With over 50 million people engaged in some form of bird watching or other birding activities in the US, it is one of the more common pastimes of the day. With that many folks involved, we sometimes like to add our own unique stamp to our participation in birding.

Putting a bird feeder in the yard is one of the simplest things we can do, and it requires little effort to maintain. But the real fun is in finding a bird feeder or birdhouse that captures the spirit of the homeowner, and yet is functional as well. Fortunately, there is no shortage of decorative bird feeders to choose from.

So, what is a gazebo. It's usually a free standing structure, with regularly spaced sides, typically it's shaped as an octagon. It has a roof, sometimes ornately shaped, that protects the underside from the elements, and has sides that are either open or screened or glass, with the goal to be outside but not suffering the extremes of the afternoon sun or any passing showers.

The history of gazebos actually stretches back for centuries. In the US, our founding fathers including Washington and Jefferson had gazebos on their properties. Large gazebos were historically used as bandstands and were a featured element of the city park. Gazebos have been around for decades in India and Persia as well.

It's probably the romantic appeal of a lazy evening spent in a gazebo or listening to a band in the park that drives the popularity of these feeders. You can find them in a range of sizes, some that can be hung and others that are more appropriate for mounting on a post. Some are completely open so the birds can fly through, while others use the glass sides as the seed container. Some of the more inexpensive ones are simple metal units, while others have simulated wood shake roofs with white bannisters.

These feeders can attract a number of different bird species. With the appropriate seed you can attract finches, titmice, chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and more.

To see a great selection of gazebo bird feeders, along with other birding supplies and other decorative bird feeders like St Francis bird feeders, go to birdfeederz.com

The Irish have been busy reintroducing other raptors as well. This link includes a photo of the majestic White-tailed Eagle that has been reintroduced in County Kerry. The photo, however, was taken in County Down. I guess it's time for me to plan another trip to the homeland, and to make sure Down is on the itinerary!

    

The early morning walks along the Rogue River have produced some fun pictures. Actually I have taken these right near the parking lot. Enjoy the pictures.

WASHOE VALLEY, Nev.-- Take a leisurely stroll through Washoe Lake’s wetlands with park rangers and bird experts on July 26, 2008 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Learn ways to identify different birds in the field by sight, sound and behavior

Although the park has a few binoculars available for loan, it is advised visitors bring their own binoculars. Staff will have birding books on hand.

Everyone will meet on July 26 from 8 a.m. through 10 a.m. at the wetlands viewing area The viewing area is located one and a half miles east on East Lake Boulevard off Highway 395, exit 44, between Reno and Carson City.

The program is free.

A herd of Canada Geese

After a three days of short and long hops like  confused bird on small and large airplanes and like a regular guy using rental cars, I went from California to Austin, Texas and then to Tusa, Oklahoma. Then back to Dallas, Texas. But finally I am in sunny California.

I am not an avid birder like The Bird Man, Gallicissa. Heck I am not even a birds feather. But his weblog has made me read a lot about birds and be inquisitive about them, and seeing them in different light. I even went to the Barnes & Nobel and picked up a book, to read in Barrow. I am learning that high Arctic birds are the specialty in Barrow, snowy Owls are common, seen a few before. I assumed they were snow patches, the first time I saw them. Also that spectacled and Steller's Eiders are having their very short breeding seasons in June. Additionally, Yellow-billed Loons breed in the area. So instead of going hunting for seals and polar bears (I do not hunt but I follow Native American hunters, like one of my friends below) I will look for some birds.

But recent trip to a park, Lake Merritt, near my place I saw some birds and in response to Gallicissa's wonderful work, specially the last post where he made Emma happy, I am posting the following. (I have put the names according to database searches I did, please correct if these are wrong.

I will be better prepared on my next visit and will try to take better photos. These are cropped chopped versions of large photos.

Hope RD will see some birds get rhythmic as he is in the isle now.

Black Crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax Order CICONIIFORMES - Family ARDEIDAE

Canada Goose Branta canadensis Order ANSERIFORMES - Family ANATIDAE - Subfamily Anserinae

Double-crested cormorant Phalacrocorax  auritus | Order PELECANIFORMES  – Family PHALACROCORACIDAE

Blue jay Cyanocitta  cristata | Order PASSERIFORMES  – Family CORVIDAE

Greater white-fronted goose Anser  albifrons | Order ANSERIFORMES  – Family ANATIDAE

Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata Order ANSERIFORMES - Family ARDEIDAE (ICUN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES least concern)

am back in Cape Town and slowly getting my head into what I need to do next.

So as to bore you all backwards, here's my bird list from my nearly 3-month trip to the US. I did not spend that much time seriously birding as I had work to do and people to see, but nonetheless managed a fairly respectable total of 281 species (free-flying wild species positively identified by sight, including 4 introduced species). In addition, I unambiguously heard but did not see (or did not see well enough to see well enough to confirm field marks) another 4 species (Ruffed Grouse, Wood Thrush, Clapper Rail, Warbling Vireo) and saw in the hand (mist-netted) 2 species which I did not see free-flying in the wild (Yellow-breasted Chat and Swainson's Thrush).

I haven't gone through all my notes, so I may have missed a species or two, but will edit the list appropriately if I find extras. There's at least one Phalarope I still have to ID from some poor photos, and I have a sneaky feeling about one or two more shorebirds buried in the notes. With the species I saw during my shorter trip last year, and when I lived in Alaska in 1991, I have well over 300 species on my US list now, but probably not yet 400. I'll work out my total USA list sometime (perhaps never) and post it.

I birded in California, Alaska, Texas, Michigan, New York, Connecticut and a tiny bit in New Jersey. Big dips (birds I wanted to see, looked for, but missed) include Greater Roadrunner, American Woodcock, Upland Sandpiper, Blackburnian and Cerulean Warblers. Next time!

Red-throated Loon
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Eared Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Western Grebe
Clark’s Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe
Least Grebe
American White Pelican
Brown Pelican
Anhinga
Brandt’s Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Neotropic Cormorant
Least Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great (White) Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Glossy Ibis
White-faced Ibis
White Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
Mute Swan (introduced)
Trumpeter Swan
Gtr. White-fronted Goose
Snow Goose
Canada Goose
Brant (Goose)
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Wood Duck
Mallard
American Black Duck (poss hybrid w Mallard - many seen, none absolutely sure 100% Black)
Mottled Duck
Northern Pintail
American Wigeon
Eurasian Wigeon
Northern Shoveler
Blue-winged Teal
Green-winged Teal
Greater Scaup
Harlequin Duck
Long-tailed Duck
White-winged Scoter
Surf Scoter
Common Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye
Bufflehead
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
California Condor
Mississippi Kite
Cooper’s Hawk
Northern Harrier
Harris's Hawk
Red-shouldred Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Swainson's Hawk
Bald Eagle
Crested Caracara
American Kestrel
Plain Chachalaca
Wild Turkey
California Quail
Common Moorhen
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
Black-bellied Plover
Killdeer
Black Oystercatcher
American Oystercatcher
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Greater Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper
Willet
Whimbrel
Marbled Godwit
Black Turnstone
Sanderling
Dunlin
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
Black-legged Kittiwake
Bonaparte's Gull
Laughing Gull
Mew Gull
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Herring Gull
Glaucous Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Thayer's Gull
Western Gull
Heermann's Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Black Tern
Caspian Tern
Common Tern
Forster's Tern
Gull-billed Tern
Arctic Tern
Least Tern
Black Skimmer
Pigeon Guillemot
Marbled Murrulet
Feral Pigeon (introduced)
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Inca Dove
Common Ground Dove
White-tipped Dove
Red-crowned Parrot
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Groove-billed Ani
Eastern Screech-Owl
Barred Owl
Lesser Nighthawk
Common Nighthawk
Common Paraque
Chimney Swift
Vaux's Swift
White-throated Swift
Anna’s Hummingbd
Rufous Hummingbird
Allen’s Hummingbird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Buff-bellied Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Ringed Kingfisher
Green Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Acorn Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet
Eastern Wood-Peewee
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Black Phoebe
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Couch's Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Loggerhead Shrike
White-eyed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue Jay
Steller's Jay
Green Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
Gray Jay
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Northwestern Crow
Fish Crow
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Cave Swallow
Purple Martin
Oak Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse
Black-crested Titmouse
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Carolina Chickadee
Black-capped Chikadee
Brown Creeper
White-breasted Nuthatch
Bushtit
Marsh Wren
Bewick's Wren
House Wren
Carolina Wren
American Dipper
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Varied Thrush
American Robin
Hermit Thrush
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
California Thrasher
Long-billed Thrasher
American Pipit
Cedar Waxwing
European Starling (introduced)
Orange-crowned Warbler
Blue-winged Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Golden-cheeked Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Black-Throated Gray Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Kirtland's Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Ovenbird
Western Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Dickissel
Indigo Bunting
Painted Bunting
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Black-headed Grosbeak
Eastern Towhee
California Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Olive Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Lapland Longspur
Baltimore Oriole
Orchard Oriole
Altamira Oriole
Eastern Meadowlark
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Common Grackle
Great-tailed Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Bronzed Cowbird
American Goldfinch
Lesser Goldfinch
House Finch
Purple Finch
Common Redpoll
House Sparrow (introduced)

Photos will be posted as I get around to going through them.

Cheers!

Adam

We drove down to Hawkwatch, between Ponds 1 East and West. A couple of people had spotting scopes. These were invaluable. Compared with my 70-300mm lens, the difference is amazing. There were quite a few shorebirds. At the moment, shorebirds means to me: a bunch of small brown birds that all looks suspiciously the same and are hard to photograph. The Black-necked Stilts are an exception. They are bigger, and will get closer. Grackels galore, and hundreds of Swallows and some Purple Martins.

We then drove to the west end of Pond 1 West where we spent the rest of our time on the trails between there, Pond 3, the greenhouse, and the birding blind. I definitely saw many more birds than I would have by myself. I think that part of this is due to our numbers. With 12 people, you are bound to have more sightings.

Thoughts:

• This is really for birders, at least at this time of year. Trying to find, much less photograph, small birds along the trails is difficult. My best photos were of butterflies today!
• 8x binoculars are not enough. 10-12x definitely.
• It's a little luck. Last time I was there, the Snowy Egrets were perfectly positioned for photographs. Today, they were hiding behind the shrubbery and far from the road.
• I need a bigger lens. I will probably order a 300mm lens this weekend. While it's the same focal length as what I have, the quality is better and you can add extenders to it to increase the length. Canon has a dearth of telephoto lenses below the $4000 mark, and there's no way I'm spending that kind of money, regardless of the quality :)
• The people were extremely friendly and knowledgeable. A very welcoming gorup.
• The further west you go, the worse the smell is. This was definitely the worst it's been for me. Very unpleasant.

You can see our sightings on the site. The 'sightings' are, again, for birders. Recognition of a bird call is enough to get it on the list. Nothing wrong with that, but from a photography standpoint, it's disappointing to realize that alot of those birds you won't see, and if you do, you need a very expensive lens, or a scope.

With all that said, it is probably worth taking the field trip every month, simply because the birds at Hornsby will constantly change due to migrations. Or I may go by myself from now on. I think the birds are probably more skittish with a large group of people. That also allows me to take my time and set up the tripod and whatnot, if I so desire.

You can read the entire news article here and the Ontario Premier's press release here.

You can send a Thank You letter to Premier McGuinty for protecting the Boreal Forest through the Boreal Songbird Initiative website.

I knew it was too good to be true. The miniature bird paradise I have set up in my yard, complete with water, bath, 2 kinds of seeds, suet and nectar has been infiltrated. I've discovered a giant hole in the ground complete with an ugly rat who is enjoying spillage.

Afraid to remove the food source because I'm sure he will try to get into my home, I've taken away only the sunflower seed and kept the suet hanger and Nyjer seed for the finches. Never ever would I dare take away my humming bird feeders.

He's hardly Stuart Little or Ratatouille. He's grown into a pain in the ass and I've watched as he scares other birds. I'm committed to finding a humane way to trap this rat, which may be the problem. He's too smart for the trap doors and booby traps I've set up thus far. I'm afraid to use any poisons because the birds will definitely end up injesting it. At this point, he's gotten some nice pieces of crackle barrel and almonds. But victory will be mine. I assure you.

Also, the fat, lazy neighborhood cats have proven useless yet again. I may call the animal control to take them away along with the rat once I trap him.

Here are some pics of him chilling in the garden:

"Will Drilling in the Arctic Refuge Lower Gas Prices?
As the U.S. faces record prices at the pump, President Bush and pro-drilling advocates insist that opening the Arctic Refuge to oil development is the answer. Ironically, the Bush Administration's own Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently reported that even at peak production in 2027, the oil produced from the Refuge would only reduce the price of a barrel of oil by 78 cents. Increased conservation and use of alternative technologies would yield nearly ten times more savings than what consumers would ever get from drilling in the Arctic Refuge, based on the EIA's report."

This is why it simply isn't worth despoiling the Arctic National Wildlife for the oil it might produce. We are America, dang it! We can and should do better!

For more great updates on conservation issues related to our native birds, check out the "Audubon Action" website.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I participate in a NJAS Citizen Science program that attempts to survey nightjar populations. The New Hampshire Audubon Society recently issued a report of the 2006 survey, which you can read here.

The New Jersey pine barrens offer several great locations for nightjars that are easily accessible from public roads, such as Rt-539 through Burlington and Ocean Counties, or the area near Double Trouble State Park.

So get out and listen! Otherwise, it may be next spring before you'll hear the magically calls of nightjars echoing through the night.

Good Birding!

Chimney Swifts are fascinating creatures. Most closely related to hummingbirds, swifts may spend more time on the wing than any other birds. I've read that swifts eat, drink, mate, and even sleep on the wing. If that last one is true, then they must get a lot out of little power naps!

Chimney Swift portrait, Powdermill Nature Reserve

Most folks are familiar with swifts - they are pretty conspicuous - but they're probably often mistaken for swallows or bats. Some folks get the chance to experience swifts up close and personal: occasionally, babies will fall from their chimney nests and be found clinging to the side of a homeowner's fireplace. But most of us know them simply as twittering little black boomerangs strung through cigars that can do about Mach 3 in a straightaway.

They fly more slowly when coming to roost. Last night right at 9 pm when the full, red moon had just risen in the east, I noticed our resident flock of about 50 swifts circling and twittering over the roof of Kerr Hall. I had seen them do this before, so I figured they must be roosting somewhere on the roof of that building. The roof, however, is flat, and there are no chimneys.

As the minutes passed and the birds continued circling, the little black shapes became harder to discern against the darkening sky. The first stars blinked on around 9:10. Finally, I thought I had an idea where the birds were going, so I posted myself at the best vantage I could find. There! One at a time, birds were dropping from the wheeling flock, holding their stiff wings aloft, and floating like butterflies in an irregular path to their roost. By 9:16, the twittering fell silent as the last swift wafted down into the roost.

My next assignment? Convince the maintenance crew of a college dormitory to let me climb out onto the roof of their 11-story building and try to figure out where these little guys are roosting.

For more information about swifts, check here.

Cape May Point State Park Photos:

[caption id="attachment_101" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Red-winged Blackbird on Dune Fence"][/caption]

The additional photos below are taken with the Panasonic:

[caption id="attachment_103" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Looking into the marsh water"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_104" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Mallard splashing."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_102" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Pitch Pine boughs and pine cones"][/caption]

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=leetes+island+and+sawmill+road+branford+CT&sll=41.271372,-72.739041&sspn=0.011257,0.018797&ie=UTF8&ll=41.281935,-72.740049&spn=0.011257,0.018797&t=h&z=14&output=embed&s=AARTsJrAB0j-vdTnyFg5_NMnJoAdhZCJBw&w=425&h=350]

Full size pictures are below.

Currently in between business conferences, I am loafing in Napa Valley.   Unable to find a bird guide (Grrrr), I randomly drove around this morning looking for birds.  With the countryside being so dry, I thought it would make the most sense to find water.   Looking at the map, I headed off to Hennessey Lake.  As soon as I got out of the car, I heard the crik-crik Western Grebes.  Scanning the lake from a distance, I saw what looked like white sticks planted out in the water.   It was a flotilla of Grebes.  Cool.  Even though I have seen them many times before, it was still a thrill to see so many.

The walk around the lake produced: Steller and Western Scrub Jay, Acorn Woodpeckers, California Quail, Oregon Junco, Spotted Towhee, some sort of dark sparrow protecting its hard-won worm from a maurading western fence lizard, Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawk, a big flock of Bicolored Blackbirds, Black Phoebe, Great Egret, Canada Goose, Mourning Dove, Oak Titmouse, Coot, Pied-billed Grebe and maybe some others that I forgot.

Of special note, was the very dark, almost chocolaty Winter Wrens I saw feeding young at Muir Woods yesterday.  The woods was also full of Wilson's Warblers and Brown Creeper.  I mean full, they were everywhere I looked.  Oh yeah, and there were Chestnut-backed Chickadees too.

I hope to bird the marshes on the way back to the city tomorrow.

My favorite woodpecker, the Northern Flicker, makes regular visits to the suet feeder on the deck. I only wish I could catch a shot of him with his wings spread. They are a brilliant orange which you see hints of in his tail feathers.

To dig deeper on this story, be sure to check out Jeff Wells' excellent Boreal Bird Blog.

I will definitely learn to fly a glider one day - a glider because it mimics the style of the raptors , its silent, not much of a fuss, environmentally sound and most important of all the cheapest option.

Their superficial resemblance to penguins is a wonderful example of convergent evolution, i.e., unrelated species developing through natural selection similar strategies to solve similar problems. In this case, both penguins (order Sphenisciformes) and auks or alcids (order Charadriiformes - this includes auks as well as terns, gulls, plovers, and sandpipers) have evolved the ability to swim rapidly and at depth in ocean water to pursue fish. Through convergent evolution, both groups have developed thick, torpedo-shaped bodies, dense plumage for warmth in cold climates, countershaded coloration (dark above and white below), and reduced wings that can assist in swimming by flapping underwater.

A closer look, however, reveals important differences. For example, auks possess clearly webbed feet, and these probably provide a good deal of propulsion during swimming. The heavy, club-like feet of penguins are generally not used during swimming, as propulsion comes mainly from the flipper-like wings. A penguin's wings are in fact so modified as flippers for swimming, that they are stiff and bladelike, having lost the ability to fold against the body as do the wings of most other birds. Auk wings are different, in fact all 22 living species are able fliers while all penguins are flightless. Finally, these two groups of seabirds are separated geographically: all auks occur exclusively in the Northern Hemisphere (principally in the far north) and penguins are confined to the Southern (except of course, for the Galapagos Penguin, whose distribution straddles the Equator).

To further add to the confusion between penguins and auks, the word "penguin" is thought to derive from "pinioned" or "pin-winged". When sailors first encountered the flightless Great Auk with its reduced wings, they described it as a bird who'd had its wings clipped to keep it from flying away. As more and more Europeans explored the southern oceans , they encountered there many black and white "pinioned" seabirds, and they referred to them as they did to the Great Auk - "penguins." So penguins actually get that name from the history of sailors encountering the flightless Great Auk, and unrelated species from an entirely different hemisphere. Now you know.

But I digress . . .

The reason I'm posting about Great Auks today is that I encountered one recently. Well, sort of, but I was wrong.

While enjoying a great visit with old chum Greg Keller now at Gordon College in Massachusetts, Greg indicated that he had something really cool to show me - something he inherited as part of the College's natural history collection.

He produced a leaded glass box containing several old eggs.

Only one, that of a Mute Swan, was labeled. The others were fairly easy to identify as ostrich, emu, and rhea, but the last two seemed a bit more interesting. One was not much larger than a chicken egg, and it had a buffy-olive color. Would an oologist from the 19th century have included the egg of a Rhode Island Red in a prized collection like this? It didn't make sense. Then it hit me - tinamou! Tinamous are roughly chicken-sized and shaped birds from Central and South America that are most closely related to the rheas, ostriches, and emus. Tinamou eggs are beautifully glossy, and this would really have been a treasured specimen for an egg collector.

But the egg that really captured our attention was different. It was an obvious charadriiform egg, based on its pyriform shape and the pattern of uneven dark blotches on a light background. It was however, huge - almost as big as the emu egg in the box. Greg had done some background research based on his hunch that the egg in question was actually that of a Great Auk. All evidence pointed to that being the case. If authentic, this would be the rediscovery of a currently uncatalogued specimen of an extinct species, and a priceless find. It was a thrilling item to behold.

Emu egg (L) and Great Auk egg (R)

Alas, Greg finally had the chance to travel to the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, and direct comparison with known eggs confirmed his nagging suspicion that the Great Auk egg in his possession is, in fact, a well-crafted replica.

While our hopes of having encountered a piece of an extinct creature were dashed, I find myself perhaps even more interested in the mystery. Who made this egg, and why? Was there money to be had in producing egg forgeries during the height of the egg collection fad of the 19th century? Was this an honestly produced replica used for display while its authentic antecedent was kept in a more secure location? Had the original owner of the egg been the craftsman who produced it, or had he himself been duped into thinking it was authentic? Where one mystery ends, a new one begins . . .

Above the familiar line of soaring pelicans.  At right a loner crosses Crissey Field toward the Golden Gate Bridge beyond.  Even in the high winds, these great fliers seems to move almost effortlessly.

Note the missing wing feather in lone bird to the left.  Below is yearling bird: all dark face, light belley.  Pelicans are usually three before they reach breeding age so it makes sense the non-breeding immatures owuld leave to come north, making in easier for parents and chicks to find enough food in the less fishy waters of So Cal and Mexico.

ON SHORE

Snoozing male Mallard in eclipse plumage, didn't even move his head as we walked by.  The sun was warm, his shallow water even warmer.  What Winnie-the-Pooh would call a hummy kind of an afternoon.

Not headless, just heedless.  Night-Heron, Day-Snoozer.

And for now, Adios.  I'm off to Ecuador for motmot, cotinga, a zillion tanagers and a couple toucans.  With luck a questzal and perchance a few antwren.

I've earned my badges!

.

I like hiking. On our trip to Bon Echo Park last week, despite running back and forth on sick puppy business, I managed four of Bon Echo's trails. I was surprised at how different they were, even though they were all relatively short and within a three-kilometre-square piece of land.

1. High Pines Trail (1.6 km)

If you look at the photo, the High Pines Trail is the pink loop that begins at the lower right-hand corner of the High Pines badge. I loved it! Forget the Grandes Eaux Musicales de Versailles, this was the most musical walk I've ever had. The air rang with the flutey songs of Hermit Thrushes and Veeries, the long whistle of Broad-winged Hawks, the complaint of Eastern Wood Peewees, the "T-shirt! T-shirt!" call of Ovenbirds (I think it sounds like a spraypaint can being shaken), and the rap-tappings of various piciformes. I saw a pair of them on a pine, and was convinced that they weren't Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. If they were the Black-backed Woodpeckers I think they were, they're a first for my life-list.

The hike went up hill and down, never hard enough to necessitate grabbing a small tree for support. Cai was my only companion, and he and a doe startled each other at the top. The doe stepped back a few paces, and Cai kept looking over his shoulder as we continued.

2. The Bon Echo Creek Trail (1 km)

The web of broken squiggly lines between the High Pines badge and the Creek badge represents the Mazinaw Lake campground. The blue line bordering the southwest of the campground is Bon Echo Creek. Between the creek and the road that parallels it is a red dotted line I added with marker. This is the Bon Echo Creek Trail. I would heartily recommend it as a preschooler's first-ever hiking trail. 

This is no baby-buggy road, but a real trail. It begins at the road, and runs toward Mazinaw Lake. Near the beginning is a small rise; after that the trail is straight and level, with the road only steps away if the child wearies or gets a boo-boo. The trail is lined with ferns and young trees, and offers glimpses of the creek through the leaves. At the end of the trail is a little footbridge that leads back into the campground -- or if you're Cai, you'll turn right and pull mummy straight over to the dog beach.

3. Pet Exercise Trail (2.4 km)

If you follow the road that parallels the Creek Trail, you'll eventually come to the day-use parking area. Just beyond that is the off-leash doggie trail. Again, I've added it onto the map, to the left of the Creek badge. The shape and size is a guestimate, but it takes into account the steep rise and descent.

Once again, this is a real hiking trail, with muddy bits and a swampy bit and lots of woods and the usual number of mosquitoes. I applied some holistic rosemary-oil doggie bug repellant to Cai (and myself), and didn't find the bugs annoying at all. And Cai? Oh, those shining eyes! He was absolutely thrilled to be off leash in such an interesting area. What fascinated me was that he only left the trail once; mostly he stayed on track, sniffing and splishing and giving his legs a good stretch. The park guide suggests an hour for this trail, but we were through it in 25 minutes. Then we headed to the dog beach for some bobbing-for-balls. Happy dog!

4. The Shield Trail (4.8 km)

So far, each of the trails I've discussed took me half the length of their suggested time. Not so the Shield Trail. It suggests two hours; I did it -- with neither dog nor human for companion -- in 110 minutes. And it's not because I was lingering!

I was glad to have the Shield Trail guide booklet with me. The booklet focusses on the previous use of this area: it was a farm. The trail starts on the old Addington Road, 90 km of 19th-century rut. Turning aside from an unsuccessful exploratory mine pit (mining didn't "pan out" here either), one heads into a 100-acre tract of government-issued "free farmland" that was supposed to bribe settlers into staying in Canada. The land was simply surveyed for size, not for feasibility: this is soil-poor Canadian Shield.

I kept walking, shaking my head, wondering how long these settlers toughed it out before running away screaming. I would have run myself, except that the final quarter of the trail is a line of bushel-basket-sized boulders. And from starting out as a confident rosemary-oil-scented bugproof hiker, I finished as a blood pizza. The silence was deafening: where were all the birds? I finally decided that the mosquitoes and deer flies had chased them all away. All in all, it was the most depressing trail I've ever hiked -- which added the perfect atmosphere of authenticity to the  trail guide's history lesson.