I'm Not The Same As When I Began: Subspecies 2

Brown Booby. Sula leucogaster. This is Sula leucogaster plotus I believe, which is the subspecies that breeds in the Hawaiian Islands. Here in California we get the occasional brewsteri, which can be identified by the male's frosted white head. Photographed on Eastern Island, Midway Atoll. If you look carefully below her bill you can see the head of a newborn chick sticking up.

Nashville Warbler. Vermivora ruficapilla. This is the eastern subspecies Vermivora ruficapilla ruficapilla. V.r. ridgwayi is the western subspecies. Interestingly, genetic testing suggests that each of these subspecies are more closely related to Virginia's Warbler than they are to each other. A future split maybe?  Photographed at Powdermill Nature Preserve, PA.

White-eared Hummingbird (Basilinna leucotis) have 3 recognized subspecies. This is Basilinna leucotis borealis, the northernmost subspecies. The southern subspcies, B. l. pygmaea, makes it all the way south to Nicaragua. Photographed at Miller Canyon, AZ, which is the only reliable place in the country to find them.

Dunlin (with a few Western Sandpipers mixed in). Calidris alpina. I am guessing these are Calidris alpina pacifica, based on where the photo was taken, but obviously you can't determine anything from this picture. There are (up to) 9 subspecies of Dunlin worldwide, earning them the title of World's Most Diverse Shorebird. *NERD ALERT* To see an absolutely insane website on Dunlin subspecies identification, go here. Photographed in Petaluma, CA.

Black-capped Chickadee. Poecile atricapillus. This familiar and friendly bird also sports 9 subspecies, 8 of which occur in the United States. I would be lying if I knew what subspecies this belonged to...lets hope someone doesn't try to split them anytime soon. Photographed a Presque Isle State Park, PA.

Shut The Door So I Can Leave

An epic Madera Canyon sunset was a solid crowd-pleaser.

Well.....it seems Ive made it. I write to you, late on a Saturday night, from the Hidden Valley Four Seasons Resort, a posh piece of property that I would normally have no business on, seeing that A) I am not of the Elite and B) I have no interest, of any kind, that would motivate me to be here even if I could afford it.....although the trap and skeet range does strike my on-again off-again fancy with firearms.

What am I doing here? Monday I start my new job with Bat Conservation International, whom I will be working for until the middle of October.....and for reasons that I have yet to fully understand, the field housing for the project is located exclusively at this resort. I'm holed up in this condo, complete with loft, fireplace, a big stack of firewood, and all the essential furniture items, kitchenware, etc. Aside from the food and alcohol situation (which really is a whole situation in and of itself.....I'll explain later), I'm completely self-contained.

The journey out here, of course, was far more interesting than the destination....so far. But there are a lot of pictures.....so many pictures......so in order to capture the nerdy spirit of the thing I will just post a bunch of nonhuman (Inhuman?) pictures from Southeast Arizona, one of the birding meccas of United States.



A Monsoonbow off of Hwy 19, north of Madera Canyon.



The resident male Flame-Colored Tanager outside Madera Kubo Cabins.



Gobble Gobble Gobble Gobble Gobble Gobble Gobble.....

I got to a bird around Southeast Arizona with a bunch of half-crazies, the stars of which were veterans from the 2007/2008 Imperial Valley Burrowing Owl seasons. It was a breezy experience, to say the least. Berylline Hummingbirds and Buff-breasted Flycatchers were both new to me.....and I think it is safe to say, at this juncture, that things will never be the same. To put it bluntly, southeastern Arizona is a facemelting place to look at birds, and can test you physically and mentally....I've found myself Out There, on that high, jagged edge, more than once over the years. The intense heat and rigorous schedule of trying to see as much as you can in just a few days can do a number on you......but nothing a little rattlesnake won't cure, you know what I'm sayin'?

I start work tomorrow out here in the PA, I'll let you know how it goes. Otherwise, I'll post some more All-American Goodness from The Road in the near future.......until then, hold it down!



A bloodthirsty Brown-crested Flycatcher delivers its defeated prey to its bloodthirstier nestlings in the power pole. Shortly after this picture was taken, the flycatcher pair were documented attempting to stuff a small child into a cavity.



Two or three White-eared Hummingbirds were holding down the feeders at Beatty's in Miller Canyon. A truly awesome creature.



A Berylline Hummingbird in the process of assembling a giant, chewbaccaesque figure. No one quite understands the reasons for this.



A bedazzling male Broad-billed Hummingbird.



A Black-chinned Hummingbird shows off its chin-bling.



Although not a good picture, I kind of like it. Beware the Hooded Oriole that attacks by lamplight.

MISSION STATEMENT

Hello there!

Welcome to my blog. I have been blogging for about 4 years or so now, in a variety of capacities......you have the drunken college student, the jaded liberal, the music nerd, the gossip, the malcontent....and, occasionally, someone who writes for the sake of writings sake.

When I first started blogging, an (in)famous ex-girlfriend of mine, who had the brutal capacity of constantly speaking her sharpened mind, mentioned to me that I actually have the capacity to occasionally get in a groove and write something worth reading once in a while......about that time, I was incredibly obsessed with Hunter S. Thompson and couldnt help but get influenced by all the crazy shit he would write. An important distinction about Hunter was that not only did he write like a champion, he lived like one, as evidenced by numerous documentaries that have been made about him.

Anyways, Im losing focus here. The ex-girlfriend, knowing my strange obsession with birds, proclaimed "You should be like the Hunter S. Thompson of birds. You could show up at some rare bird wasted and slurring and chainsmoking, write about it and get paid for all of it."

I thought about that idea for a second, but didnt really see how I could seriously make a living off that. Birdwatchers are not exactly known for partying or dealing with off-color humor or having a strong sense for the absurd.....they are more known for having crippling psychological issues and social problems. Trust me, I know.

Although I never really took the thought seriously, there's no reason not to do it for the sake of doing it. I mean, its not like I go out birding with a head full of acid (although I know of a few people much more respected than I who have....), but writing about it from an angle that people just dont write about it is an attractive notion. Pete Dunne is a good writer, but any publication he gets in makes him pander more to octogenarians than anyone who is in.....um...."breeding condition". All part of the brutal ageism that I must battle here.

I dont write about this kind of thing in any other forum......so why not?


A quick background for the uninitiated:

- I have been birding since I have been 12. I am currently 26.

- The only employment Ive ever had has been in the capacity of a wildlife biologist.

- I think birdwatchers are generally ridiculous (myself included) and sometimes amazing people that are worth taking a closer look at.

Alright. Gratuitous bird picture above. This is a male White-eared Hummingbird in Miller Canyon, AZ, back in May....probably the first one seen in the United States this year. The illustrious biologist who we will call "Stilt" spotted it. Truly facemelting.

Anyways.....you get the idea here. Its all an exercise in nerdiness.......but possibly fun nonetheless.

How embarrassing.