Rode Hard & Put Up Wet...and COLD

I am plum wore out today. So worn out that I missed the reception with Phil Donahue and Dr. James Watson. I am exhausted, and not sure if I will make it to finishing this blog entry tonight. Bear with me and brace yourself for typos.

I did get to meet one guy who I kind of geeked out over, and that was Jim Zipp (pictured in the left photo with me). You may not know Jim by name, but he is a very prolific photographer, so if you get magazines like Birder's World, WildBird, National Geographic or Birding you have seen his photos. If you have a bird magazine handy, take a look at the photos and see if you can find a Zipp. When not going hither and yon to take photos he runs a wild bird shop called Fat Robin. For some reason, it wasn't until this weekend that I put together that the Jim Zipp who owns Fat Robin is the same Jim Zipp that takes all those photos. Anyway, it was an honor for me to meet him.

For me, the day started out full of promise and excitement, our booth was set up just across the river from a bald eagle nest, and the pair was in full renovation mode. A harbor seal popped up within about 20 feet of the dock which was unusual for where we were I was told. Also, I felt well dressed to deal with the cold and our booth being outside. I was surrounded by other optics reps, I was basically surrounded by cool friends to hang out with. There were definitely some interesting folks milling about at this bird festival and you certainly saw a bit of a hipper crowd here (who knew Connecticut was such a hip place). One surprise was the young man wearing a jacket announcing that "Sid Lives" (photo, right). For those who don't know, this is a reference to Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols (punk band).

I think hands down, my favorite out fit was this lovely lady pictured on the left with the bright red cowboy hat and the leopard print pants--I have a soft spot for leopard print--must by my Hoosier heritage. I thought she was just too cute.

It was about this time that the weather took a turn for the worse and wind dramatically increased in speed, temperatures dropped and a squall moved in. On the upside, what better opportunity to talk about waterproof binoculars, on the other hand, the wind was so strong, that combined with the snow it made viewing any kind of birds incredibly difficult. Our booth was next to the Swarovski booth and they had a propane heater near their table that they graciously shared with all the other optic reps. Alas, something went wonky and it made strange noises. I think it may have overheated (oh, the irony) and was not used for the rest of the day and the rest of us had to find a way to muddle through.

As the snow moved in, some of the customers moved for local coffee houses for cover. A few die hards lingered for a bit. That's the Brunton booth in front with Jim Danzenbaker--I wonder if he bore the "brunton" of the wind in the storm (so lame, I know, but couldn't resist in my weakened condition--I'm cracking myself up so hard right now, this is very sad).

Jeff Bouton of Leica doesn't let the wind, snow and cold get him down. He's always ready for a good time.

Jeff's happy feet move him over to the Vortex booth. That guy's a one man party.

We didn't see much in the way of eagles after the snow died down, but some mute swans moved in. The temperatures continued to drop and the winds increased. By around three o'clock all the optic reps outside were dancing and bouncing around trying to keep warm. It was an odd dance as there was a choir not far off doing Cole Porter and Andrew Lloyd Weber medleys. I'd post photos of that, but I'm quite certain that would get me banned from future events--we don't look good.

Clay at Swarovski arranged for us to close down early because the wind was keeping customers away and knocked down at least one display scope. On top of that he drove all the optic reps to his home where he and his wife Debbie put on a super tasty spaghetti dinner to warm us up. This was incredibly gracious because the day before, high winds knocked down a huge tree that took out a bay window on their home. In the above photo that's a subdued Jeff, Steve from Zeiss and Clay.

Here is Mike from Nikon. I think his face sums up how happy, warm and satiated we were thanks to Clay and Debbie's hospitality.

And now I think I have the shower nice and warmed up and I'm going to sit in there until I reset my core temperature. Word on the street is that it is supposed to be ten degrees colder. Now, my plan is to take the hottest shower I can stand, sleep in my hotel with the heat cranked. I want to be hot and sweaty when I start tomorrow morning so I can be ready for that weather.

Oy.

Grossly Under Dressed

Just call me Sharon Q. Whineypants.

I'm in Connecticut this weekend with Ben Lizdas, Joe Hamilton and Bruce Mercer for the CT Audubon Society's Bald Eagle Festival. I learned today that our booth is still in fact outdoors, on the river and NOT in a heated tent as originally planned. I think I packed okay for it, thigh-high wool socks (not as attractive as it sounds) lots of fleece, sweaters and my cold weather helper: Hot Hands. I know I'm a Minnesota girl and should be used to the cold, but I bird in the car when it's cold. I'm sure Non Birding Bill will read this and think I'm being especially whiney since today the Twin Cities were -14 degrees with a wind chill at -36. I'm going to be in 20 - 30 degree weather (though on a river so it will feel colder).

When we arrived today, we greeted some of the festival organizers. They were kind enough to invite us to a gala going on tonight. One of the organizers told us that the invite said "black tie" but not to worry, they get a little funky with their idea of black tie (I need to consult with them on their definition of funky). In fact, one of the organizers pointed to his jeans and red cotton shirt and said that was all he would be wearing. Thinking that this was like an ordinary bird festival, I figured we could dress in our regular clothes and fit in. Alas, the Connecticut Audubon Eagle Festival is not your typical bird festival. There weren't just black ties, but ties of all colors. All the gentlemen were in suits and many ladies were wearing shoes that I'm pretty sure cost more than the contents of my suitcase. We showed up in denims, khakis and sweaters. I decided to wear my "Hot All-Bird Action" shirt, thinking it would be a good conversation starter (which it typically is at bird festival socials). That's Ben and I trying to blend in (above photo). Do you think it worked? What else can you do in that situation, but make the best of it? I always try to think, "What would Auntie Mame do? And that has yet to steer me wrong. We decided to enjoy some of the free whine and hors d'oeuvres and as we relaxed we started to mingle and met some really interesting people. One lady was the Vice President of Pratt & Whitney, one of the major sponsors of the festivals. Her company makes airplane engines--and I thought my job was fascinating. On top of that she was a pilot too. I would like to see what life is like from her shoes a day, it does sound like fun.

We later left for dinner and found a lovely little Chinese restaurant that served sushi. After we ate, our fortune cookies came out, and Joe was lucky enough to get two in one package (pictured, right--Joe looks as though he is not fully grasping the gravity of his double fortune cookie). I think the double fortune cookie bodes well for our success this trip not only in meeting new people but for birding as well. For example, when we ran into Jeff Bouton of Leica this afternoon, I asked if he could get me any new birds. He walked me to the river's edge and pointed to a great cormorant. Sweet, a new bird right away--Jeff is so good like that!

Right now I'm trying to debate about singing karaoke. We have it in our hotel at the Ship to Shore Bar and Restaurant. I can't seem to round anyone one up and I don't want to go down by myself. I should really get rested up anyway. We have long day ahead of us and I will also have a chance to meet Phil Donahue (I'm not even going to think about the possibility that Marlo Thomas might be with him--if she is I will just GEEK out). As if the chance to meet those two cool people weren't enough, but Dr. James Watson, co-discoverer of the DNA double helix, Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize winning biologist and head of the NIH Humane Genome Project will be here. I'm kind of curious to meet a man who had a movie made about his discovery and had Jeff Goldblum play his character (as I recall, he chewed some serious gum in the movie). I tell ya', birding leads me to some incredible people.

So, while I decide to sing or not to sing, I will ponder what I found on the back of the fortune in my fortune cookie. Feel free to ponder it along with me:

Packing for Connecticut

Monday morning I took a walk in this:

This morning it's below zero so I'm choosing not to take a walk in this:

We were supposed to have piles of snow this morning, and just south of the Twin Cities they are getting a few inches, however there is a freezing cold front that is pushing the snow to just south of the Cities. Yesterday's forecast said we could have five to seven inches in the Cities, now they are saying maybe one inch by 5pm but the below zero weather is here to stay through the weekend. The same snow is hitting my cohorts in Madison and all of us are flying out early tomorrow morning for the Connecticut Bald Eagle Festival, so it will be interesting to see if we all get out. I'll find out in Detroit.

For all of those who may be missing Cinnamon's disapproval, I did get my fair share in San Diego. This is the California ground squirrel and they are everywhere. I didn't notice them while I was working at the convention center, but when I took a walk before my flight, the ground was squirming with them. They kind of looked like scruffier versions of the gray squirrel that we have in Minnesota, and they weirded me out because they aren't bouncy like our squirrels, they just scurry around. They're not interested in trees but burrow little holes in the ground right along the water.

I'm trying to get packed for this weekend and get things prepared for what I will need to bring to the Arkansas Ivory-bill Celebration next week (my first time running a binocular booth solo) and Cinnamon is being no help whatsoever. I have supply of binoculars with me for use in bird walks and other programs and I will need to take some of them with me to Brinkley. I was just double checking my supply when Cinnamon decided she needed to get involved and give instructions. I kept trying to shoo her away, but back she came. She was very interested in the yellow Typhoon binocular, especially the strap. She kept trying to rearrange it to lay on it. I don't know what that is all about. I think she must be acting out, since I'm not home as much. I was thinking about taking her with me to the Rivers and Wildlife Celebration in Nebraska, but I'm still undecided if I want to do the drive by myself. I often do most of the driving on the trip, but I have others in the car for conversation. Non Birding Bill really wants me to fly, but it's such a fun drive and great way to watch for all the different color morphs of hawks--I'm torn. It would be fun to take Cinnamon to her first bird festival. I think she'd have a good time.

I And The Bird

Last night I got a call from Amy at Wild Bird on the Fly asking me what I thought about her theme idea for hosting I and the Bird this week. My first response: "Crap! It's I and the Bird this week? I completely forgot! Can I quick send an entry? Oh, and I think your theme is a great idea."

She was gracious enough to allow me to send my link, and she does have a great idea of doing it in the style of a bird festival. Considering that is about the only time we hang out, it seems appropriate to me. So, here is this week's I and the Bird in the theme of a bird festival.

The Sibley Difference

I decided that when I went to the west coast I would take my National Geographic Field Guide to Birds. It's a little smaller than the Sibley Guide to Birds, and fit perfectly in a pocket of my carry on suitcase. I also chose it because I keep little check marks next to birds that I have seen so I could have an idea for target birds. Oh, lamentable choice, it steered me so wrong! I misidentified another bird in the blog--that's two birds in a week. Uff-dah.

The gull misidentification was not field guide related, that was Kate and I trying to remember a gull with no field guide handy over dirty martinis. Lesson learned: don't id birds in a blog at a bar without a field guide. The hummer id, I blame on the guide, I should have checked Sibley before I posted, yet I was impatient.

Here is the hummer photo that I posted (granted, not a great photo):
Now, having only the National Geographic I narrowed it down to either an Anna's Hummingbird (below)...

...or a black-chinned hummingbird (below).

Thinking the bill was a tad off, I chose to go with the black-chinned, based on how dark the throat looked, the white spot behind the eye and that the throat color didn't appear to go as far back in the photo as it appeared to do in the National Geographic illustration. I took a chance and posted...

...then I got an email from fellow Minnesota birder Terry Brashear:

Your Black-chinned Hummingbird appears to be a Male Anna's. A black-chinned this time of year would be unusual for San Diego since the majority of them are in Mexico. When they are found in San Diego in spring they are usually in the foothills in the east part of San Diego County. I birded there 25 years and saw one Black-chinned in the coastal area of San Diego. I took a look at the CBC data for San Diego and none were reported this year. Thought you'd like to know.

Doh! So, as soon as I got home (well, after a warm greeting from Non Birding Bill) I checked ye olde Sibley to see where I went wrong. Here is an Anna's hummingbird in the Sibley Guide...

...and here is a black-chinned hummingbird in the Sibley Guide:

Looking at the Sibley guide, I see the bill shape is incorrect for a black-chinned the light pattern on the head more closely matches the Anna's. So, from now on I will pack Sibley.

One Last Laugh

The captain's binoculars, compared to mine. It still makes me chuckle. In hindsight, I wonder if I should have offered to sell him a harness.

Wrapping Up The San Diego Fest

Here is a photo of Katie and I having a blast on our whale watching trip.

Katie has already left for the airport this morning, but my flight doesn't head out until afternoon so I'll catch up on some work and maybe sneak out for one final sunny walk before heading to Minnesota. So, as I type this, I'm listening to Ian and Margery over the internet and learned that Barry Manilow's latest album is number one--here's to you Barry! They just said "hello" to me on the air over the internet--love those guys.

We've had a quite a time here, albeit a more subdued time than at other fests. Perhaps word has spread of my incriminating photos that I have been collecting, so people are on better behavior. The most exciting photo I have of antics, is magnetic Clay Taylor lifting the end of a fork with the end of his butter knife (pictured right)? Perhaps this explains his birding ability, the birds are just attracted to him?

One interesting thing, was a water main broke down the street and on Saturday our hotel had no water. I felt bad for all of the people who had all day trips in the desert only to come back to the hotel to clean up for the festival banquet and discover that there was no shower to be had or toilets to be flushed. The water came back late in the evening, and Katie, Amy and I thought we would take advantage of the hot tub, only to discover lots of towels and bars of soap outside of it. Apparently, some guests decided to chance bathing in the chlorine filled waters. Ew.

Below are some of the great times we have had here:

Okay, you're looking at this photo and thinking, "Birdchick, they're pigeons, you have them at home, what gives?" Look close, there is a male Brewer's blackbird mixed in with the flock at about 11 o'clock in back. Those dudes are much more leary in Minnesota, so I fed some pigeons to coax over the male Brewer's.

Here is a (let's hope I get it right this time) western gull trying to get some cat food put out for all the dock cats. Free roaming cats were all over, which surprised me, but can you blame them, what with the smell of fish every where. None of the cats seemed to be interested in the gulls or pigeons, if anything they were a tad irritated the gulls would come down for their food.

Here are some sea lions we saw on our whale watching trip. I don't know what it is about these guys, but as soon as I hear them barking I have an uncontrollable urge to bark myself. That may just be me.

We heard hummingbirds all over the place, which seems odd in February to this Minnesota gal. I found this black-chinned hummingbird on one of my morning walks singing (or more accurately, hoarsely twittering and sputtering his song from his perch). I took this photo through my DLS binoculars.

Purse puppies are spreading everywhere! This cute little guy nestled in that fabulous purple bag was having a great time at the festival. Watch out Chet Baker.

I end with this beautiful photo of our warm and sunny trip. I just got off the phone with Ben at Eagle Optics. We are traveling to an eagle festival in Connecticut next week and he just informed me that we will have our booth outside. Eeeeep! Yes, on the east coast where all the snow just got dumped. I'm not real sure how heated a tent will be in February in Connecticut, but sounds like I will be wearing my typical Minnesota clothing.

Sigh.

Making Connections

One of the fun things at bird festivals are all the connections that are made.

I think Keens are becoming the official birding shoe. I was wearing mine and Katie started pointing out all of the people walking by with Keen Shoes. We corralled all the Keen wearers we could find for a photo.

The booth next to us is the PullUin Software booth, the company that makes the Handheld Field Guide to birds. The lady running the booth was working by herself, so if she needed to step out to powder her nose or grab some lunch, I knew enough about it to answer questions as people came by in her absence. It's fun to be helpful and goodness knows I love to talk about gadgets.

I was excited when I noticed a participant wearing a Sky Hunters t-shirt. Four or five years ago, I went on a trip to Idaho with Birds of Prey Expeditions and met the owner, Nancy. We had a wonderful time on the Memorial Day Weekend trip, the birds and scenery were fantastic. We met an old woman who was the local bird lady who, bless her heart, was out in the middle of nowhere and had limited access to bird handling training, but was one of the worst bird handlers I either of us had ever seen. One of the things she did was blow in a bird's face to calm it down. I also learned on that trip that sixty year olds set in their ways are not likely to take advice from frantic twenty somethings. Nancy, on the otherhand knows what she's doing and talking about when it comes to birds, so if you find yourself in the San Diego area, do be sure to check out her facility, and like many raptor rehabbers is run on donations, so if you have spare change, Sky Hunters is a great place to make donations.

Tonight it looks like a group is heading out to dinner: Amy from WildBird, Jim from Brunton, Clay from Swarovski, Steve from Zeiss and maybe a couple of others, I don't know who. There's no Bill from Bird Watcher's Digest or Jeff from Leica so I think karaoki is out. But I so happy enjoying the fresh seafood-mmmmmmmmmmm.

Heron at the Fest

Herons are all over the place around our hotel and marina. Here's a great blue watching life go by.

The San Diego Fest is a good time. The vendor mart is small but jammed packed, we talked noon-stop for almost eight hours! We're in the optics section and we're lucky because we have a window view. I checked the gift vendors and they are tucked away in a room with no view. Something interesting on a side note was someone selling organic soaps. The soaps were named after endangered species and a percentage of the profits goes to conservation. They of course had an ivory-billed woodpecker soap, but I was not allowed to take a picture of it. Hmmm? Do they have secret ingredients or does the Cornell policy of not talking about ivory-bills spill over into the world of organic soaps?

In the optic vendor room we can see an osprey nest, way out over the water that's been built on top of a condemned boat. It's fun to have a good target to test out binos and scopes.

I'm enjoying the common birds that I don't see in my neck of the woods especially this time of year. They are so people tolerant too. Here is a juvenile black-crowned night heron hanging out on some rocks (right). I took this photo using my digital camera and DLS binos.

There is also a small armada of snowy egrets hanging out by the convention center, but they are too quick for me to get a decent photo, I will try again later.

Don't Blog From The Bar

Last night Katie and I did a quick blog update over some dirty martinis at the hotel bar and misidentified a gull. We got this from Julie:

Methinks 'tis a second winter western gull there so Katie is not such a trollop after all.

JZ

Doh!