Just Because I Love This Headline

Birders Crazy for Smew from the Union Democrat.

We had a smew show up in southern Minnesota a few years ago. Everyone was gung ho to see it until someone from the MOU records committee sat and studied it and discovered that the right hallux was missing and it looked like a clean cut--something that is often done with captive birds. The smew was presumed an escapee and not a wild smew and therefore not countable on Minnesota bird lists.

I remember a few month after that I was in Nebraska and over heard a couple of guys talking about birds and smew came up. I turned and asked where they had seen it. They were from Iowa and had gone to see the smew that was in Minnesota a few months earlier. I told them that it was no longer considered countable and about the missing hallux. They looked at me skeptically and one said, "Somebody actually watched it that close?"

"Yes. You don't play around with the Minnesota bird record committee, they're hardcore."

And they are.

Crestfallen, they quietly walked away.

Have I put this story in the blog before? I'm really starting to get concerned that I'm repeating stories...

Friday's Doin's

Think those chickadees are cute and adorable? Get one in hand they are as vicious as can be and masters of pinching the most painful pieces of skin. I had just focused this shot of a chickadee head perfectly and right before I snapped the photo the chickadee bent down an pinched the bander. She requested through gritted teeth that I hurry to get my photo.

Well, Non Birding Bill and I are still married. That N in the NBB is still firmly intact.

We went banding in the morning, had some lunch and then drove around looking for some the unusual birds in the area that have been reported: female mountain bluebird, gyrfalcon and maybe a stop by the airport to glance at the snowy owls.

We didn't see a single one!

Even banding was slow. I started referring to Non Birding Bill and Bad Luck Birding Jones. He corrected me that it was Bad Luck Birding Bill or Anti Birding Bill. He taunted me by saying he was going to start keeping track of all the birds he didn't see--that was his listing strategy.

NBB and I joke that especially when it comes to owls, we don't see stake out birds when I bring him along. I thought we had broken that with the sightings of the short-eared owls at Carlos Avery but I think the real reason is that when I have Bill along, I don't search as hard for birds as I would when I am alone or with fellow birders. When alone, if I notice a new road that I have never been down before, I might check it. If I get a little lost, I don't sweat it, I figure that I will eventually come to something recognizable and find my way back. NBB likes to know where we are and how we can get back, so I may ignore certain roads and trails. It was fun just spending time together in the car and talking nonsense.

Even though the numbers of birds into the traps was low on Friday at Carpenter, we did get one very interesting retrap--a male junco that was first banded in January 2003--it was one year old at that point and has been retrapped five more times since then. Here it was January 2007--the bird is now five years old. It has survived migration all those years, all those times we have harsh winter storms, temperatures below zero degrees, breeding and raising chicks. Something so small lasting so long in the wild, still going strong. I wonder where it breeds? We do have some that breed in the Arrowhead region of Minnesota, but did this junco come even further north than that?

Again, I have to ask: If banding is so traumatic why does the bird keep coming back to the same area where it has been banded so many times?

Golden Eagle vs. Fox--the story that won't die

Remember the photo and debate about how real the golden eagle vs. the fox photo was? For those still curious--the photo is real, the events you see in the image did happen.

Well, I've been getting an increase of traffic and comments on that post. Apparently there has been a news story in a Finnish newspaper about the photographer Pekka Komi and the photo. From the comments being left in the blog, he sounds like a taxi driver who takes incredible photos and is upset that the photo has been spread all over the Internet without his name and then being misrepresented as being taken from a hunter in Montana/Canada/anywhere but Finland. Poor guy, can't say that I blame him.

I tried to find the article but I can't.

Non Birding Bill Is Freaking Me Out

Twice this week Non Birding Bill has told me something that has just left me plain speechless:

1. "I can't believe a girl would actually pick Steve over Brandon." How many of you get that reference? Hey, let's turn it into a contest--guess the reference in the comments section an win a Zeiss baseball cap.

2. "Can I come with you to banding tomorrow?"

What's going on? Are the Poles switching places? Are cats and dogs going to start living together?

Some Hopeful News In Iraq

From the Middle East Online

BirdLife International, Nature Iraq jointly publish first fully illustrated comprehensive field guide of Iraq birds in Arabic.

LONDON - Iraq's first field guide for bird watchers shows how destroyed unique marsh are making a comeback, despite the violence now plaguing the country, the publishers said on Thursday.

Wildlife charity BirdLife International and a newly formed Iraqi organisation called Nature Iraq have jointly published their "Field Guide to the Birds of Iraq" in Arabic.

They described the volume, partly funded by the Canadian government and the World Bank, as the first fully illustrated comprehensive field guide to an Arabic speaking country.

It shows the rebirth of marsh habitats in the south of the country, which were 90 percent drained, but have been 40 percent reflooded since 2003.

"These are some of the most wildlife-rich sites in the Middle East, but often all we hear about is the conflict," Richard Porter, BirdLife International's Middle East adviser and co-author of the guide, said in a statement.

Iraq has 387 bird species, many of them native to the marshes in the south of the country where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flow toward the sea, an area that has been described as the likely location of the biblical Garden of Eden.

"For Iraq -- a nation that has lost so much of its wildlife in the last 20 years, this book opens the door for the growing conservation movement in this country," said Dr Ali Douabul of Nature Iraq."

And The Eye Belongs To

And the winner of the guess the eye contest is Kathi aka KatDoc for her correct answer of:

dark-eyed junco. Good job, Kathi! Be sure to email your snail mail address to me and your choice of prize. I'll have to try this again when we get warblers coming to the banding station--mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

New Pet In The Building And Bunny Mind Games

Our apartment is all hardwood floors and tile. Cinnamon loves to run and just can't get the necessary speed without doing a Scooby Doo run. Our building's hallways are carpeted so in winter we have a habit of letting her run out in the hall for her laps. The lighting is poor so we don't get any great photos of it. It's fun to do and it's how we get to know our neighbors. Let's face it--we get to be the people with the cool pet. Yesterday, Cinnamon got some competition:

Our next door neighbors were outside exercising Andy and Sawyer. I'm sad to say that I remember the pet names but not the people names. But Andy and Sawyer were running laps in the hall. What is the new cool pet?

Ferrets! Our neighbors adopted them from the local humane society and they are so funny to watch run--boy can they gain speed, I think the owners of the ferrets were running just as much as the ferrets themselves. The best part is that the ferrets would suddenly stop running and then flop--practicaly deflate. The remind me of a cross between a wiener dog and raccoon. Very cute. We're going to give them some time to get used to the hallway and then one day have a leash date with the ferrets and bunny. Hey, Cinnamon, you want to meet some ferrets?

"I don't think I approve of that."

Cinnamon has met other animals and apart from dogs has gotten along fairly well. She doesn't get along with other rabbits at all--and believe you me we have tried every trick in the book. I'll be curious to see how does with these two.

Recently, she has started this nasty, eye-watering stinky habit of digging in her litter box. As I've been out taking bunny photos, I've been getting advice from rabbit people on what to do. One recommended that since Cinnamon is a single bunny, she might benefit from having a fake bunny friend. Her litter box digging may just be her acting out for even more attention. The key to the whole situation is to treat the fake bunny just like Cinnamon.

Hmmmm.

I already had one fake bunny courtesy of WildBird on the Fly and then I purchased another bunny that looks an awful lot like Cinnamon. And so began the mind games with my pet rabbit. I set both the bunnies on the floor while she was hiding under the bed, gave them each a carrot and started petting them and talking to them like I do to Cinnamon. "Aw, sweety bunny, aren't you a good bunny. Want some tasty carrot, Fake Bunny?"

Cinnamon poked her head from out of the bedroom. She heard the sound of treats, she heard me talking to other pets. What was I up to? She came out and sniffed one of the fake rabbits, then grunted and lunged back. Fake Bunny didn't take the bait and just sat there. I made the treat sound and offered Cinnamon her own carrot. She ate it, but eyed me warily. I could tell she was wondering wasn't sure of my motives.

After Cinnamon finished her carrot, she went over to one of the fake bunnies again and began sniffing it and then grooming one of the ears. I stepped into the kitchen to grab some parsley. Here's what I found when I came back:

"I didn't do it."

Apparently, Fake Bunny generously shared her carrot with Cinnamon. How sweet. I pet the Fake Bunnies on the nose just like I do on Cinnamon--her favorite spot and cooed to them. I pet Cinnamon too. I left the room to give her some alone time and when I returned she was sitting between the two fake bunnies. She laid there, stretched out her back paws but didn't have that relaxed look in her eyes, they were wide open as if she were thinking, "I know I should be relaxed right now, but something about this is not right."

I reached to get the camera but she hopped away--is she ashamed to be filmed with her fake friends? NBB and I have been taking the fake bunnies in and out of the bunny room just like real bunnies. The litter box digging has stopped for the time being, but when we come in to the bunny room in the morning, they are both tipped on their sides and covered with hay. Is she taking her aggression on them out at night?

We'll have to see where this litte psychological experiment goes...

Festival of Owls

Well heck, I may have to go to Houston Nature Center's Festival of Owls after all. I just saw a Press Release that says they've landed Denver Holt the founder and president Owl Research Institute in Charlo, MT as their banquet speaker. That combined with the bacon wrapped turkey is really enticing me. Denver and his work with snowy owls was in National Geographic not too long ago and he has been researching owls and their ecology since 1978, I've been very anxious to meet him and see what he's like. Gotta love a rugged guy spending time on the tundra with North America's heavies owl species.

This event has really come a long way. They've been getting some real quality speakers and events going on. There's an owl calling contest, bird banding, and live bird demos.

I have to admit that I'm kind of perplexed by one of the silent auction items at the festival: going on an airplane ride with Alice (the nature center's education great horned owl) on her first flight--ever. It's been my experience with education birds that motorized vehicles can freak them out. They aren't in control of the travel and don't seem to trust what is going on. Alice is different, she is imprinted to one handler so gets the benefit of being treated more like a pet than an education bird, so maybe there will be a different reaction. I wonder if they will be doing the flight at night or during the day? You don't typically see great horned owls flying up high in daylight, I wonder how they would process those images. Ah well, to each his own, I suppose.

Touching Up The Nest

Thanks to alert blog reader Linda for reminding me that it's time to start checking some nest cams! There's been a great horned owl checking out a nest box at the Valmont Nest Cam and the bald eagles at the Fort St. Vrain Eagle Cam have begun renovations on their nest. Thanks, Linda for the head's up!

I can relate to the renovating eagle. Non Birding Bill and I have been so busy that the clutter came, saw and took over our humble abode. I tried to take back the apartment yesterday, but it was just too overwhelming. It's that point where everywhere you turn you see trash/recycling has piled up, dust (and in our case hay) was in every corner, a film of rabbit fur and bird dust covered anything that wasn't moving in the place, laundry clean and dirty was anywhere except hanging in a closet or folded in a drawer, and dishes--don't get me started on the dishes. I have some pretty significant deadlines this month and I was feeling torn between getting those finished or cleaning the apartment. I did as much as I could yesterday afternoon and last night but went to bed tired, feeling defeated and that hope for a clean living space was too distant to even dream of.

Poor NBB is in working full time and rehearsing for Cyrano. He comes home from work, eats dinner and goes to rehearsal. I went to The Raptor Center this morning knowing that I would have to come home and continue the battle with the clutter beast. I came home at about 1pm and discovered the mailbox empty. This is a highly unusual occurrence. I briefly wondered if Bill had come home from work early to clean but remembered that he was swamped with copy jobs and wouldn't be able to get away from work. I got to our apartment door and noticed it was unlocked. Was Bill home?

The flowers in a vase waiting was my answer. Boy, husbands just get it so right sometimes. Bill knew that the mess at home was really getting me down and overwhelming so he came home early to help. He had caught up on all the copy jobs at work and knew something was bothering me. Between the two of us we decluttered the rest of the afternoon and I feel so much better.

I love the flower arrangement--when he gets me flowers he always picks them out himself and notes that I like flowers with a good aroma. I love them and I love that he thought those and a little house cleaning would make my day. They did.

A husband that is attentive to my needs, remembers the kinds of flowers that I like and cleans house. He may not be a birder, but boy is he one of the good ones. How did I ever get so lucky?

In decluttering I have found that I have a plethora of prizes yet to be given away. So I offer this contest:

What bird is this? First correct answer with a name in the comments section wins their choice of Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion, a Vortex Binocular Harness, or a pack of 21 Zeiss Pre-moistened Lens Cleaning Cloths.

Bunny Saturday/Owl Sunday

This weekend was a whirlwind--that trashed our whole apartment. Somehow we just got swept up with play rehearsals, auditions, bunny photography and owling. I need to tackle the apartment, which I will do right after KARE 11 today. It's so bad, it almost seems easier to just move to a new apartment.

Non Birding Bill and I headed to Petco in Maplewood, Minnesota Saturday to photograph Serena, a white rabbit up for adoption through the Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society. I have to say that Serena is a natural when it comes to disapproval:

"I don't approve of paparazzi."

She's only seven months old and is already spayed. She wasn't as energetic as Buster, but she is a natural when it comes to disapproving. I've never been attracted to white rabbits, I always gravitated to marked ones, but this girl really has some personality.

Sunday was the owl class. I had the power point ready, but not the right chord to connect to the projector. That's okay, people really want to see live owls and we have a bunch to show. I had three TRC staff members handling birds for me--I felt like such a VIP. I think the birds were grateful, I'm such a hand talker, it can freak them out.

I also had so much fun incorporating the Voices of North American Owls CD into the program. I downloaded just the owls found in Minnesota onto the my iPod and found I had over an hour and a half of owl calls--I could have just let that play the whole time. That CD really is the most complete compilation of North American owl calls. Who knew they made so many different noises? I like to be able to play some of the weirder calls great horned owls make. I think a lot of people hear the squeaks and barks but don't realize they are owls making those calls.

I had some friends in the crowd including the Colosky family and frequent commenter HellZiggy. We decided to make a go for the snowy owl that has been seen at the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport. I got the car pool there, but the snowy wasn't at the usual spot.

I brought all of my favorite owl books to the class and HellZiggy (left) and her friend Michelle helped me carry them out of The Raptor Center after the class. Since they were in a separate vehicle from me, the said they would give me back my books at the airport. Then the tables turned. The refused to hand over the books until I delivered an owl sighting--tough crowd!

Fortunately, Angie Colosky saved the day. We were at the worst possible angle, but WAAAAAAAAY out in the distance she noticed a lump sitting on a structure. When I got it in my binos, I could see the bird silhouette--it was a snowy and one of the worst looks at one. So, the crew bravely followed as I drove us around the airport to try and get a better look.

We found a spot that put the sun behind us and if you had binoculars, you could get a pretty good look at a snowy owl. Above is Ed and Angie. If you look between them, you can see a red and white structure. The snowy owl is sitting on top of it. I tried to digiscope through the binos:

See the light and dark lump on the right at the top of the structure--that's the owl. Thanks so much Angie for making such a great spot of the bird! I never would have gotten my owl books back!

After our group dispersed I decided to go back to the spot birders were gathering to see the snowy, they wouldn't see this one as well from there. I led the first group to the owl, went back and picked up three more vehicles of people. One of the guys was looking in the direction of the snowy and I said, "Hey, I got a better look at it." He looked skeptical and said he tried to get closer but got shooed away by security. I promised I was taking him to a better spot for viewing. When we got there I asked the guy what he thought.

"Did it move?" he asked.

"No, this is where it's been for at least the last twenty minutes." I said.

"I was looking at a different owl. It was sitting on the #3 sign."

I drove back to the spot I found him and sure enough, right on #3 was the snowy--two snowy owls at the airport. Now I wonder if I totally missed that one earlier with the group or if it had just popped up on the sign? While contemplating this, another car full of people arrived. I walked to their window and said, "Looking for the snowy?"

They looked at me warily. "The what?"

"The snowy owl, it's right here." I pointed in the direction of the owl.

"We just came to watch the planes." they said. "But we'll look at your owl too."

I handed them my binos and they got a kick out of it. They were surprised to learn that birders were swarming the airport to look for owls, but thought it neat that something from the arctic flew down for the winter to take advantage of the ample food supply.

Now, off to the tv station. Must avoid the internet the afternoon to take back the apartment. We'll see how long that lasts.