My Memory Dangles By A Thread

Your friend and mine, the Least Bittern.

Well, this is it people. Tonight I fly to Veracruz, Mexico, and move into my new home in Chavarrillo, where I will work as a hawk counter until the end of April. It's been a fun fall and winter, filled with good people, good birding, good bands....you know, good times. So thanks for following along. It is rumored that I will have some kind of internet access.....if so, I will do my best to check in with everybody on BB&B (unlikely) and email.

A bittern itch.

Oooooh that feels good.

I should probably let you know how El Año Tranquilo is going. The year list stands at 340 right now (latest addition: Red-necked Grebe in Ventura County, a Good Bird down this way), the bulk of those being recorded old Mexico way. I'm still shooting for 400 by April 30 (almost my entire 2010 total), which will give me something to do in my off time in Mexico. My best (North) American birds so far, personally, were Least (pictured) and American Bitterns, two of my favorite species that I did not have the fortune of coming across last year. The Least Bittern was lurking in Martinez, CA.

So I think that's it. I still have some packing to do. If I don't get back to BB&B before I come back...goodbye friends! Goodbye blogosphere! Keep it positive, be excellent to eachother....and use condoms.

READY.

AIM.

FIRE.

I Learned To Love The Virtues of Sweet Sally MacLennane

Harking back to Buldir Island....BB&B is proud to present its very first video of exclusive content. Today we have the legendary "Auklet Snake" of Main Talus. Main Talus has a huge colony of Crested, Least, Whiskered and Parakeet Auklets (mostly Crested and Least) that consists of.....well, only god knows how many birds there are, because its a lot. Every morning and evening a lot of these birds can be found flying around over the colony and just offshore, forming epic clouds of birds that can shift into such strange formations and change directions so quickly that it is difficult to imagine the coordination involved to do it. Sometimes one is lucky enough to be engulfed in The Snake (how often do you say that?), and its fair to say that you come out the other end a different person. Getting to see the Auklet Snake in person is easily one of the most moving and memorable spectacles in nature that I've ever seen....hopefully this video will at least give you some notion of what it's like. Sorry if it's a bit small, maybe I'll try Youtube next time....

The dapper Thick-billed Murre. 

Juvenile Song Sparrows typically look pretty dingy.

A Tufted Puffin with a bill load of squid. If you look at the enlarged image you can see the perpetual concerned expression on their face. Apparently being a puffin is very stressful.

Things are afoot. Summer plans are slowly coming into place, but right now its all about Mexico. I leave Wednesday night people. I am determined to go down there without getting robbed (or worse) this time, and plan on emerging as a full-fledged hawk counter with a bunch of good photos, another bumper crop of life birds, some non-robbery related stories and improved Spanish to boot. Hell, I might even learn to roll my r's, which currently is a skill that I find baffling. Comprende? 

Northern Fulmar.

Lapland Longspurs are really fun to have around. They don't behave anything like they do in winter, skulking around in the grass and the dirt and generally being very difficult to view. Longspurs were probably the most abundant songbird on Buldir, but don't hold me to that.

Boating is not as fun when your outboard doesn't work. Photo by Sara Kennedy.

Chronic Infatuation

The phantomesque Christmas Shearwater.

Good Friday to ye, birder. How was your week? I thought I would resurrect some of the good times at Midway Atoll, specifically the two species of shearwaters that breed there, since they don't get as much attention from visitors as the albatross, tropicbirds, boobies, terns, etc.

Christmas Shearwaters arrive in March on Eastern Island (one of three islands there....they are probably on Sand and Spit as well but I did not see them there). Early in the morning you can see them taking low, circular flights over patches of vegetation that look like good nesting spots. Often they will do this in pairs, which I assume is some sort of courtship flight as well. They nest under naupaka and heliotrope bushes and are usually hard to find during most of the day....if not for the hilarious sounds they make. They sound like children pretending to be ghosts....except much cuter. Sometimes they will do this during their courtship flights, and its hard not to smile when a fluttering shearwater goes by saying "wooo...hoooooooo....WOOOOOOOOOO!". Despite their drab, unicolored appearance, they are some of the most endearing birds out there.

This Christmas Shearwater sports some fashionable USFWS jewelry.

Praise the bird gods when Christmas Shearwaters land out in the open. 

Wedge-tailed Shearwaters are most active at night, hobbling around looking for mates and burrows.

Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, rare visitors off the California coast, arrive later in the spring and are quite a bit more common than Christmas Shearwaters, also being widespread over Sand Island, which is where everybody out there lives. They are not quite as inconspicuous as their dark relatives, and somehow manage to be even louder. Wedgie calls, however, sound substantially more evil, and have a lot of range. My favorite Wedgie call is the "crying baby". The nonbirding population of Sand Island are not infrequently creeped out by the Wedge-taileds, as they generally vocalize after dark where there aren't a lot of people around. With all the ghost stories Midway has, this isn't surprising.

Wedge-tailed Shearwater, aka Muttonbird in some circles. Who would want to eat something with a face like this?

Wedgie Love.

A typical scene on Sand Island in February. Yes, that's a lot of Laysan Albatross.

I'll Give It Up Just To Spite You

What are these? Gray hairstreaks? Milkweed? I don't even know. Photographed near Montgomery Creek, CA.

In a nod to other life forms out there, here are some non-birds. They're all from 2006 in northern California, during the crazy LBJ days....

Huh. So. I need your opinion on this one bird kids. What do you think of this blog? Is it a travesty? A grim monument to whatever can go wrong in the world of birding and biology? A sad testament to scientists who have made the mistake of acquiring a sense of humor? I don't know.

The reason I ask is that I am vaguely entertaining (emphasis on "vaguely") the idea of including a link to BB&B in select future cover letters/letters of interest when applying to jobs. The pros? It shows off what I've done, some of my photos, that I'm not an idiot, and I have a personality and a sense of the absurd. The cons, of course, are passing mentions of booze, drugs, sex, my penchant for ridiculing birders and biologists, railing against the failures of various organized religions, and most of all....my personality and sense of the absurd. Now officially, I don't admit to doing anything illegal, of course. The offical policy we have here is DENY EVERYTHING, especially when it comes to things like Fun. I live a puritan, virginal, almost Buddha-like existence...right?

Rubber boa!!!!!!!! Also....wrist band!!!! Sooooooo 2006. Near Hyampom, CA.

Beargrass blooms. Near Hyampom, CA.

Of course, there are people who would be turned off by what they see here, but I think a prospective employer who likes what they see would be slightly more inclined to hire me. People enjoy working with people who have a sense of humor and know how to have a good time....well, some people.

Western Pond Turtle (?). Near Hyampom, CA.

Random thoughts, as always. One of the nice things about having to apply to jobs all the time is that you do it so often that you don't really stress out about it. Why not have some fun? Plus, it would be hilarious if I landed a gig thanks to all the hard-working staff at BB&B. This blog seems to have helped me land a couple pro deals with some well-known companies that shall remain Safely Anonymous....so why not a job? I am, after all, a consummate professional...

When this baby hits eighty-eight miles per hour...You're gonna see some serious shit.

Northern Pintails and other waterfowl form pairs over the winter. Photographed at Redwood Shores, CA.

More years than not, I find myself single on Valentine's Day. Although I usually chalk it up to being so intensely attractive that I badly intimidate the opposite sex......that may not actually be true. I will have a date tonight for a change, which is pretty nice, as last year I got drunk with another dateless friend of mine and watched Back To The Future in his living room....which I have no regrets about at all (I love you Brendan). It's a cheap date.

Although I think it is important to acknowledge the importance of people in your life that you are especially close to, I am totally on the Valentine's-Day-Is-Just-A-Bullshit-Frakking-Hallmark-Holiday train. But since that rant is totally cliche and played out, I will refrain from going down that well-traveled and deeply-rutted road.

I have never seen begging behavior in Horned Grebes before, but it seemed to be a result of horniness and not bugging a parent for food. Berkeley, CA.

Instead, I'll mention a very specific type of relationship....the seasonal biologist couple. The seasonal biologist couple (SBC) can be simply defined as two seasonal field biologists who are in a committed relationship that usually can be found working on the same jobs together, and thus doing the same things in the same places all at the same time. Now, there are a number of close friends of mine who belong in this category, so I don't want anyone taking offense....this is all coming from the guy who cannot seem to hold down long term relationships, after all (although for the record, it's not always my fault).

Since I have almost no experience being in these couples, I have had the (annoying) opportunity to observe them somewhat objectively over the years. My research indicates the presence of certain patterns. For one, these couples always seem to match....sometimes disturbingly so. I don't just mean clothes, I'm talking physical features and personalities too. I can think of a number of SBCs where they could easily be siblings, they look and behave so similarly. Frankly, its kind of gross. They often dress alike, and because they are often birders, this means they usually both look really, really boring. They look like oatmeal, pretty much. They look about as sexual as a piece of burnt toast, kitted out in outfits that can usually be traced to REI or other outdoor stores. Their musical tastes are often predictably similar to each other as well, although (fortunately) this trait tends to be slightly more variable. But, being seasonal field biologists, they invariably like older rock n' roll (but nothing too ballsy), some wimpy folk, weird but trendy indie rock, at least a dash of reggae and more than a little bit of that nebulous but off-putting genre we call "world music". Does any of this sound familar, SBCs?

Some animals, like these Red-legged Kittiwakes, do it on cliffs. Where will you be doing it? Photographed at Buldir Island, AK.

Lots of birds put in far more work at seducing partners than people do. It takes more than dinner and a bottle of champagne to win over a Red-tailed Tropicbird....you need to have moves too. And tail plumes. Photographed at Midway Atoll.

What else? SBCs are, of course, quite outdoorsy, but they don't really "go out" and do anything else together aside from grabbing a bite to eat. They are not really into films, they don't find themselves at shows very often and they more often than not don't party very hard. They are not prone to public displays of affection, nor do they even hint at any ability to flirt, which causes the observer to wonder how they became a mated pair in the first place.

Oddly, SBCs are known to get along together more than the average couple, and form strong pair bonds. Wildlife just melds people together, apparently. I don't understand it.....people can learn from them.

Aside from that last cheesey bit, I think I pissed off about half the people who read this. Don't worry friends! To borrow a term from across the pod, I'm just taking the piss out of you. 

Lets not forget there's more than one way to celebrate Valentine's Day....sometimes three is better than two. Gambel's Quail at the Salton Sea, CA.

Right. No matter what your relationship status says on Facebook, have a happy Valentine's Day everyone.

Ordinary, Aimless and Awful

One of my favorite birds of the trip was this Azure-crowned Hummingbird near El Naranjo. It was the only one we saw. My eyeballs fell out when it got too close.....it was just so intense.

Now we're cooking with fire. I own a camera again! Picture me birding. And taking some pictures.

My year list (year lust?) now stands at 323. That has a nice ring to it. I mean, that's a lot of birds...not if I was trying to compete with anyone....but not too shabby. I will begin birding again with renewed vigor, hopefully while avoiding another Mexico Incident. 

Here's another sweet suite of shots from eastern Mexico. God, the birding down there is intense. You pay for it in tick, chigger and mosquito bites.....and Montezuma's Revenge, and terrible, revolting hives.....but its worth it! Well, financially it was a huge loss for me, but you get my drift. Once again, all photos today are courtesy of Nathan Banfield, who was a critical part of our roadtrip from a few weeks ago..

Los Tipis! A bizarre place right outside Xilitla where we spent the night and met Jeromessy, and consequently had the best night of the trip. The Tipis feature tepees (que obvio), a nice kitchen, really loud techno, lots of Montezuma's Oropendulas and a couple Emerald Toucanettes. 

Crested Caracaras are ubiquitous throughout much of Mexico.

A Blue-crowned Motmot. A true exotic (yes its native, you dork). Look at those tail raquets!

A very popular bird on the trip was this obliging immature Great Black-Hawk near El Naranjo. When I had it in the same binocular view as a Linneated Woodpecker, I went into convulsions.

Playing pocket. Pocket is the pretty much field game in the world. The sheer number and variety of humiliating things people have done as a result of losing the game boggles the mind.

This is a Laughing Falcon. It is the weirdest bird of prey I have ever seen. It's huge, almost the size of a caracara, and has a giant box head that makes no sense. This is the only one we saw, and it never moved from this perch over the span of a couple days. Apparently they are the Falcon of Patience.

We found a few Scrub Euphonias mixed in with Yellow-throated Euphonia flocks. 

Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures were up close and personal just outside Tecolutla. Probably because we smelled like death by that point in the trip.

To Biblically Know Me

Behold.....the Merlin. Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, VA.

Guess what guys? My camera still hasn't shown up yet...so its back to the east coast! Here are some random shots from fall 2009.

Once my replacement Nikon gets here, I reckon I can finally move past The Mexico Incident. Beyond $$$, I don't really care about my lost clothing, camping and hiking gear, but I have gotten into the habit of birding with a camera the last few years and now I feel naked without it. Well, I'm pretty damn comfortable without any clothes on, so it would be more accurate to say that I feel like I'm being ravaged by some flesh-eating bacteria. It is not pleasant.....but of course, I'll always be a birder over a photographer. I know where my priorities lie.

I was very confused about the identity of this bird. It lacked wings, feathers, scales, and was covered in a slimy mucus. It also stubbornly refused to move, although it wasn't on a nest of any sort. I later learned it was called a "frog", although I cannot seem to find frogs in any of my bird books. This Bullfrog (I assume) was at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland.

A Great Blue Heron endures a rainstorm. I dare somebody to identify the speck in the pine tree sitting above and to the left of the heron. @Blackwater.

Another bewildering bird of some sort. Photographed near Casselman, PA.

The weekend is imminent my friends. Although I have been living The Perpetual Weekend for quite some time now, I need to squeeze in as much SF as I can before I head out into the proverbial wilderness. The Keel-billed Toucans are calling to me, and soon I will have no choice but to join them in the woods. The siren song of the toucan is difficult to ignore. But until then, it will be whiskey, friends, punk rock and exotic foods. Speaking of which, I need to go look for an eggplant recipe, because I have no idea what you are supposed to do with those things. Later.

Royal Tern. I always find them to be very bald-looking in this plumage....which is fitting for a Florida bird. HEY-OH! Fort Clinch State Park, FL.

Such A Strange Way To Live

The improbable Black-necked Stilt. Photographed in Martinez, CA.

I know not everyone who comes here is a blogger, so let me clue you in to the BB&B writing process. First, there needs to be coffee. I must have coffee, preferable shade-grown and organic. Now is when the coffee sets in and I immediately deviate from what I set out to do.

Stellar's Jays never get old. At least for me.

So. A lot of people like coffee. I have a strong distrust of people who don't. I'm sorry, but its true. At any rate.....to put it simply, coffee is grown in three ways.....the commonest is the standard sun-grown, which uses a lot of chemicals and is what you can find at gas stations and greasy-spoons across the country. Then you have organic coffee, which leaves out many of the toxic pesticides and fertilizers used with sun-grown stuff. Or, as the Organic Coffee Association puts it: "In order for coffee to be certified and sold as organic in the United States, it must be produced in accordance with U.S. standards for organic production and certified by an agency accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. U.S. requirements for organic coffee production include farming without synthetic pesticides or other prohibited substances for three years and a sustainable crop rotation plan to prevent erosion, the depletion of soil nutrients, and control for pests." 

Yes, there are better White-tailed Kite pictures out there, but I recently had a dream about one so I feel the cosmos want me to post this here. Who am I to deny the cosmos?

Eared Grebe. Note the economy of style. Photographed at the Salton Sea, CA.

So this is a good thing. Finally, there is shade grown coffee. To put it simply, shade grown leaves the forest as intact as possible. Sun-grown coffee clear cuts it. Shade grown coffee plantations can still host vibrant ecosystems, sun grown plantations are almost worthless to wildlife. Whenever you buy run-of-the-mill coffee, you are often financially supporting cutting down rain forest, cloud forest, or some other awesome habitat that supports thousands of species of plants and wildlife. Do you really want to be doing that? We may live in a democracy, but lets face, we vote with our dollars too.

This Northern Harrier is missing a good chunk of her tail. Martinez, CA.

Look, I'm not trying to get all high and mighty on you. I love my shitty Waffle House coffee as much as the next guy. But if you are shopping at your local hippie market and are presented with the choice between Starbucks and something shade-grown, spend an extra dollar and get the good shit. You won't regret it.

Huh. Well apparently that's how I write a blog. I also had a Jehovah's Witness visit in the middle of it. None of these pictures have anything to do with coffee, but I think you should see them. Mahalo.

An immature Ferruginous Hawk in the 'burbs. Photographed at Willits, CA.

On The List Of The Friends To Drop

Hipsters and birds have been going hand-in-wing for a couple years. Birds festoon many an accessory and body part on kids from Portland Oregon to Portland Maine....they are (for good reason) a very popular tattoo. I have a couple myself, and am not planning on stopping there. Anyways, here's a good bit done by Portlandia that gives a nod to this recent trend and runs with it. Enjoy!

Gods, Men, Martyrs, Saints

Bat Falcons were fairly common throughout the swath of Mexico we birded, sometimes easily located on radio towers in small mountain towns. One of my new favorite birds.

Monday. Time is ticking before I head back to Mexico to work as a hawk counter, so I'll do my best to churn out some quality bloggage for ya'll. Again, all these species can readily be found as far north as Gomez Farias. All photos today provided by Nahtan Banfield.

Comida en Villa Escondida in Gomez Farias. Highly recommended.

Boat-billed Flycatcher. I never really knew these things existed until I saw one. They're like a beefy kiskadee but with a beak built to crush human skulls.

One time, in the midst of some withering mixed flock, I pointed out a Yellow-winged Tanager to the one known as "Stilt". Not only did she deny that the tanager was there, she denied the existence of the entire species for quite some time. It is important to stay hydrated and avoid getting too many life birds at once, or your brain will stop working.

Frank in the process of contracting ringworm from Francis The Cat. Feral animals love Frank, and frequently express their desire to be owned by him.

The aptly-named Blue Bunting. 

An Ivory-billed Woodcreeper snuffles along a mossy branch.