Try To Stop Us, It's No Use

Check out this merciless Franklin's Gull.

Good Wednesday to you, birders of the world. How are you today? I have returned safely from my beloved San Francisco, getting my Y2K11 Bullock's Orioles, Olive-sided Flycatchers and Yellow-billed Magpies in the process...there is much catch-up to do from  and am now in full-blown wedding preperation phase. Some old buddies are getting hitched on Thursday in Santa Barbara, and I don't even have my groomsman suit yet. Balls!

Everything is changing very quickly. San Francisco was a scene of carnage...marriages being announced, relationships ending, abundant awkward situations, alcohol seemingly flooding the streets. But it was a really good trip overall...I knew it would be when I parked next to the old Sunset Space Station...upon stepping out of my car, I realized I was directly under a big bulky Bushtit nest. Talk about an omen! So between seeing Frank Turner (England's best export) play a rousing set (thats what the music critics say, yeah?), seeing lots of old friends and being one of the stars of "the olive oil incident", everything was great. And although I made no attempts to bird, it was hard to ignore the singing Pacific Wrens and the hundreds of Cedar Waxwings causing trouble across the street from the Space Station...we are in the midst of Spring, after all. 

Hundreds of them were flying north along the coastline at Alvorado, south of Veracruz. They significantly outnumbered Laughing Gulls, which was disturbing on some level. Good shit.

After the wedding, I am setting out for Mono Lake and beyond...there will be much birding to do and catching up with Neutral Drew and The Grub. I will try my best to get as much blogging in as possible before I arrive at my summer home, Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota. There are rumors of "The Internet" being found out there, so hopefully Lostwood will be the unofficial host of many a BB&B post...

After leaving California, I'll be going through Nevada, Idaho and Montana...there will be some time for birding, but not a lot. Much distance to cover, in a short amount of time. Railer. But, since the Dakotas are not famous for any cultural hubs, I think there will be plenty of time for birding over the summer...

A formidable formation of Brown Pelicans.

Black-bellied Plover. A distant shot, but its such a slick looking bird...the Oreo of plovers.

All of these photos are from the coastal Veracruz area, when I had a couple free days after I left Chavarrillo and before I left the country. Jesus, what a birdy area! Circumstances prevented searching for Crane Hawk, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Pinnated Bittern and Double-striped Thicknee...and we dipped on Black-collared Hawk...but we did see a ton of other sweet, sweet birds and I got my lifer Grassland Yellow-Finch, so I don't have much to complain about. That's an area I really want to bird again....but it will have to wait a while.

It was fun San Francisco! Can't wait to do it again. Things might never be the same...

This flood control channel in Veracruz was packed with an amazing variety of birds. Everything from Black Skimmer to Northern Waterthrush, and too many shorebirds to fully grasp. Not the most scenic of sites, but the birds will take what they can get...Mexicans enjoy draining and destroying wetland habitats just as much as us gringos do. 

In the channel were gaggles of preposterous-looking Northern Jacanas. GAGGLES.