tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44514848121608655212024-02-03T04:58:19.365-05:00The Feather and the Flower"I arise every morning torn between the desire to save the world and the desire to savor the world. It makes it hard to plan the day." --E. B. Whitenoflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.comBlogger277125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-80840845938827094872010-11-19T06:00:00.001-05:002010-11-20T22:38:05.523-05:00And Now for Something Completely Different [Dispersals]All right, it's time I did something I should have done a while ago: close down this blog. Maybe "close down" is misleading as I'm not stopping, just moving elsewhere. Come check out my new blog, <a href="http://featherflower.wordpress.com">Feathers and Flowers</a>.<br /><br />Best bet, check out my first post there, "<a href="http://featherflower.wordpress.com/2010/08/01/new-place/">New Place, New Stuff</a>" to understand why I'm relocating and what the new blog is all about. Thanks for dropping by here, and for those who returned regularly, I hope you'll stop by my new digs.<br /><br />- Mike<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-53845131674377067292010-05-09T06:00:00.000-04:002010-05-09T10:36:56.788-04:00Biggest Week in American Birding [Alternatives]It's almost here, the biggest week in American birding! Migrant songbirds have been flooding into the region, birders will be descending into the state to find them, and I will be spending a week searching out the most reliable places to locate dozens of different species. It's going to be awesome!<br /><br />Yes, this afternoon I'll be heading east on I-86 to . . . what's that? Ohio is <span style="font-style: italic;">west </span>of New York? Right, I'm not that geographically challenged. <br /><br />Anyway, I'll be heading east . . . what? No, I don't mean west, that'd take me out on to Pennsyltucky. I'm heading to northern New Jersey.<br /><br />Oh, I know there's a festival where everyone-who-is-anyone will be migrant watching, but I'll be at the original biggest week, that granddaddy of competitive birding: that week-long run up to the World Series of Birding in New Jersey. <br /><br />I won't be blogging, possibly I'll throw a tweet out now and again, or maybe a facebook update. I will be out at all hours noting any newly-arrived songbirds, pinpointing territories of breeders, staking out any lingering winter birds, searching for raptor nests, listening for what may be lurking in various wetlands, chasing a vagrant or two . . . a little bit of everything. <br /><br />I've <a href="http://featherflower.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-came-i-saw-i-scouted-wrapping-up.html">done this before</a>, but this year already feels like a whole new ball game. The "Big Day" is late (mid-May!) and spring came early this year (not astronomically, but ornithologically). Usually we're scrambling to find the newly-arrived warblers, hoping the Canada Warbler is back on its territory before Saturday, hoping the Tennessee, Bay-breasted, and Blackpoll Warblers (the harbingers of "the end of spring migration") will have reached this far north. This year, they're already there! Leaves are out, Blue-headed Vireos have already quieted down, replaced by their ubiquitous Red-eyed brethren. <br /><br />It's not all fun-and-games, sleep-deprivation, and supplementing our year lists. You can read how we use the competition to fund conservation work (and meet the team, hear additional stories, and more) at <a href="http://www.birds.cornell.edu/wsb/letter-to-supporters">the Lab's web site</a>.<br /><br />Finally, you can follow <a href="http://twitter.com/noflickster">my tweets</a> (no promises, I may need those precious seconds for quick cat-like naps), as well as those <a href="http://twitter.com/Team_eBird">from the Sapsuckers</a> through the week and especially on the Big Day, which runs on Saturday, 15 May this year. <br /><br />Wish us luck!<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-49967016485254127822010-04-27T07:00:00.003-04:002010-04-27T11:07:45.231-04:00Blue Birds [Unexpectations]George Carlin famously asked, "Where is the blue food?" something that has nagged at me for years. Blueberries? "Blue on the vine," he points out, "purple on the plate."<br /><br />Blue birds, however, are easy to come by: here in the eastern U.S. we've got our Eastern Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Grosbeaks, Cerulean Warblers, and Blue Jays to name a few. Other regions around the world have their share as well. You'll find Pinyon and Stellar's Jays in the western U.S., Red-legged Honeycreepers in the neotropics, House Martins in Europe and tropical Africa, the Common Peafowl from the Indian subcontinent and aviary collections everywhere; the point being blue isn't uncommon in the bird world.<br /><br />But what you don't find are Blue Storks, because generally you don't find storks that are blue in the wild.<br /><br />Until now.<br /><br /><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8643375.stm?ls" target="blank">The BBC reports here</a> on an oddly colored stork that appeared in a small town in Germany, one that is attracting quite a bit of attention and, in turn, tourism. Not to mention speculation, what turned this bird blue?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Bonus link</span>: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l04dn8Msm-Y" target="blank">watch Carlin's "Blue Food" routine</a> on Youtube.<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-38428175222638813712010-03-11T18:00:00.002-05:002010-03-11T20:08:44.384-05:002010 State of the Birds Report on Climate Change [Extra, Extra!]Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today released the 2010 State of the Birds report, the first assessment of the vulnerability of our nation’s birds to climate change. The analysis of nearly 800 bird species shows that climate change is predicted to disrupt birds in every habitat, with seabirds and Hawaiian birds among the most vulnerable.<br /><br />“Birds are excellent indicators of the health of our environment, and right now they are telling us an important story about climate change,” said Dr. Kenneth Rosenberg, director of Conservation Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “Many species of conservation concern will face heightened threats, giving us an increased sense of urgency to protect and conserve vital bird habitat.”<br /><br />The report highlights conservation initiatives and partnerships needed to advance conservation efforts, and discusses how climate change affects birds in every habitat, based on an analysis by a team of scientists from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Audubon, The Nature Conservancy, American Bird Conservancy, and others.<br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.stateofthebirds.org/">www.stateofthebirds.org</a> for the full story, or jump right to the <a href="http://www.stateofthebirds.org/newsroom/2010-news-release">News Release</a> for the key findings.<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-17752697432910403552010-02-25T07:00:00.000-05:002010-02-25T07:00:00.495-05:00Young Birder's Event at the Cornell Lab [Gatherings]The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is excited to host The Cornell Lab Young Birders Event, which will be held August 12‐15, 2010 in Ithaca, New York. The Young Birders’ Event aims to bring together teenagers with a passion for birds and interested in pursing a career in the field. You’ll meet people who have successful careers that involve birds in a variety of ways from ornithological researchers to tour leaders, to audio specialists and computer scientists. High school aged young birders are invited to fill out our application form and return it for review by April 15th 2010. Ten young birders will be selected and notified in late April.<br /><br />The Young Birder’s Event will feature:<br /><ul>• two days of field trips<br />• presentations by Cornell Lab of Ornithology staff including professors, researchers,<br />and students who will share various ways to incorporate birds into a career<br />• eBird and field notes workshop<br />• specimen preparation workshop<br />• sound recording workshop<br />• tour of Cornell Lab including the Macaulay Library and Museum of Vertebrates<br />• dinner with Cornell Lab Directors and Staff</ul>Read more about <a href="http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/YB2009">this year's event</a>, and check out a recap of <a href="http://www.birds.cornell.edu/netcommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1375">last year's inaugural event</a>. Be sure to spread the news, especially if you know or work with young birders!<br /><br />--noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-47420166011839886672010-02-14T07:00:00.003-05:002010-02-14T07:00:05.030-05:00My Dog is a What? [Survey Says!]Today is a significant milestone. Barron, among the best friends I've had in my lifetime, turns fifteen years old today - Happy Birthday, good buddy!<br /><br />I recently <a href="http://featherflower.blogspot.com/2010/01/canine-genotypes-and-phenotypes-who-are.html">gave an overview of his personality</a> where I wondered about his lineage. I didn't know his parents, so I've only been able to wonder what breeds co-mingled to create such a mild-mannered but energetic, mellow but attentive, focused but aware, loyal but social companion.<br /><br />Recently we sent a vial of blood to the <a href="http://www.wisdompanel.com/">Wisdom Panel lab</a> for a DNA test. And now the results are in.<br /><br /><blockquote>The picture below shows the breeds detected in Barron. The relative size of the breed image shows the amount of each breed detected in our analysis. There are also signals from other breeds which are not strong enough to identify with confidence. How can these faint signals occur? There are two possibilities. First, your dog could have mixed-breed ancestors beyond three generations back. A second reason is that our test may not yet cover one of the breeds in your dog’s ancestry.</blockquote><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6uOZA7H8gNcCQckXPDUta5KIpo1Kw0MNfbabYOdjqo8g7Sbcv9yLNM1XaNQj8bVz7jgsQuHRfRX0zWDaMbUiGhvIyNzrVU7vRRPcWf5L6aK0Ny5LUJQcR6fA1ZG_C7gZDUmmFZesMhaM/s1600-h/BreedReport-01.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6uOZA7H8gNcCQckXPDUta5KIpo1Kw0MNfbabYOdjqo8g7Sbcv9yLNM1XaNQj8bVz7jgsQuHRfRX0zWDaMbUiGhvIyNzrVU7vRRPcWf5L6aK0Ny5LUJQcR6fA1ZG_C7gZDUmmFZesMhaM/s400/BreedReport-01.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437909582187999442" border="0" /></a><blockquote><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">HOW TO INTERPRET YOUR DOG’S RESULTS</span><br />When reading your report, keep in mind that all physical traits of the breeds found may not always be apparent in your dog. Why? Because a mixed-breed dog’s appearance varies depending on the overall mix of breeds found. When dominant and recessive genes combine from the different breeds across the generations, unique and unpredictable combinations can occur. This is a big reason why your dog may not exhibit the physical traits of each breed we found.<br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Significant Breed</span> - At least 50% of your dog’s DNA comes from this breed, so you are likely to see some physical and behavioral traits from this breed represented unless some of the genes are recessive.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Intermediate Breed</span> - At least 25% of your dog’s DNA comes from this breed, so you may see some physical and behavioral traits represented in your dog.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Minor Breed</span> - At least 12.5% of your dog’s DNA comes from this breed, so it is unlikely that this breed’s physical traits are visually represented unless some of the genes are dominant.</li></ul></blockquote><br />The vast majority of folks trying to identify him by phenotype alone picked Chow Chow, and if you guessed Chow, pat yourself on the back! He's got blue-black pigment on his mostly-pink tongue, he's got the lion-like ruff of fur, he's got the very straight rear legs and the stilted gait of a Chow. But, clearly, he's not pure Chow. The real guessing game began with German Shepard Dog or another of the Chow-like spitz types, Akita, Elkhound, and Keeshond, topping the list.<br /><br />Those guesses were obviously (in the 20/20 hindsight kind of way) wrong, wrong, and wrong. No one ever, ever, suspected a representative from the mountain dog group. Let alone one called a . . . a what? Entlebucher Mountain Dog? Turns out, if you're not from Switzerland you have no chance of saying that properly.<br /><br />Regarding the classification into "Significant Breed" and "Intermediate Breed," I simplify it this way: one of Bear's parents was a Chow Chow, descended from Chow Chows. The other parent was a mix, the offspring of an Entlebucher Mountain Dog and another that was either a mix itself, or a breed not yet entered in Wisdom Panel's database. I hope they kept some blood on ice for a retest in a few years.<br /><br />Chows are fairly well known. The report gives a brief summary that reads,<br /><br /><blockquote>The Chow Chow is a venerable breed dating back at least two thousand years. Many believe that the breed originated in China, but there is some evidence that indicates the Chow Chow actually migrated to China from Mongolia and Manchuria. While no one can say for sure from which breeds the Chow Chow has descended, it is believed that the breed has Tibetan mastiff and Samoyed in its bloodline. The Chow Chow served a dual purpose in China. Some were used for hunting while others were used to guard the sacred temples from evil entities. The East Indian Company brought the Chow Chow to England in 1781 and Queen Victoria received Chow Chows as a gift in 1865. During the 1880’s, the numbers of Chow Chows imported increased drastically. The Chow Chow is one of the oldest known breeds, recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1903.</blockquote><br />The report asks, "Do you recognize any of these Chow Chow traits in Barron?"<br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Reputation as a loyal family dog.</span> -- Most definitely.</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Independent spirit, but responds to reward-based obedience training.</span> -- Not really. I wouldn't call him an independent spirit, but he certainly responds to reward-based obedience training. </li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Reserved and wary with strangers.</span> -- Nope, not even close.</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">May require socialization to reduce defensive aggressive tendencies. There have been reported incidents of Chow Chows being aggressive with other pets or people.</span> -- Nope, friendly with anyone/everyone, though he snaps at the cats once in a while. When they're too close to his food.</li></ul><br />And what about an Entlebucher Mountain Dog? (<a href="http://images.google.com/images?q=entlebucher+mountain+dog&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=vmB3S4XgAsrQ8QbvyJX0CQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBQQsAQwAA">Gallery of images</a>)<br /><br /><blockquote>The Entlebucher Mountain dog, also known as the Entlebucher Sennenhund or Entlebucher Cattle dog, is the smallest of the four Swiss Mountain dogs. It is a dog native to the Entlebuch district in Switzerland, near the city of Lucerne. The breed originated from the large Molosser breed that was introduced into Switzerland by the Romans during the 1st century BC. The Entlebucher was first recognized as a separate breed in 1869 and the first breed club was founded in 1926. The Entlebucher Mountain Dog is extremely popular in Switzerland but is rarely seen in other countries. At one point, they were in danger of becoming extinct. The first Entlebuchers were kept for their herding and guarding skills. However, nowadays they are kept as family dogs. The breed has been a member of the American Kennel Club’s Foundation stock service since 2000.</blockquote><br />These are the traits typical of Entlebuchers:<br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Requires regular physical activity and training, excelling in competitive sports. It is intelligent and responds well to obedience training using a reward based system.</span> -- Definitely intelligent and food-motivated as a reward system. He never minded physical activity and training, though panosteitis, arthritis, and hip dysplasia limited what we did.</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Large, active, gentle, loyal, working dogs.</span> -- Most definitely. </li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">This breed is loyal and protective of its family and property.</span> -- Loyal, for sure. Protective, not really. I always thought if someone broke in our home, rather than chase them off he'd help them carry stuff out to the van. </li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Requires early socialization with other dogs and people.</span> -- I don't know about this, but if he required it, he must have had it.</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">May be wary of strangers.</span> -- Again with the wariness? Nope. And the Entlebucher Sennenhund WWW site claims the opposite: "Friendly, with pleasant personalities, Entlebuchers enjoy being around people, and other dogs." I suppose this is where he gets his, "I never met a stranger" attitude.</li></ul><br />Now, having read up on Entlebucher Mountain Dogs, I see him differently. Some things he does we just look and say, "What an Entlebucher!" And physically we can see some mountain dog features, from his coloring to his muscular build. But many features appear to be intermediate between Chow and Mountain Dogs, such as his muzzle, which is shorter than the Entlebucher but not as short as a Chow. His ears are longer than a Chow but shorter than a Entlebucher, and his tail is fuzzy and set high like a Chow, but not held close to the back. It's longer and carried higher than a Chow, I presume like an Entlebucher.<br /><br />Though I wonder what the "Intermediate Breed" might be and how that is expressed in his physical traits and behavior, I am excited to have a mostly complete picture of his ancestry and watch him in that context.<br /><br />Barron, it's great to re-meet you!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/he5HxL09stWfklxrsgUOSA?authkey=Gv1sRgCPySvoaq_umnVQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzuS90PA3XvOcCVh13e2lhQ_LjDeCIsQ02ys7Tfvpvd0rLgmPQuVABE19ZSkd-13CXNWyWlfa6kEZ18UcN-Sp4wdd4Q9W1GIIfdCrzWhq3YzdCrL7FAWT7qVGup23Q_TSi8ValumAJjUg/s400/IMG_7838.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">More images in <a href="http://featherflower.blogspot.com/2010/01/canine-genotypes-and-phenotypes-who-are.html">my previous post</a>.</span><br /></div><br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-51270807679796279142010-02-11T06:00:00.004-05:002010-02-11T06:00:04.200-05:00Counting Crows . . . and Jays and Chickadees [Fun & Games]<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/" target="blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 76px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ZDqDZjjU-9aK_ofZcERI0rBleoGwF7DoZA7By_vLkW4wrR4Jn9DPh9yjDQSI2G1DUOKPiWCzof3KtfQ5-l2xaW_ieFxFSA6dV5BjN9XtUpQxr0dRtaS0Ds6o1q9MW5QexhQ_caFukNmD/s400/GBBC_image_preview.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436793667895816626" border="0" /></a>The annual <a href="http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/" target="blank">Great Backyard Bird Count</a> is on, let the games begin! Every day there are thousands of people watching birds across North America. Over the next four days (Friday, February 12<sup>th</sup> through 15<sup>th</sup>) there will be thousands of people watching and <span style="font-style: italic;">counting </span>birds across North America, some for the first time, all to create a snapshot of where the birds are spending their winter. It's simple: observe birds; track a few necessary details (like when, where, and who); and upload your list on the easy-to-use web site.<br /><br />Well, check out <a href="http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/press/news-stories/gbbc-presentation">this video</a>, it's worth a thousand-word blog post all on its own. You'll learn the whats, wherefores, and how tos. But also explore the web site to learn about birds, to see how your submissions are used by scientists, to see photos from past counts, and especially to get ideas on how to involve beginning birders and kids - from past experience I can tell you, it's great for kids!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0WADEs0gKPCl8G6o1UpTDw?authkey=Gv1sRgCPySvoaq_umnVQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nG33vdwmDnmCshwFJnDe9wtRPUF6ueYEwIjRp5qYdZj8g72mga5oz7Nlkgx8JpaqNm3j5v6jFkvurjUrS57LjWg0TN_AwcJ46O5QBMV-mLxz2o_-RCcWhtDrZSVykXqA4smTB8_PcTa-/s400/IMG_0600.JPG" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The GBBC is a great excuse, if you need one,<br />to get your kids involved with nature.<br /></span></div><br />Granted, watching birds is the best part. But it's a real trip to watch the map as it regularly updates throughout the weekend in near-real time with the most recent submissions, to track how many checklists come in from your town, and to see what birds are being seen where.<br /><br />So, if nothing else, try and get out and collect a few checklists. Even better, attend a bird walk or workshop at a local nature center, or just get a few others out with you and introduce them to nature and citizen science. I'll be covering where I can in my county, will you do the same?<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-50048775969056723102010-02-02T07:00:00.003-05:002010-02-02T07:00:03.420-05:00Let the (Re)counting Begin! [Fun & Games]A couple of days ago <a href="http://featherflower.blogspot.com/2010/01/im-going-bowling-fun-games.html">I wrote</a> that I was off to compete in the <a href="http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuaries/Joppa_Flats/news.php?id=1240&event=no">Superbowl of Birding</a> with five BINMIPs.* Now, here in the balmy Southern Tier of New York where the highs are hovering at the 30*F mark, I've thawed enough so I can start typing about the last couple of days. "Balmy" may not be a word that comes to mind when describing anywhere in New York in winter, but it fits when compared to this past weekend in Essex County, Massachusetts.<br /><br />Our goal for the weekend: have <span style="font-style: italic;">wicked-fun</span>, in Massachusetts parlance, finding birds while hanging out with other bloggers. Couched within that prime directive was to participate, if not win, the Superbowl. Christopher, our host and captain, assembled a team he thought would mesh well, and he did an admirable job. He was like the Joe Jackson to the Jackson Five, only without the violence and emotional cruelty. Maybe more the Lou Perlman of Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC infamy? The creators of Spice Girls?<br /><br />The point is, with respect to compatibility and birding prowess, Chris hand-picked a excellent group. In no particular order**, your 2010 Bloggerhead Kingbirds were:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOiWcwrjpPlTHTawBowrVk976r2CPhGb8whHpBjZYGtx0rN_OJty3ouYO0d8x-cC3BXPivoGpWMFBqSjpcHl__ChN99kF5W-1ujE_0lLhdAkfwctzeKvXTztYz-Mk8tJBr2wgNqIBHvEgN/s1600-h/BloggerheadKingbirds_9999_339.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOiWcwrjpPlTHTawBowrVk976r2CPhGb8whHpBjZYGtx0rN_OJty3ouYO0d8x-cC3BXPivoGpWMFBqSjpcHl__ChN99kF5W-1ujE_0lLhdAkfwctzeKvXTztYz-Mk8tJBr2wgNqIBHvEgN/s400/BloggerheadKingbirds_9999_339.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433495186016459138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The 2010 Bloggerhead Kingbirds: Christopher, Nathan,<br />Corey, Andrew, and John (unfortunately, cut off on the rocks).</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Christopher of the </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.picusblog.com/">Picus Blog</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span> Not only was Chris was the mastermind in putting together the right people, as the only local he put the team on the right path. He scouted the area in the weeks (or at least days) before the Big Day, tracked sightings of hard-to-find and/or rare birds, mapped the route, and ultimately kept us all on schedule. Above it all, he actively tried to find birds that most interested the team - particularly those that would be lifers.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJYbuuGmQHb-is1ym4A5HDbm9YfOCoOoFjuhBGOhsak5j1xRetza8_qLIzDpUdnHb7KreuRmtUXsDODNgFMBiUkS-9iG0h_aaHGR-Qt-nYXvYiWf7PzwyaoDbCfSzsRmpDidm93Dgkx-B2/s1600-h/Digiscoping_9999_55.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJYbuuGmQHb-is1ym4A5HDbm9YfOCoOoFjuhBGOhsak5j1xRetza8_qLIzDpUdnHb7KreuRmtUXsDODNgFMBiUkS-9iG0h_aaHGR-Qt-nYXvYiWf7PzwyaoDbCfSzsRmpDidm93Dgkx-B2/s400/Digiscoping_9999_55.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433495183573541490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Christopher and John "shooting" waterfowl and gulls in Gloucester Harbor.</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">John of </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://dendroica.blogspot.com/">A DC Birding Blog</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span> If you've read John's blog, which you really should if you're not a subscriber already, you know he is careful, methodical and thorough, with an attentive eye to detail as he scrutinizes a situation, whether it's researching a blog post or watching birds in the field. Those traits are especially valuable in observing and identifying birds, particularly during a competition. We could confidently leave each location knowing all things feathered had been found and given the once over before moving on.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nate, the</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://thedrinkingbirdblog.com/"> Drinking Bird</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span> On his blog, Nate combines the all-too-rare ability of balancing serious topics with the right amount humor, even during a well-constructed rant. In person, Nate also combines the all-too-rare ability of balancing serious efforts with the right amount humor. Our dealings with frozen extremities, a near-painful lack of sleep, uncooperative birds, frustrating heat shimmers, and Massachusetts drivers were barely noticeable through the laughter. A few Dunkin' Donuts stops helped.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Yours Truly.</span> I'm horrible with self-exploration, so as Forrest Gump would say, that's all I've got to say about that.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1XpL2rfLtat7U9C5iRux6-q-cB_TZc5Wc3t1g22iL0npCE4KXyIH020pKmGnigLrutsVoyCzQmnLkMCf0TyxP6y9_VmNPdhHxOFwz8dFIoVPpM1M-cPghC-lFecF-lh1qK1WNRtY5FZ4/s1600-h/BirdingDude_9999_17.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1XpL2rfLtat7U9C5iRux6-q-cB_TZc5Wc3t1g22iL0npCE4KXyIH020pKmGnigLrutsVoyCzQmnLkMCf0TyxP6y9_VmNPdhHxOFwz8dFIoVPpM1M-cPghC-lFecF-lh1qK1WNRtY5FZ4/s400/BirdingDude_9999_17.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433494514429941634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Andrew scans for waterfowl, gulls, and anything else of interest.</span><br /></div> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Andrew, the</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.birdingdude.blogspot.com/"> Birding Dude</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span> We maintained an enviable pace throughout the day, running in high gear well past the final buzzer, primarily due to Andrew's contagious enthusiasm. Andrew came closer to actually twitching with excitement while birding than anyone I've birded with before. Not physically, of course (maybe a little, due to the cold), but mentally his mind was resonating with the task of bird finding. In addition, Andrew kept us focused with periodic promptings about our species count, the point total, what species we needed, and where we could still find those birds. A few Dunkin' Donuts stops helped here, too. Finally, if past posts are any indication, the photos that will appear on his blog will be stunning.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6Li8eu8NRhsMVi6V7VEAYvu3Z5OPz2i3bUyyQFDigr0B9VTKUrZ8UuO7UVtZqDphk5xOlSUC7Bfawm-BKRvoZaPJ6GeYtR8cx5YSpCpQ20fXi0xl-mf6UF91PmUtp_kzj22lIhhG9fQX/s1600-h/Seawatching_9999_175.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6Li8eu8NRhsMVi6V7VEAYvu3Z5OPz2i3bUyyQFDigr0B9VTKUrZ8UuO7UVtZqDphk5xOlSUC7Bfawm-BKRvoZaPJ6GeYtR8cx5YSpCpQ20fXi0xl-mf6UF91PmUtp_kzj22lIhhG9fQX/s400/Seawatching_9999_175.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433495192871679778" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Corey from 10000Birds takes a break from digiscoping.</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Corey of </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://10000birds.com/">10000Birds</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span> Corey reinforced all of the pieces I mentioned already - enthusiasm, humor, patience while scoping distant waterfowl. Hell, really, he initiated most of them. Corey brought - and I'm not sure it's the right word, but I think it fits - <span style="font-style: italic;">attitude</span>. Most apparent through his driving skills in an area where even the locals don't know where they're going or how to get there, but also through frequent adrenaline-like shots of confidence as we scored some good birds and missed some expected ones. Dunkin' Donuts had nothing to do with this.<br /><br />What goes without saying is each member's birding skills are stellar, a trait perhaps second only to our commitment to have a good time. As Chris affirmed before and during the event, we were serious contenders - we had the talent, we had the strategy, we just needed a little cooperation from the birds.<br /><br />There's the line up, and a little behind-the-scenes look at the chemistry of the weekend. I will leave it to you to figure out who was the shy one, who was the funny one, who was the "bad boy," who was the sensitive one, etc etc ad nauseum.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHBwEQD_nRZUT0aQoIGx9eqB9zqn6R8mdovbypd9NtztLNtHOcXi4Ney7mJ3J0M6pufT9Rm1FEF_raf9knKWdVwE1UzmNWsFQCWHl8i7eQvVq7DN1FRSS4NcTjieIR3q-EaNZLngG84lWV/s1600-h/SunriseBirding_9999_24.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHBwEQD_nRZUT0aQoIGx9eqB9zqn6R8mdovbypd9NtztLNtHOcXi4Ney7mJ3J0M6pufT9Rm1FEF_raf9knKWdVwE1UzmNWsFQCWHl8i7eQvVq7DN1FRSS4NcTjieIR3q-EaNZLngG84lWV/s400/SunriseBirding_9999_24.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433495179469700370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The Bloggerhead Kingbirds scope the calm,<br />morning waters for a King Eider.<br /></span></div><br />* What's a BINMIP? My cool, new acronym for "<span style="font-style: italic;">Birdbloggers I've Never Met In Person</span>." Hope it catches on! And, with a bit more traveling, I'll need to use it less and less.<br /><br />** OK, there is a particular order, but only the Bloggerhead Kingbirds will be able to figure it out.<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-53220400688844659802010-01-29T07:00:00.002-05:002010-02-01T23:29:42.788-05:00I'm Going Bowling [Fun & Games]Friday morning, as this is posted to the Whole Wide World, I'll be on my way to Massachusetts. After driving east for six hours, interstate after interstate, I'll reach the outskirts of Boston where I'll meet up with five guys I've never met. We will then commence to bowl.<br /><br />I should clarify that I don't mean the ancient sport of kings. No, my casual use of "bowling" is the more active but less known world of competitive birding, in this case a challenge known as the <a href="http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuaries/Joppa_Flats/news.php?id=1240&event=no&sanc_news=yes">Superbowl of Birding</a>.<br /><br />A few weeks ago the Massachusetts-based author of <a href="http://www.picusblog.com/">Picus Blog</a> sent me an out-of-the-blue email asking if I would be interested in participating in the event, joining the team of bird-blogging birders, the Bloggerhead Kingbirds. The chance of spending twelve hours of non-stop birding along the New England coast in late January was too good to pass up, especially the chance to meet face-to-face five guys I've grown to like and respect through their writing and photography. Since nothing was brewing on the home front or on the work schedule, I happily accepted.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.pbase.com/bluegoose/image/108382308/original.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 385px; height: 327px;" src="http://www.pbase.com/bluegoose/image/108382308/original.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Technically the contest doesn't start until 5:00 AM Saturday morning, but really it all gets underway when we all arrive on Friday. Team-captain Christopher has been pounding the beaches, fields, asphalt, and thickets over the past couple of weeks. Once we're all together it'll be last minute preparations, reviewing the route, determining how to maximize our chances of nailing down all expected species and hopefully crossing paths with unexpected species . . . you know, the usual.<br /><br />At least, I assume some of that takes place, along with just having fun and seeing some great winter birds. We'll be scouring fields for Snowy Owls and Rough-legged Hawks, the ocean for Razorbills and murres, any body of water for Iceland, Glaucous, and rarer gulls, crossing our fingers for a few winter finches that are essentially absent from the region this year, as well as tallying the common species.<br /><br />So, who am I spending the weekend with? Five bloggers you should know, if you don't already:<br /><ul><li>Christopher of the <a href="http://www.picusblog.com/">Picus Blog</a>,</li><li>Corey of <a href="http://10000birds.com/">10000Birds</a>,</li><li>Nathan of <a href="http://thedrinkingbirdblog.com/">The Drinking Bird</a>,</li><li>John of <a href="http://dendroica.blogspot.com/">A D.C. Birding Blog</a>, and </li><li>Andrew the<a href="http://birdingdude.blogspot.com/"> Birding Dude</a>.</li></ul>I know there are a lot of folks who wish they could be in my shoes for the weekend. I am flattered to have been asked, and I'm sure you can tell I'm looking forward to the experience. I'll be reporting back here following the Big Day, stay tuned. And don't miss out on their unique perspectives and interpretations, either!<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-39558715487212420722010-01-22T10:24:00.002-05:002010-01-22T22:35:48.659-05:00Introducing PicidPics [Awesomeness!]I could spend hours listing all of the fantastic resources available on the Interwebs, but for the moment I want to introduce a new member that is sure to appeal to birders, photographers, and nature-lovers everywhere.<br /><br />From Martjan Lammertink:<br /><br /><blockquote>We like to point you to our newly launched website, <a href="http://www.pbase.com/picidpics">PicidPics</a>.<br /><br />With <a href="http://www.pbase.com/picidpics">PicidPics</a> we aim to present quality photos of woodpeckers, wrynecks and piculets from around the world. Available photos include striking species as Wryneck, Greater Flameback, White-backed Woodpecker, Black Woodpecker, Helmeted Woodpecker, Magellanic Woodpecker, Cream-backed Woodpecker, Grey-and-Buff Woodpecker, and Great Slaty Woodpecker.<br /><br />At <a href="http://www.pbase.com/picidpics">PicidPics</a> we also present pictures of woodpecker researchers in action in the field. This allows viewers to see researchers whose names may be familiar from publications, and to see the environments these researchers work in. Research pictures may also act as a resource of ideas for tree climbing techniques and woodpecker capturing techniques to other researchers.<br /><br />Lastly, at <a href="http://www.pbase.com/picidpics">PicidPics</a> we present pictures of secondary users of woodpecker cavities, to illustrate the ecological role of woodpeckers as cavity providers.<br /><br />Photos on <a href="http://www.pbase.com/picidpics">PicidPics</a> are available for use in presentations or conservation and education publications free of charge, and for magazines and books against a fee. Please ask for permission before any use.<br /><br />Over time we will be adding more photos to <a href="http://www.pbase.com/picidpics">PicidPics</a> from our archives as well as fresh material, so please stop by regularly to look for updates.<br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br />Martjan Lammertink & Julio Pérez Cañestro<br /></blockquote><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-14628771515663713832010-01-19T07:00:00.001-05:002010-01-19T07:00:07.929-05:00Canine Genotypes and Phenotypes [Who Are You?]Forgive the digression, here's something new and different from my usual fodder, something completely non-bird related. I'd like you to meet Barron and, if you care to venture a guess, drop a comment on what breed, or breeds, he represents.<br /><br />Barron has been my best and most-consistent birding buddy since I met him in 1995. One July morning, while visiting the northwest Arkansas farm where my nest boxes were filled with bluebird families, a stray dog accompanied me on my loop. That was the first of thousands "walkies" we've shared.<br /><br /><table style="width: auto;" align="center"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/15QMRkLmq1ZJ-vaImqam8Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCI-YipLntLb9VQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX16gPjb9hD9eJZyeVfI3sh8KUsi_r-g6sSRCq35HaXyA1OxkhcY94fNboKnJcZUuPqcpeXm6gRTZ619j8wPFaSQriFWgBGHU5MmIe677Ksp6hiKYJRhsBQNF6feRsiyCn271-pzLWrFjR/s400/114_0352.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/noflickster/BarronPhotos?authkey=Gv1sRgCI-YipLntLb9VQ&feat=embedwebsite">Barron Photos</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />And on every single walk where we meet someone on a trail or on the street we're greeted with, "Hey, is that a . . . ?" I always give the lame, "He's a Heinz 57, some mix of I-don't-know-what" answer. Through the years I've kept a mental tally of what strangers on the street guess so I have a breed-by-majority answer. But that doesn't really count, does it?<br /><br />Shortly after I adopted Barron announcements started coming out about progress in the Human Genome Project, an undertaking to identify the genes in human DNA and determine all of its chemical base pairs. I longed for a Doggie Genome Project so I could find out who his parents were. Until then, his true genetic identity would remain unknown.<br /><br /><table style="width: auto;" align="center"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ReODa-lQcfQ7W1WyEqj8MQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCI-YipLntLb9VQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJwXTJEUT11toM8631qBkw8rr9ElQiNe6dBPRO2Zm3XWO1jpezit6xk2f62jmEQEH9ocmzY79TNfz9TWHuHlWjfuK6WVtV_8LpHOO-hpAPGA6LjZvoxoT0GltQdWeJ-eCUn_jBHG1_2cv/s400/DSCN0560.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/noflickster/BarronPhotos?authkey=Gv1sRgCI-YipLntLb9VQ&feat=embedwebsite">Barron Photos</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />I can tell you this. In addition to rugged canine good looks, he qualifies as overly friendly and garners his unfair share of attention. Men, women, kids, other dogs, he's never met a stranger, and they all flock to him. He has a quality that encourages everyone he meets to unconsciously stroke his soft, thick coat. In turn, he's a bit aloof, not really caring about the attention (although I bet he secretly loves it).<br /><br />He's the most gentle dog I've ever encountered. Oh, he bares his teeth on occasion, but only when the cat is too close to his food while he's eating. He's gotten a bit more forward "asking" for popcorn when we're sitting on the couch in his old age, but he's always been extremely patient and tolerant with kids.<br /><br /><table style="width: auto;" align="center"><tbody><tr align="center"><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PweKomU53cQ8X14lC2shtA?authkey=Gv1sRgCI-YipLntLb9VQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH60dUUgZ0zScgQtfscnpBn7eZt1n8QxJs7S6rq2uViar48MYx6XPbKFVmpdDKhX_0ELReWUQqJsOF9kBjOHe5FxvtrnQysV2nXD0UnE8N3Fy5G0rNP3m7lxX1HrxpW6qaOyLLp325_PbI/s400/DSCN2871.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/noflickster/BarronPhotos?authkey=Gv1sRgCI-YipLntLb9VQ&feat=embedwebsite">Barron Photos</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />He's a faithful companion, rarely straying more than 30 yards from where I would stop and sort through a warbler flock or scope a distant raft of waterfowl. Instead of meandering on his way, or pointedly taking off, he'd sit and patiently wait, eyes locked on me as I trotted back and forth trying to see that tree-top warbler, or as I stood motionless counting <span style="font-style: italic;">Aythya </span>ducks. Then, when I caught up to him, he'd saunter a few yards ahead, periodically checking to see if I was keeping up. That never changed, other than adding new family members to the list of those in his charge.<br /><br /><table style="width: auto;" align="center"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9M8deoQW1izhdri4epXAVg?authkey=Gv1sRgCI-YipLntLb9VQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52esJ58SrQxaleH560FnI6S0WWIl-3plvjfgsPipsb8ZNxF1p5V3KjZ0emBwnFOASmQR6xGAqIx-YyT0axjJ0rt2Yxxjid7Zor5pklHYJ84P3ACEnNfFhSG7PQevskCEB7-6ItruBNHjP/s400/DSCN1024.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/noflickster/BarronPhotos?authkey=Gv1sRgCI-YipLntLb9VQ&feat=embedwebsite">Barron Photos</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />He's slower now, going on 15 years old, but we still go on our daily loops around the yard. He's quit chasing the deer and squirrels, he's lost most of his hearing. His always too-straight hind legs give him problems when he gets up and lays down. He's been on arthritis meds since he was a puppy, hip dysplasia was a concern from those first months.<br /><br /><table style="width: auto;" align="center"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Ft2FiMUXB0eyY1-Ow_YOew?authkey=Gv1sRgCI-YipLntLb9VQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbFqyL7ycokGO6xAQJNaixfpZwNHMrieinQkKlrcH5fPafDJ9BCRGTZOeAlgVTj44FadmtYlFrmj6h2rFRfs1aTJtuRdjCsIbPUYTrcDJuyc3KydPO_qMvY-ziHlB0-MhY8xX08doASXj/s400/DSCN0592.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/noflickster/BarronPhotos?authkey=Gv1sRgCI-YipLntLb9VQ&feat=embedwebsite">Barron Photos</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Recently, on our regularly-scheduled vet visits, we had blood drawn and sent off to a doggie DNA lab. The results should be on their way, and a 15 year old mystery may have a resolution. But before I open the envelope, I'd love to hear your thoughts, based on <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/noflickster/BarronPhotos?authkey=Gv1sRgCI-YipLntLb9VQ&feat=directlink">these images </a>and the behavioral descriptions.<br /><br />What do you think, who are his parents?<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-43003374662722074472010-01-15T07:00:00.003-05:002010-01-15T09:36:12.894-05:00Longest Living Birds Are . . . [Extra, Extra!]A study just published in the Journal of Zoology finds that the longest lived birds are large, social, vegetarian, and live on islands.<br /><br /><blockquote>Large, social, vegetarian, island-dwelling birds live longer than other birds, reports a new Cornell study that examined the relationships between evolution and life spans in birds.<br /><br />Some of the longest-living birds include flamingos, parrots, petrels and shearwaters, all of which can live 30 years and more, while many perching birds, grebes and woodpeckers have the shortest life spans of under 10 years, the researchers found.</blockquote><br />So, what is it about island dwelling, body size, diet, and behavior that allows a longer life span?<br /><br /><blockquote>. . . bigger birds have fewer predators; herbivorous birds avoid risks that carnivorous birds may face, such as getting hurt or picking up parasites and pathogens when attacking prey, and compared to carnivores, may find food more readily available; social species can mob and warn of predators, and may find safety or may hide in numbers; and island breeders face fewer predators, pathogens and parasites.</blockquote><br />For more: read the <a href="http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Jan10/AvianSherman.html">press release</a>, or the <a href="http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123240857/abstract">abstract and full text</a> (note: abstract free, full text requires a subscription).<br /><br />Meanwhile, I'm going to contemplate a move to the Caribbean.<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-28542109671650909532010-01-08T12:00:00.004-05:002010-01-08T15:26:01.107-05:00What Was I Saying? [And I'm Back]Hello?<br /><br />Oh, good, some of you are still here.<br /><br />Yeah, so I accidentally took a month off from publishing anything new here. That doesn't mean I wasn't working behind the scenes - I was, I swear! I fully anticipated that by now I'd be in a place where I could start chatting about birds again, passing along entertaining stories from our outdoor escapades, waxing philosophical about ornithology, conservation, and the state of the world, all illustrated with my growing library of photos.<br /><br />On my calendar I set a target date of 31 December. And by simply changing two digits, swapping "09" for "10," I bought myself a year extension!<br /><br />All that's to say, I am still alive. My hands can still type and my mind is still processing events into tales of humor, horror, and a few other genres. Our internet connection is paid in full. Here's a partial glimpse of what I'm planning to use this space for in the near future:<br /><br /><ul><li>get back to writing about our major birding trips, including Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Chincoteague Island, Arkansas, and probably a couple of others.</li><li>get back to writing about local birding trips.</li><li>letting you all in on recent activity from the homefront, the workfront, and the birding/nature-watching front.</li><li>continue uploading "The Citizen's Guide to Migratory Bird Conservation," but in a more convenient, easier to use format.</li><li>show off much more of what my camera's sensor has been capturing over the past year.</li></ul><br />And there's probably some other stuff, too. In the meantime, let this "fit for Skywatch Friday" image distract you.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6UEEcwBrQxf7vN8BK21SDyuT7Iiqqu_5LlEVqGzaQc_0WlrkyhTSH6YqgeGC_BRgY-sRTMv1TK7lhFDM1n0ApuM0zKtLpYhxaQqUvjwDAwrUKV0U4JbHU50AMkFF_uAj-duzzw9w8m85M/s1600-h/Castara_2287.JPG" target="blank"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6UEEcwBrQxf7vN8BK21SDyuT7Iiqqu_5LlEVqGzaQc_0WlrkyhTSH6YqgeGC_BRgY-sRTMv1TK7lhFDM1n0ApuM0zKtLpYhxaQqUvjwDAwrUKV0U4JbHU50AMkFF_uAj-duzzw9w8m85M/s400/Castara_2287.JPG" alt="Castara Bay" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424466904233641442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Castara Bay, Tobago, 09 October 2009.</span><br /></div><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-48932599919614715352009-12-01T06:00:00.001-05:002009-12-01T06:00:02.821-05:00Citizen's Guide: Guidelines for Migratory Birds in Forested Areas [I'd Love to Save the World]Next up, guidelines for protecting forested areas as migratory bird habitat.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >The Citizen's Guide to Migratory Bird Conservation</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Guidelines for Protecting Migratory Bird Habitat: </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >Guidelines for Conservation of Migratory Birds in Forested Areas</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><br />1. Avoid fragmenting forested areas.<br /><br />2. Maintain a well-developed understory, including woody and herbaceous vegetation, to provide resources to a diverse set of woodland bird species.<br /><br />3. Minimize the amount of edge habitat by managing generally circular- or square-shaped forests.<br /><br />4. Protect or restore forests along streams, wide stream bottoms, and ravines -- they can be crucial to migratory birds.<br /><br />5. Remove nonnative plant species, such as kudzu and salt-cedar.<br /><br />Authors:<br />Peter Dunne, Richard Kane, and Paul Kerlinger, New Jersey Audubon Society,<br />P.O. Box 693, Bernardsville, NJ 07294<br /><br />This section has been excerpted in its entirety. Author information and article text current as of 1995.<br /><br />Reference:<br />Dunne, P., R. Kane, and P. Kerlinger. 1995.<span style="font-style: italic;"> Citizen's Guide to Migratory Bird Conservation</span>, Bonney, R., S. Carlson, and M. Fischer, eds. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-32405909444150855452009-11-24T06:00:00.004-05:002009-11-24T06:00:00.735-05:00Citizen's Guide: Guidelines for Migratory Birds on Grasslands [I'd Love to Save the World]The next set of guidelines for protecting migratory bird habitat focus on grasslands. As <a href="http://thedrinkingbirdblog.com">Nate </a>pointed out in an earlier comment, grassland habitats (and therefore the birds that utilize them) are often overlooked as a habitat to protect. Our focus often turns to wetlands, forests, riparian zones, and coastal areas; thankfully, the Citizen's Guide leaves no stone, or blade of grass, unturned. As always, your thoughts and suggestions welcome and encouraged.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >The Citizen's Guide to Migratory Bird Conservation</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Guidelines for Protecting Migratory Bird Habitat: </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >Guidelines for Conservation of Migratory Birds on Grasslands</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><br />1. Avoid fragmenting existing grassland tracts. The larger the grassland, the greater the number of area-sensitive species, such as Upland Sandpiper and Henslow's Sparrow, that will be able to nest successfully in the area.<br /><br />2. When restoring grasslands, minimize the amount of edge habitat by designing roughly circular or square plots. Such programs should use native grasses and local seed sources. Determining the species that should occur at a given site may require research.<br /><br />3. To benefit area-sensitive birds, we believe that plots should be no smaller than 125 acres, and preferably 250 acres or more. Fifty acres or less will benefit birds that are the least sensitive to area size (such as Dickcissel or Red-winged Blackbird).<br /><br />4. If plots smaller than 50 acres are the only option, we recommend that they be as numerous as possible and no farther apart than one mile.<br /><br />5. Monitor grass height. Eliminate woody vegetation that grows higher than native grasses.<br /><br />6. Grassland evolved with regular burning. Learn about prescribed burns and evaluate the possibility of instituting this practice.<br /><br />Authors:<br />Peter Dunne, Richard Kane, and Paul Kerlinger, New Jersey Audubon Society,<br />P.O. Box 693, Bernardsville, NJ 07294<br /><br />This section has been excerpted in its entirety. Author information and article text current as of 1995.<br /><br />Reference:<br />Dunne, P., R. Kane, and P. Kerlinger. 1995.<span style="font-style: italic;"> Citizen's Guide to Migratory Bird Conservation</span>, Bonney, R., S. Carlson, and M. Fischer, eds. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-83882469379401270362009-11-17T06:00:00.007-05:002009-11-17T08:20:30.370-05:00Citizen's Guide: Guidelines for Backyard Habitat Conservation Projects [I'd Love to Save the World]These first guidelines for protecting habitat are geared towards backyards. They may be the most direct action we can take: within reason, we can choose how to maintain our property. The guidelines presented here are straight-forward and effective ways to improve your backyard for the birds. My comments follow.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >The Citizen's Guide to Migratory Bird Conservation</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Guidelines for Protecting Migratory Bird Habitat: </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >Guidelines for Backyard Habitats</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><br />1. Grow native plants that provide fruit or seeds.<br /><br />2. Woodlots with fallen limbs and leaves, dead plant material, and other woodland debris harbor the insects that migratory birds thrive on. Leave as much dead plant material as possible on the land (without endangering your home, of course).<br /><br />3. Seek alternatives to chemical pesticides. Use biological controls for unwanted insects and vegetation.<br /><br />4. Reduce the risk of bird predation by keeping pet cats indoors. Refrain from putting out table scraps, which will attract predators such as raccoons.<br /><br />5. Invite neighboring landowners to join your backyard effort. Plan cooperatively!<br /><br />Authors:<br />Peter Dunne, Richard Kane, and Paul Kerlinger, New Jersey Audubon Society,<br />P.O. Box 693, Bernardsville, NJ 07294<br /><br />This section has been excerpted in its entirety. Author information and article text current as of 1995.<br /><br />Reference:<br />Dunne, P., R. Kane, and P. Kerlinger. 1995.<span style="font-style: italic;"> Citizen's Guide to Migratory Bird Conservation</span>, Bonney, R., S. Carlson, and M. Fischer, eds. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.<br /><br />My comments: the first four guidelines are fairly well known these days, and they do two things essential for migrating birds: provide a safe place to forage for safe foods, steps that are pretty easy to implement. In fact, we've been improving our 4-acre lot ever since we bought it in 2002, adding berry-producing shrubs like spicebush, winterberry, and serviceberry and seed-producing flowers Purple Coneflower, Labrador Violet, and Helianthus. And it's working, we see sparrows foraging in the flower beds and songbirds in the branches of the shrubs. We don't use pesticides. If weeds are removed, it's by hand. Insects, with the exception of Japanese Beetles, are welcome to forage. We do periodically put out hormone traps, and we hand-pick them when they're out of control (fun activity for kids!).<br /><br />Our two cats are entirely indoor cats, except that one time a visitor let Tazzie out because "he looked like he wanted to go out." Every once in a while we get a black-and-white visitor who camps out by the pond, and I never have figured out where it comes from. I've also never succeeded in catching the thing (and I'm not sure what I'd do if I did). To date, as far as I can tell, it's been focused on insects in the tall grass.<br /><br />Anyway, it's the fifth guideline that I find fascinating. Though we do have neighbors, none are really close by. Our hill is pretty well forested and I'm not entirely sure that persuading our neighbors to landscape differently, if needed, is the best use of my time, there's probably only so much of me they can stand (more on that in a future post). <br /><br />But I did talk with two landowners who had undertaken a cooperative effort. It was all relatively new at the time so I can't comment on how successful their project was. Maybe, eventually, their small island in Suburbia will become an oasis to passing migrants. But I was really impressed with their cooperative spirit. Isn't the stereotype that neighbors argue and bicker over . . . I don't know, borrowed tools? Length of the grass? Dog poop in the yard?<br /><br />Not these guys, they were working together. Well, not really together, but using compatible methods to reach a common goal. Though there was no clear division between their yards, you could see the different approaches. One was more controlled and focused on shrubs and trees, the other more flowery and wild looking. Two unique approaches, each allowing their individual personalities to shine through, and both focused on birds and wildlife.<br /><br />What do you think, would you try a multifamily effort in landscaping? Would it work in your area? As always, your thoughts and suggestions welcome and encouraged.<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-55642319643529540092009-11-10T06:00:00.006-05:002009-11-10T06:00:02.988-05:00Citizen's Guide: Guidelines For Protecting Migratory Bird Habitat [I'd Love to Save the World]OK, we're through the introduction of the Citizen's Guide; now we get to the action items. Following this introduction to the importance of habitat we will, in upcoming posts, learn how to protect migratory bird habitat in our backyards, on grasslands, in forested areas, on farmlands, and how to plan for conservation-oriented land-use.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >The Citizen's Guide to Migratory Bird Conservation</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Guidelines for Protecting Migratory Bird Habitat </span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Introduction</span><br />To survive, birds need habitat. Exactly what type and how much depends on each species' food preferences, foraging strategies, and nest site requirements. Some kinds of birds do fine in suburban and even urban areas. But species whose habitat requirements are specific -- in particular, birds that require large tracts of woodland or grassland - are having more difficulty. For example, the Swainson's Warbler, a bird of southeastern bottomland hardwood forests, requires about 25 acres of habitat per breeding pair. And a single pair usually will not nest unless other pairs inhabit the area, too. Maintaining a viable population of these birds requires a forested tract of perhaps 5,000 acres.<br /><br />For species with specific habitat requirements, we must maintain suitable habitat in the face of human activity. And the challenge is heightened by the fact that unlike humans, birds do not pay attention to land ownership. Because their habitats cross legal boundaries, habitat protection plans must too.<br /><br />Is protecting habitat for migratory birds a realistic goal for the 21st century? You bet! Many amateur birders, conservationists, agency personnel, and private landowners support conservation of bird populations and their habitats before species reach critically low levels -- at which point intervention becomes expensive and controversial. Maintaining habitat can and does occur on the local, state, regional, national, and even international levels.<br /><br />To be successful, habitat maintenance should follow several guiding principles. These can be applied to conservation of breeding range, wintering grounds, and migratory corridors. All land managers, public and private, should find these principles helpful in guiding their thinking about how to enhance habitat.<br /><br />As you go about your migratory bird conservation projects -- whether in your own backyard or in a wider community - review these principles from time to time. They will help keep your project on track.<br /><br />Authors:<br />Peter Dunne, Richard Kane, and Paul Kerlinger, New Jersey Audubon Society,<br />P.O. Box 693, Bernardsville, NJ 07294<br /><br />This section has been excerpted in its entirety. Author information and article text current as of 1995.<br /><br />Reference:<br />Dunne, P., R. Kane, and P. Kerlinger. 1995.<span style="font-style: italic;"> Citizen's Guide to Migratory Bird Conservation</span>, Bonney, R., S. Carlson, and M. Fischer, eds. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.<br /><br />As always, your thoughts and suggestions welcome and encouraged.<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-41496427355512187142009-11-03T06:00:00.008-05:002009-11-03T06:00:08.049-05:00Citizen's Guide: The Solution: Partners In Flight [I'd Love to Save the World]And so we come to the end of the introduction, happily on a high note: although there are numerous challenges that face migratory birds on <a href="http://featherflower.blogspot.com/2009/10/citizens-guide-obstacles-in-latin.html">their Latin American wintering grounds</a>, on <a href="http://featherflower.blogspot.com/2009/10/citizens-guide-obstacles-along.html">their migratory routes</a>, and on <a href="http://featherflower.blogspot.com/2009/10/citizens-guide-obstacles-in-temperate.html">their breeding grounds</a>, there is a massive effort underway to keep common birds common. My comments about this 1995 document follow.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >The Citizen's Guide to Migratory Bird Conservation</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >The Solution: Partners in Flight</span><br /></div><br />But here is the good news. Most species of neotropical migrants are still common, and very few species are endangered or even threatened. We are concerned about declining species because we want to avoid reaching a crisis situation -- we want to maintain populations while they are still healthy. We therefore have the opportunity to conserve bird diversity in North America without putting an additional strain on our economic and social institutions.<br /><br />Recognizing that conserving neotropical migratory birds is too big of a problem for any one agency, organization, state, or even country, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation launched a new program in 1990 called Partners in Flight. This massive program is not an organization. It has no single address or employees. Rather, it is a cooperative effort among numerous state and federal government agencies, non-governmental conservation organizations, and private industry. The goal of Partners in Flight is to improve our understanding of neotropical migrants, identify species most at risk, and develop and carry out cooperative plans to protect their habitat.<br /><br />Already great strides have been made in identifying the bird species needing the most help. A species prioritization scheme, available from the Colorado Bird Observatory, has shown which species are at greatest risk in every part of North America. This complex scheme takes into account many factors, including global abundance, breeding and winter distributions, and threats to habitats on wintering and breeding grounds. Identifying the species that are most vulnerable shows conservationists which habitats most need protection or restoration.<br /><br />Progress also has been made toward developing regional and national migratory bird habitat conservation plans. These plans are based on the concept of management at the landscape level. In this context, "landscape" refers to a large area such as you might see while flying in an airplane, an area with a mosaic of habitat patches. Each of these habitats predictably harbors certain bird species, and individual birds of each species use habitat not just within their own breeding territory, but also in neighboring habitat patches. So the spacial arrangement of habitat patches, as well as the quality of the habitats, is important to birds.<br /><br />Because landscape-level management crosses political and economic boundaries, the plans call for public, private, and intergovernmental cooperation. Indeed, Partners in Flight is a model of partnerships for conservation. Participants include more than 15 federal agencies, over 60 state and provincial agencies, 16 companies representing the forest products industry, and more than 30 private conservation groups.<br /><br />There is one more important partner: you. As someone concerned about birds and their habitat, you can make a big difference. This booklet explains exactly how you can become involved in Partners in Flight -- because every activity descried will lead toward migratory bird conservation.<br /><br />Many Partners in Flight contacts are listed on page 32. For an even more complete list of contacts, write for a copy of the Partners in Flight newsletter (ordering information is on the inside back cover). The newsletter will also keep you up to date on all Partners in Flight activities.<br /><br />Authors:<br />Russell Greenberg and Susan Lumpkin, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008<br /><br />Arthur Weissman, Green Seal, 1250 23rd St. NW, Washington, DC 20037<br /><br />This section has been excerpted in its entirety. Author information and article text current as of 1995.<br /><br />Reference:<br />Greenberg, R., S. Lumpkin, and A. Weissman. 1995.<span style="font-style: italic;"> Citizen's Guide to Migratory Bird Conservation</span>, Bonney, R., S. Carlson, and M. Fischer, eds. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.<br /><br />As always, your thoughts and suggestions welcome and encouraged, but here are a few of mine, which are naturally open to your comments, too.<br /><br />I believe this document is extremely well written, and this piece concentrates on several powerful messages. There's the proclamation of a broad, collaborative effort. There's the direct appeal for individuals to accept their role in conservation. There's the complex methodology used to identify focal species. There's the recognition of the necessity of landscape-level management, and the acknowledgment of imperative cooperation across multiple boundaries. And it's presented in a manner fitting the target audience: anyone who expresses an interest in birds, whether they're trained ornithologists, a novice bird-watcher, or anyone in between.<br /><br />Of course, edits need to be made here, mostly updates -- surely PIF has changed since '95. How many organizations, and from what sector (not-for-profit, industry, government, non-gov, etc)? Are the same common birds in '95 still common in 2009, or are some now listed as threatened or special concern? I realize this is an intro piece, but perhaps a progress report, in the form of a line or two where appropriate, would be useful. <br /><br />What say you?<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-53898353273497144652009-10-31T06:00:00.001-04:002009-10-31T06:00:05.995-04:00Happy Halloween, Y'all! [Season's Greetings]<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfroWmMysWZlctlurujz4EYKU95DjjbtK0d8yaLVovIBgVjxI3OXEazz50klwJLjxIY06K4XjctjT8A0w2c7ZBjcoiQqlNJ3uT1W_znNhSkzKpM2Wujf67jFVs7rG2APwRdsuUKlVzaEvX/s1600-h/JackOLantern_9999_32.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfroWmMysWZlctlurujz4EYKU95DjjbtK0d8yaLVovIBgVjxI3OXEazz50klwJLjxIY06K4XjctjT8A0w2c7ZBjcoiQqlNJ3uT1W_znNhSkzKpM2Wujf67jFVs7rG2APwRdsuUKlVzaEvX/s400/JackOLantern_9999_32.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398563783403954066" border="0" /></a><br />I feel guilty about it, but I have to come clean. We actively participated pumpkin-top removal to create three jack-o-lanterns to celebrate the season.<br /><br />But we offset our footprint by using locally grown, organic pumpkins. Very local, in fact, all three came from our garden. We've tried in the past but never had a pumpkin survive until Halloween, but this year we had a more robust crop, due to their organic situation: they grew in our compost pile.<br /><br />Happy Halloween!<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-62702951466827201002009-10-29T20:00:00.001-04:002009-10-29T20:00:04.476-04:00Learn More About Birds [Double Your Pleasure]Here's another FYI post to announce <a href="http://www.birds.cornell.edu/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1484&srctid=1&erid=1425308">a new online course</a> offered through the Cornell Lab, especially great for those who want to increase their knowledge about the birds they're watching.<br /><br /><b>Enhance Your Enjoyment of Birds with Our New Online Course</b><br /><br />Why does a Red-winged Blackbird flare its colorful wing patches? What does it mean when ducks bob their heads? Explore the meaning behind fascinating bird behaviors with the Cornell Lab's newest course, "Investigating Behavior—Courtship and Rivalry in Birds."<br /><br />"It's packed with multimedia and interactive activities that make this course unlike anything else available," says course instructor and author Colleen McLinn. "We wanted to create a learning environment that's friendly and accessible to everyone."<br /><br />“You get the whole gamut—from birds you might see in your backyard to the most spectacular birds on the planet,” says course coauthor Kevin McGowan.<br /><br />The five-week course begins on November 11 and will be offered again on January 6. The course is $255 for Cornell Lab members ($295 for nonmembers), plus a $30 registration fee. You can watch a 2.5-minute video about the course at http://www.ecornell.com/birds. To receive the member discount, sign up by phone at (866) 326-7635 and mention that you are a member. Enrollment is limited, so sign up soon!<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-4555903434100513262009-10-29T12:00:00.000-04:002009-10-29T13:41:23.637-04:00A Golden Opportunity! [Working for a Living]Here is an amazing opportunity, perhaps the chance of a lifetime: you could come to Ithaca and work with me! And a bunch of other people who love birds, of course. Good luck if you apply!<br /><br />The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is seeking a programmer/analyst to work as part of a terrestrial acoustic monitoring initiative to monitor the flight-calls of nocturnally migrating birds. This position had a primary emphasis on creating user interfaces for automated detection, classification, and visualization systems. We are seeking someone with a passion for studying bird migration and flight calls, someone who is excited about developing cutting edge tools that will be a cornerstone of the next generation, state of the art acoustic monitoring of migrant birds.<br /><br />This position is available in the Bioacoustics Research Program - it has been posted on the Jobs at Cornell on-line posting and application system at <a href="http://www.ohr.cornell.edu/jobs/">http://www.ohr.cornell.edu/jobs/</a> - if you know of anyone that might be interested in this position, please have them apply.<br /><br />BARN Software Developer<br />Programmer Analyst II - Band E<br />2 positions available<br /><br />Description:<br />· Contribute to the development and maintenance of web-based sound analysis software tools and support ongoing and future research in the field of animal bioacoustics at the Bioacoustics Research Program at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Current scientific research projects supported by our software involve the study of communication systems and behavior in whales, elephants, migrating birds, endangered birds, and other birds.<br />· Under guidance of project lead, perform tasks to help move forward the overall set of tools provided by the group through the BARN project, http://barn.xbat.org. The BARN project develops tools to support the creation of networked annotated sound libraries. Our web-based tools allow users to maintain and richly annotate sound collections in support of their research.<br />· Collaborate with local and remote end users to answer questions, investigate and recreate problems, and recommend resolutions.<br />· Meet with team to discuss solutions, take advice from lead regarding the implementation of solutions.<br />· Implement data conversion utilities, user interface features, and other software features designed by self or others to fit into established architecture.<br />· Develop features to facilitate the acquisition, curation, scanning, review, and reporting of acoustic data and metadata to support the field of bioacoustics research.<br />· Tasks may include but are not limited to file upload methods; metadata manipulation and storage; web browser-based user-initiated scan, review, and reporting; integration of signal processing components into a workflow; and development of tagging and filtering schemes.<br />· Develop software using a variety of technologies (Ruby, Javascript, RDBMS, MATLAB, LAMP, others as needed) to stretch the possibilities of the system for the research community.<br />· Collaborate within a team environment to provide documentation to developers and end users for the best ways to use the software. <br />· Provide consultation and training to staff, faculty, students, and visiting research colleagues to use the innovative technologies available. <br /><br />Required Qualifications:<br />· Bachelor's degree with three to four years relevant experience or equivalent combination.<br />· Experience maintaining source code using version control.<br />· Experience with software design and development using two or more of the following technologies: Ruby (various frameworks and tools: Rails, RSpec, Sinatra, Capistrano, gems), Javascript (jQuery, JSON, Processing.js), RDBMS (SQL, MySQL, SQLite, JDBC), MATLAB (signal, image processing, data-visualization), LAMP maintenance and administration.<br />· Proven ability to learn new programming languages quickly.<br />· Experience with web-design for data-driven and/or multi-media applications.<br />· Must be able to communicate technical language clearly in layman's terms.<br />· Demonstrable skills in problem solving, critical thinking, and clear written and oral communication.<br />· Ability to work well with a diverse group in a professional and respectful work environment.<br /><br />Preferred Qualifications:<br />· Master's degree desired in computer science, computer engineering, or related field preferred.<br />· Coursework in statistics, machine-learning, data-mining or database systems.<br />· Experience applying and developing data-mining strategies and systems; knowledge of analytical and statistical tools, as well as general tools for graphing and figure drawing. <br />· Experience performing independent literature searches and scientific research.<br />· Experience writing software in Python, Java, and/or PHP.<br />· Experience working on software projects outside a classroom environment.<br />· Knowledge of and experience using XML.<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-20427983552189269522009-10-27T06:00:00.007-04:002009-11-01T20:16:20.658-05:00Citizen's Guide: Obstacles in Temperate North America [I'd Love to Save the World]Previous entries to these updates to the <span style="font-style: italic;">Citizen's Guide to Migratory Bird Conservation</span> highlighted challenges to migratory birds that occur on <a href="http://featherflower.blogspot.com/2009/10/citizens-guide-obstacles-in-latin.html">their Latin American wintering grounds</a> and on <a href="http://featherflower.blogspot.com/2009/10/citizens-guide-obstacles-along.html">their migratory routes</a>. Next, challenges birds face in temperate North America. My comments follow.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >The Citizen's Guide to Migratory Bird Conservation</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Obstacles in Temperate North America</span><br /></div><br />Migrant birds face tremendous threats on their breeding grounds. Only 250 years ago, the forests of North America provided ideal habitat for many migrants. By 1920, however, much of the landscape had been deforested. In recent decades, many of the forests cut in the 19th and 20th centuries have regrown or been replanted, especially in the Northeast. But problems for forest-dwelling birds remain.<br /><br />Why? Much of the forest that does remain has been fragmented, that is, parceled into small blocks by urbanization, agriculture, timber harvesting, and other human activities. Such fragmentation seems to be a serious problem for some neotropical migrants. Unlike large forest tracts, small, scattered woodlands present numerous edges -- boundaries created by roads, fields, housing developments, and possibly clearcuts. these edges can allow open-land predators such as jays and crows, which feed on songbirds and their nestlings, to intrude into the forest. Creeping urbanization has also allowed increases in predators that live and thrive around humans, such as raccoons, opossums, and cats.<br /><br />Fragmentation is a particular problem for neotropical migrants because of their nesting habits. Most neotropical migrants build open, cup-shaped nests that are relatively easy for predators to spot. They also tend to lay only a few eggs each year. Many nest on the ground, making them susceptible to predation.<br /><br />Edge habitat and open-cup nests also cause birds to be susceptible to cowbird parasitism. Unlike most other birds, Brown-headed Cowbirds do not build their own nests; instead, they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, sometimes destroying the eggs of the unwitting host. And even if the host eggs are not destroyed the cowbird eggs generally hatch first and the large, aggressive cowbird checks crowd out the host young, killing them directly, or killing them indirectly by eating all the food brought by the parents.<br /><br />At the time of European settlement, Brown-headed Cowbirds lived in the Great Plains of North America. in the past 150 years, however, as forest has been cleared for agriculture, cowbirds have expanded their range dramatically. The number of cowbirds has skyrocketed, and so has the number of bird species they are known to parasitize -- now over 200. In central Illinois, where very little forest remains, cowbirds parasitize 75 percent of the nests of some species of migratory birds, such as the Wood Thrush.<br /><br />Forest fragmentation seems to be less of a problem in western North America, where migrants face a different set of challenges. The West is made up of diverse habitats -- montane forest, riparian (streamside) habitat, desert, grassland, and shrubsteppe, to name a few. Neotropical migrants live in all of these habitats at some time of year, but most species nest in montane forests and riparian areas, which make up just a small percentage of western lands. Consequently, populations of western migratory birds may be smaller than those of eastern species.<br /><br />As in the East, habitat degradation is a key factor in the declines of some western species. For example, disruption of riparian habitat by cattle grazing and agriculture has enabled cowbirds to take advantage of several species of migrants that nest in these areas. As much as 95 percent of the riparian habitat has been lost in many western states. As a result, populations of species that depend on riparian habitat, such as the southwestern Willow Flycatcher and Yellow Warbler, are in trouble. Riparian woodlands in California have lost most of their bird species.<br /><br />Declines of grassland species, such as Grasshopper and Lark Sparrows, are also cause for concern. According to Breeding Bird Survey data, grassland bird species are showing steeper and more consistent declines over the past 25 years than are other birds. While these trends are not entirely understood, biologists suspect that changes such as the disappearance of the great bison herds from the Great Plans and habitat loss due to agricultural activity are factors in teh declines. In many states grassland habitat has nearly vanished. In others, grasslands have become fragmented, a process analogous to forest fragmentation, so bird species that require large areas of this habitat are unable to nest successfully. the growing body of scientific research will shed more light on grassland birds and their populations changes in the years to come.<br /><br />Authors:<br />Russell Greenberg and Susan Lumpkin, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008<br /><br />Arthur Weissman, Green Seal, 1250 23rd St. NW, Washington, DC 20037<br /><br />This section has been excerpted in its entirety. Author information and article text current as of 1995.<br /><br />Reference:<br />Greenberg, R., S. Lumpkin, and A. Weissman. 1995. <span style="font-style: italic;">Citizen's Guide to Migratory Bird Conservation</span>, Bonney, R., S. Carlson, and M. Fischer, eds. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.<br /><br />I'm going to let this one go right to the comments: your thoughts and suggestions welcome and encouraged!<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-68578512812520497822009-10-21T06:00:00.002-04:002009-10-21T11:50:14.054-04:00Citizen's Guide: Obstacles Along Migration Routes [I'd Love to Save the World]In the last entry to the Citizen's Guide to Migratory Bird Conservation we learned about challenges to migratory birds that <a href="http://featherflower.blogspot.com/2009/10/citizens-guide-obstacles-in-latin.html">occur on their Latin American wintering grounds</a>. Next up, the trials and tribulations of migration. My comments follow.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >The Citizen's Guide to Migratory Bird Conservation</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Obstacles Along Migration Routes</span><br /></div><br />During migration, birds use an astonishing array of habitats, from boreal coniferous forests and temperate-zone deciduous forests to grasslands, scrublands, and tropical rainforest. All these habitats must support the birds' need s for food and protection from weather and predators. Clearly, the presence of suitable habitat along migratory routes is crucial to the birds' ability to survive and reproduce successfully each year. The longer a bird must search for a satisfactory stopover area, the less time and energy it has to complete migration, set up and defend a territory, and raise young.<br /><br />During spring and fall, neotropical migrants funnel through small areas where they rest and feed before beginning nonstop flights over land or water. Many species make 20-, 40-, and even 80-hour nonstop flights over water, so coastal habitats are particularly important stopover zones. Unfortunately, these areas are disappearing under a welter of condominiums and vacation homes. Other prime stopover sites, such as those along rivers, are being destroyed as well.<br /><br />Reference:<br />Greenberg, R., S. Lumpkin, and A. Weissman. 1995. <span style="font-style: italic;">Citizen's Guide to Migratory Bird Conservation</span>, Bonney, R., S. Carlson, and M. Fischer, eds. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.<br /><br />Authors:<br />Russell Greenberg and Susan Lumpkin, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008<br /><br />Arthur Weissman, Green Seal, 1250 23rd St. NW, Washington, DC 20037<br /><br />My comments:<br />As all previous sections, this one has been excerpted in its entirety. Author information and article text current as of 1995.<br /><br />When thinking about migration and stopover habitats I'm immediately reminded of <a href="http://featherflower.blogspot.com/2008/03/taking-to-air.html">an article David Sibley wrote</a> that appeared in an airline magazine. The analogy he creates that sticks out is that of our own travel:<br /><br /><blockquote>You travel for a reason, and with some assurance that your travel will be successful, but what if you flew from Portland, Oregon, to Springfield, Missouri, only to find that the Springfield airport had been turned into a shopping mall and there was nowhere to land? What would happen to the Baird’s sandpipers if that lake in Ecuador was drained for agriculture?</blockquote><br />Clearly, the major issue is habitat loss, not being able to find suitable stopover sites to rest and refuel. But I suspect in our 2009 world it would be worthwhile to highlight that just getting to stopover sites is a becoming a challenge. The problems created by the myriad of communication towers has certainly increased since this article's publication in 1995, and the construction of the myriad-squared wind turbines that are underway should be included as a prevailing concern. Development of strip malls and condos should in no way be lessened, but hopefully we can have an impact on how wind farm development evolves and how communications towers are lighted.<br /><br />What other migratory issues should be highlighted in this section? Your comments and suggestions are not only welcome, but encouraged!<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-26795884308352825192009-10-20T06:00:00.010-04:002009-10-20T07:57:26.123-04:00Birding Tales [A Bird in the Hand]I love reading birding email lists, and from time to time there are really great stories that come through. The following post, a rare bird report submitted to the New York State Avian Records Committee (NYSARC), came across Cayugabirds-L this weekend. It's a fascinating encounter with a bird seldom-seen anywhere, and just about never in New York. It's also a call to expect the unexpected.<br /><br />It also serves up some food for thought that has been bandied about for a long time: how many birds go undetected by observers on migration? How many <span style="font-style: italic;">species </span>go undetected?<br /><br /><br />17 October, 2009<br />From: John L. Confer<br />Biology Department<br />Ithaca College,<br />Ithaca, NY 14850<br /><br />To: NYSARC<br /><br />Yellow Rail (<span style="font-style: italic;">Coturnicops noveboracensis</span>) report.<br /><br />On the afternoon of 17 Oct, 2009 I was walking through a ~60 acre hay field that was mowed this past July. This site is adjacent to the Goetchius Preserve, owned by the Finger Lakes Land Trust, about one mile west of the eastern edge of Tompkins County, NY and bordered to the east by Flatiron Rd, in the Town of Caroline. The coordinates are N42o, 25’30”, W76o 17’42”.<br /><br />The mixed vegetation averaged about a foot high with patches of taller goldenrod and some areas with shorter vegetation. My dog, Belle Flower, began pouncing in the grass with stiff front legs and then grabbed something in her mouth. I fully expected the creature to be a dead vole, as has happened in the past. I pried her mouth open and was shocked to find it was a bird. I opened my hand and rolled the bird over for a better look. I was actually flabbergasted when it started to move. I’ve banded thousands of birds, but having just gotten it from Bell’s mouth, I was certain this one was dead and left my hand open. In a few seconds, this creature, which I had thought was certainly dead, flew out of my hand.<br /><br />Frankly, I could have gotten a much more detailed view of this hand-held bird if I had anticipated it was well enough to get up and fly a few seconds after I removed it from the jaws of death. In fact this observation might be the shortest view of a potential NYSAR bird on record. Nonetheless, some of the features were seen in hand with complete certainty, enough so that I offer this report. I am quite certain of the features I saw, which I think are sufficient to definitively identify the bird. However, I know that there are features that you might well expect, which I did not have the time to observe. Please don’t pillage me too harshly for not noting several other features.<br /><br /><br />***************<br />Note that this is only the description of the encounter, though the Cayugabirds-L post did include Dr. Confer's responses to the NYSARC's Rare Bird Report questions (such as description of the bird's appearance, flight pattern, and how it similar species were eliminated in the identification process).<br /><br />So, have you had any crazy encounters like this? Or know of any great stories like this from your area?<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451484812160865521.post-15371387398712001102009-10-19T06:00:00.005-04:002009-10-19T06:00:04.893-04:00Change of Plans [Turn and Face the Strange]My 40th birthday trip was coming together. We <a href="http://featherflower.blogspot.com/2009/10/vacation-planning-where-birds-always.html">picked a destination</a> and our <a href="http://featherflower.blogspot.com/2009/10/more-vacation-planning-what-we-gonna.html">itinerary was taking shape</a>. The twin themes of this trip, Balance and Change, were emerging quickly, with a third soon to appear.<br /><br />The Balance challenge was clear: how to spend as much time as possible seeing new birds while keeping a 5-year-old entertained? Reina is perfectly happy on nature walks and birding stops, but up to a point. Anyone with kids, or socially maladaptive non-birding partners, knows how unpleasant it is for everyone involved (or just nearby) when disinterest sets in. My hardest challenge was scheduling our trips with Reina's threshold in mind.<br /><br />Change, of course, is inevitable, the best laid schemes and all that. Almost immediately we found our plans had to change: Asa Wright Nature Center, heralded as Nirvana on earth by every birder that sets foot on Trinidad, wasn't available as our primary lodging. The vast majority of trip reports and trip itineraries always stayed at AWNC, but when we found out kids under eight weren't welcome for overnight stays we had to regroup.<br /><br />I couldn't think of any alternative mentioned in those reports. Images of settling for a Trinidadian Holiday Inn or Super8 in the bowels of Port of Spain, far from any birding site we'd want to visit, crossed my mind with pangs of nausea. This trip wasn't shaping up the way I expected.<br /><br />I freely admit to quoting wisdom from wherever I find it, including old Monty Python skits. "Adapt, adopt, and improve" became my mantra as I searched for alternate accommodations, and a wonderful things started to happen. Maybe deviating from the standard T&T birding trips that every other birder experiences was a good thing.<br /><br />Yes, I'm talking additional blog fodder! Clearly, the birds were going to be front and center, but now, instead of copying the same "rum punch on AWNC's<span style="font-style: italic;"> verandah</span>" theme as everyone else, I could offer potential T&T visitors insights to other options. I could compare my bird lists and experiences from locations I ferreted out to the standard package they signed on to. Perhaps I could score some free lodging or excursions in exchange for publicity!<br /><br />That's my lemonade making attempt. Yes, I can offer a differing view to the standard AWNC package, but I didn't score anything free. (Note to self, work on the marketing power of this blog.)<br /><br />So, here is an overview of the secondary itinerary we created. I will be writing in more detail about each stop, including informal reviews of the lodging, the birding; the whole roti (we didn't see enchiladas anywhere, but rotis are a reasonable substitute).<br /><br /><ul><li>Day 1: Arrive late, stay at Pax Guest House, Tunapuna, Trinidad</li><li>Day 2: Bird Mt. St. Benedict, coasts and wetlands, and Caroni Swamp.</li><li>Day 3: Bird savanna and grassland sites, stay at Laguna Mar, Blanchisseuse, Trinidad.</li><li>Day 4: Bird in the forests of the Northern Range.</li><li>Day 5: Fly to Tobago, stay Naturalist Beach Resort, Castara, Tobago.</li><li>Day 6: Bird Tobago: Main Ridge Forest Reserve and Little Tobago Island.</li><li>Day 7: Tobago birding in the morning, then fly to Trinidad, returning to Pax Guest House.</li><li>Day 8: Early flight back to U.S.</li></ul>Up next, the trip! And photos, I swear. Oh, and I'll get to that third theme I hinted at but didn't identify. Maybe you can guess?<br /><br />-noflicksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404386000823552954noreply@blogger.com1