Look at this bird. LOOK AT IT. It's a Vermilion X Fork-tailed Flycatcher hybrid, and this picture is completely fabricated.
But wouldn't this be an awesome bird? And why does this picture exist at all? Well, I was reflecting on dream-birding the other day and remembered the grandest bird dream of all...Cass Grattan's legendary and prophetic sighting of a Vermilion X Fork-tailed Flycatcher...in his mind, while fast asleep. Not only is this a concretely epic dream-bird (essentially, an avian unicorn), but the dream was followed by actually lifering Vermilion and Fork-tailed Flycatchers the very next day. What does it mean?
As for me...my most recent dream involved finding massive lacerations on my arms and being annoyed that I was bleeding everywhere, so it's difficult to say. However, I am at liberty to tell you that I accepted a job offer from the San Diego Zoo, monitoring Least Terns and Snowy Plovers, and will be moving down there shortly. No, I will not actually be working at the zoo itself, but yes, I will get free admission...
That's it for now, and sweet dreams. Thanks to Jerome for making the flycatcher a reality.
oh, sweet, congratulations! Beach work. I had a friend who monitored least tern (nesting on a Navy beach somewhere down there) and said the babies look like cotton balls on tooth picks. =) Crazy cute, apparently.
ReplyDeleteIf you need a yoga break, a favorite yoga teacher of mine (and amazing friend and professional jazz singer) is down there whom I highly recommend. =) DOOD, I'm so psyched to hear your future reports from SD!!
Cotton balls on toothpicks sound awesome. Are you going to have any kind of camera down there? Oh and my bird dreams have subsided into mountain lion dreams. I'm hoping dinosaurs are next.
ReplyDeleteWow, that would be a spectacular bird to see... if of course it could be. Congrats on the new job!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the job! Sounds like a sweet gig (says the person who knows nothing about San Diego, except that they have a zoo). Looking forward to seeing what the change of scenery brings us!
ReplyDeleteInteresting photo! Congrats on the new job, sounds like a great one!
ReplyDeleteCongrats! And yes, photos will be expected. Oh, man, the zoo... [/jealous]
ReplyDeleteTo continue the freaky bio-dream theme: last night I dreamed that I saw a coyote howling at its den (using a weird body posture), but it and its friends were morphed. Heads more like terriers, big & rectangular, with little bodies, and that dog hair that kinda sticks out. V. odd. How's THAT for super random non-contribution to your blog?!? =)
ReplyDeleteDream morphs are so strange...I wonder why it happens...I was dreaming I was in Texas Hill Country last night but then everything morphed to Midway Atoll.
DeleteFrackin awesome dreambird! Shoots, how about a Painted Auklet? Kinda clashes with that whole black and white them most seabirds got, but it'd sure be a lot easier to ID. Have you heard of the Apapiwi? No dream included, actually happened with an apparently desperate female Iiwi and well, can't hate on the Apapane, if I were a bird I'd wanna tap an Iiwi too.
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