2 Cool Birding Opportunities

Looking for some cool birding opportunities for a vacation?  How about volunteering for two weeks in Maui (that's right, go to Hawaii) for 2 weeks and help researchers with endangered birds: MAUI RARE BIRD SEARCH VOLUNTEERS (4) wanted for two weeks, 13-24 Sep 2010, to conduct transect searches for Maui Parrotbill, and other endangered forest honeycreepers, in Waikamoi Preserve on Haleakala, Maui, Hawaii. Parrotbill are critically endangered, estimated at around 500 remaining individuals.

Primary field duties include aiding staff from the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project with finding and GPSing locations of Maui Parrotbill and `Akohekohe and recording Maui Creeper encounters along transects. Field duties are physically challenging, working at 5,000-7,000 ft elevation, in muddy and steep rainforest conditions.

Desirable Qualifications:

1.  Excellent physical health (no chronic problems with knees, ankles, or back)

2.  Excellent birding skills and capacity to detect birds by their vocalizations

3.  Experience and comfort with wilderness hiking (4) Experience and comfort with group living.

Provided Benefits: (1) Learn about Hawaiian forest bird conservation and bird ID with biologists from the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project; (2) Search and probably see one of the most endangered birds in the United States in an amazing rainforest setting; (3) Housing at our intern and volunteer cottage and in the conservation research cabin on Haleakala (4) Transport to and from the airport and into town for shopping (5) Field gear required for searches.

Work schedule will include 2 full days of training and 7-8 days of searches in The Nature Conservancy’s Waikamoi Preserve with a weekend break in between for your own free time to explore Maui. Volunteers will provide their own food during their stay as well as their transport to and from Kahului, Maui. The Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project is asking for a $600 donation to help off-set costs of volunteer accommodation rental, transport, and field supplies. The donation is tax deductible. To apply please send a cover letter outlining your current physical fitness for rugged field work, your field biology experience, especially bird surveys or rare bird searches, your wilderness or back-country experience, and a recent resume to DR. DUSTI BECKER (EM: dusti AT mauiforestbirds.org).

It's tax deductible, you get to help birds and researchers, it's in Hawaii and it's a cool way to spend a vacation!  Now, Hawaii is all well and good, but the following opportunity is more my style and if I weren't happily married and I would be applying for one of the following positions to study boobies in Galapagos...yep, 2 magical words for birders: Galapagos and boobies!

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS--NAZCA BOOBIES. Two field assistants needed for each of two trips (mid-Oct. 2010 to mid-Jan 2011 and mid-Mar to mid-Jul 2011) for work on breeding biology of Nazca boobies on Espanola Island, Galapagos, Ecuador. The assistants will join a group totaling five continuing a 26-year study of this species.

Majority of the work will be identifying banded parents at nests and marking nests, 7-9 hrs per day of physically taxing and fascinating work in an incredible place. The group will live in tents and a primitive field camp on this uninhabited island, a day's boat ride from the nearest civilization.

Requirements: physical fitness, tolerance of heat and sun, cheerful can-do attitude. Previous field experience required, Spanish desirable. All expenses paid, including travel from your home base. No salary. These positions will be filled as soon as possible. Presently we are recruiting for the first trip, but if you are interested in both trips, please indicate this in your cover letter. Please email a one-page cover letter and contact information for three references, with c.v. attached, to DR. DAVE ANDERSON at Wake Forest University (EM: da AT wfu.edu).

All expenses paid and you get to spend a 2 months in a tent on Galapagos--for free!  And it's not just sightseeing, you are on a project to help boobies.  Can you imagine the great stories you'd have to tell at cocktail parties?  Or how that would look on a resume?  That's one heck of an adventure!  Ah, I wish I could do this trip, sounds amazing!

Bird Nesting Material

This is a post I typed up on May 3 but for some reason it never published.  Here it is:

On Saturday I noticed a tufted titmouse gathering some of Cabal's hair in the driveway.  The bird was furiously grabbing hair as if hoping to avoid attention.  It reminded me of when I was kid growing up in Indiana and watching titmice steal tufts of fur off of my pet husky when she was napping outside.  Dog hair (or most pet fur) is great to let loose outside this time of year for bird nesting material.

If you are going to put out nesting material for birds, look for natural fibers to put out.  If you set out yarn or string, make sure that it is no longer than 6 inches.  Birds can use long string, but there's a risk with long string for birds to get it caught on a branch and get tangled in it.

I've read conflicting information on dryer lint--some say it's fine, others say it's no good.  Here are my thoughts:  if there's no consensus, they why risk it?  I don't use dryer lint.  Plus, I'm not sure how much detergent and fabric softener residue is on dryer lint and if that would be a good or bad thing for recently hatched chicks.  Stick to natural fibers and pet fur.

Kestrel Takes Stage At Target Field

I'm not much of a baseball fan (being from Indiana, I'm pre-programmed to enjoy basketball, specifically Big 10 basketball).  However, the new Minnesota Twins stadium has been such a focus of the news, I know far more about it just from osmosis via radio, tv and social media updates. The big news early on was a red-tailed hawk pair that was reportedly nesting behind the new scoreboard at Target Field.  I thought it would be interesting to do a story on it and maybe get some photos but Target Field was not really interested in taking calls on the nest.  I called the Minnesota DNR to find out if they had any information or photos of the nest and was told that the nest had been removed by workers at Target Field.  Since the nest was first reported in March (which is when red-tail lay eggs in Minnesota) and it was removed after that, I wondered if there were eggs in the nest when it was removed, making the removal a violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty.  It didn't sound like the issue was going to be pursued and if there was concern over the nest, better to remove it early while the red-tails have a chance to renest (like they would if a wind storm blew it down).  Also, it was good that the nest was removed early before there were chicks older, the adults more aggressive in defending their territory and we wouldn't have another mess like last year when a DNR officer shot some nesting broad-winged hawks in the south suburbs.

However, another raptor is filling the void at Target Field--Kirby the Kestrel:

Here is the small male kestrel captured on the jumbotron at Target Field and is entertaining fans with the falcon's awesome ability to grab insects in the air with its toes.  This is an American Kestrel and it's been fun to watch news stations like WCCO report on the small falcon but incorrectly use a photo of the Eurasion kestrel.  These birds are cavity nesters, usually using old woodpecker holes made by flickers, red-bellied woodpeckers or even pileated woodpeckers to for nesting.  They will also use large bird houses like wood duck boxes or you can purchase kestrel boxes from your local bird store.  I've seen them nesting in the Uptown area of Minneapolis in old homes with holes leading into an attic or duct work.  I'm not sure there are any cavities for the bird to nest in at Target Field, perhaps there are some old trees nearby for the male to lay claim to and he will attract a female...and hopefully the Target Field employees won't remove a kestrel nest and embrace it as part of the fun of an outdoor baseball game.

This particular bird seems to have quite the following.  According to this story by the Star Tribune there was a "Name the Kestrel Contest" and he has been dubbed Kirby the Kestrel, in honor of the Kirby Puckett.  He's such a hot item that someone started a Twitter Account for Kirby...too bad it's as TargetFieldHawk and not TargetFieldFalcon but I'm happy people are noticing birds even if they are mixing up their species a bit.

Here's a Youtube Video of Kirby in Action:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTvxeZsXa3g&feature=player_embedded#![/youtube]

If you are catching a Twins game at Target Field, watch for Kirby at the right field foul pole.

Franklin Red-tailed Hawk Cam

I've been checking in on the Franklin Institute live red-tailed hawk cam which is fun now that the babies are about and the adults are doing more than just incubation.  I watched some cool behavior that I've read about but not actually observed.  I took some screen captures:

Here an adult is feeding the tiny fierce puffballs.

Then the hawk flew off for a moment and returned with a leafy branch.  Some speculate that the leaves of certain plants have natural insect repellent properties and help keep nest parasites to a minimum.

I have no idea what type of plant the red-tailed hawk brought in--looks like it either has some green berries or some green buds on it.  Just some of the cool things one can observe in this day and age of online birdwatching.

A Little Lang Elliot Cleanser

Okay, the news in the gulf is really bumming me out.  And I can't have a Friday be all about a bummer blog post.  So, the most awesome Lang Elliot has provided a cleanser.  Chances are that if you have listened to a bird call CD or program, you have heard Lang's work--he is considered by some the grand pooba of bird song recordings. He's started a blog with some of his friends called The Music of Nature that is "dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of nature, with an emphasis on nature that is near at hand."

Basically, they are out, making awesome videos of birds (and crickets and frogs) and sharing them.  It's very cool and looking at it, it's what I'd like to do with this blog but man oh man, their recording equipment is off the hook.  I may give up blogging and just watch this blog.

Anyway, it's a nice cleanser from the gulf spill and a great way to take a break from work and enjoys some short videos of nature.  Here's a sample:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJTaV95E9Qg&feature=player_embedded#![/youtube]

Oil Spill in the Gulf Disaster

When I first heard about the oil drill rig explosion on the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico, the gravity of the situation didn't hit me.  I thought it incredible that over 100 workers came out alive and felt bad for the anguish of the families of the 11 missing. Then the story got worse and really hit me hard in the last 24 hours.  It didn't occur to me that the well 5000 feet deep in the gulf waters would still be spewing out oil with no one sure how to stop it...and now reports are that it's spilling out 5000 barrels (210,000 gallons) a day.  A day.  This is likely to exceed the Exxon oil spill in 1989 when 11 million gallons spilled in Alaska.

The reports this morning is that it's hitting the Louisiana Coast.  I feel totally helpless.  Creatures that I love are nesting in sensitive areas and this gloppy mess is creeping their way.  I know a lot of news reports are focusing on pelicans but not so much on the uber cute birds that nest on sandy shores like the above piping plovers.

Their chicks look like little cotton balls running around on toothpicks.  And it's not just nesting birds that are affected, but sea turtles and otters too, not to mention fish.  This is going to have long range and far reaching effects.  We already have a dead zone in the gulf, now this.  If you are feeling helpless to the situation like I am, I think the group to watch is the International Bird Rescue Research Center which sadly is well experienced in dealing with spills.  They have a blog with up to date information on the spill and what they are doing like helping to support and mobilize wildlife rehabbers in that area.  Wildlife rehabbers already have it busy this time of year because of baby bird season, who knows how much oil covered wildlife they take in.  Already the IBRRC has contact info for those who want to help:

"Anyone wishing to learn how they help must contact the British Petroleum Community Support Team Hotline at 1-866-448-5816.

To report oiled wildlife affected by the Gulf oil spill please call the Wildlife reporting hotline at 1-866-557-1401."

If you are like me and cannot fly down to Louisiana and help pick up oiled critters or do the painstaking task of wiping oil off rocks and cleaning soil, you can help support the organizations doing it.  You may not have a ton of money, but something simple you can do is the next time you purchase detergent for your dishes--get DAWN.  When you purchase a bottle of DAWN, you can enter the bottle's number online and IBRRC and the MMC will split $1.00 per bottle donation from Proctor & Gamble. The maximum donation from DAWN will be $500,000 to both groups.  IBRRC will certainly need the money in the coming weeks.