The World Is An Oyster Locked In A Shell

A Red-necked Phalarope takes off with a valuable piece of crud. Somewhere in San Mateo County waters, CA.

Ouch. Excruciating back pain and a ravaging illness....all completely unexplained...are both pummeling my body as we speak. The thought of producing any sort of output, creative or otherwise, makes me wince. But BB&B readers must be satiated, or I fear they will throw their laptops into their bath tubs with them and call it a day.

I understand this. We are doing new and fantastic things at BB&B headquarters that have never even been conceived of before, let alone actually tried. The Birdosphere is abuzz, the kudos and accolades are rolling in with the speed and power of an Indonesian tidal wave. Things may never be the same.

Red-shouldered Hawk. Looking for things to murder with its feet. V Street Loop, Arcata, CA.

Juvenile Long-billed Dowitchers sew the mud for deliciousness. Arcata Marsh, Arcata, CA.

I was kept, for the most part, remarkably busy while in Arcata, both with bird and nonbird beings alike. Please accept my apologies for leaving you hanging for so long. I assume you are aware of some of the other excellent bird blogs out there....and if not, there is a handy list located somewhere on the left side of your screen. Few offer the same taste of insightfulness, absurdity, and bullshit that BB&B deals out, but they are good (lets face it, better) for many other reasons.

American Goldfinch with cool tail molt. Lake Merced, San Francisco, CA.

Today's suite of bird porno shots have been taken from the last couple weeks of my travels, which are anywhere from 40 miles offshore from Half Moon Bay, California, north to Humboldt County. The year list continues to climb, and the occasional rare bird makes it all the sweeter. As I have stated before, now is the time to find one yourself...the Marsh Sandpiper just found in Baja California speaks for itself, and makes a mockery of all self-respecting birders on the continental west coast of the United States and Canada.

How did we miss it? Where were you when the Marsh Sandpiper flew overhead? These are disturbing questions, and the only answer is to find a bird so rare that it will make you forget these horrible doubts.

There you have it. Now go forth and bird.

Cassin's Auklets are poorly built for flying, but they clearly inspired Jesus to attempt a remarkable feat. With his feet. San Francisco County, CA.