Birding By New York Subway

I've used my time in New York for some odd birding. I love all the artwork that can be found around the city and I had a few things on my list to find: a Bansky, an Edvard Munch.  Like birding, I had to follow a series of directions and when I finally got to the Munch:some dude was standing in front of it...3 inches in front of it (and was he too close, stressing the Munch out?).  The Banksy was covered, not unlike a blackburnian warbler in the top of the fully leafed out tree canopy.  The city had painted over it, but there were a few places with loose chips and you could see miniscule pieces of it underneath.

But the subway has all kinds of art and a surprising amount with identifiable birds. This is a mosaic at the Jay Street station by Ben Snead called "Departures and Arrivals."

The birds depicted in it are all non native and invasive species. Above is a starling and house sparrows.  But I love how the artist used the tiles to capture the irridescence of the starling feathers.

The other bird is the monk parakeet which have quite the strong hold in Brooklyn.  We've rented an apartment there that has a view of the Statue of Liberty.  It's an odd sensation to be standing there in the morning, clutching a cup of coffee and taking in that symbol of American freedom and promise...and then have noisy streaks of green fly between you and statue.  Then I have to think about these released cage birds establishing a colony like so many people who have passed by Lady Liberty (though, I'm not sure the parakeets had too much choice to choose to live here).  All the brown stones on a cloudy winter day in Brooklyn broken up by noisy, flashy green parrots is so strange tho.

I'm not sure about the insect and fish depicted in the mosaic but I wonder if they are non natives too?  What is that, a lion fish?  It's a colorful mural and worth a peak if you are ever in New York.  A real treat can be found at the Museum of Natural History Station:

Check out the whooping crane!  Actually, when we hit this stop, I grabbed my camera and said aloud but to myself, "I need photo of that crane and dodo."  Non Birding Bill immediately walked over.  I said, "I didn't mean you, there's a dodo outline behind the crane!"  But he does make a good representation for the scale of the mosaics.

There are all sorts of animals all over the station and it's worth taking the time to explore and see what's there.  It's an evolutionary chain from the Big Bang to the plethora of fauna seen on this planet.  I love the random birds on there. It's not all cardinals and eagles, it's cool birds that perhaps the average person may not be aware are out there like the above black-bellied whistling ducks.

I think this was my favorite--a pileated woodpecker in the subway!  Who knew?

Here's a break down of all that can be found at that station.  The large work is called "For Want Of A Nail." It's interesting to note that some species have a tiny question mark made of really tiny tiles mixed in them.  I think it's supposed to represent a question of whether or not these species will remain with us in the future.  But there didn't appear to be one on the whooping crane so NBB wondered if there was some street artist inserting mosaic tags.

Here are some of the other birds:

Laughing gull.

Kiwi.

Killdeer.

Okay, not birds but still cool--monarchs!

Love that monarch caterpillar!

Ruby-throated hummingbird.

New York Birds & Beers & The Central Park Effect

Just a quick reminder that a New York, New York version of Birds and Beers is happening THIS WEDNESDAY at the Houndstooth Pub from 6pm - 9pm...and rumor has it that even Non Birding Bill might come along.  For the most up to date information on Birds and Beers check the Facebook Page. And speaking of New York, I got a heads up from Birdspot that a documentary about Central Park birding called The Central Park Effect is about to premiere at SXSW.  Check out the trailer and warning, there is at least one word in it that those with toddlers may not want them to hear, but I love it because that's how I talk to myself when not leading and official field trip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNLnvYZVUyo

Scope Eyepieces For Digiscoping

I haven't thought about scope eyepieces all that much. Swarovski Optik has three different eyepieces you can choose for your scope a 20-60 zoom, a 25-50 zoom and a 30 fixed. For newer people to the blog, those numbers give you an idea of the scope's magnification or of how close the image is brought to you.  A 20-60 eyepiece can bring the bird 20 to 60 times closer (as opposed to your 8x42 binocular which will only bring the image 8 times closer). I've always been a fan of the zooms, because they can make a real difference in ID when that bird is far away (I got a great look at my lifer saker falcon thanks to my scope's ability to go to 60 power when I was in Israel.  I don't digiscope when I zoom in to 60 unless I really, really need to document something because the photo will be crap.  You lose clarity and brightness when you zoom in and the photos aren't worth it unless you are documenting your state's first record of a hooded crane.  When digiscoping, I always keep it on the lowest magnification.

I almost always use my 20-60 eyepiece.  I like having the option of such a wide range of magnification.  The 20 power magnification gives me a fairly wide field of view but it also helps me a bit with the problem of having the bird too close.  My buddy Clay Taylor kept nudging me to play with the 25-50 zoom eyepiece and the other day, I decided to head out to the feeders at Minnesota Valley NWR.  Their feeding station is always active and I figured I could get some good comparison shots.  When I got there, the feeders were bare.  And I saw the reason why before I could complete the sentence, "That's odd."

A sharp-shinned hawk was perched outside and was so darned cooperative, I got all the footage I needed to compare both eyepieces in less than 15 minutes.

So, here we go and I have to say, I was surprised at my results.  All the video and photos were taken using my iPhone 4s.  Here's a video tutorial followed by photo samples:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z5yprCMYrA

I was very happy about the lack of vignetting with the 25-50  zoom when taking video!  Here are some photo comparisons of the sharp-shinned hawk without zooming in with the phone.  This is what it looks like as soon as  you train the iPhone to your scope's eyepiece without zooming in with the phone using the 20-60 zoom eyepiece:

There it is at 20 power and you get a full vignette (the black circle framing the image).  That could be edited out in iPhoto or Photoshop or whatever photo app you use to crop images.

Now, here is the same sharpie on the same perch with the 25-50 zoom eyepiece:

There it is at 25 power and with that eyepiece there's less vignetting.  Again vignetting can be cropped out later, but you get a bigger and better image if you zoom in on the iPhone when you take the photo.  And you do that the same way you enlarge images on your phone with your index finger and thumb.

Now, here are images of the same sharpie with the two different eyepieces and zooming in with the phone:

A pretty good image of a sharp-shinned hawk (especially with it being an overcast day).

Not a lot of difference when you zoom in with the iPhone.  If you want to take video, I highly recommend the 25-50 zoom, it will save you a lot of headaches post production of cropping out the vignetting.  But if you only want to do photos, both eyepieces work really well.

And this was all done by hand holding the iPhone up to the scope--no adapter.

When I think back to what bird photography used to be I marvel at the quality of photos I can get with a phone.

Digiscoping With An iPhone Tutorial

By popular request I created a video of how I take photos using my iPhone and my Swarovski spotting scope (I use the ATM 80mm with 2- - 60 zoom eyepiece)--also known as iPhonescoping. A couple of things to keep in mind: I'm currently hand holding the phone, there is no adapter for this yet like their are for digital cameras. Meopta is supposed to have their adapter out for iPhones soon but I haven't seen it yet (they told me they would send me one early this year).  But you can still get some pretty good photos hand holding your phone.  Video is going to be a little shaky but without an adapter to hold the camera still--what can you do.

Note that I'm using a Mophie Case with my phone which gives a little "eye relief" to it. FYI Mophie cases are AWESOME!  It's a heavy duty case that will charge your iPhone's battery.  It has tripled the life of my crappy iPhone 4s battery.  I'm a little bitter that I had to pay about $70 to correct an Apple issue, but I'm so happy to use my phone all day in the field that I've soon gotten over that expense.  I can actually use my phone all day long without plugging it in. This includes taking photos, texting, sending photos to Twitter, surfing the net, Words with Friends (Scramble with Friends), Fruit Ninja--the works!

Also, note in the above photo that I have the eye cup twisted out halfway.  I find this reduces the vignette (the black circle around your photos).  Also, it prevents you from scratching your scope's lens with your iPhone or case--which is a heartbreaking thing to have happen and one of the reasons I hover like crazy when someone puts their digital camera up to my lens without an adapter.  This also gives you a way to reduce some of the hand shake that comes with holding the iPhone rather than attaching it with an adapter.

Here's the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FSYKBbg69c

Birds and Beers in the News!

A big thank you to the Pioneer Press for including Birds and Beers in the article about bar gatherings.  For those visiting from that article, Birds and Beers is an informal gathering of birders of all abilities–if you’re interested in birds, you’re invited. You can meet other birders–maybe find a carpool buddy, ask about where to find target birds, share cool research projects you might be working on, ask a bird feeding question, share life lists, share some digiscoping tips, promote your blog–the sky is the limit. It’s low key and it’s fun. We have 2 Birds and Beers coming up--one in New York at the Houndstooth Pub on Wednesday, February 29, 2019 from 6pm – 9pm.  For up to date info, check the Facebook Invite Page.  This is also in conjunction with Non Birding Bill's show performing in New York--Man Saved By Condiments.  Hope you can come to Birds and Beers and I hope you can see NBB's show at the New York Frigid Festival!

In March Birds and Beers is at the Wilde Roast Cafe on Monday, March 5, 2012 from 6pm – 9pm.  For up to date info, check the Facebook Invite Page.

Hope you can make it to one and if you have a suggestion for a future location for a Birds and Beers, let me know!  Hope you can make it.  You can always get the latest on Birds and Beers by joining the group page on Facebook.

Birdchick Giveaway: Sibley Shirt #birding

Once again I am trying to get things out of my apartment and office and I find myself with an excess of birding items.  So rather than a contest where someone answers the question but has no interest in the prize, the first person to email me with their snail mail (aka mailing address) gets the item!  (sharon at birdchick dot com) I get a lot of stuff and if I'm giving it away to the public, I find something I value in it but just doesn't suite me (or I already have it).  I get stuff because people either want me to mention it in the blog or review it for different publications.

Here's the item:

Liberty Graphics offers of a line t-shirts with art by David Sibley.  If you love those illustrations in his field guide, you will enjoy his shirts.  This is the Sibley's Favorite Birds shirt in a Anvil size medium, not a fitted t-shirt.  Yellow Haze is not my color and with my shape I only wear baby doll t-shirts or look like a sack of potatoes with legs (hint, hint Liberty Graphics, I'd buy your shirts if you made them in baby doll sizes).

Here's a close up of the bird species on the front of the shirt made with 110% water-based ink.

So, if you want it, email me (and be the first with you mailing address).

Wild Mississippi--Pretty To Watch, Inaccuracies Abound

Nat Geo Wild sent me 3 preview discs of their documentary Wild Mississippi. It's pretty to look at and about as accurate as a Wikipedia article. Filmmakers supposedly followed the Mississippi for a year to see what it does and how it interacts with wildlife and people.  I was excited about this because I work for the Mississippi National River and Recreation area and I knew that producers had called our park for info and that the film crew went up with the pilot we use for duck surveys.  I was hoping that viewers would get to see the Upper Mississippi the way we do when we do our fall duck surveys.

I was disappointed.

I will say there is some great footage in there.  The underwater footage of mussels, the shots of eagles, the wild animals and...the great gray owls.  Wait...what?  Great gray owls in a documentary about the Mississippi River?  Who the what with huh?

Above is a screen shot from the review of Wild Mississippi from the New York Times of the filmmakers getting footage of the owls.  Let me say again, that the footage is awesome but saying this is what happens along the Mississippi River in winter is inaccurate. I would expect more from National Geographic.  Also I have to wonder if that owl was baited for that shot?  And this was taken up at Sax Zim Bog, this was posted on the Friends of Sax Zim Bog Facebook Page today:

"This episode will feature some Great Gray footage shot in Sax-Zim Bog last winter...Filmmakers Neil & Laura Rettig shot on the coldest day of the year in Sax-Zim... Minus 36 degrees! They spent about a week filming.

Some of their Great Gray footage shot along McDavitt Road and CR133 will be included tonight.

Their super slow motion footage shot on Creek Road of another Great Gray Owl will be shown next year in another production...I will keep you posted!"

Point A on the above Google Map is Sax Zim Bog.  Point B is the Mississippi water...about 50 miles straight over...well, if you look at the Mississippi watershed, yeah great grays can be found that but the narrator actually states, "Great gray owls hunt the frozen Mississippi all winter long."

I would recommend watching this documentary on mute.  It would save you on some of the over dramatic narration...although maybe with a beer it will give you good laugh.  Like when the narrator talks about eagle gathering on the river to eat the migrating coots (which magically turn in to ring-neck ducks in some shots) and says, "The Mississippi becomes a river of BLOOD!"

Here's a sample (the guy sounds like he's trying awful hard to be Sam Elliot):  See what I mean--super cool footage, super cheesy narration.

I also had to question a scene in particular during one of the other episodes titled "Raging Waters."  A camera is in a wood duck nest box and the ducklings hatch and begin their jump to the ground to the music of Ride of Valkyries.  Boy that seemed familiar, where have I seen that before, oh yeah, that's right the 2005 film by Steve Furman Ride of the Mergansers.

I think several crews went out to grab great footage of the Mississippi in a year and then the writers and producers changed several hands and screwed up royally.  It's not coherent, it's not accurate and it doesn't mention my park but it is pretty to watch but boy is the footage amazing to watch.

Oh and for those interested, I also got an email that the footage of wolves and coyotes were staged with the animals at The Wildlife Science Center.  The filmmakers did something I totally would have done, they stuck one of their cameras inside a deer carcass to get some up close crunching sounds of wolves.  Best part is one of the wolves tries to eat the camera.

Documenting Bad Behavior Of Birders & Photographers

There's an interesting and odd trend this winter. Owls generally do not bring out the warm cozy camaraderie in the birding community. If anything it brings out the soapboxes and the worst behavior. You have people on both ends of the spectrum: some people say to not report owl sitings ever because the owls will be disturbed. Then you have people who are excited about seeing an owl and want to share it with everybody and then you have the people who know there's an owl, what to get an awesome photo no matter the cost to the fellow observers or the birds themselves. This winter there have been a whole host of arguments on various listservs but what is different is that people are now filming it and putting it on YouTube. Here's one from Boundary Bay, British Columbia, Canada:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0_gzY2k7P0

Here's another at Breezy Point, NY:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-f8AzNn-F8&feature=youtu.be

Non Birding Bill and I even took a video and photos of a jerk last winter with a huge lens who was among several people watching a saw-whet owl and decided he needed to be all up in that, not only walking in front of everyone but getting to the point of almost flushing the owl.

I don't want to pin this behavior to just photographers, there are jerk birders too.  But is this how we are going to deal with the behavior? Is this the best way?

PowerPoint Karaoke

If you've ever wondered what Non Birding Bill looks like, you can see him in this demo video for PowerPoint Karaoke: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c7saFlTD6s

I'll be hosting the next one Tuesday, February 7 at the Bryan Lake Bowl. Frequent Birds and Beers attendee Duck Washington will be a contestant as will Bill Corbett.  Judges will be Ian Punnett and Kevin Murphy.  Come for some easy laughs and stay for a beer and the mock duck rolls!

Drive By Cooting

During my South Texas break, we stopped at Santa Ana NWR for a bit.  It ended up being too mosquito-ish for my taste and we didn't last long there but got some great looks at least grebe.  These always look like they just heard the most shocking news ever...or that they are swimming around with some juicy gossip.  Saw-whet owls have the same look to them.

Suddenly, an American coot just took off full bear towards the least grebe I was watching.  Note the other grebe up in the left hand corner watching with excitment.

BOOM! The coot nailed the grebe!

I'm guessing the grebe managed to dodge the coot with a quick submerge but I was surprised it resurfaced so quickly.

I love it.  The least grebe looks as if it's thinking, "WTF was that all about?"