Hangin' Up The Bins...Ubersocial Shorebirds...Mammologist Pity

Shorebirds. I love them deeply, and immensely. Look at this Greater Yellowlegs. It inspires me to become a better sandpip...er...er, person. Famosa Slough, San Diego, CA.

Well birders...its time to hang up the binoculars. The rigors and demands of a nonbirding life call, so I am pulling out of the whale's vagina (pun intended) for a week, to head up to northern California for a wedding. This is not the end of my reign in San Diego County however...I'll be spending the last two weeks of August here, wringing out vagrants. After that, Perpetual Weekend 2012-2013 will kick in and I will be free at last. 

What are shorebirds all about? Buddies. Unlike birders, they are really good at making friends. Same species, different species, it doesn't matter. They cannot help but team up. Like magnets. This Greater Yellowlegs and Wilson's Phalarope are a prime example.

This is what buddies do.

They stop and reflect on their short and hypothetically meaningless existences at the same time. The yellowlegs thinks it proper to scan the sky at times like these, the phalarope examines its own reflection. Two different philosophies. Neither is wrong.

I don't know what is happening here, but surely it is a sign of an enduring friendship and needle-billed comraderie. This phalarope was all about a small flock of Greater Yellowlegs, often foraging in the muddy water the yellowlegs would kick up as they walked around. The yellowlegs didn't seem to mind the phalarope's constant close proximity. Like I said...buddies.

People don't think of yellowlegs as being striking birds. This is usually true. But they look hella good for a few months of the year (front). Then they turn in to anonymous gray things (rear).

Light-footed Clapper Rail. Clapper Rails can afford to be less shy than their smaller cousins, because the terrible sounds they make would deter any predator. Famosa Slough, San Diego, CA.

This Clapper just sonically destroyed a small razor clam.


Heermann's Gull: a very nice gull. Sea World, San Diego, CA.

Is this a BB&B first? I think it is. Cassin's Kingbirds are widespread in southern California and do well in disturbed and suburban areas, especially in winter. Dairy Mart Ponds, Tijuana River Valley, CA.

This intricately colored coat of armor belongs to a Western Fence Lizard (I have no idea what subspecies). Pretty cool though. San Elijo Lagoon, CA.

Pretty amazing patterning for such a common (and small) beast. I feel bad for mammal enthusiasts. Fur doesn't come in many patterns...scales and feathers > hair.

An Incursion Of Boobies..."Never Tell Me The Odds"...The Goldmine of Melodrama

No, a small orange butterfly did not land on the tip of the bill of this White-breasted Nuthatch...the 'hatch is hoarding grubs in its bill, probably for some nuthatchlets in a nearby tree cavity. Laguna Campground, Laguna Mountains, CA.

Making booby jokes never gets old. We don't have many tits here in the states, so booby jokes prevail. Part of the title of this blog post comes from Uberblogger Nate Swick, who writes for 10,000 Birds, the ABA blog, and his very own Drinking Bird. How he has the time to do all this writing and research, have a real job (allegedly), and have a family is a mystery to me.

My field season has officially peaked folks. The Least Terns I've been monitoring are now officially doing horribly, and my work days will only be getting shorter as the weeks progress. It's pretty depressing. A lot of chicks are hatching, but only a tiny fraction are surviving, at least at the site I spend most of my time at. The Snowy Plovers seem to be doing a bit better at least...I got to band 5 adorable little plover chicklets yesterday.

This Steller's Jay was getting in on the maggot action as well. It was literally raining maggots from the trees, I've never experienced anything like it. Laguna Campground.

Otherwise, my status as Number 7 in the Nation continues to inspire people, birders and nonbirders alike. Some people could really use some of the education I can provide. To wit (whit?):

Last week, a singing Alder Flycatcher was reported in Northern California, and it was noted that its song was recorded. This is an exceptionally rare bird here, and nothing seals the deal of this staggering rarity like a recording of its song. Shortly afterward, it was decided that bird was actually an Eastern Wood-Pewee, which is fine, because this species resides on the same pleateau of crippling rarity here in the west. THEN, someone who actually knew what they were doing looked at the bird, and it was a fucking Eastern Phoebe...still a good bird here, but not a bird that would cause blood to boil (like the Curlew Sandpiper I saw on Sunday).

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? The misidentifications, the communication breakdowns...I feel sorry for anyone who went out of their way to look for this thing. No, I'm not shit-talking inexperienced birders (not that I can remember what that's like, hey-oh!), I'm just wondering how this phoebe was presented to the birding community on the duel delicious platters of Empidonax alnorum and Contpus virens...apparently sound recordings of this bird do exist, but as far as I can they are not privy to the birding masses. Although I have seen and heard  Alder Flycatcher all of once, I have run into the other species of this disastrous train wreck many a time, and I can tell you they do NOT sound alike.

It's an Alder Flycatcher...it's an Eastern Wood-Pewee...oops, no, its a Steller's Jay.

Perhaps the birding community is suffering...suffering from AN INCURSION OF BOOBIES!

No I'm just joking about that, I just had to say it. Anyways, to continue...Alder Flys and Eastern Wood-Pewees do look somewhat alike, yes...but NEITHER look like an Eastern Phoebe. All of these species are in different genera, for Christ's sake. A clusterfuck for the ages....only someone like C3P0 could calculate the odds of this chain of events unfolding at a relatively unknown fish hatchery in northern California...

Right. Speaking of clusterfucks and a big waste of time, I highly recommend you go check out the death of a cyber birding community in Maryland.......something like the Human Birdwatcher Project ("Birders are people too!") could probably do years of research on the goldmine of melodramatic and straight up hateful messages on there. The Drinking Bird has already linked to it, but I think this "discussion" really is funny to look at...check it out here!

Lark Sparrow. It has a face anyone can love. Laguna Campground.

California Ground-Squirrel...right? Laguna Campground.

This Western Fence Lizard is doing a stand up job (literally) at defending his piece of fence. Look at the height of that push up! Look at the hanging blue throat flap! I love it.

Lesser Goldfinch. They seem more dignified when not ravenously attacking a bird feeder. Old Mission Dam, San Diego, CA.

White-tailed Kite in regrettable light. I do like the affect it has on it the different shades of darkness coming through it's primaries and secondaries...it took me a while to realize/appreciate that. Old Mission Dam.

Forster's Tern. Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Imperial Beach, CA.

Marbled Godwits, a couple Whimbrels and a Willet. One of the Coronado Islands (Mexico) lurks/looms invitingly in the background. As you may be aware...there are boobies there. Tijuana Slough.

Pied-billed Grebe. It was probably trying to catch something with more fins or legs, not flossing with algae. Old Mission Dam.

Ok, I know some of you came here expecting to see some boobies, so here is a giant, white booby for you. Judging from the horror stories I've heard from other researchers, you do not want these boobies in your face though. This vicious Masked Booby was at Midway Atoll.

Crazy-looking Mexican

You know you're in San Diego when some crazy-looking Mexican thing pops up in front of you and you go brain-dead for about 10 seconds because you cannot reconcile where you are with what you are looking at. That's what happened when I "slung glass" at this White-collared Seedeater. Needless to say, it is a "plastic" bird,  and you'd have to be a real "stringer" to "tick" it. Dairy Mart Ponds, Tijuana River Valley, CA.

I'm really not used to this business of working in places that actually have people and culture. It's an alien concept to me. I'm even going to a punk show this week....the last time I did that outside of northern California was in San Antonio, Texas, in 2009 (Dead To Me/Banner Pilot!). Of course, living on the east side of the city, I'm awfully close to El Cajon, Lakeside, and several other towns whose denizens make you question what humanity really has to offer...right "bro"? Sick. But I know some good people who crawled their way out of there, so I can only talk so much shit.

I've been birding a lot and working almost as much since I've arrived here. The year birds have been coming at a steady rate, although I've been hampered by being a little stale with my ear-birding. Spring has certainly sprung for a lot of species already, but the vast bulk of migrants will be arriving and moving through over the course of this month. The one bird I really have my eye on is Gray Vireo, who nest about an hour away. This would be life bird....

By the way, is there any lingo out there synonomous with "life bird"? I mean, that's one of the most significant things in birding...is that all the slang there is? Referring to something as "new" or a "first" doesn't count, its just a basic boring description. We need to get creative, people.

Look at this thing! What a stubby bill. I can't believe it's called a "seedeater", what a bloody nondescript name. If you ever bird down here, be warned that a few do lurk in the area.

Meet my first Great-tailed Grackle of the year. Many more will follow...I even ran into a pair on the beach today, pretending they were Snowy Plovers. Kumeyaay Lake, CA.

White-throated Swifts are not hard to come by in much of southern California, but even a passing picture is reason to rejoice. Apologies for the "noise" by the way, I think some settings in my camera got reset after it went for a swim....damn you high ISO!

And here is one of my first Rufous Hummingbirds of the year. Not a diagnostic picture, I know, you'll just have to take my word for it. Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, CA.

For most of the state, Anna's Hummingbird is the only hummingbird species that hangs out year-round. I've never heard anyone spouting accolades about their vocal abilities, but Anna's are one of the few North American hummingbirds who actually sing.

Here you go, the first Phainopepla I have ever photographed. Hopefully the next one will be on a more photogenic perch, in better light, and substantially closer. Mission Trails Park, CA.

Whenever you are having a bad day, just be grateful you do not suffer from some terrible face disease that causes one of your eyes to swell shut. Then you would be easy pickins (pickens?) for a Sharp-shinned Hawk. This not-stoked House Finch and his concerned/repulsed lady-friend were at Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, CA...and yes, we have orange House Finches.

I'm not sure where this fits in with the "Bourbon, Bastards and Birds" theme, but when I was a little kid I was STOKED to find lizards, whether they were common Western Fence Lizards like this one, or rarer stuff like leopard lizards and desert iguanas. An interest in herpetology more often than not is just another avenue to becoming a birdwatcher (how embarrassing), I can assure you.

Song Sparrow. The zoo, without a doubt, has the tamest Song Sparrows I've ever seen. They are so happy to be there, they actually sneak into cages. San Diego Zoo (wild bird).