It Was Nice To Be Missed

Holy cow! How much was I missed from my last trip? So much so that Non Birding Bill went with me to the location pictured above to find a brown bird (Henslow's sparrow) yesterday! We heard the sparrow more than we saw it, but we did see lots of swallows.

Here's a fun shot of a pair of tree swallows on the left and a pair of barn swallows on the right. I was trying to point out the differences between the two species to NBB. I said, "Notice the forked tail on the barn swallow?" He asserted that both had forked tails and I didn't know what I was talking about.

It's been nice to have this holiday weekend to recover and try to get my routine back. Although, it's very hard to get your routine back when you suddenly realize that you didn't have much of a routine to begin with. The first thing I needed to do was cut back on coffee, I didn't realize how much of it I drink when traveling--sheesh. I've been trying to drink tea when the coffee urge strikes and I think I'm finally making progress. This morning I didn't have a cup until after 12 noon. Hooray, triumph!

Sunday night Bill and I went out did something we haven't done for awhile, a pub quiz. We used to go to Molly Quinn's but that pub is closed so we heard a rumor that friend John Dingley continues the quiz at the Lake Street Garage and sure enough we found him.

Dingley (pictured above administering the pub quiz) gets around and I have met people from so many different social circles who know him: birding, falconry, renn fest people, science fiction people--he's even acknowledged in one of my peregrine falcon books! He has a beautiful tenor voice, can deliver a fine pub quiz, has done so many different lines of work, it makes my head spin and loves to talk peregines and swallow-tailed kites. Bill and I did fairly well (for us) on the quiz, we got 21 out of 25 answers right.

I got an email from Sam de Beer whom I met at the ABA Convention. He sent me a photo of the catamaran that we rode on for the pelagic trip to see all the shearwaters, puffins, razorbills and petrels. I heard that people who are used to riding on a single hulled boat often barf on catamarans because they aren't used to the movement of the double hull. I lucked out and didn't barf. One of my favorite moments was riding on one of the hulls and feeling it ride up and down, with the wind hitting my face.

I though Sam had a great name, Sam de Beer means Sam the Beer, right? No, he told me that where he's from that Beer is Bear and so he's actually Sam of Bear. Still a great name and fun guy to pal around with. He also sent the above photo, it's very relaxing and makes a great desktop.

Oriole Window Feeder

One of my favorite oriole feeders has been the Oriolefest (my other favorite is the orange recycled oriole feeder, both are made by Backyard Nature Products). Last year, they made a larger version of the Oriolefest, so that it holds two oranges, more nectar and more jelly. It didn't work well as a hanging feeder, because the liquid nectar would cause the feeder to tilt and spill. Well, the feeder has been reworked as a window mount and now works really well! Thanks, Barb, for the photos. You should be able to get this from your local wild bird specialty store. Other birds that will visit this feeder include catbirds, house finches and robins. If you fill it with all mealworms, every bird and their cousin should visit.

The Big Why

This post is for I and the Bird. Mike Bergin, the founder of I and the Bird has asked past participants to answer three questions. Here are the short answers.

Why do I blog?

Because Non Birding Bill said I needed it for my website.

Why do I bird?

It's the way I'm wired. I couldn't do anything else if I tried, and believe me I did try.

Why do I blog about birds?

Combine the two answers above.

The story behind the blog:

A few years ago, I tried a desperate bid to get free binoculars. WildBird Magazine has monthly contests where they will ask a question and you have to send in an answer within so many words. The winner gets a free pair of binoculars. I saw the question, "How do you show your birdiness?" and knew I had a winner--my first tattoo. I wrote about how my tattoo was a great conversation starter and helped link me with a younger crowd and didn't make me look like a stereotypical birder. I had been thinking of getting a second tattoo and at the end of my entry I suggested that I might ask Paul Johnsgard or Kenn Kaufman to design my next one.

When the magazine came out I didn't get picked as the winner (I was totally robbed--my answer was way better than the actual winner's) but within a week I got emails from both Johnsgard and Kaufman asking what kind of bird, what size and location of probable tattoo. So, in a sense I guess I did win. I ended up going with the Johnsgard design (pictured above)...largely because Kaufman never actually sent a design (yo, Kenn, it's not too late, I still have real estate available).

I went to Uptown Tattoo to get my new tat. While there, I took along one of my favorite Johnsgard books Arena Birds. I wanted to get a photo of me reading it while artist Tom (that's him behind me in the above photo) applied that tat. As my photo was being taken, some of the staff recognized me. "Hey, you're the bird lady on tv! You tell me to feed safflower to get rid of grackles and feed jelly to orioles!"

I was impressed. This was the last place I ever expected to get recognized and not only that, they actually remembered my advice. They asked why I didn't have a website and suggested that I should have one. Non Birding Bill and I had kicked around the idea of starting a website called birdchick.com because the moniker of "bird lady" got me confused with other bird ladies--plus, "bird lady" also reminded me of "the chicken lady" from Kids in the Hall. That night, we registered www.birdchick.com.

As NBB was helping me set up the site and template he told me that I really needed to have a blog. I balked, I had tried a blog before and I just couldn't keep it up, I didn't think this time would be any different. He pressed, went ahead and registered the birdchick blog and then even went the extra step to make Blogger my home page. How could I resist? It's weird starting a blog as you struggle to find your voice and what you want to talk about. Now I think I finally have a groove. I do struggle with not outing people. Just because I'm an exhibitionist and enjoy posting embarrassing photos of myself for the world to read, doesn't always mean my companions do. I still struggle with how much personal information about myself to include, do people really want to read about non-birding stuff in my life? I just try to ask, "Would I find this interesting?" If that answer is "yes" then it goes in.

I've never been a journal or diary keeper but for some reason blogging works for me. I enjoy keeping it as a scrapbook of where life has led me the past few years and quite frankly, many opportunities that have come my way in the last year have been a direct result of the blog. I didn't start it as a job, but it has helped land me a pretty sweet one. If the blog was a job, I doubt I would update it as regularly as I do.

Thanks to the blog, I've...

...known the glamour of hangin' out with nesting cormorants.

...had young pelicans try to brood between my legs.

... been able to touch and smell one of the coolest birds on the planet--northern goshawk.

...found myself alone enjoying the Utah desert.

...been snowed in.

...seen the rich brown eye of a Harris's sparrow.

...discovered that young great egret skin is green.

My family mostly lives in Indiana. When I started, I thought at the very least the blog would be a great way for them to keep up with what I'm doing, especially if I'm traveling and they can't get hold of me. Ironically, they rarely read it. I do try to avoid being a snob about it. I remember once meeting a writer and we were all talking about our favorite birds. The writer announced, "Well, we know what my favorite bird is!" We looked at the writer quizzically and they said, "Ugh, didn't you read my article!?" My big fear is that I will turn into that. Someone will ask me a question and I'll say, "Ugh, didn't you read my blog?" If that does happen, I hope someone has the good sense to say, "Oh, get over yourself!"

If people enjoy the blog, that's fantastic, I'm glad what I do interests them. If they don't that's fine, my style of birding certainly isn't for everybody--especially my disapproving rabbit (above). And as hard as it is for me to believe, I'm sure there's a small segment of the population that wouldn't care to read about birds all the time. That's crazy talk I know, but NBB assures me that it's true.

Glad That's Not My Job

Shuttle team shoos away vultures Bird-strike during liftoff could endanger crew, NASA says

By Marsha Walton
CNN
Friday, June 30, 2006; Posted: 10:44 a.m. EDT (14:44 GMT)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida (CNN) --When the shuttle Discovery launched July 26 2005, a turkey buzzard flew into the spacecraft's external tank about three seconds after liftoff. The bird's body fell away from the tank and apparently did no damage.

But NASA took the collision seriously, gathering experts to create a "Bird Abatement Plan" to reduce the risks for future shuttle missions.

On Thursday, NASA contractors began rounding up and securing dozens of vultures. They expect to capture about 150 by launch time. The birds will be released after the launch.

Birdchick Note: I hope the poor person that has to round up the birds got a serious bonus or raise. Vultures vomit when trapped. Bleh, roadkill vomit.

You can read the rest of the story at www.cnn.com.

Family Fun Night at the Raptor Center

My segment on Showcase Minnesota is about Family Fun Nights going on at The Raptor Center.

Here's the info from TRC:

Family Fun Nights
Thursdays, July 13, July 20, July 27, and August 3, 2006
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
The Raptor Center
1920 Fitch Avenue
Saint Paul, Minnesota

Come join the fun! Ever wonder what turkey vultures eat? What happens to an injured raptor? What is falconry? Learn all this and more at Family Fun Nights at The Raptor Center. Arrive early to observe raptor feeding time, then take a guided tour of our facility and participate in hands-on learning activities related to eagles, owls, hawks, and falcons. Each night has a different exciting topic!
Free!
To register, call 612-624-9753.

July 13: Falcons and Falconry
Learn about the exciting and ancient sport of falconry and its impact on our world today. Meet live hawks and falcons and join specialists from The Raptor Center as they entertain you with falconry stories from years past and discuss current raptor training techniques and critical conservation issues that face today’s birds of prey.

Hey kids! Bring in an original piece of poetry about falcons and/or falconry to win a fantastic Raptor Center prize!

July 20: Wonder and Wizardry of Owls

TRC staff will dispel some of the mysteries about owls: Can they really see in the dark? Turn their heads all the way around? Do they make good mail carriers? Find out more about owls and the species native to Minnesota and meet TRC’s education owls!

Come dressed up as your favorite owl. The best costumes will win a prize from The Raptor Center.

July 27: Eagle Tales

Eagles hold a special place in American Indian culture as well as in the hearts of all Americans. Meet TRC’s resident eagles and listen to a storyteller for the Mdewakanton Indian Community of Mendota share legends and lore about eagles and the mysterious thunderbirds.

Hey kids! Bring in your best drawing/artwork of an eagle to win a super Raptor Center prize!

Cute Overload

Who knew? Disapproving Rabbits showed up on Cute Overload. I would say Cinnamon would be proud, but she disapproves of her disapproval being considered cute.

I'm getting a ton of email so far. My favorites include:

1. Shhhh…I don’t want Cinnamon to hear….

(whispering) How can you unleash such terrifying powers on the world? Have you no conscience? Have you no scru……OH NO!!! She heard me.

AAAGGGHHHHH!

(plop)

2. Uncanny looks. I like your captions. However, since I found you by link at
cuteoverload.com, I'm sort of skeptical of your sanity... Heehee.

3. OMG OMG OMG….I can’t take the bunny disapproval, another fatality……

And I thought I was a good disapprover. Your bunnies are way out of my league, practicing, preparing…..dedicated pros.

Thanks so much for these, and please send more.

Okay, this seriously is my last post, I have to catch my plane. FYI, I just showed the starlings vs a tree from the previous post to the bar at the Indy Airport and they all think it's totally cool. Of course, they aren't drinking water like I am.

One Last Post

This might be the last post for the next 24 - 48 hours. I'm at the Indianapolis Airport waiting for my flight home to Non Birding Bill. I haven't seen him since June 17 and I'm REALLY excited to see him. So, I leave you with a mesmerizing video called Starlings vs a Tree that he sent me. He's knows me so well. Some men send flowers, some men send jewels, my man sends me totally awesome video of starlings from Scott Fraser. He's the best, even if he doesn't bird.

A Different Type of Sprawl

Today was a strange day. When I was a kid my mom and aunts (that my mom--the shorter one and Aunt Lorelei above) would take me to either Brown County State Park or to Polly’s house in Martinsville. Polly and her family had fishing cabins that surrounded a lake near their home and land that stretched for acres. From time to time we would go and spend the weekends in one of those cabins and I had some of my best birding memories there:

I heard my first red-tailed hawk scream over a field behind their horse barn.

After Polly described a bird that wouldn’t stop singing, we went out and I identified my first yellow-breasted chat.

I heard and identified my first field sparrow.

I heard a bird that sounded just like one of the birds on my floppy National Geographic bird records: a broad-winged hawk.

The property was wonderful and full of sorts of things to explore and I loved that field with the chat and the hawks. Polly herself was super cool. She had this gigantic kitchen with huge windows that faced the lake and there were always treats on hand. Polly’s one rule for visiting was that you were always to arrive hungry--she always had homemade donuts, bars, popcorn and the occasional soup. She’s a wonderful cook and I am lucky enough to have a small notebook full of her recipes. Polly is incredibly warm, never meets a stranger and is incredibly beautiful. Her hair turned white by the time she was 18 and she’s incredibly striking with her brown eyes, light completion and soft musical voice. I knew I loved her when the first time I met her, she showed me her barn swallows nesting in her garage. Her husband loved barn swallows and it was a rule that the garage door always stayed open in the summer time so they could use the rafters to nest.

It had always been her family’s dream to build a bigger lake on the property and that lake would cover that field. They finally finished the project last year and the water has almost completely filled in on the lake. It was strange walking around where the field used to be and seeing water covering all the shrubs. Since the water just started to collect from last year, the birds are still in transition from it. Field sparrows sang all around the edges of the lake but I did see a blue grosbeak, which I had never seen on Polly’s property.

We walked around to where the fishing cabins are still standing. No one has stayed in them for years and they have fallen into musty disrepair. Looking at the cabin and down at the dock I suddenly had a flash of all my teenage dreams. I started remembering the odd way I had my life planned out. For some odd reason, I though theater was a logical choice over birds as far as careers went and had decided to be a theater major. I figured that I would reach stardom at an early age and would one day return to this fishing cabin to escape all the pressure and fame. While there I would of course write a prize-winning novel and to find my inner peace and myself.

It was about the times I was formulating that dream that I had begun to notice Polly’s youngest son, Craig. I had met him before when he was a young, skinny country boy but around the time I turned 15, I noticed that he had changed and was chock full of muscles (or was “burly” as my mother would say). To my young mind, he was handsome and exciting (can I tell you how much I loved it when he would take me out on his snow mobile—especially at night?). He loved the outdoors, he had cool parents and some of the best birding property I had laid eyes on at that point. So, of course it seemed natural that when I would retreat to the fishing cabin after attaining stardom that we would fall in love, get married and I would spend the rest of my days on that beautiful property.

Well, that obviously didn’t happen. Craig and I did date and we had absolutely nothing in common except the outdoors and his mom, but we stretched it out as long as we could. I think later my Aunt Lorelei asked each of us separately what happened and we both responded the same way. “Nice, but weird.” He is a sweet guy and I hope he’s found as much happiness as I have. It was just so strange to have all those memories and dreams come flooding back to me as we walked around Polly’s property. I had forgotten about them until today. Ah well, it’s best it didn’t work out; I would not have been on board with whole giant lake plan. The lake is beautiful and it wouldn’t surprise me if they end up getting an eagle or osprey nesting on it one day. They’ve designed an island to go out in the middle, perhaps one day that will house a rookery.

I did have to include a photo of this spot. My mom was seeing some bird in this area pictured above:

Mom: Sharon, there's something on the edge of those trees.

Birdchick: Where?

Mom: See those four trees over there?

Birdchick: What trees? There are 400 there.

Mom: It's on the edge of those brown trees.

Birdchick: What?

Mom: That pile, on the edge.

Birdchick: Which side?

Mom: The edge!

Birdchick: Right or left?

Mom: Left, right above about four trees back on top?

Birdchick: I don't see anything on top.

Mom: Not that high.

Birdchick: Wait, are you talking about those dead leaves that look orange.

Mom: Probably.

Toadish

Can you see the toads in this photo:

Look close there are in fact two toads. They are so tiny and the ground at a friend's house is overrun with them.

Here is an up close shot of a disapproving teeny toad. Just how teeny is this particular toad?

This teeny! That toad in the second photos is the same one above on my pinky finger!

Mom's House Report

For those who may be interested, the deformed robin that was at my mother’s feeders last month is still around. It’s enjoying a combination of mealworms and this stuff called Bark Butter that I picked up at Wild Birds Unlimited in Carmel. It smells like really good peanut butter and is designed for you to spread on the side of a tree for woodpeckers, chickadees and nuthatches.

On another note, I forgot how many storms hit Indianapolis. Just like the day before I started this trip, the day before I leave Indianapolis there is a hailstorm. This is actually the second round of hail we’ve had this afternoon.

Today I ran into one of the teachers from my high school. We walked into a great little tearoom in Morgantown and there he was at the front table. I recognized him right away, he hadn’t changed a bit, right down to the pencil mustache right above his lip. My high school was huge and I certainly didn’t expect him to remember me, but I did tell him how much his organization skills workshop he gave us as freshmen really made an impression—okay, all you people who have worked for me in the past, stop sniggering—imagine how much worse I would have been without this class.

He did have one tip that has always stayed with me about having a notebook by the bed because some of your best ideas can come at night or you could have had a really cool dream and to just jot it down as soon as you think of it, so you don’t lose it. I use that to this day, not just sleeping but anywhere I am. Anyway, go Mr. Swengel!