Going To See Short-eared Owls

I saw five of the reported seven short-eared owls tonight. There's one in the photo at left. Can't see it? It's just down the road a bit. Well, I was a little far away, there's a much better shot of the owl at Ron Green's site.

Oh, there’s nothing like a good stake out bird! Okay, for the readers of this blog that are new to birding, a stake out bird is an unusual or rare bird that has been reported on a hotline or listserv that everyone tries to see. It’s what I call an “X marks the spot bird”. Someone will give detailed directions, you show up and bam, there it is. It can be at a feeder, in a particular tree out in the middle of nowhere, in a neighborhood, anywhere. Tonight, there were at least nine or ten of us out looking for the owls. I would guess more people will show up Saturday evening.

Some feel that stake out birds shouldn’t be countable because you usually don’t have to do much work, just show up. I think this is one of the instances where bird listers got a bad name. They would show up, look at the bird and then leave, often times irritating those who like to stand and watch the bird for as long as possible. It's just personal preference. Personally, I love a good stake out bird. It’s an opportunity to meet people from listservs who are normally just a user name or chance to catch up with a birder you haven’t seen for awhile. I look at it as an informal gathering after work.

That’s not to say that stake out birds don’t come with their share of problems. Because so many people know about the bird, when you first show up there can be a crowd of people, each with their own agenda on seeing the bird. This can be good thing, the more eyes, the easier it is to find the bird. But you have to be aware of where everyone else is and what they are trying to do (are they trying to record it?).

Believe it or not, there is a sort of etiquette for stake out birds and when that etiquette isn't followed, tempers can rise. For example, how close do you get to a bird? If there’s a crowd I keep my distance. You never know who is going to join the group and though you have stood and watched the bird for a half hour, someone may come and want to see it with in the next two minutes. It's generally not a good time to experiment to see how close you can get to the bird for a great photo. You really don't want to be the one who flushes the bird unnecessarily. You could spoil it for whoever arrives later or someone who just got the bird lined up in their spotting scope or camera lens.

Now, there’s new etiquette to deal with. It used to be that you would get a few photographers that would show up. As a birder, you have to be careful to not ruin their shot. Tonight there was a videographer and someone with a microphone trying to record the calls (pictured, right). This gets trickier. A lot of your fancier mics can pick up car sounds and conversation, much to the irritation of the person trying to record the birds. Many people watching birds will sit in their cars, using it as a blind or to stay warm, keeping the engine running so they can follow the birds. Plus, there's a lot of chitchat at stake out birds, all of this can interfere with sound recordings. Another area to try and figure out in this great thing we do called birding.

You can tell Minnesotans are desperate for spring. We were excitedly pointing out grackles to each other while watching the short-ears and when I came home and checked the listserv, someone else was happy to announce that they saw a grackle in their yard. We're happy about grackles for cryin' out loud. I did hear my first killdeer of the season but was still reminded of winter when a rough-legged hawk flew out above the field where the short-eared owls were hunting.

Non Game Checkoff

Many in Minnesota are familiar with the Nongame Wildlife Program, popularly called the Chickadee Checkoff on our tax forms (even though it shows a loon on the form, it's still called the Chickadee Checkoff). Many states now have the program based on how well it has worked in Minnesota. It designed to benefit species that aren't hunted like downy woodpeckers (pictured left), loons, cardinals, birds of prey, herons, you name it, as long as it can't be hunted, it benefits from the program.

Recently, there have been articles in both the Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press and grumblings about the removal of Carrol Henderson from the program. This surprised the heck out of me. First of all, Carrol is much beloved by the birding community in the state and why would a major change happen early in the year, when the donation time is underway? The other thing that I thought was fishy was that Carrol is not talking about it, not even saying he can't talk about, he is just not talking about it. I get a lot of great tips and photos of what's going on in the state to talk about in my blog from Carrol, so I was surprised he was so mum with me on this issue.

I sat down with Lee Pfannmuller who is head of Ecological Services at the DNR and now the Nongame Program is in her department. She said that Carrol was removed from Nongame so he could focus on education, which she feels is his forte. I won't deny that Carrol gives great programs and is popular on the lecture series in Minnesota and surrounding states. She has some exciting plans for how the money will be used to benefit birds in the state. There wasn't a clear answer besides, "Carrol is better at education" for his removal from the program so I get the sense that a lot of this is departmental stuff that many of us aren't privy to. Something that looks good on paper but illogical in action.

So, here are my answers to questions that people have been asking me on this issue:

How do I feel about Carrol's removal from the Nongame Program? Disappointed to say the least. I would hope that the DNR would have the good sense to use him as a resource for how the program will be run in the future in Ecological Services, since he has won awards based on his work and other states have modeled their Nongame Programs after what Carrol has done here.

Is moving Nongame to Ecological Services a good idea? I don't know. Only time will tell. Since this is something that all of us donate to, it is imperative that we contact (the public and the media) and ask "Where did the money go this year?" It's our money, that we donate at tax time, we need to stay on top of it and make sure our money is being spent for Nongame and not other projects that are part of Ecological Services. I will say this about Lee, her mentor is Eldon Greij, founder of Birder's World Magazine. That could bode well.

Should I just not donate to Nongame this year? It is imperative that you donate to the program. The money is still meant for wildlife, we just need to be more observant of how that money is being used by someone we are not used to.

Loose Ends

Yesterday, Val Cunningham posted that she and friend Kim Gordon went south to the Minnesota /Iowa border and found seven short-eared owls. I have never seen a short-eared owl, I have handled them at The Raptor Center and have done just about anything you can do legally to them, but I have never just watched one doing its thing out in the wild. I'm trying to tie up my loose ends right now so I can take the two and a half hour drive south to catch them doing their thing late in the afternoon.

Oh, and last week when I linked to this photo of our Ivory-bill Search Team, I got this from Steve Moore:

Sharon,
I visited the Cornell site to see your search picture. After viewing all the photos I believe I have solved the mystery; you are scaring away all the IBWs dressed like that. No more motley a crew have I seen.

So, now everybody can blame me for the lack of decent photos.

Pat Redig on KARE 11

Dr. Pat Redig, one of the founders of The Raptor Center (and who has been following the "bird flu"well before most of us were in the United States) was interviewed by KARE 11 yesterday about avian influenza:

As the federal government warns that the so-called bird flu could wing its deadly way into the United States through migratory birds in a few months, Minnesota is gearing up to be on the look-out.

Though the virus has done much of its deadly work in Asia, where poultry populations have been wiped out and people killed, the migratory link between that region, Alaska, and the Midwest, could bring the virus here.

At the University of Minnesota's Raptor Center, they've begun monitoring raptors such as eagles because they'll often eat small birds.

"They're eating some of them, particularly the sick or dead ones. And it's possible one or two eagles might be the equivalent of sampling several hundred ducks," said Dr. Patrick Redig of the Raptor Center.

Dr. Redig has proposed to the federal government that more raptors be monitored, and that perhaps 10,000 water fowl be checked in the upper Midwest as they fly through the equivalent of a bird highway

"The interesting thing about it is that all of these flyways have some point of convergence up here," said Dr. Redig.

Redig notes that many migratory highways from both Asia and North America intersect in Alaska. That seasonal mixing begins in three weeks. And by next fall said Dr. Redig, "We will have birds coming across the continent of the United States that have spent summer in Alaska and theoretically and potentially have mixed it up with birds from Asia."

Brooklyn Bunny

I have discovered a Bunny Cam! As if I don't have enough to watch on the internet. The current bunny is so cute, he's a dwarf hotot very similar to the first bunny Non Birding Bill and I had named Latte. He's the white rabbit with eyeliner on the Disapproving Rabbits page.

Hey, Cinnamon, do you want us to set up a webcam for you?

"I would disapprove of such an invasion of privacy. I need my personal space."

KARE 11 Changes

I think I'm scooping CJ, (the gossip columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune).

Today we filmed the "Goodbye Show" for the KARE 11 Today Show. Last fall, it was reported that after 13 years, the mid-morning show was slightly changing formats. The show has always been an opportunity for local stores to come on and talk about their products and services. That will still happen, but you will now have to pay an advertising fee. The new show has the tentative name of Minnesota Showcase.

In the meantime, the show will continue for the next two weeks, with the Goodbye Show airing on March 24. After that, the new show will be on hiatus and should begin airing in June. I should be back on, I'm certainly going to try. Not all of the segments will be a commercial format, they will keep some strictly informational and I fall in that category. Pat and Roxanne, the hosts will be moving on and two new hosts have been picked. I was told the names, but alas, I am only good at remembering bird names and not people names. (Ask me the name of the American robin, I dare ya'! It's Turdus migratorius.) I just got an email from one of the producers, the new hosts are Rob Hudson and Corbin Seitz.

The show is normally live, but we had to film the final show ahead of time to fit with everyone's schedule. The producers gathered all of the regular guests today for a final group shot. I wish we had some kind of get together sooner. We all knew each other, but never really had a chance to connect on a social basis. I have always felt a connection to Louise, the organization lady. She knows organization as well as I know birds. If you ever need to get your life/home in order, she's the one to call. She teaches classes and she also can be hired to be your personal organizer. The best part is that Louise won't make you feel bad about getting your stuff together, she treats you with her gentle sense of humor.

Some of the regulars are on during days when I'm not on, so I've never had a chance to meet them. For example, today I got to meet Jill Spiegel, the flirtologist. Yes, you read that correctly, she is a flirtologist--she wrote the book(s) on flirting. Again, can I say how much fun I have with what I do? I get to work knee deep in bird watching and meet people with really interesting careers: a professional organizer and a flirtologist--are ya' kidding me? I have read about Jill in People Magazine, and she's been on the national Today Show, Oprah and she has her own program on Saturday nights on fm107. Her books are fairly well known and I don't know if you have ever heard her or have seen her on tv, but she's very excited and intense about what she does. She's like that in person. It was fun to caught up in the whirlwind that is a conversation with her. She's genuine and excited, so you can't help but be excited too.

Speaking of flirting, I saw a peregrine hanging out on the Colonnade Building on the way home. If you have been watching the falcon cams in Minnesota, you can watch the birds getting friendly.

Bluebird Conference Time

The Minnesota Bluebird Recovery Program will be having their annual conference April 22, 2006. If you haven't been to a conference, I highly recommend you go. You can learn great tips for not only putting up bluebird houses, but also for wood ducks, purple martins, swallows and a few other species. If you are not in Minnesota, check here for contacts for the nearest BBRP in your area. There is a national Bluebird Conference, this year in Texas.

Chicken Cat

Watch for this soon to be remade on the Lifetime Channel. The story of a chicken and a cat and their forbidden love.

Spring Is In The Air

Signs of spring are everywhere in my neck of the woods. Yesterday, I saw my first red-winged blackbird in the metro area over in Wayzata, today I saw my first flock of bluebirds (left) at Schaar's Bluff and red-tailed hawks are pairing up all over the place. My friend Amber and I had a spare couple of hours and took a quick drive south of the Twin Cities to bird. It was foggy and gray and birds were limited but we did see tons of red-tailed hawks and all of them were paired up. When a male red-tail lands next to a female on the same branch or light post, that's pretty much third base for him. One odd thing was a lone male wood duck hanging out next to a hen mallard. Any drake mallards that tried to come close, would be quickly chased away by the wood duck. Amber and I wanted to tell him that we thought that hen was too much woman for him, but when ducks are full of hormones, there's no reasoning with them.

Meanwhile, my cockatiel Kabuki is feeling the change of seasons as well and is singing like a crazy bird. Kabuki can do most of the Andy Griffith Theme Song and his interest in the tune was rekindled last weekend thanks to TV Land's tribute to the late Don Knotts last weekend. Kabuki is also a master of the wolf whistle and will do it over and over and over and over and over in several different incarnations. One of my favorites is when he hunches over, holds his right foot up, closed in a circle and drags the two notes out as long as possible. It looks like he is concentrating so hard on the fusion of the two notes, trying to find the true meaning and essence of the wolf whistle. No one has ever delivered that sound with such heart and feeling.

Some days Kabuki will work on a new sound all together, trying out new tones and whistles, one that sounds almost like a soft pish. He will sit on the top perch and ever so quietly go "pish, pish, pish". When he really gets going, he will try to whistle inside his empty toy dish. Kabuki has a purple cup that we keep beads, balls of foil, little plastic doo dads, etc that he will pick up and drop the floor of his cage--he gets no end of entertainment from this project. Sometimes for fun, when I do laundry I will bring the basket out in front of Kabuki's cage and drop in each article of clothing one by one into it. Those are really fun days for the cockatiel. Each drop appears to be a deep thought to be pondered. When the cup is empty and he is feeling musical, he will stick his head in the whole cup and sing his song (there he is testing his sound in the photo above). He mostly does the wolf whistle but sometimes the Andy Griffith tune will be attempted as well. He appears so proud to have figured out a new way to amplify his sound.

Yesterday, I met up with friends Lori and Melissa and helped clean out some bluebird and wood duck boxes. When Lori and I were cleaning out a wood duck box we found a whole bunch of ants at the bottom underneath all of the cedar bedding. They didn't affect the nest last year, all but one of the eggs hatched, and that one wasn't as developed as the others. I think they came in after the hatching attracted by the egg shells or maybe came in during the cold and just died. It was kind of gross.

Idaho Might Be On To Something

It's important to know what is in your bird seed. One of the benefits of shopping a wild bird specialty store is that those companies work to have quality, local seed stocked in their stores and staff can usually tell you by looking at a mix what seeds are in it.

Stores that don't specialize in bird feeding cannot be so accurate. Below is an interesting news release from Idaho about noxious weed seeds being found in bird and animal feed. Another reason to make sure you are getting a good bird seed and not purchasing based on price at a big box store.

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ISDA FINDS BIRD, ANIMAL FEED CONTAINING NOXIOUS WEED SEED;
AGENCY ISSUES STOP SALE ORDERS

(BOISE) The Idaho State Department of Agriculture has ordered two dozen companies to stop the sale of bird and other animal feeds that contain viable noxious weed seeds.

A routine sampling of animal feed products revealed that several manufacturers have been distributing the feed to stores throughout Idaho contaminated with noxious weed seed. Most of the products containing the noxious weed seed were domestic or wild bird feed mixes, but some were also feeds for hamsters, gerbils and squirrels. The sale of feeds containing noxious weeds poses a major threat to the state’s ability to control the spread of noxious weeds. The state already spends millions of dollars a year combating noxious weeds.

Over the last several months the department has sampled 92 feeds from 34 manufacturers. Idaho State Seed Lab tests concluded that 54 of the 92 seed-type feed samples contained viable noxious weed seeds, including Buffalobur, Jointed Goatgrass, Field Bindweed, Johnsongrass, Canada Thistle and Hoary Cress.

The seeds that tested positive came from 24 bird seed manufacturers. “Noxious weeds are costly to our recreation and agriculture industries. It is important that everyone involved do their part to control and prevent the spread of noxious weeds,” said Pat Takasugi, director of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture.

All of the companies have been notified and several companies have already begun work on additional cleaning techniques that can be used to detect and eliminate noxious weed seeds from each animal feed batch. Retail establishments have also assisted the department in the detection and elimination of potentially undesirable products from the Idaho market. The department will be reviewing each company’s case over the coming months to determine what level of regulatory action may be warranted. State law allows ISDA to issue a warning letter or assess a civil penalty.

There are 36 weeds on the state’s noxious weeds list. The weeds are considered noxious because they destroy wildlife habitat, crowd out beneficial native plants, create fire hazards, poison humans and livestock and spoil recreation sites, including bike paths, lakes and rivers.