Sneaking an Entry During the Meeting

I wonder if anyone caught on that I'm blogging yet?

From the earlier entry, this was the scene not far from our hotel. The double-crested cormorant on the right (just sticking its head above water was stirrin' up some fish and the herons, egrets and ibises followed the cormorant to grab the freaked out fish.

We're here to learn more about optics and talk some digiscoping and when I went out yesterday, Ann came along to try this digiscoping thing. The crazy thing about Florida birds is that the birds just do not care about people and you can get fairly close, which was good for Ann above, she doesn't have an adapter for her camera and she was hand holding her camera up to my scope.

In Minnesota, you can't get that close to a cormorant, unless they are fightless in the nest. I was just fascinated by the detail in the cormorant's feathers.
Their eyes were such a beautiful emerald green, I don't think you can see it so well in this photo, maybe if you click on it, you can see it then.

The birds were diggin' this yellow floaty thing (I think it was damming the water). Up above we have a snowy egret, tricolored heron and white ibises. It must have been kind of a corral for fish, the birds would jump into there and gorge themselves...

and then back up to loaf on the yellow floaty thing.

And it was very much monkey see, monkey do. Once one bird would start preening, the rest would follow suit. It was a kick watching the Dr Suess-like ibis clean is feathers (that's the snowy egret behind it--the bird's yellow toes).

Speaking of toes, check out the freaky toes on this great egret (note how they are all black compared to the snowy egret).

This little group of birds was so great, you could really see the size difference. Look how tiny the ibis is compared to the great egret.

The tricolored heron was a treat, we just don't get too many of these (any) where I live.

It's even pretties on the side.

And I leave you with an ibis, while I return my attention to the meeting.

Cool Bird Under a Benningan's Sign

It is very much like spring here to me. It's green, (whoa, check out all the palm trees) there are warblers chipping in the trees, and it's a mild temperature. Today, I was very comfortable walking around the hotel with light pants and a jacket, not the hot temps I was expecting, but hey, it's not freezing. Across from the hotel is a Bennigan's Restaurant. I noticed a lump that looked birdish, so I set the scope on it.

It was an anhinga loafing under the sign. Sweet. I was also excited that the first bird I saw in Florida was not a house sparrow, staring or pigeon (I have yet to notice one). As the plane was coming in for landing, we passed over a turkey vulture. As we were taxiing to the gate, I saw more turkey vultures thermalizing overhead--what kind of sign is that to see over an airfield? A bunch of turkey vultures? From my hotel window, I watched a bald eagle perched on a dead tree, I would have tried to get a photo, but the window was too dirty.

It's Raining Iguanas, Hallelujah!

Just saw this Florida headline this morning: Cold Snap Causes Frozen Iguana Shower. What the heck am I flying into tomorrow? Apparently, I'm getting in to Orlando way early for the meeting and I'm hoping to do some digiscoping...I'm not sure how the blogging is going to be. I was just reading the hotel's amenities list. Wireless Internet access starts at $10! What is up with that--paying for Internet access at a hotel? I think I can get around that with my bluetooth phone, but I don't know how photos will load. We'll see.

The blog got a nice shout out from Wallace W Hansen's Northwest Native Plants both on their website and in their newsletter (available as a pdf on the site). I think this is the first time the word "intellectual" has been aimed in my direction. It feels weird, and pleasant.

You have a chance to win original International Migratory Bird Day art, while supporting bird conservation. With a minimum donation of just $5, your name will be included in a drawing for the 2008 International Migratory Bird Day art.

All donations will benefit La Tangara, the newsletter of the International Working Group of Partners in Flight. This newsletter and its associated website are recognized as the critical information exchange mechanism for Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation. The goal is to raise at least $10,000.00, which will make La Tangara available to biologists and educators in the Western Hemisphere for one year.

A drawing will be held to determine the winner of the art on February 16, 2008 at the IV International Partners in Flight Conference in McAllen, Texas. You do not have to be present to win. Contributing is easy...just visit www.birdday.org/conservation.php to see the art and to make your donation. Payment may be made by check or credit card. For questions, contact Environment for the Americas at 1-866-334-3330.

Seven Years, Four Months

Just got a report from Mr. Neil. A mouse has been found in the trap under the beehive. The dead mouse was carefully laid on a stump for consumption by any interested predator.

So, I was reading a story about a barn owl being used as a ring bearer in a wedding in Wales, when I realized, hey, time to schedule the next Birds and Beers--Thursday, January 17, 2008 at Merlin's Rest. I'll be just back from Bird Watch America and have tales of what's on the horizon in birding products. Birds and Beers is a gathering of ANYONE interested in birds to have a beverage, maybe a meal and talk some birds. It's a great way to share birding stories, ideas, and meet fellow birders of all levels. If you lead trips or run a bird store and want to promote yourself, please do. If you are working on some project or research about birds--come on down, if you want to know more places to see birds or ask about how to attract more birds to your yard--come on out.

Cinnamon had an appointment today at the vet. As you can see in the above photo, she was not happy. Check out the name tag on her box, she got that from our friend Dawn, who invited us to her office blessing. Everyone had name tags--including Cinnamon. They are huge fans of Cinnamon had Sunshine Travel--speaking of which, we'll be doing some tours through them, one to Harlingen in Texas this fall and one next January to San Francisco.

Check out that furry little chin! I had to give Cinnamon lots of treats after the vet. She's happier when her nails are freshly trimmed, but like most rabbits doesn't seem to like the indignity of having them trimmed. The weird thing was that I finally got a handle on her age. I don't celebrate pet birthdays, I don't like to think about how much shorter their lives will be compared to mine. I have an idea of how old Cinnamon is, but can't remember the exact year we brought her home of the St. Paul Humane Society. When I was paying for her at the front desk, someone asked how old she was, the receptionist behind the desk said, "You've had her seven years and four months." She had Cinnamon's file in front of her and we had brought Cinnamon in for an exam and to schedule her spay right after we got her, so they would have the records. Wow, her HS file said she was just under a year old when we got her, that makes her eight. My, how the time flies.

Hmmm.

Well, I'm supposed to fly to Orlando this weekend, and at the time I agreed to the trip, I thought that a trip to Florida in January would be a smart move. However, there's a news story that it was 28 degrees in parts of Florida last night and now Minnesota is starting a warm up this weekend (it might be 35 degrees!).

Sigh

Question For A Goldfinch

Hey, did you guys see the nuthatch with the deformed bill over at Mary's View?

I've encountered some long-billed birds before, we had a peregrine come into the hawk blind a few years ago and I saw some deformed red-winged blackbirds in 2006 in Nebraska too. If you see long-billed birds you can report them to either Julie Craves or Cornell.

This goldfinch has little black feathers on his head--signs of his black cap he will have in breeding plumage. Now here is the question for the goldfinch: is he slow at molting, is this left over from last summer or is this a hint of what is to come? Is he starting his breeding plumage changeover all ready?

Speaking of signs of spring, this morning, even though it was -5 degrees F, black-capped chickadees were singing "Spring Soon!" The birds must be feeling like the glass is half full or they have read The Secret and are just trying to will the weather to be warmer.

Pigeon Smuggling? Seriously?

People are smuggling pigeons? I'm against smuggling, but I understand when people try it with something like a parrot, but pigeons? From the AP:

LEWISTON, N.Y. (AP) — Border agents pulled four live birds from the pockets of a pigeon collector and a traveling companion trying to enter the United States from Canada.

The pair were stopped Sunday at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge border crossing, where they told inspectors they were on their way to visit an uncle in LeRoy, outside Rochester, Customs and Border Protection spokesman Kevin Corsaro said.

Inspectors found the pigeons wrapped and taped from neck to tail in pockets of the pair's coats after they asked the men from Uxbridge, Ontario, to remove their jackets.

One man told CBP officers he is a pigeon collector who belongs to a club that trades and sells birds of various colors. He said he was taking the birds to trade or sell to his uncle.

The men, whose names were not released, were fined $1,000 and the case was referred to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and United States Department of Agriculture inspectors for possible criminal charges, Corsaro said.

People bringing pet birds into the country are required to arrange for a veterinary inspection at the border three to five days before entering to protect against the transmission of communicable diseases such as bird flu.

USDA inspectors took custody of the birds.

First Bee Post of 2008

Lots of snow has been falling in Mr. Neil's woods. There are some trails from the deer, some from the dog Cabal, and quite a few from rabbits, squirrels, and deer mice. This morning we took whoever was still around from the New Year's party out to the beehives so people could experience the magic of live buzzing bees while it was somewhere near zero degrees (Fahrenheit) outside.

As everyone was putting their ears to the Olga hive, I noticed a very steady trail of deer mouse tracks...

...leading directly underneath the Olga hive. This is not good. We have a mouse guard on the entrance, but our hives are elevated, so there is a space underneath the hive that a mouse could chew and gain access to the inside. It's a tempting abode for an enterprising deer mouse: bees keep it warm and you'd be surrounded by honey. Was the mouse just hanging out under the hive, or was it going up and into it? I stuck my camera into the space below Olga:

There was a pile of bee parts and some tiny wood scraps The bee parts could be decomposing dead bees that had fallen out, but the wood was a sure sign that some chewing was underway.

I tried to take a photo of the bottom of the hive, and low and behold there is a hole large enough for a deer mouse to gain access to the bottom of the hive. I think we have caught this early, I was just out a week ago and there were no tracks. Lorraine headed out and purchased some snap traps to place under the hive. I feel bad for the mouse, it's a clever way to survive the winter, but I have a responsibility to my girls to help them survive the winter--the mouse has to go. Funny thing--we had two traps, but had trouble setting one of them in the extreme cold because the metal was contracting.

But now to some very exciting news! We are prepping the hives for the coming spring! Last year, Non Birding Bill and I put the hives together and painted them. In preparation for this spring, we ordered assembled hives and Mr. Neil is commissioning artists paint them. The first artist?

Kelli Bickman came in from New York to paint one of the new hives! It is so incredibly cool(and isn't Kelli adorable?)! The colors, the dripping honey, the skulls! I love it, and I can't wait to see it alive with a colony of bees.

Here is the other side. Kelli has actually done three deep brood boxes and two of our comb honey supers. I'm going to find myself impatient to put this hive together through spring and summer in order to see the whole art, but it will be a gradual process.

Here is a close up of the eye. Kelli's cousin, Jen did all the detail work here, down to a bee in the middle of the pupil. Beekeeping is fun enough, but to have an artist create such a space for our bees, really takes it to a new level. This is just such a gift and this beekeeping thing combines so many elements I love: art, natural history, learning, and friendship. Kelli's work is so vibrant and the color composition has a way of taking me to a peaceful, vibrant world. Can't wait to see what the personality of this hive will be.

So, here we have it: The Kelli Hive. I like this new rule, you paint the hive, we name it after you.