Don't forget, there's a Birds and Beers at at Once Upon A Crime book store on Lyndale Avenue South and 26th Street in Minneapolis at 7pm on Thursday, September 10. Well, help celebrate the release of Jan Dunlap's second book in her murder mystery series: Murder At Warbler Weekend! Afterwards, we'll hit up one of the nearby bars.
More Diversity Conferences
I did a bit of ranting on the blog Saturday night about a Diversity Conference happening at Black Swamp Bird Observatory in Ohio at the end of the month. I was irritated because I had not heard about it sooner and was not able to go and lamented that the organizers were doing a poor job of promoting a much needed conference. Kenn Kaufman disagreed with some of my remarks and rather than dragging out misunderstanding in the comments section of the blog, we spoke on the phone yesterday. He said that the point of the Ohio conference is to attract the local community in the area and to get local teachers, naturalists, and others interested in the great roster of speakers. It wasn't meant to be a national conference. It's a great idea and we need to have more of these. Kenn also pointed out that there is another conference that is national going on the same weekend in Atlanta called Breaking the Color Barrier in the Great American Outdoors.
I was really surprised to not have heard about that one because one of the partners of the conference is the National Park Service (and I've worked as a part time park ranger for the last year and a half). Ah, I think the birding community is not the best promoting our events because we'd rather be outdoors watching the wildlife as opposed to taking the time to promote. We need these conferences, birding and wildlife enjoyment shouldn't be something that only white people do. Is a vibe being put out that is exclusive?
The bottom line is that these are both great conferences and if you are in the Ohio area or Atlanta area at the end of the month, you should try to check them out:
Ohio: A Conference In Increasing Outdoor Recreation
Georgia: Breaking the Color Barrier in the Great American Outdoors
Birding Around Almaty, Kazakhstan
You may recall that I took a little trip to Kazahstan in May...I still have a few posts left to write about this wonderful place. I don't know if I will ever get back, but I hope I do. I have said it before and I will say it again, if you want to feel like the only person on the planet, you find several spots that will give you that impression.
When we first arrived, we stay in Astana, a city still growing and full of new development. It's on the Steppes which is basically short grass prairie, but the locals do try to grow trees and they are very small. Above is a photo of Almaty, and older city with established trees and older buildings.
I was most curious about my accomodations at this hotel, in my travel itinerary it was described as a "Soviet Style Sanatorium." However, as you can see in the above photo, the rooms were not padded and did not come with complimentary straight jackets. They were very clean and simple. The tubs were huge and even though I was tired and had to get up early, I refuse to let an opportunity to soak in a deep hot bath pass and took advantage of it. I had a life bird singing the whole time right outside my room, a scops owl--kind of like an eastern screech-owl (here is what it sounds like). It was not what I would call a soothing and relaxing sound...neither were some of my fellow birders outside my room trying to call it in. I ended up putting on my headphones in order to fall asleep.
The next morning I woke up to some crazy birds outside--like Indian Mynahs. Alas, it was a tad cloudy and drizzly so I was not able to get the best photos, the mynahs were very striking birds. Here's a photo of what one looks like.
Here was a familiar bird--the Eurasion collared dove. A bird working its way into the United States as an introduced species. Again, here I was seeing the bird where it was supposed to be, Eurasia. Our breakfast at this hotel was an odd combination of cold cuts, white sausages, cucumbers and tomatoes, cheese, some kind of cabbage salad and yogurt. I was also getting accustomed to NestCafe--instant coffee granuals are not as bad as I thought.
We had quite a few destinations this rainy day, but some of the most exciting were around this cemetery. Not quite as grand as some of the larger ones seen near Astana but still quite cool. This spot was where we got our first look at hoopoes which were just too darn fast digiscoping on a cloudy day, but man what a dynamite looking bird. And what a fun word to say. Incidentally, it is pronounced "who poo" not "who poe."
We passed quite a few shrikes on the road and one was teed up in the cemetery. For a bird that is known to impale it's prey on spikes and sharp barbs, a cemetery seemed the perfect place for it to establish territory.
Surrounding the cemetery were huge poppy fields. We passed dozens of fields with wide swathes of crimson, full of poppies. When we stopped near the cemetery, we did find an interesting, yet familiar plant growing among them which we all sensibly acknowledged but left behind with knowing smiles.
Another exciting species for me (but not as exciting for my fellow European birders in Kazakhstan) were these rollers. They are kind of related to kingfishers. They are a striking big blue bird and looked gorgeous over the poppy fields.
Another bird that showed up was the golden oriole. Again, these are just the tip of the iceberg to the amazing birds and scenery that were yet to come this day.
Showcase Minnesota
If you are looking for the hummingbird nectar recipe I used on KARE 11 today, it is four parts water to one part sugar. And for this area, do keep your hummingbird feeders up, we can see hummingbirds in Minnesota well into October. It is a myth that hummingbirds will not migrate if the feeder is left up after Labor Day. For more hummingbird myths, check out this great article from Hilton Pond. If you are looking for more information on bald cardinals, follow this link.
Diversity In Outdoor Recreation
There is a very interesting conference coming up and I'm so irritated that I just found out about it today when it's too late for me to plan a way to get there (note to organizers PROMOTE YOUR EVENTS MORE THAN 3 WEEKS AHEAD OF TIME, especially if you want people from around the country to attend). The really frustrating thing is that it's being offered a week after the Midwest Birding Symposium and it's happening the same state. Gr. Seriously, organizers, what went wrong here? So, here it is, if you are in and around the Ohio area towards the end of the month, you should attend this: Black Swamp Bird Observatory is holding a Diversity in Outdoor Recreation, The Many Faces of Conservation Conference on Sunday, September 26, 2009. It's no secret that when you attend a bird festival or birding event, if a person of color attends--they stand out. That should not be the case. But there must be something, some kind of vibe that keeps people of color away or there must be someway birders can reach out reach to people of all races and share the coolness of birds.
The speakers are John C. Robinson, Dudley Edmondson, Tamberly Conway, and Maricruz Flores. This should be an interesting conference and one that many birders could learn from. It's just too bad that the timing and promotion was poor.
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Friday At Carpenter Nature Center
Not that I could deny before, but migration is totally on. We got in our first fall white-throated sparrow in the banding nets at Carpenter Nature Center on Friday. I think this is the earliest we've ever had one. I'm very curious about this fall's migration. Will our cold summer cause changes? It's been too cool for backyard gardeners to get their tomatoes to ripen...what effects has there been on seeds and insects birds use to fatten up for the journey south?
Signs of summer are still around, check out this apparently well fed green frog that was lurking in Carpenter's new pond. It was hiding in the grasses waiting for some unsuspecting insects to land nearby. I love these frogs, they make a sound kind of like a banjo string being plucked. Here's a link to a great video of green frogs calling. At first I worried that this was a young bullfrog ( a non native frog that could cause problems in the pond) and so Jen and I looked up how to tell green frog from bullfrog. Green frogs have a dorsolateral fold from their eye to their hips. This frog had that fold, so that made it a green frog--whew. You can read more about the differences over at the Hilton Pond site.
Incidentally this is the best time of year to visit Carpenter Nature Center, the scenery is outstanding with the blooming goldenrod and asters. It gets even better as the leaves begin to change color. They have some great programs this fall from The Raptor Release to even a watercolor class in October (I might sign up for that). Note that swallowtail butterfly in the above photo? Take a closer look at it below:
Some will look at this butterfly and think "Aw, poor thing!" I look at it and think, "Man, that is one badass butterfly!" How long has it survived to have such a ragged look. That chunk missing out of its wing looks like the telltale patter of a bird beak. Has it evaded numerous attempts to be eaten by flycatchers and swallows? Perhaps this is the oldest swallowtail of the summer. It even bullied the honeybees and bumblebees trying to nectar along with it.
Are You Aware Of Vultures?
Did you know that September 5 is International Vulture Awareness Day?
Vultures like the above turkey vulture may seem to be in good shape in the United States, but vultures in other countries face some daunting challenges that include habitat loss, poisoning, and poaching. The IVA started as Vulture Awareness Days run by the Birds of Prey Working Group in South Africa and the Hawk Conservancy Trust in England. They came together to highlight the important work being carried out by the world’s vulture conservationists.
On September 5th, many bird clubs and organizations around the world will be doing something to raise awareness of vultures all over the world. So, make people aware of vultures this weekend. Heck, go out for some sushi and pretend to be vultures. If you're out with friends, ask what they know about vultures here in the US and around the world. Here are some fun facts you can share:
Turkey vultures and black vultures are "new world vultures" and are different than the "old world vultures" in Europe, Asia, and Africa. They may resemble old world vultures, they are not very closely related.
Turkey vultures have a highly developed sense of smell and studies suggest that they can smell carrion from one to five miles away.
Black vultures (like the one in the photo above) follow turkey vultures to find food.
When vultures are frightened or startled, they will vomit as a defense mechanism (nothing is more distracting than vulture vomit and it's a great way to drop a lot of weight and fly off faster).
An anti-inflammatory drug used on farm animals in South Asia poisons vultures that feed on the dead animals with diclofenac in their system. It has caused a decline of about 95% of the vulture population in India and Pakistan. The decline in old world vultures has led to hygiene problems in India as carcasses of dead animals now tend to rot, or be eaten by rats and wild dogs leading to an increase in rabies.
If you have a vulture fun fact, share it in the comments below!
If you have photos of vultures, consider sharing them on the IVA Flickr group (or just browse all the photos of these great looking birds). And now I leave you with a video of Nero, the education turkey vulture at The Raptor Center (who is the same age I am, he was hatched in the summer of 1974 too) and a demonstration of how he recycles phone books:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNWmItiXnto[/youtube]
Cornhatch?
Usually, it is the hummingbird that is the best at communicating when the feeders are empty. If you have a nectar feeder and it goes empty, one of the best clues is a hummingbird flying up to the window as if to let you know the nectar is bad or empty. If you have studied bird behavior or worked with birds as an education animal, it's not a far stretch for bird--even a hummingbird with an incomprehensibly small brain to figure out that the large creatures in the building come out and fill the feeders. The above white-breasted nuthatch has appeared to figure out the same strategy. The other day, it was hanging around the suet sandwich (a great feeder if you are having raccoon problems, they can't seem to crack it).
I was out taking photos around this feeder still had a little bit of suet left in the center of it. I was in deep inside, a woodpecker with a long tongue would have problem getting at the food, but a wee nuthatch with a short tongue would be SOL. So, while I was out taking photos, this white-breasted nuthatch kept hanging out and just sitting on the feeder. A nuthatch sitting still is immediate cause for suspicion. At first I wonder if it sees a hawk, but no other birds at the surrounding feeders appear alarmed. The nuthatch then worked around the feeder pecking the fake bark, the screw, any little crevice it could and then it would look at me as if to communicate, "I'd like to eat here, but there appears to be no fatty bounty on which for me to forage."
I filled the feeder.
I had some of what I would call "emergency suet." Not the best stuff, it read "peanut suet" but had a ton of corn inside. I filled both the suet sandwich and the suet log with the same stuff. The nuthatch (and the downy and hairy woodpeckers) went for it. I was really surprised at how they devoured it...especially when I think of all the times I have splurged on fancier cashew suets (that I made sure did not have corn).
The nuthatch did appear to be perplexed with the corn. I love the above shot. It set the corn kernal down on the log, repositioned it, picked it up, set it down and repeat. I think the nuthatch was expecting the usual nut chips and the corn texture surprised it. As I watched teh nuthatches comeing in for the suet, they didn't eat it right at the feeder. All of them (both white-breasted and red-breasted) would take a hunk and cache it in a nearby tree. I'm not sure if they will eat it later this winter or not, but it's interesting to watch their reaction to corn.
Anyone else have nuthatches eating corn?
Downy Smack Down On The Suet Log
Believe it or not, that large suet log is not big enough for those three downy woodpeckers. What's even crazier is that the suet that is currently in there is not the best suet on the planet. The label read "high energy peanut" but when I was mashing it into the holes on the log, it was chock full of cracked corn and white millet. All part of the unregulated world of bird food--there are no requirements for bird seed manufacturers to list ingredients in any particular order.
I love these two females trying to raise raise their beaks higher to prove dominance. Periodically, one would flare out her wings, not unlike a hawk mantling it's wings over a fresh kill to look to more intimidating. They resulted in an impasse, and fluttered off chasing each other, leaving the feeder open to other woodpeckers.
Birdjam Twitch Application For iTouch & iPhone
I had to go the DMV yesterday to replace a lost license. Fortunately, I downloaded a fun app for my iTouch to pass the wait called birdJam Twitch.
The game takes 660+ North American bird species photographs on the birdjam software and organizes them into 31 "flocks" for the East, West and all of North America. Flocks may be grouped by habitat such as forests and marshes, or families such as ducks, sparrows and warblers. You can even choose a difficult level from 1 to 10. Then you shake your iPod Touch or iPhone to start a game--if you are not down with the shaking of your iTouch in public like I am, you can simply touch the screen. During play, squares turn over randomly to gradually reveal a photo of a bird in their natural habitats. Select your answers using the buttons at the bottom of the screen.
I will say that in the All Species Game at a middle level, if there were 2 of the same species listed, it would usually be that species--but which of the two will it be kept it a challenge. I played with the sparrows flock and found that it can be a useful tool for noting subtle field marks and incredibly challenging at a low level of play. For some indoor birding, it was a lot of fun. And if I'm going to have a game on my iTouch, might as well be one that his subtly helping with id?
If you want to practice foreign bird names, you can choose to play in Spanish or English.