We feel that it is our duty to inform the general public of a spectacular recent sighting of a flock of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers. Or possibly Blue Jays. Anyway, perhaps birders can flood the area to get a definitive photograph. Here is the link:
http://www.ibwo.net/forum/showthread.php?p=1577#post1577
The expert who made this sighting, Rip Lyttle, has also started a new organization, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker Research Organization:
http://www.ibwsearches.com/
While we welcome any additional help in confirming the existence of the IBWO, we fear that this new organization may prevent its founder from continuing with other, more critical animal research:
http://www.marylandbigfootresearch.org/
http://www.bfro.net/news/roundup/west_virginia_2006_expedition_notes_adair.asp
http://www.oregonbigfoot.com/report_detail.php?id=00405
http://www.bigfootforums.com/index.php?showtopic=1895&mode=threaded&pid=41384
C'mon, we could *not* make this stuff up!
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Let's Be Careful Out There!!!
Well, we have escaped from the Gulag, and hope to have a bit more on our European Adventure soon. We also have a bunch of IBWO posts lined up for the next few days.
In the meantime, we want to offer our best wishes to a long-time Chicago area birder who was recently injured pretty severely in a car crash while birding. He was on foot at a local birding spot and was swept up into a three-car accident. We had intended to honor this birder's privacy, but since some loudmouth gossip posted it to the Internet already, there's no harm in bringing this subject up.
Another well-known Illinois birder was killed several years ago under similar circumstances, so please keep safety in mind the next time you are doing any roadside birding.
In the meantime, we want to offer our best wishes to a long-time Chicago area birder who was recently injured pretty severely in a car crash while birding. He was on foot at a local birding spot and was swept up into a three-car accident. We had intended to honor this birder's privacy, but since some loudmouth gossip posted it to the Internet already, there's no harm in bringing this subject up.
Another well-known Illinois birder was killed several years ago under similar circumstances, so please keep safety in mind the next time you are doing any roadside birding.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Additional Greetings, Comrades: the cleverness of our plan is quite apparent!
We must continue this tail of our noble efforts to convert the one you call BINAC to our glorious ways.
First we show our superior weaponry:
Not all of our weapons have disintegrated into such a state of disrepair:
Next we take this BINAC on tour of Communist collective farm and cereal factory. It is only one building:
Next we tour Communist Art Museum, and listen to several hours of Yakov Smirnov jokes. We all have laughter from deep in the belly! (Comrade Yakov is currently undercover in American military base called Branson Missouri.)
This Communizing makes a loyal patriot hungry, so we stop at local Communist housing collective called "Red Star on Tower of Water" for quick snack.
Cleanliness standards are quite impressive!
Finally, we go head down main Russian Audobon to city:
There we have great feeding at five-star Marzist restaurant--barbed wire at no additional charge -- and dine on fine CCPizza: 
You Amerikans should be paying us to take tour such as this!
However, since the one you call BINAC has not resisted, we must consider more severe methods. Perhaps we may place nails into barrels and put certain persons into barrels and roll certain barrels then down hill into certain river.
Then we will see whether ransom will be paid.
Resistance is feudal--BINAC will soon submit to the lures of Mother Russia!.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Greetings again, Comrade Birders!
We have regained control of your mighty intern-net.
We will return as soon as your Vice-President Al Gore repairs computer net and allows our connection to continue.
Later, Comrades.
We will return as soon as your Vice-President Al Gore repairs computer net and allows our connection to continue.
Later, Comrades.
Do *not* panic...everything is under control.
Please ignore that last message.
We are not sure what is going on, but someone hacked into the site yesterday, and the IP address was somewhere in Eastern Europe.
We have not heard from the part of the crew that is in Hungary since Thursday. It is possible that some sort of kidnapping situation has occurred. Since BINAC has no formal relations with Hungary, we have asked the Swedish Embassy in Budapest for assistance. We have also contacted a former SAS man in Bucharest, but apparently that is not even in the same country as Budapest, and it will take him several days to reach Budapest on his towns fastest donkey.
We are trying to raise the money for the ransom, but so far all we have collected is a few lottery tickets that have already been scratched off. Boy Scouts are trying to raise the money but rumor has it that the funds are going to be paid to the kidnapped to *not* return the rest of the crew safe and alive.
We are not sure what is going on, but someone hacked into the site yesterday, and the IP address was somewhere in Eastern Europe.
We have not heard from the part of the crew that is in Hungary since Thursday. It is possible that some sort of kidnapping situation has occurred. Since BINAC has no formal relations with Hungary, we have asked the Swedish Embassy in Budapest for assistance. We have also contacted a former SAS man in Bucharest, but apparently that is not even in the same country as Budapest, and it will take him several days to reach Budapest on his towns fastest donkey.
We are trying to raise the money for the ransom, but so far all we have collected is a few lottery tickets that have already been scratched off. Boy Scouts are trying to raise the money but rumor has it that the funds are going to be paid to the kidnapped to *not* return the rest of the crew safe and alive.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Greetings, Comrade Birders
We are esteemed representatives of the most glorious former socialist satellite Soviet republic called Hungary.
We inform you now that the capitalist swine you call BINAC has been captured by glorious forces of allies of Mother Russia.
This swine BINAC has been taken to our Parliament,
where our leaders have tortured this BINAC until our peoples representatives learned the secrets of the Amerikan top secret rekreational vehicle.
We now have this BINAC in an inpenetrable and inpregnable castle that cannot be penetrated.
Unlike our local socialist prostitutes, this castle cannot be penetrated or impregnated.
We will be holding this fiend until you pay our ransom of ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS. We also require secret information about the other Amerikan birder we know only by his secret code name, MR. GUPPY.
If this BINAC means nothing to you, you will not pay this exorbitant sum.
But we want you to pay, so we can purchase women and cheap vodka.
To show we are serious, here is evidence of this Amerikan top secret telescopic device, captured from the spy BINAC, a device which has now volunteeringly defected to our glorious cause:
Comrades out!
We inform you now that the capitalist swine you call BINAC has been captured by glorious forces of allies of Mother Russia.
This swine BINAC has been taken to our Parliament,
where our leaders have tortured this BINAC until our peoples representatives learned the secrets of the Amerikan top secret rekreational vehicle.
We now have this BINAC in an inpenetrable and inpregnable castle that cannot be penetrated.
Unlike our local socialist prostitutes, this castle cannot be penetrated or impregnated.
We will be holding this fiend until you pay our ransom of ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS. We also require secret information about the other Amerikan birder we know only by his secret code name, MR. GUPPY.
If this BINAC means nothing to you, you will not pay this exorbitant sum.
But we want you to pay, so we can purchase women and cheap vodka.
To show we are serious, here is evidence of this Amerikan top secret telescopic device, captured from the spy BINAC, a device which has now volunteeringly defected to our glorious cause:
Comrades out!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
About that mystery sparrow...
...it is indeed the rare "House Sparrow." Congratulations to all who made the proper identification.
So, why did we post about that photo? Is this just another case of the evil BINAC mocking others for fun and profit?
No!
We had a point to make. Two actually.
The first point is pretty obvious: Even people who consider themselves to be birders, and who regularly post to birding listserves, sometimes make mistakes on insanely easy species. (Insert random woodpecker joke here.)
The second point is a bit more obtuse but explains the first: Nobody learns how to bird anymore!
Before the Internet, this is how you learned how to "bird." You got a pair of binoculars, bought a field guide, and went out into the field. In the field, you struggled (unless you were a prodigy--you know who you are), got frustrated, and got discouraged.
But if you stuck with it, you eventually saw the light. You ran into another local birder, joined a local club, or went on a field trip, and you met other birders. Birders who were *better* than you, and who could show you how to separate Savannah from Song Sparrows -- in the field, not a book, or in your living room in front of a computer. These other birders didn't just *want* to help, they saw it as their obligation, their way of repaying the debt they owed to the birders who taught and mentored them.
That doesn't happen today as much as it should. The Internet has equalized everyone. With the digital cameras we have today, anyone can take a photo of an unknown bird they see, and have other people identify it for them. But that's not learning. You have to be able to make those id calls, in the field, by yourself. And the only way you can do that is to spend the time in the field, work through the tough spots, and get help from people who can actually show you how to make those calls in the field.
You know, the whole "teach a man how to fish" thing.
We know this generalization doesn't apply to everyone, but it applies to a lot of us. It's a two way street; experienced birders have to be willing to give their help, while newbie birders have to be willing to aceept the fact that they don't know everything, and be willing to take the help that is offered.
So, why did we post about that photo? Is this just another case of the evil BINAC mocking others for fun and profit?
No!
We had a point to make. Two actually.
The first point is pretty obvious: Even people who consider themselves to be birders, and who regularly post to birding listserves, sometimes make mistakes on insanely easy species. (Insert random woodpecker joke here.)
The second point is a bit more obtuse but explains the first: Nobody learns how to bird anymore!
Before the Internet, this is how you learned how to "bird." You got a pair of binoculars, bought a field guide, and went out into the field. In the field, you struggled (unless you were a prodigy--you know who you are), got frustrated, and got discouraged.
But if you stuck with it, you eventually saw the light. You ran into another local birder, joined a local club, or went on a field trip, and you met other birders. Birders who were *better* than you, and who could show you how to separate Savannah from Song Sparrows -- in the field, not a book, or in your living room in front of a computer. These other birders didn't just *want* to help, they saw it as their obligation, their way of repaying the debt they owed to the birders who taught and mentored them.
That doesn't happen today as much as it should. The Internet has equalized everyone. With the digital cameras we have today, anyone can take a photo of an unknown bird they see, and have other people identify it for them. But that's not learning. You have to be able to make those id calls, in the field, by yourself. And the only way you can do that is to spend the time in the field, work through the tough spots, and get help from people who can actually show you how to make those calls in the field.
You know, the whole "teach a man how to fish" thing.
We know this generalization doesn't apply to everyone, but it applies to a lot of us. It's a two way street; experienced birders have to be willing to give their help, while newbie birders have to be willing to aceept the fact that they don't know everything, and be willing to take the help that is offered.
Gone Birdin'
We'll be headed overseas again tonight, hopefully someone back in the States will be able to post a few updates to the site while we're gone.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Why should you be nice to visiting birders?
Answer tomorrow.
And the answer is: Because that birder may find a stunning first state record bird and report it promptly, just like Missouri birder David Faintich and his group from St. Louis, who found Florida's first White Wagtail this week!
Update: There were some nice photos posted as attachments, but we don't want to steal those, so here is a link to someone who took some of the photos: www.BirdingwithWilf.com Hopefully he will post photos of the White Wagtail soon, but it's a nice site to check out anyway.
The bird is apparently a smoker.
And the answer is: Because that birder may find a stunning first state record bird and report it promptly, just like Missouri birder David Faintich and his group from St. Louis, who found Florida's first White Wagtail this week!
Update: There were some nice photos posted as attachments, but we don't want to steal those, so here is a link to someone who took some of the photos: www.BirdingwithWilf.com Hopefully he will post photos of the White Wagtail soon, but it's a nice site to check out anyway.
The bird is apparently a smoker.
Monday, March 19, 2007
olivacea R.I.P.
We just noted this message on one of the Florida lists:
I received word this afternoon that long-time Florida birder, Noel Wamer of Jacksonville, passed away Sunday evening. I don't have any other details at this time, but thought those who knew him would want to know. In recent years, Noel kept the birding community updated on spring migratory movement coming north out of Cuba on his "badbirdz blog". The following self-assessment was taken from that blog...I am a grumpy old man who lives in northeast Florida. I have a major interest in birds, especially tracking migration using weather radars. Politically I am a godless liberal, placing me in the most oppressed minority in the world (4.7 percent of the population).
***
I received word this afternoon that long-time Florida birder, Noel Wamer of Jacksonville, passed away Sunday evening. I don't have any other details at this time, but thought those who knew him would want to know. In recent years, Noel kept the birding community updated on spring migratory movement coming north out of Cuba on his "badbirdz blog". The following self-assessment was taken from that blog...I am a grumpy old man who lives in northeast Florida. I have a major interest in birds, especially tracking migration using weather radars. Politically I am a godless liberal, placing me in the most oppressed minority in the world (4.7 percent of the population).
***
UPDATE: Here is a link to an obituary, with lots of nice comments from birder folks:
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Announcing the 2007 America's Birdiest City and County Competition
We were forwarded the following e-mail today regarding the 2007 ABC contest:
Hello to everyone,
I would like to welcome everyone back who has participated in the America's Birdiest City/County competition in the past and all newcomers, also. Before I go any further I would like to introduce myself.
My name is Mike Wilson and I live just west of Mobile, Alabama, about 45 miles north of Dauphin Island, Alabama. I am very honored that Phil Pryde has chosen me to coordinate the ABC/C competition. Phil has done a wonderful job setting up a birding competition that is fun to participate in and different from other counts around the country. I am not in this alone, however. Dr. John Porter, Executive Director of Dauphin Island Bird Sancturaries (DIBS) has offered the sevices of their organization and website. DIBS, formally known as Friends of Dauphin Island Audubon Society, was established in the mid 80's to protect and preserve the 165 acre Audubon Sanctuary on Dauphin Island. Since then they have grown and now work tirelessly in purchasing key bird habitat on the island, protecting it from future development. As everyone is aware, the biggest problem the birds face is loss of habitat. As a barrier island Dauphin Island a strategic stopover spot for migrating birds that need a safe place to rest and refuel. DIBS has purchased lots on the island that are diverse in habitat, ranging from tupelo gum swamp to wooded lots that are home to some of the oldest live oaks along the gulf coast.
We have not made any changes in the rules of the competition from last year. You can pick your 72 hour period in which to have your count between April 1 and May 31. When you have finished your count you will need to email the results to me. I will periodically send out emails as reminders and you are always welcome to email me with any questions you might have. I am including the city/county categories and the rules below. You can also visit the DIBS website for information.
We are having beautiful sping weather here on the Alabama gulf coast already and I'm exited about migration. I hope everyone has good weather and a great count!Let's go birding!
Mike
Here are the categories:
Large Coastal City (population over 100,000)
Large Inland City (population over 100,000)
Small Coastal City (population under 100,000)
Small Inland City (population under 100,000)
Inland Eastern County
Inland Western County
Coastal Gulf Coast County
Coastal Atlantic County
Coastal Pacific County
The Rules:In order to have all teams in the "America's Birdiest City" and "America's Birdiest County" ("ABC/C") competitions operating in the same manner, and to insure a "level playing field" for all participants, the following conventions have been developed to guide "ABC/C" teams in the field The main "rules of the game" are as follows:
1. All entrants must conduct their "ABC/C" Bird-a-thon between the dates of April 1 and May 31.
2. "ABC/C" competitors must record all bird identifications within the legal boundaries of their selected city or county. For "City" entrants, most automobile club and Thomas Bros. maps show city limits; birding in suburbs and in unincorporated areas is not permitted. For both City and County entrants, be sure that birds aloft and those identified by call are within your city or county's boundaries.
3. For coastal cities, the "birdable area" extends one mile (i.e., as far as you can scope) out into salt water (or Lake water) from the shore, or from offshore islands that are legally a part of the city or county involved. All birds counted must be identified from land (this rule results from a participants' poll taken in 2003, and mainly reflects the fact that the participants were not at all in agreement as to how far out into the ocean should be considered part of a city [or county]).
4. All cities or counties that enter will select a 72-hour bird-a-thon "window" for their count. You may have as many teams as you like and teams can have as many members as you like. All teams and participants are allowed to count the whole 72 hour window.
5. "ABC/C" bird-a-thon entrants can use any number of participants and teams they wish.
6. All birds, to be officially countable, must be positively identified as to species by sight or sound (the honor system is employed here). No "sps", please (i.e., no genera/family entries, such as "Loon, sp.").
7. Only ABA-approved birds are countable; no psilly psittacines, please!
8. Any rare birds encountered should be written up, just as at a Christmas count.
9. "ABC" Bird-a-thon teams respect private property and in general comply with all the "rules of birding ethics" that have been published by groups such as ABA or NAS.
10. "ABC" Bird-a-thon teams must promptly provide the coordinator (below) with a summary of their results that includes a complete list of all species identified. This write-up verifies your sightings and allows a credible comparison of results. The write-up must be received by the coordinator by May 31.
Hello to everyone,
I would like to welcome everyone back who has participated in the America's Birdiest City/County competition in the past and all newcomers, also. Before I go any further I would like to introduce myself.
My name is Mike Wilson and I live just west of Mobile, Alabama, about 45 miles north of Dauphin Island, Alabama. I am very honored that Phil Pryde has chosen me to coordinate the ABC/C competition. Phil has done a wonderful job setting up a birding competition that is fun to participate in and different from other counts around the country. I am not in this alone, however. Dr. John Porter, Executive Director of Dauphin Island Bird Sancturaries (DIBS) has offered the sevices of their organization and website. DIBS, formally known as Friends of Dauphin Island Audubon Society, was established in the mid 80's to protect and preserve the 165 acre Audubon Sanctuary on Dauphin Island. Since then they have grown and now work tirelessly in purchasing key bird habitat on the island, protecting it from future development. As everyone is aware, the biggest problem the birds face is loss of habitat. As a barrier island Dauphin Island a strategic stopover spot for migrating birds that need a safe place to rest and refuel. DIBS has purchased lots on the island that are diverse in habitat, ranging from tupelo gum swamp to wooded lots that are home to some of the oldest live oaks along the gulf coast.
We have not made any changes in the rules of the competition from last year. You can pick your 72 hour period in which to have your count between April 1 and May 31. When you have finished your count you will need to email the results to me. I will periodically send out emails as reminders and you are always welcome to email me with any questions you might have. I am including the city/county categories and the rules below. You can also visit the DIBS website for information.
We are having beautiful sping weather here on the Alabama gulf coast already and I'm exited about migration. I hope everyone has good weather and a great count!Let's go birding!
Mike
Here are the categories:
Large Coastal City (population over 100,000)
Large Inland City (population over 100,000)
Small Coastal City (population under 100,000)
Small Inland City (population under 100,000)
Inland Eastern County
Inland Western County
Coastal Gulf Coast County
Coastal Atlantic County
Coastal Pacific County
The Rules:In order to have all teams in the "America's Birdiest City" and "America's Birdiest County" ("ABC/C") competitions operating in the same manner, and to insure a "level playing field" for all participants, the following conventions have been developed to guide "ABC/C" teams in the field The main "rules of the game" are as follows:
1. All entrants must conduct their "ABC/C" Bird-a-thon between the dates of April 1 and May 31.
2. "ABC/C" competitors must record all bird identifications within the legal boundaries of their selected city or county. For "City" entrants, most automobile club and Thomas Bros. maps show city limits; birding in suburbs and in unincorporated areas is not permitted. For both City and County entrants, be sure that birds aloft and those identified by call are within your city or county's boundaries.
3. For coastal cities, the "birdable area" extends one mile (i.e., as far as you can scope) out into salt water (or Lake water) from the shore, or from offshore islands that are legally a part of the city or county involved. All birds counted must be identified from land (this rule results from a participants' poll taken in 2003, and mainly reflects the fact that the participants were not at all in agreement as to how far out into the ocean should be considered part of a city [or county]).
4. All cities or counties that enter will select a 72-hour bird-a-thon "window" for their count. You may have as many teams as you like and teams can have as many members as you like. All teams and participants are allowed to count the whole 72 hour window.
5. "ABC/C" bird-a-thon entrants can use any number of participants and teams they wish.
6. All birds, to be officially countable, must be positively identified as to species by sight or sound (the honor system is employed here). No "sps", please (i.e., no genera/family entries, such as "Loon, sp.").
7. Only ABA-approved birds are countable; no psilly psittacines, please!
8. Any rare birds encountered should be written up, just as at a Christmas count.
9. "ABC" Bird-a-thon teams respect private property and in general comply with all the "rules of birding ethics" that have been published by groups such as ABA or NAS.
10. "ABC" Bird-a-thon teams must promptly provide the coordinator (below) with a summary of their results that includes a complete list of all species identified. This write-up verifies your sightings and allows a credible comparison of results. The write-up must be received by the coordinator by May 31.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Breaking News: New species for the ABA area?
The Florida birding lists are reporting a Loggerhead Kingbird at Zachary Taylor State Park in Key West, Florida, a spot we have visited many times.
One of the posters mentioned that this would be a first North American record; we don't have our ABA-area lists to check this, but it certainly is a great rarity for Florida.
One of the posters mentioned that this would be a first North American record; we don't have our ABA-area lists to check this, but it certainly is a great rarity for Florida.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
You might have noticed a few changes around here...
..and we can assure you that they were unintentional!
Actually, we were sued by Mr. Guppy, so we had to take the site down...oh we're just kidding.
What really happened is that when we switched over from Blogger to Google...blah blah blah....technical crap....blah blah blah...Google sucks...blah blah blah...wrong template saved...blah blah blah...shit disappears...blah blah blah...and you get the picture. Anyway, we've sort of decided to start fresh, we will get some of the standard links and counters back up when we can, but don't expect it to happen overnight.
If you've been paying attention to the recent comments there is some interesting stuff going on here...one commenter called another a "dough-head fascist" and "jingoistic fuck," while the Lovely Birdchick expressed her unyielding love for all things BINAC.
Good stuff.
Actually, we were sued by Mr. Guppy, so we had to take the site down...oh we're just kidding.
What really happened is that when we switched over from Blogger to Google...blah blah blah....technical crap....blah blah blah...Google sucks...blah blah blah...wrong template saved...blah blah blah...shit disappears...blah blah blah...and you get the picture. Anyway, we've sort of decided to start fresh, we will get some of the standard links and counters back up when we can, but don't expect it to happen overnight.
If you've been paying attention to the recent comments there is some interesting stuff going on here...one commenter called another a "dough-head fascist" and "jingoistic fuck," while the Lovely Birdchick expressed her unyielding love for all things BINAC.
Good stuff.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Mystery Sparrow in Florida--ID Help Needed!!!
A Florida birder has requested help in identifying this "unknown sparrow." We thought about sending the photo to ID-Frontiers, or maybe even to birderblog.com, but we're not sure those folks would be able to come up with an appropriate response.
Here's the unknown sparrow--can anyone id this species?:
Comments?
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Mega-oops: Black-Headed Gull in Chicago?
Birders are, by nature, a skeptical lot. We're not just talking about woodpeckers here, but just about any rare or unusual bird is questioned until it is seen well by multiple observers, and even then, records commitees are still not always convinced. That's the way the game is played.
Sometimes, though, this innate skepticism can turn around and bite you on the ass.
Case in point: On Saturday, a Chicago-area birder posted that the thought he saw a Black-headed Gull being fed bread at Chicago's most famous birding spot, Montrose Harbor. It was a pretty decent but cautious description; even though the original observer noted a red bill (a pretty darn unusual characteristic for a winter gull in Chicago!), the first reaction of most birders was probably "C'mon, a Black-Headed Gull? Be serious!" And then, the reaction was silence. Nobody went to check out the bird, or if they did, they didn't say anything about it. (We have an excuse--we were in Germany!) Today, a full four days later, there is a post by another birder confirming the Black-headed Gull. Yikes!
How long has the bird been present? How long will it stay? Nobody knows, but there is one thing we know for certain: there will be a lot of BSDs (Birder Sick Days) today in Chicago.
UPDATE: Photos are here: http://www.chicagobirds.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=70
Sometimes, though, this innate skepticism can turn around and bite you on the ass.
Case in point: On Saturday, a Chicago-area birder posted that the thought he saw a Black-headed Gull being fed bread at Chicago's most famous birding spot, Montrose Harbor. It was a pretty decent but cautious description; even though the original observer noted a red bill (a pretty darn unusual characteristic for a winter gull in Chicago!), the first reaction of most birders was probably "C'mon, a Black-Headed Gull? Be serious!" And then, the reaction was silence. Nobody went to check out the bird, or if they did, they didn't say anything about it. (We have an excuse--we were in Germany!) Today, a full four days later, there is a post by another birder confirming the Black-headed Gull. Yikes!
How long has the bird been present? How long will it stay? Nobody knows, but there is one thing we know for certain: there will be a lot of BSDs (Birder Sick Days) today in Chicago.
UPDATE: Photos are here: http://www.chicagobirds.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=70
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Put the Orioles Back Into the Cage!
There have been some very interesting birds reported from a pretty small area in southern Indiana and northern Kentucky recently. Specifically, a Bullock's Oriole, a Scott's Oriole, and finally, an *Audubon's* Oriole. Here are some photos of the Scott's that was found in Kentucky:
http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos/Scotts_Oriole1.htm
People are already starting to grumble a bit about feather wear and a foot infection that the Audubon's supposedly has. So, what do you think? Did this unprecedented Oriole invasion happen naturally, or is someone in New Albany letting their caged birds loose? It seems like a pretty big coincidence, but then again, how many people are keeping Audubon's Orioles in Indiana? (According to ISIS, none, but that obviously only includes "legal" birds.)
http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos/Scotts_Oriole1.htm
People are already starting to grumble a bit about feather wear and a foot infection that the Audubon's supposedly has. So, what do you think? Did this unprecedented Oriole invasion happen naturally, or is someone in New Albany letting their caged birds loose? It seems like a pretty big coincidence, but then again, how many people are keeping Audubon's Orioles in Indiana? (According to ISIS, none, but that obviously only includes "legal" birds.)
Thursday, February 08, 2007
BINAC Gets Busted!
Not since Panama has the BINAC crew been hassled by "The Man," but it happened again today, in the good ol' U.S. of A.! You see, after striking out on the Gyrfalcon, the BINACmobile was headed south towards Cheese Land (aka Wisconsin), when, all of a sudden, Smokey makes a U-turn and pulls us over for speeding. Smokey claimed that we were doing 25 mph over the limit, but we think his comment about our Florida (ie out-of-state rental car) license plate reveals the real story behind our detention. BTW, we're pretty sure that radar guns are not that precise from a moving vehicle, but hey, the County gotta eat, right?
In Illinois, members of the General Assembly cannot be arrested or detained on the way to or from a legislative session, and we propose the same rule for birders. If God wanted BINAC to obey the speed limit, he wouldn't have given us a V-8 engine in our rental car! If we wanted to drive slow, we would have rented one of those electric toy cars!
Anyway, as we were discussing the matter with Sheriff Hillbilly, we noticed two adult Bald Eagles overhead, locking their talons in flight! Deputy Doofus was not as interested in this majestic sight as we thought he should be. Probably didn't help our case much.
Here's the thing: Officer Frosty knew we were going to the airport, so he asked us to surrender our driver's license since we were from out-of-state. Fuck that---the last time someone asked us to do that was in, you guessed it, Panama! Anyway, to make a long story short, we had to fork over $150+ cash to bond out and keep our license.
Any locality that makes out-of-towners pay cash up-front is sketchy, at best. In fact, the cash "fine" we paid to Sergeant Goober was $50 more than the cash "bribe" we paid to Officer Panama. No wonder we hate government regulation--there is a very fine line between corruption and government regulation! Guess this means that things are just more expensive in the U.S.!
In Illinois, members of the General Assembly cannot be arrested or detained on the way to or from a legislative session, and we propose the same rule for birders. If God wanted BINAC to obey the speed limit, he wouldn't have given us a V-8 engine in our rental car! If we wanted to drive slow, we would have rented one of those electric toy cars!
Anyway, as we were discussing the matter with Sheriff Hillbilly, we noticed two adult Bald Eagles overhead, locking their talons in flight! Deputy Doofus was not as interested in this majestic sight as we thought he should be. Probably didn't help our case much.
Here's the thing: Officer Frosty knew we were going to the airport, so he asked us to surrender our driver's license since we were from out-of-state. Fuck that---the last time someone asked us to do that was in, you guessed it, Panama! Anyway, to make a long story short, we had to fork over $150+ cash to bond out and keep our license.
Any locality that makes out-of-towners pay cash up-front is sketchy, at best. In fact, the cash "fine" we paid to Sergeant Goober was $50 more than the cash "bribe" we paid to Officer Panama. No wonder we hate government regulation--there is a very fine line between corruption and government regulation! Guess this means that things are just more expensive in the U.S.!
Holy Sibley, BirdMan--A GGO in Southern Illinois?
So, we ran into British Steve at the airport yesterday on our way to the UP. Literally, we ran him over, think we may have broken his leg or something. Steve's co-workers call him "Bird Man", which got us to wondering...how many of you have the same nickname from your co-workers or family???
Anyway, since most of the BINAC crew is out-of-town right now, you know something great would show up in Illinois--how about what may be Illinois' first confirmed Great Grey Owl!!! You heard us right...and not in Chicago or Rockford, but way down south in Southern Illinois, Randolph County to be exact. Apparently a photo has been taken.
Will this stunner bird be re-found? Stay tuned!!!
Anyway, since most of the BINAC crew is out-of-town right now, you know something great would show up in Illinois--how about what may be Illinois' first confirmed Great Grey Owl!!! You heard us right...and not in Chicago or Rockford, but way down south in Southern Illinois, Randolph County to be exact. Apparently a photo has been taken.
Will this stunner bird be re-found? Stay tuned!!!
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Smooth-billed Ani--Finally YES!!!! and our Hero of the Day!
Have you spent countless hours at the Ft. Lauderdale cell phone lot? Have you driven up and down Perimeter Road around the airport dozens of times in a single day? Well, we have, numerous times, and it finally paid off:
OK, so we know it's just a Smooth-billed Ani, but it's an American-born and raised SB Ani, and that's the key. The bird shown here was part of a group of four Anis seen near the Ft. Lauderdale airport yesterday at about 4:00. While this group of birds is probably not the only family group of SB Anis left in the U.S., it appears to be the only group that is re-findable, at least on an irregular basis.
We dipped on the Western Spindalis, but that particular bird may be around to chase for a while, and they do show up in Florida from time to time anyway.
Regular readers know that our pet peeve is out-of-town birders who travel to other places and don't timely report rare birds they claim to have seen. So it's time to give credit where credit is due: Three cheers to our Hero of the Day:
Birder Michael Smith from Gardiner Maine!
Hip-hip, Hooray!
Hip-hip, Hooray!!
Hip-hip, HOORAY!!!
Michael and his group posted their results from a short trip to Florida on the local listserve, and they the following directions to a slightly new spot for the Anis:
SMOOTH-BILLED ANI - 4 found along Old Griffon Rd near the Ft. Lauderdale Airport. There is a small scrubby "field" along this road where a power line comes through, with huge power poles in it. The anis were in this field, check in the shrubby growth and palms on the corners.
And that's exactly where we found them, right behind a large warehouse just off of Old Griffon (or is it Griffen?) Road.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
And now, for something completely different.
You may be wondering what we do here when we're not birding. Well, it's six degrees below in Chicago right now, but it was 80 degrees in Miami today, so guess where we are.
We'll post some pictures from the Bears team hotel later.
Most interesting call of the weekend: a phone call that was interrupted when Matt Hasselback grabbed the phone and started babbling to us.
Most interesting sight: We're pretty sure we weren't having some of drug-induced seizure, but we actually passed by a bar on Ocean Drive and saw what appeared to be Jimmy Buffett playing a few songs with support from Jessica Simpson on the tambourine.
We'll post some pictures from the Bears team hotel later.
Most interesting call of the weekend: a phone call that was interrupted when Matt Hasselback grabbed the phone and started babbling to us.
Most interesting sight: We're pretty sure we weren't having some of drug-induced seizure, but we actually passed by a bar on Ocean Drive and saw what appeared to be Jimmy Buffett playing a few songs with support from Jessica Simpson on the tambourine.
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