Birdchick Podcast #79: Birder Packing, Protesting: Birding Style!

I have no idea what's going to happen with the podcast over the next week and a half.  I'll be in Israel and though I'm assured that there will be Internet access-I have no idea about what kind of free time I'll have and so we may have a podcast before December 1 or we may not.  Speaking of traveling, I have a post on 10,000 Birds about essentials all birders should back when traveling. In the meantime, check out Twin Cities Naturalist--he has a contest!

Right now if you order a pair of binoculars from Eagle Optics, you can get an ABA membership for $15 instead of $45.  Listen to the podcast for a discount code to Eagle Optics.

Dead found in a salad bag.  What species could it be?

Non Birding Bill's Kickstarter Project!

Birders who are protesting the Sandhill Crane Hunt in Kentucky are buying a license and a lottery ticket.  Only 400 will be given out and it's only $13 to enter if you are a non resident.  This same strategy was used by Paul Johnsgard in the 1990s to protest a prairie chicken hunt and was successful.

Some western marsh harrier males have permanent female plumage. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa?

Fascinating article about veery migration--where they go, how long they stay.  Wow, if we found this out about veeries, what else don't we know.  This is what a veery sounds like.  If you have never heard one in the wild, it is a moral imperative that you rectify this:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK1gaTqBRRk[/youtube]

Golden Eagle and Bald Eagle Field Trips

Can you tell the difference between these 2 birds?  If not, you should consider coming to the National Eagle Center's Golden Eagle Field Trips.

Identifying bald and golden eagles in the wild can be a challenge. We are fortunate to be able to see both bald and golden eagles in the Upper Mississippi River region in the winter months.  During the NEC Golden Eagle seminars and field trips, you will learn what to look for to distinguish bald and golden eagles, including juveniles. You’ll also gain valuable raptor field identification skills from experienced birdwatcher and NEC Education Director, Scott Mehus.  Each field trip begins at the National Eagle Center at 1:00pm. After a brief classroom session learning tips for identifying golden eagles, participants will caravan out to a field site to observe golden eagles in the wild.  Call (651) 565-4989 or email nationaleaglecenter@gmail.comfor details.

I've already had a couple of golden eagles show this fall during my travels so they are definitely back along the Minnesota/Wisconsin border.  That's a photo of a juvy golden that I got a couple of weeks ago.  Not that eagle watching ever gets tiring but it is fun to pick the golden eagle needle out of the hundreds of bald eagles in the haystack.

Birds & Beers Coming

I'm going to be out of town but the courageous Curt Rawn (who works at National Camera Exchage) is spearheading the hosting of a Birds and Beers while I'm away. The next Birds and Beers will be at the Sunshine Factory on November 22, 2011 from 6pm - 9pm.

Thanks gang for keeping the fun going while I'm gone.

Birdchick Podcast #78: Owls Eating Pets & Birdfeeding Bans

Interview with Jeff Gordon over at 10000 Birds. (I'm irritated about one of the comments) A proposed bird feeding ban in a development community shows a terrible lack of science education.

From Craig we get this story:

Owls accused of eating pets in New Mexico.

Sometimes artists just hurt my head.

Common Cranes In Israel

As information is coming in about my itinerary to the Hula Valley in Israel, I'm getting more and more excited.  One of my hosts for the trip is Tim Appleton and he sent over some photos of what we could see...looks like Cranemaggedon to me.  Actually the Common Cranes in the above photo remind of the Sandhill Cranes in Kearney, Nebraska.  The last time I went to Nebraska, our group actually saw a lone Common Crane mixed in with a bunch of Sandhills...wouldn't it be funny to see a wayward Sandhill Crane mixed in with thousands of Common Cranes?

Apparently the Hula Valley is host to millions of migrating birds of several species including the Black Storks above.  Should make for some fantastic photos and interesting stories.

Birdchick Podcast #77: Calling All Birders To Wikipedia...

Red Rock Audubon wants you to help remove mining claim pipes in Nevada--this really does help birds! 10000 Birds brings up the pipe dream of having a non hunting duck stamp.

Starbucks is discontinuing it's shade-grown coffee line.  If you don't have a place that sells shade-grown coffee near you, I like to order the Chestnut-sided Warbler blend from Birds and Beans.

The American Birding Association wants YOU to contribute to Wikipedia.

Laughing gull tries to steal food from a great egret.

I haven't read the story but the headline involves the words "hawk" and "escalator" and it can only be a Cooper's hawk.

Burly Bird is unleashing some cool new stickers.  Check them out and if you want one...you know what to do.

Can You ID This Road Kill?

I found some interest road kill just now on my bird surveys. Let's use it as a contest! The first person to correctly id the bird in the comment section of this post based on these photos wins a giant loon coffee travel mug.

And here is what the other side looks like:

Downy Woodpecker Working The Corn

Most of the fields in my survey area have been cut and plowed (which has really wrecked my bathroom plans).  At one spot a female downy woodpecker has been systematically work the corn stubble.

She must have been getting something out of there, she worked the stubble piece by piece the two days I was there.  She wouldn't stay if she wasn't getting a good food benefit from it.  She would peck open the cracks to make them larger and stick her tongue inside.

Here's a shot where you can get an idea of how long a woodpecker's tongue is (for more on woodpecker tongues click here).  She actually had it wedged in the stalk but only for a few seconds. And then she continued on to the next stalk.

It was interesting to see a bird finding benefit in the stubble.  I also wonder if there was some bug that moved in to the stalk after harvest or if there was some bug in there and the farmer had a low yield to his crop.

Birdchick Podcast #76: Murmurations and Duck Penises

Warning.  This podcast gets a bit BLUE at the end.  If you listen to this with kids or at work...may not be the best one for you. Really cool video of starlings wheeling and spinning.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/31158841[/vimeo]

Sometimes even super common birds unleash their awesomeness.  Here's another video from @sfraster

My buddy Amber has an an op-ed piece in the Star Tribune about using lead alternatives when deer hunting.

Red-tailed hawk with the nail through it's face has been released--yay!

The duets of long-tailed wrens in Ecuador.  Be sure to watch the video with the article.

There's now a Kickstarter site for people doing science projects called Rocket Hub...and of course there's a research project on duck penises that needs funding.

Fun On My Ground Surveys

Man the final stages of fall migration have set in. Today on my eagle survey I had a flock of tundra swans fly over me. It was really cool because the were headed towards the Mississippi River and I realized that chances were good that the would be included on my aerial waterfowl surveys next week.

There are still plenty of eastern bluebirds around and I find it amazing that I can see the above bird in the field and take a photo and send it to the blog all via the iPhone.