Cape May!

The female half of the table (minus Laura, who hadn't gotten there yet, and minus me who's taking the picture)--L to R: Susan Gets Native, Birdchick, Beth the Lurker who owned up to her lurkiness AND positively ID'd lifer Lynne as Hasty Brook, said Lynne of Hasty Brook, and KatDoc of Katdoc's World (all links in the sidebar).

The male half of the table, joined by Birdchick who's everywhere that birders are!--L to R: John of DC Birding Blog, Birdchick, and Jay Davis of Birdjam.

Well, my whirlwind trip to Cape May included getting lost on the way there AND on the way back, but I made it there and back again in time to have my breakfast with The Kid. More on that later; first, the birdy roundup.

I should go ahead and confess that I got ZERO pictures of birds, even though I did end up with two lifers: a black-crowned night heron (spotted by KatDoc) and a lesser yellowlegs (spotted by me, and confirmed by the Hawkwatch Platform person). Both were too far away to get decent pix of.

I did get some pictures of these lifers, however:
Lynne, doing a Lifebird Wiggle (TM BOTB) after seeing her first black vulture:Kathi, rolling up her Ohio State sleeves and preparing for what would turn out to be a Penn State victory--sorry, KatDoc!:and John from DC Birding Blog! (not John Riutta, who didn't attend--my bad)Sweet sweet birders, all of them!

I also saw a life reptile, a black/rat/something snake that no one could ID with any certainty:He was very zig-zaggy: Here are Laura from Somewhere in NJ, Jay, and Susan outside the Grand Hotel:and lest you think I only got pictures of others, here's one that someone took of me and a certain nerdy Birdchick:Wow!

So--I made it back Saturday night/Sunday morning, in the rain and the fog, getting in at about 1:30 a.m. On Sunday, I had breakfast with Em (whose pic doesn't go on the blog or it would be mobbed by her fans). We had a great time, and she thoroughly approved of my new digs and my new wheels. It was, however, a bittersweet experience for me; I loved seeing her and talking with her about how her life is going, but I was reminded of how much my life has changed in just a few short months. My sense of loss was palpable. Still, she told me I'd always be her "other mother," and it felt good to know I'd see again in her just a few weeks (Thanksgiving). And, ever the wise one, she told me that life just goes like it goes, and we can't change things once they've happened. That's one smart kid.

Cape May update coming tomorrow!

Today's the day for ol' Cape May!

this photo shamelessly taken by and stolen from Laura at Somewhere in NJ; this is some of us last year at the 2nd Avenue jetty in Cape May. From left to right, Susan in the water, me and Birdchick digiscoping, and Jay Davis from Birdjam looking cold and pensive as he walks down the beach

So I'm squirming in my seat at work, trying not to watch the clock as the day slowly moves on. I'm all packed up and ready to hit the road after a quick gas-up. Last night, gas was down to $2.85, though it may have gone back up for the weekend, as it often does. I sure hope not, because I'll be kicking myself if I have to pay more pennies today because I didn't feel like gassing up last night.

Such are the concerns of today's driver. When I started driving in tenth grade, gas was 79 cents a gallon. What was it was you first started driving?

Tomorrow morning, I'll be birding with Susan Gets Native, Laura H in NJ, KatDoc, Lynne from Hasty Brook, and -- thanks to my high school bud Liz Gordon--her hubby Jeff Gordon! Pretty exciting! I tell you, birding here in PA, usually on my own, is always fun. I get to walk around some of the prettiest woods Nature ever made and see and hear birdy magic all around me. It's the most exciting and yet calming thing, a paradox you fellow birders probably all understand.

But going to these festivals is such a blast; birders from everywhere come together, share their knowledge, joke and laugh and drink and eat, spot and help others spot birds of all sorts, and pretty much just have fun. There's nothing like it. This will be my second Cape May trip, and my third festival overall. I know that once I get there, I won't want to leave.

more silliness from last year, with Laura helping me take my own self-portrait for some weird reason

Meeting people whose blogs I've worshipped from afar is a real charge; birding with them is like... well, let me put it into a literary context. Let's say you've read Shakespeare's plays all your life and you just love him. One day, you find a room in a library you've never visited, and in the room, sitting at a table, is William Shakespeare himself, just hanging out and reading a book. You walk into the room, sit across from him, and talk about books, plays, movies, and what have you.

That's what birding festivals are like for me. I read these people's blogs and admire their photography skills and their birding field craft; I learn about their lives, which are all just as crazy as mine; and I realize how much alike we all are, no matter where we live or what we do. So when we get together, we're already like old friends who've travelled together and hung out at home with crazy kids and pets together, and gone out and birded together. They'll all laugh when they see themselves described in an analogy as the birding equivalents of William Shakespeare, but hey -- they're being modest, just another thing that makes them so cool.

I probably won't get to blog again until next week, so have a good weekend: see some birds, hang out with friends, and read a good book by your favorite author.

What would you write about?

November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Are you thinking of writing a 50,000-word novel? Can you finish it in 30 days?

If you could (or are!), what would you write about?

P.S.--this is a rare double-post, here and at the Impeachment blog. It's not often that the worlds of backyard birding and political turmoil collide, so try to ignore the resulting sonic boom. I can't wait to compare and contrast the comments from both sites!

The loneliness of the long-distance flyer

Last year, when I was driving back home after experiencing my first Fall Migration at Cape May, I remember being overcome with sadness as I watched a flock of cormorants winging their way south over the highway. I told this story here. Prior to that moment, I had just never thought about how many birds die during the migration. Beginning to bird, indeed.

Photograph: Eric Hosking/Corbis

Well, this morning, I found this story of a migrant that reminded me of the happy fact that most birds DO make it, and they make it FAR.

I won't see a bar-tailed godwit in Cape May this weekend, but I know I'll see two lifers, Lynne and KatDoc, and I'll again see some of my favorite birds: Susan Gets Native, Laura H Somewhere in New Jersey, Birdchick, Patrick Belardo from the Hawk Owl's Nest (aka Mr. Thousand-Watt Smile), and John Riutta the Born Again Birdwatcher. I'll be checking these gems off on my lifelist, playing in the waves, watching some birds, and thinking about that bar-tailed godwit.

A flight with the flock

I'm doing a little fall migration of my own this Friday. I'm driving to Cape May on Friday after work (trying to get out early!) to meet up with some of The Flock! I'll finally get to meet Turkey-Vulture-fan Lynne and vet-to-the-stars Katdoc, and I'll get to see Susan and Laura again! I was hoping that Matty McMatterson would make the drive with me, but he's got some business to attend to here in town, so it'll just be me. I'll spend Friday night having pillow fights and prank-calling people with The Flock, and then after a full day of birdy nonsense, I'll drive back to PA. I've got a breakfast date with Em on Sunday morning, and I'm really looking forward to seeing her. It'll be the first time since--you know.

Anyway--getting excited! I'll finally have some good birdstuff to post about. The Bew River fest (in April 09) seems so far away right now, but this little trip will be just what some doctor somewhere ordered for me.

I needz to see some bewds!

Stayin' alive

I know it seems like I've disappeared, but I've been kinda swamped in political and journalistic pursuits (I volunteer for a local community paper, Voices of Central Pennsylvania) lately.

I'm still on the fence about whether to go to Cape May (just drive up for a day or something, just to hang out with The Flock when they're not on guided walks). But that's the first weekend Em will be in town since--you know--and we have a standing date at the Waffle Shop (a great locally owned place). So I just don't know if I'll make it.

As for birding around here, chances are pretty rare right now. There are some upcoming hawk watches, but while that last one I went on was cool--I think that was only because I'd never been to one before. Other than that, the local bird club and other birdy pals aren't planning any other field trips. I think we'll start to get some good ducks in November, but in the meantime--the bird pickins are slim.

I'll try to wander around outside soon--I'm definitely missing it.

The State of the World's Birds report

click for larger--screen capture of map in report

In case you haven't seen this, birdy pals, it's a report titled "The State of the World's Birds" done by an organization called BirdLife.

I'd never heard of this organization, but the report is fascinating (if depressing). It claims to be "a brief summary of the information available on BirdLife’s State of the world’s birds website. Using the most up-to-date analyses, it outlines why birds and biodiversity are important, what we know about the changing state of the world’s birds (STATE), why birds are declining (PRESSURE) and what can be done to improve their status (RESPONSE). It presents and lists a small sample of the case studies providing evidence for these messages and examples of BirdLife’s work. For more detailed information on these and other case studies, visit BirdLife’s State of the world’s birds website and database at www.birdlife.org/sowb"

The weird thing is this: I got to the last page, where the heading read, "BirdLife comprises more than 100 conservation organisations working together to promote sustainable living as a means to conserve biodiversity." Then there was a collection of little logos from all these countries--but no USA. I don't get it. Is this organization for real? Is it just not needed here in the USA? (as if!) Does anyone know more about BirdLife? I'm just curious. I mean, I'm not exactly up on the latest info on birds and stuff; I'm just a backyard birdwatcher who tries to go birding elsewhere whenever I can. Still--anyone ever heard of them?

Anyway--the report contains so much information, some of it simply mind-blowing. Did you know that, according to Birdview, "Human uses have been recorded for one purpose or another for 45% of the world’s nearly 10,000 bird species. Over a third of species are kept as pets and around one in seven is hunted for food. It is difficult to know how many individual birds are used, although it is estimated that between half a billion and one billion songbirds are hunted each year in Europe alone, for sport and food." HOLY CRAP. I knew that parrots and other exotic birds are huge dollars for the pet industry (hey, I watched Romancing the Stone; I know all about those parrot poachers down in South America!), but songbirds hunted "for sport and food" in Europe? Are they eating finches over there or what? Shooting warblers? What is going on over there!?

Go check it out. Let me know what you think.

No birds, only buns

I still haven't gotten around to going anyplace to see any birds. I've only seen the crazy starlings that hang around my house in the early morning, making crazy high-pitched noises. These guys are way noisier than the starlings at the Marsh House. The chimney swifts seems to be leaving, however, which is good. One or two swifts is really cool. Six or seven? A delight. A flock of ten or more, all cheeping at the tops of their little birdy lungs all the time? Kinda annoying, actually.

So the other morning I was feeling kinda headachy and sick, so Niblet took it upon himself to give me a little TLC, in the way that kitties and doggies usually do: he slept next to me and snuggled me.


I wanted to stay with him all day long, but I had to go in to work.

I'm hoping to get a little birding in this weekend. There's a marsh right near Penn State called Millbrook Marsh that's supposed to be pretty decent, and I'm hoping this cold weather and rain will drive some shorebirds down a little.

Lol-bun off

Lol-bun:

vs. lol-bun:

I don't know why you think that's funny. That's not funny. That bunneh is dumb.

I go bald!

Yesterday on my way to State College, I saw this along Rt 220:

Click all pics for eagle-iciously large

So of course I yanked the car over to the shoulder and started snapping!

I hoped I could get him taking flight, but he just perched there, looking majestic.

These are my first-ever photographs of a bald eagle. I've only seen one in the wild a few times, usually way too far away to get a photo. I'm getting all tingly just thinking about it.

Around the town, Part 1

Here are some photos from my little walk around downtown Bellefonte on Saturday:

Looking down Allegheny Street from the Brockerhoff House:

The Bellefonte Courthouse (Bellefonte is the county seat):

A really cool architectural feature at the corner of High St and Spring:

The corner of Allegheny and High Street, with another cool little spire thingy:
I'm doubtful that this stone was laid in 1710, but who knows?

It was laid into a stone staircase for this building:

And here's the info on the building; how (or more importantly, WHY) did a women's temperance organization erect a building?
Looking back at the corner of Allegheny and High:

I went into a neat old antique mall that is housed in a former theatre called The Plaza. There were movie posters everywhere--for Doctor Zhivago, Hello Dolly, West Side Story, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. You've all seen those things, so I focused my camera on some other highlights:
The animal kingdom was well represented...

I love that cow

a must-have

Niblet's biography?

...as were the seedier members of our society:

Good lord.

I'm sure Creepy "Uncle" Arthur tells lots of stories to the kiddies while they sit on his lap.

This woman is snorting the aroma right. out. of. the. cup.

There were even some gifts for a certain blogger who's always wanted one of these:


A history book that McFossil is probably in, as he invented the Blackberry and all:


And a photo of a guy who's just had it:


Here's where I'll be on Friday night:

Sadly, this moron will not be there:

I wanted to pull a Matty and spit on the car, but I refrained. (And yes, that's Dr. Matty McMatterson, recent PhD in Social Psych, who spits on cars with offensive bumper stickers on them. What can I tell you? We don't call him the Gay Tasmanian Devil for nothing.)

The first day of fall

Today is the first day of my favorite season, autumn. Leaves are not yet turning, but they will be soon. I hope to get some good pics around the house, as we're lousy with maples and other great trees.

I looked in my photos folders for an old picture of autumn leaves, but I couldn't find any. Have I never taken photos of the red and gold leaves?

I walked around my new little town on Saturday and took some photos, but I forgot to bring my camera cord. Tomorrow, I'll have pics of "Victorian Bellefonte" for you.

Finally! Fotos!

If stupid Blogger will let me post them! It's been persnickety all morning long, not even letting me post text, much less photos.

So -- I finally have some pics of the new homestead. First of all, here's the Nibble eating his dinner:

Here are the various rooms in my apartment:
my big-ass kitchen:

It goes back about 15 or more feet! I could park a car in here!

my study:

music area
computer area
book area

The cool thing about the study is that it has these doors
so Niblet can't get in there and chew every single guitar and computer cord into little pieces! He's rather frustrated with me when I go in there, and he stands at the doors and scratches on the glass with his claws.

The bathroom:

My very dull bedroom:
I need some framed bird prints or something in here!

Thus endeth the inside tour. Here's some outside pics:

train tracks across the street behind my house
looking down the steps outside that lead to my "patio" of broken concrete

So--my revised bird list thus far:
American Goldfinch
House Finch
Carolina Wren (haven't heard him in a few days)
Starling
Mourning Dove
Turkey Vulture
Chimney Swift

I'm planning to wander around our quaint little downtown this weekend and show you what that's like.

Preliminary New Yard Bird List

Susan asked me a while back to talk about what birds I can see in the trees around my new little apartment. I haven't done an extensive (with binocs) look around, but here is a preliminary list:

Tufted Titmouse (seen this morning--been a while since I've seen one of these guys)

Eastern Starling

Chimney Swift (these are legion in downtown Bellefonte, a block away from me)

American Goldfinch

House Sparrow

There are a lot of weird bird sounds in the morning, but I've always had to get up, get ready, and go someplace (work, etc.) so I haven't sat outside and just tried to ID these weird sounds. I'm guessing they're probably just starlings or house finches, but I'm not sure. They sound very different from the starling and house finch calling I used to hear out at the marsh house. Of course, that's probably about ten or more miles to the southeast of me and in a different valley. Maybe that makes a difference.

I'm planning for a very low-key weekend, so I'm hoping to get up early and do a little yard-birding to get a more detailed list. The trees all around the house are maples, pretty much to the exclusion of all other kinds of trees. I imagine that might make some difference as well. Still--I'll look around and report back to you. I'll also FINALLY post pictures of the new nest.

Until then, happy birding!

Welcome to the Songstress Dictatorship!

Well, recent polls notwithstanding, I--your own supreme bird leader!--have taken it upon myself to choose the best female singer of all freakin' time! Rejoice with me as I present...

Judy Garland, 1944

WHAT? you ask. We voted! We elected someone else! Judy freakin' Garland didn't even get mentioned, not even once! She didn't make the cut! This is ridiculous! you say, your little fists all balled up at indignity and unfairness of it all.

But I tell you, my little fledglings, my eyes have been opened. I--your fearless and supreme bird leader!--have seen, I--the greatness of me--have heard, and I--the leader of the world!--have decided!

Judy Garland, you little Frances Gumm you -- you are the best singer of all time!Judy singing The Man That Got Away
Judy singing Smile (if you don't cry during this one, you have no soul!)
and of course: Judy singing Over the Rainbow
(Sorry, I can't embed the yootoobes. Such technology is beyond the firewalls your fearless bird leader lives behind while at work.)

Remember, little songbirds: Judy Garland. She's the best. Period.

P.S.--this post composed after reading George Orwell's 1984. Perhaps that had something to do with it...

My first hawk watch

I went on my first-ever hawk watch yesterday on Jack's Mountain, a beautiful spot south of State College near Belleville. The only bad thing was that I didn't get to take any photos, thanks to the whole lost-camera-battery-charger thing. However, I did find the charger finally! It was in my bad-ass birding bag along with my binocs and my Stokes guide. Duh.

Sadly, I didn't have time to charge it up, so I'll share this photo that a fellow watcher took:

We saw almost 300 of these broadwing hawks in the time we were on the mountain! Local birder Chet Gottfried took this pic with his Pentax and humongoolous lens. I wish he'd sent a pic of the view from Jack's Mtn into Ferguson Valley, because it was breathtaking.

I went with a few people from the bird club, including my atlassing pal Roana. We got there a little after 10 in the morning and stayed until about 1 p.m. It was freaking HOT out there--about 90 degrees with high humidity. We saw a ton of broadwings, plus a couple of ospreys and sharpies. The view was spectacular, and aside from the indignity (not to mention the whole germy thing) of having to pee in the woods, it was a really great way to spend a Sunday!

Ron Singer, the official counter at the site, said that was the best day so far this year, though he was expecting even MORE today and tomorrow. Amazing. I'd only ever gotten a glimpse at a broadwing back at Cape May last fall with the Flock, so to study these guys as they soared and kettled on the thermals of Jack's Mountain was really a treat.

For Bostons everywhere

For the Licker Sisters, Chet Baker, and Bostons everywhere!

Still alive!

Hey everyone. Just wanted to let you know I'm still alive, but I seem to have lost my camera battery charger and download cable in the move. I'm still trying to find that stuff, but I'm kinda running out of unpacked boxes to look in....

Once I find these items (or buy replacements--ugh), I'll be able to show you the new apartment as well as a very energized Niblet! He is really enjoying having more space to run around in, I guess. At the Marsh House, he stuck to his 5x8 carpeted area because he didn't like the wood floors. The apt, however, is all carpeted (except for kitchen and bath), so he has the run of two rooms and a hallway.

Perhaps as a result of this, he's been super hyper lately, binkying around the apartment and on the bed (nothing like waking up with a bunny jumping on your face). He's been very affectionate too, letting me pet him and snuggle him for long periods of time while we watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer (his favorite show) on DVD.

(not too bad for using MS Paint!)

Not even the most ardent Buffy trivia buffs (buffys?) know that Niblet almost had a small role in Season 5. He was going to play a substance that hurts the god Glorificus, much like kryptonite to Superman. It was decided that this plot device was a little implausible, as there are pretty much bunnies everywhere in Sunnydale (which meant that Glory wouldn't be able to kick Buffy's butt all the time), as well as the fact that Anya had an overwhelming fear of bunnies.

But I digress.

Niblet and I will be back on Ted Stevens' (Series of) Intertubes soon!

This space reserved...

for photos and descriptions of the new nest! Details and said photos to come! I'm still swamped at work with this technical editing stuff, so please pardon my absence on your blogs.