Raptor Center In The News

I'm about to head out the door to do a Showcase Minnesota segment on "Yes, it is perfectly normal to see robins in Minnesota in winter."

In the meantime, The Raptor Center is all over the news. There's a piece on snowy owls at the StarTribune, complete with a video of a snowy owl exam--you even get to see its giant ear hole!

Also, TRC has some participation of the upcoming Inauguration:

It is gearing up to be one of the biggest events in American political history and, if you keep your eyes peeled, you'll be able to see a part of the University of Minnesota among the festivities. At the request of the federal government, 11 white bald eagle tail feathers from the University of Minnesota Raptor Center will be used at the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama on Tuesday, Jan. 20 in Washington D.C.

The feathers will adorn a treaty stick that the chairs of the 11 Minnesota tribes will carry with them during the inauguration celebrations.

"We are honored to provide the feathers for this historic occasion," said Juli Ponder, executive director of the Raptor Center. "These feathers are from the same eagles that have graced countless classrooms and events throughout Minnesota as a highly visible part of the university's outreach."

Shortly after Obama won the election, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service contacted Ponder for her assistance in acquiring the rare feathers. For this special occasion, Raptor Center eagle handlers selected and sent tail feathers molted from the ambassador eagles in the education program.

"While our contribution certainly won't be the center piece of the day, we are still greatly privileged to be a part of this moment in American history," said Ponder.

Established in 1974, the Raptor Center specializes in the medical care, rehabilitation and conservation of eagles, hawks owls and falcons. In additional to treating approximately 800 birds a year, the internationally known program reaches more than 240,000 people each year through public education programs and events.

LOL! This Bird Related Job Is Not For Everyone!

This is one of the weirder bird jobs that has come into my inbox for awhile. Take special note of some of the highlighted items:

FIELD BIOLOGIST, Rusty Blackbird Project, Status: Temporary non-exempt, Time of Employment: 1 May to 31 Jul 2009. Number of Positions Available: 2-4 depending on funding.

Position Description:
Field Biologists will participate in a study of the breeding ecology and habitat associations of Rusty Blackbirds. These field-based positions will involve conducting surveys for blackbirds and other species of conservation concern, nest searching and monitoring, habitat sampling, target-netting, and collecting blood and feather samples from captured birds. Field biologists will live and work out of remote tent camps in wetland areas in Alaska. Access to field camps will be by powerboat or bush plane. Access to grocery stores, showers and other comforts will be available only occasionally during the summer. Qualifications: Successful candidates must be physically capable of walking long distances, up to several miles a day, over rough, muddy, and difficult terrain, have experience navigating using a GPS, map and compass, and must have extensive experience in avian fieldwork. Field conditions will involve difficult weather, large numbers of insects and possible encounters with dangerous wildlife including moose and bears. Candidates should have skills in one or more of the following areas: nest searching, banding, and/or vegetation sampling. Experience with powerboats and outboard motors a plus. Must have a valid driver’s license and a good driving record. Must pass a gun safety course (provided) and be willing and able to legally carry a firearm.

Compensation: $12 - $17 hr depending on experience, some overtime. Housing (camping) and some food while in the field will be provided, travel reimbursement up to $750.

To apply: Please submit a resume and cover letter electronically to DAVID SHAW
(EM: dshaw AT alaskabird.org) by 1 Feb 2009. Please clearly state in your cover letter if you wish to be considered for a crew leader position.

What A Crazy 24 Hours

My sister Terri sent me this fun shot of a red-shouldered hawk in Indiana. My mom said that they've been seeing quite a few there this winter. Love those guys--such a colorful hawk!

Holy cow. I rolled out of bed this morning and my inbox had exploded. It was mostly YouTube comment notifications. At least 70 in the inbox and more on the way, I told Sometimes Birding Bill, "I think I went viral again."

That was an understatement, usually Cinnamon videos or the video of the porcupet get picked up, but this time, my squirt bottle video was on BoingBoing, Digg, and MAKE. In the grand scheme of gossip blogs and tech blogs, not that exciting, but for a little birding blog--very exciting. My favorite comment so far is, "Hurray for Marge Gunderson's cute, dorky daughter/niece!" For those that don't remember, Marge Gunderson was the main character in the movie Fargo. I'll gladly take that!

There are some crazy bird reports going here in Minnesota during the subzero weather. I got a call yesterday from Ranger Dan, his wife saw eastern bluebirds warming themselves on a steaming manhole cover at Como Park in St. Paul. Another birder in northern Minnesota reported a shrike on their suet feeder (not out of the realm of possibility for such a carniverous bird, but not something you hear about too often). I have to go out today to id some nests along the Mississippi River within the National Park boundaries. I'm waiting until it gets above zero, but I might stop by Como and see if I can digiscope those bluebirds.

So, when not making videos of how cold it is this week, I've been preparing for some upcoming warm weather trips. Nothing like securing flights and hotels for places like Florida, Guatemala, and San Diego when it's below zero. I'm so excited about Space Coast next week! The weather peeps are saying that in Minnesota, we'll get a warm spell of 30 degrees, but it will be considerably warmer in Florida. I got really excited when I saw that Jeff Gordon's blog had a lovely shot of spoonbills in blue sky. I'm hopin' for some of that next week! Also, Florida Beach Basics put up a nice shout out over that their blog regarding my program next week--thanks, Marge.

Still Too Cold To Go Birding

I don't know what I was thinking yesterday. I had a dentist appointment (that came with a long lecture about gingivitis because I have been a big ole slacker when it comes to flossing). After the scraping, I took my sore gums to my car to drive home. I passed Big Willow Park and I thought, "I've got my layers on, I'll go look for a saw-whet owl, they're fairly reliable at this park." About ten minutes in I suddenly realized as my fingers were painfully numb despite my Gortex gloves that this was a completely insane idea and hightailed it back to the car.

Local weatherman, Johathon Yuhas was on CNN today demonstrating the "Bammer" aka the banana hammer. Was this mere camera trickery or can you actually do this? Let's find out!

Well, after the steam sprayer demonstration that was on the blog this morning, friends sent suggestions of other things to do and several suggested the banana hammer. So, I had to go to the ranger station today and the coffee kiosk sells bananas. The barista gave me a brown one free (for the sake of science). I put it outside and then forgot about it. I was supposed to work until 8pm but word came down for the Head Cheese Ranger that we were closing early due to cold temperatures (he's from Ohio). As I was leaving a little after 5pm, I saw the banana still outside and grabbed--it was rock solid.

By the time I came home, it has softened a little, so Sometimes Birding Bill (thank you Steve Moore for that new nickname) and I set it out on our window ledge. Twenty minutes later it was good to go.

Too Cold To Go Birding

It was -21 degrees Fahrenheit when I woke up this morning. So, I took a squirt bottle, filled it with hot water from our tea kettle and got the following video outside of our apartment building:

Bird Watch Radio & Birding For Everyone

I'm listening to the latest Bird Watch Radio. The host, Steve Moore is in the above photo in the burgundy shirt (no doubt scouting for potential interviewees for future podcasts). I ran into him at Birdwatch America and he told me that on the current BWR you can hear me and one of my favorite people Mike Bergin of 10,000 Birds talking about bird and nature blogging. Steve also talks to John Robinson who wrote Birding for Everyone.

I've received a review copy of Birding for Everyone and I've kept mum on it. Generally, with books, if I don't like it, I keep it out of the blog. I know how much work can go into a book and just because I don't like it doesn't mean it's a bad book, it may just isn't my cup of tea. Also, if I've met the author ahead of time and really like them as a person, I really don't want be too harsh about my thoughts on their work. I think the subject of this book has great potential, I just wanted a bit more from this book.

The author states, "The purpose of Birding for Everyone is to explore the lack of minorities among birdwatchers, reasons for the relative absence of minorities among birders, effective solutions as part of outreach and recruitment programs."

However, the book goes all over the place, and tries to be three separate books in one. It's a little bit memoir and touches on the surface of why there are a lack of minorities, but then suddenly shifts to how to identify birds with 10 tips for becoming a better birder. What does that have to do with the purpose of the book?

It's worth reading, but is a bit all over the place, he seems to have several audiences in mind when writing. The book is a good first draft and need of a good editor. One thing for sure is that it is a needed starting point for some great conversation about the future direction of birding in North America.

My hope is that some publisher will see this book and ask Mr. Robinson to do two separate books: one addressing more in depth what the issues are facing birders of color in North America and teach birders like myself how to welcome them into the world of nature watching. And a second book for people of color on how to start watching nature.

A Good Reminder Of Why Cats Can't Be Scapegoats

I got the link from BT3 on Facebook. Speaking of which, check out his caption contest.

The article is a good reminder that we cannot point to just one thing that is causing bird population decline. There are several factors at work and sometimes, the best intentions to fix a perceived problem can reveal a new one:

By MICHAEL CASEY, AP Environmental Writer Michael Casey, Ap Environmental Writer – Tue Jan 13, 9:18 am ET

BANGKOK, Thailand – It seemed like a good idea at the time: Remove all the feral cats from a famous Australian island to save the native seabirds.

But the decision to eradicate the felines from Macquarie island allowed the rabbit population to explode and, in turn, destroy much of its fragile vegetation that birds depend on for cover, researchers said Tuesday.

Removing the cats from Macquarie "caused environmental devastation" that will cost authorities 24 million Australian dollars ($16.2 million) to remedy, Dana Bergstrom of the Australian Antarctic Division and her colleagues wrote in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology.

"Our study shows that between 2000 and 2007, there has been widespread ecosystem devastation and decades of conservation effort compromised," Bergstrom said in a statement.

The unintended consequences of the cat-removal project show the dangers of meddling with an ecosystem — even with the best of intentions — without thinking long and hard, the study said.

"The lessons for conservation agencies globally is that interventions should be comprehensive, and include risk assessments to explicitly consider and plan for indirect effects, or face substantial subsequent costs," Bergstrom said.

Located about halfway between Australia and the Antarctic continent, Macquarie was designated a World Heritage site in 1997 as the world's only island composed entirely of oceanic crust. It is known for its wind-swept landscape, and about 3.5 million seabirds and 80,000 elephant seals arrive there each year to breed.

The cats, rabbits, rats and mice are all nonnative species to Macquarie, probably introduced in the past 100 years by passing ships. Authorities have struggled for decades to remove them.

The invader predators menaced the native seabirds, some of them threatened species. So in 1995, the Parks and Wildlife Service of Tasmania that manages Macquarie tried to undo the damage by removing most of the cats.

Liz Wren, a spokeswoman for the Parks and Wildlife Service of Tasmania, said authorities were aware from the beginning that removing the feral cats would increase the rabbit population. But at the time, researchers argued it was worth the risk considering the damage the cats were doing to the seabird populations.

"The alternative was to accept the known and extensive impacts of cats and not do anything for fear of other unknown impacts," Wren said. "Since cats were eradicated, the grey petrel successfully bred on the island for the first time in a century and the recovery of Antarctic prions has continued since the eradication of feral cats."

You can read the full article here.

I Swear More Blogging

Check it out, it's an upside downy woodpecker! Har har, I slay myself.

I have time to digiscope, but I gotta tell ya' it's hard on those digisocping batteries! It's currently -7 (Fahrenheit) and I'm lucky if I can get one full minute out of my camera batteries--and that's keeping hand warmers around my batteries and camera.

I'm focusing my Chi and getting excited for my trip to Florida next week--which I plan to bird the crap out of to make up this week. Space Coast is now the largest bird festival in the country and word is that over 4000 people are expected to show up in Titusville for the event. Not bad for a bird festival in this economy!

If you have any bird requests for digiscoping, let me know and I'll try and get a photo of it in the blog.

Celebrate Urban Birds Grant

While going through my email account while I was gone, I found that the banders at Carpenter Nature Center retrapped a chickadee last Friday that was at least 8 years old! Crazy!

Say, also in my inbox was an announcement from Cornell Lab of Ornithology inviting organizations and educators to apply for its Celebrate Urban Birds project mini-grants. Mini-grants average $100 to $500 and help fund neighborhood events across North America. Organizations working with traditionally underserved communities are strongly urged to apply.

Celebrate Urban Birds is a free year-round project that collects information from everyday people about 16 species of birds that may be found in urban areas. Participants spend 10 minutes watching birds in their neighborhood and report their observations online. This information helps scientists better understand how birds survive in cities and make use of greens spaces, including parks and gardens.

A local Celebrate Urban Birds event connects the arts, music, dance, and gardening with birds and science. Celebrate Urban Birds mini-grants could be used to support a bird-activity day at a local museum, afterschool, library, or community center, or fund art and gardening activities at your club, business, school, senior center, or neighborhood.

New Cards Coming Down The Pike

So, I'm busily compiling on the info on the new product that was at Birdwatch America this year for Birding Business. I'll post more in depth coverage of the new product this week on the Birding Business blog, but one of the things that appealed to me personally were a line of singing bird cards. They're called Birdsongs Sound Cards from Really Wild Cards and the outside has a bird image and the inside of the card has some general info about the bird and a digital recording of the bird's song. And this company speaks my language, not only do they have the usual crowd pleasing cardinal, chickadee, and loon, but also not so crowd pleasing singing stylin's of great blue heron and yellow-headed blackbird. Rock on, Really Wild Cards, rock on. Here is a video demonstrating some of the cards:

My little camera doesn't do the sound quality justice, these things are really cool.

They are in the final stages of development, but should be available in the next month or so and should be popping up at your local wild bird store, nature store, gift store, etc. You might want to suggest it to them to carry it if the cards trip your trigger.