You Can Relax Now, It's Safe To Purchase A Second Edition Sibley

A new printing of The Sibley Guide to Birds Second Edition is available and you can see a difference from the first printing with just the back cover. Note the bolder font on the book on the left.

Hey, remember last March when we were all excited to see the new and improved Sibley Guide to Birds Second Edition and there were some color issues? I'm happy to report that there has been a second printing and I would say that it is safe to purchase this one of a kind bird guide. 

Mine just came in the mail and it's clear that the publisher listened to people's concerns which included the reds were too dark, the font too light to read and some of the greens were a little off. 

Scarlet tanager comparison from left to right: screen shot of Sibley iPhone app (first edition), Sibley Second Edition first printing, Sibley Second Edition second printing. 

The first page I went to when the second edition came out (both times) was the scarlet tanager page. That was the first clue that the reds were off with the first printing. With the newer edition the scarlet tanager is brighter. Not as bright as the app, but it works for me. Now many people said that they didn't mind the darker reds--they know a tanager despite how dark it looked in the book. But if you have a Sibley, you want that guide for the harder to id birds and that's where the reds need to be better. 

Here's a comparison of the red-shouldered hawk page of the Second Edition Sibley: first printing on the left, second printing on the right. An improvement!

Some greens were corrected as well, here is a vireo comparison page. First printing on the left, second printing on the right. 

Typos like the white-winged crossbill sex mixup have been addressed as well. First printing on the left, second printing on the right. 

So if you were holding off on purchasing the new Sibley, now is the time to purchase it--the Second Edition includes more than 600 new painting and 111 rare species were added. There are many additional notes on how and where to watch for birds and flight patters. Some taxonomy is still out of date--but isn't it always with field guides? There is no Ridgway's rail in this edition.

However, it truly is a magnificent book and I'm happy that the publishers took the time to give David Sibley's illustrations the proper printing they needed. That man knows how to communicate bird id so elegantly with his brush strokes. So much hard work went into this book and I think that's what made the first printing so disappointing, it's truly a thing of beauty to see Sibley paintings how they were meant to be seen.

If you want to know if you are purchasing a second printing of the Second Edition Sibley, go to the copyright page and look for "Second printing, July 2014." If it only has "Second Edition, March, 2014" you are getting the darker guide.

I would be wary of purchasing this guide online because you wouldn't be able to tell if someplace like Amazon would ship you a first or second printing. When you have the book in hand, look for the copyright page (the back of the title page) and look for "Second printing, July 2014." You could also go to page 541 and look at the scarlet tanager. 

No word yet on when there will be an app version. My guess is that is on the back burner since they clearly worked hard to get the second printing of the second edition where it needs to be to make all us picayune birders happy.

I've been asked if people can trade in first printings--I have no idea. You would have to take that up with whoever you purchased your guide from or the publisher or the company that printed the book (note photo above: Knopf or Scott and Nix).  Who knows, maybe the first printing could become a collector's item? I would love it if I could get my first printing autographed with a, "Whoopsie, David Sibley." Or even better, "Are you happy now??? David Sibley" on my second printing.
 

Birding Portugal In Autumn

Mértola, Portugal which is a big ole pile of history. If you need birding tour advice for Portugal, contact Birds and Nature Tours in Portugal. 

I was excited to test out the WordLens app on my phone. You hold up the camera lens on your phone to a sign and it tries to translate the sign into your preferred language. This was the first Portugese sign I tried it on. Not perfect, but you get the idea of what the sign means. That's my buddy Clay modeling with the sign...he's not really a troll.

Partaking in some whole fried eels. Be prepared to eat a LOT of very fresh seafood in Portugal. I think the best thing I ate was the grilled calamari and a lightly and simply battered fish with lemon. If you are not into fish, "wild boar" or "black pig" is an option. If you're a vegetarian...be prepared for omlettes and lots of boiled vegetables. 

I recently had the opportunity to do some birding in Portugal while I was there for a meeting (it's was incredibly kind of the organizers to schedule birding on top of work). However, this was European style birding which meant we were going to go for as many birds as possible and not really focus on digiscoping. The birds were often far away, this is what my friend Clay describes as "bird spotting" and really reminds me of what I do for some bird surveys. Don't get me wrong, I love the chance to see some new birds and I get that birds are not necessarily the most cooperative of subjects, but the digiscoping opportunities were few and far between and that's what I really enjoy in the field. 

Flamingos seen on one of our bird excursions. We did see some fly over our bed and breakfast the Quinta da Praia das Fontes in Alcochete

That's not to say that Portugal didn't have its birding charms. I flew in and out of Lisbon (which constantly reminded me of the movie Casablanca). As we crossed the bridge from Lisbon to Alcochete, I noted large, whitish birds that weren't quite egrets. My buddy Clay was with me and asked, "Hey, Shaz, see the flamingos?"

I know flamingos have to be somewhere in the wild, and I saw some far in the distance in Kazakhstan years ago, but I think Out of Africa and various nature documentaries had me believing that Africa is the only place for them, not some European country. Yet, there they were, plain as day in all their comic finery, honking like geese. 

This was the hallway to our meetings while in Alcochete--I may have walked extra slow. Wrens, blackbirds, robins and warblers chirped while foraging amongst the foliage. 

Blackbird working the grounds of our bed and breakfast. 

We held our meetings at the bed and breakfast called Quinta da Paraia das Fontes and the grounds were chock full of common European birds. Through some kind of work miracle, I've managed to be in Europe several times in the last two years and I'm finally getting a handle on the common calls. Crested larks were all over the place and I knew the call right away (it's a three note chirp that to me sounds like their announcing their name, "Crested Lark! Crested Lark!" Two of the coolest birds we saw which were big distractions to the meeting as they foraged outside the windows were firecrest and waxbill. There was no way to digiscope them, but I drank in their presence with my binoculars. 

Check it out, it's a spotless starling--that's a thing, an actual species to see while in Portugal. 

One of the birds that amused me most on the hotel grounds was the spotless starling. It looks and sounds like the very common European starling but this time of year that bird shifts plumage to be covered in spots...not the spotless starling. Woo-hoo, life bird!

The kitchen where we had lunch during our meetings. The place we stayed in was built in the 16th century and the family still lives in part of the villa. The family still cooks with the stove. This day, our meal was catered and was vegetarian pizza, fresh and lightly battered fish and tomato rice--so tasty. 

I had to chuckle because the door knob to my room only came up to my knee. I'm short and even I found locking and unlocking my door awkward.  

After dinner I asked for a Jameson on the rocks. The restaurant set down the bottle, a glass and the ice bucket. This happened at every restaurant where I ordered a whiskey in Portugal. With great power comes great responsibility.

Black-tailed godwits, one pied avocet and one black-headed gull. 

One evening we birded the shores of Atalaya. We had a tip that while the tide was out we could get some good shorebirding in...and we did, we trudged about a mile away from our vehicles, over shallow channels to take in all the birds. We saw several flamingos who were color banded and we took note of the numbers so we could turn them in later. However, while we were enjoying the excellent light and birds, someone from our group radioed to us that the tide was turning and we should think about heading back to the vehicle. When no one moved, he radioed again, "Guys, come back now."

We reluctantly packed up our optics and trudged through the mosquito swarms and vegetation to get to the channel...which was now quite deep. As those with longer legs strode ahead of me, I noticed Tim Appleton picking up chunks of wood and then what looked like an ancient sea worn cooler. "Why is he doing that?"

When I finally got to the channel, I understood. The lads encouraged me to ride it. I took note of my camera and my iPhone in my various pockets and thought, "No effing way."

The guys kept assuring me it would be safe and I said that I'd rather see one of them test out her seaworthy capabilities first. 

Some of the birders in my group trying to crossing a deep channel in an ancient cooler...that also had a GIGANTIC hairy spider lurking the debris in the bottom. 

So the lads gave it a go...you might be surprised to learn that the cooler was not a seaworthy craft. I decided that I would put my camera and phone in the cooler and walk across with the cooler. I stepped in, my feet sank deep in the silty muck. I felt a moment of panic of getting stuck and ever the gentleman, Mark Andrews gave me a hand  and helped me across. Meanwhile, other men int the group who were not wearing quick dry convertible pants like I was, dropped trou and crossed in their underwear (side note to the lad who said he did this when I wasn't looking, I have excellent peripheral vision). The water that had only been calf deep earlier was now crotch deep on me.  But all of my possessions made it across very dry and my pants though reeking of briny water were soon dry as well. 

All part of the adventures of birding. 

The autumnal countryside in southeastern Portugal can look rather bleak. This was a rabbit skull found along a fence line. The back of the skull had a bit of a triangular cut into the skull cavity. I can't help but wonder if an imperial eagle or buzzard are the cause of its demise. 

After the days of meetings were finished, we headed out for a full day of birding in southeastern Portugal near the border with Spain. It was a bleak countryside during the cusp of September and October. Perhaps in the spring it's a lush landscape, but in the fall, it has a dry beauty. 

Crested larks surrounded us as we birded. Full disclosure, unlike other bird photos in this post, I digisocped this particular lark in Israel a few years ago. But I love crested larks and wanted to include one in this post.

I have to say, birding is quite an elixir for me. The night before we headed out, I tied a few on with some of my fellow participants. We stayed up at the outdoor bar across the road from my hotel until after 3am (a bit to the irritation of bar staff). Our group was meeting at 6am to head out. I slept past my alarm and had to eat breakfast in the car but man o man, I am no longer young enough to pull those sorts of all night shenanigans. But as soon as we got to our destination and the birds kicked in, though far away, I felt better. Nothing clears my head of hangovers, sleep deprivation, anxiety or anything stressful like birds. Birds never disappoint.

OK...that's taking it too far, nemesis birds disappoint until you finally see them. 

Here are my lifer great bustards...very, very distant even digiscoped with my Nikon V1. This is what I would call, "Yeah, life, but better view desired."

Those aren't chukars, those are red-legged partridge and not from a  game farm, just running around wild. 

The only bird that was close! My lifer little owl. It was right next to the car and if any of us got out it would have flown of. This was digiscoped at sunset with me leaning my ATX 65mm on the open window of the car and digiscoping with my Nikon V1. There were easily 300 utter crap photos that preceded this one just barely in focus. 

Though often distant, we really racked up some cool birds including corn bunting, marsh harrier, azure-winged magpie and black-bellied sandgrouse. Our first stop gave me three lifers right off the bat: stone curlew, little bustard and great bustard. We even got to see the great bustards fly and let me tell you, that is a weird bird to see in the air. It's about half the size but the similar shape of an ostrich and glides high above the trees. 

Though we are birders, we are interested in all things natural. A puddle in the middle of the road yielded some fun.

The birds may have been far away but our group found a puddle with all sorts of fun, mostly dragonflies. I have a tendency to roll my eyes when a birding trip gets railroaded for dragonflies, but I was desperate to digiscope and well, dragonflies would do in a pinch. The big excitement was in the form of a pair of red-veined darners mating and ovipositing some eggs in the puddle. We set up our respective cameras and noticed a frog next to them. I thought I would play around with filming in SloMo on my iPhone...and got quite q surprise!

While digiscoping some ovipositing dragonflies we noticed a frog...and then a surprise. Digiscoped with iPhone 5s, Swarovski ATX 65mm spotting scope and i5 adapter.

I'm not sure what the species of frog or snake is but what a treat to find so much life in one small puddle. Did you notice how the dragonflies saw the snake right before it approached and lifted up right before it was in the frame?  Cool.

Panorama of Mértola which was a delight not only for seeing a few more specie of bird, but for a quick tour through history. On the right is the town, on the left is a castle and the surrounding yards of a Catholic church which was built on top of a 12th century Muslim town which was built on top of some 5th century roman ruins. 

Mértola was the perfect lunch stop. Not only did we have a fabulously fresh tomato salad, but I was introduced to "grilled cheese" with homemade pumpkin spread on toast. 

Inside the Catholic church in Mértola...do you see the bird?

We stopped for lunch in the town of Mértola and were offered a quick tour of the church and archeological sites. While getting a tour of the church, several of us were immediately distracted by a bird perched just above the alter.

One of the most challenging digiscoped images I've ever done. Hand holding my iPhone 5s up to my binoculars to try and get a shot of a crag martin. 

It was a crag martin just hanging out. Half of us lost interest in the finer details of architecture inside the church with this brown bird. Ah birders, we are a funny tribe. 

Old Muslim village excavated outside the church.

But when they took us behind the church, they showed us the archaeology going on and how the grounds were built over an old Muslim village. As our guide pointed out the reasons why the towns were short who lived where, random pots, jugs and stones were strewn along our walkway. How weird to be able to touch something built and used in the 1100s. 

Our guide informed us that as they were excavating the town, they uncovered some roman ruins. That really knocked my socks off. 

Oh hey, no biggie, just some 5th century Roman mosaics. 

As the tour continued with the Roman ruins, we could see where parts of the Muslim town built on top of it used old Roman columns to fill in parts of their town. History piled on top of history piled on top of history. How fleeting we all are and who will build on top of us some day?

If you find yourself in Portugal, I would put this beautiful, steep cobblestoned town your list to visit and make sure to sign up for an archaeology tour. 

The view of Lisbon from outside our hotel in Alchochete.

One truly can go birding anywhere and though Portugal was not on my list of places to visit, I'm glad I had the opportunity. If Non Birding Bill had been along, he wouldn't have like the mosquitos along the estuary or the all day birding excursion, but he would have had a good time at some of the historical sites. Portugal does offer something for everyone. 

BirdFair: Logistics For A Visitor From The US

Jackdaw and Wood Pigeon digiscoped through the window of my room at Oakham School. 

The first thing you need to know about visiting BirdFair is that it is not really about bird watching. Pretty much all of the birding events we have in the US are all about the field trips, afternoon workshops, interesting keynotes and maybe a small vendor area (maybe). Even though BirdFair is held at Rutland Water--a great little place to go birding in and of itself, people are there to shop.

The optics tent at BirdFair.

The optics areas are set up the facing water so you can test out binoculars and scopes on waterfowl and shorebirds, but if this is a first time trip to Europe or the UK and you need to get some lifers, plan on arriving a few days before BirdFair and get your birding out of your system ahead of time. Sure, there are opportunities to do some birding there, but this event is so huge and so jam packed, don't waste your time hunting down what might be lifer blue tit when those are pretty much everywhere.

This was a cool bird song app that I downloaded for the trip and is called Bird Songs of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. 

I mentioned earlier that I used the new Collins app for my trip. I also downloaded a Bird Song app for Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Since my travel has exploded the last couple of years (I was in Europe twice last year and will be doing at least two trips this year and chances are good I'll be in Israel again next spring) this seemed like a good way to go because it covers so many countries.

Some of the detailed bird song info that comes with the app. 

It's an expensive app at about $79 but if you consider all the area it covers and that each bird  in at has several calls, a sonogram to help you remember the call and comparisons to similar species--it is the most comprehensive bird song app I've ever seen. Pricey, but worth it if you are going to be in both Europe and northern Africa (consider how much you spend on field guides).

Oakham School is a boarding school that opens up dorm rooms for attendees at BirdFair. They operate a shuttle service to and from the fair. The only down side is that the shuttle only runs for an hour before BirdFair opens for an hour after BirdFair closes, so you can't really use the shuttle if you suddenly find yourself in dire need of a nap in the middle of the day. 

The BirdFair website is very helpful for locating accommodations. I didn't have huge amounts of money to spend in the UK but I found the Oakham boarding school fine for my needs. They were nice, clean and comfortable dorm style rooms with decent wifi. There's a shared shower and toilet (just like in dorms). The doors to the dorm buildings are locked with a code that you have to use whether you are entering the building or leaving. Dorm rooms themselves do not have locks, but you have the option of renting the locks. Most people I know opted not to rent the locks, feeling that birders are a trustworthy group. I chose not to have a lock and on my last day found a very..."interesting" card in my room. No writing, but strange little smiling creatures pasted on it. I asked the staff if maybe it came from the cleaning person but they were as perplexed by it as I was by it. Was it from a fellow guest and meant as a bit fun? Who can say, but finding it placed next to my laptop did make me think twice about getting a lock next time I stay in Oakham. 

The school provides a light breakfast of breads, cereal and milk in the morning and appeared to have a coffee and tea service running all day. The staff was very kind and helpful if you needed advice on travel and food around the area. Oakham is very close to Rutland, I think it was about a 5 minute shuttle ride to and from the fair. 

The grounds around Oakham School.

I chose not to drive in the UK. I just didn't think my jet lagged brain could handle a steering wheel on the right side of a car as well as navigating driving in the opposite lane. I relied on friends driving me rides to and from bus stations to Rutland. It is possible to travel to BirdFair via train for bus and Google maps is helpful in revealing the route (though not always clarifying the prices). But getting around the town itself is quite easy and if you are really hard pressed for a lift, there are affordable taxis. All of the taxis I took in the UK were cash only affairs--make sure to have pounds (not Euros) on hand and don't rely that everyone takes credit cards like they do on the US.

View from the Swarovski Optik tower of Rutland Water Reserve. 

A tip I picked up from Nature Travel Network is that if it rains at BirdFair--things get muddy. It's on a  wetland after all. Really comfortable shoes are a must for all the walking, but if it rains, you  want to be prepared for muddy conditions and puddles. Locals appeared to be wearing their best Wellingtons. I opted for Keens and they worked just fine. 

When I visited, the temps were very cool--in the 50s and 60s. But the tents were warm. Be prepared for a continual shift in temperature based in you are inside or outside a tent--wear layers. 

Carl Downing (the man you need for birding in Colombia and John Hague aka Drunk Birder at my first international Birds and Beers. 

Thanks to the encouragement of UK birder Drunk Birder, we gave a Birds and Beers a go in Oakham. We chose The Three Crowns, a Steamin' Billy pub. There had been some confusion in the emails as I made arrangements and I was sad to discover that the pub didn't have menu (out side of chips aka crisps). The manager felt bad about the confusion and went away to purchase us something called a huntsman's pie that was delish:

Huntsman's Pie with something called piccalilli and Branston pickle. 

Huntsman's pie isn't vegetarian or gluten free, but for an omnivore--it's fantastic. The pastry is full of pork with a poultry later and then then stuffing. I discovered that I think piccalilli (a yellow mustard pickle combo) is the best thing ever. I had only ever heard of it from the "I'm a Little Weenie Lookin' for a Bun" song.

But I loved hanging out in a small pub in Oakham. Locals came in with their dogs! I love that there were about four or five dogs chasing and playing in the pub (and sneaking up for a nibble of food). I chatted with some of the locals and met one who said he'd been to BirdFair in the past but didn't go every year. No one was viewed as a "birder" in the UK, birding is just part of the culture. OK, maybe extreme twitchers get a look, but people who watch birds from time to time are viewed about the same as hunters or a football fan is over here. 

Me with Craig Nash aka @BirdBlogger on Twitter. 

A local brewery provides a BirdFair Bitter during the event, make sure to have some time to grab one of those--a very bold and flavorful ale. 

One last thing, a pro tip from a local--leave your own binoculars at home or at the very least, in your hotel room when visiting BirdFair. People who wear their gear around the fair are viewed as "posers." A well seasoned BirdFair attendee told me, "You can tell who the serious birders are at BirdFair, they don't wear their binoculars to show off. They are here to look at products."

The Vikings: An NFL Team That Prefers Aesthetics Over Wildlife

It's time to contact Governor Mark Dayton 651-201-3400, guys. The Vikings are just being ridiculous now. Let the governor know if you like football and that he called this the "people's stadium." We deserve a stadium that isn't lethal to birds. 

Dammit, Vikings.

I just wanted to go to BirdFair in the UK, enjoy a few days in London on a mini break with my husband, come home and write some articles in a mild jet lag haze, reset my body clock and instead...I had to deal with you because you decided to go all "arty" on us. 

For those who don't know, here's why the shiny, clear glass is the problem with the new stadium design. Here's an easy, energy efficient alternative that will kill fewer birds. 

The new Vikings' Stadium that is less than a mile from the Mississippi River aka the 35W of midwest bird migration and the Minnesota Sports Facility Association opted to not to go with energy efficient (and Minnesota made) fritted glass on the 200,000 square feet on the building. Even though the Minneapolis City Council approved a resolution urging the MSFA to use bird friendly glass. At first it was implied by the Vikings that this was a money issue and would cost just under a million dollars which was one tenth of one percent of the overall budget for the stadium.

And then the announcement came that the budget for the stadium was going to go past the billion dollar mark for things like extra freight elevators and escalators. OK...and the glass?

Vikings spokesman Jeff Anderson tweeted that now the glass isn't a money issue, it's an aesthetic issue. Are you kidding me?

Thanks for catching this CityPages. Never in my life did I think I would see the day that an NFL team was more concerned with artistic design than money. 

My inbox blew up a little bit while I was away and Audubon Minnesota planned to drop off some signatures to Governor Mark Dayton and invited me along. I looked at my travel schedule and thought, "Yeah, I can do that." Then I sat in on a conference call yesterday and found out that I wasn't just attending, I was going to say a few words...hoo boy. 

Rolf Thompson from the National Eagle Center made the two hour drive up from Wabasha to speak up  Matt Anderson from Minnesota Audubon and many of his staffers were there to speak to the media and show some of the fritted glass options. Other bird lovers around the Twin Cities also showed up--those of us with flexible Tuesday mornings. 

Artwork by Miranda Brandon. These were one of the huge prints Audubon Minnesota brought to Governor Dayton's office to bring home the point of why the Vikings Stadium needs to take birds into consideration.

Audubon Minnesota brought along some of the beautiful and gut-wrenching photography of artist Miranda Brandon. She's done surveys for dead and injured birds around building and took photos of some of the dead birds to illustrate what happens when birds impact windows during migration. 

Think about a ruby-throated hummingbird like the one in the above photo. If you see that bird in May in Minnesota, that bird has already crossed the Gulf of Mexico on its own two wings, twice at least. If it's older than one year, it's done it several times. How frustrating to find one dead from hitting a window in Minnesota in May. It has returned all that way from South America to breed in Minnesota (or a little further north) only to have its journey end abruptly against some glass in a death that could have been preventable. That's what the new Vikings Stadium will do with the glass they've chosen for "aesthetics." And not just to hummingbirds but robins, warblers, vireos, raptors, woodcocks--all sorts of species.

Just of the few of the over 76,000 signatures gathered demanding that the Vikings use bird-friendly glass in the new stadium. 

These signatures are not saying that football sucks and we shouldn't have a stadium. What the signatures are saying is that the type of aesthetic we want to see is a 64 yard touchdown run--not bright shiny glass that is lethal to birds, we just want a stadium where we can watch football without feeling guilty about the impact on birds. People are there to watch a game, not the glass. 

So please, contact Governor Mark Dayton and let him know that this issue is important and that he needs to direct the people he appointed to the Minnesota Sports Facility Authority to do the right thing and switch to bird-safe glass which will be energy efficient and more cost effective in the long run. 

BirdFair: Products, Passion and Conservation

This is an image taken with the Pentax Ricoh Theta-- I was trying to give an idea of what it's like to be in the thick of the crowd. 

One of the really cool things I saw at BirdFair didn't necessarily have to do with birding--it's the Pentax Ricoh which takes a crazy spherical image that uses an app to let you rotate and sling the spherical panorama image around--it's really cool.  I'd love to have one of these and put in the center of a bird feeder or better yet in the middle of some caracaras at the Martin Ranch in Texas--wouldn't that be a cool perspective? But I wanted to use this to give a sense of the scope of vendors and people at BirdFair. But as much as BirdFair is about businesses selling products and services, it's also about passion and connection (jet lag must be settling in because I find myself saying that like Mooj in 40 Year Old Virgin in my head). 

But it's true, it's that passion and connection that also makes it such a brilliant fundraising event. Hats off to founders Tim Appleton and Martin Davies for organizing such the fair with a crackerjack network of volunteers (and thank you Tina Lindsay for answering all of my questions before I arrived). But the money raised from attendance tickets and booths makes it possible for BirdFair to donate large sums of money to conservation projects around the world. 

One of many cool encounters at BirdFair: the Biotope booth. The make gorgeous blinds (or hides) for photography and wildlife watching. I especially loved their floating blind for taking pictures of sea ducks. 

As much fun as it is to learn about birding field trip opportunities in Norway, you can also learn about the efforts to create beautiful architecturally designed blinds or hides used (check them out, they are so cool) to watch the birds in the area--especially the sea duck hide, man oh man, we need one of those for my National Park!

Hanging out at David Lindo's (aka The Urban Birder) booth. He's trying to get people interested in a national bird for Britain. I was trying to rally people to vote for starling or house sparrow, but alas, neither made the top ten. You can see the finalists (and vote) here. Photo by Mike Watson. 

But BirdFair is a great place to be inspired for ideas. Typically the companies you see at US trade shows are generally from Central and South America--at BirdFair, the companies are world wide: Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Israel, Ecuador, Panama and quite often it's not just the eco-tourism lodges or bird tour operators, it's also representatives of the government there to speak with you. And you get a global perspective.

I was very excited to see my friend Jonathan Meyrav who I met a few years ago while birding the Hula Valley in Israel. He's a loud and hardworking voice for this migratory hot spot and always generating ideas on how to help the birds he loves and shares with his family and friends. This past spring he organized the Champions of the Flyway, a big day aimed at raising money for a specific conservation project which for 2014 was Bird Conservation Georgia. I wanted to participate in that event, but I'd already scheduled myself for 5 other projects. So Jonathan and I talked about ideas for 2015 and whether I participate in the event or not, how I can help the cause. The thing I love about Jonathan is if he has a successful idea, he's not into hoarding it just for his area, he spreads the passion and love around. He learns from others and tells you what worked for his country and how that might apply to bird conservation in your own country--he's refreshing and inspiring to be around. Here's a fun 8 minute video that gives an overview--check out, the birds are bananas. And the end of it was the best use of Daft Punk I've ever seen. 

A major new international bird race has been taking place in Eilat, Israel - one of the world's most spectacular migration hot spots and rewarding birding destinations. 2015 The next Eilat Birds Festival will take place on the 15-22 March 2015, we are already taking bookings so don't hesitate and migrate south to Eilat for a birding vacation of a lifetime!

Champions of the Flyway may also be one of the most diverse gatherings of birders I've seen--which is cool. I really like that I'm not the only female birder out there doing these sorts of things. I have an idea for a team I'd like to assemble for 2015, we will see if it happens. 

The Sound Approach series...look at that old school iPod...I almost ignored this booth based on that. 

The birding is certainly more intense in the UK and this booth based on the book series The Sound Approach uses sonograms to teach you bird songs. You listen to the calls as you read and kind of learn to see them rather than hear them. They are only available for Europe but if you were going over there, this might be a good way to brush up. Incidentally, these are co-authored by the founder of Lush Cosmetics...

Check this out, it's the new Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World...get it now while it's hot...and before the taxonomy changes. 

Here's the new Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World a complete checklist whose taxonomy and contains illustrations and distribution maps for every bird species in the world. It's huge, it's beautiful, it isn't cheap and surely there won't be any changes, splits, lumps or elimination in the near future making it obsolete...right? I love the idea of an illustrated world checklist, but with how often taxonomy changes, why not make this digital so you can get the up to date changes?

Protip: visit any Scotland related booth in the afternoon, there will be scotch. I really liked the Birdwatching Wildlife Club booth. 

So one of the things that I've heard from British birders who visit the states is how surprised they are to see so many women engaged in the activity in the US. And not just in a backyard birding capacity, but serious listing. As I walked around BirdFair, the sexes seemed to be evenly split. I mentioned this to my friend John and he said, "Nope, those are girls dragged along by their boyfriends or husbands."

I don't think that was 100% true, I did see some women paired off and heard them actively discussing birding in remote locations, but there were a few booths that I would visit and patiently wait for one of the booth attendants to be freed up so I could ask my questions and I would get, "You ok?"

Taking that as a cue for conversation, I would say "Yes," and before I could get further than that word, they would spin around and talk to the next available male customer in the booth (even if he arrived at the booth after I did). I was immediately dismissed as the "girlfriend" who would be a waste of time to talk to. As a former retailer, I could kind of understand--several times you've engaged in conversation with women only to have them say, "Yeah, I'm just here with my boyfriend." That would be frustrating. But on the other hand, I didn't care for the immediate dismissal. So at a few booths I found that I had to be a bit aggressive to show that yes, indeed, despite being female I am very interested in birding products and travel and yes, I am not afraid to travel to places where I might get dirty. 

A signed print from one of my favorite bird artists: Katrina van Grouw of The Unfeathered Bird.

The Art Marquee was full of all kinds of art and photography. I wasn't allowed to use my camera in there, but walked around and took it in. I passed a booth and immediately recognized the prints of Katrina van Grouw who wrote one of my favorite books of 2013 The Unfeathered Bird. 

I thought, "Oh cool, someone is selling her work!"

And then I realized...she was herself. And the prints were signed...and so I dropped some money that Non Birding Bill doesn't need to know about and purchased the above print of a budgie. I tried not to geek out too hard and I hope I didn't freak her out. But that was a real treat to be able to purchase a print from her in person and tell her how much I loved that book. Can't wait to get it framed and get it on the wall next to my Catherine Hamilton sketch.  

My team for A Question of Stork with Tim Appleton and Mike Dilger. Photo by Craig Nash. 

There are lectures going on throughout the day at BirdFair. Some are twenty minute workshops on anything from photography, bird in different areas and conservation efforts. I did one of those on Smart Phone Digiscoping. Others are longer and a bit more entertaining, like Bill Oddie interviewing a woman who composes music for David Attenborough documentaries. I was part of one of those called A Question of Stork hosted by Stephen Moss. Above is the photo of my team and our opposing time was Matt Merritt, Bill Thompson (fun to run into him while across the pond) and Martin Davies. I was nervous about a quiz show thinking I wouldn't have much to contribute to worldwide birding but I was assured this was all about fun and improv and I thought, oh this is like some of the shows NBB and I do here like You're Making That Up or PowerPoint Karaoke and it's more about being funny than right. 

Nope.

It was  clear about three questions in, you needed to answer correctly. But I did know a couple of obscure book and "famous" birder questions so I wasn't a complete loss to the team. My favorite part was the when one of our teammates had to mime to get us to guess a bird. That was hilarious and I'll never think of masked booby the same ever again. We lost by one point but I think people were entertained. 

More on BirdFair is coming. This event is so huge, it cannot be covered in one post. And if you haven't caught on yet, it's a really cool event...and you should find a way to go. 

BirdFair: a few thoughts

I think this photo of the Andalucia Birding booth in Spain sums up what a lot of BirdFair 2014 was for me. Friends sharing ideas, business plans, great foods and maybe a drink or two. The gent in the middle with the beard is my friend Peter Jones who I met birding in Israel a few years ago. 

Ever since I heard of the British BirdFair I've wanted to go. Being social and a lover of birding, I knew it was right up my alley. But I was also curious about a birding event that boasts attendance of well over 20,000 people a year.

I can tell you now that it was amazing and if you are interested in birding, go. Find a way to do it: give up daily coffees at a coffee bar and brew your own, cut back on trips out to eat at restaurants, do a Kickstarter, shift vacation plans from Florida in February to a trip to the UK in August, tell family and friends that during holidays and birthdays in lieu of gifts, you want cash or air miles--just go. BirdFair is a must, not only for the chance to see really cool products, but to experience a truly world wide crowd of people who care about birds and conservation. You can not only "buy stuff" but you learn from what other countries are doing to help birds. I cannot recommend a trip to BirdFair enough. 

The photo at the top of this blog encompasses the spirit of the fair. In their Andalucia booth, Peter and one of his guides share cheese, wine, chorizo and tomatoes from their birding area in southern Spain with past trip participants. I met Peter Jones in Israel a few years ago and when I passed, he insisted that I join them for tapas. It was delightful to meet their British tour participants and learn more about birding opportunities and conservation challenges in Andalucia. 

The map that shows where the marquees and lecture areas are for BirdFair...it's enormous. 

You can purchase passes per day or get a three day wrist band. I knew with my ability to talk and the chance to see old friends, I would need a full three days. My initial plan was to do a fast circuit the first morning, noting where friends had booths and noting which booths I wanted to chat and spend more time with and learn about their product and services. Or to just find surprises that I didn't know I wanted. I also knew that if I didn't do a quick once over, and did it marquee by marquee, I would feel rushed with whoever I chatted with and be thinking, "This is great, but I wonder what's in the next marquee, I need to wrap this up."

The Pork Roll at BirdFair offered at one of the smaller lunch stands away from the main food area--best sandwich there for non-vegetarians. And the British are brilliant--you have the option of adding extra "crackling" to your sandwich aka very crisply pork fat. 

After that I grabbed a pork roll and a BirdFair Bitter (a flavorful sturdy ale) and circled who I wanted to go back to in the program (programs cost a pound and are well worth it, though there's lots of signage to help get you with scheduling as well), I created a strategy for each day. Even with that plan, I was unable to hit all the booths I intended, but that may have more to do with me being a chatty gal, especially when I find friends I haven't seen in years or friends I've only known online and met for the first time face to face. 

Some of the unique birdhouses from Out Of Our Tree who has the tagline "quirky woodworky."

There truly is a little bit of everything at BirdFair from backyard birding like the above very unique bird houses...

To bird food...and since I have the sense of humor of a 13 year old, I giggled mercilessly at the idea of purchasing 50 fat balls...that are "no mess." Though on Facebook someone informed me that these are called Meisenknödel" in German which is supposed to mean "tit dumpling." What a delightful phrase!

To birdfood...

Inside one of the many marquees at bird fair.

To hip gear for the birding lifestyle...

To cameras (all the top brands were there)...

Swarovski not only had a booth, but a tower to test out digiscoping equipment on Rutland Water.

To just about every optics manufacturerer you can imagine...

This is my friend Mike Watson from BirdQuest. He's helping me put together some digiscoping trips to Panama and Scotland. Details very soon and if there's someplace you'd like to go with me, let me know!

To birding tour companies and a lot of government tourism boards...

To books! This book cracked me up. It's nothing but rare bird accounts for Norfolk. I love that this book exists, I love that it is so specific to just Norfolk. I loved reading all of the accounts of the first time the bird was spotted. We need more books like this in the US. A fun read with valuable information...but not too dry. 

I asked a couple next to me if they would take my photo with my book. The obliged but the very nice British lady did ask, "My dear, don't you know how to take a selfie yet?"

I was incredibly surprised to find my book at one of the booths. I brought a couple along "just in case" but to find it out on the table, prominently propped up was a huge and delightful surprise. If I had more room in my suitcase, I would have spent way more money at BirdFair. Not only did they have new books, but they had used book dealers and I have a fondness for early 20th century bird books. Ah well, next time...

So this is entry one for BirdFair. There will be more. Non Birding Bill and I are currently galavanting around London and he really doesn't want me spending our vacation time writing about how fabulous BirdFair was. I'm going to break down the next two posts about it into logistics of getting there and then some of the amazing things that I saw like this:

A scotch tasting held at the Islay booth...why yes...yes I am very interested in visiting Scotland...for birds and other things. 

They had scotch tastings at some of the booths! And not just cheap scotch, nice scotch. I actually saved visiting the Islay birding booth for a scotch tasting so that way I could ask legit questions about bringing a tour there and not just be a lurker for some Laphroaig...but they seemed just as eager to sip than ask questions so after some information, we settled in to sipping and exchanged emails for later. I understood, it was a long day and this was a nice way to relax. 

BirdFair Bound & A Collins App

Packing the essentials for British BirdFair!

I'm busy getting all the last minute laundry, packing and travel arrangements finalized as I head to BirdFair in the UK for the first time. I'm so excited because I have always wanted to go this event and I even get to do an iPhone digiscoping presentation on Saturday as well as partake in an improv game called a Question of Stork. 

I'm excited to see old and new friends and to make Birds and Beers officially international by having one thanks to the aid of Drunk Birder on Friday night at 7pm at the Three Crowns! I think we will be two peas in a pod. When all the bird fun is over, I get to meet Non Birding Bill in London for some fun. 

Screenshot of the new Collins Bird Guide app available  for iPhones and iPads on August 14, 2015.

Also, just in time for my trip across the pond comes the Collins Bird Guide app to all of Europe, based on the best-selling Collins Bird Guide, by Lars Svensson, Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterström, lucky me! I have to admit, I was leery because BirdFair isn't really about going on field trips, it's about looking at birding products and services. After the fair, I'm going to meet Non Birding Bill in London to visit with friends and not really do that much birding. Would this be more bird info than I would need. Should I just take a little British Guide with me instead?

You can tailor the list of possible birds by using the map tool on the app. 

But, the app lets you tailor your location and list of possible birds. If you are like me and just studying from somewhere in the states, you can tap the map of Europe of where you plan to be (and note the season) to get a list of likely birds. If you are already in Europe, you can use the location services of the app to pinpoint where you are as well as the time of year to generate the likely species. 

Another way to narrow the list of possible birds is by entering in field marks. 

When you see a bird you can't identify, most apps will allow you to create a list of possible suspects based size, shape, habitat, colors, etc. This app will also let you type in specific types of field marks which is pretty darned cool. One of the reasons I really like the Sibley app is that you can compare two species at once, this app will let you compare up to 6 different plumages at once--which will please the European warbler watchers. 

The duck hybrid page--oooooooooo!

The Collins app is a comprehensive European guide with over 700 species, 750 recordings of songs and calls, over 3500 illustrations and 60 videos of common birds--because sometimes you need to see the wagging tail of a wagtail to make sure that yep, that is like the most common bird over in Europe and the have some variation and that is indeed the bird that I saw. The app is £12.99 which in the grand scheme of field guide apps is par for the course. If you are going to Europe and you don't want to take a book but want to know what birds you will see, it's worth a download on an Apple device. 

Tawas Point Bird Festival

Hey...does this website look different? Yep, we did a redesign. I hope it's easier for people to read. It's certainly going to be easier for me to maintain and enter content. 

The lighthouse at Tawas Point State Park.

I've run into Shelly Moses-Martinez at the Biggest Week in Ohio a few times. She also has started her own version of Birds and Beers in Michigan called Birds and Brews. She kept telling me that I needed to come to Tawas Point Bird Festival some year and we made it happen this year. 

Chestnut-sided warbler digiscoped with an iPhone at Tawas Point.

This small festival was so much fun, it reminded me a lot of being in South Padre Island when the migrants come across the Gulf and warblers and tanagers are just everywhere. The only exception being that place was a bit cooler in temperature. Migrants tend to follow the shores of Lake Huron and many are low and easy to see. It's similar to the amount of warblers you can see at Biggest Week, but not as crowded. I had so many chestnut-sided warbles all around me.

A "slidey-backed gull seen in Tawas, MI.

The birding community is tight-knit and excited to show off this lovely lake town. I loved the gull themed slide near my hotel. You can stick around the point and bird the crap out of the area, but some of the field trips take you to some breath-taking Michigan habitat. One of the trips takes to see Kirtland's warbler, which if you don't have that species, this is the place for you.

View during the AuSuble field trip. 

Since I've already seen Kirtland's I opted for the AuSable River Valley field trip which was quiet, and yielded us lots of warblers. We were surrounded by pine trees and a lovely view from atop a bluff. Our guides was very good. He lives in Illinois but spends part of the year in Tawas. He even made a point to hang out with the back of the large group to make sure they were seeing and hearing some of the same birds. I have trouble telling some of my trilling bird species apart and he took the time to explain the differences between pine warbler and chipping sparrow. 

False morel aka "beefsteak" mushroom seen on our field trip.

As some of you know, I like to forage for the occasional edible mushroom. I'm a big fan of the saying, "There are old mushroom hunters and there are bold mushroom hunters, but there are no old, bold mushroom hunters." I pretty much stick to the "fool proof four" or the "safe six" like morels, chicken of the woods, hen of the woods--the things you cannot mistake for anything else. I know there are false morels and we found quite  few on our trip.  I can tell by the fatter, squatter appearance what a false morel is but I always double check when slicing morels because an edible morel will be hollow and a false more will be solid.

I overheard one of the participants talking about eating "the beefsteaks." "You eat that? I never eat false morels because they are supposed to be toxic."

She informed that she eats them all the time. I clearly had to do some googling. Apparently, some people can eat false morels without consequence, while others can experience diarrhea, nausea, dizziness, headaches and in rare cases even death. You never know, it's a crap shoot (ha ha). I don't see myself trying a false morel anytime soon but I did learn something new.

Porcupine found on the AuSable River Valley Trip.

No matter what trips you sign up for, make sure to spend time walking the point. Even if you are doing it after all the afternoon workshops and you don't know your warblers well, lots of people will be there to help you id birds and even make sure that you are seeing the birds too.

Baltimore oriole digiscoped with an iPhone

Make sure to find the fruit feeding station and just zone out for a bit at all the crazy amounts of orioles chowing down on oranges. There are so many and the amount of orange and yellow is bananas.

Orchard oriole digiscoped with an iPhone while carbo loading on some hummingbird nectar.

It's a popular photography spot but if you are new to digiscoping this would be a great place to practice. 

One of many scarlet tanagers outside the festival hotel digiscoped with an iPhone.

The birds do drip off the trees. Even right outside the main hotel where all the field trips met, we had quite the warbler and tanager wave...and a group of about 20 birders with scopes watching them forage for insects on the budding trees. But the town seemed to welcome birders with quite a few posting signs welcoming birders and business would ask if you were having a good time if you were wearing binoculars. They may not understand exactly why you animatedly talking about the killer northern parula you just saw in their parking lot, but they are just happy you are enjoying the town.

What happens when a parent asks if their kid can have their photo with me...I just can't take a normal photo. 

Shelly was kind enough to host a Birds and Brews and that was a lot of fun. There were even kids (who had root beer). I love having these in other areas, it's an informal way to meet other people and get a pulse on the local birding community. I'm really excited because a lot of the people involved in organizing this small fun event are going to be involved with hosting the 2015 Midwest Birding Symposium. It's been fun in Ohio, but will be cool to try it in a new state.

One final note, I was surprised through some weird occurrence that I was able to get a direct flight from Minneapolis to Alpena which is less than an hour from Tawas Point. Who knew? But the airport was SO tiny. How tiny? Check this out: 

Alpena Airport Signage

That's their baggage claim sign. You literally got off the plane and walked inside to this sign. To rent a car, you had to call for an attendant because he works the grounds of the airport. Which was fun and much more relaxed than the usual airport experience. 

And you never know what you'll find while you're driving around. Who knew I'd see a Jesus statue and dinosaur cutout so close together?

Digiscoping with Clay and Sharon, Episode 8, Contest Winner

As I sit at my open kitchen window this morning listening to urban bird calls and waiting for YouTube to upload the final episode, I have a mixture of relief and sadness. This series has been so much a part of my life the last six months, that I'm partially grateful to have some freedom in my schedule, but sad to not work on it anymore because it worked all the creative resources of my brain. As much as it was a puzzle for viewers to figure out the series clues and theme, it was a puzzle for me some days to figure out how to organize footage, edit something to make sense when a memory card decided a key scene I filmed was corrupt and choosing which bird footage to use. As my blog is turning 10 years old this year, it's very different than when I started in 2004. I don't just have a Minnesota audience anymore and how many times can I post "Hey, orioles are back" with genuine enthusiasm? Not that I'm not excited when I see the orioles are back, but writing about in the blog is not the same. It's more fun to post the first oriole's picture to Instagram. Speaking of Instagram, there are so many new ways and platforms to share information--sharing and discussing news is better suited to Facebook and Twitter than it is in the blog.

When I have a time consuming project like this series or writing a book, my brain will try to distract me by percolating 100s of great ideas. Ideas that require time, other people and organizations and money--but are still great ideas. One of the hardest things I've learned for me is that ideas are easy, followthrough is hard. I can have the greatest idea in the world (or hear someone else's idea and want to work on it) but if I don't have the time or resources, I have to let it go. Working on this series not only gave me the break of working on "the same old" blog posts I really needed, but has taken enough of my working brain, that new ideas for the blog have been percolating in the back of my head.

I'll be spending the next month implementing them and also I am excited to write again.

Will we do more videos? Yes!

Will we do another series...I hope so, but I'm not sure.

This was an experiment. I was in a reality tv show pilot last year (that has mercifully aired unnoticed) and though creatively it wasn't what I needed, I realized, "Is this all it takes to make a show?" And I used what I learned watching the crew as they filmed us to make Digiscoping with Clay and Sharon with mostly a couple of iPhones. I'd love for it to be a regular show--whether on YouTube or Netflix, or even Nat Geo, but that takes money, planning, writing (yes, reality shows have scripts), a better sound system, a crew and holy cow I could really use a continuity editor (I'm surprised no one ever emailed about my shirt changing colors in Episode 2).

If you enjoyed this series a big way to help is to let the sponsors know. For example, if you ever stay at the Alamo Inn, tell Keith that Birdchick sent you or that you enjoyed his cameo in the series. Tweet to Princeton University Press or Swarovski Optik Nature that you liked it (and especially let them know if you bought something). Check out the apps BirdsEye NA or BirdLog from BirdsEyeBirding. Go birding in South Texas either the Rio Grande Valley or Corpus Christi, you won't regret it. I'm half-tempted to run a digiscoping tour there (another great idea percolating in the back of the brain).

Thank you sponsors and friends for making this show possible. And now for the video, there are three winners. The first person our rabbit picked got the Swarovski Spotting Scope, the second person gets their choice of bird book worth up to $40 list price from Princeton University Press and the third person chosen gets a copy of my book 1001 Secrets Every Birder Should Know.

Sharon's pet rabbit Dougal picks the winner of the Swarovski spotting scope as a conclusion to Digiscoping with Clay and Sharon.

Digiscoping With Clay and Sharon, Episode 7, Fun With SlowMo on the iPhone

Here it is! This is the final clue to the series theme! Have you figured it out yet? I tried to drop some heavy hints in this episode!

Be sure to check out the pages of our generous sponsors for this episode, especially if you saw something in the show you liked: Swarovski Optik (the optics I've been using for years) www.swarovskioptik.com Princeton University Press (my favorite nature publisher and sign up for updates on their cook BirdGenie

Be sure to check out the pages of our generous sponsors for this episode, especially if you saw something in the show you liked:

Swarovski Optik (the optics I've been using for years)

Princeton University Press (my favorite nature publisher and sign up for updates on their cook BirdGenie bird call identifier app that's coming)

South Texas Nature (because birding the Rio Grande Valley is a must do)

Alamo Inn (my favorite place to stay when birding the Rio Grande Valley)

Screen Shot 2014-06-19 at 8.23.10 AM

If you are enjoying the series, please consider sharing an episode on your social media outlets. And remember, kids, birds shown in the first seven episodes have all been digiscoped by both Clay and me and are a clue to the series theme! If you correctly guess the series theme, you are entered into a drawing for a Swarovski spotting scope. Please read over the contest rules before entering.

All entries that deviate from the contest rules will be disqualified. The winner will be announced in the eighth episode airing on June 26, 2014. To make sure you do not miss an episode, subscribe to the Birdchick YouTube Channel.

Contest Rules (To make sure you do not miss an episode, subscribe to the Birdchick YouTube Channel. )

1. All entries for the Swarovski STS spotting scope need to be emailed to digiscoping@birdchick.com and must include the answer, your first and last name, mailing address and phone number (in case I need to contact you regarding shipping).

2. You can guess the theme more than once, but only ONE correct entry per person will count in the drawing. (You should probably watch a few episodes before you guess).

3. All entries guessing the series theme must be received no later than 11:59pm Central Time on June 23, 2014.

4. The winner of the Swarovski spotting scope will be chosen at random and the decision of the judges is final.