed that there is a definite difference with boy beekeeping and girl beekeeping. When the girls are out checking the hives it's, "May I have the hive tool please? Thank you?" or "Could you puff a little smoke on my hand? Awesome, thank you."
With boys involved at the hive...it's different. It's more of "We need smoke here, now!" or "You're standing in the worst possible place." Not that we don't appreciate the boys at the hive, we love the boys, they are an important part of our beekeeping operating, but it's fun to note the dynamics.
The bees are in serious honey gathering mode. The Bickman hive (the award winning hive) has an almost full honey super and is about halfway through filling a comb honey super.
As we were checking the supers, Bickman had made some cells between the two supers and they were ripped apart when we moved them. All the girls came in right away to clean the mess.
Word soon spread to the hive that more tongues were needed and many workers came up to eat the spilled honey--those pheromone work great for mass communication--gotta love it. One super was almost full, the other was halfway and I wasn't sure when we'd be back, but we thought we would add a third just for the heck of it. We walked back to the house to grab a super and when we came back (which couldn't have been more than 15 minutes)...
They had licked the spilled honey dry! I think this is one of the many parts of beekeeping that is so enjoyable. You read about what bees are capable of, but as a beekeeper, you get the chance to actually witness this miraculous insect. I love beekeeping.
Here is a little video of the bees licking the honey. As usual, if you go to the actual YouTube page, you can click on "watch in high quality" button so the bees in full beauty:
Lorraine and I had to put the hives back together and with all the massive honey gathering and our short statures, it's a tad tricky (did miss the boys' help with that today. Lorraine and I struggled to put the hive back and when finished, I had a slight problem:
My beesuit got caught in the hive and mashed with some sticky propolis for good measure. It took some pulling and wedging, but I finally managed to get free.
Hey, I have to put on comment moderation for a bit, I have a spammer. I woke this morning to about 29 comments in as many blog entries with spam comments. Guys, at least spam me with birding related product...not that other stuff.
Speaking of spam and things pork related, I have to say that this year's Minnesota State Fair is all about the bacon! The two big foods introduced this year are bacon themed. Above is Big Fat Bacon, which is a one third pound of bacon on a stick. It's lightly maple glazed and if you are a fan of thick bacon, you'll be a fan of this and feel that you got $2 worth of bacon on a stick.
The other big food is a Pig Licker aka chocolate covered bacon. That's right folks, the Famous Dave's booth Throw in a Midol and you've got the perfect PMS snack.
They were giving out samples at the KARE 11 booth on Monday and since I was there doing a bird segment, I got to try them. They're not bad, I'm not sure I would want to eat more than one, but just the sample I had was a perfect combo of salty goodness and dark chocolate decadence.
I love the woman's face behind me, as if she is wondering, "I can't believe that she's going to actually put that in her mouth."
Tomorrow is the Ian and Margery field trip at the state fair (wow, between that and Birds and Beer, Thursday is just party day for me). We start at the fm107 booth at 10am and take the skyride around the fair. You have to sign up as there are only so many spaces and it's first come first serve. Some of the field trips have been filling up before 9am, so if you want to come along, sign up early. I'm hoping we'll get to see the resident Cooper's hawks or peregrine falcons. Afterwards, Non Birding Bill is going to meet me and we'll sample a few other choice delicacies at the fair and visit our favorite: crop art!
Don't forget that this Thursday is Birds and Beers at Merlin's Rest at 6pm - an informal gathering of anyone interested in birds: from the hardcore county lister, to the backyard bird feeder, to someone has heard of this birding thing and wants to learn more. It's a chance for people to get together, have a beverage and talk some birds. It's a great way to meet other birders. We can talk about Birdola's attempt at a world record by creating a 700 pound seed cake.
Well, this was a whirlwind weekend! The signings at Cardinal Corner went very well. Above is a my friend Kristin--she just came back to Minnesota. Years ago, we both worked for the same children's theater company. There are some autographed copies of City Birds/Country Birds left at Cardinal Corner, so if you would like one stop in or give them a call, they'll be happy to ship one out. We will sell them through the Birdchic Boutique if you would like me to personalize a copy as well.
We had some awesome Cinnamon fans show up. And I must say, Cinnamon was having a great time running around in a bird store again. She loves carpeting and she loves spilled seed, to her this was the best book signing she had ever done. The kids above stopped in and brought Cinnamon a bag of some of her favorite treats--an apple, some carrots, and of course--hay! They gave her lots of head scratches too. Thanks, guys!
Sunday morning, my buddy Amber and I got the honor of driving Peregrine Falcon 568 to Duluth for her release. I've never had the opportunity to release a bird for The Raptor Center before, I was really shocked that we got to do it. I was just hoping to get to take some photos and video, but with the timing, Amber and I got the job.
We arrived in clinic on Sunday morning and Terri (left) and Lori (right) gave 568 some last minute tweaking. The feisty falcon thrashed a bit and I wondered if she was thinking "What the heck are they going to poke and prod me with now?" She had no idea that after so many months, she was actually going to leave this place. I wished there was some way we could let her know.
Her boots to keep her bumble foot at bay were finally going to be removed. Lori cut away all the duct tape and took of the padding.
Here feet looked even better than they had on Thursday which was most encouraging. When she would be out in the wild, all the rough surfaces of branches and cliffs she will perch on will help keep the skin in shape.
Falcon 568 had to get a last minute pedicure too. Since she's been in clinic, her talons have been trimmed but they are a little dull. Lori took a nail file and gave them some sharp points--so they would be hunting ready. Boy, 568 really didn't care for that.
Amber and I made the two and half hour drive up to Frank's blind (where she flew in with the injured leg). Her release day was the opposite of her capture day. It was chilly and rainy that day last September. This day was bright and sunny. When we took her out of the box, she was rarin' to go. I think she noticed that this day was different--the boots were off, there was no leash attached and we wondered with a bird's internal navigation system, did she realize where she was? We tried to get photos of her release, but my counting was off (if you can imagine, I was a little excited to release her) and we weren't able to get a photo, but we got the video (I set the camera up behind us):
She flew low and far over the field, and then landed on a tree way over on the other side. We tried to walk over and find her but we did not. I'm sure she landed, roused her feathers and then took off to be as far from us as possible, get her bearings and do a little hunting. Go, 568, go. I don't want to hear from you again for at least a good 15 years when someone finds your band and turns it into the Bird Banding Lab.
Since we were there, we checked on Frank's blind. He wasn't open yet, the blind starts this weekend. We found some evidence of a critter living in there. Check out the chew marks.
Lots of scat was on the blind floor. Amber and I were trying to determine the animal based on what we knew was around there. We had our suspicions and then we found our confirmation:
Porcupine quills! A porcupine has been seeking refuge in the blind. Boy, it's in for a rude awakening this weekend.
Amber and did a little birding. You couldn't spit without hitting a cedar waxwing, they were EVERYwhere. We also found a flock of about 50 kingbirds. Migration is kickin' in. It was strange, since it was a warm beautiful weekend, there people in all the places we hit in the fall and winter when it's typically people free.
These two were the most irritating of all the people. They were driving golf balls into Lake Superior. Seriously, there aren't enough driving ranges, you have to pollute a lake with your crappy golf balls? Amber and I debated about what to do. Was it legal? If we confronted them about throwing crap into the lake, would we get into an altercation? They were much bigger than we are, would they beat us up? So, we decided to just take photos of them and I pretended to be dialing my cell phone. As soon as they saw that, they quit what they were doing and stuffed the golf club and balls into their truck. As he was putting his clubs away, a little boy ran up and cried, "Daddy, I didn't get to do it, can't I do it too, it's my turn?" He gave the young lad a firm, "No, be quiet!" and took out a metal detector and began doing that instead.
Before we headed out, we gave Lori a call at TRC to let her know that all went well. She was pleased and then said, "Hey, would you mind calling a Duluth rehabber, she has an injured falcon that needs to come back to The Raptor Center?"
And so we came up to release a falcon and ended up bringing one back. This bird looked to be a year older than 568 and was also unbanded--where did this falcon come from? Anther tundrius? It flew into a factory window and probably has a fracture on its wing. I have no intentions of following another falcon. I can tell you that this one is still alive and if a bird can survive the first 24 hours, that is always a good sign.
Thanks so much for following 568 with me. I have to admit, I was real thrilled to follow a bird in the blog, so many things can go wrong at any time and it would have been a bummer if she had to be put down, but she survived. If you've enjoyed her story or admired what TRC does, please consider making a donation or becoming a volunteer. And if you don't want to support TRC, consider making a donation to a rehabber in your state.
So, we thought we would try a propolis trap for our beehives. Propolis is a sticky, resinous substance that bees collect from trees, I think sap. They use it as a sealant for holes in the hive, or they cover anything they don't like from stray leaves to dead mice. Humans like propolis because there claims of medicinal properties. I don't know about that, but I like the texture of a little propolis in the hive. We have a couple of propolis traps, so we thought we'd give them a try on a couple of hives. True to beekeeping equipment, the trap came with no instructions at first the bees ignored it until a blog reader told me that I need to keep the roof ajar. The bees see light coming in seal off the trap to block the light.
So, we gave it a try on the MimiKo and Bickman hives. We left the roof ajar and set the propolis trap on top of the inner cover.
There's a little hole in the inner cover that the bees can use to access the roof. Bless the bees hearts, they only filled the propolis right where the hole was on the inner cover--doing the least amount of work necessary and keeping the hive efficiently dark.
There was one tiny disturbing thing around the trap in the MimiKo Hive--ants. Large ants. They were between the inner cover and the roof and not into the rest of the hive. There are some dead bees on the ceiling and the ants were taking those apart, but I hope they don't decided to make themselves too welcome. I did some checking on google and found this from Go Beekeeping:
"Ants are a nuisance in the bee hive. They often build nest under the top cover and above the inner cover where the bees don't bother them. They seem to cause very little damage to the bees except be a curse to the beekeeper who wants to control them.
Treatment: Any chemical used to destroy ants will also kill bees. One could set the bee hive on a stand supported by four legs. Each leg would fit into a can filled with oil preventing ants from climbing up the side of the hive. Don't spend too much time worrying about them."
We looked down inside and the MimiKo bees were pretty chill. One ant came down and even ran into a couple of bees but there were no severe altercations. As long as the ants don't mess with the insides I won't stress too much, but I don't like that riff raff hanging out with my girls.
Okay, here is a teaser for Peregrine Falcon 568's release. More later--after I do my State Fair segment on Showcase Minnesota and after I go out and check the bees this morning.
I should clarify that in the beginning of the video, I tell her, "Don't fly into anything this time." I meant that this is her second shot at flying in the wild, don't mess it up by flying into a building and breaking a leg. We don't know how she got her initial injury, but most likely by flying into a building or car.
Non Birding Bill is on YouTube. He wrote a play called THAC0 that he turned into a movie which was debuted and sold at CONvergence to rave reviews. He put the trailer on YouTube, but someone else completely different has put one of the scenes of the movie up on YouTube. What's even stranger is that he person who put it up is using NBB's photo as their profile photo. Anyway, here is the snippet. I must warn you that if you know nothing of role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, it will seem as though they are talking in tongues. Bill would also like everyone to know that YouTube makes the sound quality quite crappy and he has mad movie making skillz:
Between the excitement of Peregrine 568s recovery and getting ready for tomorrow's book signing, I almost forgot that today is Skywatch Friday. You create a blog with photos of sky and then you add your link to the Skywatch site. While there, you should check out everyone's photos of sky. Some of my favorites this week are at Desert Observer, Jim's Little Photo Place, and Shimmy Mom.
My entry for this week takes us back to Cape Cod for the Swarovski Blogging Event. While we were getting photos of shorebirds, we could see fog approaching us. See the low darker clouds on the horizon?
The fog never overtook the beach, but seemed a sinister dream land just off the shore. It was strange to see it just sit there out of reach of the surf.
It crept in and touched the beach, the sky coming in to touch the sand. Gulls were loafing just inside the mist.
I tried to digiscope them and the black-backed gulls sat in the fog and looked a tad expectant. What were they waiting for? Or perhaps they wondered about the group of humans on the edge of the mist observing them, wonder what it was all about.
Boy oh Boy. There's a lot goin' on for me the next week--but it's all FUN!
Tomorrow, Saturday, August 23 is my book signing/release part for my second book City Birds/Country Birds at Cardinal Corner (both locations) and Cinnamon the Disapproving Rabbit (and Non Birding Bill) will be there too: Book Signing Times: August 23, 2008: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Cardinal Corner in West St. Paul Store (651-455-6556) 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. - Cardinal Corner in Newport (651-459-3880)
I'll be back at the State Fair on Thursday, August 28 joining the Ian and Margery Field Trip. We start at the fm107 booth (I think you have to be signed up by 10:15am) and then we go on the Sky Ride. Maybe we'll see the resident Cooper's hawk or we can pretend we're soaring red-tails trying to grab the prey below with our feet!
Then, Thursday night, it's Birds and Beers at Merlin's Rest at 6pm! Birds and Beers is an informal gathering of birders of all ages, if you're a hardcore lister or a casual backyard birder or someone who just wants to know what this whole birding thing is about, then you're invited.
Somewhere in here I have to do the usual park ranger stuff, my usual shift at TRC, and tend to my bees...oh yes, and maybe spend some time with my husband.
Well, this blog entry is a fun one to put together. First, I just want to say how sweet it was to get photos of Peregrine 568 in the sun and not under the clinic lights.
For new readers, this bird has some history in the blog. At the end of September in 2007, I was co-leading a trip to Duluth for hawk migration with Stan Tekiela. We stopped at my buddy Frank's hawk banding blind and they were in the process of tending to this bird--she flew into the nets with a broken leg. Since our group was only up in Duluth for the day, we offered to take her back to The Raptor Center in the Twin Cities for treatment. I volunteer there and was able to follow her progress. The vets at TRC said that based on the color of her bruises, the injury was three to five days old--incredible that she was flying around trying to hunt with that injury for a few days! She's had many ups and downs with her treatment, from having to reset the improperly healed fracture to many bouts of bumblefoot. But now the fracture has healed, the bumblefoot has subsided and after being at TRC for about 11 months, she's about ready to go. For a bird that's been in treatment that long, she needs to be test flown to make sure she's physically strong enough to live in the wild. The vets down in clinic graciously allowed me to tag along with the Flight Crew to test her skills (did you know you can volunteer for Flight Crew at TRC?)
They grabbed Peregrine 568 from her recovey cage and took the bandages and padding off her toes. To keep her bumblefoot at bay, she has been given boots made of padding and duct tape to wear. Birds naturally slough off dead skin in the wild on rough perches. TRC tries to mimic that in clinic, but when a bird has a foot or leg injury, and tends to stand on one foot more often, bumblefoot becomes a problem. For flight, she needs those the boots off so the crew can evaluate not only how she flies, but how she lands, and if she stands naturally on her feet.
After the boots were removed, they put jesses and a leash called a creance on her. The flight crew needed to test her wings outdoors on the University of Minnesota Campus and the creance allows her to fly far away, but they still have hold of her so she doesn't get loose before she is ready. The creance is kind of like a fishing line and pole. They let her fly, but after she lands, they can reel in the line as they walk towards her. The jesses are made of lether and wrapped around right above the toes and is the best way to keep hold of her without injuring her.
True to Peregrine 568's feisty nature, she bit the flight crew while the jesses and creance were placed on her. She's wearing a hood which is supposed to keep her calm and prevent her from biting...she apparently didn't read that in the falconry manuals.
One of the vets, Lori Arent told me that she had "imped some new feathers" onto Peregrine 568's wings. This is an ancient falconry technique of replacing damaged/broken feathers with feathers from another bird of the same species that has died--a feather transplant, if you will. Rather than waiting for the bird to grow in new ones when it naturally molts (sheds old feathers and grows in new ones) this allows a bird to leave clinic sooner. The imped feathers will molt out naturally. What's interesting what that Lori did not have to imp any feathers on the tail, a sheath has prevented the falcon from damaging any of those when moving in her cage.
We walked out and Terry on the flight crew let the peregrine fly. If you saw the video earlier, you could see that she did VERY well. If not, here is another video and you can hear the feisty falcon vocalizing before they let her go.
Again, I highly recommend going to the YouTube page and clicking on the "watch in high quality" button for the full effect of her magnificent flight.
When she made it to the end of the line she landed. The flight crew follows along to make sure that she doesn't go into the streets and to close the gap on the creance line.
This is the tricky part. You have to sneak up on the falcon and grab her without hurting her. But once you get close...
...she flaps a lot and Terry has to grab her without damaging her feathers. Terry's been doing this longer than I've been in Minnesota, so she's a master at it.
The peregrine was test flown about five times and when flight crew volunteer Greg went to grab her, she was ready to go further.
And again, in keeping with that feisty nature, she bit his glove...several times.
Check out that blond head--a clue that she is a tundrius subspecies of peregrine falcon. After all that work, she was panting hard. Unlike humans, birds do not have sweat glands and must pant to regulate body temperature (like dogs). The crew had a squirt bottle handy to keep her cool. They sprayed her feet and even sprayed in her mouth to help keep her hydrated. Here's a video:
You can also go to the YouTube page and click on "watch in high quality" to see it in better detail.
As we were walking back, I noticed we were all wearing Keen shoes. Is this the official birder shoe?
After five flights, it was time to go back to the clinic for one final check. Lori was very pleased with 568's progress and is anxious to get her out before the bumblefoot comes back. Because the peregrine is a tundrius and migratory and because she was found 182 miles north of the Twin Cities, she has to go back towards Duluth to be released. Arrangements are being made at this moment.
Lori gave 568 one last foot check. You can see some scarring from the bumblefoot, but it's healed. She added a bit more ointment to keep her foot progress steady until the falcon can be let go.
The little padded duct tapes boots were added for good measure. Note the ice pack on the tail? That was to help cool down Peregrine 568 during her final exam after all that flying in the hot sun. Lori took one more X-Ray just to make sure the fracture was stable after the test flying. All looks good.
So, if all goes well, in a few days, I'll post photos of her flying away. For good. I have to admit, I've never really wanted to follow a clinic bird in the blog because it would be a bummer to follow her and have her die. I was even more reluctant with a foot injury, but this has turned out remarkably well. And though she's been in clinic a long time, she could still have another 10,12, maybe even 18 years ahead of her.
What the heck is going on with the squirrels on our bathroom window ledge?? We've had one squirrel trying to make a nest on the ledge and the wind and branches periodically knock it down. A month ago, I had two squirrels hanging out there. But on and off all summer, some squirrel has been hanging out there more often than not. Today, I stepped into the bathroom and could see one squirrel head and it looked like a second one was there too. I grabbed my camera and tried to sneak a photo--check it out, there are three.
One of the squirrels heard the camera and jumped away, only to reveal a FOURTH squirrel. The little dude on the right was busily grooming the squirrel on his left. I love the paw on the back of his buddy, looking at the squirrel hopping away on the branch as if to ask, "What's up bro'?"
When they all realized there was a camera, they hopped away, but gave me that disaffect youth look. As if I was the old person telling them to loiter elsewhere.
So, what is going on here? Which one of you readers out there knows about squirrel behavior--what would make four squirrels hang out on a ledge while sleeping and grooming each other? They all looked fully grown, I don't think they were young ones, but maybe they are? Anyone have any clues as to why they're hanging out together?
One of the things I wasn't able to talk about right away from the Swarovski Blogger Event (or Swarblogski as Non Birding Bill calls it) was that we got to see the new Swarovski ELs. They just debuted them at Bird Fair so now I'm allowed to talk. Honestly, I wasn't expecting that much of a change. Swarovskis are really great binoculars and I'm incredibly grateful for all the support they give my blog and I LOVE my 8x32s. Even when I worked for Eagle Optics and people would come up and ask me what the best bino is, I would say that if I were a woman of unlimited means, it would be the 8x32 EL. Optics are subjective and what works for me, may not work for everyone, but the clarity, ergonomics, and light weight of Swarovski really works for me.
The biggest difference that you can see besides the slightly different design is that the eye piece lenses are bigger--and the edge to edge clarity is superior to the current ELs (not that it's that bad anyway). Swarovski has also greatly improved the close focus ability of the binoculars. I was able to focus within about 5 and a half feet with the new ELs. They are coming out with new ELs in the 8.5x42 and 10x42 models, not the 8x32s or 10x32s. They will be available in the US early next year. They'll probalby be at Bird Watch America in January 2009. What does this mean for you? If you're probably going to see current models of ELs going on sale in the US (just in time for the holidays). So, if you've been saving for a great pair of bins, you have a choice: get the current model at a discount or keep saving and going for the new ones. I don't have exact pricing on what they're going to be at the moment.
I also got to hold the new 80mm scope--it's lighter than the current model. There's also a new eyepiece coming, a 25-50 zoom. I currently use a 20 - 60 zoom. I'm curious to play with that for digiscoping.
Also, Clay was telling me how surprised he was that not more people in the US entered Swarovski's Digiscoper of the Year Contest. Here are what the winners get:
The three entrants chosen as “Digiscoper of the Year” will receive the following products from Swarovski Optik as their prize:
1st
Swarovski Optik ATS or STS telescope and eyepiece of the winner’s choice
2nd
Swarovski Optik binocular EL 8.5x42
3rd
Swarovski Optik binocular SLC 8x30
The best 20 images (places 1 to 20) will be published with the photographer’s name in the Swarovski Optik Digiscoping Yearbook 2009. This will attract a publication fee of EUR 300 (that's like $600 in the US).
National Winners: National winners will also be chosen from the five countries with the largest number of entrants (the number of images does not count). The five national winners will receive an award of EUR 200 for publication in the Swarovski Optik Digiscoping Yearbook 2009 in addition to the publication fee referred to above.
You don't have to be a Swarovski customer either. Check out the rules:
Cameras: Any digital camera format - from a compact digital camera to a bridge or digital single lens reflex camera - may be used.
Field Spotting Scopes: Any commercially available spotting scopes and eyepieces may be used, with or without an adapter.
The contest closes on September 30, 2008. Read the full rules here. I've seen some of the winning entries from last year, and there are some awesome digiscopers in the US that could totally win the contest. If you digiscope, go for it.
Okay, I need lots of fingers crossed. We may have some exciting news tomorrow for a certain falcon we have all come to know in the blog. It's VERY tentative, but still let's all think the good though for the next 24 hours.
So, from my bud, Mark Martell from Minnesota Audubon about the proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act (giving federal agencies like the highway department the say so if an endangered animal can be removed for construction) and mailing thongs to Dirk in protest:
"I have been told that mailing to Gov. officials is ineffective since the anthrax incident. All mail to them is checked and irradiated which means it can take weeks or even months. Our policy folks tell me they do not do mail anymore, only phone or email."
Bummer. I really liked the idea of mailing thongs to Dick.
Incidentally, Audubon is filing a request for extension of the comment period on the changes (30 days is quite short) and will have much more to say on this as they get all their chapters coordinated. For more info on what you can do now to protest the changes, visit here.
It's interesting that in Minnesota--NONE of the birding listservs are talking about this. Instead there's been angry debate on people not including counties when they post bird sightings. I wonder if this is a sign of birder apathy that could lead to these changes going through?
And if you're looking for something fun, let me share with you Bird Vibes. I also write for the Birding Business News. It's for retailers in the birding industry so I get press releases about new product. Bird Vibes is a deck of 54 meditation cards based on bird species in North America. The birds are grouped by eight chakras according to the bird's color, habitat or other characteristics, with an additional card for each season. Each card shows a different bird through reproductions of paintings commissioned from Ottawa nature painter, Heather Bale. This was originally self-published in Ottawa in May 2007 and then published by Baico in December 2007. The second edition took into account comments from birders--they got feedback from birders to make it accurate as well as spiritual. I love it. Makes me smile, all the different ways people dig birds out there, just makes me smile.
Here is the Twin Cities Live link to my segment if you would like to watch. Note that I'm about three inches taller than usual--they made me stand on a stool. I'm not sure how long it's going to be up.
And, how about a Birds and Beers on Thursday, August 28 at 6pm. I was thinking we could do Merlin's Rest...or we could do the State Fair?
I'll be on Twin Cities Live, today--Monday, August 18. In the promo, one of the hosts actually says, "Birdchick is in da HOUSE!"
If you're around today between 3pm - 4pm check it out. MC Hammer is supposed to be on too. Wonder if that will be live or by satellite--did you know that he blogs too? Should be interesting. I'm told that the segment will be up on their website by the evening.
So, I've had a back log of blogging and have been trying to catch up. I have a vague list in my head of topics and birds to talk about and get them in the blog when I can. One of those is getting my 500th bird.
It happened quite by accident. I was out with my buddy Clay doing some digiscoping when out of nowhere and WAY out of range was a huge bird. It was the type of bird that is instantly regonizable, an icon bird. A bird I have dreamed of seeing for some time:
Holy Crap! It was an albatross. I was shocked, I've wanted to see one for so long and there it was up close and we were able to get some fantastic shots. Of the top of my head, I didn't know which species it was, but who cares, I knew that I didn't have ANY albatross on my list. This was it, 500--some type of albatross. I took notes on my Remembird and would confirm the exact ID when I got home. I noted that the bill seemed much smaller than I expected. We spent the next several minutes digiscoping the crap out of the bird.
This morning, as I was getting dressed and going over blog topics in my head, I suddenly realized something. "Dammit!" I shouted.
"What's wrong?" Non Birding Bill asked.
"I thought I got my 500th bird and I just realized it was a dream!"
"So, you still have that bird to look forward to, it's not so bad."
"But I was going to blog about it this morning!"
Insert uncontrollable laughter from my husband here.
I did not see an albatross, nor did I digiscope it, nor did I get my 500th bird. Maybe a martini right before bed isn't the best idea.
Non Birding Bill and I stopped at Midtown Global Market today. As we were locking up our bikes, I looked down and saw a honey bee flying between us and then land on some plantings. It's weird, I can pick out a honey bee even in fight from the thousands of other hymenoptera species in the US. But, what was odd was that we were seeing this bee right in the heart of Minneapolis. Thanks to Colony Collapse and varroa mites, foul brood and all the other nasties that afflict the honey bee, there really aren't wild hives any more. Now, if you take into account that the average bee flies two and a half miles away from her hive while foraging (that's average, it's possible for a forager to go as far as five miles) and that it's illegal to keep bees in Minneapolis and St. Paul...is someone keeping a secret hive near the market?
Last night I was working at the Mississippi River Visitor Center at the Science Museum listening to the cool song stylin's of the Brass Messengers (they were there for a wedding reception held at the museum) when I looked up from the counter and saw two people approaching me with Disapproving Rabbits shirts--the old school brown shirts. Two Cinnamon fans came up from Iowa to visit the Twin Cities and had me on the itinerary. Since they arrived about 45 minutes before I closed and Non Birding Bill was coming to pick me up, I called and asked if he would mind bringing Cinnamon with him. They were happy to hang around the VC and the museum to wait for NBB.
Because of the collections, animals aren't allowed in the Science Museum but Cinnamon frolicked on the front lawn and we got a photo. They even stuck around while we got a fast Sunday Cinnamon photo. She really seemed to enjoy the night air and she always enjoys attention--even at the ripe old age of nine (my Cinnabutt is nine, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around her mortality).
I love the stuff over at Birdorable. One of the owners emailed that Piping Plover Prosh and Cute inspired their latest design:
Okay, they don't just have thongs, they have a whole line of product for the piping plover. Hey, maybe we could pick our favorite endangered species thong from Birdorable and mail them in to Dirk Kempthorne, secretary of the Interior, to let him know how much we dislike the proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act? It could be birds that have been on and are now off as well as birds currently on it like the bald eagle, the peregrine falcon, or the California condor.
So what you think for a protest. Send An Endangered Species Thong to Dirk. This kind of tactic has worked to save tv shows, why not the Endangered Species Act?
Scientists at the Smithsonian Institution have discovered a new species of bird in Gabon, Africa, that was, until now, unknown to the scientific community.
The newly found olive-backed forest robin (Stiphrornis pyrrholaemus) was named by the scientists for its distinctive olive back and rump. Adult birds measure 4.5 inches in length and average 18 grams in weight. Males exhibit a fiery orange throat and breast, yellow belly, olive back and black feathers on the head. Females are similar, but less vibrant. Both sexes have a distinctive white dot on their face in front of each eye.
The bird was first observed by Smithsonian scientists in 2001 during a field expedition of the National Zoo's Monitoring and Assessment of Biodiversity Program in southwest Gabon. It was initially thought, however, to be an immature individual of an already-recognized species. Brian Schmidt, a research ornithologist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and a member of the MAB program's team, returned to Washington, D.C., from Gabon in 2003 with several specimens to enter into the museum's bird collection. When he compared them with other forest robins of the genus Stiphrornis in the collection, Schmidt immediately noticed differences in color and plumage, and realized the newly collected birds might be unique.
On a Friday I was watching these little semi-palmated plovers squabbling on a beach and then the very next day, I'm watching them on a mud flat in western Minnesota...
And getting prickly pear cactus paddles stuck on my leg--owie. Yes, we do have a couple of cactus species growing in Minnesota, you can see them at Big Stone NWR. I went with Stan Tekiela and a group from Staring Lake Outdoor Center in Eden Prairie. These are fun, low key trips where we see some great birds...
It's Skywatch Friday again and I was out at Carpenter Nature Center this morning and thought I'd get a shot of sky. The sky was crisp and blue. And though it's a lovely shade of blue, when put in the blog, it looks more like I just placed a blue box in the post. It needs some accents. Since there were no clouds to oblige, I had to work with earthly accents.
How about some goldenrod? I think this is the start of my favorite time of year at Carpenter. In late summer and early fall the prairie comes alive with color of yellows, reds, greens...
The asters are starting to burst open to. The purple itself is fine, but add a touch of that gorgeous blue sky is all part of the pallet.
And it's not just the flowers, monarchs and swallowtails are nectaring on every blooming thing. This is a giant swallowtail on a a thistle. Note that sea of goldenrod capped off with a beautiful blue sky in the background. At Birds and Beers last night, I had a conversation with bird banders Roger and Mark about goldenrod fields and all the birds that lurk in them this time of year. They mentioned how many warblers are down in them. We had a net up in a goldenrod/sumac/dogwood field at Carpenter this morning and it was our most active net.
We got in a couple of Wilson's warblers (or WIWA according to the American Ornithologists' code) like the bird above and a Nashville...and oodles of flycatchers. Flycatchers just kind of take the wind out of my sails when banding. We get both alder and willow flycatchers in Minnesota and telling them apart this time of year (when they aren't singing) involves algebra (that's not an exaggeration). What heck kind of sadist has to ruin birding with math. I always feel like Tom Hanks in A League of their Own: "There's no math in birding! There's no math in birding!"
Here a second Wilson's. It's so buttery yellow--you can imagine how well it would hide in those goldenrod fields while gleaning insects off the flowers.
Check out the bottoms of the WIWA's foot--it's super yellow. Warblers are just cool from head to toe.
We did have a rather interesting chickadee show up-- it was missing a foot! Fortunately, not the banded foot, so we were able to find out that we banded it last fall and it was healthy and had two feet when it was first banded. Wonder what happened? Did the toes freeze off over the winter? Did the bird fly into a window, injure its foot, resulting in a severe infection that caused the toes to fall off? Did it get bumblefoot?
Another surprise was finding a goldfinch incubating two eggs this late in August. I know goldfinches nest late, but this seems really late for Minnesota. Will be interesting to watch its progress over the next few weeks.
