Western Scrub-Jay. Ventura, CA, May 2011.
May has always been a turbulent month for me. I'm always going from one bizarre place to another, usually with very little time to catch any shows or see any friends (though I was lucky this year!).
Today I drove from Lee Vining, California, all the way to Wells, Nevada, in and out of the huge storm that's encroaching on the west. This is after a late night of losing at poker (twice) and cheap beer and yelling at some racist dude from Baker. It's been a long day and a long drive, although it featured some unreal scenery and a few new birds for the year (Lewis' Woodpecker, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Mountain Bluebird). I'm too beat to unload my usual scathing wit and irresistible charm on all you loyal readers out there so here's a few snapshots from some of the more recent Mays I've had. Birders may be inclined to double-click on the auklet picture...
Tomorrow is Idaho, or maybe even Montana. Word.
Crested Auklets. Buldir Island, AK, May 2010.
White Tern chick. Midway Atoll, May 2009.
Stilt snoozes at Mary Jo Ballator's. Ash Canyon, AZ, May 2008.
Bird professionals. El Centro, CA, May 2007.
Peak molluscing. Near Hyampom, CA, May 2006.
Interesting.
ReplyDelete1. I dearly hope that the experience you had which made that auklet shot possible rendered you infinitely happy to be you that day. Looks like a TOTAL freaky COOOOOOL thing.
2. Speaking of NV and molluscs, was at Great Basin NP for a week for training (in my NPS days) and on the last day after class, the RM chief took some of us and some of his staff to the COOLest places in the park, including a stop at a spring where we rested and one of his employees went the the creeks edge, rooted around here and there (I think in the duff, just above the water?) and came back with TINY tiny GOLD LAME molluscs.
TINY, PERFECT, shiny gold shells. amazing.
And we also got to see amber-ized SUPER super old Neotoma poop piles. I had my picture taken with it. =) A big moment in dork-dom.
Happy, happy travels!
Golden molluscs???? I love gold....en molluscs. Yup, I whizzed right by Great Basin park, I wish I wouldve had more time...Im a big proponent of the sage. And yes, my first day in the auklet colony was...amazing.
ReplyDelete