I'd Like To Bury My Thumbs In His Eyes

Cassin's Sparrow. Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge, TX.

Well, well, well.....Christmas is upon us. But so is this bloody massive stormfront. I feel like I've been inside a raincloud for the last several weeks. I've been rained on everywhere from San Francisco's Bernal Hill to McKinleyville's Clam Beach to the new Dipshit Alley in Ventura. Some bright forecasters were predicting that this year would be the beginning of the next horrible drought....but The Great Ornithologist (and budding meteorologist) Felonious Jive knew they were talking out of their ass. Of course, the real reason it's been so wet this winter is because of the Humboldt Brown Rain-Shrike, which alters climate at will. Apparently, it prefers almost nothing but rain, as that's what it seems to be hanging out in most of the time. So when you are building your Ark later this winter, thank the shrike.

 

My holiday plans you ask? Well, I'm off to bag me a goose for Christmas. A Bean Goose, the healthiest-sounding of all geese. Wouldn't you rather bite into a Bean Goose instead of, say, a Barnacle Goose? Those Snow Geese are just watery. No nutrition there. I guess a Kelp Goose wouldn't be so bad though.

Man...wouldn't that be fucked up? Some hunter rolls down to the Salton Sea specifically to shoot the most popular goose west of the Mississippi? Maybe it's best not to talk about it.

At any rate...here's a couple older Salton sea shots, as a preview for what you'll probably be seeing on here soon.

American White Pelican. Salton Sea, CA.

Snow Geese. Salton Sea, CA

On the drive down yesterday, I was trying to think of what to call my style of Big Year. It's not a Big Year, per se, since I'm purposely not going out of my way to amass an enormous list. It's more like a regular Year than a Big Year, but that's pretty vague and completely devoid of wit. Or puns. I'll have to get down to some serious pondering. 

Right. So, I'm off to the Salton Sea for a bit....then it's Christmas....so I'll try to drop some knowledge on you when I have the time. This is a highly migratory time of year for me. You understand, of course.

 

Northwestern Crow. Homer, AK.

Hooded Merganser. Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA.