Crowmageddon (feat. Shaz)

Hello all, NBB here. WCCO did a story about the crow roost in Loring park, featuring a brief exchange with our own Birdchick (via Skype in Panama). You can watch the story here.

I'd just like to point out that it was me who told le Shaz that the crows were roosting in Loring.

Leisurely Birding At Canopy Lodge

I am in love with birding at Canopy Lodge! Right now I am blogging from the outdoor library while being serenaded by a rushing stream, frogs and something that sounds like a screech owl but I just learned is actually a type of toad, a bufo marinus (Yo, Non Birding Bill--that's a Cane Toad to you--lol).  The birding is leisurely, this is not like one of the media trips that I sometimes take and it's go go GO!  There's ciesta time between trips, there's decent internet access, there are things like a herd of blue-gray tanagers at the feeders:

I can't believe it has taken me this long to figure out to bring the Wingscapes camera on my trips.  It took over 1300 photos today and most of them are awesome--check out all those freakin' blue-gray tanagers.  There were a total of 20 in this particular flock.  It's like a tray full of bluebirds.

I think the guides here are going to spoil me rotten.  Today, our guide Tino (who is a living, breathing iPod, he can whistle just about every bird in Panama) got all of us our target birds.  As soon as he had his scope set on a bird, he'd set mine up in three seconds flat--and my scope is a different brand.  I was able to digiscope way more this trip because of him.

Like this blue-capped motmot that Tino found lurking in the canopy.  I hardly saw motmots on my trip to Guatemala (heard them like crazy, but rarely saw them).  Today, my first day, I have seen three.  I'm going to hold off on photos of the other two in the hopes that I get better ones.

The views when we can see through the canopy are outstanding, we're surrounded by mountains and humidity--good grief, my hair hasn't been this big since 1992.  That's the nice thing about humidity for me.  My hair can go either straight or wavy depending on the type of product I put in, so I usually have to decide what to do with my hair in the morning.  Here, humidity decides for me and doesn't take "no" for an answer.  Everything is so green and so noisy.  In Minnesota, all is white and silent: no leaves rustling in wind, the water is all frozen so no babbling stream--same goes for frogs and toads.  Ah, nature noise, I love it so.

And, I was going to hold off an showing this photo but I'm too excited:

I haven't been in Panama for 24 hours and I walked under a wild sloth and digiscoped the cute little bugger!  And you can that this is a three toed sloth.  Oh sloth, you look so amiable, so unlike the disapproving rabbit I come home to every night.  It moved slow, it stretched up, it half-heartedly scratched its wrist (which makes me now wonder if sloth ever get bot flies), it just did all the slothy things you would hope a sloth would do on a nature program.  I wanted to ask for his autograph.  I can't believe we got a sloth so soon.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow (and the rest of my time here holds).  Be prepared for random photos from my Wingscapes Cam.  I have lots and need to share.

Interviewed Via Skype In Panama

So, I just filmed an interview with WCCO while in Panama via Skype.  It's for the "Good Question" series and will air tonight at 10pm.  I love it.  Thanks to the wonders of technology, I sat in the bathroom at Canopy Lodge and answered crow questions over the intertubes.  Thanks WCCO for making me feel so international! Speaking of Canopy Lodge--I am having too much fun with my Wingscapes Camera.  It's surprisingly packable and I'm able to get some cool photos:

Like another tight shot of this chestnut-headed oropendula!  Is that a banana on his beak or is he just happy to see me?  I can also get video too:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoOZgqtYFvI[/youtube]

Here we have another crimson-backed tanager, blue-gray tanagers and looks like a euphonia back there too.  It's almost like you're in Panama with me.

My First Morning At Canopy Lodge

Good morning!  I have some internets while down in Central America!  I'm currently staying in Canopy Lodge, owned by the same man who owns Canopy Tower--I have died and gone to birder heaven.  This man has completely designed this place with birders and digiscopers (or photographers for that matter) in mind. Since I left Minnesota when it was 4 degrees Fahrenheit, my body had a fitful night adjusting to the all humidity all the time but now, I think the sweat has finally slowed to a trickle. Today, I am ambling about getting acquainted with the local birds.  Here are some of my breakfast companions:

Isn't that a dyNOmite lookin' bird??  For the non birders of this blog, this is not some crazy ass brown-headed cowbird, this is a chestnut-headed oropendola--yeah, I can't pronounce it either.

And for those who always thought the scarlet tanager was the bees knees, check out the tanagers coming to the banana feeder:

Here we have a crimson-backed tanager and a yellow-rumped tanager sharing some banana!

This place is fantastic--everything is open air.  My room has screens so at night I'm serenaded by frogs, insects and a whole host of creatures I can't begin to identify.  Of course, I try to figure them out which leads to a hard time getting to sleep.  I think I'm going to love having this as my office for the next week or so.

Upcoming Trips and Workshops

Hey, Twin Cities Naturalist made a really cool video of our last Birds and Beer's at Joe's Garage. Follow this link to check it out--cool crow footage. Here are a couple of follow up links for Birds and Beers:  for people interested in more info about the guy at Birds and Beers who was leading the trip to Nebraska to see sandhill cranes follow this link. Also, here is the link for the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center's search for volunteers for the Avian Nursery.

I'm about as packed for Panama as I can get and watching a couple episodes of old school Dragnet with Non Birding Bill. I love travel. I knew as a kid that I would find a way to visit as many parts of the planet as I could. Even if it's going to someplace as small as Jamestown, ND I love it. I love being someplace new. Although, I hate the night before travel: my apartment is a mess as I figure out my suitcase situation and knowing that I will not be seeing NBB and my pets for awhile. NBB is rehearsing for Theatre Arlo's next show and attending MacWorld Expo. The next time we see each other will be February 14. I expect that we will have a rather exciting Valentine's Day.

I think that I should be able to blog from Panama--that's my goal. I'm able to email Raul and Carlos (the best smelling man in Central America) so I think that I'll be able to send some quick entries and videos of my Central American adventures.

Oh, and my buddy Doug Buri is offering his sparrow and shorebird classes again. I've signed up for both of them. I've done the shorebird workshop and I have to tell you--if you think that you are hopeless when it comes to learning your shorebirds--you need this weekend course. Doug makes it easy and fun. Years ago when I struggling he shook his head and said, "Sharon, your problem is you're not close enough. You come with me and I'll have least sandpipers within five feet of your shoes."

And he did. It's not only a great chance to learn common Midwestern shorebirds, but it's a great photography opportunity.

I've never been in town to take his October sparrow workshop but I love sparrows and I love Doug--and I'm sure he has lots to teach me when it comes to little brown birds.

Doug is awesome, he will not make you feel like a loser if you don't id a bird after the sixth try. He'll really work with you. His workshops are worth every penny.

The Bot Fly Video

I posted this originally on my Facebook page because I thought it was way too gross to put on the blog. But word of it spread at last night's Birds and Beers and people want to see it.

WARNING--THIS IS A TOTALLY GROSS VIDEO! DO NOT EAT ANYTHING WHILE WATCHING IT! Don't watch it if you are remotely squeamish about gross and nasty parasitic bugs.

But if you are like me and interested in all things natural history and creatures that are willing to knock us down a peg or two on the food chain (or at the very least, use me as the piece of meat that I am) then you will love this video.

Dear blog reader Roy H. sent me this as a warning to be careful while in Panama. Heck, how did I not get one of these in Guatemala last year? It's a video of a woman who has a bot fly larvae in her scalp showing you how they got it out. It also has a lot of great info about bot flies but chances are good that you will be squealing so loud while you watch it that you won't hear it.

Hasty Brook was at Birds and Beers and she's encountered these in her work as a nurse. She warned me not to scratch any mosquito bites. She spent a good portion of the evening reminding me, "Don't scratch!"

So. Here it is. You have been warned. It's GROSS!

Here is the link to The Bot Fly Removal Video.

And here is a photo of a cleansing Trumpeter Swan photo that I took Sunday afternoon:

1 trumpeter swan.jpg

Biggest Birds & Beers EVER!

Holy Cow! 1 crow roost.jpg

I have just come home from the biggest Birds and Beers I have ever hosted. It was a blast and everything that I hoped Birds and Beers would become. Birds and Beers is an informal gathering of people of all interests in birds. From the hardcore lister to the beginner. It's a way for people interested in birds to get together, have a beverage, maybe some food and talk some birds. If people have a birding activity to promote--like a banding study, a bird store, a blog, a tour business--they are welcome to share. If someone is interested in finding a bird partner locally or for a day trip--this is a great way to get to know someone face to face.

Picture 10.png

We had 52 people show up! I was stunned. We took up the whole loft of Joe's Garage, some of the second tier and a large table at the bottom of the stairs. It was almost too much for me, I barely had a chance to meet everyone who came. It was a lively mix of Birds and Beers regulars and many new people.  The regulars did a great job of mixing in with the new people at all the tables and I think many friends were made.  As I paused a moment and looked around the room at all the birders sharing tales and laughing, I was so happy: this is what I had always imagined for Birds and Beers: a great big birder party.  The best part was that there was a great mix of people of all ages.  Not just a single twenty-something--several.  We even had our youngest member: Micah who I think was eight.  It was amazing!

We had all sorts of people with projects to share, including some people from the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center looking for volunteers for the avian nursery, a man who I met years ago in Kearney, NE while watching blackbirds with deformed bills--he leads tours to Nebraska and was looking for people to come watch the crane migration with him. We also had people looking for birding partners in various parts of Minnesota--it was a lively and crowded party of birders.

1 incoming crows.jpg

And then the crows started to stream into Loring Park. I joked that we should start a drinking game--every time you see a crow--Drink! However, no one would ever have been able to leave Joe's Garage had we kept that up. Some went outside, others watched with binoculars from the inside--rivers of noisy crows practically poured into the tops of the trees--it was quite the show.

1 loring park crow roost.jpg

As I was leaving, the moon was rising behind the roost, I had fun getting photos of the crows silhouetted against the beautiful celestial body. That's a digiscoped image of the crows and moon at the top of this blog entry.

Joe's Garage was fantastic. If you would like to enjoy the roost--try booking a table at dusk before the end of February. I have to give some major props to the wait staff. I said that we typically get 10 - 15 people at Birds and Beers and our poor but intrepid server Ashley took on our huge group and never let us see her get too frazzled. The food was fantastic--how can you not love a place that has a mashed potato bar?

We may have to do this again next winter.

Thanks again to everyone who showed up. The next Birds and Beers will be at the end of February. I'll try to schedule it before I leave for Panama but make no promises.