Birds, Beers, Bald Eagles, Bees, and Rio Grande Valley Fest

Holy Buckets, I am in love with the boys at the Golden Valley, MN National Camera Exchange. My all-time favorite point and shoot digital camera to use for digiscoping is a Fuji FinePix E900. It's been discontinued and hard to find. They found one for me. I'm takin' that bad boy to Texas. The Canon A570 I'm currently using is okay, but the color quality is just not as good as the Fuji. Thank you National Camera in Golden Valley, you boys are the best!

Hey, here's some cool news from WFRV:

A bird that's believed to be the oldest banded bald eagle on record in the upper Midwest has been returned to the wild. The 31-year-old female was hit by a car on state Highway 47 near Fence Lake last month. After recovering, the eagle was released by wildlife officials in Lac du Flambeau on Friday.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the bird was among 6,000 eagles banded in 1977. The average age of adult eagles is 10-12 years old.

Before this bird, the oldest bald eagle according to the Bird Banding Lab longevity records was 30 years and 9 months.

So, I think I'm kinda grateful for my insanely busy schedule this fall. Mr. Neil wanted to move the Kitty hive so it would be inside the newly installed "bear proof fence" before the winter. This is our least friendly hive and the best time to move a hive is at night. I'm sure you can tell how fun and exciting this is just be rereading that last sentence. I alas could not go this week but you can read all about it over at Lorraine's blog. Of the four of us: Non Birding Bill, Mr. Neil, Me, and Lorraine, only NBB is not the bee sting virgin. Lorraine got her's last night.

Don't forget, we got a couple of Birds and Beers coming up. Birds and Beers is an informal gathering of birders of all abilities--if you're interested in birds, you're invited. You can meet other birders--maybe find a carpool buddy, ask about where to find target birds, share cool research projects you might be working on, ask a bird feeding question, share life lists, share some digiscoping tips, promote your blog--the sky is the limit. It's low key and it's fun.

Here are the dates and note that the first date is in Harlingen, TX--in conjunction with the Rio Grande Valley Bird Fest!

Thursday, November 6 at 7:45pm (or after the festival keynote speaker is finished that night). It will be held at The Lone Star, they are holding a table for us.

The next will be back in Minnesota:

Tuesday, November 18 at 6pm at Merlin's Rest.

If anyone is on a Texas birding listserv and wants to post the Harlingen Birds and Beers there, please do. It's open to anyone, even if you are not part of the bird festival.

Speaking of the RGV bird fest, if you are a bird blogger and are going to be there, we're going to have a formal Bird Blogger Meeting in the Alcove at 4:30pm on Friday. This is your chance to meet other bloggers, ask questions, share ideas and network. We're a fun group and we're happy to see you be successful. Please come!

AND if you are someone who has no clue what bird blogging is all about or even what the heck a blog is, I'll be giving a program called Blogging: The New Nature Journal on what bird blogging is all about, how to start one, ideas for what you can blog about, highlights of my blog and other great birding blogs you can find on the Internet. The program is on Thursday at 2pm.

If you're in Texas, I look forward to meeting you. It's gonna be a great time!

Birds and Beers

Hey, we have some Birds and Beers dates coming up!

Birds and Beers is an informal gathering of birders of all abilities--if you're interested in birds, you're invited. You can meet other birders--maybe find a carpool buddy, ask about where to find target birds, share cool research projects you might be working on, ask a bird feeding question, share life lists, share some digiscoping tips, promote your blog--the sky is the limit. It's low key and it's fun.

Here are the dates and note that the first date is in Harlingen, TX--in conjunction with the Rio Grande Valley Bird Fest!

Thursday, November 6 at 7:45pm (or after the festival keynote speaker is finished that night). It will be held at The Lone Star, they are holding a table for us.

The next will be back in Minnesota:

Tuesday, November 18 at 6pm at Merlin's Rest.

If anyone is on a Texas birding listserv and wants to post the Harlingen Birds and Beers there, please do. It's open to anyone, even if you are not part of the bird festival.

Birds and Beers Special Edition in Bellville, Ohio--Oct 17, 2008

Callin' Ohio Birders! There's going to a be a special edition of Birds and Beers in Belleville, OH when I come for the Audubon State Assembly on October 17, 2008!

Birds and Beers
At K.C.'s Steak and Ribs
419-886-2159
6pm - 8pm (or when people go home)

Birds and Beers is an informal gathering of birders of all abilities--if you're interested in birds, you're invited. You can meet other birders--maybe find a carpool buddy, ask about where to find target birds, share cool research projects you might be working on, ask a bird feeding question, share life lists--the sky is the limit. It's low key and it's fun.

There are so many people that are doing interesting things bird wise--research projects, banding, writing, etc. and we don't often find out about it on the listservs. I also notice that some of us only have a chance to meet at a stake out bird. This is a chance to get some of us together, have a drink, and talk some birds.

I must say, last night's Birds and Beers got a bit randy--I think it was the best laugh I've had all week. Someone mentioned that they wanted to start a Muskrats and Martinis, which led to discussions of taking Birds and Beers going on the road, watching the birds and sipping a little something. This time of year we could do Coors and Coots. I wondered what we could pair with owls and had trouble thinking of something and then some sweet little thing said she had an idea and wasn't going to say it out loud (and it wasn't a form of alcohol) which degenerated into double entendres of birding lingo. I'm never going to think of casting a pellet the same way again.

We also came up with a birding drinking game. Find an active feeder, fill a hat with the names of birds that are commonly seen there. Everyone draws a name out of a hat and every time their bird species comes to the feeder, they have to take a sip. You'd be in trouble if you drew chickadee, house sparrow, or starling. If a bird shows up that no one has, a player could challenge another player to identify it. If that player cannot, they have to drink from a cup that has a little of everyone's drink in it.

We wrapped it up early so we all had a chance to go home and watch the debate.

What I Enjoy About Digiscoping

First, Birds and Beers will be Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 6pm at Merlin's Rest. I'm sorry to people who can't make it to Tuesday and only on Thursdays, but my Thursdays are a little nutty for the next few weeks. The next one will be on a Thursday.

Birds and Beers is an informal gathering for people interested in birds to get together, have a beverage, maybe a few eats, and talk some birds. It's open to anyone who might be interested in watching birds to the hardcore lister and anyone in between. It'll be a great way to ignore the nasty political adds on tv, the baffling candidate choices, and the state of the stock market and focus on birds.

Speaking of not wanting to turn on the tv or visit news sites, I'm so grateful to birds and digiscoping. It's nice when the news starts to sound too terrible, that I can find a place and simply watch birds. I love visiting a well traveled feeding station and the Minnesota Valley NWR is just one of those places. I needed photos of woodpeckers and just really took a moment to focus on birds. When someone asks what drew me to birds, I can only answer, "It's the way I'm wired, I love everything about them." Even just watching their natural daily functions. Take a look at that down woodpecker above. This small woodpecker as the ability to hang on the bottom of the feeder, use that stiff tail to prop itself up, and still manage to work out a peanut from just that position. I wonder if I would be willing to do that for a Klondike Bar? Although, that would be a messy way to get one.

I know some "pro photographers" who poo poo amateurs like myself. "You can't get a head on shot of a bird, that's not going to sell." But it's the imperfect shots that I appreciate more--because that's how you actually see birds in the wild. There's a reason that the Mad Bluebird photo is one of the most commercially successful bird photo ever taken--it has character. Again, I take comfort in this nuthatch getting ready to fly of this feeder, the way The Stranger in The Big Lebowski takes comfort in "The dude abides." The position, the shape, the ability of this bird to survive for years in the wild being despite being tiny and sometimes enduring temperatures well below zero degrees Fahrenheit. I'm not looking to sell images, just enjoy birds.

Here's another photo that would never sell, but I take a moment to appreciate how all these functional colors work into a beautiful pallet. Sure black and white blends well with trees and a little flash of red serves a purpose in mating and territoriality, but it's just beautiful. I could stare at that red, white, and black for a good half hour.

Again, it's just nice to find something to take your mind off all the gloom and doom in the news.

On a fun note, yesterday on Big River Journey, our boat was just coming into downtown St. Paul and we watched a very healthy looking coyote drinking from the river. I wish I had my digiscoping set up then. The coyote in perfect sun with the St. Paul high rises looming behind it.

Skywatch Friday & Carpenter Nature Center

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.

Hustle And Bustle Of The Hive

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:

Birds and Beers

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.

Upcoming Events

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)

If you are heading to the Minnesota State Fair next week, I'll be there Monday, August 25 with a live bird from The Raptor Center at the KARE11 booth for Showcase Minnesota. I'll be on sometime between 10am - 11am.

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.

Birds and Beers

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?

Birds & Beers July 2008

The next Birds and Beers is Thursday, July 24 at 6pm at Merlin's Rest.

Birds and Beers is an informal gathering of birders of all abilities--if you're interested in birds, you're invited. You can meet other birders--maybe find a carpool buddy, talk about why people get weird on bird listservs, ask about where to find target birds, share cool research projects you might be working on, ask a bird feeding question, share life lists--the sky is the limit. It's low key and it's fun.