I'm Stepping Out, I'm Standing Up

Allen the Hummingbird. Ventura, CA.

Sometimes it's hard writing a blog that is the Zeitgeist of a whole generation of birders. It's a lot of weight on my shoulders. The Great Ornithologist Felonious Jive has taken to the bottle in order to cope with it all. He keeps muttering about declaring war on the Mexican Army, but with only an army of nerds (birders) at his disposal, I think his chances of Victory are slim to none. I suggested that he start his own drug cartel, which he seems to be taking seriously....

Common Ground-Doves on the march. Photographed at the Salton Sea, CA.

Strange ruminations on a cloudy morning in San Francisco. I'm considering changing the name of my Moderate Year from El Año Tranquilo to something a little more fitting in light of recent events....something like The Gnarly Year....also, I think my year list is hovering somewhere in the high 300's already, which is pretty crazy for a modest birder such as myself. What can I say, there are scads of birds in Mexico. Que intenso.

Red-tailed Hawk. Martinez, CA.

Yes....perhaps an agonizing reappraisal of 2011 is already necessary....and it's only February 1! The Pursuit of Happiness ended in a bloody heap at the bottom of a cliff when 2010 kicked the bucket. The vultures are circling overhead....with 2012 around the corner, these may truly be The End Times.....

Which reminds me....I am amazed at the number of people who have asked me, usually after a couple drinks, if I think the world is really going to end in 2012. Perhaps it is because I am a Scientist, not a religious maniac, and my answer carries a lot of weight. But seriously. Why do people give this any kind of credibility? Its like Y2K all over again. Those damn Mayans have people in a tizzy. There have always been, and will always be, people claiming the world is about to end, and until we see mushroom clouds on the horizon or an enormous asteroid plunging through the atmosphere, we have more pressing concerns.

Snowy Egrets, survivors of the Plume Trade Holocaust in the early 1900's, know a lot more about extinction than people do. Martinez, CA.

Salmon With Wings

Turns out our much-maligned "rats with wings" are actually quite special. Rock Pigeons, known for eons to have remarkable navigation skills, have been discovered to be able to "sniff" their way around using their right nostril. This is a pretty remarkable discovery, seeing as aside from some vultures and the kiwis, birds are supposed to have little or no sense of smell at all. The method in which homing pigeons, and other birds, can navigate vast distances back to their home roost has always been a mystery. The implications of this are staggering (read that lin a nasal, nerdy scientist voice).

Bizarre. 

Time To Kill, Feelings To Feel

A Sooty Tern announces its plans for landing to its flockmates. All photos today are from Midway Atoll.

Three weeks left back in the states before I go down to Mexico again (which now sounds more like masochism and less like a vacation), so I better get deep back into blogging. Get all the nerdiness out of my system for a couple months, you know what I'm saying...but who am I kidding? I've got far too much geek in me to do that. Who will want to trade obscure and embarrassing Star Wars quotes if no one speaks English? Who will care that Choking Victim, Leftover Crack and Star Fucking Hipsters all share some of the same members? Who will be able to sing the newly-classic (thanks to Youtube and Schmoyoho) "Double Rainbow" song with me? Who will endure my revolting and heretical "what-would-you-rathers"? I don't know what I will do with myself.

Grey-backed Terns are the less numerous and more pleasant relatives of Sooty Terns.

For some reason I think this picture is really funny. White Tern.

Well, as promised, I'm going back to the bank for some photos for ya'll. I really, really wish that wasn't the case....but it is what it is. What have you guys been up to? I mean, what do you people do when not absorbing wisdom from BB&B? Do I even want to know? Since these are not questions I can readily answer, I will dispense some advice based on stories and experiences from our roadtrip.

1) If you have something on your finger that looks like "weird mud", do not smell it or wipe it on your pants.

2) If you think the world is about to end, you should probably do some weird stuff before its too late.

3) If someone breaks up with you, its not worth killing yourself over.

4) It someone asks you about a threesome in another language, do not agree to it unless you really want to.

5) If you walk off by yourself and see a flock of Azure-hooded Jays and a Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo, your friends will all see Strong-billed and Spotted Woodcreepers. No one will be able to find the other people's birds again. You'll just have to live with it.

6) Corn Crakes and Northern Jacanas are not similar.

7) Dogs and guans are not similar.

8) Unicolored Jays are the best birds in the world.

9) Canavet's Emeralds are best viewed hawking insects off your nose.

10) Don't ever assume a towering, unforgiving tope (speed bump) won't pointlessly be around the next corner.

Right. That's it for now I reckon. Have a raging weekend!

A more typical view of a White Tern.

Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard

Ack! By the grace of Sweet Mother Mary, I have made it back from Mexico! Unfortunately, I literally have nothing to show for it, as we were robbed by the Mexican Army, or one of the drug cartels posing as the Mexican army. It's hard to tell the difference, since they both have access to the same uniforms and weapons. Luckily for us (as we were vastly outnumbered and they were all heavily armed), all they wanted was our stuff, so nobody was beaten, raped, kidnapped or killed.....they stuck to plundering....but among the many things they took, they got my SLR, 400mm lens, and my Leica binoculars. I loved those binoculars, I feel like I should hold a funeral for them. So gone are my pictures of Azure-crowned Hummingbird, Great Black-Hawk, Ivory-billed Woodcreeper, Bare-throated Tiger Heron, Groove-billed Ani grabbing army ants off the side of a temple, etc. etc. etc...those were the truly irreplaceable things. So, no new pictures for a while, you understand. La vida es dolor.

I'll go into more detail about all this in the near future. Aside from getting rolled by those fuckers, its remarkable the van we were in made it the whole way. The birding was top notch, but it's good to be back!

List The Latest List of Bastards

The rarely seen "Killing-Spree" posture of the Least Bittern. Martinez, CA.

So. I am in Mexico at the moment, but writing from California. Try to wrap your mind around that. Just wanted you to know that the BB&B family hasn't forgotten about you.

Big nerd-news to me was the creation of Galapagos Frigatebird. Head on over to Birdingblogs.com for more information about that. Apparently, they are genetically distinct from other Magnificent Frigatebirds, and are significantly larger. So if you've been to the Galapagos Islands and were lucky enough to lay eyes on some Man-o-war birds, you probably saw these things. And with 1,000 breeding pairs, this is now one of the world's rarest seabirds. Whoa! Yet another reason for me to get down there.

I know it's hard to go on without me, but I'll be back in the nerdosphere in a flash. In the meantime....do what you think is best. Hasta!

Cuddle All Through The Storm

Crested and Least Auklets in the midst of their nightly spectacle off Main Talus.

Tufted Puffin. Their beaks are not all show though....they can and will crush you.

No matter how hard I try, I really haven't been on top of showing off my Alaska pictures from last year, so apologies for that. For some masochistic reason I have largely not even putting up my favorite shots, which I don't completely understand the reasons for. Maybe I don't want ya'll to short-circuit your computers with drool and/or tears. More likely, I'm just a weird dude. It's probably Felonious Jive's fault....I can't stand that guy sometimes. At any rate, all of these pictures are from Buldir Island.

It's time to take my Perpetual Weekend to the next level and get tranquilo. On Monday I embark on my Mexican Roadtrip, and will return to the United States on January 26....so I'll be back then. Hopefully I will have a photograph or two from that.

This kelpy-faced male Bar-tailed Godwit was one of the more abiding sandpiper visitors we had.

For a few weeks, chocolate lilies blanket the island.

Female Lapland Longspur.

So, if you haven't heard already, Saudi Arabia has captured a vulture and claimed it was an Israeli spy. I am not making this up, even though it sounds straight out of The Onion. It is consistent with the region's recent behavior, as Egypt has attempted to blame their recent shark attacks on Israel as well. It is rare that I am surprised anymore about how stunningly retarded people can be, but this takes the fucking cake. I can't believe I just read a real quote from an Israeli biologist worried that his vulture was going to be tortured (its a well-founded concern, I reckon). Now, I'm not on Israel's side on any of the conflicts going on in the region, but they certainly have become the scapegoat for everybody and their mother. The vulture article is all the proof you need.

Ok, I need to go sit on a toilet. Thanks a lot Israel.

Horned Puffin.

Crested Auklet.

Doombill Sandpiper

Do you want these to stop existing? No. Photo by John O'Sullivan/RSPB. Image used without permission, but I think we're all on the same side on this one.

Just a quick note, basically passing on the word from Charlie from 10,000 birds. One of The World's Greatest Birds, the Spoonbill Sandpiper, is on track to become extinct in the next few years if habitat destruction in it's Asian wintering grounds is not immediately halted. For some reason Disney has become aware of this bird's plight and may contribute a cool million dollars to a conservation program for the sandpipers, but that depends on voting for the cause on their website. I urge you to go there and vote. Yes, you have to waste a minute creating a Disney account (how embarrassing), but considering the situation I think its worth sparing the time. Please pass this information along and do a good deed today.

Yours Truly,

Felonious Jive

Waiting To See What The Maker Has In Mind

Down in the mines of BB&B, my laborers have been working night and day to bring you another free-standing page on The Human Birdwatcher Project, with links to all relevant posts.

If you are not familiar with HBP, it is on the jagged, rusty, artery-slicing cutting-edge of birder research. We are practically alone in this field. Bizarrely, it should interest both the non-birder and birder alike, kind of like Winged Migration or March Of The Penguins, but much better. With some of the implications that we are coming up with...things will never be the same.

Some of the posts are recent, some are from the depths of the murky past.....please go educate yourself on.....er....yourself. It will be updated on a regular basis.

The days are rapidly counting down until I'm off to Eastern Mexico for a bit. Frankly, the wall of new birds I will encounter scares me. It is more like a wailing wall. When that female sabrewing goes whizzing by and Im unable to identify it, I will have no recourse but to break down in tears. Sad, I know, but birds south of the border have always seemed distant and unattainable to me, and I don't know what they might do to me. I'm much more acclimated to things like Northern Pintails (above), which work well within the Economy Of Style.

Hooded Merganser, known simply as HOME in some circles. San Francisco, CA.

But, birds like motmots, euphonias and grosbeaks have nothing to do with that economy. They are decadent in their blues, greens, yellows, reds, and the infinite number of indescribable shades that lie between. True eye-candy for the birder. Particularly exciting is the possibility of seeing a suite of new hawks, eagles and falcons...aside from the holy Gyrfalcon, I'm about tapped out for those in the United states. But what am I talking about? If I can avoid food poisoning, robbery or running into any of those cartel folk ya'll hear so much about, its all going to one big facemelt.

A drake Gadwall reminds us what one can do within the boundaries of The Economy Of Style. Martinez, CA.

Ring-necked Duck. When are they going to change the name to Ring-billed Duck? Sheesh. San Francisco, CA.

Right....better stop talking about myself....don't want to come off too narcissistic. Theme of the day? Ducks. That's one thing the bay area has a lot of this time of year. So for all you snowbound, landlocked birders who are trying to get by on Mallards, here's some extra color. Happy Friday to all you working folk, and to my unemployed brothers and sisters, her's to another day of The Good Life.

Green-winged Teal. Frakking adorable. Redwood Shores, CA.

Flying In The Night Under Enemy Sights

"I've just come back from Mississippi and over there when you talk about the West Bank they think you mean Arkansas."  -  Pat Buchannon

So by now most of you have heard about the blackbird deaths in Arkansas, Lousiana and Kentucky, as well as the massive fish kill that happened around the same time in Arkansas. Some people think its a sign of Armageddon, The Second Coming, the next Great Flood...and those people are Wrong. People don't think like that in Sweden, where a big flock of Jackdaws were just found grounded.

That said, there isn't one good really explanation for Arkansas' Blackbird Incident, and that's part of the reason the story intrigues people so much.

MSNBC has a good overview here (not my preferred news source, but at least its not FOX). We do know they flew into something, be it vehicles, powerlines, buildings, or eachother....they all died from physical trauma, after all. According to Audubon and other entities, it is actually not unusual for these big mass-deaths to occur, although I certainly don't know much about it and apparently no one else does. Maybe they were including deaths from diseases when they said that. Some ornithologist down there was quoted as saying "blackbirds don't see well at night", which sounds bizarre to me....like many of our birds, blackbirds can migrate thousands of miles every spring and fall, and I highly doubt they wait for the sun to come up to do it. It makes no sense. Tell me if you think otherwise. At any rate...startled by fireworks seems like a plausible COD.

Aside from Arkansas, it is generally assumed the doomed Lousiana flock collided with powerlines and the fish kill was limited to one species, which makes it likely that it was caused by some disease, not directly from poison or pollution (although these things make it easier for diseases to take hold). At any rate, the fish were not startled by fireworks. These blackbird flocks could have been poisoned, but they would likely have died at a roost site, not all at once in midair. I don't think any toxicology tests have been made public yet though.

Is this all a big coincidence? Is it really random that we are hearing about all this mass bird death at the same time? Well....yes. You know the nature of the media right? It gets people all worked up about one particular thing, then a couple weeks later, completely forgets about it. You won't be hearing anything about these bird deaths in a couple weeks. And typically, they don't even address The Real Problem.

A Red-eyed Vireo taken down by a wind turbine. Rockwood, PA.

What it comes down to is that millions of birds die every year in the United States alone from colliding with man-made structures. They have evolved to have the night be dark, using the stars and reflection off water to help them navigate. They did not evolve with giant glowing lights everywhere, wind turbines slicing through the mist, skyscrapers extending hundreds or thousands of feet into the air, and they don't deal with them well. Many are somehow attracted to the lights, and like moths to a flame, have their lives burn out in a flash when they collide with a window, antenna pole, or what have you. Some big cities are slowly being awakened to this fact and are beginning to leave some skyscraper lights off at night, which not only saves birds but conserves energy as well. Its a no-brainer.

Around the world, thousands of birds meet their maker this way every day, usually beyond the sleeping eye of the media, so we don't hear much about it. Now you know.

Searching For A Dim And Distant Shore

Allen's Hummingbirds are among the most hyperactive birds in the west, so I was surprised this one had the patience to hang out in one spot for a while and enjoy the rain. Oddly, he doesn't want anything to do with people (especially people with cameras) when the sun is out. Photographed in Ventura, CA.

We have new roommates. The cold and wet weather have driven mice into our house, which is very aggravating. There's nothing like watching a tiny mouse bound around your room like some kind of coked-up pokemon character, and you know there's nothing you can do about it other than set a trap and break its back, or at least do some serious unintended maiming. It's already gotten into my food and left little pooplets for me to see on my kitchen counter. Thanks, mouse. It is also extremely loud for some reason, and its easy to hear it rummaging around amongst my things. It invokes bad memories. 

To be fair, living with wild animals indoors usually doesn't bum me out. I've been visited, or plain lived with, everything from geckos to a Parakeet Auklet to a ringtail cat. And in the scheme of things, you can do a lot worse than mice. For example, they are not as bad as the giant, super-venomous giant centipedes of Midway Atoll, nor are they as bad as rats.  Rats.......they send shivers down my spine. If you don't know my history with rats, do yourself a big favor and catch up on the story of Barnaby The Rat, my old and much-hated roommate in Arcata.

So lets see, I've got salamanders, raccoons and mice breaking into my room. What's next? Squirrels? The Mission Squirrel-Man?

Duke Ensatina, Poisoner Of Raccoons, Master of Moisture, Lord Of My Back Yard. Found clinging to my screen door. San Francisco, CA.

This studly Cinnamon Teal has almost finished his molt and is gearing up for some intense courtship over the winter. The teal hens won't know what hit them. Redwood Shores, CA.

The City was basking in sunlight yesterday, so I was obliged to bird it. I've been feeling cold-blooded lately (not in a murdery way, a sluggish way). In keeping with the spirit of El Año Tranquilo, I made sure to not go out of too far out of my way for any rare birds (that's not going to last very long), and was obliged by not finding any. But Yellow Warblers, White-fronted Geese and White-winged Scoters are all decent City birds. Today was a different story though....

For the record, I want to say that The Forgetters' "The Night Accelerates" has grabbed me like no other song in months. Their EP is a must-have for any Jawbreaker fan. Looking forward to seeing them at Bottom Of The Hill at the end of the month. 

This Northern Shoveler was shy. Probably self conscious of his massive bill. Redwood Shores, CA.

I Taught The Weeping Willow How To Cry

Some Burrowing Owls need some "me" time in the winter, some double up in more spacious burrows.

Siiiiiiiiick. My birth into the new year was lubricated by karaoke at Bender's, a Mission bar I don't usually find myself in very often, but we all had a blast. I sang an Against Me! song and a Creedence song. It's nice to start off the year with a high note....unlike last year, when some asshole in the Lower Haight ran off with my camera, ipod, sunglasses, etc. 

I woke up bright and early on January 1 (12:49 PM) and blearily stuck my head out the door to find out what my first bird of the year was, and managed to make out the quiet twittering of a Bushtit nearby.  So there we have it.....2011, The Year of The Bushtit.

A young Bonaparte's Gull braves the murky sea.

It's bloody hard to get an action shot of a dove/pigeon of any sort, so I thought this one was pretty good. This is a female Common Ground-Dove bossing around her male friend.

A better view of the female Common Ground-Dove. She may be homely, but is well-kept.

Before I take off for my east Mexican road trip, I'd like to squeeze in some bay area biding when the weather gets good. It has been a particularly dark, wet winter here, and its all that some people can do to stay out of a state of catatonic despair. The urge to stay in bed as long as possible (preferably in the fetal position) is strong, but the urge to view birds overcomes. The last couple days have been marked by the cold, wet, overcast and overwhelmingly bleak weather that has been typical for the last month or so, but Imma get out and soak in some birdlife today.

As you probably guessed, this is another suite of pictures from my recent Salton Sea trip. If you've never been......then what are you waiting for?

There's nothing like seeing a majestic Great Egret soaring over some high mountain peaks amongst the eagles and condors. There's nothing like it because that never really happens.

An illustrious Black-necked Stilt finds a salty morsel.

In my book, the Salton Sea (along with Mono Lake and the Gulf of California) has some of the best sunsets.