Making Connections

One of the fun things at bird festivals are all the connections that are made.

I think Keens are becoming the official birding shoe. I was wearing mine and Katie started pointing out all of the people walking by with Keen Shoes. We corralled all the Keen wearers we could find for a photo.

The booth next to us is the PullUin Software booth, the company that makes the Handheld Field Guide to birds. The lady running the booth was working by herself, so if she needed to step out to powder her nose or grab some lunch, I knew enough about it to answer questions as people came by in her absence. It's fun to be helpful and goodness knows I love to talk about gadgets.

I was excited when I noticed a participant wearing a Sky Hunters t-shirt. Four or five years ago, I went on a trip to Idaho with Birds of Prey Expeditions and met the owner, Nancy. We had a wonderful time on the Memorial Day Weekend trip, the birds and scenery were fantastic. We met an old woman who was the local bird lady who, bless her heart, was out in the middle of nowhere and had limited access to bird handling training, but was one of the worst bird handlers I either of us had ever seen. One of the things she did was blow in a bird's face to calm it down. I also learned on that trip that sixty year olds set in their ways are not likely to take advice from frantic twenty somethings. Nancy, on the otherhand knows what she's doing and talking about when it comes to birds, so if you find yourself in the San Diego area, do be sure to check out her facility, and like many raptor rehabbers is run on donations, so if you have spare change, Sky Hunters is a great place to make donations.

Tonight it looks like a group is heading out to dinner: Amy from WildBird, Jim from Brunton, Clay from Swarovski, Steve from Zeiss and maybe a couple of others, I don't know who. There's no Bill from Bird Watcher's Digest or Jeff from Leica so I think karaoki is out. But I so happy enjoying the fresh seafood-mmmmmmmmmmm.

Heron at the Fest

Herons are all over the place around our hotel and marina. Here's a great blue watching life go by.

The San Diego Fest is a good time. The vendor mart is small but jammed packed, we talked noon-stop for almost eight hours! We're in the optics section and we're lucky because we have a window view. I checked the gift vendors and they are tucked away in a room with no view. Something interesting on a side note was someone selling organic soaps. The soaps were named after endangered species and a percentage of the profits goes to conservation. They of course had an ivory-billed woodpecker soap, but I was not allowed to take a picture of it. Hmmm? Do they have secret ingredients or does the Cornell policy of not talking about ivory-bills spill over into the world of organic soaps?

In the optic vendor room we can see an osprey nest, way out over the water that's been built on top of a condemned boat. It's fun to have a good target to test out binos and scopes.

I'm enjoying the common birds that I don't see in my neck of the woods especially this time of year. They are so people tolerant too. Here is a juvenile black-crowned night heron hanging out on some rocks (right). I took this photo using my digital camera and DLS binos.

There is also a small armada of snowy egrets hanging out by the convention center, but they are too quick for me to get a decent photo, I will try again later.

Don't Blog From The Bar

Last night Katie and I did a quick blog update over some dirty martinis at the hotel bar and misidentified a gull. We got this from Julie:

Methinks 'tis a second winter western gull there so Katie is not such a trollop after all.

JZ

Doh!

Pelagic Birding By The Seat Of Our Pants

Katie and I had way too much fun on the job yesterday with our whale watching/pelagic birding trip. And best part was that there was no barfing from us. We took some precautions by having a somewhat healthy breakfast with no greasy foods and taking some Dramamine. We noticed that the food offered on the boat was not my first choice for an anti barf diet:


Chili Cheese Dog on a pelagic trip? This boat crew likes life on the edge.

Funions, Cheetoes and tobasco? That sounds vomitish to me. Sheesh.

We had called around the day before asking people who offer whale watching if they ever see any seabirds on their trips. My favorite answer:

"See birds? Yeah, we see lots of birds. There's one that dives down and swims in there just like it was some kind of fish."

We didn't go with that company. When we called H & M Landing asked them about seabirds, the answer was"

"Oh yeah, you'll see some birds, like petrels, pelicans and gulls on our five hour whale trip."

They used "petrel" in their answer, so we decided to go with them. H & M guarantees a whale sighting on their trips and they recommended that if we want to see birds, we should go along on a fishing trip, since they would chum the waters. Katie and I decided to go for the whale trip since, hey how often would someone from Minnesota or Wisconsin see whales. The downside would be that we would be totally responsible for all bird identification, so we made sure to bone up on our seabirds before we left.

We got a kick out of the captain. He saw us standing on the deck with our DLS binos and proceeded to point and laugh at our "teeny" optics. He later showed us his massive pair of 10x70 binoculars--oy! As he poudly showed us his all powerful optics, he offered that if Katie and I were good, he might let us use them. I don't think we could have if we tried, I know I didn't have the upper arm stregth. We considered asking if he might want to look through ours, since like may things in life, size isn't everything. But we had a feeling that he is very proud to be at the help of his boat toting his massive binoculars while coursing the seas.

They had an antique field guide on board just in case any seabirds came by--published in 1957.

We didn't see too much in the way of whales, but did get to glimpse a juvenile gray whale (got the guaranteed whale, so no money back), harbor seals, sea lions, and dolphins. When we first got to the area where the dolphins were Katie and I both spotted a small black, gray and white football shaped birds whizzing around. We both about peed our pants and shouted, "Murrelet"! As we were freaking out over the life bird, everyone else was freaking about about a dolphin and calf swimming along with us at the bow of the boat. One lady in particular was trying to commune with them by leaning forward and sticking her hand out (left). I know Non Birding Bill is reading this and wondering if I was in fact the one leaning over the bow trying to touch the dolphin since I have a track record of doing foolish things to see wildlife, but I must be maturing because I decided to stay sensibly on the boat.

The trip included a run to the Coronado Islands, they looked like matte paintings of prehistoric islands on our approach. It was so sweet to see the brown pelicans catching thermals off of the clifss and circling, while the gorgeous blue water full of sea lions crashed along the rocks below. The pelicans were breeding, so we got to see the gorgeus color on the males and even a few chicks.

Gulls were following along the boat from time to time, hoping we were fishing and could maybe get some chum. It was interesting to note that younger gulls would follow us for a longer period of time before realizing we weren't going to throw out any fish. Adults would make a quick flyby and then move on.

I only got one lifer, but I saw some great old favorites like a Heerman's gull, earred grebes and some of the best looks at surf scoters I've ever had. We both just enjoyed the adventure of being on a boat over the open sea. We took other steps, like brought jackets (it was cool out over the water) and generously applied sunscreen throughout the day--I noticed one fellow passenger was a crispy critter after being in the sun for so long.

Well, the booth is getting busy, I'll update more after loading up on the yummy fresh seafood.

Partying with Monsters

Katie gets friendly with a local herring gull. Trollop.

Katie and I are trying to recover from the impromptu pelagic trip we attempted this afternoon. We thought we would stop for a quiet drink and dinner at our hotel, but discovered a Monster Convention going on. No, this isn't like one of the conventions NBB takes me too, nothing like Where The Wild Things Are, but Monster as in the energy drink--they're handing them out all over the place. We've just tried the original and the newer khaos (their spelling, not mine). Interesting.

We'll upload photos from later. We know quite a few co-workers are partying in Vegas, but I doubt they had the fun we did.

I Love My Job

This morning, I boarded a plane in Minneapolis at 9:13am. The temperature was 10 degrees. Later that morning at 11am I deboarded the plane in sunny San Diego to find the temperature in the 70 degree range. Insert happy sigh here.

I met up with fellow Eagle Optics coworker, Katie, and we had a fresh sushi lunch and then checked into the Dana Hotel. What else could two young optic reps do with spare time on their hands do but lounge by the heated pool (yes, I said heated--the pool is heated to 85 degrees since the temperature is in the chilly 70s--insert maniacal Minnesotan laugh here). We had our binos on hand so we could enjoy the Anna's hummingbirds, Audubon's warblers, osprey, cormorants and California gulls bee bopping overhead. And yes, we slathered ourselves in SPF 48.

After all that work we decided to stop in for a snack at the hotel bar. On the way there, we had fun outting all the birders. We would walk by someone and call out "Birder!" Some looked surprised as if "how on earth could we tell they were birders". Hint: they all had binoculars tucked somewhere on their bodies. The REALLY cool thing was that when they learned that we worked for Eagle Optics, they were excited to know us and told us about past purchases and how happy they were with our company's service.

While at the bar, Katie and I were knee deep in conversation when Pete Dunne walked by--he looked just like his photos in the back of his book--minus the jaunty spotting scope. About as recognizable as a green jay, seen it a million times in books and when it comes by you couldn't not know what it is. We shared a drink and then Katie and figured out tomorrow's plan. Because we have to work the festival, we can't join any of the official bird trips, but will have time to bird on our own.

We have a day to go birding, and this area is pretty much and open book for me so I didn't care where we went, I would see a new birds. I was intrigued by the Joshua Tree area, but neither Katie or I have ever really done a true pelagic trip. So we have decided to take a five hour whale watching trip with H & M Landing. We're guaranteed whales on the trip, but Katie and I figure that if you have to go out far enough to see whales, surely we will see pelagic birds--right? We called Jeff Bouton from Leica, who is at Shot Show right now in Vegas and he seemed to think our logic was reasonable and thought that we would at least see a black-vented shearwater. I figure, best case scenario, we will see a few murrelets and shearwaters or worst case, just see whales, sea lions and seal (and maybe vomit from motion sickness along the way). Either way, it seems like a win/win situation to me (except maybe the vomit part).

2 super cool parts of today: 1. Seeing a peregrine falcon fly in and land on a tree and then take off after a pigeon--sweet! 2. Helping a woman identify a lifer California gull--Katie and I are like Batman and Robin out here ( I just wish she would stop calling me "boy wonder").

Gonna Make Those Pigeons Work

This is a story from New Scientist:

A flock of pigeons fitted with mobile phone backpacks is to be used to monitor air pollution, New Scientist magazine reported on Wednesday.

The 20 pigeons will be released into the skies over San Jose, California, in August.

Each bird will carry a GPS satellite tracking receiver, air pollution sensors and a basic mobile phone. Text messages on air quality will be beamed back in real time to a special pigeon “blog,” a journal accessible on the Internet. Miniature cameras slung around the pigeons’ necks will also post aerial pictures.

The idea is the brainchild of researcher Beatriz da Costa, of the University of California at Irvine, and two of her students. They have built a prototype of the pigeons’ equipment, containing a mobile phone circuit board with SIM card and communication chips, a GPS receiver, and sensors capable of detecting carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. “We are combining an air pollution sensor with a home-made cellphone,” da Costa told New Scientist.

The team is planning to squeeze all the components onto a single board small enough for the birds to carry in a backpack, New Scientist said. The pigeons will take to the air at the inter-Society for Electronic Arts’ annual symposium in San Jose on August 5. The data they send back will be displayed on the blog in the form of an interactive map. reuters

General Giddiness

From the Raptor Center Education Rabbit:

"I disapprove of head performance, no matter how good I am at it."

Original Japanese Site on Rabbit Head Performance.

Non Birding Bill introduced me to Oolong a few years ago, on one of his many searches on the internet. I've tried it with our own rabbits (note Cinnamon's disapproval below--perhaps we were a bit ambitious with that dice pillow), but they do not have the patience for it at all. The TRC Education Rabbit appears to be a natural. Someone had put this toy in her hutch. (Odd choice for a rabbit toy. The rabbit hasn't done much with it besides wear it on her head and pee on it)

By the way, I apologize for the larger than normal number of typos in yesterday's entry. That's what I get for blogging during radio interviews that start at 5:45am. Non Birding Bill tells me not to worry, that my typos show that my blog is written by an actual person and not some corporation.

Today I'm excited, I head for the San Diego Bird Fest tomorrow. I'll be tying up a few loose ends and packing today. I have to figure out my outfit for tomorrow. When I leave Minneapolis, it will be around 26 degrees. When I arrive in San Diego, it will be in the 70s.

By the way, here is another pair of feet from TRC. Any guesses as to which bird owns these tootsies?

I'll give a hint: note all the white patches on the ankle bracelets and feet? That's from the bird crapping on its legs to stay cool. Still can't guess? Here's an easy hint: this bird vomits when nervous or startled. That's right, you guessed it, these are turkey vulture feet. Vultures are no longer considered raptors since they do not use their feet to grab and kill their food and they have been reclassified as being closer in relation to storks, but vultures can be a pill to deal with--what with all that vomiting when scared, so I think most wildlife rehabbers are happy that TRC still takes them in. This particular vulture is the same age I am, we were both hatched in the summer of 1974. He was used in a study to test patagial tags (tags they put on California condor wings so they can be identified when soaring). In that process this vulture became imprinted and cannot be released. This particular education bird is infamous for biting, so not everyone works with. I used to work with the vulture, but he has figured out the exact spot in his mew to stand in when I go to get him for program so that I cannot reach him (curse my shortness). Which may not be a bad thing. One day during vulture mating season, I watched him "mate" with a handler while sitting on her gloved hand...it wasn't pretty.

Fringing and Shoes

For those that listened to A Balanced Breakfast this morning, this is the article we were talking about. I'm not opposed to hunting, I would be a falconer if I had the time, but I am opposed to just releasing a bunch of birds somewhere willy nilly without them giving time to understand the area they will be going into and what dangers are there for them. Predators in the northern half of the state are different than the southern half. I also take issue with the turkeys being taken out by "an avian predator". It's rare for a raptor to take a turkey--it would have to be an bald or golden eagle. I think the turkey probably died of some other cause and then an opportunistic raptor ate the carcass.

I did have to giggle, Ian and Margery had no idea that turkeys can be seen in the metro area. I'm sure after our interview and all the people who called in, they will be keeping their eyes pealed.

Last night was the lottery for the Minnesota Fringe Festival, the largest independent theater festival in the United States. It used to be first come, first serve as far as getting a show in the Fringe, but in the last few years there have been more applications than performance spaces so they have enacted a lottery system. Very different from the early days of the Fringe Festival. I remember one year when the Fringe had a show cancel at the last minute and we already were doing a show (Shakespeare's Edward III) and we were asked if we could fill a couple of the open performing slots with Play on Birds (our sketch comedy show about birds, birdwatching and bird feeding). Non Birding Bill's entry was selected last night and he will have a show in the Fringe this summer--woo hoo. He's still working on his show for this summer. He's got one that he's been writing on and off for the last year, but I don't know if he's ready to announce it so I won't mention it too much just yet, so I don't it. My arty husband, I love him so.

In other news, I have caved to peer pressure (as in "all the other cool birders are wearing them, I have to have a pair too") after reading Bill of the Birds' entry about Keen Shoes and purchased a pair of Keen Sandals. I'll be traveling to some warmer spots and I prefer wearing sandals when it's above 60 degrees--I just can't do socks in warm weather. I'm find myself birding in rugged areas and need some quality foot gear. Plus, the Raptor Center now has a policy of "no open toed shoes" and these sandals have a closed toe, yet will be breathable, so I think I can wear them during programs too (Can you tell I'm still trying to justify my purchase? I've never paid this much for a pair of shoes before). I ended up going for the Newport H2 in Plum/Goldenrod. Because it was a sandal and I was purchasing it in Minnesota, I had to wait awhile for the sales person to get it from in back (they pack sandals away in February up here, go figure). And I know I can get shoes cheap at Zappos.com, but I wanted to try on the shoe to make sure I got the right size--I'm glad I did, I'm typically a 7 or 7 and a half. In Keens I'm an 8. I didn't think it was fair to have someone take time to find a shoe that fits me and then not purchase the shoe from their store.

I've never had a shoe with a warranty before...I'm feeling dangerously close to being an adult. The shoe is incredibly comfortable, I think this is going to be a beautiful relationship with my feet.

For those curious, that is my first tattoo in the photo up there, based on a painting called Der Flug by Quint Buchholz. At the time I could only afford five birds--plus it was my first tattoo and I wanted to be conservative. I'm thinking of putting in more birds this summer. You will note that two of the birds are flying like turkey vultures--yes, that was on purpose.