Desert wildflowers, Swainson's hawks and soaring mountains... can't beat it. I was desperately in need of recharging, and a long-planned trip to Anza-Borrego and Salton Sea (in southern California, inland from San Diego) was just the right way to do it.
Wildflowers, mountains, and (if you squint) probably some birds. click here for larger
Few creatures have fascinated humans like owls. We envy birds for their ability to fly; owls have the added mystique of mastering the night. Their adaptations include a remarkable sense of hearing, feathers that allow them to fly silently, and keen eyesight.
In the US, owls range in size from the tiny elf owl of the southwest deserts (roughly the size of a fox sparrow) to the great grey owl, who is almost three feet from beak to tail. Though other owls may be larger, none are quite so fearsome as the great horned owl.
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) at twilight
Fear not, fans of other owls - there will be more owl diaries in the future.
If anyone says you're spending too much time here at the Great Orange Satan, here's a simple defense: At least you're not watching nest cams.
Spring is in the air, and you are in your office. How can you focus on the work at hand when you know that the flowers are blooming and, more importantly, the birds are chirping? I can't. Fortunately, technology steps in to the rescue with nest cams. All around the world, people are sneaking cameras into nest boxes or training video cameras on office building aeries - and anyone with a computer can watch things that used to be the province of field biologists. You see it as it happens - courtship, egglaying, hatching, chicks being fed and growing from balls of fluff to birds ready to go out and see the world. It is a reality show that is 100% real. And right now, cams everywhere are going live for the season.
Anyone up for a day trip? Let's take a quick spin through the Panoche Valley. If you live in the Bay Area, Monterey, or Central Valley, you may already know about it. If you haven't heard of it, or if you're from elsewhere in the country and want to think about places to visit in California this is really a great spot for winter birding.
The area is mostly ranchland, with a few small canyons mixed in. It has a very "old California" feel. In the mountains that border the valley, there was some mining - mostly mercury, if I'm not mistaken.
View from BLM Road near Mercey Hot Springs, Little Panoche Road
You may notice that this week's diary is a bit earlier than usual. That's because our annual trip to Panoche got moved up a week at the last moment; in a few minutes, I'll be carpooling south...
It was just about a year ago that I left lurkerdom and joined in the fun here, adopting the handle of "lineatus". Today, I'd like to introduce you to my namesake, Buteo lineatus - aka Red-shouldered Hawk.
Adult Red-shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus
I like red shoulders for a number of reasons. Here in the city of San Francisco, they may be the most abundant local hawk. They nest in parklands throughout the city, having adapted very well to (introduced) eucalyptus trees. As many as 8 pairs may nest in Golden Gate Park in any given year, an incredible breeding density. I love the fact that they're much more vocal than most hawks, which helps when you're trying to find them. I have had them hanging out in my backyard regularly, and they spend a lot of time in the trees across the street. Most of all, though, I like them because they're just so darn good looking. (Our western subspecies is Buteo lineatus elegans.)
Usually the first thing you think of when you think of birds is that they can fly - and most of them do. And that's a pretty damn cool thing to be able to do... sure wish I could.
But that doesn't really distinguish them from others in the animal kingdom. Mosquitos can fly, and so can the bats that eat them. Some fish and squirrels claim to fly, but... well, they might be prone to exaggeration. And some birds can't fly. (and I don't just mean that in the "as God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly" sense.)
But there's one thing that all birds have, and only birds have... feathers.
Middle of January. Blah. Rain (or snow), wind, cold, grey. Primaries and candidate diarrhea diaries.
It's really a good time to think about getting away for a bit, doncha think? Maybe plan a trip of your own, or maybe just taking a vicarious vacation on a Saturday morning...
Lagoon and view toward Xalapa, as seen from LaMancha, Veracruz, Mexico
Birding travel is not for everyone – my beloved says that anything that involves getting up early (especially on vacation) is, by definition, not fun. But for those of us who have a broader definition ...
I wish that I could address this to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama directly, but I don't think either of them spends much time reading DKos. Since they're otherwise engaged at them moment, I'll direct this to their supporters here:
By the time the election rolls around, who is going to care - really care - about the shades of meaning in their various remarks about Ronald Reagan and Martin Luther King? For that matter, will it even mean much to anyone two or three weeks from now when the next round of topics are thrown onto the flamefest pyre? So why waste so much time shouting at each other about it when a) you aren't changing anyone's mind on the other side, b) you're doing the repubs oppo work for them, free of charge, and c) you're not attracting any undecideds - you're sending us screaming from the room, in fact.
So why not put all of that energy and desire to express an opinion online to good use - write your candidate and urge them to speak up - LOUDLY - against telco immunity in the FISA bill. Harry Reid doesn't seem to listen to us, but maybe he'll listen to your candidate. Of course, he won't have to listen to your candidate if your candidate doesn't SPEAK UP.
Birds are cool for lots of reasons, but the fact that they're just so good looking is surely near the top of the list. (Okay, maybe some of them aren't exactly beautiful, but they still look cool... spoonbills and kiwis, for a start.) They have been a subject for artwork pretty much from the time humans first scrawled on cave walls and carved bones. Even when they are being used to illustrate dry scientific texts, birds manage to leap off the page.
Summer Tanagers, warblers and bunting - Alexander Wilson
With a halfway decent camera and a cooperative bird, almost anyone can feel like an ace photographer. We supply a bit of aesthetic composition, and they supply the beauty. But back before the clever electonics and fantastic lenses, capturing a bird's image took a bit more work. Much of the best bird art from before the time of photography was not done for art's sake, but rather for the scientific record, with artistic considerations as a secondary goal.
I can tell you when my tipping point came - it was when SallyCat posted a GBCW, or a least a TTFN. I can think of a few others who've temporarily given up on us and who have come back (at least to a limited extent).
What's doing it? Candidate wars and their spawn, candidate diaries.
What's the antidote? "Not A Candidate Diary"
For those of us who would like to stick around but who work hard to stay out of the piefights and flamewars, this might help us find your diaries - slip NACD into your title and/or tags.
Many birders keep lists of their sightings. Everyone has their own reasons for listing, and some take it more seriously - much more seriously - than others. Some take it to the point of competition, and from that competitive spirit emerged the idea of the "Big Year". Maybe this is your year to try one...
Yellow-billed Magpie, Heron's Head Park - 2005
The concept at its most extreme is the subject of an entertaining book called "The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession", by Mark Obmascik. (It doesn't have to be all high tech and helicopters, though - Kenn Kaufman, author of several field guides, wrote about his big year in the book Kingbird Highway, when he dropped out of school and hitchhiked around the country, managing to see 671 species.)
Twenty years ago, I opened a box on Christmas morning. Without knowing it, I also opened a door.
I'd like to introduce you to an old friend, one who has introduced me to many, many new friends - my Binoculars Emeritus. (Shown above with the Field Guide Emeritus.)
Today I'm off to see some wonderful birds - we're heading to Woodbridge Road (near Lodi,CA) to see the flocks of Sandhill Cranes who winter here.
They may not have the fame of their cousins the Whooping Cranes, but they are magnificent in their own, subtler way. Join me below the jump for a look at these elegant and ancient birds.
My family got away from the whole Xmas madness a few years ago (we do still give gifts to the kids). Most people aren't so lucky, though, and are now into the frantic shopping mode.
So, do you have a birder on your shopping list? Or perhaps a gardener who wants to encourage feathered visitors? A young person who's getting interested in the outdoors (or one you'd like to steer away from their X-Box)? Or maybe you'd just rather find something more original than a gift card.
If I could embed audio, "Fanfare for the Common Man" would be playing in the background as you read this. (Feel free to hum it to yourself.) Or maybe "Salt of the Earth".
Let us celebrate the "common folk" of the bird world, the LBBs (Little Brown Birds).
The first reports about the Cosco Busan's collision with the Bay Bridge weren't too worrisome. The bridge wasn't harmed; they said drivers wouldn't even have felt the impact, as it just hit some protective bumpers around the base of the tower. A fuel leak was reported, but it was small - only about 140 gallons. Unfortunately, that number turned out to be off by 57,860 gallons.
Follow me below the jump for updates, ways you can help, and photos of some of the birds and areas affected. ("Before" photos, I should add.)
In the aftermath of yesterday's accident where a ship crashed into one of the Bay Bridge Towers, there is a large and spreading oil spill. The spill has closed beaches around the area, and is having severe effects on wildlife in the Bay, Golden Gate and ocean outside the gate.
If you find oiled wildlife, the best place to contact is the International Bird Rescue Center's Oiled Wildlife Reporting Hotline - (877) 823-6926. Note: This is just for reporting wildlife - not to volunteer. They're getting swamped with calls, so it's important to keep the lines free.
Buteo lineatus
