You've gotta see this!

hee hee hee!

New (to me) Toy: eBird

Hey, gang; I just filed my first-ever birding report on eBird! I had looked at it a long time back and thought it was a little slow and not so user-friendly; I don't know if I was just impatient back then or if I'm just that much smarter now, because I was able to get in, check off the birds I saw with my BFF Gretchen this morning, and be done. I emailed the report to myself with the checking of a box, and here's my copied-and-pasted report:

Location: Bald Eagle SP
Observation date: 4/25/10
Number of species: 27

Mallard X
Common Loon 1
Turkey Vulture X
Osprey 1
Ring-billed Gull 2
Mourning Dove X
Eastern Phoebe 1
American Crow X
Common Raven X
Tree Swallow X
Bank Swallow X
Eastern Bluebird 2
American Robin X
Northern Mockingbird 1
Brown Thrasher 3
European Starling X
Cedar Waxwing 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 6
Eastern Towhee 4
Field Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 10
White-crowned Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle X
American Goldfinch X
House Sparrow X

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

The Xs indicate that I saw the species but either didn't or couldn't count (or remember) the number I saw. It was a very dreary morning with a constant drizzle/sprinkle, but we had a good time.

I'm going to get into this whole eBird thing; it looks cool! Wish I'd gotten pics (we saw a lot of these birds at very close range!) but I still don't have my camera back. Had to use Gretchen's binocs, even. But it's coming soon.

Baby bird pics

Sleepy little me, about 8 years old, at one of my Tia Chelo's big parties.

Dorky me in fourth grade. I could fly to Cleveland on those collars, baby!

I'm probably 4 years old here, wearing my favorite green cordoroy dress and struttin' my stuff.

Well, baby ME pics, anyway!

I have been in Harrisburg all week at a sales training class, so I still don't have my binocs and camera back yet, nor have I had time to bird. I'm going birding this weekend with Baby G, though, so I'm excited! Hoping to see some good birds--my friend Hillel emailed and said he'd seen his FOY Yellow-rumped Warbler, so I'm hoping that the rest of the migrants aren't too far behind. We've had such mild weather that the trees are already starting to leaf a little bit, which means we won't be able to see the birds if they don't hurry up and get here.

I'm also planning to do the migration could on May 8 with my birding pal Roana, with whom I used to go atlassing all the time. I can't wait, because she can pick out birds I would never see on my own. So birding updates and pics are coming; I just have to be patient.

Dangit, dangit, dangit!

I should have a beautiful post here with amazing pictures from our trip to Baltimore! But I forgot my bad-ass birding bag there!

It's in the mail somewhere, so I will soon have some cool pics -- though I think they're all of little flowers! We didn't see many birds, but we DID have some amazing food and fun and friends so stay tuned!

Early spring birding at Millbrook Marsh

Millbrook Marsh is a beautiful little natural area just north of Beaver Stadium. Spring Creek flows through it, providing a wonderful little habitat within city limits.

I was hoping to see at least an early Yellow Warbler or something, but I neither saw nor heard any warblers. I did see some good birds, though:
Northern Flicker
Tree Swallow (they're back!)
Black-capped Chickadee
American Robin
Red-winged Blackbird (they've been back for a while now)
Northern Cardinal
Mallard
Song Sparrow
Eastern Phoebe
Swamp Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Carolina Wren
Red-tailed Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk
American Crow
Turkey Vulture
Tufted Titmouse
Northern Mockingbird
Bluejay
House Finch
American Goldfinch
European Starling
Rock Pigeon
House Sparrow
Common Grackle

I saw some evidence of maybe a Green Heron, or a very small Great Blue:It's hard to tell without anything for scale, but it was only a medium-sized marsh-dweller's print. Way too small for a Great Blue.

I also saw this cute little raccoon hand-print:Otherwise, I included all the bird pics with my spring post down below.

It was so nice to get out into the field again! I can't wait for more migrants to return; the Tree Swallow was a good one, but I've yet to see any of the hundreds of Chimney Swifts that usually fly over Bellefonte. It's still pretty early for us, though. Migration usually doesn't get going until late April/early May.

We've been having unusually warm (like +20 over normal temps) weather here, but I'm not sure that winter is quite done with us. It'll be interesting to see whether we get some more early migrants (or, god forbid, snow). AB and I are going to Baltimore this weekend to see some friends, so no birding (probably), but I plan to hit it hard when we get back. My new job starts Wednesday after next, so I'll have Monday and Tuesday to play around.

Until then, I hope you're seeing some good birds!

Niblet update

For the last couple of months, I've been noticing that Niblet's face looked a little strange:My mom noticed it first and asked me why his mouth looked crooked. I worried that he might have developed another abscess.

So when we got back to Pennsylvania, I knew we'd better go see Dr. Ellen Scholz, the Wonder Vet who took care of Nib when he had his ear abscess. Turns out, Niblet might have Bell's Palsy!

I've known people, including my dad, who've been hit with Bell's Palsy; Ellen the Wonder Vet said she'd seen it in dogs, but this was the first time she'd seen it in a bunny. We'll be going back for a head X-ray next month (after I start my job and start getting paid) to confirm that he doesn't have anything more serious wrong with him, like an abscess that can't be seen in an external exam.

Sometimes, it's not that noticeable:

But sometimes, it's pretty obvious:
unless you imagine that he's doing his Elvis impersonation:

Thank you, thank you very much.

In humans, it's temporary; I hope it's the same in bunnies. He is otherwise fit as a fiddle, strong and weighing in at a trim 4.2 lbs. (hee hee!)

On the bright side, his disapproval powers have become devastatingly potent!Don't say I didn't warn you!

Spring is sprung!

In case you hadn't noticed,spring is here!

Pussy willows are now in flower:

Trees that were just a bunch of twigs last month are now in full display:

Little shoots are sprouting from the ground:

Yards are full of flowers:




and trees are leafing out:
Bulbs planted last fall are fulfilling hopes:

And the birds are feelin' it too:
this sparrow was trilling his little heart out, sounding like a Swamp Sparrow but bearing a hatpin mark on his breast that confused me.

House Finches are looking for girlfriends and good nesting spots

and Eastern Phoebes are saying their name for all to hear.

Autumn's plants, bloated and picked apart, are busy providing nesting material and food for prospective families:
The ice has melted, and clear cool water is flowing all around us:
Twittering buzzing conversations fill the air:
And even the doleful cooing of Rock Pigeons makes my heart swell with springtime happiness:
Has spring sprung itself on you yet?

Birds I saw today

Friday Night Nibble

What's up, doc?

Friday Night Nibble returns on a Saturday!

Chillin' in his new pad.

Chip, chip, and cheery-o, European birders!

Now that I have a little "connection" at Princeton University Press, I get to hear about new bird books almost the minute they're hot off the press. So I just found out that there's a new edition of Birds of Europe, from Princeton UP. Those of you who bird on ye olde Continent, as well as those of us who watch David Attenborough's The Life of Birds and wish we knew what all those chaffinches and hawfinches and fieldfares are about, will want to check it out!

I've read about how the book is set up, and I'm definitely putting it on my wish list in Amazon: like my National Geographic US birds guide, it's set up with the text, range map, and description on facing pages. One frustrating thing about birding in Texas with Birding Mommy's Peterson's Field Guide to the Birds of Texas was the fact that it was set up the "old way," by which I mean the color plates and brief descriptions of major field marks are all up front, then the text describing the bird and giving nesting, habitat, etc. information comes next, and then the maps are all bunched at the end. I would never criticize the great RTP--and maybe it's because I'm just a beginner and have no memory skills--but I like all the info in one place! I've seen more field guides going with this organizational method, and it's the reason I bought the NatGeo guide and use it as my first go-to when I'm puzzling over an ID or need some range information.

Speaking of field guides and puzzling IDs, I was thrilled to see lots of Red-tailed Hawks on my way home through Ohio, and I had no trouble at all IDing them. Unlike those crazy subspecies in Texas, the ones with no belly band and an almost solid white underside in flight, these yankee RTHAs show their colors and make it easier for a raptor beginner like me to ID them.

If the field guide collector in your life (aka you) has a birdday coming up, be sure to give this book a look:
Birds of Europe: Second Edition
Text and Maps by Lars Svensson
Illustrations and Captions by Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterström

Settling in

Niblet and I are settling in quite nicely to our home with AB. We're still unpacking; well, I should say that I'm still unpacking. Nib was pretty much good to go once he got out of his cage. Here he is with his new siblings:That's Maya in the orange, Nib in the back eating, and Owen in the classic gray. They all get along swimmingly!

I also have some pics from my visit to RAPTOR with Susan Gets Native! Here's a little montage.

Susan showed me the freezer where they keep the raptor food:
and lest you worry that they might run out, there's also another box freezer full:
And if you happen to get poop on anything, never fear:Works like a charm, according to Susan!

I got to peek in at Lynne's favorite, Earl:
Here's Earl, begging us not to leave just yet--or trying to eat Susan; you decide. She said that Earl could probably bite through that big old glove, given enough time. Her beak is huge and sharp, so I don't doubt that.

I also saw Thirteen:So cute! She's just so tiny, and her feathers look so soft. Susan also let me handle some of her educational stuffed bird parts, and I held the feathered skull of a Short-eared Owl. The feathers were even softer than Niblet's fur, which was surprising to me.

I saw all the raptors, including Storm, Priscilla, and the rest, but photos are hard on the birds so I was careful to just peek in through a crack in the door or the mew and be respectful of the birds. It was a really cold day, and most of the birds were just perched and puffed-up, trying to stay warm. I bet they can't wait until spring!

I also saw some pellets:both fresh and not-so-fresh:
I wonder if I've ever seen a pellet out in the field but I brushed it off as animal poo or something. Because those white ones above look a lot like stuff I've seen. But who knows? I guess you'd have to see if there were little bones in it. I'd love to find a pellet in the field!

While driving to lunch, we saw this beauty:Red-shouldered Hawks nest all around Susan's neighborhood--pretty cool! Sorry about the crazy tilt on this one; Susan stopped in the middle of the road for me (after stopping and turning around and going back so I could get the pic, Mary!) and I leaned across her and shot the pic through the open window. Then we had to hoof it because of traffic, but I got the shot!

On the drive around Susan's town and on my way home, I saw tons of Red-tails, TuVus, and other raptors enjoying the bright sunshine on their wings.

Oh, to be a bird! Sailing above the fields and water,
the wind in my feathers and the world at my feet!

Niblet gets native!

The second day of our travels brought Niblet and me to a new city for both of us, Cincinnati:I said hello to Johnny Bench for my mom as I zipped through downtown. It's a big city--reminds me of Pittsburgh a bit.

Nearby is the cute little town where Susan, raptor and RAPTOR expert, lives with her family! Niblet was happy just to get out of the car and play with Lorelei and Isabel, Susan's great girls. Here are a few photos of them getting to know one another:

Susan checks out the 'tocksLorelei did us the honor of letting us stay in her pink room,
for which Nib and I are truly grateful!

Nib took to Isabel almost immediately, sensing a fellow quiet soul

Susan and I had a fun dinner at The Works, a pizza place with lots of local flair. Now remember, I've been out west and down south, so I haven't had a real pizza since last August! Susan served me the first slice:Wow, a perfect flip. No wonder she's a raptor educator and not a waitress.Yeah, "oops!" Upside-down or not, it was delicious!

More tomorrow, when I accompany Susan to the real RAPTOR facility in the RaptorMobile!I can't wait to meet Earl and the gang, though I've already been warned that I can't go near Earl or I'll get puked on. Eewww.

For now, though, it's a good night's rest NOT in a moving vehicle for this bunny: