Pelagic Birding By The Seat Of Our Pants

Katie and I had way too much fun on the job yesterday with our whale watching/pelagic birding trip. And best part was that there was no barfing from us. We took some precautions by having a somewhat healthy breakfast with no greasy foods and taking some Dramamine. We noticed that the food offered on the boat was not my first choice for an anti barf diet:

Chili Cheese Dog on a pelagic trip? This boat crew likes life on the edge.

Funions, Cheetoes and tobasco? That sounds vomitish to me. Sheesh.

We had called around the day before asking people who offer whale watching if they ever see any seabirds on their trips. My favorite answer:

"See birds? Yeah, we see lots of birds. There's one that dives down and swims in there just like it was some kind of fish."

We didn't go with that company. When we called H & M Landing asked them about seabirds, the answer was"

"Oh yeah, you'll see some birds, like petrels, pelicans and gulls on our five hour whale trip."

They used "petrel" in their answer, so we decided to go with them. H & M guarantees a whale sighting on their trips and they recommended that if we want to see birds, we should go along on a fishing trip, since they would chum the waters. Katie and I decided to go for the whale trip since, hey how often would someone from Minnesota or Wisconsin see whales. The downside would be that we would be totally responsible for all bird identification, so we made sure to bone up on our seabirds before we left.

We got a kick out of the captain. He saw us standing on the deck with our DLS binos and proceeded to point and laugh at our "teeny" optics. He later showed us his massive pair of 10x70 binoculars--oy! As he poudly showed us his all powerful optics, he offered that if Katie and I were good, he might let us use them. I don't think we could have if we tried, I know I didn't have the upper arm stregth. We considered asking if he might want to look through ours, since like may things in life, size isn't everything. But we had a feeling that he is very proud to be at the help of his boat toting his massive binoculars while coursing the seas.

They had an antique field guide on board just in case any seabirds came by--published in 1957.

We didn't see too much in the way of whales, but did get to glimpse a juvenile gray whale (got the guaranteed whale, so no money back), harbor seals, sea lions, and dolphins. When we first got to the area where the dolphins were Katie and I both spotted a small black, gray and white football shaped birds whizzing around. We both about peed our pants and shouted, "Murrelet"! As we were freaking out over the life bird, everyone else was freaking about about a dolphin and calf swimming along with us at the bow of the boat. One lady in particular was trying to commune with them by leaning forward and sticking her hand out (left). I know Non Birding Bill is reading this and wondering if I was in fact the one leaning over the bow trying to touch the dolphin since I have a track record of doing foolish things to see wildlife, but I must be maturing because I decided to stay sensibly on the boat.

The trip included a run to the Coronado Islands, they looked like matte paintings of prehistoric islands on our approach. It was so sweet to see the brown pelicans catching thermals off of the clifss and circling, while the gorgeous blue water full of sea lions crashed along the rocks below. The pelicans were breeding, so we got to see the gorgeus color on the males and even a few chicks.

Gulls were following along the boat from time to time, hoping we were fishing and could maybe get some chum. It was interesting to note that younger gulls would follow us for a longer period of time before realizing we weren't going to throw out any fish. Adults would make a quick flyby and then move on.

I only got one lifer, but I saw some great old favorites like a Heerman's gull, earred grebes and some of the best looks at surf scoters I've ever had. We both just enjoyed the adventure of being on a boat over the open sea. We took other steps, like brought jackets (it was cool out over the water) and generously applied sunscreen throughout the day--I noticed one fellow passenger was a crispy critter after being in the sun for so long.

Well, the booth is getting busy, I'll update more after loading up on the yummy fresh seafood.

Partying with Monsters

Katie gets friendly with a local herring gull. Trollop.

Katie and I are trying to recover from the impromptu pelagic trip we attempted this afternoon. We thought we would stop for a quiet drink and dinner at our hotel, but discovered a Monster Convention going on. No, this isn't like one of the conventions NBB takes me too, nothing like Where The Wild Things Are, but Monster as in the energy drink--they're handing them out all over the place. We've just tried the original and the newer khaos (their spelling, not mine). Interesting.

We'll upload photos from later. We know quite a few co-workers are partying in Vegas, but I doubt they had the fun we did.

I Love My Job

This morning, I boarded a plane in Minneapolis at 9:13am. The temperature was 10 degrees. Later that morning at 11am I deboarded the plane in sunny San Diego to find the temperature in the 70 degree range. Insert happy sigh here.

I met up with fellow Eagle Optics coworker, Katie, and we had a fresh sushi lunch and then checked into the Dana Hotel. What else could two young optic reps do with spare time on their hands do but lounge by the heated pool (yes, I said heated--the pool is heated to 85 degrees since the temperature is in the chilly 70s--insert maniacal Minnesotan laugh here). We had our binos on hand so we could enjoy the Anna's hummingbirds, Audubon's warblers, osprey, cormorants and California gulls bee bopping overhead. And yes, we slathered ourselves in SPF 48.

After all that work we decided to stop in for a snack at the hotel bar. On the way there, we had fun outting all the birders. We would walk by someone and call out "Birder!" Some looked surprised as if "how on earth could we tell they were birders". Hint: they all had binoculars tucked somewhere on their bodies. The REALLY cool thing was that when they learned that we worked for Eagle Optics, they were excited to know us and told us about past purchases and how happy they were with our company's service.

While at the bar, Katie and I were knee deep in conversation when Pete Dunne walked by--he looked just like his photos in the back of his book--minus the jaunty spotting scope. About as recognizable as a green jay, seen it a million times in books and when it comes by you couldn't not know what it is. We shared a drink and then Katie and figured out tomorrow's plan. Because we have to work the festival, we can't join any of the official bird trips, but will have time to bird on our own.

We have a day to go birding, and this area is pretty much and open book for me so I didn't care where we went, I would see a new birds. I was intrigued by the Joshua Tree area, but neither Katie or I have ever really done a true pelagic trip. So we have decided to take a five hour whale watching trip with H & M Landing. We're guaranteed whales on the trip, but Katie and I figure that if you have to go out far enough to see whales, surely we will see pelagic birds--right? We called Jeff Bouton from Leica, who is at Shot Show right now in Vegas and he seemed to think our logic was reasonable and thought that we would at least see a black-vented shearwater. I figure, best case scenario, we will see a few murrelets and shearwaters or worst case, just see whales, sea lions and seal (and maybe vomit from motion sickness along the way). Either way, it seems like a win/win situation to me (except maybe the vomit part).

2 super cool parts of today: 1. Seeing a peregrine falcon fly in and land on a tree and then take off after a pigeon--sweet! 2. Helping a woman identify a lifer California gull--Katie and I are like Batman and Robin out here ( I just wish she would stop calling me "boy wonder").

Gonna Make Those Pigeons Work

This is a story from New Scientist:

A flock of pigeons fitted with mobile phone backpacks is to be used to monitor air pollution, New Scientist magazine reported on Wednesday.

The 20 pigeons will be released into the skies over San Jose, California, in August.

Each bird will carry a GPS satellite tracking receiver, air pollution sensors and a basic mobile phone. Text messages on air quality will be beamed back in real time to a special pigeon “blog,” a journal accessible on the Internet. Miniature cameras slung around the pigeons’ necks will also post aerial pictures.

The idea is the brainchild of researcher Beatriz da Costa, of the University of California at Irvine, and two of her students. They have built a prototype of the pigeons’ equipment, containing a mobile phone circuit board with SIM card and communication chips, a GPS receiver, and sensors capable of detecting carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. “We are combining an air pollution sensor with a home-made cellphone,” da Costa told New Scientist.

The team is planning to squeeze all the components onto a single board small enough for the birds to carry in a backpack, New Scientist said. The pigeons will take to the air at the inter-Society for Electronic Arts’ annual symposium in San Jose on August 5. The data they send back will be displayed on the blog in the form of an interactive map. reuters

General Giddiness

From the Raptor Center Education Rabbit:

"I disapprove of head performance, no matter how good I am at it."

Original Japanese Site on Rabbit Head Performance.

Non Birding Bill introduced me to Oolong a few years ago, on one of his many searches on the internet. I've tried it with our own rabbits (note Cinnamon's disapproval below--perhaps we were a bit ambitious with that dice pillow), but they do not have the patience for it at all. The TRC Education Rabbit appears to be a natural. Someone had put this toy in her hutch. (Odd choice for a rabbit toy. The rabbit hasn't done much with it besides wear it on her head and pee on it)

By the way, I apologize for the larger than normal number of typos in yesterday's entry. That's what I get for blogging during radio interviews that start at 5:45am. Non Birding Bill tells me not to worry, that my typos show that my blog is written by an actual person and not some corporation.

Today I'm excited, I head for the San Diego Bird Fest tomorrow. I'll be tying up a few loose ends and packing today. I have to figure out my outfit for tomorrow. When I leave Minneapolis, it will be around 26 degrees. When I arrive in San Diego, it will be in the 70s.

By the way, here is another pair of feet from TRC. Any guesses as to which bird owns these tootsies?

I'll give a hint: note all the white patches on the ankle bracelets and feet? That's from the bird crapping on its legs to stay cool. Still can't guess? Here's an easy hint: this bird vomits when nervous or startled. That's right, you guessed it, these are turkey vulture feet. Vultures are no longer considered raptors since they do not use their feet to grab and kill their food and they have been reclassified as being closer in relation to storks, but vultures can be a pill to deal with--what with all that vomiting when scared, so I think most wildlife rehabbers are happy that TRC still takes them in. This particular vulture is the same age I am, we were both hatched in the summer of 1974. He was used in a study to test patagial tags (tags they put on California condor wings so they can be identified when soaring). In that process this vulture became imprinted and cannot be released. This particular education bird is infamous for biting, so not everyone works with. I used to work with the vulture, but he has figured out the exact spot in his mew to stand in when I go to get him for program so that I cannot reach him (curse my shortness). Which may not be a bad thing. One day during vulture mating season, I watched him "mate" with a handler while sitting on her gloved hand...it wasn't pretty.

Fringing and Shoes

For those that listened to A Balanced Breakfast this morning, this is the article we were talking about. I'm not opposed to hunting, I would be a falconer if I had the time, but I am opposed to just releasing a bunch of birds somewhere willy nilly without them giving time to understand the area they will be going into and what dangers are there for them. Predators in the northern half of the state are different than the southern half. I also take issue with the turkeys being taken out by "an avian predator". It's rare for a raptor to take a turkey--it would have to be an bald or golden eagle. I think the turkey probably died of some other cause and then an opportunistic raptor ate the carcass.

I did have to giggle, Ian and Margery had no idea that turkeys can be seen in the metro area. I'm sure after our interview and all the people who called in, they will be keeping their eyes pealed.

Last night was the lottery for the Minnesota Fringe Festival, the largest independent theater festival in the United States. It used to be first come, first serve as far as getting a show in the Fringe, but in the last few years there have been more applications than performance spaces so they have enacted a lottery system. Very different from the early days of the Fringe Festival. I remember one year when the Fringe had a show cancel at the last minute and we already were doing a show (Shakespeare's Edward III) and we were asked if we could fill a couple of the open performing slots with Play on Birds (our sketch comedy show about birds, birdwatching and bird feeding). Non Birding Bill's entry was selected last night and he will have a show in the Fringe this summer--woo hoo. He's still working on his show for this summer. He's got one that he's been writing on and off for the last year, but I don't know if he's ready to announce it so I won't mention it too much just yet, so I don't it. My arty husband, I love him so.

In other news, I have caved to peer pressure (as in "all the other cool birders are wearing them, I have to have a pair too") after reading Bill of the Birds' entry about Keen Shoes and purchased a pair of Keen Sandals. I'll be traveling to some warmer spots and I prefer wearing sandals when it's above 60 degrees--I just can't do socks in warm weather. I'm find myself birding in rugged areas and need some quality foot gear. Plus, the Raptor Center now has a policy of "no open toed shoes" and these sandals have a closed toe, yet will be breathable, so I think I can wear them during programs too (Can you tell I'm still trying to justify my purchase? I've never paid this much for a pair of shoes before). I ended up going for the Newport H2 in Plum/Goldenrod. Because it was a sandal and I was purchasing it in Minnesota, I had to wait awhile for the sales person to get it from in back (they pack sandals away in February up here, go figure). And I know I can get shoes cheap at Zappos.com, but I wanted to try on the shoe to make sure I got the right size--I'm glad I did, I'm typically a 7 or 7 and a half. In Keens I'm an 8. I didn't think it was fair to have someone take time to find a shoe that fits me and then not purchase the shoe from their store.

I've never had a shoe with a warranty before...I'm feeling dangerously close to being an adult. The shoe is incredibly comfortable, I think this is going to be a beautiful relationship with my feet.

For those curious, that is my first tattoo in the photo up there, based on a painting called Der Flug by Quint Buchholz. At the time I could only afford five birds--plus it was my first tattoo and I wanted to be conservative. I'm thinking of putting in more birds this summer. You will note that two of the birds are flying like turkey vultures--yes, that was on purpose.

Bobby Harrison Update & KARE 11

Bobby's first update on his search this winter is up on the Eagle Optics website. I got another call from him over the weekend, so I'll have another update very soon!

For those who would like to learn more about digi scoping, please check out my coworker Mike's page. He keeps an interesting blog as well.

New Bracket

Please ignore the dirty window pane. All I can say is, don't hang a suet feeder too close to your window, birds spray a little when they peck at it and it's very hard to clean off.

I'm constantly challenged by my feeding situation. I try to attract birds without feeding squirrels, starlings and pigeons. I'm not opposed to those three species, but I have limited space and living in an apartment I have to feed sunflower out of the shell to eliminate a shell mess on the ground, and that gets expensive for those three species to chow down in an hour. I used to put food out for the squirrels, but when the food is gone, they chew their way into the windows and those types of rowdy guests will cause an eviction of the Stitelers.

I had used a Twirl-a-Squirrel to keep squirrels, pigeons, and massive amount of starlings off of my feeder, but as you can see in the above photo, the squirrels learned that they can hang on the wall and eat out of the feeders, without causing the baffle to spin the feeder. So, I needed to find a window bracket that would extend out farther and would be strong enough to hold the baffle and a full feeder. Not as easy as you would think. I stopped into a Wild Birds Unlimited in Hudson, WI and came across a set up that I thought would work (pictured, right). I like how I can just start with a couple of pieces and there is room to add more feeders and eventually more brackets. It is strong enough to hold the motorized baffle and feeder and I have learned that is also strong enough to hold a pigeon trying to feed of the feeder while it starts to spin.

I put the new bracket up late in the afternoon and that night it snowed, sure enough the next morning a squirrel was eyeing the set up. He jumped over to the ledge, climbed to the top of the bracket and sat above the baffle--I was impressed, the bracket could hold a full feeder, a fat squirrel and a heavy baffle (the baffle looks small, but it's got a motor and three D-cell batteries that cause the feeder to spin when anything squirrel size gets on the feeder--it works well to keep large mammals and birds off, but I don't recommend it for suet feeders, pileated woodpeckers cause the baffle to spin the feeder). The squirrel tried to get around the baffle but appeared to feel uncomfortable with its footing on the thin wire of the bracket and went back to the ledge. The squirrels know than when their full weight is on the feeder, it will spin, so this one decided not to jump onto the feeder. I think the two story drop from my window helps deter them from that. Although, one day we had two squirrels battling on our ledge. I watched one get pushed off and land feet first on the ground and scampered away into a tree without any apparently limp--another reason why I think squirrel muscle is part rubber. Eventually, the squirrel jumped back into the tree and descended to the ground, but not without giving me the hairy eyeball (pictured, right). It must have been taking lessons from Cinnamon.

Incidentally, the Wild Birds Unlimited I was in, was the most masculine bird store I have ever visited--run by all men! Not that there's anything wrong with that, I think the bird store industry tends to attract more women. It's a nice store full of fun gift items as well as bird seed. They also have different events happening, including a Moonlit Walk on February 11, 2006.

GIANT Disapproval

I was sent the story below from Scott Schultz the crazy inventor who developed the Squngee (rhymes with bungee). We can thank Scott for coming up with a way to distract squirrels while getting entertained at the same time. If you are ever looking for a unique gift for someone, I highly recommend a Squngee. A man stunned onlookers at an agriculture fair in Berlin when he brought his 22lb rabbit along. Passers-by thought Hans Wagner had a large cuddly toy with him and were shocked when they discovered the 3 ft 1in rabbit was real. Herman is one of a breed called the German Giant reports the Daily Mail. A spokesman from the German Rabbit Breeders' Association said: "They are good-natured, reliable and calm. They are, however, because of their size, not very suitable for children." Most German Giants reach between 16lb and 18lb. But Herman - who eats more than 1lb of food a day - has just kept growing. He lives in a specially-constructed hutch made of solid oak.

22 Pounds?!? I think that maybe too much rabbit, even for me. And I'm sorry, a solid oak hutch? I know how quick a seven pound Cinnamon can chew through most things, I give a 22 pound rabbit about two weeks to get out of that hutch. Sheesh.

Birding at the Mall of America

I have the worst headache this morning, and I can only attribute it to one thing, having been to the Mall of America two days in a row. There are some wonderful shops there, including a Wild Bird Store, however I never feel more confined and claustrophobic than in that place.

I had to go Friday because it was Non Birding Bill's birthday and we have a special fondness for the restaurant Long John Silvers--one of our favorite eateries when we were getting to know each other in college. There are very few up north and the only one in our area is of course at the Mall of America. I cannot deny NBB his favorite food when it is his birthday and especially because he puts up with so much living with me.

When we got home, we got a phone call from Lorraine (pictured below, with the sprained middle finger and me below) saying that our good friend Kitty Cat(pictured above with NBB) was in town and would we meet the two of them for lunch at the Mall of America tomorrow. I glared at NBB. He asked Lorraine if we could meet outside the Mall, since we were just there that day. Lorraine offered to pay for lunch and well, I hardly see Miss Kitty so I acquiesced.

Our friends have such interesting lives, Lorraine is a personal assistant to Mr. Neil, is a fabulous violin player and has her own band in the form of Lorraine a Melena. Miss Kitty is an artist who makes cool magnets (she made one for me of Jackie Chan) and travels a bit with bands as a chef or as a personal assistant. And when I say bands, I mean bands like Motley Crue, Depeche Mode (one of my high school favorites, she gave me her backstage pass when she was finished), Foo Fighters and she may be going out with Tool in the near future.

After our lunch we looked at a few shops like the Apple Store, Hot Topic and Urban Outfitters where I was surprised to find some bird clothing. There is a line called Modern Amusement which had some sweaters, pants and boxer shorts with birds (you can already see in the photo at left, I really have had enough of the Mall of America--the wine from lunch must have been wearing off). I was very intrigued by the boxer shorts and really wanted to purchase a pair, but alas, every piece of clothing I have ever purchased from Urban Outfitters doesn't last beyond a second washing and I can't justify paying $20 some odd dollars for boxer shorts with birds on them, not matter how accurate they are. I have never purchased clothing from this line before so it may be able to stand up to a washing machine, but I've been burned too many times before by UO clothes to risk chancing it. Anyway, here are some of the bird designs up close:

I highly doubt that blue jays ever wish they were peacocks. They come off cocky enough as it is. I thing blue jays prefer to think of peacocks wishing they were more like blue jays.

This, to me looked like a female red-winged blackbird. If anyone has any other ideas as to the identification of the species, please feel free to let me know. It's a bold choice to pick a more obscure bird like this. And I find the message, "Beware of Cougars" to be one of the more sensible things I've read on a pair of boxers.

The purple finch on the blue boxers exclaiming that he never promised me a rose garden was my favorite. And it's true, the never do promise rose gardens--at least none of the field guides out there say that they do.

On Friday when NBB and I were at Long John Silvers, we sat on the third floor eating our greasy fish and chicken we could look down on Lego Land, I remembered back over eight years ago when I first applied to the Wild Bird Store and began my birding career. I so did not want to work at the Mall of America, however, after a string of temp jobs to support my theater career, which included working for a penile implant factory translating french questionnaires about people with erectile dysfunction as well as urinary and fecal incontinence and then a job working at a Chemlawn office, I was desperate. The Chemlawn job was the worst, you could smell the chemicals in the offices and being opposed to it, I felt horrible working there, both physically and morally. That was the first time I did something completely irresponsible--when my break came, I walked out to my car and just drove away--no word to the supervisors, nothing.

So, I decided on trying for the bird store, the job was only part-time and at the Mall, but I figured I could just get my foot in the door and go from there. As luck would have it, I learned during the interview that a full-time job was available in the company that was at a neighborhood store and not the Mall and things fell into place there. That interview was so strange though, because I met the manager for a coffee at a little table next to Lego Land and a Mary Kate and Ashley movie was being filmed while we talked. I wonder, if that some sort of omen about my career decision to get out of theater and into birding.