Friendly Advice

A drink to avoid on New Year's Eve courtesy of Wikipedia:

The Mickey Slim

The Mickey Slim was a drink with a short-lived popularity in the United States in the 1950s. It was made with gin to which was added a pinch of DDT (also known as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) at a time when DDT was still considered to be the safest insecticide ever invented. Users of this concoction claimed that its effects were similar to the banned substance absinthe. In retrospect, this drink is considered dangerous.

A Day in the Office

"Oh, I don't approve of this at all, and would you please stop referring to me as a 'bunny bag'."

Spent another funderful few days in the Madison area with the gang at Eagle Optics. I brought Cinnamon in this morning before I headed back to the Twin Cities and people were lining up to be disapproved of. Dan asked if Cinnamon disapproves of Eagle Optics...Cinnamon disapproves of everything, except maybe broccoli--fortunately there was some in the break room refrigerator so I was able to avoid being fired by her answer.

On a side note, I have to say that Dan has been a pretty good boss so far, but his cool points really went up this week when he presented me with a box clothes to wear to shows and festivals. I'm usually not one for dress codes--it's that inner 15 year old who still refuses to wear anything but black. But these are good sturdy fleeces with the Vortex logo (you can never have too many fleeces when you live in the northern states). I even got some shirts and blouses to wear, that are actually in female sizes and fit-I'm so relieved.

Cinnamon continued her disapproving rampage at the office and had an immediate disapproval prepared for Mike McDowell--apparently there are not enough rabbits in his blog and way too much about digiscoping. Mike had me go through his sparrow quiz, which I didn't do too bad, I missed the last sparrow, but juvenile sparrows are not my forte.

To the right is a photo of Mike between phone calls at his desk with a pair of the new Vortex Razor binoculars. Dan got some samples in to take to Bird Watch America, and of course all of us wanted to play with them and feel what they are like in the hand. We were like little kids sneaking around a fresh box of Twinkies. They feel great in the hand and should be pretty sweet when the final touches are added.

It looks like I'll be heading out again later in January. I need to make sure that I am prepared to answer all types of binocular questions when working the booths at birding festivals. Ben wants me to spend some time answering the phones and getting all sorts of optics questions thrown at me or working with customers who come in to visit Eagle Optics in Middleton. I think I'll do okay, I'm getting better with technical questions, but I get all the prices confused. But I figure if I can keep track of all the different types of Droll Yankee feeders and their prices with or without trays I should be able to learn it for binoculars too. Plus, it's always fun to hang out with the gang, you never know what's going to come up. Mike and Jason got into a conversation over Mike's favorite binoculars under $1000 which led to Jason doing optics comparisons on the counter (left)...at least that what I hope he was doing.

Ivory-Bill Nest Correction

I got a very nice email from Lisa Boyd who owns the Ivory-bill Nest shop:

Thanks for the nice write up on your blog I was caught off guard when I saw it, but it is great.
I have only 1 correction for you the " Got Pecker " shirt does have an ivory bill on the back with the words reading WE DO- Brinkley AR- Bayou De View on the back. I get lots of comments on that shirt but that particular shirt is what inspired the gift shop I absolutely could not keep up with meeting people in town or traveling thru that wanted ibwo shirts.

I didn't flip the shirt over to see that there is in fact an Ivory-billed Woodpecker on the back, my bad. Sorry about that, Lisa. Thanks for setting the record straight. I'm glad lots of people are stopping into her shop and hope that her booming business continues. I ended up giving my "Got Pecker?" to my boss Dan. He wore it during lunch at looked cute.

Boy, we have some exciting stuff in the works at Eagle Optics which I will probably announce next week! Yesterday I got a peak at some new binoculars that we will be introducing this year as well as straighten out some details with Dan and Ben on a very exciting project for this year. I can't believe I get paid to do what I do--it's too much fun!

Bunny Indignity

I'll give you three guesses as to who is in my fancy shmancy ABA bag? I'll give you a hint: as I took the photo there were was some MAJOR disapproval emanating from said ABA bag.

If you guessed Cinnamon, you guessed correctly. It's a very breathable canvass bag and she is not in it for more than three minutes. Plus, I keep the zipper slightly ajar just to be safe.

None of the staff at the hotel who have been charmed by Cinnamon have told me that she can't come, but I feel the need to not draw attention to ourselves when we arrive. She fits just perfectly in there and it works for getting her from the car to the room. I was going to take a photo of her inside the bag, but when I opened it, she hopped out too fast for a photo. She was a little testy to say the least, her face kind looked like it did in the photo below. That's Defcon 4 when it comes to Bunny Disapproval. But some carrots tops and fresh litter in the litter box and all is forgiven for the moment.

We played the Red-tail Game on the way to Madison. It's inspired by a game Non Birding Bill has where you get points for each cow that is on your side of the car. If you pass a cemetery on your side of the car, then you lose all your points. Whoever has the most points at the end of the trip wins. In the Red-tail Game you get a point for every red-tailed hawk you spot on your side of the car, and five points for a bald eagle. If you see a turkey vulture on your side of the car you lose all your points. I had an early eagle crossing over into Wisconsin and felt sure I would win, but alas, all the red-tailed hawks were on Cinnamon's side of the car--perhaps the red-tails could sense something tasty on that side? Being winter, there just aren't too many turkey vultures up here so neither of us lost points. Finally tally: Birdchick 16 points, Cinnamon 18 points.

Cool Addition to Blogging Community

I'm so excited! Here's a quote from an email I received today from Sheri Williamson and Tom Wood:

"Blogging! Time will tell whether this qualifies you as an inspiration or just one of those bad influences our parents warned us about."

I'm hoping I fall under the latter as opposed to the former (as Non Birding Bill always says whenever I try to blame something on my evil twin, "You are your evil twin.") Sheri is one of my favorite authors and an authority on hummingbirds. Tom is a photographer, but even cooler than that is a master bird bander. Both should make for some fun postings so be sure to check out the Bisbee Border Birder Blogger (and if you're really up for an adventure try saying that five times fast...after a few dirty martinis).

On a side note, while looking for pertinent links for Williamson and Wood I discovered that you can sign up for a Hummingbird Course led by these two in 2006 through the ABA's Institute for Field Ornithology. Having met both of these people I can guarantee that the course would not only be informative but FUN (yes, that's right I put it in all caps). These are not your run of the mill birder types--they're my kind of birding crowd. Also, if you take the course, get them to sing, Sheri has a wonderful velvety, throaty voice that's warm and inviting like single malt scotch.

Birdchick's Booty

Cinnamon says, "Oh, I know I disapprove of this gift! No siree bob, I don't like it."

She is referring to the oh so thoughtful gift Non Birding Bill got for me (and this is a great gift idea for anyone who is a birder) a massage unit for my car seat! It vibrates my shoulders, back and thighs. Just perfect for those long trips to a stake out bird or for when I go to Madison. It's really nifty!

Cinnamon is above gifts as are our other two pets, they seem content with an extra helping of vegetables or just the chance to play with ripped up wrapping paper. Cinnamon got some extra broccoli and some carrots with the tops still attached. Even though she had her fill, she took to carrying around the last chewed up piece of carrot, afraid that I might throw it away when she wasn't looking (below). She reminds me of a third rate gangster which a cigar hanging out of her mouth. I keep expecting her to say "Is this that party to whom I am speaking? I disapprove that you have not paid me back the money I am owed and will now have to have Mr. Bigwig break your knee caps." Maybe she's going to an audition for Guys and Dolls.

Once again I have been spoiled rotten for the holidays. Non Birding Bill knows me so well and has given me quite the book collection. In the past few years he has been giving me various Bent books, but now that the set is nearly complete he is focusing on giving me Johnsgard books. Considering he has authored forty to fifty books, that should be quite a project. He meanders through used book stores and a few websites like Buteo Books to find obscure titles. This year I got Ruddy Ducks and Other Stifftails, Those of the Gray Wind: The Sandhill Cranes, and Earth, Water, and Sky. NBB also picked up some other books I was not expecting like Birds of Prey of the World, Ravens in Winter and The Handbook of Bird Identification for Europe and the Western Paleoarctic! Oh, and I almost forgot a book called Cowbirds and Other Brood Parasites. I told my mother about my haul and she giggled and said, "Your sisters got diamonds for Christmas and you, you're happy with a book about parasites." Quite true--you can't read a bracelet.

On top of the books and vibrating car seat he also got me a jar of propolis! Mmm. I used to hate honey, as a matter of fact I frequently made fun of friends and asked how their bee vomit tasted. One day Mr. Neil made us a "proper cup of tea" that had little floaty bits on top. Little did I know that he had put honey in my tea, and not just any honey but Really Raw Honey, which apparently is completely unprocessed and probably the reason why I never liked honey. This stuff was very pleasant and didn't leave a nasty after taste in my mouth as honey had in the past. The jars are all capped with pieces of honeycomb, wax and propolis. When you put it in your tea you have little waxy bits floating at the top of the mug. I love it so much that our own jar of honey loses its capping before we finish the jar which in turn leads to me whining to NBB that all the floaty bits are gone and we still have half a jar to go before I can buy more honey. So what does my clever husband do? He gets me a jar of cappings (left)! It looks gross, but boy is it tasty in tea! It also makes tea more like a snack or some frightening family remedy.

Now NBB and I are going to settle in for a good read on a wonderful gift from my mother-in-law--500 thread count sheets. Good grief, I thought 300 thread count was a little too decadent for us, but now 500 thread count? One day I'm afraid my sheets are going to have more material than my actual bed!

I hope everyone had as wonderful a weekend as we had. The best gift of all was just time, time with Bill and the pets, time to do just anything I wanted.

Dodo bits found! This is a Merry Christmas!

This time of year I like to reflect on how life has changed from this time last year. For example, this time last year most of us had no inclination that proof that the ivory-billed woodpecker still existed had been collected. Now news of dodo bird skeletons being discovered is spreading. I wonder if I can get Eagle Optics to sign me up to go on an archaeological dig?

There will probably be one downside to this. With complete skeletons, taxonomy will probably change again making all of our field guides out of order...again.

Scientists Find a Major Cache of Bones of the Long-Extinct Dodo Bird
By TOBY STERLING Associated Press Writer

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands Dec 23, 2005 — Scientists said Friday they found a major cache of bones and likely complete skeletons of the long-extinct Dodo bird, which could help them learn more about the lost creature's physique and habits.

The find is significant because no complete skeleton of a single Dodo bird has ever been retrieved from a controlled archaeological site in Mauritius. The last known stuffed bird was destroyed in a 1755 fire at a museum in Oxford, England, leaving only partial skeletons and drawings of the bird to go on.

The bird was native to Mauritius when no humans lived there but its numbers rapidly dwindled after the arrival of Portuguese and Dutch sailors in the 1500s. The last recorded sighting of a live bird was in 1663.

The international team of researchers found the bones on a sugar cane plantation on Mauritius, located in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Madagascar.

They presented their findings at the National Museum of Natural History in the Dutch city of Leiden Friday.

"We have found 700 bones including bones from 20 Dodo birds and chicks but we believe there are many more at the site," said Kenneth Rijsdijk, a Dutch geologist from the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, who led the dig.

DNA material from other Dodos exists, but Rijsdijk said more and better samples could be retrieved from the latest find, estimated to be 2,000 to 3,000-years-old.

Retrieving DNA means that the Dodo can be better placed in relation to other species. But recreating a live animal from its DNA remains in the realm of science fiction, Rijsdijk said.

The Dodo's name comes from a Portuguese word for "fool," so named because the bird showed no fear of humans and couldn't fly, making it easy prey for the colonists. The Dutch called it the Walgvogel, or "nasty bird" because it tasted so bad.

Modern scientists understand the Dodo more favorably. They believe the bird didn't fear humans because it had no natural predators on Mauritius and had lost the ability to fly because it was so large: adults grew to around a meter (yard) high and weighed around 20 kilograms, or about 50 pounds, considerably bigger than a pelican.

You can read the rest of the story here.

Merry Christmas

What more could a birdchick want? That's Non Birding Bill cuddling up with Cinnamon, aren't they adorable. I'm sure many readers of this blog are relieved that these aren't photos of "Naked Christmas".

Usually we have a "live" tree in our home for Christmas, but this year we decided to nix that idea since I was going to be away for most of December and apart from the rabbits who like to hide underneath it and make a fort out of all the presents, I'm the only one who really enjoys it. NBB did make us a tree out of his fancy stationary though. It reminds me of one of our first years up here when we were super busy for Christmas and didn't have a lot of money. We decided not to have any tree at all and keep the holidays low key.

That Christmas Eve I was driving home from work and I had $15 cash in my pocket. I passed a neighborhood garden store that advertised four foot live trees clearanced for $12. I thought I would surprise NBB with one. I pulled in and asked for a four foot tree. The young man told me that they were out of the four footers but had a few five footers left for $20. I said, "No thanks, I don't have $20." He very haughtily replied with a sneer, "You don't have $20?" Humiliated and disappointed I drove home. I walked in to our apartment and hanging from our ceiling was a beautiful tree made out of all these left over pieces of stationary that NBB uses for letters. The tree came all the way down to the floor. It was the most beautiful tree I had ever seen and I started to cry. NBB hugged me and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry, I thought you would like it, we can take it down." I told him "NO!" and that the reason I was crying was how thoughtful and pretty I thought the tree was and related the experience I had just had at the garden store. We had an O Henry moment and Christmas was saved.

Incidentally, that garden store is no longer in business. I'm sure their customer service skills--or lack thereof had a great deal to do with it.

Merry Christmas!

I and the Bird

I forgot to mention that the latest installment of I and the Bird is up and running at WoodSong, be sure and check it out.

There are a massive amount of contributors this week, it's really great to see how much this carnival has grown and all the networking going on.

And now for me, on to the 007 Christmas Marathon.

I Really Want to Disapprove...

Cinnamon is perplexed.

I was putting groceries away and she came in to the kitchen (where "in theory" she is not allowed to go) to disapprove of how I was loading the fridge but was caught off guard when I told her we were going to Madison next week to check in with the gang at Eagle Optics. She wants to disapprove but obviously cannot contain her excitement. We're going to the Concourse Hotel and I think she has a thing for Brian the bartender at the Governer's Club Lounge. She did finally end with disapproving of the amount of dust under the baker's rack.

I'm getting an idea of where Eagle Optics will be sending me the first couple of months of 2006: Bird Watch America (considering that Amy Hooper, Bill Thompson and Jeff Bouton will be on hand, I'm sure that means karaoke. Bobby Harrison will be there as well so I'd like to see if we can get him to sing some Elvis songs.), San Diego Bird Festival, Connecticut Audubon Society Bald Eagle Festival (which has Phil Donahue moderating one of the speakers--Phil Donahue a birder? I'm actually not so sure. This is an eagle festival and having led my fair share of eagle trips I find that bald eagles bring out quite a few non birders. Even Non Birding Bill will go out with me to look for eagles--anyway, I should get some interesting blog material from that), and the Ivory-billed Woodpecker Celebration. That carries me through February. Sometime in there I'm supposed to go with Non Birding Bill to Ohio to visit the Non Birding Inlaws. Whew!

When I started working at All Seasons Wild Bird Store, I worked out of the company headquarters in Bloomington. I used to joke that the bosses were sending me further away as I went on to work at the Minnetonka store and then even further at the Wayzata store. I wonder what I should make of Dan at Eagle Optics who is sending me around the country and away to swamps?

I'm still not fully recovered from my trip. I went out with NBB to his holiday office dinner and had only one drink and lots of sushi and crashed on our Love Sac by 8:30pm when we got home. However, I am making progress by waking up naturally at 6:30am instead of 4:45am. Tuesday morning I had a segment on Balanced Breakfast with Ian and Margery. On more than one occasion I am awake as soon as the producer calls to tell me that I'm on after the next commercial. I think I do a pretty good job of sounding awake. Although one morning I did get stumped when Ian asked where the "gos" from "goshawk" came from and I couldn't remember that is was from "goose hawk"--that was embarassing. Anyway, this week I was up and raring to go--even making a tasty breakfast for NBB as I chatted away on my segment. That is a huge plus to doing radio segments as opposed to tv segments, you do not have to be cleaned up or spiffed up...or even wearing clothes for that matter.